Welcome to Islam, - Islam and human happiness

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If we examine all the orders and laws of Islam, we find that every single law or order aims at bringing happiness to the individual. This applies to Islamic regulations with regard to worship, economics, penal laws and all other aspects of life.
The Belief in Allaah and Psychological Security
When a person believes in Allaah, this belief gives him a strong feeling of security, which is a basic psychological need. This belief in Allaah gives the believer a strong support in critical moments and gives him continuous hope against all sources of despair. This belief gives strength to the sick and hope to the hopeless.
The Belief in Allaah and Ethical Responsibility
A person who believes in Allaah tends to be more ethically responsible than a person who does not believe. This belief makes a person feel that he is being observed by Allaah everywhere and on all occasions. This feeling makes a person try to be as uncorrupted and as far from sin as possible.
The Belief in Life after Death and the Feeling of Continuity
A Muslim believes in life after death. This belief gives the person a feeling of continuity. To a Muslim, death is not the end of life; rather it is a transition from the first life to the second one. A Muslim is not horrified by death because he knows that death is a change into another life.
The Day of Judgment and God's Justice
A Muslim believes in the Day of Judgment, a day when every person is rewarded or punished for his deeds in this life. This belief gives the person a feeling of satisfaction with the justice of Allaah. Allaah is fair; everybody is responsible for his actions. This responsibility makes everybody watch himself and his own deeds.
A Connection with God
A Muslim prays five times a day. This prayer is a connection between the believer and Allaah. Without this continual daily prayer, the man-God connection becomes weak. The stronger the man-God connection is, the more obedient to Allaah man becomes.
Self-Control
A Muslim should fast for one month every year. This fasting trains the man's will and frees him from being enslaved by his own habits. Fasting also makes man more sympathetic with others suffering poverty or deprivation.
A Sense of Belonging
A Muslim is urged to perform prayers with other men in groups. The Friday noon prayer must be a collective prayer. Pilgrimage is a collective practice. These practices help man to grow socially and to feel that he belongs. The feeling of belonging is one of the basic psychological needs of man.
Away from Tension
Islam regulates the relations of the two sexes and discourages any unnecessary intermingling of the two sexes. This helps both sexes to be away from any source of sexual temptation or tension.
Away from Sin
Islam instructs both men and women to cover certain parts of the body. The woman should cover all her body except the hands and face. The purpose is to protect both the man and the woman from sin and tension. It has been proved medically, that neurological tension ends up causing many diseases in the heart and the digestive system.
No Alcoholic Drinks
Islam prevents the drinking of alcoholic drinks in order to protect the human body from their damaging effect. Such drinks also damage the functions of the mind and the nervous system.
Preventing Crimes
Islam legislates killing of the murderer, because this is the most effective way to protect society from more murders by the same murderer or new murderers. Islam legislates severe punishments for robbers and thieves because this is the best way to stop such crimes.
Protecting Family
Islam prohibits adultery and legislates a severe punishment for adulterers and adulteresses, in order to protect marriage as a sacred institution, to protect the family as the best social cell for human life and to protect children from homelessness. Islam punishes a false accuser of adultery, because no liar has the right to spoil others' lives.
No Interest in Economy
Islam prohibits interest because individuals in the same society should be partners. In the interest-banking system, the depositor requires a certain interest on his deposited money, whether the bank profits or loses. The interest system is a big blow to social solidarity. In Islam, interest is not allowed. The alternative in Islam is partnership, where all partners share the profit or loss in proportion to their invested shares. This system of Islamic sharing is fairer and often more profitable to a greater number of partners.
Ready Solutions
Islam gives man solutions to his major problems. These solutions simplify the way and give him help and the guidance that he needs. Without these solutions, man is unable to reach a decision on many issues. If we look around, we find that many countries have several political parties that adopt contradictory policies and give contradictory answers to the questions of economics, politics and law.
This shows us that man is not capable of solving his basic problems on his own. If we examine Western civilization, we find that people there disagree on everything: the existence of Allaah, the role of religion, divorce, marriage, racial discrimination, crime and punishment.
Constant Ethical Values
Islam gives man a stable system of ethical values. Islam makes it clear to believers that certain acts are good and certain acts are bad, that certain acts are allowed and certain other acts are prohibited. Islam gives man a clear reference to refer to in all aspects of life. With this reference, man's chances to make mistakes are minimized.
The Just Ruler
Islam orders the ruler to base his rule on justice and consultation. Islam orders subjects to obey the ruler as long as he obeys Allaah. Islam gives the ruler fair rights and fair duties and gives subjects fair rights and fair duties as well.
Basic Needs
In Islam, the ruler must secure the basic needs to everybody under his rule regardless of religion or race. The individual is entitled to the rights of housing, eating, clothing, learning and medical care.
Equality of All
Socially and ethically, Islam emphasizes the equality of all persons before law and the equality of all humans in origin since all humans belong to the same father, Aadam )Adam(, may Allaah exalt his mention. Islam emphasizes fraternity and mercy as two major qualities of good believers.
Every single verse in the Quran and every single tradition of the Prophet Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,)may Allaah exalt his mention( aims at the happiness of the individual. Let us pray that Allaah guide us all to His right way. Let us submit to Allaah. Let us believe in all His Prophets and all His Apostles, may Allaah exalt their mention. Let us believe in all Revealed Books and the final Revealed Book, The Holy Quran.

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Welcome to Islam, - The 'sword' of Islam

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The first few people who embraced Islam at the hands of the Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, )may Allaah exalt his mention( were his wife Khadeejah, may Allaah be pleased with her, his adopted son Zayd, may Allaah be pleased with him, and his eleven-year-old cousin ‘Ali, may Allaah be pleased with him.
Among the ones who later joined this faith in Makkah were the honest merchant, Abu Bakr; the iron man ofArabia, ’Umar; the shy businessman, ‘Uthmaan; the Prophet's brave uncle Hamzah; and the slave of a pagan family, Bilaal, may Allaah be pleased with them. They simply could not resist the alleged ‘magic sword’ of a humble and lonely prophet! The negligible minority of the believers in the new faith were soon driven away from Makkah.
In the city of their migration, Al-Madeenah, people not only welcomed the Muslims, but the ‘sword’ with which it is alleged that people converted to Islam, as well. It did not cease to work even there and its magnetic force continued to "pull" people towards it until the whole ofArabiajoined the faith. Compared to the population of the rest of the world, at that time, the Arabs constituted a tiny minority. A fraction of this minority decided to take the sword beyond the boundaries of the Arabian desert to the mighty empires of Rome and Persia, the shores of the Mediterranean, the coast of Malabar and the far away East Indies Islands. All these people ostensibly went on surrendering to this ‘sword’ and joining the faith.
So sharp was the edge of the ‘sword’! It simply conquered the hearts, the bodies yielded automatically.
What is this ‘sword’ by which Islam spread?
It is the sword of truth, whose shine eliminates falsehood just like light wipes away darkness.
Has the sword gone blunt?
No, far from it.
It continues to pierce the heart of countless men and women even today -- in spite of the relentless efforts by people with vested interests, who would like darkness to prevail, instead of the light of Islam.
Given below are the impressions of some people who were recently conquered by the same sword. They are from different countries, speak different languages and have different backgrounds. Their present addresses are also given. Perhaps you may like to ask them how it feels to be struck by the sword of truth.
1- Leopold Weiss )Mohammed Asad(:
Austrian statesman, journalist and author; former foreign correspondent for the Frankfurter Zeitung; author of Islam at Cross Roads and Road to Makkah and translator of the Quran. )Embraced Islam in 1926(.
"Islam appears to me like a perfect work of architecture. All its parts are harmoniously conceived to complement and support each other. Nothing is superfluous and nothing lacking, with the result of an absolute balance and solid composure."
Present address: Dar Al-Andalus, 3 Library Ramp,Gibraltar,Morocco.
2- Ahmad Holt: British civil contractor
Traveled extensively in search of the Divine truth. Spent much time in search and comparative study of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
)Embraced Islam in 1975(.
"The sword of Islam is not the sword of steel. I know this by experience, because the sword of Islam struck deep into my own heart. It didn't bring death, but it brought a new life; it brought an awareness and it brought an awakening as to who am I and what am I and for what am I here?"
Present address: 23, Welland Garden Perivale, Middlesex UB6 8SZ, UK.
3- Bogdan Kopanksi )now Bogdan Ataullah Kopanski(:
Originally Polish, now American. Ph.D. in History and Politics. Had a very interesting journey to Islam and faced severe hardship; was imprisoned twice by the Polish Communist regime )1968, 1981-82(.
)Embraced Islam in 1974(
"When I was 12 years old I rejected the illogical and contradictory faith of the Church. Two years later in 1962, I was fascinated by the victorious struggle of the Algerian Muslim Mujaahideen against French colonialism. It was the first ' arrow' of Islam... in high school and the earliest days of my education in the university, I was a typical example of the 'rebel generation' of reds...My way to the truth of al-Quran was slow and unpaved...in 1974 I visited Turkey, I wrote my M.A. dissertation about Sultan and Caliph Suleiman Kanuni’s policy towards Polish Kingdom. There, I was hit by the most beautiful voice of mankind: Athaan, the call to prayer. My hair stood up. An unknown powerful force led me to an old masjid inIstanbul. There, old smiling Turkish, bearded men taught me wudhoo, )ablution(, I confessed to tears the shahaadah )testimonies of faith( and I prayed my first salaah )prayer( at Maghrib...I swept out the rubbish ideologies ...for the first time in my life, my mind was relaxed and I felt the pleasure of Allaah's love in my heart, I was a Muslim...”.
Present address : 3013, Harrel, Drive 203 Grand Prairie Tx 75051 USA
4- Vengatachalam Adiyar )Now ‘Abdullaah Adiyar( :
Indian, noted Tamil writer and journalist; worked as a News Editor in Dr. M. Karunanidhi's daily Murasoli for 17 years. Worked with three former Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu. Received Kalimamani Award from T.N Government in 1982.
)Embraced Islam in 1987(.
"In Islam I found suitable replies to nagging queries arising in my mind with regard to the theory of creation, status of women, creation of the universe etc. The life history of the Holy Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, attracted me very much and made easy for me to compare with other world leaders and their philosophies."
Present address:1 Ashok Avenue, Rangarajapuram, Kodambakkam,Madras,India.
5- Herbert Hobohm: ) Now Aman Hobohm(
German diplomat, missionary and social worker. An intellectual, who has been serving the German Diplomatic Mission in various parts of the world. Presently working as Cultural attache in German Embassy inRiyadh.
)Embraced Islam in 1941(.
"I have lived under different systems of life and have had the opportunity of studying various ideologies, but have come to the conclusion that none is as perfect as Islam. None of the systems has got a complete code of a noble life. Only Islam has it; and that is why good men embrace it. Islam is not theoretical; it is practical. It means complete submission to the will of God.'
Present address: Cultural Attaché, German Embassy,PO Box 74,Riyadh-11492,Saudi Arabia.
6- Cat Stevens: )Now Yousuf Islam(.
British, formerly Christian, world famous pop singer.
)Embraced Islam in 1973(.
"It will be wrong to judge Islam in the light of the behavior of some bad Muslims who are always shown on the media. It is like judging a car as a bad one if the driver of the car is drunk.”
Present address: Chairman, Muslim Aid,3 Furiong Road,London, N7.UK
7- Ms. Margaret Marcus )Now Maryam Jamilah(:
American, formerly Jewish. Essayist and journalist. Author of many books.
)Embraced Islam in 1962(.
"The authority of Islamic morals and laws proceeds from Almighty God. Pleasure and happiness in Islam are but the natural by products of emotional satisfaction in one's duties conscientiously performed for the pleasure of God to achieve salvation. In Islam duties are always stressed above rights. Only in Islam was my quest for absolute values satisfied. Only in Islam did I at last find all that was true, good, beautiful and which gives meaning and directions to human life and death."
Present address: c/o Mr. Mohammed Yusuf Khan, Sant Nagar,Lahore,Pakistan.
8- Wilfried Hofman: )Now Murad Hofman(.
Ph.D )law( Harvard, German social scientist and diplomat. Presently German ambassador in Algiers.
)Embraced in Islam in 1980(
"For some time now, striving for more and more precision and brevity, I have tried to put on paper, in a systemic way, all philosophical truths, which, in my view, can be ascertained beyond reasonable doubt. In the course of this effort it dawned on me that the typical attitude of an agnostic is not an intelligent one; that man simply cannot escape a decision to believe; that the createdness of what exists around us is obvious; that Islam undoubtedly finds itself in the greatest harmony with overall reality. Thus I realize, not without shock, that step by step, in spite of myself and almost unconsciously, in feelings and thinking I have grown into a Muslim. Only one last step remained to be taken; to formalize my conversation. As of today I am a Muslim. I have arrived."
Present address: Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, BP 664,Alger-gare,Algeria.
9- Cassius Clay )Now Mohamed Ali Clay(:
American boxer )three times world heavyweight champion(. Formerly Christian.
)Embraced Islam in 1965(.
"I have had nice moments in my life. But the feeling I had while standing on Mount ‘Arafaat on the day of 'Hajj' )pilgrimage(, was the most unique. I felt exalted by the indescribable spiritual atmosphere there, as over a million and a half pilgrims invoked God to forgive them of their sins and bestow on them His choicest blessings. It was an exhilarating experience to see people belonging to different colors, races and nationalities, kings, heads of states and ordinary men from very poor countries all clad in two simple white sheets praying to God without any sense of either pride or inferiority. It was a practical manifestation of the concept of equality in Islam."
)Speaking to the daily "Al-Madinah" Jeddah, 15, July 1989(.
Present address: 1200 E, 49 St.,Chicago,Ill60615.
These were the impressions of a few persons who had been struck by the sword of truth themselves.
As for the propaganda that it was the sword of steel )i.e. the force ( which was instrumental in the universal expansion of Islam, we give below remarks of some prominent non-Muslims refuting this baseless claim:
1- M K Gandhi:
".......I become more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and his own mission. These, and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every trouble."
YoungIndia, 1924.
2- Edward Gibbon:
"The greatest success of Mohammed's life was effected by sheer moral force without the stroke of a sword."
History of the Saracen Empire,London, 1870.
3- A S Tritton:
"The picture of the Muslim soldier advancing with a sword in one hand and the Quran in the other quite false."
Islam, London, 1951-page 21.
4- De Lacy O'Leary:
" History makes it clear however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims, sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever repeated."
Islam at Crossroads,London. 1923-page 8.
5- KS Ramakrishna Rao:
"My problem to write this monograph is easier because we are not generally fed now on that )distorted( kind of history and much time need not to be spent on pointing out our misrepresentations of Islam. The theory of Islam and sword, for instance, is not heard now in any quarter worth its name. The principle of Islam that: ' there is no compulsion in religion' is well known".
Mohammed the Prophet of Islam,Riyadh1989-page 4.
6- James A. Michener:
"No other religion in history spread so rapidly as Islam...The West has widely believed that this surge of religion was made possible by the sword. But no modern scholar accepts that idea, and the Quran is explicit in support of the freedom of conscience".
Islam- The Misunderstood Religion, Readers' Digest )American Edition ( May 1955.
7-LawrenceE Browne:
"Incidentally these well-established facts dispose off the ideas so widely fostered in Christian writings that wherever the Muslims went, they forced people to accept Islam at the point of the sword."

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Welcome to Islam, - The Universality of Islam

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In this century, where means of communication and transportation have gone beyond all expectations, cross-cultural awareness has become widespread. And with the collapse of communism and consequently the Soviet Union and many other communist countries, many proposals are presented urging the adoption of universal laws, values and morals to govern relationships among the peoples of the world.
Recently, the idea of a so-called “New World Order” was proposed through the United Nations in order to prescribe values and impose laws on people of various cultures. The question that will immediately emerge is ‘Whose values, laws and ways of life are they going to adopt?” Of course, the American way of life will become the only choice presented, because the United States is presently the only superpower among all the nations of the world, as well as the largest financial contributor to the United Nations. Given the natural richness and military power of the U.S., why have its values not provided happiness and peace of mind to the millions of Americans whose lives have been wrecked by alcoholism, violence, drug use and other family and social dilemmas? Can such a way of life that has failed to uproot discrimination against Afro-Americans and other minorities bring justice among the social castes of India? Can the American way of life that has resulted in grave failure when attempting to solve the problems of the homeless in America, provide solutions to the problems of poverty in South America or Africa?
Some sources might say the New World Order does not have to be that of the Americans; it could be that of the British, the French, the Russians or the Chinese. Are they not permanent members of the Security Council )the actual decision making body of the UN(? Nevertheless, these governments have brought neither happiness nor security to their own nations. No sensible person in the whole world would choose or suggest a way of life that is going to contradict with his won interests; countries are not an exception. So, any system of life that could be selected as the basis for a New World Order is prone to serve the interests of only the people who propose and sponsor it. Therefore, they have got to be unfair towards other nations.
To accept these New Order premises as a way of life means full submission to the teachings and the rules that such a system puts forward. What would result from such acceptance could be a materialistic and secular view of life. So, it would be neither fair nor complete, because of the incompleteness of man. The probability for the application and the acceptability of such a New World Order is extremely remote and the unproductive, exactly as it was with Old World Orders as Colonialism, Communism, Dark Ages Theology, and Capitalism.
Indeed there is a dire need among the majority of the world population that for a way of life that can solve their existence and destiny. With the escalating rate of immorality and violence in the world, people are restlessly searching for a way out. Many have found that suicide is the easiest and probably the fastest solution. No wonder, our world is living in a state of chaos. It has tried all forms of ideologies and applied so many socioeconomic theories, but none of them has proven to be right. That which has been tried has failed, and that which has failed has been tried again...and again, is there not another way? Is there an alternative system that would work as a guide for the universe? These two questions make the theme of this research.

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Family Issues, - 7 Things Your Muslim Wife Won’t Tell You

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What’s Going On Under the Hijab?
Most men have a hard time understanding women. Even a woman they’ve been married to for years.
One minute she’s perfectly fine. The next, she’s crying like a baby.
She complains about something but when we offer advice on how to fix it, she still isn’t satisfied.
After several years of marriage (and counselling) I’ve learned to not worry so much about what my wife says. Instead, I should worry about what she doesn’t say.
With this information in mind, I’ve put together a quick list of things Muslim men should be aware of when it comes to their wife’s mind.
1. Above All, She Wants Your Love
This harkens back to a post I wrote a couple of months ago called “Love or Respect: Which Do You Prefer?”
In this article I explained that men desire respect from their wives, and women desire love from their husbands.
When a wife shows her husband less respect, he in turn shows her less love.
And when a husband shows his wife less love, she in turn shows him less respect.
And the vicious cycle repeats itself.
Stop this prophecy before it becomes self-fulfilling. Show love to your wife.
That’s what she wants. Love her despite her flaws and quirks.
And Inshallah, she’ll respect you despite your flaws and quirks.
2. She’s Bored
It’s the same thing every day.
Week in and week out.
Not only is she bored but she’s also tired.
She has to care for the kids and run the household and then pamper you.
Just thinking about doing that every day makes me want to crawl under my covers and hide. I can imagine how the average Muslim housewife must feel.
And let’s not forget about working woman. Many Muslim women have to work a full time job as well as hold a house down.
So brothers, I implore you, make your wife feel special. Give her a break.
Take her out sometimes. Surprise her with a surprise meal. Bring her favorite desert home.
Just do something every now and then to break the monotany.
3. She Wants to Be Complimented
Appreciation.
Everybody wants it.
No one wants to feel as if the hard work they do goes unnoticed or even worse, it taken for granted.
Your wife does not have to clean your dirty clothes. And she does not have to cook your meals.
But she does.
And she does that on top of all the other things in her life:
Working or going to school.
Caring for the kids.
Striving to be a better Muslimah.
Show your Muslim wife that you appreciate and are thankful for the things she does to maintain you and your family.
A simple “thank you” is a good start.
4. She’s Insanely Jealous
There’s a reason most women don’t care for polygamy.
Be very careful how you talk about other women around your wife.
Don’t ever compare your wife to another woman.
Don’t compare her to any other female, except to encourage her to emulate the pious Sahabiyyah.
Don’t compare her to your mother.
Never, ever compare her to your ex-wife (or other wife!)
She’s wants to know and believe that she is the center of your universe. So make her feel that way.
Even the Prophet’s (pbuh) wives got jealous. Aisha (RA) even got jealous of Khadijah (RA) who was dead.
Expect, and respect, the same type of jealousy from your wife.
5. She Wants You to Help Her Become A Better Muslimah
If you haven’t seen it yet, I encourage you to watch this video I did a couple of weeks ago for Muslim men. In this video I stress the importance of men taking the role of leader within their families.
And that’s the problem with a lot of Muslim men these days.
Not only are they not being good leaders, they’re being led by their wives (or mothers, or other women in their lives).
Your wife desires and wants you to be her leader. And what better way to lead her than to be show her how to be a better Muslimah?
But you can’t show her how to become better if you’re not that great either. Therefore, you have to upgrade your Iman. You have to improve yourself and then pass it on to her in a gentle, respectful way.
6. She Doesn’t Like to Nag, But Sometimes You Make It Hard
It’s a common myth that women like to nag their husbands. That’s not entirely true.
Yes, there are some people (men and women) whom you can never please. No matter what you do, they’ll always find fault in something. Let’s be reminded of the following hadith:
Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas: The Prophet said: “I was shown the Hell-fire and that the majority of its dwellers were women who were ungrateful.” It was asked, “Do they disbelieve in Allah?” (or are they ungrateful to Allah?) He replied, “They are ungrateful to their husbands and are ungrateful for the favors and the good (charitable deeds) done to them. If you have always been good (benevolent) to one of them and then she sees something in you (not of her liking), she will say, ‘I have never received any good from you.”
Sahih Bukhari
So, yes sisters should be careful about denegrating the things your husband does for you.
But very often, you Brother, make it hard for her to hold your tongue.
Perhaps you’re always finding fault with her and she looks for things in your character to get even.
Perhaps you’re not working (or not working hard enough) and she has to work to take up some slack.
Perhaps you’re just not that great of a guy.
Once again, upgrade yourself and give her less reasons to complain and nag.
7. More Than Anything, She Wants a Stable, Happy Relationship With You
Women don’t get married just because they think it’s gonna be fun.
They get married because they want a happy family life and they believe you’re gonna give it to them.
Outside of her religious duties, that’s the most important thing in a Muslim woman’s life. Raising a happy, stable, Muslim family.
The funny thing is, it’s very easy for you to give that to her.
Stop acting like a jerk. Be a good husband to her. Be kind. Show her you love her.
Don’t threaten her with divorce or taking a second wife. Yes, you have the right to do both. But using them as threats is inappropriate and detrimental to your marriage.
Trust in Allah, watch out for the tricks of Shaytan, and be patient with her. There’s nothing Shaytan would love more than to destroy your marriage.

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