7 Bible verses coinside with Quran - "GOD IS ONE"

7 GOD GIVES INSIGHT TO THOSE WHO FEAR HIM
O you who believe! If you have fear of God, He will give you a
criterion [by which to judge between right and wrong] and erase your
bad actions from you and forgive you. God's favor is indeed
immense.(Qur'an, 8:29)
Old Testament
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His
precepts have good understanding. To Him belongs eternal praise.
(Psalm 111:10)
NOT HOARDING WEALTH
... As for those who hoard up gold and silver and do not spend it in
the Way of God, give them the news of a painful punishment. On the Day
it is heated up inthe fire of Hell, and their foreheads, sides, and
backs are branded with it: "This is what you hoarded for yourselves,
so taste what you were hoarding!" (Qur'an, 9:34-35)
[He] who has amassed wealth and hoarded it! He thinks his wealth will
make him live for ever. No indeed! He will be flung into the
Shatterer. And what will convey to you what the Shatterer is? The
kindled Fire of God reaching right into the heart. It is sealed in
above them in towering columns. (Qur'an, 104:2-9)
God expands provision to anyone He wills and restricts it. They
rejoice in the life of this world. Yet the life of this world,
compared to the Hereafter, is only fleeting enjoyment. (Qur'an, 13:26)
Those who are tight-fisted with the bounty God has given them should
not suppose that that is better for them. No indeed, it is worse for
them! What they were tight-fisted with will be hung around their necks
on the Day ofRising. God is the inheritor of the heavens and Earth,
and God is aware of what you do. (Qur'an, 3:180)
New Testament
[Now listen, you rich people!] Your gold and silver are corroded.
Theircorrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire.
You have hoarded wealth in the Last Days. (James 5:3)
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on Earth, where moth and rust
destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for
yourselves treasures in Heaven, where moth andrust do not destroy, and
where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
Command those who are rich in this present worldnot to be arrogant nor
toput their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their
hope in God, Who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
(1 Timothy 6:17)
Old Testament
Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is
never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. As goods
increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to
the owner except to feasthis eyes on them? (Ecclesiastes 5:10-11)
Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the
day of the Lord's wrath. (Zephaniah 1:18)
The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are
destroyed by their duplicity. Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath,
but righteousness delivers from death. (Proverbs 11:3-4)
This is what the Lord says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength or the richman boast of his
riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands
and knows Me, that I am the Lord, Who exercises kindness, justice and
righteousnesson earth, for in these I delight," declares the Lord.
(Jeremiah 9:23-24)
SHUNNING AVARICE
God has made a metaphor for them of a man owned by several partners in
dispute with one another and another man wholly owned by a single man.
Are they the same? Praise be to God! The fact is that most of them do
not know. (Qur'an, 39:29)
To mankind the love of worldly appetites is painted in glowing colors:
women and children, and heaped-upmounds of gold and silver, and horses
with fine markings, and livestock and fertile farmland. All of that is
merely the enjoyment ofthe life of this world. Thebest homecoming is
in the presence of God. (Qur'an, 3:14)
New Testament
No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the
other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You
cannot serve both God and money. (Matthew 6:24)
For the love of money is the root of all evil. Some people, eager for
money,have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many
griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. (1
Timothy 6:10-11)
TO BE HUMBLE
O you who believe! If any of you renounce your religion, God will
bring forward a people whom He loves and who love Him, humble to the
believers, fierce to the unbelievers, who strive in the Way of God and
do not fear the blame of any censurer. That is the unbounded favor of
God, which He gives to whoever He wills. God is Boundless,
All-Knowing. (Qur'an, 5:54)
...Your God is One God, sosubmit to Him. Give goodnews to the
humble-hearted. (Qur'an, 22:34)
New Testament
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another
in love. (Ephesians 4:2)
But He gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes
the proud but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6)
Old Testament
Hear and pay attention, do not be arrogant, for the Lord has spoken.
(Jeremiah 13:15)
Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what He
commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility... (Zephaniah 2:3)
ARROGANCE ON EARTH LEADS TO DEBASEMENT IN GOD'S PRESENCE
He [God] said: "Descend from Heaven [O Iblis(Satan)]. It is not for
you to be arrogant in it. So get out! You are one of the abased."
(Qur'an, 7:13)
Do not strut arrogantly about the land. You will certainly never split
the land apart nor will you ever rival the mountains in height.
(Qur'an, 17:37)
Do not avert your face from people out of haughtiness, and do not
strut about arrogantly on the land. God does not love anyone who is
vain or boastful. (Qur'an,31:18)
New Testament
The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts
himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
(Matthew 23:11-12)
Old Testament
To the arrogant I say:"Boast no more," and to the wicked: "Do not lift
up your horns. Do not lift your horns against Heaven; do not speak
with outstretched neck." No one from the east or the west or from the
desert can exalt a man. But it is God Who judges: He brings one down,
He exalts another. (Psalms 75:4-7)

Man from paradise

Who is the man who walked by the prophet(SAW) and the prophet(SAW)
said: this man is from jannat. The same thing happened 3 times.
Eventually after the narrator spent a few nights with the
"jannati"man, he informed him that it was because he forgives everyone
before going to sleep. Also, Which book is it from?
http://www.youtube.co m /watch?v=GTecNNJwTGE &feature=related
He mentions Musnad Imam Ahmad related by Abdullah bin Amr Al-Aas. Can
anybody verify?
-
Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem
Al Jawaab Wa Billahit-Tawfeeq
Respected brother,
This man was Saad ibn Abi Waqaas(R.A).
- حدثنا عبد الله حدثنى أبى حدثنا عبد الرزاق حدثنا معمر عن الزهرى قال
أخبرنى أنس بن مالك قال كنا جلوسا مع رسول الله -صلى الله عليه وسلم-
فقال « يطلع عليكم الآن رجل من أهل الجنة ». فطلع رجل من الأنصار تنطف
لحيته من وضوئه قد تعلق نعليه فى يده الشمال فلما كان الغد قال النبى
-صلى الله عليه وسلم- مثل ذلك فطلع ذلك الرجل مثل المرة الأولى فلما كان
اليوم الثالث قال النبى -صلى الله عليه وسلم- مثل مقالته أيضا فطلع ذلك
الرجل على مثل حالهالأولى فلما قام النبى -صلى الله عليه وسلم- تبعه عبد
الله بن عمرو بن العاص فقال إنى لاحيت أبى فأقسمت أن لا أدخل عليه ثلاثا
فإن رأيت أن تئوينى إليك حتى تمضى فعلت. قال نعم. قال أنس وكان عبد
اللهيحدث أنه بات معه تلك الليالى الثلاث فلم يره يقوم من الليل شيئا غير
أنه إذا تعار وتقلب على فراشه ذكر الله عز وجل وكبر حتى يقوم لصلاة الفجر
قالعبد الله غير أنى لم أسمعه يقول إلا خيرا فلما مضت الثلاث ليال وكدت
أن أحتقر عمله قلت يا عبد الله إنى لم يكن بينى وبين أبى غضب ولا هجر ثم
ولكن سمعت رسول الله -صلى الله عليه وسلم- يقول لك ثلاث مرار « يطلع
عليكم الآنرجل من أهل الجنة ». فطلعت أنت الثلاث مرارفأردت أن آوى إليك
لأنظر ما عملك فأقتدى به فلم أرك تعمل كثير عمل فما الذى بلغ بك ماقال
رسول الله -صلى الله عليه وسلم- فقالما هو إلا ما رأيت. قال فلما وليت
دعانى. فقال ما هو إلا ما رأيت غير أنى لا أجد فى نفسى لأحد من المسلمين
غشا ولا أحسد أحدا على خير أعطاهالله إياه. فقال عبد الله هذه التى بلغت
بك وهى التى
لا نطيق. تحفة 1550 معتلى 970 مجمع 8/78
(Ahmed, Ibn Kathir, Durr Manthur, Sunnan Kubra -and numerous others)
And Allah knows best
--------------------------------------
Please remember me in your dua's

Story - He doesn’t even consider kis ...

I am married for two years now and I am already used to the impatience
of my husband, every time we go to bed he wants to make wild sex (Ok,
not every day, but 3-4 times aweek). But after it's over he totally
loses interest inme – he immediately turns to the other side and falls
deeply asleep.
He is not as kind as to kissme, or caress me – he falls asleep in his
half of the bed, as if I don't exist.And this gets from bad to worse
for me.
I am asking myself " Does he need me at all – or he simply needs the
sexual satisfaction?"
I bury my head in the pillow and cry silently.
Sometimes he notices that I cry and opens his eyes in surprise – " Why
are you crying now? What is wrong again? " – and that's all.
I tried a couple of times to shorten the distance inbed after the
sexual act, to show him that I need caress and tenderness.
But nothing worked – "Go to sleep, I am tired, I need to get up early
in the morning cause I havean important meeting" – that would be his
way of turning down my attempts to show him that I need him after sex.
I don't know what to do?
I am afraid to tell it straight forward...
I don't want tenderness that is obtained by begging!

Story - I wish you won't blame me

My love,
Sinful, secret, insatiable. You came and shattered my life as a spring
storm, you hurled away my peaceful days and nights.You keep a tight
rein on me and lead me in an unknown direction.
Where will I find myself? Who can give me the answer? The curtain of
the future is closed and I can't see the end of this love – sudden,
temporary, forbidden. I love you! I love you to distraction with that
sinful love of a married woman, torn apart between the allowed andthe
forbidden, the workday and the expectation. I have a family, a child –
you are single.
Sad and terrifying, isn't it?
I can't do anything to change your life the way you dream about it.
Don't blame me.
God, please help me.
Why did I let my heart be captured in that bottomless net from which
there's no escape?
But could I've commanded it?
Months had to pass until Irealized that what I felt wasn't just an
infatuation, an innocent flirt but something real and deep.
I restrained myself not to pass over the barrier for a long time. I
tried to be the master of my actions. But alas…
I found out that true loveis not ruled by reason. Emotions command
everyhuman thought and action. And when reason fights emotions life
turns into hell, and each day becomes endless suffering…
May be time will heal me,may be my heart will findrest.
But right now I don't need a remedy, I don't need a rest!
I love these stolen moments that make me happy.
There are memories which remain for a lifetime. They always return to
our thoughts and hearts and time is powerless to erase them.
It wasn't me but life that made the choice for me. And you know that,
don'tyou? Don't blame me. I'm not leaving…
My memories and my love will always be as youwill always be with me… for life….
I love you!

Health & Science - Senility: the second childhood

Senility is a mental disorder that disables thepatient from performing
a number of mental and rational functions properly, like thinking,
learning and memorizing. It is a progressive condition in that it
increases in time.
At first, it does not appear as seriously prohibitive of daily
activities, but later it incapacitates the patient to the point that
one becomes dependent upon another person for basic needs like a
child.
While so far senility has been linked with old age,and considered
inevitable with aging, some contemporary experts find that senility is
not inevitable, but rather like any other illness that afflicts aged
people and one that could be avoided.
Symptoms of Senility
The level of senility and intensity of its symptoms differs from
person to person, but essentially it appears as dulling of mental
functions like thinking, reasoning, understanding, memory and
language. In later stages it compounds and appears as prohibitive
disorder in behavior.
Alzheimer And Senility
In fact, senility is not one disease but of several kinds and each one
of them has its own causes. Alzheimer, for instance, isresponsible for
50% of cases of senility, thus being the most common source of it.
Alzheimer's disease is only one type of dementia, dementia being a
general disorder that means a loss of mental functioning.
When German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer first described the disorder
involving progressive loss of memory and other mental capacities,
there was little urgency to find a cure. The life expectancy at that
time)1906( was 47 years, and few-people lived long enough to reach the
peak period of risk. Today 10 percent of Americans over age 65 and
about half of those over 85 have Alzheimer's disease )AD(-a total of
roughly four million. With an aging population, experts say, that
figure could reach six million by the end of this decade and 14
million by mid-century.
Alois Alzheimer had studied in 1906 a strangeillness that one of his
patients, Augustine, was suffering from. The illness caused her death
after a short while. After performing autopsies of patients with
dementia, Alois Alzheimer found that their brains contained abnormal
deposits of protein clumped around nerve cells and tangles of protein
inside the cells. Now known as beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles,
these are the unique features of AD, but no one knows for sure whether
they area cause, an effect or a co-existing condition.
For the present, unfortunately, those diagnosed with Alzheimer's have
little to show from the explosion of knowledge. Doctors donot know how
to preventAlzheimer's disease or how to cure it. The drugs approved
for treatment slow the progress or lessen the severity of symptoms,
but only in some patients and only for two years at the most.The
causes of the disease are unknown, and even diagnosis is difficult.
Disorder of Brain Arteries
The brain arteries that provide nutrition to the brain may suffer from
narrowing down or evenblockage, affecting neurons by diminishing the
oxygen supply and possibly causing the cells to die. Depending on the
part of the brain that is affected, the patient may be paralyzed in
different functions of the body, like speech or movement.
The malady of brain arteries appears all of a sudden and may either
improve in time or stay the same. Senility that results from this
malady is accompanied often by other disabilities like weak movements,
paralysis of half of the body or difficulty in speech.
Parkinson Disease
Parkinson's disease results from gradual atrophy of the nervous
system. It may appear at any age, but it is uncommon in people younger
than 30, and therisk of developing it increases with age. It occurs in
all parts of the world, and men are affected slightly more often than
women. To diagnose Parkinson disease, patients must have at least two
of Parkinson's 4 main symptoms: resting tremor, slowness of movement,
stiffness, and trouble walking.
Occasionally, the disease also causes depression, personality changes,
dementia, sleep disturbances, speech impairments, or sexual
difficulties. The severity of Parkinson's symptoms tends to worsen
over time. Parkinson's disease was first formally described in "An
Essay on the Shaking Palsy," published in 1817 by a London physician
named James Parkinson, but it has probably existed for many thousands
of years.Although there are many theories about the cause of
Parkinson's disease, none has ever been proved. There is no cure for
Parkinson's disease. Many patients are only mildly affected and need
no treatment for several years after the initial diagnosis. When
symptoms grow severe, doctors usually prescribe levodopa )L-dopa(,
whichhelps replace the brain's dopamine.
There are other disordersthat may resemble senility but are not it.
What distinguishes them is the fact that they are temporary and the
patient may get better in time and return to his/ her normal life.
These conditions may be caused by dehydration, dietary disorders or
side effects of other medicines, etc.
Senility, like all other conditions and states of human beings, is a
sign of Allaah. Allaah eloquently depicts the weaknesses that
accompany increasing age in the Quran, and reminds us that we are born
weak and dependent, then Allaah gives us strength in youth, and then
He takes it back and we return to the weakness and dependence of
childhood. Old age, besides bringing wisdomand mitigating desires, is
a reminder to us humans of the fact that we are mortals, weak and
dependant, and just as we return to the weak state of life that we
began with, we will eventually return to Allaah, where we came from.
Allaah says )what means(:"And We settle in the wombs whom We will for
a specified term, then We bring you out as a child, and then you reach
your maturity. And among you is he who is taken in )early( death,
andamong you is he who is returned to the most decrepit ]old[ age so
that he knows nothing after oncehaving knowledge"]Quran, 22:5[
Allaah says )what means(:"And he whom we grant long age, we reverse in
creation; so will they not understand?"]Quran, 36:68[

Health & Science - Intoxicants: Harms and impacts

The Muslims of today, especially the youth, are facing many problems
and temptations that were not there before. The youth are easily
distracted by activities such as addiction to TV, addiction to video
games, gambling, disco, parties, and addiction to drugs. This article
will explore the harmful effects of drugs on our youth, the family,
the society and most important , on our belief especially that drugs
)or any intoxicant( are forbidden in Islam.
Types of intoxicants:
1. An intoxicant is any substance )liquid, solid orgas( that is
voluntarily taken into the body by swallowing, injection, inhaling or
ingesting, which produces an effecton the brain resulting in a change
of the mood of the individual.
2. Examples of intoxicants are alcohol, wine, beer, spirits, home
made alcoholic brews, all forms of drugs such as cocaine, heroin, etc.
3. All intoxicants are totally forbidden)Haraam(, irrespective of
the quantity that is used; even one drop of alcohol is forbidden; it
is not the quantity that is important - the substanceitself is
forbidden.
4. Anyone who associates in any way, with any aspect of the
intoxicants )whether alcohol or drugs(, whether using it, selling it,
producing it, or delivering it, is a partner with the devil, since all
kinds of intoxicants are the handiwork of the devil.
Getting 'hooked'
Young people are very gullible and vulnerable tothe influences of
society, their friends, TV, adults, and those that appear to be
fashionable. Hence, a youth may find that all his friends have
experienced the use of drugs, and now he is feeling left out because
everyone else appears to be having a good time, and all his friends
tease him that he is "chicken". This unsuspecting youth then decides
to 'experiment' only once, 'just to try it out."
Furthermore, if he does not have money to buy the drugs, someone may
even offer it to him for free. What he does not realize, is that his
first weakness, to please his friends, is the biggest mistake that he
can ever make. The strategy of thedrug dealers is to get as many
customers as possible.
Some drug dealers are soruthless that they give out free sweets
containing drugs to school children. The trick that they use is to
give free drugs to unsuspecting people. Once a person becomes addicted
)hooked( he becomes a customer for life.
The addicted person will then beg, borrow, steal, prostitute
themselves, just to make sure that they have money to buy drugs for
their next fix. It is a vicious cycle of crime,prostitution, family
breakdown, social breakdown, community breakdown. It is for this
reason that intoxicant is known as the source of all evils, Islamicaly
termed as the 'mother ofall evils'.
Intoxicants with respect to their impact
There are many types of drugs available on the market. The general
effect of all drugs is basically very similar, though theydiffer in
their speed of action as well as the severity of the harm on the body.
All drugs directly affect the brain, since this is the only way of
causing mood changes. Some examples of drugs are as follows:
1. Heroin, )upper drug(: highly addictive opiate; gives very high
rush, followed by many hours of fogginess; the addict lives day to day
forthe next fix.
2. Marijuana, )downer drug(: affects the parts ofthe brain that
deals with emotions and memory.
3. Alcohol, )downer drug(: impairs judgements, memory lapses, blackouts.
4. Cocaine, )upper drug(: whether in powder form or crack, it is
a highly addictive stimulant; addict loses interest in school, family,
work, etc.
5. Vapor Inhalants)downer drug(: )glue, petrol, hair spray, paint
thinners, etc.( destroy theprotective layers around the brain cells.
6. Ecstasy )upper drug(: powerful amphetamine that causesproblems
in concentration and causesthe person to find difficulty in realizing
the difference between fantasy and reality.
7. LSD )upper drug(: gives a distorted view of time and space;
causes paranoia, confusion, panic attacks.
8. Steroids )upper drug(: used by 'body builders" to gain
muscles;causes mood changes and permanently impairs learning and
memory.
Harmful effects of drugs
· Physical effects: The brain is the most delicate and powerful
computer- it is an amazing organ, with virtually limitless potential-
it is a Gift from Allaah; it has to be protected and cherished and its
full potential mustbe utilized. The moment any person takes a drug
into the body )either by nose, mouth or vein( the drug enters the
blood stream and goes directly to the brain, crosses the blood-brain
barrier)BBB( and occupies various receptor sites in the brain. This
leads to alteration in the chemicaland electrical neuronal functioning
of the brain which also leads to eventual organic damageto this
delicate, yet powerful organ.
These changes in the brain is what causes the state of 'addiction'-
eventually, the body automatically starts craving for the damagingdrug
leading to a vicious cycle of abuse and further damage.
However, other body organs that are damagedinclude the following:
damaged nasal septum; collapsed & clotted veins; kidney, liver & lung
failure to various degrees; damage to the brain; infected needles
causes Hepatitis Infectionand HIV/AIDS.
· Social effects: The person indulged in the usage of
intoxicants displays anti-social behavior such as: staying away from
home; stealing; crime; job loss; withdrawal from community;
embarrassing behavior inpublic; deterioration in relationship with
parentsor wife or children. The most harmful effect of drugs is on the
brain.
Baby addicts
Pregnant mothers sometimes take drugs. These drugs enter the brain of
their unborn baby, so that the baby becomes addicted even before
birth. When these babies are born, they show withdrawal symptoms and
will develop with various learning disabilities. This is a crime
against the innocent unborn child.
Symptoms of drug abuse
Sudden mood changes; unexplained weight loss and loss of appetite; no
interest in school, work, life or even in themselves; no longer caring
about personal hygiene, clothing and dressing; always looking
disheveled; frequent prescription medication; depression and mood
swings.
Solving the problem
If there is someone in your familyor close friend, who you suspect has
a problem with drugs, then itis our duty to assist them in any way
possible. Some suggestions in this regard are:
1. Communicate. Don't pretend that the problemwill go away or that
it cannot be happening in your own family. Parents and families must
learn the art of healthy, open communication and discuss issues in an
open, frank and friendly atmosphere.
2. Show sympathy. Evenif it is to a stranger. The addicted person
is a diseased person; so, he/she needs our help. There may have been a
family problem that led the person to drugs. Or the person may have
thought that it will be 'fun' just to try it out. No one deliberately
says: "I want to be a drug addict." What they don't realize is, that
after the first taste of the drug, 'you are hooked.' Insteadof
condemning them, offer counseling, moral support, send to drug
rehabilitation and offer words of encouragement.
3. Religious figures must speak out against this evil and discuss
the devastating effects of drugs on the individual, his family as well
as the society.
4. Muslim communities must provide alternative forms of recreation
for their youth; these could be community centers, sports, youth
camps, etc, where the youth can socialize in an Islamic environment
and are then not tempted to experiment out of boredom.
5. The addicted youth should be encouraged to turn to Islam. There
have been many examples of heavily addicted Muslim youth, who have
been rehabilitated by turning to Islam. Today, they are totally
devoted to Islam. Allaah accepts sincere repentance when one intends
to give up the way of the devil and rather follow the StraightPath.
6. Mothers have a very important role to play in the upbringing of
their children. The whole community must work actively to rid society
of drugs. Only a mother knows the pain and sorrow of seeing her
beloved child being a slave to the evils of drugs. Drugs destroy the
dreams of every mother.
We have a responsibility to look after our youth and protect themfrom
the dangers of society. Our youth are our future.

Health & Science - Arctic ice melt 'alarming'

Ice in Greenland and the rest of the Arctic is melting dramatically
faster than was earlier projected and could raise global sea levels by
as much as 1.6 meters by 2100,says a new study.
The study released on Tuesday bythe Arctic Monitoring and Assessment
Program )AMAP( said there is a "need for greater urgency" in fighting
global warming as record temperatures have led to the increased rate
of melting.
The AMAP report said the corresponding rise in water levelswill
directly threaten low-lying coastal areas such as Florida and
Bangladesh, but would also affect islands and cities from London to
Shanghai. The report says it will also increase the cost of rebuilding
tsunami barriers in Japan.
"The past six years )until 2010( have been the warmest period ever
recorded in the Arctic," said the report.
"In the future, global sea level is projected to rise by 0.9 meters to
1.6 meters by 2100 and the loss of ice from Arctic glaciers, ice caps
and the Greenland ice sheet will make a substantial contribution," it
added.
The rises had been projected from levels recorded in 1990.
Dramatic rise from projections
In its last major study in 2007, the United Nations' Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change )IPCC( said that sea levels were likely to
rise by only between 18 and 59 centimeters by 2100, though those
numbers did not include any possible acceleration due to athaw in the
polar regions.
The new AMAP assessment says that Greenland lost ice in the 2004-2009
period four times faster than it did between 1995-2000.
The AMAP is the scientific arm of the eight-nation Arctic Council.
Foreign ministers from council nations - the United States, Russia,
Canada, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Iceland -- are due to
meet in Greenland on May 12, and will discuss the AMAPreport's
findings.
The report is expected to be discussed by about 400 international
scientists at a conference this week in Copenhagen, Denmark.
"The increase in annual average temperature since 1980 has been twice
as high over the Arctic as it has been over the rest of the world,"
the report said. Temperatures were higher than at any time in the past
2,000 years."
In its report, the IPCC had said that it was at least 90 per cent
probable that emissions of greenhouse gases by human beings, including
the burning of fossil fuels, were to blame for most of the warming in
recent decades.
"It is worrying that the most recent science points to much higher sea
level rise than we havebeen expecting until now," Connie Hedegaard,
the European Climate Commissioner, told the Reuters news agency.
"The study is yet another reminder of how pressing it has become to
tackle climate change,although this urgency is not always evident
neither in the public debate nor from the pace in the international
negotiations," she said.
UN talks on a global accord to combat climate change have been making
slow progress, and the organization says national promises to limit
greenhouse gasemissions are now insufficient to avoid possibly
catastrophic consequences of global temperature rises.
Arctic could be ice-free
The AMAP study, which drew on the work of hundreds of experts, said
that there were signs warming in the Arctic was accelerating, and that
the Arctic Ocean could be nearly free of ice in the summers within 30
or 40 years. This, too, was higher than projected by the IPCC.
While the thaw would make the Arctic more accessible for oil
exploration, mining and shipping, it would also disrupt the
livelihoods of people who livethere, as well as threaten the survival
of creatures such as polarbears.
"There is evidence that two components of the Arctic cryosphere - snow
and sea ice - are interacting with the climate system to accelerate
warming," the report said.
The IPCC estimate was based largely on the expansion of oceanwaters
from warming and the runoff from melting land glaciers elsewhere in
the world.
The AMAP report says that Arctic temperatures in the past six years
have been at their highest levels since measurements beganin 1880, and
the rises were being fed by "feedback" mechanisms in the far north.
One such mechanism involves theocean absorbing more heat as a result
of not being covered by ice,as ice reflects solar energy. While the
effect had been predicted by scientists earlier, the AMAP reportsays
that "clear evidence for it has only been observed in the past five
years".
Temperature rises expected
It projected that average fall and winter temperatures in the
Arcticwill climb by roughly 2.8 to 6.1 degrees Celsius by 2080, even
if greenhouse gas emissions are lower than in the past decade.
"The observed changes in sea ice on the Arctic Ocean, in the mass of
the Greenland ice sheet and Arctic ice caps and glaciers over the past
10 years are dramatic and represent an obvious departure from the
long-term patterns," AMAP said.
"The changes that are emerging in the Arctic are very strong, dramatic
even," said Mark Serreze, director of the US National Snow and Ice
Data Center in Boulder, Colorado, and acontributor to the report.
"But this is not entirely a surprise. We have known for decades that,
as climate change takes hold, it is the Arctic where you are going to
see it first, and where it is going to be pronounced," he said by
phone.

Ramadan Articles - Keeping Up The Good Work

InRamadan, people pray,fast, perform'Umrah)the minor pilgrimage(,
spendin charity, supplicate and recite the Quran, yet the question
remains: have any of these good deeds been accepted? Allaah The
Almighty Says )what means(:}…Indeed Allaah only accepts from the
righteous ]who fear Him[.{]Quran 3: 27[ Fudhaalah Ibn 'Ubaydwould
say,"If I knew thatAllaah had accepted fromme )something( as minor as
a seed's weight of good deeds, then that would be more beloved to me
than possessing this world and all that it contains, because Allaah
Says: ]the above-mentioned verse[."Our
righteousSalaf)predecessors(would exert extra efforts in worship and
then rebukethemselves and doubt that their deeds were even accepted by
Allaah The Almighty. They were described by Allaah The Almighty as
)what means(:}And they who give what they give while their hearts are
fearful{]Quran23: 60[ They would be far more concerned about the
acceptance of the deeds than the amount of gooddeeds they performed.
What good is left for those who miss out on the virtue ofRamadan? What
greater disaster is there for them, than being deprived of the mercy
and forgiveness ofAllaah The Almighty in this month? Moreover, the
pious people from whom Allaah The Almighty accepts righteous deeds
have one distinctive trait, which is refraining from sinning after the
end ofRamadan.
Many people think that since they have performed scores of good deeds
they can rely on these deeds, believingthat they have enough good
deeds in their record. However, the genuine pious people are those who
continue to be devout worshippers even after the conclusion of the
month. When Allaah The Almighty describes the devout believers and
worshippers, He does notrestrict their devotion and obedience to a
limited period; rather, Hedescribes them to be this way always, not
only duringRamadan.
He Says )what means(:}Certainly will the believers have succeeded:
They who areduring their prayer humbly submissive. And they who turn
away fromill speech. And they who are observant of Zakaah. And they
who guard their private parts.{]Quran 23: 1-5[
Muslims are commanded to be devout worshippers until death. Allaah The
Almighty Says)what means(:}And worship your Lord until there comes to
you the certainty ]i.e., death[.{]Quran 15: 99[ One must persevere in
worshipping Allaah The Almighty and being obedient to Him. This may be
the reason why itwas legislated for us to fast six optional days in
the month ofShawwaal)which directly follows the month ofRamadan( and
this was made equivalent in reward to fasting for the whole year,
because the rewardis multiplied tenfold. Therefore, the thirty
daysinRamadanare equal to three hundred days, while the six that
follow inShawwaalare equal to sixty more days – which constitutes a
full year, in terms of reward.
Many people are deceived by the acts of worship they perform
duringRamadan. They exert great efforts in completing the whole Quran
once inRamadan– with some even completing it several times – and
praying theTaraaweeh)voluntary night prayers(. Others might wait in
theMasjidafter the end of one prayer till the time of the next one,
and be engaged in mentioning Allaah The Almighty from theFajr)morning(
prayer until sunrise )the reward for which is like that of performing
aHajjand an'Umrah(. However, although they perform all these deeds,
they are not inwardly sincere and their intentions may become
corrupted and impure.Shaytaan)Satan( may whisper to them, making them
feel that, having performed all these good deeds, they have
accumulated mountains of rewards, and that their balance is therefore
very high. This makes them become arrogant and they may start
slackening in their worship.
However, if one recalls a single verse from the Quran,such thoughts
and feelings would immediately cease. It is the Saying of Allaah The
Almighty )which means(:}And do not confer favor to acquire
more.{]Quran 74: 6[
How can anyone possiblyconfer favors upon AllaahThe Almighty? How can
one dare feel this way, simply because they performed a good number of
deeds – as if they have bestowed a favor on Allaah The Almighty by
doing them? With this verse, Allaah The Almighty addressed the
Prophet,, warninghim from being deceivedwith the worship he was
performing, so that he would not become arrogant. If one should ever
feel that they have performed plentiful acts of worship, then they
should compare their deeds with those of the Prophet,. In order to
clarify the matter in people's minds, the Prophet,, said:"If a man was
to be dragged on his face from the day he was born until he died, for
the sake of pleasing Allaah, he wouldbelittle his deeds on the Day of
Resurrection."Thismeans that one would find all he did insignificant
and worthless in comparison to a single favor bestowed upon him
fromhis Lord, like, for example, the favor of eyesight.
Therefore, we should realize that people are not granted Paradise
dueto their own good deeds,but because of the mercyof Allaah The
Almighty. People's deeds are not the price for Paradise; they are a
means to gain the mercy of Allaah The Almighty, by which one
isadmitted into Paradise. To conclude this point, we remind the
Muslims that despite the obligation of continuing upon obedience and
the performance of good deeds afterRamadan,one should not overburden
himself by attempting to do more good deeds than he can bear.
There are great benefits for those constantly striving in obedience
andworship. One cannot necessarily be as keen in doing acts of worship
afterRamadanas they were during it, because,Ramadanis a magnificentand
unique period, and there is none other like it. However, one should
have acquired sufficient training duringRamadanto carry on the good
work.

Ramadan Articles - Crescent of Ramadan and Astronomical Calculations

A question was received by the Permanent Committeefor Scholarly
Research andIftaa')religious verdicts(, may Allaah grant them success,
regarding this issue.The members of thecommittee were 'Abdullaah ibn
Manee', 'Abdullaah ibn Ghudayyaan, under the deputy chairman:
'Abdur-Razzaaq 'Afeefy.
Following is the text of the question and the Committee's answertaken
from Volume No. 10/104, Fatwa No. )386(, with very slight
modification:
Q: Is it permissible for a Muslim to depend on astronomical
calculationsto decide the beginning and the end of fasting
)inRamadan(? Or is it a mustto see the crescent?
A:The IslamicSharee'ah)Islamic legislation( is a tolerant one; its
rulings are generic and comprehensive to both humans andJinnalike,
regardless of their ranks – whether they are scholars or illiterate
people, rural folk or urban dwellers. This is why Allaah The Almighty
has made it easy for them to identify the times of acts of worship. He
has made specific signs for them by which they can all know the time
of the beginning and end of such acts. He has made, for example, the
time of sunset a sign for the advent ofMaghrib)sunset( prayer and the
end of'Asr)afternoon( prayer. Also, the time of'Ishaa')night( prayer
can be recognized by the disappearance of twilight. Allaah The
Almighty has made the sighting of the crescent after its disappearance
atthe end of every lunar month a sign for the advent of the new month,
and the end of the previous one. Allaah The Almighty has not obligated
us to observe the beginning of the month based on something that is
not known except to some people, which is the case with astronomy and
its calculations. Thus, the texts of the Quran andSunnah)Prophetic
tradition( have made sighting the crescent a sign for all Muslims to
start fastingRamadan; and they stipulated for them to end their fast
on sighting the crescent ofShawwaal. The same applies to'Eed
Al-Adhha)the Feast of the Sacrifice( and the Day of'Arafah. Allaah The
Almighty Says )what means(:
·}So whoever sights ]the new moon of[ the month, let him fast it;{]Quran 2: 185[
·}They ask you, ]O Muhammad[, about the new moons. Say, "They are
measurements of time for the people and forHajj."{]Quran 2: 189[
The Prophet,, said: "When you see it )the crescent of the month of
Ramadan(, start fasting, and when you see it again )that of the month
of Shawwaal(, stop fasting; and if the sky is overcast )and you
cannotsee it( then complete the days of Ramadan to thirty
days."]At-Tirmithi; Ibn Maajah; Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Ad-Daarimi[
Thus, he,, has made fasting contingent on sighting the crescent
ofRamadan, and made stopping the fasts contingent on seeing
thecrescent ofShawwaal. Hedid not link this to any astronomical
calculationsor to the movements of the stars. This was the way things
used to be at the time of the Prophet,, the rightly-guided Caliphs and
the fourImaams)Abu Haneefah, Maalik, Al-Shaafi'i, and Ahmad(, in
addition to the time of the three generations to which theProphet,,
witnessed to be the best.
Therefore, referring to astronomy in establishing the advent of the
lunar months to start any act of worship or to end it without sighting
the crescent, is an act ofBid'ah)innovation in religion( in which
there is no good, as it is not supported by any evidence from
theSharee'ah. This is why the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia still abides by
the way of the Prophet,, and the righteousSalaf)predecessors( in
confirming acts of worship like fasting, breaking the
fast,'Eeds)Muslim feasts( and times ofHajj– which is to sight the
crescent. Following theSalafin all religious matters achieves welfare
for the Islamic nation, and all evil lies in following the acts
ofBid'ahinnovated in our religion of Islam. May Allaah protect all
Muslims from both hidden and apparent tribulations.
An important note:
When the Muslim leaders in non-Muslim countries decide the place that
they rely on in sighting the crescent and declare that they follow it,
it is not permissible for the Muslims there to reject this, so that
some fast upon the sighting in this country while others fast upon the
sighting in another country other than the first, and a thirdparty may
fast upon the sighting of a third country and so on – even though they
live in one region. This makes one find in the same country, those who
fast following the way of India, those who break their fast following
the way of Saudi Arabia or the like. This represents a clear
dispraised disagreement,which is something that Allaah The Almighty
hates. It is in no way religiously or reasonably sound to find Muslims
who live in the same place disagreeing on the entity on which they
depend in determining the beginning and end of fasting as we see in
the present time. This practice is impermissible.
They must either fast relying on their own sighting or follow the
sighting of the first Muslim country, otherwise, disagreement and evil
will prevail.]Excerpted fromFiqh Al-Aqaliyyaat Al-Muslimah[

Fathwa - Relationships

Question:
There is a big difference between love & arranged marriages, or so
I've heard. But what I don'tunderstand is how love marriages can
actually "exist" if you don't become their boyfriend or friend first.
When you have a love relationship with someone you must getto know the
person first before deciding on something big like marrying them! But,
if you started to hang out with that person, wouldn't you become their
"boyfriend" or"girlfriend"? Please help me clear this up.:)
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful
Dear Sister,
Assalamu alaikum,
I pray this message finds you well.
Let's address some issues and definitions here.
An "arranged" marriage does not have to be absent of love. Even in a
situation where the marriage is arranged by parents or relatives, it's
possible for the intendedcouple to get to know one another and come
tolove each other.
A "love" marriage is not necessarily all about love. In fact, many
people think they love each other only to get married and find out
that what they thought was love was really just lust.
It is possible to have a"love" marriage without becoming someone's
boyfriend or girlfriend or dating. However, given the tendencies of
human nature, it is difficult to stay within the limits of the
Shariah. That is why Muslim cultures place a lot of emphasis on
marriages being family affairs. And that is why Islamic law places
strict conditions on interactions between unmarried males and females.
It is possible for two people to love each other based on qualities
like character, piety, compassion, and personality. It doesn't always
have to be physical. However, it is really only through marriage that
love is both tested and strengthened. That is why it is best--to the
extent possible--to save these strong feelings for after marriage,
where they can be acted upon in a lawful fashion.
And Allah knows best.

Fathwa - Islamic learning without husband's support

Question:
My husband and I got married over 2 years ago. At the time, I was
involved in certain Islamic activities outside work, including a
regular class with my sheikh. I explained the importance of my sheikh
in my life, of myIslamic learning and my activities. My husband at the
time even asked me if I wanted to become a scholar, although he felt
the extra activities would probably not becompatible with marriage and
work. Hesaid he was marrying me for my deen and respected the fact I
had been around goodcompany. After marriage, I have given up any
formal involvement with those activities for his pleasure as I now
havesignificant responsibilities at home, am working and have a young
child, too. Although I wish he'd be more supportive of good works,
time permitting, I can bear this and he does on occasion allow me to
help out with certain activities. However, my prime concern is my
Islamic learning and interaction with practicing muslims. I will be
taking some time off work soon, insha Allah, and will subsequently cut
down to just 3 days a week. I did this to spend more time with my baby
but also to make more time for my own self-development. My husband
works quite long hours during the week. Everytime I suggest some form
of Islamic activity, he tells me that my responsibility is to himand
the baby, that there are many obligations and we cannot fulfil them
all, that this will compromise him, etc. Ican't put my finger on why
he is being obstructive. I know I can legally seek knowledge without
telling him, but I do not wish to resort to this...
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful
Dear Sister,
Assalamu alaikum,
I pray this message finds you well.
Legally, your husband can restrict you from leaving the house.
However, he is not allowed to restrict you from learning knowledge
that is personally obligatory. If the only way for you to learn what
is personally obligatory means leavingthe house to attend classes,
then your husband should permit this. If he won't, then he should
allow you to haveclasses in your home.
It is important that husbands be aware of, and appreciate, the
importance of the wife's spiritual and intellectual life. As Ustadha
Hedaya Hartford writes, "The husband should provide the means for his
wife tolearn, apply her knowledge and grow in her faith and nearness
toAllah Most High" (Ustadha Hedaya Hartford,Initiating and Upholding
an Islamic Marriage).
Normally, it is both impractical and unfair for a man to expect his
wife to stay at home 24/7, especially in Western societies, wherewomen
have an active and public presence. The Muslim wife is still boundby
the parameters of the Shariah, but she should still have access to
education, employment, and good companionship.
It is important for you and your husband to sit down and discuss how
you can balance between your duties as awife and mother and your
responsibility to seek to personally obligatory knowledge.
Finally, personally obligatory knowledge includes learning about
purification, prayer, women's fiqh, tajwid, and anything necessary to
make your worship and relations sound and proper.
And Allah knows best.

Fathwa - Reverting back to hinduism from islam after marriage

Question:
Both my husband and myself were Hindus before marriage. I converted to
Islam after more than a year's thought. My parents then arranged a
marriage to my Hindu cousin. I agreed but told only him of my
conversion, and that he would also need to convert. I felt at the time
that were he to convert that Allah would be proud. He did convert and
we got married, initially by Hindu ceremony arranged by our parents,
then secretly an Islamic marriage. He embraced Islam for the first
year. His mother was invited to come and live with us in the UK for 6
months.Once she had left, he suddenly seemed to have reverted back to
Hinduism. I am not sure whether this was because he has been
blackmailed or out of his own choice. I am also pregnant. He is
otherwise a dear and loving husband who is kind and sincere to meas
well as to his parents, who do not like Islam. He is also under a lot
of pressure with exams and work, and his father recently had a heart
attack. He is currently living in my house with my family. Our
exposure to Islam from the outside world has also become limited
possibly due to pressures on both sides.He probably hasn't had so much
of an understanding of Islam as I have had through my brother, also a
convert. I can find so many excuses as to why he may have reverted,
but what do Ido? Our marriage would otherwise be a happy one. Am I
committing sin by staying with him? Can I give him time to understand
Islam better and to convert back? Please help.
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful
Dear Sister,
Assalamu alaikum,
I pray this message finds you well.
You need to talk to your husband and ascertain for a fact that he has,
indeed, reverted back to Hinduism. If he denies this, then you have no
reason to seek a divorce.
If, however, he openly rejects Islam, then you cannot stay married to
him. Given the sensitivityof the situation, you need to consult a
reliablelocal scholar. They might have some suggestions for you and
your husband.
In the meantime, please try to involve your husband with Muslim
community life. Don't isolate yourselves.
He may be going through a period of doubt and confusion. If so, he
needs your help.
And Allah knows best.

At-Tawakkul: Reliance on Allaah – I

Allaah the Most High has created us of the best stature and granted us
many abilities so that we may look after our needs and those of our
relatives and fellow Muslims. He Almighty has invited us to explore
the earth and use itfor our subsistence. Allaah Sayas what means:"It
is He who made the earth tame for you – so walk among its slopes and
eat of His provision – and to Him is the resurrection."]Quran 67:15[
Yet Allaah Almighty has made it clear in this very verse, as well as
in other verses, that had He not made this earth manageable to us, we
would not be able to explore it nor benefit from it.
The Chapter Al-Mulk is actually a yardstick for understanding
Tawakkul. It starts and finishes with the same message: To Allaah
belong all that is in the universe and nothing would happen without
His Mercy and Hisconstant watchful care. He Almighty Says in the first
verse what meand:"Blessed is He in whose hand is dominion, and He is
over all things competent."He Almighty then Says in the last verse
what means:"Say, "Have you considered: if your water wasto become
sunken ]into the earth[, then who could bring you flowing
water?"]Quran 67 :30[
Yes, we can surely explore the earth, look for regions holding water
and successfully discover fountain sources and streams. But without
Allaah's permission and facilitation, we will not be able to reach
this water. Furthermore, what would happen if - all of a sudden -
Allaahmade the sources and springs of our water supply to disappear in
the deep undergrounds of the earth. Blessed and Glorified is He! No
one will bring it back but He.
There is a meaningful touch in the verse mentioned earlier. Allaah
Says what means:"…so walk among its slopes…"Then Hesaid"...and eat of
His provision."So Allaah is telling us that thoughyou are encouraged
to strive and work hard, what you produce is not yours; what you earn
is not yours. Rather, your production, your earnings and all your
subsistence comes from Allaah. He made it available to you out ofHis
Mercy and care for you. Hence,if Allaah wills, your work and efforts
will be fruitless.
Similar verses where Allaah ascribes subsistence solely to Himare
found in many places in the Quran. Allaah Says what means:"...So seek
from Allaah provision and worship Him and be grateful to Him. To Him
you will be returned."]Quran 29:17[
Those who misunderstood the Plan of Allaah and His Wisdom have felt
confused by this double command of Allaah - to strive andwork on the
one hand, and rely on Allaah to make the actions possible and goals
attainable, on the other. Initially, this question was presented
before the Prophet. The companions asked: Should we quit working and
rely on Al-Qadar )Allaah's predetermined decree(? The
Prophetanswered:"You should initiate and do things. Everyone shall be
facilitated towards that for which he was created."]Al-Bukhaari and
Muslim[ Consequently, the Companions of the Prophetmoved on and
initiated righteousdeeds while putting their trust inAllaah.
The work that we are referring tois not that of the acts of
worship)Prayer, Zakaah, Fasting, Hajj, etc(.Rather, it is the work
pertaining to our subsistence. Furthermore, we do not refer to
Haraam)forbidden( work and Haraam subsistence. It is the
Halaal)permissible( work and the Halaallivelihood that we are
concerned about, for it is more tempting to the believer. What are the
guidelines and limits of the Halaalwork? How much dedication do we
give it? Do we attribute the source of subsistence to our work or to
Allaah's bounties? Anddo we associate the loss and deprivation of
wealth, health andsuccess with our loss of job, or with Allaah's
universal plan?
Islam is a dynamic religion. Not only does it not condone passiveness,
but also, it strongly rejects laziness and dependency on others. The
Prophetsaid:"Begging is forbidden except when there is great debt,
suffering, injury, or abasing poverty."]Abu Daawood and Al-Bayhaqi[
Healso said:"It is much better for one of you to take his rope and go
to chop some wood )for his livelihood( than to beg from people,
whether they give him anything or deny him."]Al-Bukhaari[
The Prophet himself sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam worked hard for his
living. He spent his boyhood as a shepherd and took to trade in
manhood. Hecarried people's goods to Syria and otherplaces and shared
the profits with them. Heused to constantly seek refuge with Allaah
from laziness as reported by Zayed Ibn Arqam:"O Allaah! I seek refuge
in You from incapacity, from laziness, from cowardice, from
miserliness, from ineptitude and from the torment of the
grave..."]Muslim[
However though we might strive hard to secure our livelihood, we
should not attribute our achievements solely in the work we do, but to
Allaah. We should not put our reliance on our work,our possessions,
our wealth, our position, etc. Neither should we rely on our manager,
our employer, our friends, or our families. The only one on Whom we
should rely is Allaah. He Almighty Says what means:"...And rely upon
the Ever-Living who does not die, and exalt]Allaah[ with His praise.
And sufficient is He to be, with the sins of His servants,
Acquainted."]Quran 25:58[
Whoever attaches his/her heart to his job, or to his/her employer or
to any created beings in order for them to provide him/her
withsustenance or to make him/her prosperous and successful, and so
on, he/she has submitted to them. And the more one relies onthe
created beings, the weaker becomes one's submission to Allaah.
Hence as much as Allaah wants from us to initiate actions and seek and
use all permissible means to secure our needs and those of our
families, He also wants us not to depend on these means as the source
of our sustenance. This is the genuine understanding of Tawakkul.
Deviant groups on Tawakkul:
Those who deviated from the right concept of Tawakkul have fallen into
two extremes. The first group of people are those, attracted by the
temptations of this world, and have gone so far as to forget their
relationship with Allaah. Their heart has become so attracted to these
temptations that they became subservient to their desires. Such people
have become - knowingly or unknowingly - slaves of their own desires.
They will ultimately claim that all their achievements are but the
result of their own work and that Allaah had no involvement
whatsoever. They donot rely on Allaah. Allaah Says what means:"Then,
have you seen he who disbelieved in Our verses and said, 'I will
surely be given wealth and children ]in the next life[?' Has he looked
into theunseen, or has he taken from the Most Merciful a
promise?"]Quran 19:77-78[ This type of man who rejects Allaah and
denies His bounties regards himself as "self-sufficient" and thus,
cannot be expected to rely on Allaah.
The second group of people are those who understood the reliance on
Allaah as meaning to completely break away from all mundane affairs.
They regarded piety and the pursuit of any material interests as
contradictory. For them, reliance on Allaah would mean not to take any
initiatives for securing one's subsistence. Consequently, they
renounce the world and retire themselves to remote areas or secluded
spots and cut themselves from daily life!
Both of these two groups have not understood the meaning of Tawakkul
according to the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Prophet. Had
they attemptedto understand the Book of Allaah,according to the
understanding and implementation of the Prophetand his honorable
companions, they would have found that Tawakkul is far removed from
how they conceived it. Through the instinctive behavior of some of His
creatures and the sublime conduct of His Prophets may Allaah exalt
their mention and righteous slaves, Allaah has set out in His Book the
genuine Tawakkul.

At-Tawakkul: Reliance on Allaah – II

Tawakkul of the bee:
First, let us look at the fascinating life of the bee. Allaah Says
)what means(:"And your Lord inspired to the bee: 'Take foryourself
among the mountains, houses, and among the trees and]in[ that which
they construct. Then eat from all the fruits and follow the ways of
your Lord laid down ]for you[." There emerges from their bellies a
drink, varying in colors, in which there is healing for people. Indeed
in thatis a sign for a people who give thought."]Quran 16:68-69[
Look at the gigantic work that the bee has to do in order to produce
its honey: The bee finds out the most inaccessible places, in the
hills, in the trees, and even among the habitation of men. It
assimilates the juice of various kinds of flowers and fruit, and forms
within its body the honey which it stores in its cells of wax. The
different kinds of food from which it makes its honey give different
colors to the honey. Now could not Allaah provide for the bees their
sustenance without them going through all this labor? Of course He
Almighty could! Could not Allaah create springs and rivers of honey as
he created springs and rivers of water? Of course He Almighty could!
But by observing the work cycle of the bee and by tasting itssweet and
wholesome honey, one can understand and appreciate better the nature
and behavior of the bee. A behavior whose ingredients are hard workand
complete trust in Allaah: Andthat is the real Tawakkul.
Tawakkul of the birds:
Let us look at another creature ofAllaah: the bird. Allaah Says
)whatmeans(:"Do they not see the birds above them with wings outspread
and ]sometimes[ folded in? None holds them]aloft[ except the Most
Merciful. Indeed He is, of all things, Seeing."]Qatar 67:19[
As He did for all of His creatures, our Lord Almighty provided for the
birds just those conditions that are best for their lives; He Almighty
also inspired them to use their physical shapes and unique movements
to take off, flyand land. Thus, in order to fly, birds would have to
move their spread them and fold them.
However, the birds know that theOne Who upholds them in the air,is not
their upward and downward move, nor the spreading and folding of their
wings, but rather Allaah Almighty. They have understood that they have
to exert effort andrely on Allaah alone to uphold them high. As
opposed to many rebellious men, birds recognize and exercise total
Tawakkul on Allaah without giving up the work.
In pursuing this way of life, the birds have become the example to
follow for how the Tawakkul should be and how Allaah would reward the
one who exercises Tawakkul as the birds do.
The Prophetsaid:"Were you to put your complete trust in Allaah, He
would provide for you as He provides for the birds. They issue forth
hungry in the morning and return filled in the evening."]At-Tirmithi[
Did the birds remain in their nest waitingfor Allaah's provision? Of
course not! Did they claim that since they were engaged in
Tasbeeh)praising of Allaah(, they would not have to strive for their
subsistence? Of course not! So praised is Allaah Who inspired the
birds to set forth to seek provisions for themselves and fortheir
little ones. Praised is He Who taught them Tawakkul so they would not
expect provision but from Him.
Tawakkul of Lady Maryam:
Let me bring you back to the world of mankind to put before you an
ultimate example of Tawakkul. This is the story of an expectant mother
who retired with her conceived baby to a remote area. The pains of
childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree. She was alone with
no one to attend her. She was hungry, thirsty. She cried:"And the
pains of childbirth droveher to the trunk of a palm tree. She said,
"Oh, I wish I had died before this and was in oblivion,
forgotten."]Quran 19:23[
But a voice cried to her from beneath the palm-tree:"But he called her
from below her, "Do not grieve; your Lord has provided beneath you a
stream."]Quran 19:24[ She knew now thatAllaah would deliver her from
herhunger and thirst and release thepain of her pangs. But the Most
High wanted her to initiate an action to benefit from Allaah's
provisions:"And shake toward you the trunk of the palm tree; it will
drop upon you ripe, fresh dates."]Quran 19:25[ Now that she fulfilled
the physical part of her duties - by shaking the tree, she had to
fulfill the spiritual part– relying on Allaah for deliverance.
Allaah's help was prompt: the fresh dates were now falling upon
her:"So eat anddrink and be contented..."]Quran 19:26[
This is the story of Maryam)Mary( whom Allaah has destined to be the
mother of Prophet 'Eesaa )Jesus(, may Allaah exalt their mention. And
when she conceived her baby and entered the pains of childbirth with
no one to attend her; when she got hungry and thirsty with no
visiblehelp for food and drink; when she became weak and anguished;she
was asked to shake a palm-tree for her provision.
A weak, tired, hungry and thirsty woman shaking a strong, deeply
rooted palm-tree. Could not Allaah send with Jibreel )Angel Gabriel(
enough food and drink for her? Could not Allaah send down from the
heavens a ready-to-eat plate of dates? Or could not Allaah say to the
dates 'fall upon Mary!', upon which they would? After all, is not
Allaah the only One Who, when He wills a thing, only says to it, "Be"
- and itis? Yes, He Almighty is! But Allaah's way is that the effort
hasto be made, and the reliance has to be complete; the Tawakkul hasto
be fulfilled.
These were some examples of Allaah's creatures putting their trust in
Him. The wisest course for us, therefore, is to follow their example.
So let us use all lawful means and exert reasonable effort to secure
our needs, and let us remain faithful to Allaah by putting all our
affairsin His Hands and hope and expectfor the best outcome. Let us
say like the early believers said, as Allaah informs us in the Quran
Saying )what means(:"Say, "He is the Most Merciful; we have believed
in Him, and upon Him we have relied…"]Quran 67:29[ Allaah also Says
)what means(:"And rely upon Allaah; and sufficient is Allaah as
Disposer of affairs."]Quran 33:3[

Fascination with this world

The life of this world is fleeting and is often focused on materialism
– it is so easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of it all – but how
does that affect ourfaith?
We all love this life to some extent or another – our homes, our cars,
and most of all our family – but what we do not know is just how much
of a corruption it can be to our souls when we place so much
importance on material things in this life and loving the life of this
world. Read on, what you will find may change your entire outlook on
how you live your life and what is really important…
Imam Ibn Al-Qayyimsaid:
Loving this life is the father of sins which corrupts the Muslim's
faith in different ways:
1.Loving this life entails glorifying it, whereas Allaah Almighty has
despised it. One of the greatest sins is glorifying what Allaah
Almighty has despised.
2.Allaah Almighty has cursed it, detested it, and poured scorn on it,
with the exception of the goodthings in it such as remembering Allaah,
seeking knowledge, and spreading it. Whoever loves whatAllaah Almighty
has cursed and hated will expose himself/ herselfto Allaah's wrath and
detestation.
3.When someone loves this life, it becomes his/her ultimate goal.
Accordingly, the good deeds he/she performs will eventually be for the
sake of this life; and not the Hereafter. That type of love reverses
the natural process,invalidates the conventional wisdom, and moves the
lover in the wrong direction. In an authentic hadeeth, the
Prophetmentioned that the Mujahid)fighter(, the alms giver, and the
scholar of Islam whose ultimate goal is this life, seeking an elevated
social status and lookingfor people's praise, will be the first to be
burned into the Hellfire. Those people prefer this life to the
hereafter.
4.Loving this life prevents the servant from doing what will be of
great benefit to him/her in theHereafter because of obsession with
mundane matters such as money, social status, wife, or children. That
type of worldly love might keep a person away from maintaining Imaan
)Faith(, or doing the necessary things in life. The minimal adverse
effect ofloving this life is making the servant's heart oblivious to
lovingAllaah Almighty.
5.Loving this life makes the servant obsessed with it. Anasnarrated
that the Messenger of Allaahsaid:"He whose ultimate goal is the
Hereafter willbe endowed with richness in their hearts by Allaah, will
be granted a close-knit, protected familial environment, and will gain
as much as they want from this life despite its unwillingness.On the
contrary, Allaah will make those who are obsessed with thislife see
poverty in front of their eyes and break up their family ties, and
they will not gain from it except what they have been destined
for."]At-Tirmithi[
6.When someone loves something, he/she is tortured by that type of
love. Additionally, those who love this life are tortured as they try
to gain as much as they can from it, as they hanker after its
pleasures, and as they fight other people for its sake. Then, they
will be tortured in their graves missing it and suffering the agony of
not being able to go back to it. There will be no such better thing
that will compensate for the life they haveseemingly enjoyed. They
will be tortured by this life since they have been its servants and
captives which is depicted by the Prophet"Losers are the servants of
the Dinaar; losers are the servants of the Dirham,"referring to money.
Some scholars of Islam from the past generations said, "They )lovers
of this life( suffer the agony of collecting money and their love
towards money continues till the moment of breathing their last. They
are not even paying the amount of money that Allaah hasprescribed."
7.Whoever loves this life and prefers it to the hereafter is
considered one of the most ignorant and unwise people. He/she has
preferred the unreal to the real, slumber to wakefulness, and a
perishable house to an ever-lasting one. Yunus Ibn Abdul
Aa'lasaid,"This life can be compared to a man who sleeps and dreams of
what he likes and hates. Then, hewakes up."'Ali, may Allah be pleased
with him, described this life saying,"In this life, the healthy grow
old, the sick become penitent, the poor feel sad, and the nouveaux
riche are happy. The appraisal is in itspermissible practices, and the
punishment is in its forbidden practices."

Dought & clear - Should they pray Taraweeh in the mosque even though the people there insist on some innovations?

We have a problem withsome of the common folk because when the imam
says the salaam at the end of two rak'ahs of qiyaam [Taraweeh], they
raise their voices insaying tasbeeh ("Subhaan Allaah wa bi hamdihi
Subhaan Allaahal-'Azeem/Glory and praise be to Allah, glory to Allah
the Almighty"), and they do this between each two rak'ahs until the
imam finishes the prayer, thenthey all recite a certain du'aa' and a
certain wird. Some of the brothers have tried to inform the people,
adhering in that to wisdom and gentleness, and quoting evidence from
the Qur'aan and Sunnah that this action of theirs is contrary to the
Sunnah and that it isnot the way of the Salaf.But they did not respond
to the truth and they persisted in that. What should we do? Should we
leave them or should we stay with them and remind them from time to
time?Please note that they are insisting on their action and the
matter is getting very serious, as many people have stopped praying
Taraweeh in the mosques on the grounds that it is Sunnah accompanied
bybid'ah and that wardingoff bad things takes precedence over doing
good things. Please advise us, may Allah preserve you.
Praise be to Allaah.
In the answer to question number 50718, we stated that what some
people do of reciting dhikr in unison after every two rak'ahs of
Taraweeh is an innovation which was not done by the Messenger
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) or by any of his
Companions.
You have done well to teach the people the Sunnah and denounce
innovation. What they should have done is return to the teaching ofthe
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), which is the best
and most perfect of guidance.
You should continue to pray with them and call them to the Sunnah,
andyou will find, with Allaah's help, some who accept the truth and
are keen to follow it, even if others reject it."But if these
disbelieve therein (the Book, Al-Hukm and Prophethood), then, indeed
We have entrusted it to a people (such as the Companions of Prophet
Muhammadصلى الله عليه وسلم( whoare not disbelievers therein"
]al-An'aam 6:89[.
But if you find that the people in the mosque are stubborn and
arrogant and reject the truth, then if you can pray in another mosque
where the people are keen to follow the Sunnah and to avoid
innovation, that is better. But if that is not possible, then your
praying in this mosque isgood, and you have done what is required
ofyou and perhaps they will be guided."(The preachers) said: 'In
orderto be free from guilt before your Lord (Allaah), and perhaps they
may fear Allaah'" [al-A'raaf 7:164].
If the followers of the Sunnah were to forsake the mosque because of
such innovations, that would be a cause of innovation increasing and
becoming more widespread, and it would lead to the Sunnah being erased
and dying out. So you have to pray in the mosque and explain the
Sunnah to the people, adhering in that to the advice of the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to bekind and gentle to the
one who is ignorant.
May Allah help you to do all that is good.
And Allah knows best.

Dought & clear - The rights of one Muslim over another include those that are obligatoryand those that are mustahabb.

We know the hadeeth of the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) about the rights of one Muslim over another. Myquestion is:
Will we be sinning if we do not fulfil one of these rights towards our
Muslim brother? i.e., will we incur a burden of sin thereby?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The rights that one Muslim has over another are many, some of whichare
individual obligations that are required of each person,and if he
fails to do themhe is sinning. Others are communal obligations; ifsome
people do them, the burden of sin is waived for the rest. And some are
mustahabb (encouraged) but not obligatory, so the Muslimis not sinning
if he does not do them.
Al-Bukhaari (1240) and Muslim (2162) narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may
Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say: "The rights of one
Muslim over another are five: returning the greeting of salaam,
visiting the sick, attending funerals, accepting invitations, and
sayingyarhamuk Allah(may Allah have mercy on you) to one who sneezes."
And Muslim (2162) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased
with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) said: "The rights of one Muslim over another are six." It
was said: What are they, O Messenger of Allaah? He said: "If you meet
him, greet him with salaam; if he invitesyou, accept the invitation;
if he asks for advice, give him sincere advice; if he sneezes
andpraises Allaah, sayYarhamuk Allaah(may Allaah have mercy on you);
if he falls sick, visit him; and if he dies, attend his funeral."
Ash-Shawkaani (may Allah have mercy on him) said: What is meantby the
words "The rightsof the Muslim" is that they should not be omitted and
doing them is either obligatory, or recommended to such an extent that
it is very similar to being obligatory and should not be omitted. The
word "right" (haqq) maybe used in the sense of obligatory, as was
mentioned by Ibn al-A'raabi.
End quote fromNayl al-Awtaar, 4/21
1.
Returning the greeting of salaam is obligatory ifthe greeting is given
to one person. If it is given to a group, then it is obligatory upon
the group (fard kifaayahor communal obligation; if one of the group
returnsthe greeting, the obligation as been met). With regard to
initiatingthe greeting, the basic principle is that it is Sunnah. It
says inal-Mawsoo'ah al-Fiqhiyyah(11/314):
Initiating the greeting is Sunnah mu'akkadah (a confirmed Sunnah)
because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
"Spread the greeting of salaam amongst yourselves." It is obligatory
to return the greeting if it is given to one person. If the greeting
is given to a group, then in their caseresponding is a fard kifaayah
(communal obligation); if one of them responds the sin is waived from
the others, but if they all respond, they have all done what is
required, Whether they respond all together or one after another. If
they all refrain from responding,then they are all sinning because of
the report which says: "The rights of one Muslim over another are
five: returning (the greeting) of salaam…"
End quote.
2.
Visiting the sick it is a communal obligation. Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said:
Visiting the sick is a fard kifaayah (communal obligation).
Majmoo' Fataawa wa Rasaa'il Ibn 'Uthaymeen,13/1085
See also the answer to question no. 71968
3.
Attending funerals is also a fard kifaayah (communal obligation). See
the answer to question no. 67576
4.
With regard to acceptinginvitations, if the invitation is to a wedding
feast, then the majority of scholars are of the view that it is
obligatory to accept unless there is a legitimate shar'i reason not to
do so. If it is for something other than a wedding feast, the majority
are of the view that it is mustahabb. But there are conditions for
accepting invitations in general terms. For details of that please
seethe answer to question no. 22006
5.
With regard to sayingYarhamuk Allah(May Allah have mercy on you)to one
who sneezes, there is a difference of opinion concerning the ruling.
It says inal-Mawsoo'ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 4/22:
This sayingYarhamuk Allah(May Allah have mercy on you) is Sunnah
according to the Shaafa'is.
According to the Hanbalis and the Hanafis, it is obligatory.
The Maalikis said – and itis an opinion among the Hanbalis – that it
is a communal obligation. It was narrated from al-Bayaan that the
stronger view is that it isan individual obligation (fard 'ayn),
because of the hadeeth: "It is the duty of every Muslim who hears him
(the one who sneezes) to say: Yarhamuk Allah (may Allah have mercy on
you). End quote
The more correct opinion is that it is obligatory on the one who hears
the sneezer praise Allah (by saying "Al-hamdu Lillah"), because of the
report narrated by al-Bukhaari (6223) from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be
pleased with him) from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) who said: "Allaah likes the act of sneezing and dislikes
theact of yawning, so if any one of you sneezes and praises Allaah
(says 'al-hamdu Lillaah'), it is aduty on every Muslim who hears him
to say to him, 'Yarhamuk Allaah (may Allaah have mercy on you).'"
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:We have quoted above
the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah, in which it says: "if any one of you
sneezes and praises Allaah (says 'al-hamdu Lillaah'), it is a duty
(haqq) on every Muslim who hears him to say to him, 'Yarhamuk
Allaah(may Allaah have mercy on you).". al-Tirmidhi included the
hadeeth of Anas under the heading: Chapter on what was narrated about
it being obligatory to sayYarhamuk Allah(may Allah have mercy on
you)when one who sneezes saysAl-hamdu Lillah(Praise be to Allah). This
indicates that it is obligatory in his view, and this is the correct
view, because of the hadeeths that clearly indicate that it is
obligatory and there was nothing to contradict that, and Allah knows
best.
One of them is the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah mentioned above, and
another is his other hadeeth, "There are five (rights) that the Muslim
has over his brother," which is also mentioned above. Another is the
hadeeth of Saalim ibn 'Ubayd, in which it says: "Let those who are
with him say to him:Yarhamuk Allah(may Allah have mercy on you)." And
another is the report narrated by at-Tirmidhi from 'Ali who said: The
Messengerof Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
"The Muslim has six (rights) over his fellow-Muslim: he shouldgreet
him with salaam when he meets him; he should respond when heinvites
him; he should sayYarhamuk Allah(may Allah have mercy on you)if he
sneezes; he should visit him if he falls sick; he should attend his
funeral if he dies; and heshould love for him whathe loves for
himself." He (at-Tirmidhi) said: This is a hasan hadeeth. It was also
narrated via another isnaad from the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him). Some of the scholars spoke negatively about
al-Haarith al-A'war (one of the narrators). In the same chapter it is
also narrated from Abu Hurayrah, Abu Ayyoob, al-Bara' and Abu Mas'ood.
And another of these hadeeths is that which was narrated by
at-Tirmidhi from Abu Ayyoob, according to which the Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "If one of you
sneezes, let him sayAl-hamdu Lillah(praise be to Allah); and let him
say'ala kulli haal(in all circumstances). And let the one who responds
tohim say:Yarhamuk Allah(may Allah have mercy on you). And let him
say:Yahdikum Allahu wa yuslih baalakum(May Allah guide you and set
your affairs straight).
There are four kinds of proof in the hadeeth quoted above ("if any one
of you sneezes and praises Allaah (says 'al-hamdu Lillaah'), it is
aduty (haqq) on every Muslim who hears him tosay to him, 'Yarhamuk
Allaah (may Allaah have mercy on you)"):
(i)there is a clear statement that it is obligatory to sayYarhamuk
Allah(may Allah have mercy on you), which cannot be interpreted in any
other way;
(ii)it is made obligatory by use of the wordhaqq(translated above as duty);
(iii)it is made obligatory by use of the word'ala(on). This word
clearly means that it is obligatory
(iv)it is enjoined. There can be no doubt that there are many duties
that are proven to be obligatory on the basis of less evidence than
this. And Allah knows best.
End quote fromHaashiyat Ibn al-Qayyim 'ala Sunan Abi Dawood, 13/259
He also said: The apparent meaning of the hadeeth mentioned above is
that sayingYarhamuk Allahis an individual obligation upon everyone who
hears the one who sneezed sayAl-hamdu Lillah; it is not acceptable for
just one of them to say it. This is one of the two scholarly opinions,
which was favoured by the Maalikis Ibn Abi Zayd and Abu Bakr ibn
al-'Arabi, and it cannot be otherwise.
End quote fromZaad al-Ma'aad, 2/437
6.
With regard to giving him advice if he asks for it, it is most likely
that offering advice is a communal obligation.
Ibn Muflih (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The apparent meaning of the words of Ahmad and our companions is that
it is obligatory to offer advice to the Muslim, even if he does not
ask for it, as is the apparent meaning of the reports.
End quote fromal-Adaabash-Shar'iyyahby Ibn Muflih, 1/307
Al-Mullah 'Ali al-Qaari (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"If he asks you for advice" means if he asks you for advice, then
giveit to him; it is obligatory.It is also obligatory to give advice
even if he did not ask for it.
End quote fromMirqaat al-Mafaateeh, 5/213
al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
It is clear that what is meant by "duty" (haqq) here is that it is
obligatory. This is different from the wordsof Ibn Battaal who said
that what is meant is theduty of respect and companionship. It
seemsthat what is meant here is that it is a communal obligation.
End quote fromFath al-Baari, 3/113
And Allah knows best.

Dought & clear - Is feeling proud of one’s religion a kind of blameworthy pride?.

Is there anything wrongwith a person feeling proud of his religion or
feeling proud of a person who does something good? Because we know
that pride in the heart is something bad.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
With regard to feeling proud of one's religion and of belonging to it,
this is something that is prescribed in Islam and is a righteous deed.
A story from one of the battles illustrates this point: Abu Sufyaan,
the leader of Quraysh, expressed pride in his religion and the
religionof his people – as he hadnot yet entered Islam. The Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) answered his boast with an
expressionof the Muslim's pride in his religion and his affirmation of
the Oneness of the Lord of the Worlds.
Al-Bukhaari narrated in hisSaheeh(3039) from the hadeeth of al-Bara'
ibn 'Aazib (may Allah be pleased with him) that after the battle Abu
Sufyaan ibn Harb startedcomposing rajz verse and saying: "Rise in
honour, Hubal; rise in honour Hubal."
The Prophet blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Why don't
you answer him?"
They said: "O Messenger of Allah, what should wesay?"
He said: "Say: Allah is Most High and Most Glorious."
Abu Sufyaan said: We have al-'Uzza and you have no 'Uzza."
The Prophet blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Why
don''t you answer him?"
They said: "O Messenger of Allah, what should wesay?"
He said: "Say: Allah is ourSupporter and you have no supporter!"
Allah, may He be exalted,has taught His slaves thattrue pride and
perfect honour can only be achieved by obeying Allah. Allah, may He be
exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Whosoever desires honour, power and glory then to Allaah belong all
honour, power and glory [and one can get honour, power and glory only
by obeying and worshipping Allaah (Alone)]. To Him ascend (all) the
goodly words, and the righteous deeds exalt it (i.e. the goodly words
are not accepted by Allaah unless and until they are followed by good
deeds), but those who plot evils, theirs will be severe torment. And
the plotting of such will perish"
[Faatir 35:10].
i.e., and whoever would like to be honoured in this world and the
Hereafter, let him adhere to obedience to Allah, then he will attain
what he wants, because Allah is the Sovereign of this world and the
Hereafter, and all honour, power and glory belong to Him, as He says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"Those who take disbelievers for Awliyaa' (protectors or helpers or
friends) instead of believers, do they seek honour, power and glory
with them? Verily, then to Allaah belongs all honour, power and glory"
[al-Nisa' 4:139]
"And let not their speechgrieve you (O Muhammad r), for all power and
honour belong to Allaah"
[Yoonus 10:65]
"But honour, power and glory belong to Allaah, and to His Messenger
(Muhammadصلى الله عليه وسلم(, and to the believers, but the hypocrites
know not"
[al-Munaafiqoon 63:8].
Mujaahid said: "Whosoever desires honour, power and glory" [al-Faatir
35:10] by worshipping idols, "then to Allaah belong all honour, power
andglory.
Qataadah said:"Whosoever desires honour, power and glory then to
Allaah belong all honour, power and glory"i.e., lethim seek honour,
powerand glory by obeying Allah, may He be glorified and exalted.
Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 6/536
Secondly:
With regard to a person feeling proud of himself,if it is because he
is religiously committed, righteous and pious, then it is good, but if
it isbecause of anything else, such as lineage, ancestry, wealth,
position or status amongpeople, then this is an act of Jaahiliyyah and
is not permissible.
Muslim (1550) narrated from Abu Maalik al-Ash'ari (may Allah be
pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) said: "There are four matters of Jaahiliyyah in my ummah
that they will not give up: pride in one's forefathers, slandering
lineages, seeking rain by the stars and wailing (for the dead)."
Muslim (5109) also narrated from 'Iyaad ibnHimaar al-Mujaasha'i (may
Allah be pleased with that) that the Messenger of Allah (sa) said one
day in his khutbah: "Allah has revealed to me that you should be
humble so that no one will boast to anyone else and no one will
transgress against anyone else."
Al-Majd Ibn Tamiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Allah has
forbidden on the lips of His Prophet two types of mistreatment of
people: pride and transgression against them and scorn.
Fayd al-Qadeer, 2/217
The guideline with regard to this issue is: whatever is a source of
pride and honour because of religion is part of the religion and is
praiseworthy; any source of pride other than that is blameworthy.
But feeling proud because of doing acts of obedience and worship means
feeling happy that one has been enabled to do that and feeling proud
of belonging to people who do that, and praising Allah for saving him
from shirk and its people, and from sin andits path.
As for looking down on the slaves of Allah and feeling that one is
abovethem because of acts of obedience that one has done, this is the
worst type of pride and arrogance, and the one who is like this is on
the brink of disaster and there is a danger that hisdeeds will be
thrown back at him.
And Allah knows best.

Interesting Workplace facts: Always let your bosshave the first say

A sales representative, anadministration clerk and the manager are
walkingto lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. Theyrub it and a
Genie comes out.
The Genie says, "I will give each of you just one wish."
"Me first! Me first!" says the administration clerk."I want to be in
the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world."
Puff! He's gone.
"Me next! Me next!" says the sales representative."I want to be in
Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless
supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life."
Puff! He's gone.
"OK, you are up," the Genie says to the manager.
The manager says, "I want those two back in the office after lunch."
Moral of the story: Always let your boss havethe first say.