the history of Islam, people are being mass-conditioned to think that ''The Prophet Jesus (as) willnot return, and Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not come.''

and Hazrat Mahdi (as) are two of the most valuable individuals
foretold by our Prophet (saas) and whose appearance has been excitedly
awaited for some 1400 years. However, for the first time in those 1400
years some people are now striving, in their own eyes, to cover up
these glad tidings and conditioning masses to think that "The Prophet
Jesus (as) will not return and Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not come." These
people make intensive use of such tools of mass communication as the
radio, television, the internet, newspapers and magazines and are
trying to influence both Muslims and the majorityof the world
population.Muslims must therefore neutralize this mass conditioning by
constantly remembering Allah, constantly recalling that we are living
in the End Times, telling others that the Prophet Jesus (as) and
Hazrat Mahdi (as) are at work and striving for the unification of the
Islamic world and the global dominion of Islamic moral values.
The antichrist would be striving in a thousand and one different ways
to conceal and distract people from the system of the Mahdi. It
therefore causes a great many people to turn their backs on it by
causing some people to deny the system of the Mahdi entirely; by
making others talk about the system of the Mahdi as if it is something
totally unbelievable; by ensuring that some never speak about it at
all; by making it seem like it would take place hundreds of years
later; by causing some people to think that the Mahdi is a "collective
personality" and finally by convincing other people to believe in the
lie that "the Mahdi has already come and gone,"which is far from the
reality. It distracts many people with unimaginable quibbles and
tales they would never attach any credence to under normal
circumstances so they are unable to recognize even the existence of
Hazrat Mahdi (as).
One of the dictionary definitions of the word "antichrist " is someone
who subverts the truth, portraying good as evil and evil as good. The
antichrist, who wants to see people come to physical and spiritual
harm and aims to spreadstrife and corruption, will cover up everything
that is fine and good, conceal the facts and thus try to prevent
people discovering the truth. The greatest and most excellent reality
of the End Times is that we are living in the age of the Prophet Jesus
(as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as). The antichrist will therefore work mostly
on that subject. The antichrist and his supporters will strive by a
thousand and one means to conceal and gloss over the coming of the
Prophet Jesus (as) and the system of the Mahdi and, in their own eyes,
to deflect these subject matters. Almighty Allah tells us in the
Qur'an that those with a sickness in their hearts will say, 'What
Allah and His Messenger promise us was mere delusion.'
When the hypocrites andpeople with sickness in their hearts said,
'What Allah and His Messenger promised us was mere delusion.' (Surat
al-Ahzab, 12)
Figuratively, this verse also alludes to the situation of those
peoplewho lose hope in the coming of the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat
Mahdi (as). That is because under the influence of the antichrist,
these people deny 'the coming of the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat
Mahdi (as), as our Prophet (saas) reveals in the hadiths, and maintain
that our Prophet's (saas) words on the subject are "unfounded."
Today articles, which state that the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat
Mahdi (as) will not come,appear in many places. More importantly, some
people regarded as Islamic scholars issue statements agreeing with
this view, as well. The fact is, however, all these people believing
that "the coming of the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as) is
untrue" and supposedly an "empty promise" is actually one of the
phenomena that our Prophet (saas) has promised will take place.It is
revealed in the hadiths of our Prophet (saas) that one of the signs of
the End Times showing that the coming of the Prophet Jesus (as) and
Hazrat Mahdi (as) is imminent isfor people to increasingly say,
"Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not come,there is no Hazrat Mahdi (as)". Some
of the hadiths relating this are as below:
"ALLAH WILL SEND HAZRATMAHDI (AS) when people are in despair and say,
"THERE IS NO MAHDI" … (al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat
al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman,p. 55)
HE (HAZRAT MAHDI (AS)) WILL APPEAR AT THE MOMENT THE PEOPLE LOSE HOPE
OF HIS COMING! Howhappy those who live to help him will be! Woe to
those who harbor enmity toward him (Hazrat Mahdi (as)), who oppose him
or his commands and to his enemies! (Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim
Numani, al-Ghaybah al-Numani, p. 301)
Dawud ibn Kathir Riqqi says: I asked Imam Abu Abdullah: ...He [Hazrat
Mahdi) (as)] is long in coming, our hearts are saddened and we are
dying from a profound sorrow. He said: "HIS COMING WILL TAKE PLACE
WHEN THERE IS EVEN GREATER DESPAIR AND SORROW." (Sheikh Muhammad ibn
Ibrahim Numani, al-Ghaybah al-Numani, p. 208)
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi also reveals that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will only
be recognized through the light of faith and that only a few people
will thus recognize and take their places beside him:
The force and spiritual army this duty depends on is some followers in
full possession of titles ofloyalty and solidarity. Nomatter how few
they may be, they are spiritually as powerful and valuable as an
army.That abundant and capable army is the family of the Messenger of
Allah (saas) and a verypure army of Hazrat Mahdi (as). (Emirdag
Addendum, p. 259).
Imam Zayn al-Abidin (as)stated:
"There are some similarities between our Qaim [Hazrat Mahdi (as)] and
Allah's Messengers. He has similarities to each one of the
ProphetsNoah (as), Abraham (as), Moses (as), Jesus (as), Job(as) and
Muhammad (saas) .... to Jesus (as) in people being in conflict about
him (some people will say Hazrat Mahdi (as) will come while others
will say he will not) (Sheikh al-Saduq, Kamal al-Din, p. 322, Section
31, Hadith number 3)
All the efforts made to conceal the return of theProphet Jesus (as)
and the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) are in vain. These two holy events
are Allah's promise and will come about. This period, in which the
portents of the End Times have taken place one after the other, shows
that the second coming of the Prophet Jesus (as) and the emergence of
Hazrat Mahdi (as) are imminent.By Allah's leave, these two holy
individuals will appear exactly as described in the hadiths of our
Prophet (saas) and install the moral values of Islam across the world.
Many people have fallen into a variety of errors on the subject of the
coming and existence of Hazrat Mahdi (as). Some of these are as
follows:
Even Though All the Portents Have Come about, Why Is It That Some
People Still Deny That the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as)
Will Come As Individuals?
It is a great miracle for Hazrat Mahdi (as) to remain unknown despite
all the portents of his coming having taken place and these signs
being so clear and so explicit. However, a veil has come down overmost
people's eyes and they are unable to recognize Hazrat Mahdi (as)
despite all these evident facts. This showsthe severity of the End
Times, and how much foresight has disappeared, and the kind of thought
structure that people now possess. However, by Allah's leave, the
whole world will eventually see that the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat
Mahdi (as) are both individual people and will wage their intellectual
struggle in this century.
By how many means is the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) concealed?
The claims of those who try to conceal the coming of the Hazrat Mahdi (as) are:
1. Hazrat Mahdi (as) has come and gone. He appeared in the past.
2. Hazrat Mahdi (as) is a collective personality, in other words, an
invisiblespirit. And there is therefore no point in waiting for him to
appear as an individual.
3. Hazrat Mahdi (as) will come, but in many centuries' time.
4. Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be a regular human being. Hazrat Mahdi (as)
will be an ordinary political leader who will not perform the second
and third of the tasks that Bediuzzaman described in his works inthe
words "Hazrat Mahdi(as) has three duties," who will not wage an
intellectual struggle against materialist, Darwinist and atheist
philosophies and who will not tell people of the signs leading to
faith. He will be an ordinary political leader who will merely read
theRisale-i Nur Collection, and therefore will not be a spectacular
personality.
5. There is no such person as Hazrat Mahdi (as) and he will never come.
6. Hazrat Mahdi (as) may come but it is wrong to investigate these
matters. Hazrat Mahdi (as) must find us busy working when he comes, so
there is no need to investigate him. If he comes, he comes, and if
not, then he does not.
7. There will be an Angel over his head telling people, "This is
Hazrat Mahdi (as), follow him," and he should be immune to tanks and
guns. Someone lacking these attributes cannot be Hazrat Mahdi (as).
8. Many Mahdis will comein the End Times. Three, five or ten Mahdis
may come. They will all work silently and discharge the duties of the
Mahdi and then die, so very few people will be aware of this fact.
Trying to confuse, complicate and cover up this issue, which the
Messenger of Allah (saas)sets out so clearly in trustworthy hadiths
and which Bediuzzaman SaidNursi describes so clearlyand explicitly, is
one of the peculiar characteristics of the EndTimes.
Hundreds of millions of people have fallen into the errors concerning
the existence and coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) listed above. In the
beginning there will be very few who think that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will
come in this century. Thereason for this is the misconceptions we have
listed above. Some people would really not understand the existence of
Hazrat Mahdi (as), and some will pretend not to understand because of
their evil aims and this will continue to be like that until the
emergenceof Hazrat Mahdi (as).
It is a great miracle for Hazrat Mahdi (as) to remain unknown despite
all the portents of his coming having taken place and these signs
being so clear and so explicit. However, a veil has come down overmost
people's eyes and they are unable to recognize Hazrat Mahdi (as)
despite all these evident facts. This showsthe severity of the End
Times, and how much foresight and perspicacity have disappeared, and
the kind of thought structure that people now possess.
Some of the Verses of the Qur'an Indicating theComing of the Prophet
Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as) and the Global Dominion of the Moral
Values of Islam
And other things you love: SUPPORT FROM ALLAH AND IMMINENT VICTORY.
Give good newsto the believers! (Surat As-Saff, 13)
We wrote down in the Psalms, after the Reminder came: 'It is My
servants who are righteous who will inherit the earth.' (Surat
Al-Anbiya, 105)
Allah has promised thoseof you who believe and do right actions that
HE WILL MAKE THEM SUCCESSORS IN THE LAND as He made those beforethem
successors, and willfirmly establish for them their religion with
which He is pleased and give them, in place of their fear, security.
'Theyworship Me, not associating anything with Me.' Any who are
unbelievers after that, such people are deviators. (Surat An-Nur, 55)
Our word was given before to Our servants, the messengers, that they
would certainly be helped. It is Our army which will be victorious.
(Surat as-Saffat, 171-173)
Allah has written, "I will be victorious, I and and My Messengers."
Allah is Most Strong, Almighty. (Surat al-Mujadala: 21)
It is He Who sent His messenger with the Guidance and the Religion of
Truth to exaltit over every other religion and Allah suffices as a
witness. (Surat al-Fath, 28)
It is He Who sent His messenger with guidance and the Religion of
Truth to exaltit over every other religion, even though the idolaters
detest it. (Surat at-Tawba, 33)
Then We appointed you after them to be successors on the earth so We
might observe how you would act. (Surah Yunus, 14)
And We bequeathed to the people who had been oppressed the easternmost
part of the land We had blessed, and its westernmost partas well.
(Sura al-Ar'af, 137)
They desire to extinguish Allah's light with their mouths but Allah
will perfect His light, though the unbelievers hate it. (Surat
as-Saff, 8)
He bequeathed their land, their houses and their wealth to you, and
another land you had not yet trodden on. Allahhas power over all
things. (Surat al-Ahzab, 27)
Those who, if We establish them firmly on the earth, will establish
prayer and pay alms, and command what is right and forbid what is
wrong. The end result ofall affairs is with Allah. (Surat al-Hajj, 41)
It is assumed that Islam is not spreading in the world because the
Qur'an and the hadith are not being told. However for attaining true
devotion to religion, signs leading tofaith should be told and false
idols should be destroyed.
Excerpt from Mr. Adnan Oktar's interview on Kaçkar TV on 5 September, 2010
The Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as) Will Come in This Century
However by the leave of Allah the whole world will come to realize in
the near future that the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as), in
fact, will wage an intellectual struggle in this century.
Great and entirely reliable Sunni scholars have made it clear in their
works, such as the Sunan Abu Dawud and the Maktubat of Imam Rabbani,
that an individual is sent by Allah once every hundred years in order
to revive the religion and rid it of later additions:
According to Abu Hurairah's account, the Messenger of Allah
(saas)said: Allah will raise for this community AT THE BEGINNING OF
EVERY HUNDRED YEARS the one who will revive its religion for it.
(Sunan Abu Dawud 5/100)
One hadith revealing that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will come in Hijri 1400
has come down from our Prophet (saas) as follows:
People will gather around Hazrat Mahdi (as) in the year 1400. (Risalat
al-Khuruj al-Mahdi, p. 108)
The moral values of Islam will rule the world in a specific process
during this hundred years and the system of the antichrist that
opposes the moral values of the religion will be entirely eradicated.
However, following this period of rising which will last 100or so
years, the world will again enter a periodof degeneration in the Hijri
1500s.
According to a hadith narrated by many scholars, including ImamAhmad
ibn Hanbal, the great hadith scholar andfounder of the Hanbali school,
the Prophet (saas) refers to the beginning of a certain calendar,
saying, the time that had passed in the world up until him was 5600
years:
Ahmad Ibn Hanbal transmitted in his 'Ilal: FIVE THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED
YEARS HAVE PASSED FROM THIS WORLD. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi
Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 89)
On the other hand, otherhadiths contain explicit references to the
life span of the world being 7000 years:
Anas Ibn Malik narrates that the Messenger of Allah (saas) said: THE
LIFE SPAN OF THE WORLD IS SEVEN DAYS IN THE DAYS OF THE HEREAFTER.
Almighty Allah has said: ONE DAY IN THE SIGHT OF YOUR LORD IS LIKE A
THOUSAND OF YOUR YEARS. ALLAH WILL ASCRIBE THE EQUIVALENT OF GOOD
DEEDS OF THE SEVEN THOUSAND YEARS OF THE AGE OF THIS WORLD to the one
who meets the need of any ofhis brothers in the faith on the path of
Allah as if he spends his days in fasting and his nights in worship.
(Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p.
88)
Narrated from Daqqaq Ibn Zaid Al-Juhani: I told the Messenger of Allah
(saas) of a dream I had had. In that dream the Messenger of Allah
(saas)was at the top step of a seven-stepped pulpit. Hesaid: THE
SEVEN-STEPPED PULPIT YOU SEE IS THE SEVEN THOUSAND YEARS OF AGE OF
THIS WORLD. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir
az-Zaman, p. 89)
Said Nursi, the mujaddidof the Hijri 1300s and the greatest one of the
last millennium, cited the Hijri 1400s as the period of dominion of
Islamic moral values. He stated that Muslims would enjoy a time of
clear and explicit victory up until then. He said that in the years
after that, the rise of the moral values of Islam would come to an end
and that the Last Day would break for the unbelievers in the Hijri
year 1545. (Allah knows the truth.)
"A group from my community will remain in truth until Allah's command
[the JudgmentDay]."
The abjad calculation of the clause "A group frommy community..."
which is 1542 (2117) implies its [the community's] time of survival.
The abjad calculation of the clause "will remain in truth" (when the
gemination mark is counted) gives 1506 (2082); it indicates until that
date it will continue its work of enlightenment evidentlyand
obviously, and maybe victoriously; then until 1542 (2117) in secrecy
and defeat. The abjad calculation of the clause "until Allah's
command" (when the gemination mark is counted) suggests that THE
JUDGMENT DAY WILL BEFALL the unbeliever in 1545 (2120). (Kastamonu
Addendum, p. 33)
The great Sunni scholar Barzanji also states that the life of the
world will not reach Hijri 1600, in other words, that the Day of
Judgment will come in the Hijri 1500s. (Allah knows the truth.)
THE LIFE OF THIS COMMUNITY WILL EXCEED 1000 YEARS, YET BE LIMITED TO
1500 YEARS... (Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-ashrat al-sa'ah, p. 299)
As-Suyuti's statement made on the basis of thehadith handed down from
our Prophet (saas) is as follows:
THE LIFE OF MY COMMUNITY WILL NOT EXCEED 1500 YEARS. (As-Suyuti,
Al-Kashf 'an Mujawazat Hazihi al-Ummah al-Alf; As-Suyuti, Al-Hawi
Lil-Fatawi, 2/248; Tafsir Ruh al-Bayan. Burusawi 4/262; Ahmad ibn
Hanbal, Kitab al-`Ilal, p. 89)
As can be seen from the hadiths of our Prophet (saas) and from
statements by great Islamic scholars, the Hijri 1400s we are living in
are the age of the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (as). The Prophet Jesus
(as) will return to Earth in this century, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will
appear and, by Allah's leave, Islam will rule the world.
Statements on the subject by Mr. Adnan Oktar
"The hypnosis of the system of the antichrist also represents a veil
for the system of the Mahdi. Hazrat Mahdi (as) makes progress by means
of this hypnosis. Those whopierce that hypnosis immediately see the
truth."
"That spell casted by the antichrist is currently partially broken by
the light of the system of theMahdi. But not completely. Hazrat
Mahdi(as) is advancing by breaking that spell and hypnosis. The
luminosity in Hazrat Mahdi (as) burns it up. In other words, Hazrat
Mahdi (as)is the anti-dajjal, the anti-satan. Satan burns in the
presence of HazratMahdi (as) and cannot withstand him. The antichrist
also burns. OurProphet (saas) says, "I would immediately eliminate him
if it were my own day. But he will come in the future." In other
words, he will burn it with his radianceand luminosity. It can have no
effect. But Almighty Allah does not totally do away with that
hypnosis, so that it can act as a foundation for Hazrat Mahdi (as).
Because the system of the Mahdi is advancing within it. At the same
time, it is also a veil for the system of the Mahdi. I mean, the
presence of Hazrat Mahdi (as) is not felt under this hypnosis and it
thus develops. "Hewill be known through the light of faith," says
Bediuzzaman. Muslims are unaware of him because of that hypnosis, the
hypnosis caused by the antichrist .But those who pierce that hypnosis
see Hazrat Mahdi (as) perfectly clearly. They immediately
understand.They say "It is very explicit, Allah knows the truth". They
feel him, in other words. That is what Bediuzzaman means by "the light
of faith." Faith has an illuminating and burning effect. It
piercesspells and hypnosis. It is something that burns and crushes the
satan and demolishes his influence. A believer's eyes destroy them
when he looks through insight. Hazrat Mahdi (as) eyes, for instance,
will burn satan. His glance burns. He burns wherever he looks. That is
one of his attributes. That is why satan avoids him and the people
around him. If he approached, he would burn, insha'Allah. See that
Bediüzzaman says;"through the light of faith" the Prophet Jesus (as)
will also be recognized by "his close followers and disciples". In
other words, "his elect, faithful followers will recognize him through
the light of faith." By that, the spells and hypnosis would be removed
from them. (From Mr. Adnan Oktar's interview on Kanal Avrupa and Çay
TV on 3 October, 2010)
"Let us pray for the hypnosis of the antichrist to be broken. Prayer
is the best thing against this hypnosis. The spell of the antichrist
is being partially broken by the luminosity of the system of the
Mahdi."
Let us pray against this hypnosis, let all Muslims pray for the
hypnosis to be broken. Prayer is the best thing against the hypnosis
of the antichrist. Because the antichrist obtains that bybegging it
from satan, by summoning him. This system, the system of
theantichrist, is in its own chain of command at themoment. And it has
hypnotized innocent Muslims. People feel a heaviness in their
brains.They should be feeling itas a peculiar idol. Almosteveryone
feels it, in other words. But they will suddenly awake. In the time of
the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as), they will enter in a
state of perfect clarity as if they were awaking from a sleep. When
they come out of that hypnosis theywill say, "It is obvious. That is
what Bediuzzaman meant. Hazrat Mahdi (as) will come. It is explicitly
stated that he will come as an individual." They will understand then.
They will clearly understand the hadiths of our Prophet (saas) at that
time. (From Mr. Adnan Oktar's interview on Kanal Avrupa and Çay

Discrimination against women and its solution: Adherence to the Qur'an and the Sunnah

In societies devoid of real justice, the inequality of women and men
is a serious social issue posing majorproblems. In many countries
around the world, women are often treated as second-class citizens and
even outcasts. Perceived as weak and protection-seeking beings, they
are often abused. For the same reason, they do not hold a role in
societythat commands respect or authority.
In societies where such prejudices prevail, a woman with a remarkable
career in business life hardly findsacceptance. Generally, women are
regarded as people who lack self-confidence and determination, and who
have poor intellectual faculties. This rationalisation of
a"woman-stereotype" in society wrongly serves as an explanation for
every mistake a woman makes. In reality, such mistakes are not
peculiar to women but are universal among human beings.
Among candidates applying for job vacancies, men are usually favoured
over women, even if they possess exactly the same backgrounds,
intelligence and skills. This tendency explains why there are limited
opportunities available to women in business life.
On the other hand, the majority of women identify with this image
attributed to them. This identification makes them readily assume the
inferior roles assigned tothem in many societies.
Prejudices in social life towards gender differences have
strikingconsequences in underdeveloped countries. Let alone
theirentitlement to educationand work, they are even deprived of
making their own decisions about marriage. All sorts of women's
personal decisions rest either with their fathers or husbands.
There is an on-going effort to provide solutions to these
flawedimplementations only a few of which have been included here.
Associations founded to protect women's rights, concepts such as
freedom and equality or the feminist movement or seminars, panels and
discussions have not contributed much towards a workable solution. All
these effortsprove that these solutions inherently breed more
complications. This is a natural consequence since the real solution,
as in all other domains, is unique: adherence to the Qur'an.
In a society adhering to the Qur'an and the Sunnah, no prejudicial
distinction is made between the individuals of a society whether
women, men, wealthy, poor, young or old. Social standing, profession,
wealth, or gender do not make people enjoy particular privileges. The
good deeds one engages in and one's fear of Allah distinguish one, as
is alluded to in the verse "Take provision, but the best provision is
taqwa of Allah." (Surat al-Baqara: 197) In the Qur'an, people are not
classified prejudicially asmen or women. Allah addresses both men and
women having faith in Him and engaging in good deeds. Allah stresses
the importance of living by the values Hecommands. In that respect,
being male or female has no significance. Some of theverses stressing
this are as follows:
The men and women of the believers are friends of one another. They
command what is right and forbid what is wrong and establish salat and
pay zakat (regular charity), and obey Allah and His Messenger. They
are the people on whom Allah will have mercy. Allah is Almighty,
All-Wise. Allah has promised the men and women of the believers.
Gardens with rivers flowing under them, remaining in themtimelessly,
for ever, and fine dwellings in the Gardens of Eden. And Allah's good
pleasure is even greater. That is the great victory. (Surat at-Tawba:
71-72)
Men and women who are Muslims, men and women who are believers, men
and women who are obedient, men and women who are truthful, men and
women who are steadfast, men and women who are humble, men and women
who give in charity, men and womenwho fast, men and women who guard
theirprivate parts, men and women who remember Allah much: Allah has
prepared forgiveness forthem and an immense reward. (Surat al-Ahzab:
35)
Anyone, male or female, who does right actions and is a believer, will
enter the Garden. They will not be wronged by so much as the tiniest
speck. (Surat an-Nisa': 124)
In societies distant from religion, women encounter many difficulties,
and, in particular, those experienced after a divorce deserve special
mention. A divorce creates many problems for a woman who has been
prevented from working by her husbandand hence has come to depend
economically upon him.
That the majority of women do not have a profession, that they are not
young enough to go to work or that they are not entitled to any
socialrights make conditions hard for divorced women. The additional
benefits divorcing parties demand from each other and their insistence
on pursuing their own interests contribute to conflicts between the
parties andmake the situation even worse.
In a society of believers, however, people do not go through such
trouble when they adhere to theQur'an and the Sunnah. The respect and
love felt at the beginning of a marriage is not lost when the parties
decide to terminate their marriage since it is doneby mutual consent.
This attitude is consequent upon the rationale that parties do not
perceive each another merely as aman or a woman but as human beings
having faith in Allah, and thus Allah's most elevated creation. This
attitude maintains courtesy after a divorce.
There are many measures taken in the Qur'an securing a woman's rights
after divorce. The ones pertaining to her economic situation maintain
the welfare of a divorced woman. The following verses inform us about
the benefits and monetary assistancespecified by the mutual consent of
both parties as well as the treatment due a woman after separation:
Divorced women should receive maintenance given with correctness and
courtesy: a duty for all who are righteous. (Surat al-Baqara: 241)
… Give them a gift – he who is wealthy according to his means and he
who is less well off according to his means – a gift to be given with
correctness and courtesy: a duty for all good-doers. If you divorce
them before youhave touched them but have already allotted them a
dowry, they should have half the amount which you allotted, unless
they forgo it or the one in charge of the marriage contract forgoes
it. To forgo it is closer to taqwa. Do not forget to show generosity
to one another. Allah sees what you do. (Surat al-Baqara:236-237)
He who has plenty should spend out from his plenty, but he whose
provision is restricted should spend from what Allah has given him.
Allah does not demand from any self more than He has given it. Allah
willappoint after difficulty, ease. (Surat at-Talaq: 7)
Again from the verses, we know that, after the divorce, it is not
lawful for a man to keep anything he had given to his wife during the
marriage. All needs of a divorced woman relatedto housing are also
guaranteed during the 'iddah period after the divorce. According to
theQur'an, it is also unlawful to inherit women by force. What has
been related so far reveals that adhering to the Qur'an brings
solutions. In a society where people live by theQur'an, women are not
subjected to maltreatment and dishonoured as in other societies.

* The danger of changing the meaning of Allaah's Names and Attributes

* When dealing with the issue of belief in Allaah's Names and
Attributes, wehave to bear in mind the following important points:
1) Placing Allaah, The Most Exalted, above any likeness to human
beingsand beyond any imperfections.
2) Belief in the Names and Attributes established in the Quran and
Sunnah (the sayings, actions and approvals of Prophet Muhammad ),
without ignoring them, expanding upon them, changing or overriding
them.
3) Abandoning any desireto discover the form of those attributes by
realizing the following:
A: The attributes of AllaahAlmighty bear no resemblance whatsoever to
any human attribute. Allaah Says in the Quran (what means): "There is
nothing like Him…" [Quran 42:11]
B: The only names and attributes to be ascribed to Allaah Almighty are
those mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah.
C: We are required to believe in these names and attributes without
inquiring after their nature and manner or investigating their
essence.
This is so because attributes vary according to the self they
characterize; finding out how they manifest themselves depends upon
knowing the self and how it acts.
If someone were to ask: "How does Allaah Almighty descend to the lower
heavens?" We would reply by asking: "What is His nature?" If the
questioner says, "I donot know Allaah's nature", we say: "And we know
not how He descends!"
Tawheed of Names and Attributes is violated by the following:
1. Ta'teel (Negation): Thisis done by negating Allaah's Names or
Attributes, and denying their existence in Allaah. For instance,
negating the perfection of Allaah by denying His Names and Attributes,
or negating the proper conduct towards Allaah by abandoning worship,
or barring the created from its Creator, such as those who deny the
fact that Allaah Almighty created the universe and claim that it
developed and evolved by itself.
The deviant Islamic sect who adopted this crooked creed is called
'Al-Jahmiyyah', the followers of Jahm Ibn Safwaan. They deny the
Attributes of Allaah, the AlMighty and Exalted; in fact, their
extremists deny the Names and say:"It is not permissible to affirm a
Name or an Attribute of Allaah; for if you were to affirm a Name for
Him, you have likened Him with things with (similar) names, or an
Attribute, then you have likened Him with things of (similar)
attributes!! And whateverAllaah assigns to Himself from the Names;
then it isjust in a metaphorical sense; and not the case ofactually
naming with these Names (literally)!!"
2. Tashbeeh (Resemblance): Thismeans to resemble the attributes of the
Creator to the attributes of the created as the Christians, Jews and
some deviant sects in Islam compare the face of Allaah with the human
face, Allaah's Hand to the human hand and so on. [Al-As'ilah
Wal-Ajwibah Al-Usooliyyah, p. 35]
The people who adopted this deviant creed affirm the attributes of
Allaah, and say: "It is a must to affirm the attributes of Allaah, as
He affirmed them for Himself", but they say: "Indeed they are like the
attributes of the creation."
So, these people went into extreme in affirmation, and the people of
At-Ta'teel went into extreme in elimination of seemingly
anthropomorphic Attributes.
So these people claimed:"It is a must for you to affirm the Face of
Allaah, and this Face is like the Face of the most beautiful one from
the children of Aadam." They also claimed:"Because Allaah addressed us
with what we understand andcomprehend; (so Allaah) said (what means):
"...And remains the Face of your Lord fullof Majesty and Honour ."
[Quran55:27], so we do not understand or comprehend from the Face
except what we witness, and the best of what we see is the human."
According to their claim - we seek refuge in Allaah from such heresy -
(the Face of Allaah) is like the best one of the human youth!! And
they claim that this is rationally logical!!
3. Tahreef (Distortion): This is done through false interpretation or
change.For example, the change of the wordings of namesand attributes,
by addingto them, subtracting fromthem or changing the grammatical
constructions, such as theverse (which means): "And Allaah spoke
directly to Moosa (Moses)." [Quran 4:163) where the word Allaah they
claimed to be in the objective case, thus indicating that it was Moosa
who spoke to Allaah and not vice versa.Thus, they denied
Allaah'sattribute of talking.
Al- Jahmiyyah also adopted this innovation through such claims as that
the Istiwaa' (Allaah's Ascending above the Throne) means 'conquering
and having dominion over'; and like the saying of some of
theinnovators that 'Anger' when referring to Allaah means 'intending
to sendblessings', all of which goes under Tahreef. The true saying,
however is that Istiwaa' means ascending and being above- as is clear
in the Arabic language. The Quran came to show that its meaning is
ascending and being above the Throne in a manner which befits Allaah's
Majesty and Greatness.
4. Takyeef (to try to describe "how" an Attribute is, e.g., to say:
How Allaah's Hand is? It islike this and that, or: HowHis Descending
is? It is like this and that): This is done by attempting to determine
the manner in which Allaah's Attributes take form and also determining
their essence. The method of taking Names and Attributes mentioned in
the Quran and Sunnah at face value, without any comparison, change,
negation, nor give the"how of" is the method of the Companions their
followers and those who followed their followers, may Allaah have
mercy them.
Takyeef differs from Tamtheel and Tashbeeh in two ways:
1- Takyeef is to Relate How Something is, with restriction or not by
way of resembling. While Tamtheel and Tashbeeh indicate how something
is, in a restricted sense, by way of a likeness or resemblance
respectively.Takyeef is more general. All who do Tamtheel are doing
Takyeef. But vice versa is NOT the case.
2- Takyeef is Particular toAllaah's Attributes, while Tamtheel is
concerned with His Decree, Description and Self.
Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jamaa'ah (the mainstream moderate Muslims) affirm for
Allaah-The Most Exalted -what He has affirmed for Himself in His Noble
Book, or what has been affirmed for Him by His Messenger Muhammad in
the authentic Sunnah, without Tamtheel. They free Allaah - the Most
Exalted -from any resemblance to His creation, whilst also rejecting
and being free from Ta'teel.

Makkah - The dearest of all lands to Allaah and HisMessenger

The Value of Glorifying the SacredCity:
The importance of values lies in the fact that they are the criterion
by which people, ideologies,actions, positions and subjects can be
judged and measured; moreover,values decide the identityof the
community; the values in a given community have a direct effect and
influence on the manners and conductwhich the members of that
community adopt.
Whenever the values of acommunity originate from the teachings of its
faith, the behaviour and conduct of its people will reflect such a
faith and they will certainly enjoy fine and fulfilling lives within
their respective communities.
Strengthening the social values that Islam instructsand emphasises
upon is the safety valve that protects and guards the community, and
one of the greatest and most important of such values is to glorify
the symbols of Allaah. Indeed, such glorification results in lofty
social customs and etiquettes that guaranteethe stability of the
Muslimcommunity and assures happiness in this life and the Life to
come.
Allaah Almighty has madethis city a Sacred and Secure one and has
honoured His House (the Ka'bah); He made glorifying this city one of
the most honourable actsof worship by which a person draws close to
Allaah; He says (what means): "That [is so]. And whoever honours the
symbols [i.e. rites] of Allaah — indeed, it isfrom the piety of
hearts." [Quran 22: 32]
Glorifying what Allaah and His Messenger have glorified results in
establishing great social values that will yield countless benefits to
the Muslims, and will reflect the unity of the Muslims - a nation that
direct themselves to one Qiblah (direction during prayer towards
Ka'bah), believe in one religion and harbour the same objectives and
hopes, as if their hearts are that of a single person.
The Prophet taught us how to build this value ofglorifying Makkah -
since his prophethood started in Makkah itself - in a practical manner
that is away from fantasy and ina realistic manner that is easy to
comprehend, andmade it deeply rooted in the hearts in a way that
guaranteed the continuity of such glorification by those who reside in
the Sacred City and those who come to visit it. He did so with great
wisdom and with tender care which causedpeople to long to see
andglorify this Sacred City .
Words and actions that reflects its love:
Imaam Al-Bukhaari reported on the authority of 'Aai`shah that she
said: "When the Prophet came to Al-Madeenah, both Abu Bakr and Bilaal
became sick. Whenever fever attacked Abu Bakr, he would recite the
following verses of poetry:
A person wakes up among his household-active he is
While death is in fact closer to him than his shoelaces
Whenever fever eased from Bilaal,he would recite the following verses of poetry:
Will I ever again go back to spenda night- only once
In the valley with Ith-khir and Jaleel (plants) in abundance?[1]
And will I one day again drink from the water of Mijannah? [2]
And will again see (the mountains of) Tafeel and Shaamah? [3]
Then he would say: 'O Allaah! Curse Shaybah binRabee'ah and 'Utbah bin
Rabee'ah and Umayyah bin Khalaf as they forced us from our land to a
land full of diseases'. Then the Prophet said: "O Allaah! Make
Al-Madeenah dear to our hearts just like you made Makkah dear to our
hearts, and even more so. O Allaah! Bless our Saa' and our Mudd [4]
and make it a healthy place for us, and move its fever to the area of
Al-Juhfah." Bilaal also said: 'We arrived at Al-Madeenah and it was
aland full of diseases as the valley of Bathaan would have putrid
water running through it.'"
Ibn 'Abbaas narrated: "The Prophet said, addressing Makkah: "How good
you are as a land and how dear you are to my heart! Had your people
not forced me out of you, I would have never come outand left you and
would have never resided in any other city but you." [At-Tirmithi &
Ibn Hibbaan]
Ibn 'Abbaas narrated: "When the Prophet was forced to leave Makkah he
headed out toa cave, turned around, and said, addressing Makkah: "You
are the most beloved land to Allaah, and you are the most beloved land
to me. Had the polytheists not forced me out of you, I would never
have come out and left you. The worst enemy is the one who
transgresses the sanctities of Allaah, or kills a soul without
dueright or kills a soul as revenge from the era of pre-Islaamic
ignorance." Then Allaah revealed the following verse (which means):
"And how many a city was stronger than your city [i.e. Makkah]
whichdrove you out? We destroyed them; and there was no helper for
them." [Quran 47:13]" [Ibn Jareer At-Tabari] Imaam Al-Qurtubi said:
"This is an authenticnarration." [End of quote]
Imaam At-Tirmithi, Ahmad and 'Abd bin Humayd reported that 'Abdullaah
bin 'AdiyyIbn Al-Hamraa' narrated: "I saw the Prophet standing on a
hillock [5] and addressing Makkah, saying: "I swear by Allaah! You
are the best of the lands of Allaahand you are the most beloved land
to Allaah, and had it not been that I was forced to leave you, I would
have never left you."
Imaam Al-Faakihi reported on the authority of 'Amr bin Shu'ayb, who
reported from his father who reported from his father that he ('Amr's
grandfather) said: "The Prophet sent 'Itaab binUsayd as a leader for
the people of Makkah and said to him: "Do you know where I am sending
you? I am sending you to the people (dear to) Allaah. There is no city
dearer to Allaah - the Almighty, the Glorified - and to myself than
thiscity, and had it not been that its people forced me out of it, I
would never have left it."
This is Makkah and this is its virtue. Will we win thehonour of
glorifying it and loving it with its due love and glorification?
Footnotes:
[1] Jaleel: a weak plant that the residents of Makkah would use in their homes.
[2] Mijannah: a place thatwas a few kilometres from Makkah which had a market.
[3] Shaamah and Tafeel: Two mountains about 50 Km from Makkah.
[4] Saa and Mudd: measures of weight for food
[5] This small hill was at the lower end of the market overlooking Makkah.