People of the Book are one Another's Trusted Friends

Islam is the religion of peace, love and tolerance. However,
nowadays certain circles are trying to give Islamic morality the wrong
image. The religion of Islam commands people to create an "abode of
peace and well-being" on the face of the Earth, but those circles
try to show the opposite of this as if there was a conflict between
followers of other religions and Muslims.
However, the view Islamic morality takes of Jews and Christians
known in the Qur'an as the "People of the Book" is extremely just and
merciful. God makes this known in the Qur'an as follows:
God does not forbid you from being good to those who have not
fought you in the religion or driven you from your homes, or from
being just towards them. God loves those who are just. (Qur'an,
60:8)
Only argue with the People of the Book in the kindest way - except
in the case of those of them who do wrong -- saying, "We believe in
what has been sent down to us and what was sent down to you. Our
God and your God are one and we submit to Him." (Qur'an, 29:46)
The Qur'an states that there are those among the People of the Book
who are sincere in their belief:
Among the People of the Book there are some who believe in God and
in what has been sent down to you and what was sent down to them,
and who are humble before God. They do not sell God's signs for a
paltry price. Such people will have their reward with their Lord. And
God is swift at reckoning. (Qur'an, 3:199)
... There is a community among the People of the Book who are
upright. They recite God's signs throughout the night, and they
prostrate. They believe in God and the Last Day, and enjoin the
right and forbid the wrong, and compete in doing good. They are
among the righteous. You will not be denied the reward for any good
thing you do. God knows those who guard against evil. (Qur'an,
3:113-115)
Those who believe and those who are Jews and the Sabaeans and the
Christians, all who believe in God and the Last Day and act rightly
will feel no fear and will know no sorrow. (Qur'an, 5:69)
In the books of truth sent by God as guidance to His people, a
community model is described that is based on love, peace, tolerance
and justice. For example, in the Qur'an God tells that the Torah
brought down to the Jews is a guidance for people:
We sent down the Torah containing guidance and light, and the
prophets who had submitted themselves gave judgment by it for the
Jews - as did their scholars and their rabbis -- by what they had
been allowed to preserve of God's Book to which they were
witnesses... (Qur'an, 5:44)
The arguments and conflicts between Jews, Christians and Muslims
based on historical problems, prejudices, misunderstandings and
misapprehensions should be put to an end once and for all.
Followers of all three religions should live in mutual understanding
and tolerance. What is important is to bring up points in common
rather than differences, to be helpful rather than troublesome,
constructive rather than destructive, cooperative rather than
obstructive, integral rather than separate, and to cause unity
rather than segregation. In the Qur'an God makes known as follows
this responsibility of the believers:
Those who do not believe are the friends and protectors of one
another. If you do not act in this way there will be turmoil in the
land and great corruption. (Qur'an, 8:73)
God has ordered the believers to be the peacemakers and protectors
of peace on Earth. He has condemned those who disturb peace on
Earth, declare war without just cause (such as defense or salvation
from oppression), disrupters, and killers of innocent people. Our
Lord has ordered believers to create a world where all people can
live in peace and it is one of the important responsibilities to
ensure peace and security for mankind.
At the root of wars, conflicts and all forms of corruption is man's
distancing from the true religious moral values. Sometimes the
perverse interpretations of certain individuals allegedly in the
name of religion can influence people who have insufficient
knowledge of the true religious ethic. And this may cause them to
commit acts that are totally inappropriate in terms of religious
ethic. The solidarity of the believers gains importance in the face
of people who believe in the necessity of solving disagreements and
problems by violent means, those who persecute people with
oppressive and despotic implementations.
Every Christian, Muslim or Jewish believer is obliged to do his
utmost to strive to this end. It is right for those Muslims, Jews
and Christians who believe in one God, who try to gain His approval,
who have surrendered to Him, whose hearts are bound to Him, who
praise Him, and who essentially defend the same values, to act in
partnership. Sincere believers should unite in order to live
according to the moral values of religion, prevent the disasters
caused by irreligion, struggle intellectually against atheism and
materialism.
Prejudices arising from ignorance or the provocations of those who
are against the religious moral values should be banished. Jews,
Christians and Muslims should try to cooperate to spread the high
moral values on Earth. This cooperation should be built on the
founding principles of love, respect, tolerance, understanding,
harmony and cooperation. It is necessary to consider the immediate
need for action, and to keep far away from elements that can lead to
conflict, argument and dissidence. In the Qur'an the Muslims' call
to the People of the Book for unity is made known as follows:
Say: "People of the Book! Come to a proposition which is the same
for us and you -- that we should worship none but God and not
associate any partners with Him and not take one another as lords
besides God." (Qur'an, 3:64)

Islam Goes Hand In Hand With Art And Beauty

One of the main indicators of a society's level of development and
well-being is without doubt its level of art, beauty and quality.
Islam attaches great importance to art. The exceedingly fine
examples of Islamic art that have left many traces in such fields as
architecture and literature are one of the clearest indicators of
this.
Although the first things that come to mind when art is mentioned are
branches such as painting and music, believers are not limited to
these and apply art and beauty in all areas of their lives, to the
very greatest extent possible. High quality manifests itself in the
lives of believers when cleanliness, one of the most important
characteristics of Qur'anic morality, is combined with art and
beauty.
Beauty and Art in Clothing and External Appearance
Believers are people who strive to represent God's faith at every
moment and in all respects. They therefore pay great attention to
external appearance.
Some people make the mistake of interpreting taking care of one's
clothes and external appearance as tending toward the life of this
world or seeking the approval of other people. Yet through the
quality, cleanliness and attention they take over their external
appearance, as with their behavior, believers actually invite people
to the beauty and nobility of Islamic moral values. Our Prophet
(saas) also says in hadiths that there is no pride involved in
dressing well:
"God is beautiful and loves beauty; dressing well is not pride,
pride lies in rejecting the truth and in despising people." (Kütüb-i
Sitte, [The Six Books] Translation and Commentary by Dr. Ibrahim
Canan, vol. 7, Akçağ Press, Ankara, p. 208)
Our Prophet Muhammed (saas) always wore the best and most elegant
clothes possible under all circumstances, and always recommended
this to the Companions. Hazrat Hassan (pbuh), the grandson of the
Prophet (saas), described the Messenger of God's (saas) view
regarding dress as follows:
"Our Prophet (saas) commanded us to wear the best clothes we had
and to use the finest scents we could find." (Bukhari, at-Tarih
al-Kabir, I, 382, no:1222)
Taking care over one's clothing is an explicit command of God's in
the Qur'an. Surat al-Muddaththir says:
Purify your clothes. Shun all filth. (Surat al-Muddaththir, 4-5)
The faith requires that clothing be clean and well-maintained. Since
our Prophet (saas) attached great importance to cleanliness, he
also regarded maintaining the hair and beard, one's external
appearance, as very important. Some sources report that he used to
carry combs, mirrors, a mishwak, toothpicks, scissors and kohl. (Ali
al-Qari, Jam'ul-Wasail fi Sharh ash- Shamail, Istanbul, p. 96-97)
Art and Beauty in Living Quarters
Believers seek the maximum of God's approval at all times. They
strive with all their might to raise their moral values to those of
paradise, of people beloved of God. They also try to keep their
living quarters as close as possible to the descriptions of
paradise. Believers make their homes attractive by keeping them
clean and light and not overfilled with unnecessary objects. They
try to choose harmonious accessories, to decorate their homes with
flowers or pictures, and even if they cannot renew their household
possessions, they at least move them around from time to time to give
an impression of variety.
It is a grave error to imagine that there is no need to bother with
home maintenance, or that it is a waste of time. The fact that the
Qur'an discusses the beauty of the Prophet Solomon's (pbuh) palace
is a sign of the importance of the subject. The beauty of the palace
and the effective nature of the message it conveyed to the queen of
Sheba are described as follows in Surat al-Naml:
She was told: 'Enter the courtyard,' but when she saw it she supposed
it to be a pool and bared her legs. He said, 'It is a courtyard
paved with glass.' She said, 'My Lord, I have wronged myself but I
have submitted with Solomon to the Lord of all the worlds.' (Surat
an-Naml, 44)
The Atrophication in Societies Devoid of Art
Societies devoid of art and beauty, with lives deprived of quality,
have great deficiencies. The members of such societies lack wide
horizons and are always backward in all areas. Some examples of the
atrophication caused by living without art are as follows:
They lose the ability to be considerate
Living devoid of art and beauty kills all the delicacy of the human
soul. The lack of care such a person takes in his daily life and
personal grooming can also be seen in his speech and behavior. The
crude and inappropriate language that such people use toward their
families, friends and even while shopping, etc. immediately
attracts notice.
This behavior, the exact opposite of the conception of quality in
Islam, may also have a damaging effect on people's hearts warming to
Islam. Allah reveals in the Qur'an that shaytan seeks to divide
believers and commands them to take great care over their speech.
Surat al-Isra' says:
Say to My slaves that they should only say the best. Satan wants to
stir up trouble between them. Shaytan is an outright enemy to man.
(Surat al-Isra', 53)
As a result of the pains they take over their external appearance
and their living spaces, believers acquire the ability to think very
considerately. Paying attention to details and being careful over
such matters makes it easier for believers to see the details in
all subjects and to think considerately. In this way, they do not
choose their words carelessly when they speak, but take great pains
with the language they use. As cited in the verse above, this is a
very important matter that strengthens the bonds of brotherhood
between believers.
They are unable to witness the art and beauty in nature
The sensitivity toward artistic structures around them to a large
extent atrophies in people who do not strive to ensure that art
predominates in their lives. One negative consequence of this is
that a child, a lovely flower or a cute kitten produces no pleasant
effect in the souls of such people. They are unable to feel in their
souls the excitement of seeing the artistry of God manifested in
such entities.
Yet someone who takes care over his clothing, who notes that a
flower is created to be elegant, who notes the beauty of hair, who
sees that a cat's fur is always shiny and who decorates his own
home well, will doubtlessly better appreciate the harmony of color
in a sunset he witnesses, because he is more sensitive to the
sensations caused by such delights. Believers know that every
beautiful thing they see is a manifestation of the beauty of God and
that beauty gives them a sense of ease in their hearts. Better
appreciation of beauty leads them to remember God and give thanks to
Him more.
They do not take proper care over religious observances
Art and beauty are of great importance in services made for the
faith. The main aim of a Muslim is to struggle against atheism. As
everyone knows, atheism assumed a supposed scientific guise with the
theory of evolution; it is therefore very important for Muslims to
be punctilious and take pains over all details in their struggles
against atheism because the basic aim in such activities is to show
the fact of creation to people who have been misled by the
scientific- seeming lies of Darwinism. The attractive and esthetic
appearance of and careful labor in any work (be it a web site, a
book or a documentary), will increase people's desire to examine it
closer and thus, by God's leave, enhance its impact.
In contrast, it is immediately apparent that a piece of work done
in a careless, slapdash manner could lead to undesired
consequences, such as destroying the potential impact of the work in
question.
It is obvious that people who have lived far removed from art and
beauty in their daily lives will also be weak when it comes to doing
affective work on behalf of the faith. These people, who are
careless even over their own personal appearance, will inevitably
miss many important details in those activities they undertake.
Some people even fail to see how the real danger against which
Muslims need to direct their attentions is the Darwinist-materialist
system. While aware of the danger of atheism, they may fall into the
error of merely criticizing other Muslims rather than working
effectively against that threat themselves.
Muslims, however, are people who strive to render as much service
as possible - and at all times - to God's religion and who seek to
earn the greatest extent of His approval. They are careful to avoid
being the kind of people described in the words "Among the people
there is one who worships God right on the edge" (Surat al-Hajj,
11) from Surat al-Hajj. The Qur'an reveals how Muslims compete with
one another on the path of God:
They have faith in God and the Last Day, and enjoin the right and
forbid the wrong, and compete in doing good. They are among the
righteous. (Surat al-'Imran, 114)
They cause a dislike in hearts of those people who are unacquainted
with Islam
Islam is a faith that harbors all that is beautiful, noble and high
quality. A Muslim is the most honest, virtuous and high quality
person you can imagine. The true Islam revealed in the Qur'an is
something to be envied by everyone.
However, a lifestyle devoid of art and beauty, an arid lifestyle
supposedly representing Islam leads to a false prejudice as to the
nature of Islam in the hearts of those who are unacquainted with it.
This is one of the main reasons why many people today tend toward
atheism. This will no doubt rebound on the heads of those who do not
strive to achieve the quality required by Islam, and who live in an
ill-kempt fashion and devoid of cleanliness, misinterpreting the
faith in a shallow manner. (Allah knows the truth.)
As described in the story of the Prophet Solomon (pbuh) in the
Qur'an, Muslims must adopt art and beauty as an effective means of
preaching the word. Fully complying with the Qur'an on this matter
will be instrumental in Islam spreading rapidly across the world.
In preaching the word to the queen of Sheba, the Prophet Solomon
(pbuh) had her own throne brought in and he welcomed her in his
palace. The artwork and decoration in the palace had a huge impact
on the queen of Sheba and was instrumental in her coming to have
faith. The considerate behavior and the use he made of art can be
seen at every stage while he communicated the word. This method of
preaching revealed in the Qur'an is one that all Muslims should
apply.
Conclusion
Everything said here shows what damage an arid lifestyle devoid of
art does to Muslims. All Muslims must strive to achieve a high level
of art, beauty and quality, things which occupy such an important
place in Islam.
Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) whose coming in the End Times - the final age
before the Day of Judgment - is foretold in the hadiths, will
rejuvenate Islam with his conception of art and quality and, by God's
will, will cause it to reign across the world. Every Muslim who
sincerely and passionately loves Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) and sincerely
wishes to be his follower must work to improve himself in this
important sphere.

Story, - Can't move on and can't let go.

Well here's my story..okay I started dateing this guy in February 2011
and we just really hit things off really good. I mean we were so much
alike and I seriously thought we were soulmates and sent to eachother.
Me and him dated for a year and got engaged in February of 2012.
We was planning our wedding to be in the summer. But something bad
happen to us we was in a tragic tornado accident together and we both
were hurt physically. It's a long story to go into on here but we both
suffered a lot of injuries and stayed in the hospital for awhile.(my
injuries was a lot more severe) but anyways we ended up going seperate
ways because stuff just happen alot of trauma and we both just kind of
went seperate ways for different reasons. We kind of tried to work
things out a few months later after the split up but things just
wasn't the same. We had both just been through so much and we just
decided it was best to leave things alone and go on with our lives. So
we did..we don't ever talk anymore..unless it's just casual email
randomly. Which is now hardly ever. But I can't seem to move on..
I know in my heart that me and him will not ever be together anymore
because it just isn't meant to be. But I can't seem to just move on
with my life and be with someone else.(even though he has) I mean I
have went out with other guys a few times and even dated one guy again
and had a relationship with him for about a month. But it seems like I
can't really ever just move on and let go of the past.
I can't get close to anyone again..part of it is i'm scared of getting
hurt and other part is i believe i'm trying to hang out to something
that's already gone and I can't let it go. I want to let things go but
it's hard. I want to move on and find someone else and let someoen
else into my life but I don't know how. I sometimes feel like i'm
stupid for feeling that way and like i'm the only girl in the world
that can't move on from a relationship thats been over for almost a
year now..
if anyone has any advice please give it to me lol. Thanks.

Story, - I found you back

Hey this iz me Nayma Islam I read in 10th standard now my story is not
really a story it's the reality of my life so my story starts somehow
like this...
When I was at class 5 I got admitted to a new school far away from my
home my school was behind airport our schools name is Baf Shaheen
school it's a popular school in bangladesh ...
I met him 1st at this school he was in inter 1st year that time he was
so charming n cute also goodlooking whenever I saw him I felt like I
wish I could hug him though it was a single crush n I thought as I was
a teenage grl I think thts y I'm having such dreams
Ok let me say about him he is good looking charming religious and a
very kind and honest man a man who can be believed through closed
eyes...
We went in same bus in school every day .. He never talked to any girl
he was kind of shy but 1day I thought let me take his phone number n
talk to him n ya I took his number and called him we talked for so
many hours I always told him everything of my life suddenly I started
sharing him evry single pain n happiness of my life don't know y bt
both of our feelings were changing it continued for so many months ...
Suddenly 1day I became so much sick that I couldn't go to school fr a
week also I couldn't meet him bt we talked in phone daily when I was
recovered than again we started meeting at school bt still we didn't
shared anything abt tht feeling
I always respected him as my elder bt my feelings was something else
though I wasn't enough aged to tell him abt tht
Suddenly the date was 1st April again at noon as usual I called him n
was talking abt different things suddenly he told me that he wants to
ask me something I said ok bt my heartbeat was suddenly stopped he
asked me tht I love him or not this single question changed my life he
was the 1st guy to ask me something like this I was totally shocked I
jst cut the phone n I was crying after tht almost 3years passed we
didn't saw each other n talked to each other
When I was at 8th standard I had my new phone I though y shouldn't I
talk to him simply I gave him a message he didn't replied to that
again I gv him a message this tym he replied n asked me who I was n I
told him to guess n yes he still didn't forgot me he knew that it was
me i was really shocked at ths tht still he remembers me
Than again we started to talk n ths tym nt as frnds we talked as
lovers because in this 3years he was still waiting fr me n I came back
to his life n now we are true lovers......