The Mercy of Allah in Regard to Forgiveness

"O son of Adam, as long as you call upon Me and put your hope in Me, I
have forgiven you for what you have done and I do not mind. O son of
Adam, ifyour sins were to reach the clouds of the sky and then you
would seek My forgiveness, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, if you
were to come to Me with sins that are close to filling the earth and
then you would meet Me without ascribing any partners with Me, I would
certainly bring to you forgiveness close to filling it."
In this Hadithi Qudsi, Allah gives hope to mankind more than any other
narration. It displays the quality and attribute of Allahs mercy.
Indeed, He is ar-Rahman, the Most Compassionate, and ar-Raheem, the
Most Merciful. In this HadithiQudsi, Allah tells man of the greatness
of His forgiveness and mercy so that no one would despair due to the
amount of sins he may have committed. This is supported by the
following verse of the Holy Quran:
Say: O My servants whohave transgressed against their own souls,
despair not of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins.
Truly, He is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surah az-Zumar 39:53)
This hadith teaches us the importance of realizing Allahs mercy,
having faith and hope in Him especially whenmaking dua, calling to
Allah alone for forgiveness, and the importance of repentance in the
life and faith of a believer.
Allah catches the attention of mankind by calling out, O son of Adam!
This is a call to every human being. Why didnt Allah say, O mankind or
O People? The significance of thisspecific call is because it was the
first human being, Adam (alaiyhis-salam) who committedthe first sin.
Adam was an example to all humans of the consequences of sin and how
to turn to Allah for forgiveness ofones sins. This gives hope that
even after committing a violation, ones sins canbe forgiven if one
repents to Allah sincerely the same waythat the father of mankind
sinned, repented, and was forgiven by Allah.
Allah calls out to His servants, a call of forgiveness, mercy, and
compassion. For He knows that man was created weak and is prone to
fall into sin.After calling out to mankind, Allah informs them that as
long as they call on Him and put their hopein Him, He will forgive
them and not mind. This statement alone can convince one to have hope
and never to despair. When one calls out to Allah or makes dua, he is
displaying his need and dependence of Allah. He is demonstrating his
weakness to the fact that he has no power to do anything for himself.
It is the essence of submission and servitude. It is alsoa recognition
of Allahs attributes of kindness, generosity, forgiving and merciful
nature, and His unlimited power and knowledge.Humans are never in a
situation where they are not in need of Allah. A believer always turns
to Allah to ask for guidance as well as to seek forgiveness of sins
andshortcomings.
Allahs says, Call on me and I will respond to you. One of the most
important conditions of making dua is that one must completely trust
that Allah will respond. One must alsosupplicate with sincerity, hope,
and seriousness. One must not have any doubt at all on whether Allah
will respond to ones call or if He accepts the dua. The Messenger of
Allah (sallallahu alaiyhiwa sallam) said, Supplicate Allah while you
are certain of a response. And know that Allah does not respond to a
supplication from a heart that is heedless and inattentive. He also
forbade that one say, Oh Allah, forgive me if You will. But he said,
Instead, you should ask with will and conviction for there is nothing
so great to Allah that He cannot grant it.
When supplicating, one should truly seek Allahs aid and His
forgiveness and demonstrate his need for Allah and submit toHim with
fear and hope in receiving the desired response. Allahadvises in Surat
al-Araaf 7:56:
And invoke Him in fear and aspiration (of hope). Indeed, the mercy of
Allah is near to those who do good.
Another important condition of supplication is that one must not
become hasty and impatient and stop supplicating because he did not
receive a response sooner or at all. The Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi
wa sallam) said, You are responded to as long as you do not become
hasty and say, I supplicated and it is not being or was not responded
to.
And the final conditionof ones dua being responded to is that one must
make sure heis living off of halal andpermissible means.
Allah says, Put your hope in Me. Man was not created sinful, but he
was created weak. He is prone to fall into the temptations of sin and
the whispers of Satan and when he does, he should alwaysremember to
turn to Allah, call upon Him, and ask for forgivenesswith hope in His
mercy. Allah stated in aHadithi Qudsi, I am with My servant as He
expects of Me. The meaning of this is that Allah treats His servants
the way he expects Him to. If one has hope in Allah and trusts Him,
Allah will act accordingly to that servants beliefs and faith. And if
he does not have faith and is in despair of his Lords mercy, Allah
will act accordingly. Not having hope in Allah and despairing of His
mercy is a great sin and an act of kufr. Allah quotes Prophet Yaqoob
(alaiyhis-salam) in the Quran:
Indeed, no one despairs of relief from Allah except the disbelieving
people. (Surah Yusuf 12:87)
One must be hopeful ofAllahs mercy and forgiveness and fearfulof His
punishment. It isthis fear that should lead one to seek Allahs
forgiveness with hope.Allah says:
Know that Allah is severe in punishment and that Allah is Forgiving
and Merciful.(Surat al-Maaidah 5:98)
In the above verse, Allah gives us reason to fear because His
punishment is justly severe, as well as goodreason to have hope, since
He is the Most Forgiving and Merciful.There should be a balance
between fear and hope and not too much or too less of oneor the other.
If there is too much fear, then a person may negate Allahs quality of
mercy and ascribe to Him unkindness (Allah forbid!).
There was a sect calledKhawaarij, who worshipped Allah only in fear
and held the belief that anyone whocommits major sins was a
disbeliever and would be thrown into the Hellfire forever. This is a
gross extremism and straying from the correct path.
Yet, another sect, which emerged withinthe first century of Islam, had
no fear and believed that sins did not affect ones faith and that as
long as onebelieved and testified in Islam, he would enter Paradise
regardless of his actions. Both of these extremes lead to a dangerous
consequence.
To understand the balance of fear and hope of Allah, let us look at
the very first chapter of the Quran, Surat al-Fatiha. The first verse
says, All praise be to Allah, Lordof all the worlds. In this verse,
love for Allah is expressed. We acknowledge that Allah is our Lord and
the Lord of all the worlds. He is the Creator of all things;
Hesustains and nourisheseverything; He gives life and death; anything
good that we have is from Him; and everything is dependant on him and
nothing can happen unless Allah wills it to happen.
In the second verse we express our hope in Him by stating,
ar-Rahma-nir-Raheem.The meaning of which is: The Beneficent, the
Merciful. When we mention these two names of Allah, then we have hope,
since Heis the One, who is full of mercy and we hope He will forgive
out mistakes and shortcomings. We should never lose hopebecause there
is no reason to.
And in the third ayah of Surat al-Fatiha, fear of Allah is expressed
when we recite, Master(King) of the Day of Judgement. When we recite
this verse, we remind ourselves of the Day that we will bestanding in
front of ourLord and be questioned for our deeds, a Most Awful Day. It
will be a day in which not even the smallest action will be hidden.
This reminder of the Day of Judgement should bring fear to our hearts.
Fear and hope, both should be equally proportioned in our hearts, in
our worship, and in our dua to Allah.Allah says:
Call out to Him with fear and hope. (Surat al-Araaf 7:56)
They forsake their beds to call their Lord in fear and hope. (Surat
as-Sajdah 32:16)
The Prophet (sallallahualaiyhi wa sallam) said, The like of these two
qualities do not unite in the heart of a servant except that Allah
gives him what he hopes for and protects him from what he feared.
In the Hadithi Qudsi that is being discussed in this paper, Allah
says, O son of Adam, if your sins were to reach the clouds of the sky
and you would then seek My forgiveness, I would forgive you. Here, we
will discuss the importance of repentance and seeking forgiveness and
its virtues.
First of all, we should never lose hope or stop asking for Allahs
forgiveness. Its importance is shown to us in the following hadith of
the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam): O people! Turnto Allah in
repentance and seek His forgiveness, for surely Imake repentance a
hundred times every day. Repentance is such a great act of worship
that doing it can totally erase ones sins altogether, as the Noble
Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) said, One who repents from sins
is like one without sin.
When a person sins and then sincerely turns to Allah for forgiveness,
one will find Allah ready to accept his repentance and to forgive him,
as this verse indicates:
And whoever does a wrong or wrongs himself, but then seeksforgiveness
from Allah,he will find Allah forgiving and merciful.(Surat an-Nisaa
4:110)
Everyone commits sin and does wrong, but Allah is always willing to
forgive and He always gives them a chance to repent and seek His
forgiveness. A believer should never forget the fact that Allah is so
forgiving. If Allah had willed, He could have held everyone
accountable for his or her sins, but He has decreed that He shall
allow His servantsto seek His forgivenessand that He shall in
factforgive who and what He wills. In fact, Allah commands that His
servants seek His forgiveness:
And seek Allahs forgiveness. Certainly, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
(Surat al-Muzzammil 73:20)
Repentance is an act, which purifies the souland brings the servant
closer to His Lord. It puts the heart at rest from guilt. It protects
one from falling prey to his desires and lusts and increases his
faith.
Allah then says in the Hadithi Qudsi that is being discussed, O son of
Adam, if you were tocome to Me with sins close to filling the earth
and then you would meet Me without ascribing any partners with Me, I
would certainly bring you forgiveness close to filling it. Look at how
great Allahs mercy, compassion, and love is! The least Allah asks for
is that one not ascribe any partners and gods with Him, for, He is
alone in His Sovereignty. And after that if one commits sins and seeks
sincere forgiveness, Allah will forgive him and shower His mercy upon
him.
However, one is not forgiven if he seeks repentance from Allah at the
time of death when he sees the angels or when the sunrises from the
west at the approaching of the Day of Judgement. Thisis confirmed by
the following verse:
And of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil
deeds until death faces one of them and he says, Now I repent, nor of
those who dies while they are disbelievers. For them, We have prepared
a painful torment. (Suratan-Nisaa 4:18)
Allah also does not forgive one who commits shirk, which is the
association of partners with Allah. Forgiveness will only come to
those who die while adhering to tawheed and avoiding any form of
shirk.
Verily, Allah does not forgive that partners should be set up with
Him, but He forgives whatever is less than that for whomever He wills.
And whoever sets up partners with Allah has indeed invented a
tremendoussin. (Surat an-Nisaa 4:48)
Verily, Allah forgives not the setting up of partners with Him, but He
forgives whom He pleases whatever is less than that. And whoever sets
up partners with Allah hasindeed strayed far away. (Surat an-Nisaa
4:116)
We must ask ourselves this question: Would we be willing to forgive
anyone who hurts us and disobeys us constantly as easily as Allah is
Able to forgive? Most probably, the answer would be no. But our
Creator is the Most Kind and He is the MostPerfect.
Lo! Allah is a Lord of Kindness to mankind, but most of mankind give
not thanks. (Surat al-Baqarah 2:143)
In this Hadithi Qudsi, mankind is encouraged to seek Allahs
forgiveness and repent, but there are five conditions of repentance,
which must be met for ones repentance to be accepted. The first and
most important is that the act of repentance be sincerely for Allah
alone. Secondly, the person must feel remorse and guilt overhis
actions so much so that he wished he had never done it in the first
place. The third condition is that the person must immediately cease
performing the wrong and sinful act. Fourthly,the repentant person
must have a firm intention to never commit the sin again. And lastly,
the person must repent before it is too late, meaning before death
approaches.
Allah, Blessed and Exalted, finishes the Hadithi Qudsi with the
following words, O sonof Adam! If you were to come to Me with sins
that are close to filling the earth and you would then meet Me without
ascribing any partners to Me, I would certainly bring to you
forgiveness close to filling it. Again, the mercy of Allah is clearly
demonstrated by His Divine Words. However, there is a condition. One
must not associate any partners with Allah, which is shirk. And Allah
does not forgive shirk and if one dies without believing in Allah
alone as ones Creator, then he will bedoomed to the Hellfire for all
of eternity. So, Allah emphasizes the importance of calling on Him
alone. He has no and needs no partners, associates, wives, children,
etc. There is no god, but Allah. None forgives sins except Him, so
oneseeking forgiveness should seek it only from Allah.
Will they not repent to Allah and ask His forgiveness? For Allah is
the Forgiving, the Merciful. (Surat al-Maaidah 5:74)
And who can forgive sins except Allah? (Surah Ali Imran 3:135)
Allah praises the one who truly believes, hashope, and seeks the
forgiveness of his Creator, as did his father, Adam:
Say: Shall I not inform you of things far betterthan those (things of
this world)? For the pious, there are gardens with their Lord, wherein
rivers flow. Therein (is their) eternal home and purewives. And Allah
will be pleased with them. And Allah is Seer of theslaves. Those who
say, Our Lord! We have indeed believed, so forgive us our sins and
save us from the punishment of the Fire.They are those who are
patient, those who are true and obedient with sincere devotion in
worship to Allah. Those who spend (in charity) and those whopray and
beg for Allahsforgiveness in the last hours of the night. (Surah Ali
Imran 3:15-17)
Allahs forgiveness and mercy is far greater and more vast than thesins
of the creation. One must always have trust and hope in Allah in both
good times andbad times and especially when seeking Allahs
forgiveness. And the believer who calls out to his Lord for
forgiveness demonstrates his true weakness and that he is totally
dependent onthe Creator. When one confesses his sins to Allah and
sincerely repents with hope in Allahs mercy, the heartshould come to
peace and the soul should feel rest. When a person has hope, he has no
reason to despair because it onlyleads to destruction. Allah gives
hope to all, especially those who despair that there is noreason to
despair because Allah is the Most Merciful of all those who show
mercy. Allah praises those who repent and turn to Him:
And those who, when they commit a lewd actor wrong themselves with
evil, remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their sinsand who
forgives sins except Allah? And they do not persist in what (wrong)
they were doing while they knew it. For such, the reward is
forgiveness from their Lord and Gardens with rivers flowing through,
wherein they shall abide forever. How excellent is the rewardof the
doers (of good)! (Surah Ali Imran 3:135-136)

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Taqwa: Fear of the Almighty

Bismillahir-Rahma-nir-Raheem
A person once asked the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaiyhi wa
sallam), "O Messenger of Allah! Give me some advice." The Prophet
(sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) replied, "I advise you to fear
Allahbecause it is the head of everything."
This is taqwa--having fear of the Majestic, theAll-Mighty, Most High,
Most Exalted, the One Creator, the Supreme Power.
Muhammad (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) said, "Have fear of Allah, it
is the head of everything." But to have fear of Allah, we must attain
God-consciousness, theawareness that Allah isdeeply involved in every
aspect of our lives, in our every action, in our every thought, in
every spoken word. He sees what we do hidden and what we do openly. He
sees all that we do, whether it's intentional or unintentional,
whetherit's an evil, sinful act or a good, rewardful act. He hears all
we say, whether we say it to someone's face, to ourselves, behind
someone's back, or in our innermost thoughts. He is the Alive, the
Eternal and He is closer to us than the vein in our neck (Suratul Qaaf
50:16).
The likeness of one who has the awareness of the reality of Allah's
existence in every single act, every single decision, every single
word, every single thought is the likeness of a dry, curled up desert
plant that receives a drop of moisture, which will make it spread out
its leaves and sink its roots and flourish and blossom. Similarly,
onewho feels Allah in theirheart at every breath they take and in
every aspect of their lives and in everything they do from the
important and profound to the everyday, simple tasks becomes aware of
the great thirst, the great dependence and the great joy his or her
life had been lacking without this devotion, without this urge to
serve. And with it they strive for the pleasure of their Lord, finding
fulfillment and happiness.
Taqwa--fear of Allah. There was a time when this actually meant
something. There was a time when Umar bin al-Khattaab (radiyallahu
anhu) merely said a two-word khutbah. He said, "Ittaqullah!" Fear
Allah! And with that hestarted the Jumu'ah prayer. But today, we are
in a situation in which these two words alone will hold no weight as
it did at the time of the Prophet(sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) and
his companions (radiyallahu anhum). There was a time when fearing
Allah, theOne, the True, was a type of advice in whichpeople did take
heed, but today its means absolutely nothing to us. Instead of having
fear of He, whose hands hold our very lives, instead of havingfear of
He who holds our destinies, instead of having fear of He who takes not
our eyesight or our hearing or our ability to feel, but gives us
thousands of chances daily to turn to Him, who do we fear? We fear our
friends, our peer group. We fear them so much that we disobey that
same God,who loves us so much that He forgives all our sins if only
one tear falls from our eyes onto our cheeks. One tear! We go out with
our friends, even our relatives, to make them happy and to fit in. We
go to the movies, we go out partying at clubs and pubs committing sins
and earning the displeasure of Allah and earning the pleasure of
Shaytaan (Satan) for their sake."Here just have a sip ofthis. It's not
gonna do nothing," or, "Smoke a joint, man. What's wrong with you
mama's boy?!?" or,"Come on, baby, just once if you really love me."
These phrases might sound familiar to some of us. Instead of realizing
that one day, on a day in which there is no doubt, we will be called
up one by one to answer for every deed we committed and then either
thrown into the Hellfire or welcomed into Paradise, we obey the
disbelievers and the hypocrites (Muslims only by name):
"O Prophet! Keep your duty to Allah and obey not the disbelievers and
the hypocrites. Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. And follow
that which is inspired to you from your Lord. Verily, Allah is well
aquainted with what you do. And put your trust in Allah and Sufficient
is Allah as Trustee." (Suratul Ahzaab 33:1-3)
"How do you disbelieve in Allah when He gave you life when you were
dead, then He will give you death, then life again, then unto Him you
will return?" (Suratul Baqarah 2:28)
Instead of fearing the one who gave us life after we were dead, the
One who bestows upon us food to keep our stomachs full, clothes to
keep us warm, and houses to protect us, who do we fear? We fear our
employers and our teachers. And because of fear of them, we choose not
to worship that One, Powerful Lord at our prescribed times. We fear
them?!?!? Them, who Allah, Himself created--created them as He created
us, the believers, out of the dust of the earth?!? Yet, we fear them,
whothemselves will have no protects, no friends,no helpers, nor any
interceders against Allah on the Day of Resurrection. Imagine, we make
the choice not to worship the Lord of Kindness. And, in reality, we
fear everything, but we fearnot Allah, the Source ofall Goodness.
"It is only Shaytaan that suggests to you the fear of his friends and
supporters (disbelievers) so fear them not, but fear Me, if you are
true believers." (Suratul Ali Imran 3:175)
"Truly, Allah is with those who fear Him, keep their duty to Him,and
those who are doers of good for the sake of Allah only." (Suratul Nahl
16:128)
"Whoever fears Allah, Allah will grant him a way out of hardship; and
whoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will forgive his
sins from him and will enlarge his reward." (Suratut-Talaq 65:2, 5)
"Verily, those who are fearful of Allah are the people who, when an
evil thought from Shaytaan comes to them, they remember Allah, and
indeed they then see aright." (Suratul A'raaf 7:20)
Once the fear and awareness of Allah dawns on a person, lifeis never
the same. When a person's heart opens up to Allah, it cannot be. The
way we view life, how we see life, our ambitions in life, our
expectations in life, our goals in life, all change. After this, every
aspect of life is seen with a spiritual and Islamic dimension.There is
a reason, an aim, a goal to it all, a sense of justice and
fulfillment, and a senseof a relationship with one's Creator, the
Creator who is deeply involved with every action and thought of our
lives.
"It is Allah Who gives life and death and Allah sees well all that you
do." (Suratul Ali Imran 3:156)
"Truly my Lord casts (a mantle) of Truth (over His servants), He that
has full knowledge of (all) that is hiddenIf I am astray it is only at
the loss of my own soul; but if I receive guidance, it is because of
the inspirations of my Lord to me; it is He Who hears all things and
is ever near." (Suratus-Saba 34:48, 50)
This is why it is also important to realize that Islam is a way of
life. It is not just a ritual of prayers, fasting, and feasting. Islam
is the true deen, the Deen of Allah, a complete system of lifeand this
life, the Islamic life, is to be lived the way Allah hasprescribed it.
And it starts with taqwa. Now, taqwa is more than just having fear
ofAllah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Umar ibn Abdul Aziz (radiyallahu anhu) narrated: "Taqwa is not fasting
during the day and it is not praying during the night and it is not
the mixing of the two of them, but taqwa is leaving what Allah has
made haram (forbidden) and by doing what Allah has made fard. After
one has done this, Allah will provide good things for that person."
Al Hasan (radiyallahu anhu) reported: "The people who have taqwa
(called al-muttaqeen) are the people who avoided whatever Allah
prohibited and had done whatever Allah ordained."
And this, doing what ispermitted and refraining from what is
prohibited comes from the fear and awareness of Allah's presence. The
means of obtaining taqwa is in our grasp and our ability; it is in our
very homes, and it is what our arwah (souls) crave. The means of
gaining taqwa, the fear of Allah, which leads to a more nourished and
healthy ruh, which leads to a more obedient Muslim,which leads to
refraining from all haram, which leads to striving to gain Allah's
pleasure, which helps lead us to success, which will lead us to Jannah
(Insha Allah) is the remembrance of Allah azzowajal, His dhikr, and it
is the recitation of the Holy Qur'an, His very words. This is why the
Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) said, "Fear Allahit is the head
of everything."
It is so easy to remember Allah and toglorify and praise Him,
especially once we've reached this step. For example, when we are
standing in line at the grocery store with all our goods--breads,
cereals, drinks, sweets,nourishments, we should do
tasbih--Subhannallah, Alhumdulillah, Allahu Abkar, and just speak to
Allah in your heart and thank Him for His blessings. Simple. Remember
Allah, praise Him, wherever you are, whatever you are doing.
Another means of gaining taqwa is the guidance of the Qur'an.Its
greatness and its power, is only known to those who experience it and
receive its guidance. Its words have the dynamic power that noother
words could everpossess. It contains thevery words of Allah. Imagine:
holding the very sacred, holy, divine words of the only Supreme Being,
the Only One worthy of being worshipped. What a blessing! We must keep
a habit of reciting the Qur'an, even if it is just a few verses before
heading to work or school, or if we cannot even do that, even
listening to the tilawah, the recitation, of the Holy Book in the car
is, itself, a beautiful experience. The words of the Qur'an are so
powerful, it could make every hair on ourbodies stand to the fear of
Allah.
"Verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest." (Suratur-Ra'd 13:28)
The observance of salah, the one most important act of worship, in the
eyes of Allah, is another means of gaining taqwa and closeness
toAllah, if offered properly and regularly.It is the first thing we
will be questioned about on the Day of Judgement. It is also one of
the good deeds that will protect one from the torment of the grave.
Salah is the heart of Islam and it is the heart of faith (iman). It
saves us from evil and helps us lead a pure life. It expresses our
gratitude to Allah for His mercy and His kindness. By our salah, we
not only glorify andworship the Creator of all that is in the heavens
and all that is in the earth, but we seek His forgiveness through it.
It is blessedand we are blessed to receive a type of worship that has
the power to absolve us of our sins if offered regularly, properly,
and sincerely.
To be included among the muttaqeen, those who have taqwa, we must
refrain from all forbidden acts, all forbidden words, thoughts,
feelings, and emotions, all forbidden celebrationsand gatherings,
which are places of fitna; we must refrain from those who practice and
do what is forbidden and displeased by Allah and stick with the pious
and righteous, who will help us make a habit of doing what is good and
pleasing toAllah and help us refrain from what is sinful and
displeasing to Allah.
In conclusion, from what Allah and His Messenger (sallallahu alaiyhi
wa sallam) has outlined for us, we can see that a person who possesses
taqwa is notone who lives an isolated life, only praying and fasting
and maintaining good character alone. Instead, the muttaqeenare those
who fear Allah and look to what Allah has ordained in the carrying out
of his actions to avoid His displeasure and anger. These are they who
areinvolved with the strengthening of the Ummah, active in his or her
life concerned with the affairs of the Muslims while, at the same
time, keeping their duty to their Lord--praying, fasting, spending in
Allah's cause, having good morals, behaviors, and characteristics.
This is why the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) said fearing
Allah is the head of everything. Without this, life is just life, the
daily grind, a gradual process from life to death, but with the
blessing of Islam, we could make our lives more than just life, more
than just the daily grind, more than just a gradual process from life
to death, by the guidance of the Most Glorious Book, the Holy Qur'an
and by the Sunnah, the sayings and teachings of Prophet
Muhammad(sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam).
The Prophet (sallallahualaiyhi wa sallam) said, "The most common
reason for people to enter Jannah is taqwa and good manners and the
most common reason for people to enter the Hellfire is the mouth and
the private part!" In his last khutbah, the Prophet (sallallahu
alaiyhi wa sallam) said, "I ask you to fear Him, listen to Him, and
obey."
"Truly, the muttaqeen will be amidst Gardensand water springs (Paradise)."
(Suratul Hijr 15:45)
May the Turner of hearts, turn our hearts towards His obedience. May
He giveus the towfique to change in order to fearand obey Him. Our
Lord! Make us submissive to You and of our seed a nation submissive to
You and show us our ways of worship and relent towards us, Lo! You,
only You are the Relenting the Merciful (2:128). Our Lord! Cause not
our hearts togo astray after You have guided us and bestow upon us
mercy from Your presence. Lo! You, only You, are the Bestower. Our
Lord! It is You, Who gathers mankind together on a Day in which there
is no doubt (3:8-9). Our Lord! Lo! We believe; so forgive us our sins
and guard us from the punishment of the fire (3:16)! Ameen.
Alhumdulillahi Rabbil Alameen.

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The Woman as Human Being and Equal to Man

The Woman as HumanBeing and Equal to Man
Islam was revealed at a time when a lot of people denied the humanity
of the woman;some were skeptical about it; and still others admitted
it, yet considered the woman athing created for the humble service of
the man.
With the advent of Islam,circumstances improved for the woman. The
woman's dignity and humanity were restored.Islam confirmed her
capacity to carry out Allah's commands, her responsibilities and
observation of the commands that lead to heaven.
Islam considered the woman as a worthy human being, with a share in
humanity equal to that of the man. Their single origin, their general
human traits, their responsibility for the observation of religious
duties with the consequent reward or punishment, and the unity of
their destiny all bear witness to their equality from the Islamicpoint
of view. This fact isestablished in the Noble Qur'an.
" O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single
person (Adam) and from him (Adam) He created his wife (Eve), and from
them both He created many men and women and fear Allah through Whom
you demand your mutual (rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the
wombs (kinship). Surely, Allah is Ever an All-Watcher over you." The
Holy Qur'an, Chapter 4, Verse 1
As is stated in another verse:
" It is He Who has created you from a single person (Adam), and (then)
He has created from him his wife (Eve), in order that he might enjoy
the pleasure of living with her." The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 7,Verse 189
The Qur'an, on its part, treats this issue of equality among men
andwomen from more than one perspective.
On the purely religious level
"Verily, the Muslims (those who submit to Allah in Islam) men and
women,the believers men and women (who believe in Islamic
Monotheism),the men and the women who areobedient (to Allah), the men
and women who are truthful (in their speech and deeds), the men and
the women who are patient (in performing all the dutieswhich Allah has
ordered and in abstaining from all that Allah has forbidden), the men
andthe women who are humble (before their Lord Allah),the men and the
women who give Sadaqat, (i.e. Zakat, and alms, etc.),the men and the
women who fast (the obligatory fasting during the month of Ramadan and
the optional Nawafil fasting),the men and women who guard
theirchastity (from illegal sexual acts) and the menand women who
remember Allah much with their hearts and tongues (while sitting,
standing, lying, etc.) Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a
great reward (i.e. Paradise)." The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 33, Verse35
On the basic social and religious responsibilities
The Qur'an establishes equality by maintaining
"The believers, men and women, are "Awliy," (helpers, supporters,
friends, protectors) of one another, they enjoin(on the people)
Al-Ma`ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to
do);and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. polytheism and disbelief
of all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden); they offer their
prayers perfectly (lqamat-as-Salat), and give the Zakat and obey Allah
and His Messenger. Allah will have mercy on them." The Holy Qur'an,
Chapter 9, Verse 71
In Adam's story, Divine Orders were made to him and his wife, both and equally:
"O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the Paradise and eat both ofyou
freely with pleasure and delight of things therein as wherever you
will, but come not near this tree or you both willbe of the Zalim'n
(wrongdoers)." The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 2, Verse 35
What is new, however, about this story as given by the Qur'an is that
the temptation is blamed not on Eve but on Satan.
"Then the Satan made them slip there from (theParadise), and got them
out from that in which they were." The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 236
The reverse of The Old Testament versions. ThusEve was neither the
sole eater from the tree, nor the one who initiated the act. Rather,
the mistake was theirs both, and both of them repented and asked for
forgiveness:
"They said, "Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us
not, and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall be losers." The Holy
Qur'an, Chapter 7, Verse 23
Further still, some verses ascribe the trespass to Adam:
"And indeed We made a covenant with Adam before, but he forgot, and We
found on his part no firm will-power". Then Satan whispered to him
saying, "O Adam! Shall I lead you to the Tree of Eternity and to a
kingdom that will never waste away?" Thus did Adam disobey his Lord,
so he went astray." The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 20, Verse 115, 120 and
121
Equality of punishment and reward and eligibility for Paradise
The Almighty says: "That was a nation who has passed away. They shall
receive the reward of what they earned and you of what you earn. And
you will not be asked of what they used to do." The Holy Qur'an,
Chapter 2, Verse 134 and 141.
Concerning the equality of men and women in receiving rewards and the
entry of paradise, God says:
"So their Lord accepted of them (their supplication and answered
them), "Never will I allow to be lost the work of any of you, be he
male or female." The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 3, Verse 195
"And Whoever works righteousness, whether male or female, while he(or
she) is a true believer(of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will
give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful
provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to
the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter)."
The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 16, Verse 97
Financial matters
The rule of Islam abolished the conventions prevalent among many
nations which deprived the woman of the right of ownership,
inheritance, and those which createdobstacles against her exercise of
free and full control of her holdings. As a rule, Islam acknowledges
the woman's rights to all kinds of ownership, spending and channeling
of her money. It gives her the rights of inheritance, selling, buying,
renting, donating, lending, allocating property for religious and
charitable purposes, giving alms, legal transfer and mortgage, as well
as many other forms of contracts and actions.
Right to seek education
The woman's right to seek education or learning is basic and is also
guaranteed by Islamic teachings. Islam actually makes it incumbent on
the woman to seek knowledge; the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon
him) says, `seekingknowledge is incumbenton every Muslim," where"every
Muslim" obviouslyinvolves men and women on an equal footing as a rule
formalised by all authorities of jurisprudence.
Right to perform religious ordinances
The woman is also required to perform religious ordinances andforms of
worship the way the man is. Praying, fasting, Zakat (the alms
sanctifying tax), pilgrimage and all the other fundamental practices
in Islam are required of Muslims in their capacity, both men and
women, as responsible humans. Again the woman's actions are
recompensedby Allah the way the man's actions are.
Social activity
The woman is not excluded from the area of social activity; Allah says:
"The believers, men and women, are "Awliy," (helpers, supporters,
friends, protectors) of one another, they enjoin(on the people)
Al-Ma`ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to
do); and forbid (people) fromAl-Munkar (i.e. polytheism and disbelief
of all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden)." The Holy Qur�an,
Chapter9, Verse 71.
For instance, she can give refuge for those who seek it. If she hosts
a refugee, her action is to be respected and observed. This rule
relates back to Um Hanibint Abi Talib's giving relief to a father
in-law on the day of the Conquest of Mecca by Muslims. When her
brother wanted to kill him because he was an infidel, she complained
to Allah's Messenger (blessings and peace be upon him) saying,"Allah's
Messenger, my mother's son insists on killing my refugee, Ibn Hubayra.
"The Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) replied, "We confer
asylum on him that you give refuge to, Um Hani". [Mutafaq aley (agreed
upon) on the authority of Um Hani, The Pearl and the Coral (Al-Lu'lu'
wal-Marjan) (193)]

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Status of Women in Islam

Status of Women in Islam
"Why is it that so many women who have been born and brought in Europe
and America are willing to reject their 'liberty' and 'independence'
to embrace a religion that supposedly oppresses them and is widely
assumed to be prejudicial to them?" This is a question that I found on
one of the siteswhile surfing around, and I found it an interesting
question andwhich I'd like to draw this article around.
Can Islam be prejudiced to women, and yet appeal to women? Can Islam
lower the status of a woman and still have more women embracingit as
their way of life than men? According to an article written by Lucy
Berrington in the Times Magazine (London) dated 9th Nov. 1993: "It is
even more ironic that most British converts should be women, given the
widespread view in the west that Islam treats women poorly. In the
United States, women converts outnumber men by four to one, and in
Britain make up the bulk of the estimated 10,000 to 20, 000 converts,
forming part of a Muslimcommunity of 1 to 1.5 million "
How can the case of those women be explained?! Well, I could say that
there are only one of two choices that one can decide upon. Either all
those women who choose Islam don't know what they are doing or that
they discovered Islam is not prejudice to them as others have yet to
discover. New convert toIslam since September 11, US Navy petty
officer,Heather Ramaha. "Islam gives us Elevation; not Degradation"
In the Noble Quran Allah (Arabic word for God) says:
"Mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you
into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the
most honorable of you in the Sight of Allah is the believer who has
Taqwa (i.e. piety and righteousness)and loves Allah most. Verily,
Allah isAll-Knowing, All-Aware." The Holy Qur'an(49:13)
"I shall not lose sight of the labor of any of you who labors in My
way, be it man or woman; each of you is equal to the other. The Holy
Qur'an(3:195)"
On the light of those verses, Islam declares that it has not come to
disadvantage women, but in fact has been revealed to elevate women
ever since 1400 years ago, when womenin many parts of the world and
especially in the western societies were considered objects that are
owned and withlittle to no rights in the society they live in.
Before any other religion or system in the world Islam gave a woman
the right to inherit, the right to vote and voice her opinion, the
right to trade invest and improve herself financially, the right to
own - buy and sell, the right to seek knowledge and have a good
education, the right to work and has even gonefurther to oblige the
males in every stage of her life, whether it was afather, brother or
husband ... It's their dutybefore God to take care of her, to spend on
her, to provide her with the food , clothing and shelter that she
needs, toprovide her with a good education, to protect herfrom
anything that can harm her and to never hesitate to put their livesin
stake for her if the need calls them to do so."As a modern westerner
with a career, of course Ihad to look into Islam's attitude to women -
I couldn't be oppressed allof a sudden. But I discovered that it is
pro-women and pro-men; in Islam, women had the right to vote in the
year 600. Men dress modestly, women dress modestly; neither should
flirt with the eyes, but rather they should lower their gaze. I think
it's unhealthy to flaunt your sexuality - it attracts the wrong energy
back." (MTV Presenter Kristiane Backer after being a Muslim) "Since I
called myself a feminist, my early reading centered around women in
Islam. I thought Islam oppressed women. In myWomen's Studies coursesI
had read about Muslim women who were not allowed to leave their homes
and were forced to cover their heads. Of course I saw hijab as an
oppressive tool imposed by men rather than as anexpression of
self-respect and dignity. What I discovered in my readings surprised
me. Islam not only does not oppress women, but actually liberates
them, having given them rights in the 6th century that we have only
gained in this century in this country: the right to own property and
wealth and to maintain that in her name after marriage; the right to
vote; and the right to divorce." (Karima Slack, an American feminist
from secular humanism to Islam)
Some Muslim societies today lack those values. Some people may
rightlyask then, why do we see some Muslim societies lacking those
values? There is a beautiful and very true example I heard from a
lecture by an American Muslim called Khaled Yaseen, who said that
every person can be a father; but if a father does not turn out to be
a good father then it's not fatherhood that we would blame. Similarly,
Islam is a rule and order.A Muslim who does not act according to that
rule and order then by all means its not Islam that should carry the
blame.
Karla, a young Blonde haired Blue eyed young American from Washington
DC who is a recent convert to Islam said in an interview made with
her: The mainquestion people seem toask, is "How could you, an
educated American woman convert to Islam--a religion that oppresses
women?" They are quick to try andequate the rights of women in
Afghanistan with the rights of Muslimwomen everywhere. Basically, what
I tell them, is that the Qur'an gives women more rights than the Bible
does--in print. That was one of the things that first drew me to
Islam. Unfortunately today, Islam is no longer the leader in women's
rights. I had a choice--deny what I believe (i.e. that There is only
one God, and that Muhammed is a Prophet of God)...or accept what I
believe, but work to change the problems that exist within the Muslim
community. I chose the latter.
In the world today, one could say that the Taliban government in
Afghanistan have been considered as the top example of Women
Oppression in Islam. But what's ironic is that evenwhen a woman falls
captive in the hands of those supposedly most hateful men in the
world, Islam does not fail to win her heart.
Yvonne Ridley is an award-winning journalist of more than 25 years
standing and author of two books, In The Hands of the Talibanand
Ticket to Paradise. She has spent the last 10 years working for
several prestigious Fleet Street newspapers including The Sunday
Times, The Observer, The Independent on Sunday and The Sunday Express.
She has also expanded into television and radioproducing several
documentaries from Iraqand Afghanistan. Yvonnehit the headlines in
September 2001 when while working for the Daily Express she
crossedillegally into Afghanistanand was subsequently held captive by
the Taliban for 11 days. Following her release, she read the Qur'an as
she had agreed to during her captivity, andconverted to Islam in
thesummer of 2003.
Last but not least I wouldlike to conclude by the blessed sayings of
Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him:
"It is the generous (in character) who is good to women, and it is the
wicked who insults them."
"The most perfect believers are the best in conduct and best of you
are those who are best to their wives."
"Treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners
and committed helpers."


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