Stories of Prophets, - Prophet Ayub (PBUH)

The Prophet Ayub(peace be upon him) was one of the descendants of
theProphet Ibrahim(peace be upon him) and a nephew ofProphet
Ya'qub(peace be upon him). He was sent to reform the people who lived
in the desert situated in the north eastern corner ofPalestine. When
Ayub (Job) was chosen to be the Prophet, he started to teach the
people about God and His religion. He advised the people to do good
and shun evil. As usual with all the Prophets very few people believed
in him in the beginning but gradually the number of his followers
began to increase.
The Prophet Ayub was Well Off
The Prophet Ayub (peace be upon him) was a prosperous man with firm
faith in Allah. He possessed vast farms, enormous wealth, many cattle
and valuable property but these things did not make him arrogant. His
wealth provided him with a medium by means of which he sought Allah's
grace.
The Prophet Ayub Displays Patience
The Prophet Ayub (peace be upon him) was a pattern of humility and
faith in Allah. He was verypatient. He suffered from a number of
calamities but did not utter a single word of complaint. One day his
big farm was attacked by the thieves. They killed many of his servants
and carried away forcibly all his cattle. The Prophet Ayub (peace be
upon him) did not feel sorry at this loss and thanked Allah.
After some time the roof of the housefell down and many members of his
family were crushed. The Prophet Ayyub (peace be upon him) was much
shocked but he held fast to his faith in Allah. He neither shed a tear
nor heaved a sigh. He prostrated before the Almighty. He remarked that
possessions and children were the gifts from Allah. If He had taken
His things, it was useless to lament over their loss.
After a few years Prophet Ayub (peace be upon him) suffered fromskin
disease. His parts of body were covered with loathsome sores. He had
many ugly looking ulcers on his face and hands. The sores were full of
worms. It is narrated that he picked up those worms which fell from
his abscess and praised Allah for creating them.
Above all, hisfalse friendsattributed his calamities to his sins. They
ridiculed and looked down upon him. All the persons deserted him with
the exception of his faithful wife,Rahima. She also grew tired of him
in the long run and prayed for his death. She cursed her husband for
retaining integrity in Allah. When Prophet Ayub (peace be upon him)
was in an extremely pathetic condition he prayed:
"Truly adversity has afflicted me and You are Most Merciful of all who
show mercy." ( Surah 21: Verse 83)
Allah accepted his prayer. The Holy Quran affirms:
"Then We heard his prayer and removed that adversity from which he
suffered, and We gave him his household and the like thereof along
with them, a mercy from Our store and remembrance for the
worshippers." ( Surah 21: Verse 84)
The Prophet Ayub Recovers and Prospers
Allah turned to him with mercy. He was commanded to strike the earth
with his foot. He complied with the order andwater from the
springgushed forth. He took a bath with the water andgot curedfrom his
evil disease. After this he was restored to prosperity. The Prophet
Ayub (peace be upon him) knelt and prayed expressing a deep sense of
gratitude to Allah. He never forgot His favours, mercy and love.
The Prophet Ayub (peace be upon him) was one of the celebrated
Prophets. His example illustrates: that those whoremain patient under
the stressof all circumstances, are never deprived of high rewards.
The Holy Quran affirms:
"And surely we try you with something of fear and hunger, and loss of
wealth and crops, but give glad-tidings to the steadfast, who when a
misfortune befalls them, say lo! we are Allah's (possession of Allah)
and to Him shall we surely return. · Such are they on whom are
blessings from their Lord, and mercy. Such are the rightly-guided." (
Surah 2 : Verse 155-157)

Stories of Prophets, - Prophet Adam (PBUH)

Adamis an Arabic word for man. He was the progenitor of human race. He
is reckoned to be the first prophet by the Muslims. He was also the
first man whom Almighty Allah had created from the elements of clay.
The Holy Quranaffirms:
"O' mankind! Surely We created you from dust." ( Surah 30: Verse 20)
The gradual process of man's physical development has been referred to
in the following Verses of the Holy Quran:
"He began the creation of man from dust. Then He made his progeny of
an extract of water held in light esteem. Then He made him complete
and breathed into him of His spirit and made for you ears and eyes and
heart." ( Surah 32: 7-9)
According to the latest scientific researches the man has been created
from clay with all its element and their inherent properties. It is
discovered by a chemical analysis of the human body that a defect
occurs in its normal functioning when the quantity of any of these
element gets diminished. In such case vitamins are used to supplement
the deficiency and restore normal health.
The Creation of Prophet Adam
Before the creation of mortal, Almighty Allah directed all the Angels
to assemble. Thousands upon thousands of Angels (created from light)
and Jinns (created from fire) gathered in groups. They bowed
respectfully in the presence of Almighty Allah. The Creator of the
universe declared that He intended to create the man and sought their
counsel. The Angels and Iblis (Satan) disapproved the idea and pointed
out that human beings would cause disorder on the earth. They would
make mischief and shed blood indiscriminately. The Holy Quran gives a
description of this event in the following Verses:
"And when your Lord said to the angels: I am about to appoint a
vicegerent in the earth. They said: Will you place therein such as
will cause disorder in it or shed blood ? We celebrate your praise and
extol your holy names. He answered: I know what you know not." ( Surah
2: Verse 30)
Angels were asked to make Obeisance to Adam
Allah taught Adam the names of all things and inculcated into his mind
the knowledge of their properties. The Holy Quran says:
"And He taught Adam the names of all things; then presenting them to
the angels, He said: Tell Me the names of these if you are right." (
Surah 2: Verse 31)
The Angels did not know their names and said:
"Glory be to You. We have no knowledge except what You have taught us.
Surely, You are Knowing, the Wise." ( Surah 2: Verse 32)
After that Allah questioned Adam in the presence of all Angels about
the names of different objects. He gave correct answers on the basis
of this superiority. Allah asked all the Angels to bow as a mark of
respect to Adam who was created so miraculously. The Holy
Quranaffirms:
"O' angels! Fall down making obeisance to Adam" ( Surah 15: Verse 29)
Angels Prostrated but Iblis Refused
When the Angels heard the Commandment of Almighty Allah, they all
complied without hesitation. They bowed with respect and admiration to
the new creation and that was Adam. However Iblis (Satan) did not
surrender on various pretexts and stood still. The Holy Quran says:
"And when We said to the angels: Make obeisance to Adam, they did
obeisance, not so Iblis, he refused and was haughty and he was of the:
rejecters." ( Surah 2: Verse 34)
Challenge of Iblis
Iblis disobeyed Allah and became defiant. He arrogantly refused to
accept the authority of a creature who was made of rubbish. Iblis
thought himself superior to human being. As a result, God expelled
Satan from the Garden of Bliss and deprived him of all Divine favors.
Satan requested Almighty Allah to allow him to exist until the Day of
Judgment. I would bring most of the descendants of Adam under my sway.
I would lead them astray from the Right Path. Allah gave him respite.
The conversation between God and Iblis has been narrated in the Holy
Quranas follows:
"Iblis said: Give me respite till the Resurrection Day. Allah said: Be
you among those who are given respite. He said: Because You have
thrown me out of the way, I will certainly lie in wait for them on
Your Straight Path. Then will assault them from before them and behind
them, from their right and from their left, nor will You find most of
them grateful." ( Surah 7: 14-18)
Devil is, in fact, an evil spirit which temps the man to indulge in
sins. It invites the heart to do bad deeds and disobey Allah. It tries
to weaken our sense of morality but if we are spiritually too strong
to yield to its temptations, we become immune from all sins. Those who
follow the Commandments of Allah, invite God's grace to protect them.
On the other hand those who deliberately follow the wrong way, are
responsible because they put themselves into the hands of Evil Spirit.
Hawa Created
In order to remove the lonesomeness of Adam, a female mate namedHawa
(Eve)was created. The Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) and his wife
Hawa were given a place in the Garden (of Bliss) to reside. The Holy
Quran affirms:
"And O' Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the Garden (of Bliss) and eat
there from wherever you will but approach not this tree lest you
should be: among the wrong-doers." ( Surah 7: Verse 20)
Trial of Prophet Adam
The Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) and his wife Eve continued
enjoying each others company and carefully avoiding that
specificprohibited tree. Iblis became very jealous when he saw the
favors of the Almighty Allah on the Prophet Adam (peace be upon him)
and he began to devise ways and means to humiliate them. He kept on
making evil suggestions to the couple in a sneaky way. He tried to
persuade them to approach the prohibited tree. One day the Iblis
sympathetically said to them:
"Your Lord has only forbidden you this tree lest you should become
angels or immortals, and he swore to them saying: Surely, I am a
sincere counselor unto you. So he beguiled them by deceit." ( Surah 7:
Verse 22)
On hearing this both Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) and Eve became
curious. They started wondering as to why God did not want them to
approach the specific tree. This temptation gradually became stronger
but Allah guided them alright and warned that not to be taken in by
the evil suggestions of Iblis. The Holy Quran says:
"Then We said: O' Adam! Verily, this Iblis is an enemy to you and your
wife, so let him not get you both out of the Garden so that you are
landed in misery." ( Surah 7: Verse 117)
The Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) and his wife used to live happily
in the Garden of Bliss. They were endowed with the knowledge to
discriminate between good and evil. They were also warned of the power
of evil. They overpowered all sorts of evil temptations at first and
tried hard to ward off the influence of Satan. But he made numerous
attempts to misguide them off and on. Finally Satan succeeded in his
mission and made them approach that specific tree. Instantly evil
consequences appeared. The Holy Quran says:
"When they both tasted of the tree, their private parts became
manifest to each other and they both began to cover themselves with
the leaves of the trees (in the garden), and their Lord called them
saying: Did I not forbid you both from that tree and tell you that
Satan was your avowed enemy. They said: Our Lord! We have wronged
ourselves. If you forgive us not and bestow not upon us Your mercy, we
shall surely be of the losers." ( Surah 7: Verse 23-24)
The Prophet Adam and Hawa Feel Penitence
The Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) and Eve followed the temptations
of Iblis and were deprived of the heavenly bliss. They were, however,
overflowed with grief. They requested Almighty Allah to forgive them.
Allah, the Most Merciful accepted their repentance and chose them for
His mercy. At the same time He dispelled them from the Garden of
Bliss. They became ordinary people. They had to live like us for only
a certain span of life on this earth. They would be recreated again to
be judged for their actions on the Day of Judgment.
Allah gives Directions
They lived for many years. Allah sent directions and guidance to the
Prophet Adam (peace be upon him). He taught others about the religion
of Allah. He advised his followers to do good and avoid evils. He told
the people to act upon the Commandments of Allah and follow his
guidance. It would serve the purpose of shield to do away with the
attacks of the devil. Allah says:
"Whoso shall follow My Guidance, on them shall come no fear, nor shall
they grieve. But those who will disbelieve and treat Our Signs as
lies, they shall be the inmates of the fire and they shall abide
therein." ( Surah 2: Verse 39)

Women site, - Social evils that are destroying Muslim communities - I

The role of the individual in Islam is not limited to fulfilling the
five pillars. The Muslim in an Islamic community has a greater
responsibility than is usually understood. All of a Muslim's
activities in life are included as acts of worship depending upon the
intention underlying them. Nothing is required from a Muslim beyond
service to Allaah The Almighty, and nothing is accepted from him,
which is not a service. Every individual's responsibilities fall into
two parts: his responsibility to adhere to the teachings of Islam and
his responsibility to enjoin good and forbid evil – which is social
reform. There is a reason why enjoining good and forbidding wrong
comes first, even before faith. It emphasizes the Muslim's duty and
implies faith can only be realized by certain actions, which maintains
a relationship between the individual and society.
Neglecting these duties leads to widespread corruption and an increase
in evils that consume the core of the community, such as the
following:
Indifference:Muslims are commanded to play a positive role in their
community and assist in enjoining matters of virtue and preventing
evil by as much as they can. Many Muslims stray away from the right
path because they do not find anyone to assist them and rescue them
from straying in their communities, as those around them act
indifferently. One should not underestimate any input he can give in
such cases and consider the story of the imprisonment of Imaam Ahmad,
may Allaah have mercy upon him, to see how effective a person can be
if he takes the initiative and does not act indifferently. When Imaam
Ahmad, may Allaah have mercy upon him, was imprisoned, a thief was
with him in the same cell. The thief said to him, "O Ahmad! I
persevere and tolerate the punishment I receive while I am upon
falsehood and being punished for a sin. Would someone like you, who is
suffering as a result of being upon the truth, not persevere and
endure?" Thus, this thief played an important role in comforting and
consoling Imaam Ahmad, may Allaah have mercy upon him, in a difficult
situation.
Underestimating the harms of intermixing and neglecting to lower the
gaze:If members of a particular community give free rein to their
sight, do not adhere to the Hijaab )Islamic attire for women( and
women wear perfume before leaving their homes, the most obvious
outcome is the spread of immorality in the community. Immoral films,
TV programs, obscene content on the internet and intermixing between
the two sexes are other causes that have led to people committing sins
and indulging in immorality. People nowadays mix with the opposite sex
in universities, schools and workplaces, while Yoonus bin 'Ubayd, may
Allaah have mercy upon him, said: "Never be in seclusion with a woman,
even if you wish to teach her the Quran, and even if only you would be
the one reciting."
Being ill-mannered:Many people possess three very evil qualities,
namely: lying, cowardice and miserliness, and these are the worst
three qualities a person can possess. There are also many other evil
qualities that we must be mindful of and hold ourselves to account
regarding, such as backbiting, badmouthing others and tale-bearing,
while replacing them with praiseworthy qualities and morals.
The Salaf )righteous predecessors(, may Allaah have mercy upon them,
would rebuke themselves for every word they uttered, words which would
be considered very normal to people nowadays. Maalik bin Dhayghan, may
Allaah have mercy upon him, said,
"Rabaah bin Qays once came asking for my father after the 'Asr prayer,
but he happened to be sleeping, so we informed him of this, to which
he remarked: `Who would sleep at this time of the day?` Then he left.
We sent a man after him to see if he wanted us to wake my father up
for him, but this man did not return until it was time to pray
Maghrib. When we asked him why he returned so late, he said: `I
followed him to ask him, but found that he was headed to the graveyard
while rebuking himself, saying: `What business is it of yours to ask
this kind of question? Why do you ask what does not concern you? What
is it to you when people go to sleep? People are free to sleep any
time they desire, why did you indulge in what does not concern
you?...`'"
Note how lightly such a question would be taken in our time, and how
strongly he rebuked himself for asking it.

Women site, - Social evils that are destroying Muslim communities - II

Severing ties with kinfolk: The most important of kinfolk are one's
parents, and yet we find many people dealing with them in an
inappropriate manner or even severing ties with them altogether. As
for those who do try to fulfil the needs of their parents, many of
them do it begrudgingly, while expressing discontent or complaining
that it is a burden upon them. This is in spite of the fact that
Allaah The Almighty commands us to not say even the least expression
of discontent in this regard, saying )what means(:}"…Say not to them
]so much as[ 'Uff,' and do not repel them but speak to them a noble
word."{]Quran, 17': 23[
The mother of Huthayl bin Hafsah, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said,
"He would collect wood during the summer and peel off the outer layer
of bark himself. Then, when winter would come, he would come to me
whilst I was praying, light a brazier )in my room( and place the
peeled wood in it, as this does not give harmful smoke. He would do so
just so that I would be warm during prayer. He would do so even though
we had a servant who could do the job. Whenever I thought of stopping
him and commanding him to return to his family, I would remember why
he was doing it, and thus I would allow him to continue."
Why was he doing this himself despite him having a servant who could
have done it for him? It was nothing but a reflection of his full
dutifulness towards his mother.
This type of nobility is not limited to ones parents; rather, one
should be kind to all his relatives and even his fellow Muslims.
Wasting time: The issue of wasting time is a very important one
indeed. We must be careful about it and hold ourselves to account
regarding it because we spend much of our time uselessly instead of
spending it in acts of obedience to Allaah, as it should be utilised.
Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}"And it is He who has made the
night and the day in succession for whoever desires to remember or
desires gratitude."{]Quran, 25: 62[
Therefore, time was created so that we would fill it with acts of
obedience to Allaah, The Almighty but many people do the exact
opposite of this. The Salaf )righteous predecessors(, may Allaah have
mercy upon them, were very keen to make use of every second of their
time. Al-Hasan, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said, "I have met some
people who were stingier with their time than they were with their
wealth."
People nowadays waste their times in games, late nights, socializing,
watching television and in vain talk. They may even go as far as doing
so at the expense of their religious obligations, such as their daily
prayers, and so on.
Wasting wealth:Many men cave in under pressure from their wives and
children and therefore spend extravagantly, but when they are asked to
spend in charity, one would find that they are so stingy that if they
were to pull out two bills to give in charity, one would invariably
return to his pocket. However, if this same person were to go to a
restaurant, he would have no problem in spending multiples of this
amount.
Allaah The Almighty will ask us about our wealth because we were
informed as such by the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam. Abu
Barzah, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported, "The Messenger of
Allaah sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said:"Man's feet will not move on
the Day of Resurrection before he is asked about his life and how he
consumed it, his knowledge and what did he do with it, his wealth and
how he earned it and how he disposed of it, and about his body and how
he wore it out.""]At-Tirmithi[
This does not imply that people do not spend generously or that there
are no people who do any of the abovementioned matters correctly. The
purpose of highlighting these points is to serve as a reminder for
Muslims – at both the individual and community level – so that we
realize the importance of these matters and hold ourselves to account
with respect to them, as there are many of us who are failing to do
so.