Dought & clear, - Beware of the Whispers of the Shaytan about Allah.

For two weeks this question has been haunting me and I cannot find an
answer to it, but in sha Allah you will have the answer:
What is the evidence that Allah does not lie, or what is the evidence
that He always tells the truth, and why will He never lie?
I know that this is a strange question, and I felt too embarrassed to
ask anyone about it for a while, but I looked for an answer and I feel
a kind of anxiety even when praying.
Praise be to Allah
By Allah, we do not know which of your two issues we find stranger,
that you have gone along with the whispers of the shaytan (devil) to
such an extent that brought you to the brink of the abyss and nearly
made you fall in, or that you find this question difficult and are not
able to find an answer to it.
What do you know of your religion, if you do not know this?
What do you think of your Lord, if you are asking about this?
When her freed slave asked her: O my mother, did Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) see his Lord? 'Aishah, the Mother of
the Believers, (may Allah be pleased with her) said: My hair stood on
end at what you said.
If the hair of the Mother of the Believers stood on end because of
alarm for the one who asked her this question: Did Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) see his Lord, i.e., in this world -
although the believers will see Him in Paradise and that will be the
greatest of their joys (may Allah not deprive us of it) - then how
should one react to your question?
Have you left your heart empty to such an extent that the shaytan can
toy with it and cause it to end up like this?
Have you heard of the report narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh from
Jabir who said: A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah, I saw in a dream as
if my head was cut off. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) smiled and said: If the shaytaan toys with one of you in his
sleep, he should not tell the people about it."
If a dream such as this is regarded as the shaytan toying with a
person, then what would the Prophet's (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) response be to one who saw what you have seen in a dream?
What would he say if the shaytan toyed with him when he was awake, and
not in a dream?
It is natural that you should feel ashamed and you should weep for
yourself if the shaytan has gained so much power over you.
Yes, we understand that the shaytan may toy with a person in such
ways, but he should not go along with the ideas instilled by the
shaytan and try to discuss it and look for evidence for it. Rather his
deeply rooted faith should protect him, for the shaytan is evil and
his plot is weak:
"... ever feeble indeed is the plot of shaytan (Satan)." [4:76].
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him)
said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) said: "The shaytan comes to some of you and says, 'Who created
such and such? Who created such and such?' - until he says, 'Who
created your Lord?' If that happens, then let him seek refuge with
Allah and stop thinking about that."
What do you think the Prophet's (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) answer would be to this "difficult" question posed by the
accursed enemy?
One should seek refuge with Allah from this waswas (insinuating
whisper), and stop thinking about it or getting carried away with it,
because the accursed one does not need an answer to this question. He
knows that his question is pure fallacy, for it is not befitting that
the Creator should have a creator, otherwise He would be another
created being.
Rather his aim is to stir up doubts until he gains control over one
who dies in such a state, if he can. Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah
have mercy on him) said in his commentary on the hadeeth (report)
quoted above:
"'Who created your Lord?' If that happens, then let him seek refuge
with Allah and stop thinking about that" i.e., let him stop getting
carried away with that, and turn to Allah in warding it off; he should
realize that he (shaytan) wants to corrupt his religious commitment
and his reasoning with these whispers, so he should strive to ward
them off by thinking of something else.
Al-Khattabi said: The point of this hadeeth is that if the shaytan
whispers such thoughts, one should seek refuge with Allah from him and
stop debating with the shaytan about it, then this waswas will
diminish. There is no end to the shaytan's whispers, rather every time
proof is produced to silence him, he moves on to something else until
he finally makes one confused. We seek refuge with Allah from that. ...
But his saying 'Who created your Lord?" is contradictory and is a
flawed argument, because it is impossible for the Creator to be
created.
Al-Teebi said: Rather he enjoined seeking refuge with Allah and
distracting oneself with something else; he did not tell us to ponder
and look for evidence, because the knowledge that Allah does not need
a creator is a basic fact that is not open to debate, and because
getting carried away in thinking about that will only make a person
more confused. If a person is in such a state, he has no option except
to turn to Allah and seek His protection.
The hadeeth also implies criticism of asking too much about that which
does not concern one and that which one has no need to ask about. It
is also one of the signs of Prophethood, namely his foretelling
something that was going to happen and then it happened. End quote.
As the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) enjoined
putting an end to such whispers and not indulging in them, then the
believer, if he is overwhelmed by any such thing, and if the accursed
enemy instills such a thing in his heart, then he will regard this
waswas as something serious that has befallen him.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him)
said: Some of the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) came and asked him: We find in ourselves something
that is too awful for any of us to speak of it. He said: "Do you
really find that?" They said: Yes. He said: "That is clear faith." [
Muslim]
Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: What this means is: The
fact that you think of this waswas as something terrible is a clear
sign of faith, for if you dare not utter it and you are so afraid of
it and of speaking of it, let alone believing it, this is the sign of
one who has achieved perfect faith and who is free of doubt
O slave of Allah, the man of dignity who has some standing among
people would refrain from lying and would hate lies to be attributed
to him. The story of Abu Sufyan with Heraclius concerning this matter
is well known, so how about if this noble and dignified man is a
believer? For lying is incompatible with faith.
How about if one imagines the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) telling lies when he is the truthful one? This
is an idea that would make the skin crawl and the hair stand on end.
It seems most likely that there are two reasons why the shaytan has
gained control over you:
1- You have turned away from focusing on remembrance (dhikr) of the
Most Merciful, studying His verses and what it says in His Book of His
most beautiful names and sublime attributes, and acknowledging His
greatness, majesty, beauty and perfection that are mentioned in His
Book and in the sunnah (teachings) of His Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him).
2- Perhaps it is a punishment from Allah because of the first
reason, which is your keeping company with the devils among men, who
have been supported by the devils among the jinn and helped by them
against you.
Those companions were not necessarily friends of yours who come and go
with you, rather that may have been via the internet as idle curiosity
may have led you to go to some atheist and anti-religion chat rooms,
where one of them stated his specious argument and it settled in your
heart and led to the problem that you are now suffering. Allah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And whosoever turns away blindly from the remembrance of the Most
Gracious (Allah) (i.e. this Quran and worship of Allah), We appoint
for him shaytan (Satan - devil) to be a Qareen (a companion) to him.
And verily, they (Satans / devils) hinder them from the path (of
Allah), but they think that they are guided aright!
Till, when (such a one) comes to Us, he says [to his Qareen
(Satan/devil companion)] 'Would that between me and you were the
distance of the two easts (or the east and west) a worst (type of)
companion (indeed)!
It will profit you not this Day (O you who turn away from Allah's
remembrance and His worship) as you did wrong, (and) that you will be
sharers (you and your Qareen) in the punishment." [43:36]
Set your heart straight and turn to your Lord, and acknowledge Him as
He has told you in His Book. Turn to His Book and read it and ponder
it, and keep your tongue busy with remembrance of Him (dhikr), for
that will protect you:
"I command you to remember Allah, for the likeness of that is that of
a man whose enemy comes after him, until he comes to a strong fortress
where he protects himself from him. Similarly, a person cannot protect
himself against the shaytan except by remembering Allah." [Tirmidhi
and classed as saheeh/authentic by al-Albani.]
And Allah knows best.

Dought & clear, - Suffering From Waswas (Insinuating Whispers) ofthe Shaytan About the Essence of Allah.

A man is experiencing waswas (insinuating whispers) from the Shaytan
(devil) having to do with Allah, and he is very afraid of that.
Praise be to Allah
The questioner has mentioned this problem and is afraid of its
consequences. I say to him, rejoice, for its consequences cannot be
anything but good. By means of this waswas, the Shaytan tries to gain
control over the believers and shake the sound belief in their hearts,
and make them suffer psychological and intellectual anxiety that will
affect the purity of their faith and their life, if they are
believers.
This is not the first or the last time that the believers have been
exposed to this. It will continue so long as there is any believer in
this world. The Sahabah/companions of the Prophet (may Allah be
pleased with them) also faced this problem. It was narrated that Abu
Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Some of the companions
of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and
said to him, 'We find in ourselves thoughts that are too terrible to
speak of.' He said, 'Are you really suffering from that?' They said,
'Yes.' He said, 'That is a clear sign of faith.'" (Muslim).
It was narrated in al-Saheehayn, also from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be
pleased with him), that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) said, "The Shaytan comes to one of you and says, 'Who
created such and such? Who created such and such?' Until he says, 'Who
created your Lord?!' If that happens to any of you, let him seek
refuge with Allah and put a stop to these thoughts."
It was narrated from Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both)
that a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) and said, "I think thoughts to myself, which I would rather be
burnt to a cinder than speak of them." The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Praise be to Allah, Who has
reduced all his [the Shaytan's] plots to mere whispers." (Abu Dawood).
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said in
Kitab al-Eeman: "The believer may suffer from the whispers of the
Shaytan insinuating thoughts of kufr (disbelief), which may make him
feel distressed. The Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) said, 'O
Messenger of Allah, some of us think thoughts which we would rather
fall from heaven to earth than speak of them.' He said, 'That is a
clear sign of faith.' According to one report, '… thoughts which are
too terrible to speak of.' He said, 'Praise be to Allah, Who has
reduced all his [the Shaytan's] plots to mere whispers,' meaning that
the fact that these whispers come, but they are so greatly disliked,
and they are pushed away from the heart, is a clear sign of faith.
This is like the mujahid (warrior) to whom the enemy comes, but he
resists him until he overwhelms him, and this is a mighty jihad
(battle)… Hence the seekers of knowledge and devoted worshippers
experience waswas and doubts which others do not face, because they
(the others) are not following the way prescribed by Allah, rather
they are following their own whims and desires and neglecting to
remember their Lord. This is what the Shaytan wants, in contrast to
those who are striving to draw closer to their Lord by seeking
knowledge and worshipping Him. He is their enemy and seeks to prevent
them from drawing closer to Allah." (p.147 of the Indian edition)
I say to this questioner, if you are faced with this waswas from the
Shaytan, then fight it and resist it. Know that it can never harm you
when you fulfill the duty of fighting and resisting it, and you refuse
to be controlled by it. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) said, "Allah will forgive my ummah (followers) for any
insinuating whispers that may cross their minds, so long as they do
not act upon it or speak of it." (Agreed upon).
If it is said to you: Do you believe the insinuating whispers you
experience? Do you think that they are true? Do you really think that
Allah is like what this waswas says? You would say, "It is not right
for us to speak of this. Glory be to You (O Allah)! This is a great
lie" [24:16 ]. You would denounce that in your heart and with your
tongue, and be the one who objects to it the most, for it is only
whispers and thoughts that cross your mind. It is a trap set by the
Shaytan, who flows through the son of Adam (peace be upon him) like
blood flows, to make you doomed and to confuse you about your
religion.
Hence you will find that the Shaytan does not cast doubts or
suspicions into your heart about trivial matters. For example, you may
hear of the existence of great cities filled with people and buildings
in the east and the west, but it would never cross your mind some day
to doubt that they exist or to criticize them and say that they are in
ruins and unfit for habitation, or that they are uninhabited, and so
on. The Shaytan has nothing to gain by making people doubt about these
cities. But he does have a lot to gain by corrupting the believer's
faith, so he strives with his cavalry and his infantry to extinguish
the light of knowledge and guidance in his heart and to make him fall
into the darkness of doubt and confusion. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) has told us of the appropriate remedy
for such problems, which is to seek refuge with Allah and put a stop
to it. If a person puts a stop to it and continues to worship Allah,
seeking and hoping for (the reward) which is with Allah, it will stop
by Allah's leave. So turn away from all the thoughts of this kind that
cross your mind. You are worshipping Allah, calling upon Him and
glorifying Him, and if you were to hear anyone ascribing to Allah the
things that are whispered to you (waswas), you would probably kill him
if you could. So the things that are whispered to you are neither real
nor true, they are merely imagination and whispers which have no
basis.
Our advice may be summed up as follows:
1. Seek refuge with Allah and give up these
thoughts completely, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) commanded.
2. Remember Allah and control yourself and
do not continue to think of these whispers.
3. Occupy yourself with worship and doing
good deeds, in obedience to the command of Allah and seeking to please
Him. When you devote yourself completely and seriously to worship, you
will forget about these whispers, insha Allah.
4. Frequently seek refuge with Allah and
make du'a (supplicate) to free you from these whispers.
I ask Allah to keep you safe and sound, and protect you from all evils.

For children, - Charity Stories: Joy of Charity

Once a companion of the Prophet Muhammad (S) called Saad had gone to
the battle field outside Medina. On the way, Saad heard that his
mother who had been sick had died. Saad who loved his mother very much
came to the Prophet Muhammad (S) and said that he had wanted to give
charity on his mother's behalf but it had not been possible for him.
Saad then enquired if he could give charity on her behalf now that she
was dead. Prophet Muhammad (S) replied in the affirmative. Saad then
went on to inquire what was the best charity he could offer. Prophet
Muhammad (S) said that on the route to the battle field he had seen
that the soldiers were thirsty and there was a dire need of water.
Prophet Muhammad (S) suggested that the best charity was to dig a well
on the road so that caravans would benefit from the supply of water
and it would also be a continuous form of charity for years to come.
That was what Saad did.

Health Tips, - Sugar level can be controlled by just 30 - minute daily walk …!

The 15-year old boy creates sympathy in everyone's mind when he asks
whether he cannot live without insulin injections. There are many,
like this young boy, struggling to live with the help of medicines and
injections. Is there any solution for this unenviable situation? Let
us hope that a solution will be found soon.
It has been estimated that globally, around 200 million people have
been affected by diabetes. It is feared that if the situation is not
brought under control, then, before 2025, the figure will shoot up to
299.1 million. In India alone, 30 million people are diabetic, it has
been found. Out of this, 9% live in towns while 3% are in villages.
Research is still going on for permanent cure of this disease. Dr. V.
Balaji, diabetes specialist, Apollo Hospitals, talks about this
disease, the causes and more …
The major causes for diabetes are genetic factor, obesity, changes in
food habits and some other things. Diabetes is not a disease, it is a
disorder. There are two types – Type1 and Type2. Though mostly,
children and young persons get the Type1 problem, sometimes, even
elders do get it. Previously, it was believed that those under 30
years got this Type1 condition but today this concept is no more
valid. This type of diabetes occurs because there is abnormal
secretion of some hormones in blood that act as antagonists to
insulin, resulting in the total stoppage of insulin production. Those
with Type1 condition cannot live without insulin injection, they have
no other option. This type does not occur due to genetic factors.
Type2 diabetes occurs mainly due to genetic factors. If a person has
this condition, surely, both or one of his parents must have had
diabetes. Or, a very close blood relation might have been diabetic.
For those, affected by Type2 disorder, insulin production would not
have been totally stopped, it will be only insufficient. This
condition can be diagnosed through blood test. The doctor will
prescribe him tablets that improve the capacity of the pancreas to
produce more insulin. For some, they'll have to take insulin
injections too.
Genetic factors, lifestyle, obesity, environment, tension, lack of
exercise are among the main causes for diabetes. During pregnancy, if
sugar intake is not controlled, diabetes might occur. Among those with
overweight, those with paunch run greater risk. Excess fat on the
waist is also not good. So, weight should be kept under control.
Today, transplantation of pancreas is under research. Diabetes does
not give any trouble if kept under control. Daily walk for 30 minutes
will greatly help the sugar level remain under control. Previously,
diabetics were expected to follow many restrictions in their food
habits. But nowadays, it is enough if they avoid sugar. Balanced diet
is good for everybody. But, if this disorder is not controlled,
vision, heart, kidneys, nerves in the legs etc. will be affected. So,
the diabetics should take care to check their sugar level periodically
and ensure that it is kept under control.