Poem: Why Do You Save Me?

Why Do You Save Me?
Allah, why do You save me?
Why do You guide me gently,
and push me to the light?
Am I more in Your sight
than a walking shade?
Am I bright? Do You see
my coruscating heart?
Am I living my true life?
If not, then in which shining valley
does it lie?
In whose wide eyes,
in what hungry land?
Why did You draw me by the hand
from my prison bed?
What of the souls I have loved
who are lost, who have fled
to distant cities
or turned their heads
after speaking
of inexpressible sadness?
Those who have known me best
have betrayed me,
or I have betrayed them.
Is that the grief of Bani Adam?
Why do You pull me
from the pit,
casting light on me,
accepting my regret,
giving me dreams like comets,
or signposts
to a hidden shrine?
Dreams like hands in mine.
Why, Allah? Am I more
than I seem to myself?
Where did my soul reside
in the world before birth?
If souls are troops
collected together
then where is my unit,
where was my creche?
Who am I to them now?
Who am I to the Prophets,
to the angels sweeping the sky,
to my daughter
and those who will proceed?
Who am I to You, Al-Azeez,
who hold night and day;
and when will I find my way?

A book is a garden

"A book is like a garden carried in the pocket." – Arab proverb
A book in your pocket is like a secret treasure. It isa magical means
of transportation, a source of knowledge, a historical record, and a
treasure chest containingthe knowledge of humanminds and hearts, or in
the case of the Quran, themessage of Allah to humanity.
You can take the book out of your pocket and lose yourself in it,
forgetting about all the worries of the world, justas you can do in a
beautiful garden.
Fozia, a Muslim sister from the UK, points out that a book helps one
develop through acquiring knowledge, as a garden blossoms through the
growth of itsflowers and creatures…
Making the Impossible Possible
Indeed, to carry a gardenin one's pocket is impossible, but that's the
thing about books, they make the impossible possible. A family that
hasbeen stuck in poverty for generations can break that cycle by
sending onechild to higher education. Someone whocomes from the most
desperate circumstances can achieve the seemingly impossible andbecome
a doctor, engineer, or even President, all through thepower of
education. The power of books.
That reminds me of a quote by Cesar Chavez, the famous campaigner for
farm workers' rights, who is now deceased. He said,
"Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot
uneducate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the
person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not
afraid anymore. We have seen the future, and the future is ours."
This process of social change that he describes starts with a book. It
starts with education. The ultimate Book is the Quran, and it is a
world-changing book. It brings light where there was darkness, and
changes human beings from the inside out.
The First Revelation of the Quran
Does anyone need proof that the processes of personal growth and
social change both start with books? Consider the first revealed
verses of the Quran itself, in Surah 96, Al-'Alaq:
1. Read in the name of your Lord Who created.
2. He created humankind from a clot.
3. Read and your Lord is Most Honorable,
4. Who taught (to write) with the pen
5. Taught the human being what he knew not.
The moment of the first revelation of the Quran to the Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) was amoment of immense significance for all humanity,
possibly the most significant moment in human history. It follows that
the message is one of great significance as well.
What is this message of great significance, these first few profound
and powerful words?
Read, and write, and do it in the name of Allah.
Allah exalted and honored human beings by giving us knowledge, the
capacity to acquire more knowledge, and the tools to record and share
our knowledge, whether verbally or in print. He commanded us to make
use of these tools, and to do it in Allah's name so that our motives
and methods remain pure, and so that the results will be beneficial to
humanity and not destructive or oppressive.
We are supposed to use our knowledge to create vaccines for diseases,
not to create deadly viruses for biological warfare. We should use
nuclear power to generate clean energy, not to design bombs that can
destroy nations. We must use robotic technologies to create artificial
limbs for victims of war or accidents, or to explore the depths of the
sea, or to clear old minefields without loss of life, or to rescue
miners trapped deep underground… not to build hunter-killer drones
that destroy innocent human lives while the operator moves a joystick
a thousand miles away.
Knowledge must be employed "in the name of your Lord Who created," not
in the nameof greed or vengeance.
This is especially important today, when fantastically powerful
technologies are being developed every day. Supercomputers,
nanotechnology, genetic engineering, cloning, quantum physics… If
these technologies are not tempered with faith and wisdom, humanity
could unleash horrors on the world that will make previous wars and
genocides look like a badcase of the measles (no disrespect intended
to victims of past conflicts).
A New Course for the World
The Quran was also a message that the time had come to change
humanity's meandering course. Human beings all over the world had been
creating societies, customs and laws based on superstition. Some
societies were based on artificial castes. Others were based on
worship of human beings, or worship of the dead, or cult-like
religions, or collections of taboos and myths.
The revelation of the Quran signified the beginning of a new course
for the world, a lighted path based on scholarship, science and the
systematization of knowledge. The engines of this new period wouldbe
literacy, scholarship, Tawheed (Oneness of God), and righteousness.
Human history, with its long and bleak stretches of ignorance and
suffering, like a vast desert with only a few small oases, was given a
permanent garden in theform of a book: the Quran.
A book is a garden in your pocket. It's natural, inspiring, and
life-changing. It's your own personal haven. But only if you read it
and let it into your heart.

How does Islam continue to grow in the West?

Someone posted this question recently on an Islamic forum that I belong to:
There all kinds of people coming to Islam. There are some that even
convert in huge masses (20+ people). It's the fastest growing religion
in the UK and USA. Just visit Youtube. How is thata religion that is
put down in the media constantly is the most popular choice today?
Let me put it in marketing terms to start. I don't want to cheapen our
deen which is the most beautiful way of life, ordained for humanity by
Allah. But most people in this consumer culture of the West understand
marketing concepts.
In the marketing industrythey say that there is no such thing as bad
publicity. That may or may not be true, but I do believe it is true
when you have a quality product. Islam is a qualityproduct.
I have heard of many people who initially wanted to learn more about
this "terrible religion" that gets so much bad press. So they picked
up a book on Islam or a copy of the Quran, began reading, and
SubhanAllah, were guided to the truth.
That's the way of it.
Throwing a rubber ballat the ground
This deen is a clarion call,it is the sunlight through the clouds. It
is manifest truth. As much as the enemies of Allah try to badmouth
Islam, they only serve its cause. As Allah says (paraphrasing) in the
Quran, they desired to extinguish the light of Allah with their
mouths, but Allah will complete His light, though the disbelievers may
detest it.
Someone once said to methat those who try to damage Islam are like
someone throwing a rubber ball down on the ground. The harder they
throw it, trying to smash it, the higher it bounces back in the air.
When I say there's no such thing as bad publicity, that doesn't mean
that I am happy about things like terroristattacks, "honor killings",
female genital mutilationand other bad actions that bring bad
publicity to Islam. I despise those acts and I utterly condemn them,
not only because they damage theimage of Islam and make life harder
for Muslims, but because they are evil in themselves, and they bring
suffering to innocent people.
No, when I say there's no such thing as bad publicity, I am thinking
more of the lies that are told about Islam. Hateful preachers who
insult the Prophet (peace be upon him); or the often-made false claim
that Islam wasspread by the sword; or the bigoted epithets
(like"Islamofascists") that are used to try to discredit Islam in the
eyes of the public. In the end, all these lies will fail, because
truth is clear from falsehood.
Quran 61:8
(8) They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but
Allah will perfect His light, although the disbelievers dislike it.
(9) It is He who sent His Messenger with guidanceand the religion of
truth to manifest it over all religion, although those who associate
others with Allah dislike it.
(Umm Muhammad translation)
The enemies of Islam think that Allah's light is like a candle that
can be blown out with the breath from their mouths, by propagating
false rumors and lies about this deen. They might as well try to blow
out the light of the sun. Allah's light is far more powerful even than
that.
Quran is a light
" O humankind, there has come to you a conclusive proof from your
Lord, and We have sent down to you a clear light." (Quran 4:174)
Allah has manifested His light in the revelation of the Quran. It is
an eternalbook, protected by Allah, unchanged, shedding light like a
lamp that never runs dry. It illuminates the souls of those who read
it and practice it, and so light spreads in the world, purifying it.
That's why the Messengerof Allah (pbuh) said, "The best amongst you
are those who learn the Quran and teach it." [Al-Bukhaari] Because
theQuran is the source of guidance and a light, andby spreading it we
ensure the victory of Islam over oppression, we perpetuate Truth in
the world, and we offer guidance to the lost.
The Quran is also a sourceof internal peace. Recitation and
contemplation of the Quran soothes the heart and carries away the
stresses of life, and it brings one closer to Allah.That's why the
Prophet (pbuh) said, "No people assemble in one of the houses of
Allah, and recite and study the Bookof Allah, except that tranquility
prevails over them, mercy encompasses them, the angels surround them,
and Allah makes a mention of them in the presence of those near Him."
[Muslim]
Wow. SubhanAllah.
So it's not surprising when you hear stories from people who were
non-Muslims; became curious about Islam due to the constant
fear-mongering in the media; decided to pick up a Quran and check it
out for themselves; and found themselves moved,and their hearts
touched,so that they accepted Islam. It's a very common story.
Trust in Allah
I started out by answering the question, "How does Islam continue to
grow in the West in spite of all the negative press and lies?" Now I
want to add a finalmessage for my Muslim readers: Don't despair when
you see the forces of falsehood arrayed in all their power against
Islam. When you read about Muslims being oppressed in Palestine,
Chechnya, East Turkestan (a Muslim province of China) and so many
otherplaces, you should feel pain and sympathy for your brothers and
sisters,but don't let your heart be filled with rage or hatred.
Don't despair! Hatred anddespair are the oppositesof faith; they lead
to corruption and are the fuel that drives evils like terrorism, where
people cast aside the principles of their religion, and allow
themselves to be seduced into blind violence, justifying it to
themselves because they are so angry.
Trust that Allah will perfect His light. Do your part to serve the
cause ofIslam (that is key!), and then trust that Allah will manifest
the Truth over all, no matter who standsagainst it. Trust also that
Allah will guide you, and bring you into the light, and reward you in
this life and the next.
In these next two verses there is a double message, one for the People
of the Book (the Christians and the Jews), calling them to the light
that Allah has revealed; and one to the believers, calling on them to
"pursue His pleasure to the ways of peace…", in other words to seek
Allah's pleasure through compassionate and righteous action on the
paths of peace.
"O People of the Scripture, there has cometo you Our Messenger making
clear to you much of what you used to conceal of the Scripture and
overlooking much. There has come to you from Allah a light and a clear
Book; By which Allah guides those who pursueHis pleasure to the ways
of peace and brings themout from darknesses into the light, by His
permission, and guides them to a straight path." (Quran 5:15-16)

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

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evil eye - Is witchcraft real? Is it permissible to seek treatment from practitioners of witchcraft

Is there anything such aswitch doctors? What should we do if someone
says "I don't believe in magic" because "this is just an illusion"?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Sihr (witchcraft or magic) is a word referring to something hidden. It
is real and there are kinds of witchcraft that may affect people
psychologically and physically, so that they become sick and die, or
husbands and wives are separated. Its effects happen by the will of
Allaah. It is a devilish action, most of which is only achieved by
means of shirk and drawing close to the jinn and shayaateen (devils)
by means of that which they love, and it is basedon associating others
with Allaah (shirk).
There are doctors who are also practitioners of witchcraft, who treat
people by means of seeking the help of the jinn. They claim to have
knowledge of the sickness with no need toidentify it, and they
prescribe for the patient foods and drinks that bring him closer to
his allies among the devils. He may tell them to slaughter a pig
whilst saying "Bismillaah" over it, or to slaughter a permissible
animal without saying "Bismillaah", or when saying the name of one of
the devils.
This is kufr or disbelief in Allaah, and it is not permissible under
any circumstances to go to people like these. The hadd punishment for
these people is execution. It has been proven from three of
theSahaabah (may Allaah bepleased with them) that the practitioners of
witchcraft are to be put to death.
The Standing Committee was asked a question about this matter, in
which it was said:
Please note that in Zambia there is a Muslimman who claims that he has
with him a jinn, and the people come to him and ask him to treat their
sicknesses, and thisjinn states what their treatment should be. Is
that permissible?
They replied:
It is not permissible for that man to use the jinn, and it is not
permissible for the people to go to him seeking treatment for sickness
through his using the jinn, or to meet any other need by this means.
Seeking treatment through human medical doctors and using permissible
medicines is sufficient and means that there is no need for that, and
it keeps peoplesafe from the sorcery of the magicians.
It was narrated in a saheeh report that the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever goes to
afortune-teller and asks him about something, his prayer will not be
accepted for forty days." Narrated by Muslim.
And it was narrated by the authors of al-Sunan and by al-Haakim, who
classed it as saheeh, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: "Whoever goes to a soothsayer and believes what he
says has disbelieved in that which was revealed to Muhammad."
This man and his companions from among the jinn are regarded as being
among the fortune-tellers and soothsayers, so it is not permissible
toask them anything or to believe them.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 1/408, 409
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz said:
Given that there are so many charlatans lately, who claim to be
doctors and to treat people by means of magic and witchcraft, and they
have become widespread in some countries and they exploit the naïveté
of the ignorant, I thought that in the spirit of sincerity towards
Allaah and His slaves, that I should explain the gravedanger that this
poses toIslam and the Muslims, because it involves dependence on
something other than Allaah and going againstHis command and the
command of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
so I say, seeking the help of Allaah:
It is permissible to seek treatment according to scholarly consensus.
The Muslim may go to a doctor to seek treatmentfor internal diseases,
injuries, nervous complaints, etc, so that he can identify the disease
and treat it in anappropriate manner, using medicines that
arepermissible according tosharee'ah, based on his knowledge of
medicine, because this comes under the heading of using the ordinary
means, and it is not contrary to the idea of putting one's trust in
Allaah. Allaah has sent down the disease but Hehas also sent down with
it the cure; those who know it know it and those who do not do not.
But Allaah has not created the healing for His slaves in that which He
has forbidden to them, so it is not permissible for the sick person to
go to a soothsayer who claims to know the unseen, in order to find out
from them what is wrong with him. And it is not permissible for him to
believe what they tell him, because they speak of the unseen without
knowledge, or they summon the jinn and seek their help in doing what
they want. The ruling on these people isthat they are kaafirs
andmisguided, because theyclaim to have knowledge of the unseen.
Muslim narratedin his Saheeh that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and asks
him about something, his prayer will not be accepted for forty days."
And it was narrated fromAbu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him)
that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"Whoever goes to asoothsayer and believes what he says has disbelieved
in that which was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him)." Narrated by Abu Dawood and by the four authors of
al-Sunan;classed as saheeh by al-Haakim who narrated that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever goes to a
fortune-teller or soothsayer and believes what he says has disbelieved
in that which was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him)." And it was narrated that 'Imraan ibn Husayn (may Allaah
be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "He doesnot belong to us who
observes bird omens or has that done for him, orwho seeks divination
or who has that done for him, or who practices witchcraft or has that
done for him. Whoever goes to a soothsayer andbelieves what he says
has disbelieved in that which was revealed to Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him)." Narrated by al-Bazzaar with a
jayyid isnaad.
These ahaadeeth demonstrate that it is forbidden to go to soothsayers,
fortune-tellers, witches and the like, and ask them questions and
believe them, and a warning is issued to those who do that. Community
leaders and those in positions ofpower and authority must forbid going
to fortune-tellers, soothsayers and the like,and not allow anyone who
deals in such thingsto operate in the marketplaces or elsewhere. They
should denounce them emphatically, and denounce those who go to them.
We should not be deceived by the fact that they may get things right
sometimes, or by the fact that many people go to them, because they
are ignorant and the people should not be deceived by them. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade going to
them, asking them questions and believing them, because that is a
great evil, a serious danger and leads to bad consequences, and
because they are immoral liars. These ahaadeeth also indicate that
soothsayers and witches are also kaafirs, because they claim to have
knowledge of the unseen, which is kufr, and because they only reach
their goals by serving the jinn and worshipping them instead of
Allaah, which is kufr or disbelief in Himand associating others with
Him (shirk). The one who believes them and their claims to have
knowledge of the unseen is like them. Everyone who goes to these
people and deals with them, is disowned by the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). It is not permissible for
the Muslim to accept what they claim is a kind of treatment, such as
their muttering mumbo-jumbo or pouring lead and other kinds of
nonsense that they do. This is a kind of sorcery and deception of the
people. Whoever acceptsthat is helping them in their falsehood and
kufr.
Majmoo' Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 3/274-281.
Secondly:
With regard to witchcraft (sihr), it is realand is not an illusion,
and it may have an effect by Allaah's leave.
Al-Quraafi said: Sihr is real, and the person against whom it is done
may die, or his nature orhabits may be changed, even if he does not
deal with it himself. This was the view of al-Shaafa'i and Ibn Hanbal…
Al-Furooq, 4/149.
The Mu'tazalis, Qadaris and some of the scholarsheld a different view,
but no attention should be paid to that. Al-Quraafi and others
mentioned that the Sahaabah were unanimously agreed that it is real
before there appeared those who denied that.
The evidence of Ahl al-Sunnah concerning that is as follows:
1. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"but the Shayaateen (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic andsuch
things that came down at Babylon to the two angels, Haaroot and
Maaroot, but neither of these two (angels) taught anyone (such things)
till they had said,"We are for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning
this magic fromus)." And from these (angels) people learn that by
which they causeseparation between man and his wife, but they could
not thus harmanyone except by Allaah's Leave. And they learn that
which harms them and profits them not"
[al-Baqarah 2:102]
This verse clearly indicates what we are trying to say, which is that
sihr (witchcraft) is real, and that the practitioner of witchcraft may
create a division between a man and his wife thereby, and that he may
harm people by means of his witchcraft, but he cannot do any harm
except by Allaah's leave.
2. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And from the evil of those who practise witchcraft when they blow in the knots"
[al-Falaq 113:4]
"those who practise witchcraft when they blow in the knots" refersto
female witches whosewitchcraft involved tyingknots then blowing into
them. If witchcraft were not something real, Allaah would not have
commanded us to seek refuge from it.
3. Further evidence is provided by the fact thatthe Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was bewitched by the Jew Labeed
ibn al-A'sam. Thisis a saheeh hadeeth that was narrated by al-Bukhaari
and Muslim.
Ibn al-Qayyim said: The witchcraft which can cause sickness, lethargy,
mental sickness, love, hatred and delusions is something that does
exist and is known by the masses. Many peopleknow it from experience.
Al-Tafseer al-Qayyim, p. 571
Thirdly:
There are many kinds of witchcraft, including illusions and deceiving
the eyes. But not all sihr is like that. Some of the scholars listed
different kinds of witchcraft, and counted eight kinds, the most well
known of which are:
1. Knots and incantations
i.e., reciting words and mumbo-jumbo by meansof which the witch is
able to use the devils to do what he wants of harming the person being
bewitched. But Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"… but they could not thus harm anyone except by Allaah's Leave"
[al-Baqarah 2:102]
2. Sleight of hand.
They become skilled in this by means of practiceand training to do
things quickly, and bringout something hidden.
For example, the magician may bring a dove and strange it in front of
the audience, then he hits it with his hand and it gets up and flies.
But in fact there was a kind of anaesthetic in his hand and he made it
smell it and made the audience think that he had strangled it and
killed it, then when he hits it, he wakes it up from that stupor.
3. Bewitching the eyes.
This is very common among the liars; the magician does not really put
a sword in his body, rather he bewitches the eyes of the audience, and
puts the sword by his side, but the bewitched people think that he
puts it through his middle.
These tricksters have become well known among us, because among the
audience there are those who protected themselves with Qur'aan and
dhikr, and remembered Allaah a great deal whilst sitting in the
gathering watching the magician, so they saw what really happened,
unlike what those who were bewitched saw.
4. Using chemicals
This is done well by those who know how substances react with one
another, thus producing a substance that is not affected by some other
substances, such as the Sufi Rifaa'iyyah who make people think that
they are not affected by fire, when in fact they coat themselves with
some fireproof substances. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah
have mercy on him) challenged them to wash with hot water before
entering the fire and they refused because this would haveexposed
their deceit.
And there are many other things that the practitioners of witchcraft
do, which could not happen unless Allaah decreed it.
See Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 1/146; Majmoo' Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn
'Uthaymeen, 2/178; al-Sihr by Shaykh 'Umar al-Ashqar.
And Allaah knows best.