Seeing Through Eyes of Hope

We all feel weary at times. We feel like we're fighting on so many
fronts and that we have no helpers. At times our passion drains away
and we feel like we're just going through the motions. This happens to
me. I think it happens to everyone.
At those moments, Shaytan (Satan) tries to push us into despair.
Despair is one of Shaytan's greatest weapons. If we are in debt,
Shaytan tries to get us to despair of getting out of debt. If we're
ill, he tries to convince us to despair of getting well. If we have
committed sins, he whispers to us to despair of Allah's mercy and the
possibility of forgiveness. He tries to make us despair of our
futures, despair of our salvation, and fail to see the beauty in our
lives.
Believers must resist Shaytan's whispers. Believers must be people of
hope, and must see the world through eyes of hope. Believers make life
choices that are rooted in hope.
"Shaytan threatens you with poverty and orders you to immorality,
while Allah promises you forgiveness from Him and bounty. And Allah is
all-Encompassing and Knowing."– Quran, Al-Baqarah, 2:268
So we have two different calls echoing in our ears. Shaytan calls us
to fear, and grasping attachment to this material world.
Allah the Almighty, on the other hand, offers us forgiveness and true
blessings. Allah offers us hope. Hope is not wishing on a star, or
daydreaming. Hope is a real thing, because it's a part of trusting
Allah. After all, prayer is all about hope.
The Quran tells us that with every difficulty comes ease. Hope is an
acknowledgment of that reality, that things will get better, and a
time of ease will come.
When life becomes hard, we need to see through eyes of hope, not eyes
of despair.
Salma
Eyes of Hope
The morning spills out
yellow like a poppy field.
My street is emerald with life:
olives and spring fire,
Chinese fringe and apricot.
My six year old daughter
kneels to pet a cat
but it runs, bell jingling.
"That cat is complicated," she says.
Later she grasps my hand
and says, "Baba,
you are number one."
There's a smell of rain in the air.
When Salma was near
to being born, the doctor said
that the umbilical cord
was looped around her neck.
She could suffocate, he said.
For a week of nights my thoughts raced
as I lay in bed, listening to the frogs
in the field behind the house.
I prayed much harder
than I've ever prayed for myself.
As we walk, Salma collects
acorns and red berries,
fallen leaves and dandelions.
"I'm making a nature salad,"
she says. "I'll hand you the things,
and you put them in the bucket.
That's the process."
I want to laugh, but I only smile,
and I follow Salma down the street
humbly, and with eyes of hope.

Resisting a Grave Sin by Asif Iftikhar

Question: By God's grace, till this time I have resisted all the
temptations, but I am scared that I may succumb to them if they get
too great. What should I do to avoid temptation? My room-mate brings
drunk girls every weekend to the room. What should I do? I don't want
to tell him not to do that because it is his room too. The other day
he brought a drunk girl and they went to sleep.
I woke up for the Fajr prayer and saw her half hanging from my
room-mate's bunk bed. I pulled her down and carried her to my bed
which is on the ground and not bunked. She (being drunk and thinking
me to be my room-mate tried to do things with me). I left her on my
bed and went to sleep on the couch of the kitchen in the hall. Was I
in any way at fault?
Answer: The Prophet (sws) of Allah is reported to have said that on
the scorching Day of Judgment seven people shall be under a shade. One
of these will be a young man who had been tempted by a woman of beauty
and position and had said to her: I fear Allah. (Muslim: Kitab
al-Zakat)
I congratulate you from the depth of my heart on having achieved this
position. The question now is how to maintain it. Contrary to the
conception of Christians about morality, Islam wants us not only to
'rejoice in being persecuted for righteousness sake' when the occasion
so demands but also to try not to be persecuted. Your immense trial at
the moment is not only to refrain from succumbing to temptation but
also to avoid situations in which one may be tempted. This is a great
trial indeed. My heart goes out to you and my prayers are with you.
Trees and plants also serve our Lord. But He wants us to serve Him not
only with sincerity but also with wisdom. Careful planning is needed
to tackle your problem. The possible solutions can be divided into two
categories: short-term and long-term.
Short-term:
i. Try to avoid being in the room when something inappropriate is
going on. Try to get yourself busy in your work or in socializing.
ii. Try to find good company and have regular meetings with your good
and pious friends. Also, you might like to get in touch with your
local Islamic Centre and with the American Muslim Council. You can
write to them and explain your need for good friends. I am sure
they'll empathize.
iii. Also, you can promise yourself that when the temptation becomes
intense you will always get in touch with your close friends before
doing any thing to make your individual problem your collective
problem. If you have good and pious friends, I am sure they'll be able
to put their heads together to work out some solution.
iv. Keep praying to God and offering your salah. Also keep reading the
Qur'an regularly, especially the verses which remind us that
fornication is a great sin. Also, you might want to fast two or three
times a month on weekends or whenever you have the time. During
fasting, remind yourself that you are abstaining from food for His
sake, and after this manner pray to Him: 'Lord for you I have
abstained from this desire (for food). I could not have abstained
without the strength you gave me. My Lord I am your humble and frail
servant. Give me the strength to abstain from that desire as well, for
I fear your wrath and seek your mercy.'
v. One way of sublimating the urge to have sex with a woman is
masturbation. Although undesirable for many health reasons (both
physical and psychological), there is no Divine directive which
categorizes it as a sin.
vi. I know in that society people sometimes take offence on refusal.
At times, they can become quite vindictive. First of all, try not to
be alone with a girl, and try avoiding eye contact as much as
possible. If someone makes fun of this behaviour, explain gently and
solemnly that lowering your eyes is your way of showing respect to a
lady as recommended by your religion. If you find yourself alone with
a girl who invites you to sin, don't try to offend her by saying
anything bad. Instead, gently and firmly explain your reason and walk
away to a safer environment where there are other people.
Long-term:
i. First of all, without making a great fuss, you should try to have
your room changed. Ideally, a room with a like-minded fellow or,
perhaps, an independent room. Furthermore, you should try to get in
touch with your local Muslim organisation – you'll probably have one
in your college – and try to spend as much time as possible in the
company of pious and like-minded people.
Also, when darkness prevails, `the heart that has light sings of the
morn'. With wisdom and sagacity, and with courtesy and consideration,
keep calling others to your faith. In the fervour of that call, you'll
gain strength, for that fervour will not let the light in your own
heart fade away and shall make it brighter.
I know you realise that fornication is a grave sin. (See the Qur'an
3:24 and 17:32). Therefore, you must do everything possible to avoid
it. If nothing else works, then, in the longer-run, the most effective
thing in this regard would be marriage. Now, I know we are talking
about something very serious. But so is the Hereafter – a very, very
serious matter.
The most appropriate way, obviously, would be that you talk to your
parents frankly. You might even tell them that you have taken such and
such measures, but that you would not be able to hold on for very
long. You can tell them that you are grateful for whatever they have
done for you in life and for the excellent education they are giving
you, but you need their help most in securing your success in the life
Hereafter. You can tell them that your success in this regard will be
their success and your failure (God forbid) will be their failure, and
that there is nothing more important in life than that success.
If all this fails, that is if your parents do not listen, then I would
very frankly suggest you to defy them. In that case, you should get in
touch with one of these Muslim organisations in the U.S. (you'll
definitely have some organisation in your college as well) and marry a
girl with similar ideas and conviction.
Perhaps the organisation will help you in meeting a family that is
appreciative of your commitment to your religion and willing to
support you in your efforts and in your married life.
I know either step would be a big one for you. But, please remember
that life is a trial, and in the course of our life there comes a time
when it tests our commitment to our claim: 'I bear witness that there
is no god but God, and that Muhammad is His servant and His
Messenger'.
God has ordained that we be of service to our parents to the best of
our ability and treat them well. But when this service leads to
disobedience to God in matters as grave as fornication, we should
disobey them instead*. We should remain sincere to them, keep on
serving them and should continue to treat them well, but should remain
– first and foremost – servants of our Lord Allah. God be with you.
*. Although in this verse the sin under discussion is shirk
(associating someone with God) – the gravest of all sins –, yet by
analogy we can say that our attitude should be the same in other sins
of serious nature as fornication, adultery, murder, etc.

Self Evaluation

As far as the five basic tenets of Islam and the injunctions about
Haram food are concerned, there can be no compromise in any situation
except as and when allowed by Islam itself; for example reduced prayer
in travel and Haram food in unbearable hunger. Similarly, big sins as
fornication, theft and murder are to be avoided in all situations. In
other matters, try to avoid evil as much as possible without putting
so much burden on yourself that you be ultimately bound to commit a
greater sin. In these areas, Islam gives a lot of allowance in case of
an evil that has pervaded the society. Moving gradually towards the
ideal is more natural here.
In ethics and social responsibility, ask yourself: What would the
Prophet (sws) have done in this matter? It is he who is our ideal in
morality and ethics. Although we can never reach his level, we can use
the example of his life to chart out the course of our own. Blessings
of Allah be upon him.
I know, in a far off land, practising your religion poses immense
difficulties and you are bound to feel lonely. Learn to talk to God.
His hotline is Tahajjud – when the world sleeps, wake whenever
conveniently possible to open your heart to Him. Learn how to speak to
Him through the prayers of the Prophet (sws)1.Train you ear to listen
to Him as He speaks through the Qur'an. Then, you'll hear Him talking
to you2.
Seek His refuge in your prayer and in your perseverance, in occasional
fasting3, and in the study and the propagation of religion4. Let your
prayer and perseverance be your strength, your fasting your shield and
the knowledge and propagation of your religion your sword. With these,
you shall prevail. Insha'Allah.
1. Many booklets of the Prophet's prayers are available. You can say
these prayers before turning your head for salam in each prayer.
2. I strongly recommend recitation of Surah al-Duha and Surah Alam Nashrah~.
3. Three times a month is quite enough.
4.As much as is conveniently possible in your circumstances.

BIBLE PROPHECIES ABOUT THE ADVENT OF MUHAMMAD

BIBLE PROPHECIES ABOUT THE ADVENT OF MUHAMMAD
Abraham is widely regarded as the Patriarch of monotheism and the
common father of the Jews, Christians and Muslims. Through His second
son, Isaac, came all Israelite prophets including such towering
figures as Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon and Jesus. May peace
and blessings be upon them all. The advent of these great prophets was
in partial fulfillment of God's promises to bless the nations of earth
through the descendents of Abraham (Genesis12:2-3).Such fulfillment is
wholeheartedly accepted by Muslims whose faith considers the belief in
and respect of all prophets an article of faith.
BLESSINGS OF ISHMAEL AND ISAAC
Was the first born son of Abraham (Ishmael) and his descendants
included in God's covenant and promise? A few verses from the Bible
may help shed some light on this question;
1) Genesis 12:2-3 speaks of God's promise to Abraham and his
descendants before any child was born to him.
2) Genesis 17:4 reiterates God's promise after the birth of Ishmael
and before the birth of Isaac.
3) In Genesis, ch. 21. Isaac is specifically blessed but Ishmael was
also specifically blessed and promised by God to become "a great
nation" especially in Genesis 21:13, 18.
4) According to Deuteronomy 21:15-17 the traditional rights and
privileges of the first born son are not to be affected by the social
status of his mother (being a "free" woman such as Sarah, Isaac's
mother, or a "Bondwoman" such as Hagar, Ishmael's mother). This is
only consistent with the moral and humanitarian principles of all
revealed faiths.
5) The full legitimacy of Ishmael as Abraham's son and "seed" and the
full legitimacy of his mother, Hagar, as Abraham's wife are clearly
stated in Genesis 21:13 and 16:3. After Jesus, the last Israelite
messenger and prophet, it was time that God's promise to bless Ishmael
and his descendants be fulfilled. Less than 600years after Jesus, came
the last messenger of God, Muhammad, from the progeny of Abraham
through Ishmael. God's blessing of both of the main branches of
Abraham's family tree was now fullfilled. But are there additional
corroborating evidence that the Bible did in fact foretell the advent
of prophet Muhammad?
MUHAMMAD:
The Prophet Like Unto Moses
Long time after Abraham, God's promise to send the long-awaited
Messenger was repeated this time in Moses' words.
In Deuteronomy 18:18, Moses spoke of the prophet to be sent by God who is:
1) From among the Israelite's "brethren", a reference to their
Ishmaelite cousins as Ishmael was the other son of Abraham who was
explicitly promised to become a "great nation".
2) A prophet like unto Moses. There were hardly any two prophets ,who
were so much alike as Moses and Muhammad. Both were given
comprehensive law code of life, both encountered their enemies and
were victors in miraculous ways, both were accepted as
prophets/statesmen and both migrated following conspiracies to
assassinate them. Analogies between Moses and Jesus overlooks not only
the above similarities but other crucial ones as well (e.g. the
natural birth, family life and death of Moses and Muhammad but not of
Jesus, who was regarded by His followers as the Son of God and not
exclusively a messenger of God, as Moses and Muhammad were and as
Muslim belief Jesus was).
THE AWAITED PROPHET WAS TO COME FROM ARABIA
Deuteronomy 33:1-2 combines references to Moses, Jesus and Muhammad.
It speaks of God (i.e. God's revelation) coming from Sinai, rising
from Seir (probably the village of Sa'ir near Jerusalem) and shining
forth from Paran. According to Genesis 21:21, the wilderness of Paran
was the place where Ishmael settled (i.e. Arabia, specifically Mecca).
Indeed the King James version of the Bible mentions the pilgrims
passing through the valley of Ba'ca (another name of Mecca) in Psalms
84:4-6.
Isaiah 42:1-13 speaks of the beloved of God. His elect and messenger
who will bring down a law to be awaited in the isles and who "shall
not fail nor be discouraged till he have set judgement on earth."
Verse 11, connects that awaited one with the descendants of Ke'dar.
Who is Ke'dar? According to Genesis 25:13, Ke'dar was the second son
of Ishmael, the ancestor of prophet Muhammad.
MUHAMMAD'S MIGRATION FROM MECCA TO MEDINA:
PROPHECIED IN THE BIBLE?
Habakkuk 3:3 speaks of God (God's help) coming from Te'man (an Oasis
North of Medina according to J. Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible),
and the holy one (coming) from Paran. That holy one who under
persecution migrated from Paran (Mecca) to be received
enthusiastically in Medina was none but prophet Muhammad.
Indeed the incident of the migration of the prophet and his persecuted
followers is vividly described in Isaiah 21:13-17. That section
foretold as well about the battle of Badr in which the few ill-armed
faithful miraculously defeated the "mighty" men of Ke'dar, who sought
to destroy Islam and intimidate their own folks who turned -to Islam.
THE QUR'AN (KORAN) FORETOLD IN THE BIBLE?
For twenty-three years, God's words (the Qur'an) were truely put into
Muhammad's mouth. He was not the "author" of the Qur'an. The Qur'an
was dictated to him by Angel Gabriel who asked Muhammad to simply
repeat the words of the Qur'an as he heard them. These words were then
committed to memory and to writing by those who hear them during
Muhammad's life time and under his supervision.
Was it a coincidence that the prophet "like unto Moses" from the
"brethren" of the Israelites (i.e. from the lshmaelites) was also
described as one in whose mouth God will put his words and that he
will speak in the name of God, (Deuteronomy 18:18-20). Was it also a
coincidence the "Paraclete" that Jesus foretold to come after Him was
described as one who "shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he
shall hear, that shall he speak (John 16:13)
Was it another coincidence that Isaiah ties between the messenger
connected with Ke'dar and a new song (a scripture in a new language)
to be sang unto the Lord (Isaiah 42:10-11). More explicitly,
prophesies Isaiah "For with stammering lips, and another tongue, will
he speak to this people" (Isaiah 28:11). This latter verse correctly
describes the "stammering lips" of Prophet Muhammad reflecting the
state of tension and concentration he went through at the time of
revelation. Another related point is that the Qur'an was revealed in
piece-meals over a span of twenty three years. It is interesting to
compare this with Isaiah 28:10 whichspeaks of the same thing.
THAT PROPHET- PARACLETE- MUHAMMAD
Up to the time of Jesus (peace be upon him), the Israelites were still
awaiting for that prophet like unto Moses prophecied in Deuteronomy
18:18. When John the Baptist came, they asked him if he was Christ and
he said "no". They asked him if he was Elias and he said "no". Then,
in apparent reference to Deuteronomy 18:18, they asked him "Art thou
that Prophet" and he answered, "no". (John 1: 1 9-2 1).
In the Gospel according to John (Chapters 14, 15, 16) Jesus spoke of
the "Paraclete" or comforter who will come after him, who will be sent
by Father as another Paraclete, who will teach new things which the
contemporaries of Jesus could not bear. While the Paraclete is
described as the spirit of truth, (whose meaning resemble Muhammad's
famous title Al-Amin, the trustworthy), he is identified in one verse
as the Holy Ghost (John 14:26). Such a designation is however
inconsistent with the profile of that Paraclete. In the words of the
Dictionary of the Bible, (Ed. J. Mackenzie) "These items, it must be
admitted do not give an entirely coherent picture."
Indeed history tells us that many early Christians understood the
Paraclete to be a man and not a spirit. This might explain the
followings who responded to some who claimed, without meeting the
criteria stipulated by Jesus, to be the awaited "Paraciete".
It was Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who was the Paraclete,
Comforter, helper, admonisher sent by God after Jesus. He testified of
Jesus, taught new things which could not be borne at Jesus' time, he
spoke what he heard (revelation), he dwells with the believers
(through his well-preserved teachings). Such teachings will remain
forever because he was the last messenger of God, the only Universal
Messenger to unite the whole of humanity under God and on the path of
PRESERVED truth. He told of many things to come which "came to pass"
in the minutest detail meeting, the criterion given by Moses to
distinguish between the true prophet and the false prophets
(Deuteronomy 18:22). He did reprove the world of sin, of righteousness
and of judgement (John 16:8-11)
WAS THE SHIFT OF RELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP PROPHECIED?
Following the rejection of the last Israelite prophet, Jesus, it was
about time that God's promise to make Ishmael a great nation be
fulfilled (Genesis 21:13, 18)
In Matthew 21:19-21, Jesus spoke of the fruitless fig tree (A Biblical
symbol of prophetic heritage) to be cleared after being given a last
chance of three years (the duration of Jesus' ministry) to give fruit.
In a later verse in the same chapter, Jesus said: "Therefore, say I
unto you, The Kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and given
to a nation bringing forth the fruit thereof" (Matthew 21:43). That
nation of Ishmael's descendants (the rejected stone in Matthew 21:42)
which was victorious against all super-powers of its time as
prophecied by Jesus: "And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be
broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder"
(Matthew 21:44).
OUT OF CONTEXT COINCIDENCE?
Is it possible that the numerous prophecies cited here are all
individually and combined out of context misinterpretations? Is the
opposite true, that such infrequently studied verses fit together
consistently and clearly point to the advent of the man who changed
the course of human history, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Is
it reasonable to conclude that all these prophecies, appearing in
different books of the Bible and spoken by various prophets at
different times were all coincidence? If this is so here is another
strange "coincidence"!
One of the signs of the prophet to come from Paran (Mecca) is that he
will come with "ten thousands of saints" (Deuteronomy 33:2 KJV). That
was the number of faithful who accompanied Prophet Muhammad to Paran
(Mecca) in his victorious, bloodless return to his birthplace to
destroy the remaining symbols of idolatry in the Ka'bah.
Says God as quoted by Moses:
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my
words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
(Deuteronomy 18:19)