The story of Prophet Saalih – I

After the destruction of 'Aad, the people of Prophet Houd Thamood, the
people of Prophet Saalih succeeded them in power and glory. They, like
their predecessors, fell to idol-worshipping. As their material wealth
increased so, too, did their evil ways, while their virtue decreased.
Like the people of 'Aad, they erected huge buildings on the plains and
hewed beautiful homes out of the hills. Tyranny and oppression became
prevalent as evil men ruled the land.
Allaah, the Exalted, sent unto them His Prophet Saalih a man from
among them. His full name was Saalih Ibn Ubeid Ibn Maseh Ibn Ubeid Ibn
Hader Ibn Thamood Ibn Ather Ibn Eram, Ibn Noah (Nooh ). He called his
people to worship Allaah alone, and not to associate any partners with
Him. While some of them believed him, the majority of themdisbelieved
and harmed him by both words and deeds. Allaah Said in the Quran (what
means): "And to Thamood [We sent] their brother Saalih.He said, 'O my
people, worship Allaah; you have no deity other than Him...' " [Quran
11:61]
Prophet Saalih was known for his wisdom, purity and goodness and had
been greatly respected by his people before Allaah's revelationcame to
him. Almighty Allaah mentions what his people said to him in the
Quranic verses (which mean): "O Saalih, you were among us a man of
promise before this. Do you forbid us to worship what our fathers
worshipped? And indeed we are, about that to which you invite us, in
disquieting doubt." [Quran 11:62]
They merely wanted to worship the same gods as their fathers had, with
no reason, no proof, and no thought. The proof of Prophet Saalih's
message was evident, but despite this, it was obvious that most of his
people did not believe him. They doubted his words, thinking he was
charmed, and they saw that he would not stop preaching. Fearing that
his followers would increase in number, they tried to put him off by
assigning him an important task; to prove that he was a messenger of
Allaah by performing amiracle. They asked him to let a unique
she-camel emerge from the mountains.
Allaah Almighty granted Prophet Saalih this miracle and a huge, unique
she-camel appeared from the direction of the mountain. The Quranic
commentators said that the people of Thamood gathered on a certain day
at their meeting place, and prophet Saalih came and addressed them to
believe in Allaah,reminding them of the favors Allaah had grantedthem.
Then, pointing at a rock, they demanded: "Ask your Lord to make a
she-camel, which must be10 months pregnant, tall and attractive, issue
fromthe rock for us." Prophet Saalih replied: "Look now! If Allaah
sends you what you have requested, just as you have described, will
you believe in that which I have come to you with and have faith in
the message I have been sentwith?" They answered: "Yes." So he took a
vow from them on this, and then prayed to Allaah, The Almighty, to
grant their request. Allaah ordered the distant rock to split asunder,
to bring forth a great ten-month pregnant she-camel. When their eyes
set on it,they were amazed. They saw a great thing, a wonderful sight,
a dazzling power and clearevidence!
A number of Prophet Saalih's people believed, yet most of them
continued in their disbelief, stubbornness, and going astray. Allaah,
the Almighty, said in the Noble Quran (what means): "And We gave
Thamood the she-camel as a visible sign, but they wronged her." [Quran
17:59] And (what means): "And certainly did the companions of al-Hijr
(628) [i.e. the Thamood] deny the messengers." [Quran 15:80-81]
There are a number of accounts by Quranic commentators of this
she-camel and its miraculous nature. It wassaid that the she-camel was
miraculous because a rock in the mountain split open and it came forth
from it, followed byits young offspring. Otheraccounts said that the
she-camel used to drink all the water in the wells in one day, and no
other animals could approach the water. Still others claimed that the
she-camel produced milk sufficient for all the people to drink, on the
same day that it drank allthe water, leaving none for them.
At first, the people of Thamood were greatly surprised when the
she-camel emerged from the mountain rocks. It was a blessed beast, and
its milk sufficient for thousands of men, women and children. If
itslept in a place that placewas abandoned by other animals. Thus it
was obvious that is was not an ordinary she-camel, but one of Allaah's
signs.
Their hatred of Prophet Saalih turned towardsthe blessed she-camel and
became centered on it. A conspiracy started to be hatched against the
miraculous beast by the disbelievers, and they secretly plotted
against it.
Prophet Saalih feared that they might kill her, so he warned them
saying (what means): "And O my people, this is the she-camel of Allaah
— [she is] to you a sign. So let her feed upon Allaah's earth and do
not touch her with harm, or you will be taken by an impending
punishment. " [Quran 11:64]
For a while, Prophet Saalih's people let the camel graze and drink
freely, but in their hearts they hated it. However, the miraculous
appearance of the unique she-camel caused many to become his
followers, and they clungto their belief in Allaah.
The disbelievers now began complaining that this huge she-camel with
its unusual qualities drank most of the water and frightened their
cattle.
They laid a plot to kill thebeast, and sought the help of their women
folk to tempt the men to carryout their commands. A lady named Saduq
Bint Mahya, who was from a rich and noble family, offered herself to a
young man named Masrai Ibn Mahraj on condition that he hamstrings the
she-camel. Aneezah, an old woman, offered one of her daughters to a
young man, Qudaar Ibn Saluf, in return for killingthe she-camel.
Naturally, these young men were tempted and set about finding seven
others to assist them.

Protecting our Children from Lying - I

The doorbell rang in the house of the grandfather, and four-year-old
Fahd ran toopen the door. Soon, he returned running and jumping,
announcing thevisitor to his grandfather, "Grandpa! Shaykh Al
'Uthaymeen is waiting for you in the salon."
The grandfather smiled and asked inquiringly, "Who is it Fahd? Talk seriously."
Fahd said insistently, "By Allaah, grandpa, Shaykh Al 'Uthaymeen is
sitting inthe salon."
The grandfather went to receive his guest and returned soon to hold
back the mother of Fahd from punishing him saying, "Leave him
daughter, Fahd did not lie. The day before yesterday, he heard me
talking to you about Shaykh Al 'Uthaymeen, May Allaah have mercy upon
him, whom I described as a slim round-faced man, with large eyes and a
thick white beard. When Fahd saw my friend Hajj Husayn, who has come
tovisit us, with the same appearance, he imaginedthat it was Shaykh Al
'Uthaymeen!"
Dear parent,
Lying is one of the most disturbing challenges for the one assuming
the child's upbringing, when the liar is his child. Just
astruthfulness is the summit of good morals, lying is among the most
hateful bad morals and attributes and one should do his best not to
allow it be one of the characteristics of his children, as it is a
blameworthy attribute and a prohibited behavior rejected by noble
souls.
In spite of the great importance of truthfulness in building the
child's personality, the attribute of lying is a prevalent behavior
among many children.
The parent is more confused when he sees his child lying repeatedly in
different contexts and situations. The parent here faces a real
problem: Why does his child lie? How should he prevent him from lying?
What is considered lying in children?
In order to treat the child's lying, we should study each situation in
which he lies individually, and get acquainted with the real motive
for his lying, and whether it goes back to his desire to have a good
appearance and conceal his feeling of inferiority, or whether it is
due to the child's extensive imagination and his failure to remember
events well. We also should wonder: Is lying instinctive or an
acquiredcharacteristic? Are there different kinds of lying among
children? What causes a child to lie? Is there a way to prevent the
child from lying and how should we treat the liar?
Dear parent and mentor,
Here are the answers to all those questions. Let usexplore this
article, in order to convey our children to the shore of truthfulness,
where Allaah The Almighty commanded us to be, as He Says (what means):
} O you who have believed, fear Allaah and be with those who are true.
{ [Quran 9:119]
First of all, we like to know, in some detail, about the concept and
manifestations of lying.
In his definition of lying, Dr. Ahmad Az-Zu'bi, Professor of
psychotherapy, says, "Lying is to tell something untrue in word, deed
and behavior, with the intention to cheat and deceive another person
to get a particular benefit, or get rid of something unpleasant." He
adds, "Lying, in this sense, is an abnormal habit and attitude that is
acquired by the child from the environment in which he lives."
Lying is an acquired and not an instinctive or hereditary behavior:
The child is not born a liar. However, there are many causes which
lead him to lie. That finding is confirmed by both psychologists and
educationists who see that children are born with a pure disposition,
and learn, step by step, truthfulness and honesty from their
environment ifthose surrounding them observe truthfulness in their
words and promises. Nevertheless, if the child is brought up in an
environment where the people are deceitful, evasive and doubtful, he
is more likely to learn the same behavioral attitudes in facing his
life and achieving his goals.
When the child lives in anenvironment which does not help to direct
and train him in the attitudes of truthfulness, it becomes easier for
him to lie -- especially if he has the capability of speaking fluently
and hasa fertile imagination.
Those two faculties, in addition to his imitating those surrounding
him who resort to lying and fabricate lame excuses to get out of
different situations, train him to liefrom his early childhood until
it becomes familiar to him and a habit.
Based on that, lying is an acquired and learnt and is not instinctive
or a hereditary behavior and attribute.
On the other hand, children may lie at different levels, some stronger
and worse than others. Those include:
Hiding a part of the reality:
If lying is to tell something that is different from the reality or
the facts, children mayincline to conceal even a simple part of the
fact, for some purpose or benefit they like in their view. For
example, a child may narrate a certain event completely except a
simple part just for the sake of entertainment.
Complete concealment:
In this case, the child inclines to conceal the event entirely. A
typical example is the school certificate: many childrentake the
school certificate and return it once again to the class teacher
without showingit to their parents.
Adding something to reality:
Some children, especially those who are young, may like to add some
details to the event whenrelating it, for the sake ofembellishment,
modification, drawing the attention of others orthinking those details
may really happen. For example, when the child says to his mother, "
My father told me to go to the grocery store to buy a bottle of
mineral water for him" and this is a reality, then he adds, "And told
me to keep the change to buy some sweets for myself" and this addition
is a lie which did not take place.
Fabrication:
This is the worst and the most terrible level of lying, where the
child fabricates an illusory story from his own imagination for a
certain purpose. Unfortunately, the child may swear that his claim is
true.

Maintaining Discipline in Worship

'Abdullaah would rise before Fajr (dawn) each morning and rush tothe
Mosque to offer the prayer. He would return to the Mosque for Maghrib
(sunset) and 'Ishaa' (evening) prayers as well. He readthe Quran
daily. He studied other Islamic books in his spare time. He spent much
of his free time with his family and took his role as the spiritual
leader in his home quite seriously .
Five years later, he found that he would go days, sometimes a whole
week without performing a single prayer. He no longer attends
congregational prayer at the Mosque—he didn't have time with his new
job. This new job involved his working closely in nightclub
establishments with people of questionable backgrounds. This resulted
in his becoming very secretive about many of his work activities; he
didn't even talk to his wife about them because he knew she would
disapprove. Work kept him busy all night and throughout the entire
weekend. Many of his new friends also worked with him and he began to
spend a great deal of his free time with them. Because of this, he
spent less time with his family. He had to sleep during theday in
order to be able to work each night.
His wife noticed a great change inhis demeanor. They had several
discussions about his work and how it was affecting him and his
relationship with Allaah Almighty. He agreed, and would begin the
process of searching for new work, but inevitably, chose to stay in
his current job. He soon found himself feeling very distanced from his
wife and children. Even though the money was abundant when he first
began, it was now barely paying the bills.
He felt his marriage crumbling beneath the years of neglect. He found
himself succumbing to depression over his circumstances, unmotivated
to initiate the things he knew he would have to do in order for his
life to change .
It is interesting to note that 'Abdullaah's life seemed much more
peaceful and balanced when he engaged in his regular religious duties,
and began to suffer significantly when he abandoned them .
Could this simply be a coincidence? Imaam Mohammad Baianouni of the
Islamic Center inRaleigh, North Carolina accuratelysums up situations
like this stating: "The regulation of a man's conduct within one
systemof life is one of the most important reasons of success
andstability. The absence of this regulation is one of the greatest
crises a man suffers from in his life. This happens when man is left
without guidance from Allaah, The Most High, or without proper
upbringing based on the Divine Guidance. Under these circumstances,
man's life becomes miserable on this earth and he will be amongst the
losers in the Hereafter".
A religion of discipline
It is only from the infinite wisdom and mercy of Allaah that we have
been given a system of belief that instructs and assists inguiding our
actions and behavior.By participating in the daily obligations of our
faith outlined in the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad we
are more likely to enjoy Allaah's bounty in this life, and reap the
rewards in the Hereafter. Allaah Almighty ordered all believers to be
disciplined in their worship, and not to disobey Him. In the Quran,
Allaah Says (what means) " So remain on a right course as you have
been commanded, [you]and those who have turned back with you [to
Allaah], and do not transgress. Indeed, He is Seeing of what you do. "
[Quran 11: 112]
The intensity of our faith changesthroughout our lives. There are
times when we are of strong faith, and times when we struggle. Many
brothers and sisters who proudly claim Islam as their religion
unintentionally find themselves "slipping" in their religious duties.
Seemingly overnight their lives go from pleasurable and carefree to
darkness and confusion. You maybegin to acknowledge that you have
landed in such a state because of the choices you made,but you are
lost as to how to go about changing things.
Being steadfast in our duties to Allaah Almighty is what keeps you
from languishing during yourdarker moments. Remember thatyour ultimate
return is to Him Almighty, so you must develop discipline and a
consistency in your daily routine to keep your faith from sinking.
Developing discipline
Recognizing your shortcomings isthe first step towards becoming more
disciplined. Allaah AlmightySays (what means): "…Indeed, Allaah will
not change the condition of a people until they change what is in
themselves..." [Quran 13: 11] When you decide to change for the sake
of Allaah Almighty, Allaah will help you change. Each one is
responsible for oneself and will be questioned accordingly on the Day
of Judgment, with no one to intercede on your behalf. You must make
the choice to live yourlife according to Allaah's Will on your own.
You will not benefit from being told about what you need to do and how
you need to change in order to have a more fulfilling life. You must
take an interest in making those changesfor yourself. Only then can
you reap the rewards. Think about the wives of the Prophets Noah and
Loot, may Allaah exalt their mention. Each Prophet tried
unsuccessfully to offer the best guidance to his wife, but
becausethere was no real interest on their part, it was said to each
of women (what means): "…Enter the Fire with those who enter!" [Quran
66: 10]
I have a good friend who was going through a very rough time.Her faith
was at an all time low. During several of our conversations, she
lamented thatAllaah Almighty was punishing her for not being a "good
Muslim." I asked her: "Why must Allaah be punishing you? Allaah puts
us through many tests and trials in this life to give us the chance to
know Him better." We debated back and forth about this for some time.
She was reallystuck in the debts of despair, andfound my comments
annoyingly optimistic. I reminded her that Allaah Almighty is also
Merciful and that this trial for her could be the wake up call she
needed to have an opportunity to renew and redeem her faith and become
closer to Him Almighty. Perhaps Allaah had to put her through such
difficulty to get her attention and give her a chance to make changes
.
There are many things you can doto establish discipline in your daily
life. Such consistency not only balances our faith, but all other
aspects of our lives as well :
Evaluate yourself regularly to make certain you are doing all that you
can spiritually.
Perform your daily prayers punctually each day.
Read the Quran regularly, with aneffort to truly understand what you
are reading.
Seek knowledge regularly, religious and other, through books,
CDs/tapes, classes and lectures.
Keep company with righteous people.
Have confidence in your faith and,more importantly, in Allaah Almighty.
Regularly spend some time alone in contemplation and worship.
Islam is a complete way of life. Asbelievers, we should desire the
discipline that allows us to regulate our lives and keep chaosaway. In
choosing this way of life,peace and contentment are your right.
Discipline comes as a resultof performing certain duties consistently.
Ask Allaah to help you to establish discipline in yourreligious
commitment and to be able to submit to all that pleases Him Almighty.

Jumma Prayers - , Khutbah al-Haajah

What is the Arabic, English transliteration and the English meaningof
khutbah al-Haajah. It is what the Imam says when the jumah starts. I
heard many speakers begin their talks with this and I would like to
learn it. Insha'allah
Praise be to Allaah.
A number of hadeeth scholars, such as Imaam al-Nisaa'i (may Allaah
have mercy on him), have reported Khutbah al-Haajah. Al-Nisaa'i
reported that 'Abd-Allaah ibn Mas'ood (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught
us Khutbat al-Haajah: Al-hamdu Lillaahi nasta'eenahu wa nastaghfiruhu,
wa na'oodhu billaahi min shuroori anfusinaa wa sayi'aati a'maalinaa.
Manyahdih Illaahu falaa mudilla lahu wa man yudlil falaa haadiya
lahu.Wa ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan
'abduhu wa rasooluhu (Praise be to Allaah, we seek His help and His
forgiveness.We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls
and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led
astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear
witness that there is no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that
Muhammad is His slave and Messenger). Then herecited the following
three aayaat (interpretation of the meaning): 'Yaa ayyuha'lladheena
aamanu-ttaqu'Llaaha haqqa tuqaatihi wa laa tamootunna illaa wa antum
muslimoon (O youwho believe! Fear Allaah as He should be feared, and
die not except in a state of Islam (as Muslims) with complete
submission to Allaah.)' [Aal 'Imraan 3:102], 'Yaa ayyuha'n-naas uttaqu
rabbakum alladhi khalaqakum min nafsin waahidatin wa khalaqa minhaa
zawjahaa wa baththa minhumaa rijaalan katheeran wa nisaa'an
wa'ttaqu-Llaah alladhi tasaa'aloona bihiwa'l-arhaama inna Allaaha
kaana 'alaykum raqeeban (O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who
created you from a single person, and from him He created his wife,
and from them both He created many men and women, and fear Allaah
through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and (do not cut the
relations of) the wombs (kinship) Surely, Allaah is Ever an
All-Watcher over you).' [al-Nisaa' 4:1], 'Yaa ayyahu'lladheena
aamanu-ttaqu'Llaaha waqooloo qawlan sadeedan (O you who believe! Keep
your duty to Allaah and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth).'
[al-Ahzaab 33:70]." (Sunan al-Nisaa'i: Kitaab al-Jumu'ah, Baab
kayfiyyah al-khutbah). The hadeeth scholar Shaykh Muhammad Naasir
al-Deen al-Albaanidevoted a chapter to it in which he compiled all its
isnaads and commented on it. And Allaah knows best.