Our Salaf's endeavours in calling to Allaah – I

The importance of calling to Allaah and its virtue:
Calling to Allaah yields many great rewards, and it was the task of
the Messengers of Allaah. Sahl Ibn Sa`d reported: "The Messenger of
Allaah said on the day of the Battle of Khaybar to `Ali Ibn Abu Taalib
: "Advance cautiously until you reach their open places; thereafter,
invite them to Islam and inform them of what is obligatory for them
from the rights of Allaah because by Allaah, if Allaah guides even one
person through you that is betterfor you than possessing a herd ofred
camels." [Al-Bukhaari & Muslim] This was a reference to the finest and
most valuable typeof camel, which reflects the virtue of calling
people to Allaah and guiding them to the right path.
`Uqbah Ibn `Amr reported that the Messenger of Allaah said: "Whoever
guides someone to virtue will be rewarded (with the) equivalent reward
of he whopractices that good action." [Muslim]
Abu Hurayrah reported: "The Messenger of Allaah said: "If anyone calls
others to follow the correct guidance, his reward will be equivalent
to those who follow him (in righteousness) without their reward being
diminished in the least." [Muslim]
Abu Umaamah reported: "TheMessenger of Allaah said: 'Allaah, His
angels, the dwellers of the heaven and the earth and even the ant in
its hole and the fish (in the waters) supplicate in favour of those
who teach people(religious) knowledge.'" [At-Tirmithi]
These narrations and many others encourage people to endeavour in the
act of worship of calling to Allaah, so what morecould a person ask
for? The depths that people have sunk to in this regard are a result
of themneglecting their duty of calling others to Allaah, despite the
great status of this act of worship.
When people abandoned this act of worship, evil prevailed,
prohibitions spread and many people deviated.
Examples of the call of the Prophets to Allaah:
Calling to Allaah proves the sincerity of the person with regards to
the principles he claims to believe in as only he who truly loves his
religion will call others to it. The following aresome examples of the
prophets and messengers calling to Allaah:
The call of Nooh to his people:
Nooh, may Allah exalt his mention, was extremely dedicated in calling
his people to Allaah and he persevered in this, as Allaah Says (what
means): "…And he [i.e., Nooh] remained among them a thousand years
minus fifty years…" [Quran 29: 14] He called them tirelessly and
utilised all possible means to do so, as Allaah Says (what means): "He
[i.e., Nooh] said: 'My Lord! Indeed I invited my people [to truth]
night and day. But my invitation increased them not except in flight
[i.e., aversion]. And indeed, every time I invited them that You may
forgive them, they put their fingers in their ears, covered themselves
with their garments, persisted, and were arrogant with [great]
arrogance." [Quran 71: 5-7] Did this prevent him from continuinghis
mission in calling them to Allaah? Indeed not, he used all possible
methods to call them, asAllaah Says (what means): "Then Iinvited them
publicly. Then I announced to them and [also] confided to them
secretly." [Quran 71: 8-9]
The call of Yoosuf :
When Yoosuf was imprisoned, he did not forget his duty of calling to
Allaah. Rather, the first thing he did was to practice this duty when
his two cellmates requested him to interpret the dreams they saw. He
promised them that he would do so, but first mentioned what Allaah
describes as (what means): "…That is from what my Lord hastaught me.
Indeed I have left the religion of a people who do not believe in
Allaah, and they, in the Hereafter, are disbelievers. And I have
followed the religion of my fathers, Ibraaheem (Abraham), Is'haaq
(Isaac), and Ya'qoob (Jacob). And it was not for us to associate
anything with Allaah. That is the favour of Allaah upon us and upon
the people, but most of the people are not grateful. O [my] two
companions of the prison! Are separate lords better or Allaah, the
One, the Prevailing?" [Quran 12: 37-39] Note how he immediately called
them, despite the normal feeling of anguish that a person would feel
at being imprisoned.
The call of Prophet Muhammad :
The Prophet has set the greatest example in terms of dedication and
endurance in guiding people. This was very evident in his call to the
tribe of Quraysh, the Arab tribes and the masses in general. He would
call to Allaah whilst upon a mountain, in the Sacred Mosque, in the
street, in the market, in people's houses, during Hajj season, in the
desert, during times of peace and times of war, when healthy and when
sick, when visiting people, and when he was being visited. He was
calling people to Allaah all of the time.
He would call those who loved him as well as those who hated him. He
would approach tribes during the season of Hajj and call them to
worship Allaah saying: "O people! Allaah commands you to worshipHim
alone and ascribe no partners to Him."
He used to approach them during the season of markets likethat of
'Ukaath and say: "O people! Who will protect me? Who will support me?
Who would help me convey the message of my Lord?"
He continued to do so until Allaah blessed him with the honourable
Ansaar who resided in Madeenah and who gave him the pledge of support
in the first famous pledge of Al-'Aqabah. This marked the great
initiation point for the expansion of his mission.
The Prophet endured all typesof torture and insult for the sake of
propagating the message of Islam and calling the people to Allaah.
Once, riding a donkey he went to invite 'Abdullaah Ibn Ubayy, who was
the chief hypocrite, to Islam, but the lattersaid to him: "Keep your
donkey away from me, its stench offendsme." Yet he bore this
hypocrite's despicable manners and continued calling him to Allaah.
Anas reported: "Once, a Jewish boy who served the Prophet fell
(terminally) ill, so he went to visit him. He sat down by his head and
said to him: "Embrace Islam." The boy looked at his father who was
sitting beside him. The father said: 'Obey Abul-Qaasim (i.e., the
Messenger of Allaah ).' The (dying) boy therefore embraced Islam and
the Prophet stepped out of their home, saying: "Praise be to Allaah
who has saved him from the Hellfire." [Al-Bukhaari]
He went to call the people of Taa'if, but they refused to accept his
call and thus he returned grieved and saddened. But why? His anguish
was due to them not embracing Islam and refusing themessage of Allaah.
Distance did not stop him from conveying the message of Allaah to
anyone, but due to not being able to leave his followers who were in
dire need of his personal instruction, he sent messengers on his
behalf to convey the message of Allaah to all those that he was unable
to personally visit. He sent messengers to all the kings and rulers
that he possibly could.
The Prophet sent a message with Dihyah to the Governor of Busraa, who
forwarded it to Heraclius to read. The contents ofthe letter were as
follows: "In thename of Allaah The Beneficent, The Merciful. (This
letter is) from Muhammad the slave of Allaah and His Messenger to
Heraclius the ruler of Byzantine. Peace be upon he who follows the
right path. I invite you to Islam, and if you should become a Muslim
you will be safe, and Allaah will double your reward, but if you
reject this invitation to Islam then you will be committing a double
sin by misguiding your Areesiyyeen (i.e., peasants). (He then quoted
(which means): "…O people of the scripture! Come to a word that is
equitable between us and you – that we will not worship except Allaah
and not associate anything with Him and not take one another as lords
instead of Allaah. But if theyturn away, then say: 'Bear witness that
we are Muslims [submitting to Him].' " [Quran 3: 64

Secularism and its dangers -I

Allaah, the Most Exalted, sent down The Book (the Noble Quran) to
clarify allthings and to give Guidance and Mercy to people who
believe.
He sent His Messenger, Muhammad with guidance and the true religion
with which He opened blinded eyes, deaf ears, and sealed hearts. With
it, He eliminated the darkness of ignorance and stupidity and released
the chains of polytheism such that misguidance became a legend of the
past and worshipping idols became an old myth.
A Muslim wonders at the stupidity of the polytheists. Allaah Says
(what means): "He whom Allaah guides is rightly guided but he whom He
leads astray never will you find for him a protective guide." [Quran
18: 17]
We must always remember though, that trials are continuous and the
substance of evil remains till today. Devils among humankind and Jinns
continue to spread misguidance, and to make it seem attractive and
spread it by means of all tongues. Allaah Says(what means): "And thus
we have made for every Prophet an enemy, devils from mankind and Jinn,
inspiring to one another decorated speech and delusion." [Quran 6:112]
It is mandatory upon us to know the ways of misguidance, warn people
of it, expose it, expose its objectives and block the way for those
who call to it. By doing this, Muslims can be aware of what their Lord
wants of them and have proper insight so as not to be harmed by the
plotting and planning of the misguided ones.
Today, in the Muslim world, many different philosophies and ideologies
are propagated…ones that deceive numerous people with its superficial
sparkle and glory. Many slogans and terms have captured the minds of
people and control their way of thinking.
These false beliefs are like a disease and are of the fire. If it has
been decreed for these false beliefs to be disseminated, they will not
overcome anyone but will turn him into disintegrated ruins.
One of these ideologies issecularism, which has infiltrated into the
Muslim communities. Perhaps one of the most serious challenges that
face the people of Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jamaa'ah (the true Islamic
methodology) at this time is to overthrow these false beliefs, clarify
their vague statements and expose the reality of the obscure slogans
behind which secularism hides and spreads its poison in the minds and
hearts of the people of this nation.
For this reason, it is necessary to unmask the true face of this
ideology which is misguided and misguiding at the same time.
Secularism, in its correct definition, is the belief that religion
should not enter into the affairs of the state; it denies any form of
religious faith and worship. Thus, secularism is the antithesis of
Islamic monotheism, which, fromthe perspective of Islam, is the
greatest reality andtruth.
Ibn Taimiyyah said in his book 'Al-Uboodiyyah' (Servitude): "Mankind
is at the crossroad that has two roads, no third to it. It is either
that he chooses servitude to Allaah or he rejects the servitude to
Him. To fully believe in the servitude to Allaah, excluding all
others, knowing that servitude to anyone else but Allaah, great or
small,is the worshiping of Satan."
Allaah Says (what means): "Did I not enjoin upon you O Children of
Aadam that you not worship Satan for indeed he is to you a clear enemy
and that you worship only me. This is the straight path." [Quran
36:60-61] This includes the Arabs about whom Allaah Said (what means):
"They call upon- instead of Him- none but female deities and they
actually call upon none but rebellious Satan." [Quran 4:117] This also
includes all acts of worship performed to anyone else butAllaah
throughout history.
Some of the acts of worship have changed. The Arabs no longer worship
the idols of the past. However, worship of Satan in itself did not
change. The old idols are replaced with new idols: like the
partisanship, nationalism, secularism, personal freedom, sex and
others.
There are many new idols today. It is indeed the worship of Satan
andTaghoot (anything adorned besides Allaah, be it material idol or
ideology), which negate the testimony that there is no one worthy of
worship but Allaah. For the meaning of "La ilaaha illa Allaah" (the
first part of the testimonyof faith) is to disbelieve in Taghoot and
to believein Allaah Alone.
Based on this, we can know the ruling of Islam concerning secularism.
Secularism is disbelief and is of the pre-Islamic Taghoot concept
which negates and contradicts"La ilaaha illa Allaah".
Two points which are basic and paired are that firstly, it is ruling
with something other than therulings of Allaah or what Allaah has
revealed, and secondly, it is associating others in the worship of
Allaah.
Secularism simply means ruling with laws other than the laws of
Allaah; something other than what Allaah has revealed.It is ruling
with a constitution or legislation other than what Allaah has
legislated. The acceptance to be governed by and follow Taghoot
instead of Allaahis the essence of establishing life with no faith and
religion.
Allaah Says (what means): "And he who does not rule with what Allaah
revealed, indeed, those are the disbelievers." [Quran 5: 44]
Disbelief is of different kinds, of which we must be aware. One aspect
of Jaahiliyyah- pre-Islamic paganism- was the rejection of Allaah. The
rejection of His existence is related to faith and theway life is
perceived, which corresponds to the Jaahiliyyah of Communists.
Another aspect is acknowledging the existence of Allaah but in a
perverted way, and deviation in acts of worship. This kind of
Jaahiliyyah is synonymous with the Jaahiliyyah of the Jews and
Christians.
Another aspect is accepting the existence of Allaah and performing
acts of worship but with a serious deviation in theunderstanding,
implication and the implementation of "La ilaaha illa Allaah,
Muhammad-ur Rasool-Allaah", which results in acomprehensive
association in the issue ofobedience and partnership with Allaah. This
Jaahiliyyah is of those who call themselves Muslims but are
secularists. They thinkthat they are within the fold of Islam and have
all the rights of Muslims by merely uttering the Shahaadah (saying:
"La ilaaha illa Allaah, Muhammad-ur Rasool-Allaah". They perform these
acts of worship in an un-Islamic fashion.

The clear truth

Once Bayazid Bustami (a renowned pious individual) was going ona
journey when a Christian accompanied him along. When it was time for
mid-day meal, Bayazid suggested to hiscompanion that he should go to
the village at hand and have food. The Christian said, "No, Bayazid
you are a godly person. Pray to God that He may furnish the food
here."
Bayazid offered two units of Nawafil in prayer and begged of Allah,
"My Lord! This manwants to test my religion. Please, protect its good
name so that I may not be put to shame. Kindly arrange for our food."
He had hardly finished his prayer when a person appeared with four
loaves of bread and some curry. Both of them ate to their fill and
resumed their journey.
In the evening the Christian companion said that he would arrange for
the supper. He also reaised his handsin prayers and at once appeared a
man with eight loaves of bread and double quantity of curry. Bayazid
was wonder-struck and asked him what he had prayed for. The Christian
replied that first he should be converted to Islam and then he
woulddisclose the detail of the prayer. At this, Bayazid converted him
to Islam.
The companion related that he had prayed like this: "O Lord! If Islam
is a true religion and you are kind to Bayazid, provide us with the
double quantity of food that we had at midday. So the response to my
prayer is obvious."

Islamic Stories,- Easy way to change ourselves

Easy way to change ourselves
-
There was a king long time ago and he had a vast kingdom. Though he
had tremendous amount of wealth, but he didn't have peace of heart. So
he decided to be a good Muslim. He heard that there is a very pious
man who stays in a jungle and thatmany people go to visit him for
advice. The king decided to visit him for some advice also. When he
got there, he asked the pious man "How can I become pious like you?"
The pious man replied that remember death 40 times a day for 40 days.
The king thought that it was very easy and he thanked him and left for
his palace. He remembered death 40 times a day for 40 days but no
change came to his life. He was same as before.
The king became angry and called that pious man to his court. The king
told him that he is nothing but a liar and that he should be killed
before he fools other people. It was decided that he will be
beheadedthe next day. But the Pious man had a request. He asked if he
could become the king for a day. He promised that after getting the
command, he will not kill the previous king or do any harm to him. So,
the king agreed and made the pious man the king for a day. As soon as
the pious man became the king, he went to the market and saw a man
selling peanuts. He told the soldiers to catch that man and bring him
to the palace. So, the peanut sales man was brought to the court. The
pious man told the peanut sales man that hewill be killed tomorrow.
The peanut sales man became frightened and dropped all his peanuts. He
started crying and asked what he did. But the pious man said that he
will be killed tomorrow and locked upin jail for today.
Now, as the peanut salesman knew that he is going to die, he forgot
about everything else and started asking forgiveness from Allah. He
started praying and doing excessive dhikir (remembrance of Allah). The
Pious man ordered that the most beautiful prostitute in the city
should be brought and placed in the jail with peanut sales man. She
was brought and she asked the man to commit adultery with her. Now the
pious man brought the previous king and told him to watch. The peanut
sales man started yelling at the woman to get away because he is going
to die tomorrow and this evil deed will surely cause him problems
withAllah.
Then the pious man asked the previous king if he understood what is
going on. The Pious manexplained that when youreally know that you
willdie, then you will surely stay away from all evil deeds and engage
yourself into the worship of Allah. So, remembering death once
properly would be enough to change the life of a human being.
Ofcourse, the peanut sales man was released afterwards.