Welcome to Islam, - Examples of equality in Islam

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First Example
Abu Tharr, may Allaah be pleased with him, somehow got angry with the freed slave of Abu Bakr, Bilaal of Abyssinia, may Allaah be pleased with them both. Both of them were Companions of the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam. The altercation became prolonged and Abu Tharr, may Allaah be pleased with him, in his fury called Bilaal, may Allaah be pleased with him, a "son of a black skinned mother". Bilaal complained to the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, who addressed Abu Tharr, may Allaah be pleased with him, saying:"Did you call him a name reviling his mother? It appears that you still retain vestiges of Jaahiliyyah )the period of ignorance before Islam.("
Abu Tharr, may Allaah be pleased with him, failed to understand the word Jaahiliyyah and took it to signify some sort of sexual immorality, and meekly questioned in surprise, "At this ripe age, O Prophet of Allaah?" The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said in reply: "Yes, you are his brother." Abu Tharr, may Allaah be pleased with him, became ashamed and repentant, and - out of extreme repentance and humility - requested Bilaal, may Allaah be pleased with him, to tread on his face with his feet.
Second Example
When a woman of the Bani Makhzoom tribe called Faatimah was found guilty of theft, she was brought to the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam to be judged according to Sharee'ah Law. The Quraysh tribe tried to intercede not to punish the woman and after deliberation, sent Usaamah bin Zayd, may Allaah be pleased with him, for intercession since he was very much a favourite of the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam. When he talked to the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam became very angry and said to Usaamah, may Allaah be pleased with him:"Do you )attempt to( intercede in the matters of the limits prescribed by God?" Then he gathered the people and said to them: "The people before you who met their doom, discriminated between the elite and the common-folk in the dispensation of justice for crimes like theft. The high-placed were spared while the weaker elements of society were readily punished. By Allaah! Had Faatimah the daughter of Muhammad committed this theft, then I would have amputated her hand for it also!"
Third Example
Qays bin Mutatiyah, a hypocrite, came to a gathering where Salmaan al-Faarisi )the Persian(, Suhayb Ar-Roomi )the Roman(, and Bilaal Al-Habashi )the Abyssinian( were present. He remarked tauntingly: "'Aws and Khazraj have rendered some service to this person )the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam( but I fail to understand what these people )Bilaal, Suhayb and Salmaan( have done )to deserve this honour(." Mu'aath bin Jabal was in that gathering, and he caught hold of him by his neck, dragged him to the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam and told him what the hypocrite had uttered. The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam became angry and went to the mosque and gave a sermon, stating in it:"O people! Always remember that your Lord and Cherisher is one and your supreme ancestor is one, and your faith is also one and the same."
Fourth Example
'Adiyy bin Haatim, may Allaah be pleased with him, went to Madeenah before embracing Islam and found the Companions sitting around the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam. 'Adiyy was inspired with awe when he witnessed their reverence for him. Meanwhile, a humble woman came to the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam and asked to see him in private. The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam got up and at some distance from the gathering talked to her, and returned when he finished. 'Adiyy was very much touched by this inconceivable concept of philanthropy and, eventually, embraced Islam.
Fifth Example
When the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam conquered Makkah, those who had driven him out and fought with him were brought before him vanquished. Even then, he called them to the same thing, to Islam. Standing at the gate of the Ka'bah he said:"O people of Quraysh! Allaah has, this day, put an end to your pride of the Jaahiliyyah )ignorance( and also the pride of your ancestry. Keep in mind! All men are from Aadam, and Aadam was fashioned out of clay." On this occasion he recited the verse which means:"O Mankind! Indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allaah is the most righteous of you..."]Quran: 49:13[
Sixth Example
'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, was a glorious caliph. He was sympathetic to the weak, firm in his stand by the truth. He used to go without food to feed others, and kept himself deprived to give to others. He used to go from door to door asking people about their conditions of living, etc.
Seventh Example
When a caravan came to Madeenah, 'Umar and 'Abdur-Rahmaan bin 'Awf, may Allaah be pleased with them, stood guard for the caravan. During that night, 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, heard a baby's cry. He approached the mother and said to her: "Fear Allaah and look after your child carefully."
Then he went back to his own position. Once again he heard the baby crying, and went over to the mother yet again and gave her the same advice. Later, during the last part of the night the child cried once more. 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, came to the mother and said: "Woe to you! You appear not to be a good mother. How is it that your child can not sleep peacefully during the night?"
The woman, little suspecting that she was speaking to the Ameer of the believers, said in reply: "May Allaah bless you, you have pestered me several times during the night. I want to wean it forcefully )before time,( but the child is intractable." 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, asked her: "Why wean it forcefully?" She said in reply: "Because 'Umar grants allowance only for such children that have been weaned."
'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with her, asked her: "How old is your child?" She told him it was only a few months old. 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, asked the woman not to be hasty in weaning her child. Then he led the dawn prayer in such a state that his weeping made his recital of the Quran inaudible and unintelligible. At the end of the prayer he said: "'Umar is ruined! He has killed the children of the believers!" Thereupon, he ordered the crier to proclaim in the town ofMadeenahthat the mothers should not wean their children only for the sake of the allowance for their children. From now on, every child, suckling or weaned, was to receive a stipend.
Eighth Example
One of the unique incidents relating to sympathy and equality in the history of mankind is that 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, came by one night. It was usual for him to go out during the nights to see with his own eyes the conditions under which the people were living. One night, he heard somebody crying in a nearby tent, at whose door was standing a man. 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, greeted him and asked him who he was.
He said in reply that he was a Bedouin who had come to Madeenah to ask the Ameer of the believers for help. Then 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, asked him about the crying and wailing inside the tent. The Bedouin tried to evade this question, saying that since it did not concern him he should not interest himself in it and go his way.
However, on the insistence of 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, he told him that his wife was in labour and had no one to help her with the delivery. 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, returned to his home and asked his wife, Umm-Kulthoom bint 'Ali, may Allaah be pleased with her, whether she was interested in the reward from Allaah which He might have brought her way. He asked her to take with her the requisites of a newborn and the delivered mother and also some provisions for food.
He took all those things from her and started, Umm-Kulthoom following him. When they came to the Bedouin's tent, 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, sent his wife inside. He himself sat with the husband and, lighting a fire, started cooking food with the provisions he had brought with him. The Bedouin was still unaware that he was sitting beside a great man of the world.
Then the child was delivered and Umm-Kulthoom, may Allaah be pleased with her, called him from inside the tent, addressing him as Ameer Al-Mu'mineen, and asked him to congratulate his friend on the birth of his child. The Bedouin on hearing her words became conscious of the fact that he had been with the head of the Islamic state all this time and had been rude to him, and was awe-struck and began receding from 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him.
But 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, reassured him and asked him to keep sitting where he was, unceremoniously. He asked Umm-Kulthoom to offer the mother the food that he had cooked while he offered some to her husband saying, "Partake of it, you have been kept up the whole night and have been inconvenienced."
Here we must also mention that 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, is not an isolated example presented as a perfect and affectionate person by the Islamic civilisation. The lives of Abu Bakr, 'Uthmaan and 'Ali, may Allaah be pleased with them all, were also moulded in the mould of perfect humanity, brimming over with mercy and affection.
Similar were the lives of 'Umar bin 'Abdul Azeez, Salaahuddeen Ayyoobi, and many other big personages, legists and leaders who also present countless immortal examples. They are in themselves brilliant evidence in favour of this glorious civilisation from every aspect.



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Welcome to Islam, - Islam and essential needs

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Islam came to complete the previous Divine religions and faith on earth. In fact, the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, )may Allaah exalt his mention( completed the missions of the previous Prophets, may Allaah exalt their mention. Allaah’s Messenger, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:“My example, and the example of the prophets, who preceded me, is like that of a person who built a beautiful house. The house was perfect, magnificent and great except for a place of a single brick )in one corner(. People, who visited )or saw( that house admired it but always wondered, why did not the owner complete that missing single brick?’ I am that )missing( brick. I am the final Prophet )for mankind on the earth(.”]Al-Bukhaari, Hadeeth No.3341 and at-Tirmithi, Hadeeth No.2862[
Islam diligently acts to provide the basic needs of man on earth, like the previous Divine religions and works hard to secure his rights.
Let us read together the following verse of the Glorious Quran )which means(:“Fight in the cause of Allaah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allaah loves not transgressors.”]Quran 2:190[
Allaah, the Exalted and Sublime, has made Jihaad )fighting and struggling for His cause(, a rewardable act that Muslims believe in and practice. In fact, Jihaad is looked upon as the “hump” of the camel, the highest most important point on the body of the camel, and a Muslim should regard it similarly. Struggle for the sole cause of Allaah Almighty must be cherished by the sincere believing Muslims in this life. It should be treated with reverence and taken seriously, with a mature understanding of its objectives. Jihaad is not an innovation in Islam. In fact, Jihaad is an accepted, well-established, and known practice in the previous faiths and nations as well.
Jihaad was established earlier, Allaah knows best, because of the fact that there have been conflicts and differences among people all over the earth. Moreover, good and evil have always co-existed in societies all over the world throughout history. Therefore, Jihaad was founded and defined in order to stop tyranny and remove tyrant rulers, who deviate from Allaah’s Path and the code of life that He laid down for man to follow. Jihaad is also laid down, Allaah knows best, in order to stop people from worshipping other people and false deities, and introduces them to the reality of the worship of Allaah alone, Who has no son, partners or associates.
Jihaad is also laid down for man on earth to remove all injustices committed by man and introduce the world to the mercy, justice, peace and tranquility of Islam as a way of life. Moreover, Jihaad is laid down, in principle, to protect the call to Islam and help spreading it all over the world. It is for the interest of humankind on earth and not for the interest of Arabs or Muslims, as Islam has no geographic borders.
The final word underlying Jihaad is for the people to either accept or reject Islam as a way of life. Islam has a message for the entire humanity. Islam has the most comprehensive code of morals and ethics for people in every walk of life. Islam laid down the principles of justice, fairness, equality, freedom, prosperity, success and truthfulness for man on earth. Jihaad has not been laid down to force people against their will to join Islam; rather it is a tool and mechanism to help spread the religion of monotheism, justice and equality to the entire world. After the various peoples receive the message, it is up to them to accept Islam as a way of life or choose otherwise.
In any event, the essential purpose of Jihaad is to carry the Message of Islam to people and introduce it to them. Almighty Allaah states in the Glorious Quran )what means(:“Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects Evil and believes in Allaah has grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And, Allaah hears and knows all things.”]Quran 2: 256[
The directive principle cementing relationships between government and people is based on peace. Yet, Allaah Almighty laid down the foundations of Jihaad in Islam for a special reason and purpose. There is a major difference between the terms“Jihaad”and“War”.Jihaad, as interpreted and understood in Islam, is not a“Holy War”as described in the Western media; rather, it is an honorable ‘struggle’ against the enemies of Allaah Almighty who reject His Word and faith in Him and His religion of Islam.“War”on the other hand, is a drive for personal interests and ownership of lands, natural resources for political or economic reasons. Islam ordered for Jihaad in the three situations as follows:
1- Defense of life, property and national boundaries
This concept is based on the verse of the Glorious Quran )which means(:“Fight in the cause of Allaah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allaah loves not transgressors.”]Quran 2: 190[
2- Removing oppression and preserving the just rights of the oppressed people. This concept is based on the verse of the Glorious Quran, )which means(:“And why should you not fight in the cause of Allaah and of those who, being weak, are ill-treated people )and oppressed(? Men, women, and children, whose cry is: ‘Our Lord! Rescue us from this town whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from You one who will protect; and raise for us from You one who will help!’”]Quran 4:75[
3-Defence of Faith and Religion
A fighter must purify his intention to please Allaah Almighty alone and he must have a sound understanding that he is not participating in this Jihaad for any unfair reasons. The fighters must realize that they are taking part in such a Jihaad in order to spread the Word of Allaah Almighty. This concept is based on the verse of the Glorious Quran, )which means(:“And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevails justice and faith in Allaah altogether and everywhere; but if they cease, verily Allaah does see all that they do.”]Quran 8:39[
Moreover, if the enemies of Islam cease their fire and resort to stop the war, accepting to make peace with the Islamic Jihaad government, the Muslim fighters must, as well, cease their fires and stop all Jihaad activities. In fact, it becomes unlawful for Muslims to continue to fight in Jihaad against the troops of the other side, if the confronted party cease their fire and ask for peace. This concept is based on the verse of the Glorious Quran, )which means(:“Therefore if they withdraw from you but fight you not, and )instead( send you )guarantees of( peace, then Allaah has left no way for you )to war against them(.”]Quran 4:90[
Furthermore, all other types of wars that aim at land expansion, colonial interests and revenge that result in wide-scale destruction, are totally prohibited according to Islam. Although Islam permitted fighting against enemies for necessary reasons, it has laid articulate rules of conduct while waging wars against the enemies of Islam. Islam does not allow fighters to kill anybody: it is permissible to attack only combatants and supporting forces on the other side. Islam does not permit, accept or condone the killing of elderly people, children, women, sick people under medical treatment, medical staff workers and monks who have secluded themselves for worship of Allaah Almighty.
Islam prohibits killing a wounded man in a battle and forbids mutilating the bodies and organs of the deceased enemy fighters. Islam also forbids the killing of cattle or any type of animals of the enemies, destroying the houses of innocent people, polluting the potable waters, rivers, lakes, springs and wells of water of the fighting enemies. Moreover, Islam prohibits chasing people who flee the battlefield. This concept is based on a verse of the Glorious Quran )which means(:“But seek, with the )wealth( which Allaah has bestowed on you, the Home of the Hereafter, nor forget your portion in this World: but do you good, as Allaah has been good to you, and seek not )occasions for( mischief in the land: for Allaah loves not those who do mischief.”]Quran 28:77[


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Welcome to Islam, - What is the purpose of life

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Khalid Yaseen delivered this lecture in Saudi Arabia, and later that night, 43 people accepted Islam. That should tell you how powerful the message in the lecture was.
All praise be to Allaah and may Allaah exalt the mention of His messenger, Muhammad.
The information which I wish to share with you may seem a bit extensive, but when you consider the capacity of the human brain and the capacity that it can store, I am sure that a few pages in tonight's talk will not overburden you.
I am honored to have this opportunity and I would like to begin by saying that all of you have an equal responsibility. That responsibility is to listen with an open heart and an open mind. In a world filled with prejudice and cultural conditioning, it is very hard to be able to find people to take a moment to think about life objectively and try to arrive at the truth about this world and the real purpose of our lives.
Unfortunately, when you ask most people the question: "What is the purpose of life?" )such a fundamental and important question(, they will not tell you what they have concluded through observation or analytical reasoning. Rather, in most cases, they will simply tell you what someone else said, or they will tell you what is "commonly presumed" by others, i.e., What my father said purpose of life is, what the minister of my church said the purpose of life is, what my teacher in school said, what my friend said, etc. If I ask anyone about the purpose of eating or why do we eat, everyone will say ]in one word or another[ that it is for nutritional purposes, because nutrition sustains life. If I ask anyone why they work, they will say because it's a necessity in order to support themselves and to provide for the needs of their families. If I ask anyone why they sleep, why they wash, why they dress, etc., they will answer with appropriate answers, for these are common necessities for all human beings. We can follow this line of questioning with a hundred questions and receive the same or similar answers from anyone in any language from any place in the world. Then I ask you the question: Why, when we ask the question, "What is the goal and purpose of life?" that we get many different answers? It is because people are confused; they don't really know. They are stumbling in the dark, and rather than say, "I don't know"; they just offer any answer they have been programmed to give. Think about it. Is our purpose in this world simply to eat, sleep, dress, work, acquire some material things and enjoy ourselves? Is this our purpose? Why are we born? What is the object of our existence? What is the wisdom behind the creation of man and this tremendous universe?
Think about those questions. Some people argue that there is no proof of any diving origin; no proof that there is a god and there is no proof that this universe has come about through any divine purpose. There are people who argue this way, and they say that perhaps this world came about by chance. A big bang, and this great world ]with all its orchestration[ just came together. They argue that life doesn't have any definite purpose, and that there is nothing that can prove ]either through logic or science[ that there is a god, or a purpose or any divine reason behind this world.
Here I would like to mention a few verses from the Noble Quran that address this subject. We seek the protection of Allaah from every evil thing. Allaah mentions to us in the Noble Quran )what means(:"And to Allaah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and Allaah is over all things competent. Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding. Who remember Allaah while standing or sitting or ]lying[ on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, ]saying[, "Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You ]above such a thing[; then protect us from the punishment of the Fire.."]Quran 3: 189-191[
Now here in these verses, Allaah draws our attention to the creation of the heavens and earth, the alternation of the night and the day, the creation of the universe. He calls our attention to their creation and their precision, and mentions those who contemplate the wonders of creation and realize that this was not created for any foolish purpose, ]that Allaah is exalted above doing such a thing[ and they seek refuge with Allaah from the punishment of Hell. Truly, when you see the design of all that Allaah created, you realize it is very powerful and very precise. Something very powerful and very precise; something beyond your own calculation and imagination, cannot be foolish. It cannot be just "thrown together".
There are many examples of things that happen by chance. Let me offer one situation. If you took ten colored marbles, then numbered them one to ten and you put them inside a bag. Next, you shook that bag to mix them up. Then, closing your eyes and reaching into the bag, you tried to pull out the marbles in order-1 to 10. What is the chance of pulling out the marbles in order? Do you know what the chances are? It is twenty six million to one )26,000,000 to 1(. And this is something within our ability to do. So now I ask you, what is the chance that the heavens and the earth just came together as they are ]with the exact precision and orchestration in their existence[?
My dear respected brothers and sisters, we have to ask ourselves a further question. When you see a bridge, a building or an automobile, you automatically consider the person or company that constructed it. When you see a large ship, an airplane, a rocket, a satellite; you also think about how incredible it is. ]You know by its design who the maker is.[ When you see a super international airport, nuclear plant or an orbiting space station you have to be thoroughly impressed with the engineering dynamics that are involved. Yet, these are just things that are manufactured by human beings. So what about the human body with its massive and intricate control systems? Think about it. Think about the brain: how it thinks, functions, analyzes, retrieves and stores information, as well as distinguishes and categorizes information in a millionth of a second, all of this constantly. Think about the brain for a moment. )And don't forget the fact that you are using your brain to consider itself!( This is the brain that made the automobile, the rocket ships, the boats, and so on. Think about the brain and who made that! Think about the heart. Think about how it pumps continuously for sixty or seventy years ]taking in and discharging blood throughout the body[ maintaining steady precision throughout the life of the person. Think about the kidneys and the liver and the various functions they perform. The purifying instruments of the body that perform hundreds of chemical analyses simultaneously and also control the level of toxicity in the content of the body. All of these are done automatically. Think about your eyes, the human cameras, that adjust, focus, interpret, evaluate, and discern color automatically, naturally receiving and adjusting to light and distance. Think about it-Who created them? Who has mastered their design and function? Who plans and regulates their function? Human beings do this? No, of course not. What about this universe? Think about this. This earth is one planet in our solar system, and our solar system is one ]of possible many[ solar systems. Our galaxy, The Milky Way, is one of the galaxies. There are one hundred million galaxies in the universe. They are all in order and they are all precise. They are not colliding with each other. They are not conflicting with on another. They are swimming along in an orbit that has been set for them. Did human beings set that into motion and are human beings maintaining that precision? No, of course not. Think about the oceans, the fish, the insects, the birds, the plants, bacteria, and chemical elements that have not yet been discovered and cannot be detected even with the most sophisticated instruments. Yet each of them has a law that they follow. Did all of this synchronization, balance, harmony, variation, design, maintenance, operation and infinite numeration happen all by chance? Do these things function perfectly and perpetually also by chance? No, of course not. That would be totally illogical and foolish. In the least, it indicates that however it came to exist-it exists beyond the realm of human capability. We will all agree to that. The Being, The Almighty Power, God, The Creator who has the knowledge to design and proportion crated all of this and is responsible for maintaining it. HE is the only one that deserves praise and gratitude.
If I were to give each one of you one hundred dollars for no reason, you would at least say thank you. What about your eyes, your kidneys, your brain, your children, and your life: Who gave you all of that? Is He not worthy of praise and thanks? Is He not worthy of your worship and recognition?
My brothers and sisters, in a nutshell, this is the goal and purpose of this life. Allaah Says to us in the Noble Quran )what means(:"And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me." ]Quran 51: 56[ This is what he Almighty said. Our purpose in this life is to recognize The Creator, to be grateful to Him, to worship Him, to surrender ourselves to Him and to obey the laws that He has determined for us. It means worship is our purpose in life. Whatever we do in the course of that worship, ]i.e., the eating, the sleeping, the dressing, the working, the enjoying,[ between birth and death is consequential and subject to His orders. But the main reason for our creation is worship. I don't think anyone who is analytical or scientific will have much of an argument with that purpose. They may have some other reason with themselves-but that is something they have to deal with between themselves and Almighty God.


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*AS'SALAMU ALAIKUM (WR, WB)*
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Saturday, May 10, 2014
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- Rajab 11, 1435
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