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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Stipulating a condition [about exiting ihram] in Hajj and ‘Umrah for one who is afraid that her menses may come

A woman wants to do 'Umrah but there is the possibility that her
period may come after she enters ihram and before she does tawaaf. Can
she stipulate a condition [about exiting ihram] because she is afraid
that she may hold her family up?.
Praise be to Allaah.
If a woman wants to do 'Umrah but is afraid her menses may come before
she completes it, she may stipulate a condition [about exiting ihram],
then if she gets her menses she can exit ihram and will not have to do
anything.
The basic principle about it being permissible to stipulate such a
condition is the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (5089) and Muslim
(1207) from 'Aa'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) who said: The
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) entered
upon Dubaa'ah bint az-Zubayr and said to her: "Perhaps you want to
doHajj?" She said: By Allah, I am always in pain. He said to her: "Go
for Hajj but stipulate a conditionand say: O Allaah, I will exit ihram
from the point where You have prevented me (from continuing, if some
problem should arise)."
If a person is afraid of illness or if a woman fears that her menses
may come, she may stipulate this condition.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: With
regard to stipulating a condition [about exiting ihram] in Hajj, are
there any specific cases in which the pilgrim shouldstipulate this
condition and say: "If something prevents me (from continuing), I will
exit ihram from the point where You have prevented me (from
continuing)"?
He replied: Stipulating a condition in Hajj means saying, when
entering ihram: "If something prevents me (from continuing), I will
exit ihram from the point where You have prevented me (from
continuing)."
Stipulating this condition is not prescribed unless there is some fear
of sickness, or if a woman fears that her menses may come, or if a
person is delayed and fears that he may miss Hajj. In these cases he
or she should stipulate this condition. If he stipulates this
condition and something happens that prevents him from completing the
rituals, then he may exit ihram and leave, and does not have to do
anything.
But if he is not afraid (of any of these things happening), the Sunnah
is not to stipulate a condition; rather he should be firm in his
resolve, put his trust in Allah and think positively of Allah, may He
be glorified and exalted.
End quote from Liqa' al-Baab al-Maftooh, 25/18
And Allah knows best.

If the people around him are reciting the Talbiyah in unison, should he remain silent?

My question is about reciting the Talbiyah in unison. I have read your
fatwa and the commentsof Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy
on him). I would like to know: What should a person doif he is on the
bus and it is difficult for them to recite the Talbiyah individually,
and even if they start to do that, they end up reciting it together.
The Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with them) did not travel
altogether in the same group; they may have been far from one another.
So do the pilgrims have a reason for doing that, i.e., reciting the
Talbiyah in unison? Especially because of the fitnah that may result
for the one who acts differently from the people, most ofwhom think it
is permissible to do that. I also want to ask: is it better for a
person to remain silent because hecannot help reciting with them
otherwise, or should he recite it with them? May Allah bless you for
explaining this important matter.
Praise be to Allaah.
Reciting the Talbiyah in unison was not related from the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) or from his Companions.
Hence a number of scholars stated that this is an innovation (bid'ah).
It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa'imah (11/358): What is the ruling
on pilgrims reciting the Talbiyah together, whereby one person says it
and the others follow?
Answer: It is not permissible to do that because it was not narrated
from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) or from
the Rightly Guided Caliphs who succeeded him (may Allah be pleased
with them). Rather it is an innovation. End quote.
This applies to those who deliberately recite the Talbiyah in unison.
As for the one who is reciting the Talbiyah with other people nearby,
and their voices coincide unintentionally,there is no blame on him.
What usually happens when people are together, reciting the Tabliyah
out loud, is thattheir voices will coincidesometimes. If the people
around you are reciting the Talbiyah in unison, you should not keep
quiet; rather you should recite the Talbiyah out loud too.
If you are afraid that thismay result in negative consequences, if the
people around you notice that you are reciting the Talbiyah on your
own, then recite in a quiet voice, But remaining silent is not
appropriate, because the Talbiyah is a righteous deed and a beneficial
act of worship.
An-Nasaa'i (2753), at-Tirmidhi (829), Abu Dawood (1814) and Ibn Maajah
(2923) narrated from as-Saa'ib ibn Khallaad that the Messenger of
Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Jibreel came
to me and said: 'O Muhammad! Tell your companions to raise their
voices when reciting the Talbiyah.'" Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani
in Saheeh an-Nasaa'i.
A version narrated by Ibn Maajah says: "Let them raise their voices
when reciting the Talbiyah, for it is one of the symbols of Hajj."
At-Tirmidhi (827) and Ibn Maajah (2896) narrated from Abu Bakr
as-Siddeeq that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
was asked: Which (actions of) Hajj are best? He said: "Raising the
voice in Talbiyah andslaughtering the sacrificial animal."
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh at-Tirmidhi.
And Allah knows best.

After performing Hajj, is the Muslim guaranteed forgiveness of his sins orshould he still feel worried and anxious?

There is a hadith that states if you make haj properly its as if youve
returned sinless as a child( loose translation) and alhamdulillah i
havemade hajj and inshallah it was proper, but from time to time
during my prayer i remember a sin i have made before haj and i feel
tremendous remorse and i ask for forgiveness. should i be so
remorseful or should ibe more hopeful that i have forgiven and not try
to remember my sins.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him)
said: I heard the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
say: "Whoever performs Hajj for the sake of Allah and does not utter
any obscene speech or do any evil deed, will go back (free of sin) as
his mother bore him."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari,1449; Muslim, 1350.
Here we should draw attention to two things:
1.
That this is the reward for an accepted Hajj. Whoever does Hajj
usingharaam money, or whose Hajj is not sincerely for the sake of
Allah, may He be exalted,or who utters any obscene speech or does any
evil deeds, his Hajj will not be accepted andhe will not go back as
onthe day his mother bore him.
Ibn 'Abd al-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
With regard to the accepted Hajj, it was saidthat it is that in which
there is no showing off or seeking reputation, and in which there is
no obscene speech or evil deeds, and it is done with halaal wealth.
Al-Tamheed lima fi'l-Muwatta' min al-Ma'aani wa'l-Asaaneed, 22/39
Some of the scholars said that the Hajj mabroor is that which is
accepted, and the sign of its acceptance is that the person does not
go back to disobeying his Lord, may He be exalted, and that he
restores rights to those who are entitled to them.
See the answer to question no. 26242
2.
Hajj does not mean that obligations such as expiation (kafaarah)
anddebts are waived, as has been explained previously in the answerto
question no. 138630
Secondly:
The Muslim whom his Lord, may He be exalted, honours by enabling him
to perform the rituals of Hajj should be concerned lest his Hajj has
not been accepted from him. This does not mean that he should despair
of his Lord's mercy; rather it is so thathe will not take it for
granted, and so that he will turn to his Lord, mayHe be exalted, with
sincere du'aa', asking that it be accepted from him, and so that he
will focus on doing righteous deeds that willincrease his balance of
good deeds on the Day when he meets his Lord, may He be exalted.
Allah,may He be glorified and exalted, says, describing the believers
(interpretation of the meaning):
"and those who give (their wealth and other possession) whatever they
gave, in a state thattheir hearts are overwhelmed (with the belief)
that they are to be those who return to their Nourisher-Sustainer —
It is these who race for the good deeds, and they are foremost in them
(e.g. offering the compulsory Salat (prayers) in their (early) stated,
fixed times and so on)"
[al-Mu'minoon 23:60-61].
It was narrated that 'Aa'isha, the wife of the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) said: I asked the Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) about this verse: "and
those who give (their wealth and other possession) whatever they gave,
in a state thattheir hearts are overwhelmed" [al-Mu'minoon 23:60].
'Aa'ishah said: Are they those who drink alcohol and steal? He said:
No, O daughter of as-Siddeeq; rather they are those who fast, pray and
give charity, fearing that it will not be accepted from them. Those
are the ones who race for the good deeds.
Narrated by at-Tirmidhi, 3175; Ibn Maajah, 4198; classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani in Saheeh at-Tirmidhi
This fear of these believers does not make them despair of the mercy
of their Lord; rather they combine with it hope and positive thinking
of theirLord, may He be glorified and exalted, the hope that He will
reward them and honour them. Two things motivate those believing close
friends ofAllah to fear lest their good deeds not be accepted:
thinking negatively of themselveslest they have not done well, and
their great love for their Lord, may He be glorified and exalted.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
If he – i.e. the believer – is afraid, then it is more appropriate for
him to fear that he is not doing good enough and what makes him feel
that he isnot doing good enough is two things:
(i) Seeing his failings and shortcomings
(ii) The sincerity of his love (for Allah), forthe one
who loves sincerely draws close to his Beloved as much as he can,
whilst feeling that he is not doing enough and that he is too
embarrassed to meetHim with his deeds when he feels that He deserves
much more.
Madaarij as-Saalikeen, 2/325
To sum up:
What you have to do is combine two things and do not omit either of them:
1.
Do not think of your sins as being too great in comparison to the
forgiveness and mercy of Allah, may He be exalted. Rather what
thebeliever fears is his shortcomings in repentance and his
shortcomings in doing acts of obedience that expiate sins. So let this
fear of yours motivate you to do more acts of worship and to ask
Allah,may He be glorified and exalted, sincerely to accept your deeds
and make you among those who are close to Him. Beware of despairing of
the mercy of your Lord, may He be glorified and exalted.
2.
Think positively of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, and hope
for Hisforgiveness, blessing, kindness and mercy that encompasses all
things. So long as you persist in obeying your Lord's commands,
respecting His laws and hastening to obey Him, you should also persist
in thinking positively of Him and that He will accept it from you and
make you steadfast in doing so.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said, commenting on
the hadeeth qudsi, "Allah, may He be exalted, says: 'I am as My slave
thinks I am'" (agreed upon):
Al-Qurtubi said in al-Mufhim: It was said that what is meant by "as My
slave thinks I am" is thinking that one will receive a response
whenoffering du'aa' (supplication), and thinking that it will be
accepted when one repents, and thinking that one will be forgivenwhen
asking for forgiveness, and thinking that one will berewarded when
doing acts of worship, fulfillingall their conditions and believing
sincerely in Hispromise. He said: that is supported by what he said in
another hadeeth:"Call upon Allah when you are certain of receiving a
response." Hence one should strive hard in praying qiyaam with the
certainty that Allah will accept it and forgive one, because He has
promised that and He does not break His promises. If he believes or
thinks that Allah will not accept it and that it is of no benefit,
this is despairing of the mercy of Allah, which is a majorsin. If a
person dies in such a state, he will be left to what he thought, as it
says in some narrations of the hadeeth quoted above: "Let My slave
think of Meas he wishes." As for thinking that one will beforgiven
whilst persisting in sin, that is pure ignorance and delusion, and
leads to the view of the Murji'ah.
Fath al-Baari, 13/386
We ask Allah to accept your righteous deeds from you, and to make your
Hajj accepted, and to grant you the best and greatest reward.
And Allah knows best.

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
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The Status of Woman in Islam

The status of woman in Islam constitutes no problem. The attitude of
the Qur'an and the early Muslims bear witness to the fact that woman
is, atleast, as vital to life as man himself, and that sheis not
inferior to him nor is she one of the lower species. Had it not been
for the impact of foreign cultures and alien influences, this question
would have never arisen among the Muslims. The status of woman was
taken for granted to be equal to that of man. It was a matter of
course, a matter of fact, and no one, then, considered it as a problem
at all.
In order to understand what Islam has established for woman, there is
no need to deplore her plight in the pre-Islamic era or in the modern
would of today. Islam has given woman rights and privileges which she
has never enjoyed under other religious or constitutional systems.
This can be understood when the matter is studied as a whole in a
comparative manner, rather than partially. The rights and
responsibilities of a woman are equal to those of a man but they are
not necessarily identical with them. Equality and sameness are two
quite different things. This difference is understandable because man
and woman are not identical but they are created equals. With this
distinction in mind, Thereis no problem. It is almostimpossible to
find even two identical men or women.
This distinction between equality and sameness is of paramount
importance. Equality is desirable, just, fair; but sameness is not.
People are not created identical but they are created equals. With
this distinction in mind, thereis no room to imagine that woman is
inferior to man. There is no ground to assume that she is less
important than he just because her rights are not identically the same
as his. Had her status been identical with his, she would have been
simply a duplicate of him,which she is not. The fact that Islam gives
her equalrights - but not identical -shows that it takes her into due
consideration, acknowledges her, and recognizes her independent
personality.
It is not the tone of Islam that brands woman as the product of the
devil or the seed of evil. Nor does the Qur'an place man as the
dominant lord of woman who has no choice but to surrender to his
dominance. Nor was it Islam that introduced thequestion of whether or
not woman has any soul in her. Never in the history of Islam has any
Muslim doubted the human status of woman or her possession of soul and
other fine spiritual qualities. Unlike other popular beliefs, Islam
does not blame Eve alonefor the First Sin. The Qur'an makes it very
clearthat both Adam and Eve were tempted; that they both sinned; that
God's pardon was granted to both after their repentance; and that
Godaddressed them jointly. (2:35-36;7:19, 27; 20:117-123). In fact the
Qur'an gives the impression that Adam was more to blame for that First
Sin from which emerged prejudice against woman and suspicion of her
deeds. But Islam does not justify such prejudice or suspicion because
both Adam and Eve were equally in error, and if we are to blame Eve we
should blame Adam as much or even more.
The status of woman in Islam is something unique, something
novel,something that has no similarity in any other system. If we look
to the Eastern Communist worldor to the democratic nations, we find
that woman is not really in a happy position. Her status is not
enviable. Shehas to work so hard to live, and sometimes she may be
doing the same job that a man does but her wage is less than his. She
enjoys a kind of liberty which in some cases amounts to libertinism.
To get to where she is nowadays, woman struggled hard for decades and
centuries. To gain the right of learning and the freedom of work and
earning, she had to offer painful sacrifices and give up many of her
natural rights. To establish her status as a human being possessing a
soul, she paid heavily. Yet in spite of all these costly sacrifices
and painful struggles, she hasnot acquired what Islam has established
by a Divine decree for the Muslim woman.
The rights of woman of modern times were not granted voluntarily or
out of kindness to the female. Modern woman reached her present
position by force, and not through natural processes or mutual consent
or Divine teachings. She had to force her way, and various
circumstances came to her aid. Shortage of manpower during wars,
pressure of economic needs and requirements of industrial developments
forced woman to get out of her home - to work, tolearn, to struggle
for her livelihood, to appear as an equal to man, to run her race in
the course of life side by side with him.She was forced by
circumstances and in turnshe forced herself through and acquired her
new status. Whether all women were pleased with these circumstances
being on their side, and whether they are happy and satisfied with the
results of this course is a different matter. But the fact remains
that whatever rights modern woman enjoys fall short of those of her
Muslim counterpart.
What Islam has established for woman is that which suits her nature,
gives her full security and protects her against disgraceful
circumstances and uncertain channels of life. We do not need hereto
elaborate on the statusof modern woman and the risks she runs to make
her living or establish herself. We do not even need to explore the
miseries and setbacksthat encircle her as a result of the so-called
rights of woman. Nor do we intend to manipulate the situation of many
unhappy homes which break because of the very "freedom" and"rights" of
which modernwoman is proud. Most women today exercise the right of
freedom to go out independently, to work and earn, to pretend to be
equal to man, but this, sadly enough, is at the expenseof their
families. This all known and obvious. What is not known is the status
of woman in Islam.An attempt will be made in the following passagesto
sum up the attitude of Islam with regard to woman.
Woman is recognized by Islam as a full and equal partner of man in the
procreation of humankind. He is the father; she is the mother, and
both are essential forlife. Her role is not less vital than his. By
this partnership she has an equal share in every aspect; she is
entitled to equal rights; she undertakes equal responsibilities, and
in her there are as many qualities and as much humanity as there are
in her partner. To this equalpartnership in the reproduction of human
kind God says:
O mankind! Verily We have created your from asingle (pair) of a male
and a female,m and made you into nations and tribes that you may know
each other... (Qur'an, 49:13; cf. 4:1).
She is equal to man in bearing personal and common responsibilities
and in receiving rewards for her deeds. She is acknowl-edged as an
independent personality,in possession of human qualities and worthy of
spiritual aspirations. Her human nature is neither inferior to nor
deviant from that of man. Both are members of one another. God says:
And their Lord has accepted (their prayers) and answered them
(saying): 'Never will I cause to be lost the work of any of you, be he
maleor female; you are members, one of another... (3:195; cf
9:71;33:35-36;66:19-21).
She is equal to man in the pursuit of education and knowledge. When
Islam enjoins the seekingof knowledge upon Muslims, it makes no
distinction between man and woman. Almost fourteen centuries ago,
Muhammad declared thatthe pursuit of knowledgeis incumbent on every
Muslim male and female. This declaration was veryclear and was
implemented by Muslims throughout history.
She is entitled to freedom of expression as much as man is. Her sound
opinions are takeninto consideration and cannot be disregarded just
because she happen to belong to the female sex. It is reported in the
Qur'an and history that woman not only expressed her opinion freely
but also argued and participated in serious discussions with the
Prophet himself as well as with other Muslimleaders (Qur'an, 58:1-4;
60:10-12). Besides there were occasions when Muslim women
expressedtheir views on legislative matters of public interest,and
stood in opposition to the Caliphs, who then accepted the sound
arguments of these women. A specific example took place during the
Califate of Umar Ibn al-Khattab.
Historical records show that women participated in public life with
the early Muslims, especially in times of emergencies. Women used to
accompany the Muslim armies engaged in battles to nurse the wounded,
prepare supplies, serve the warriors, and so on. Theywere not shut
behind iron bars or considered worthless creatures and deprived of
souls.
Islam grants woman equal rights to contract, to enterprise, to earn
andpossess independently. Her life, her property, herhonor are as
sacred as those of man. If she commits any offense, her penalty is no
less or morethan of man's in a similar case. If she is wronged
orharmed, she gets due compensations equal to what a man in her
position would get (2:178;4:45, 92-93).
Islam does not state theserights in a statistical formand then relax.
It has taken all measures to safeguard them and put them into practice
as integral articles of Faith. It never tolerates those who are
inclined to prejudice against womanor discrimination between man and
woman. Time and again, the Qur'an reproaches those who used to believe
woman to be inferior to man (16:57-59,62; 42:47-59; 43:15-19;
53:21-23).
Apart from recognition ofwoman as an independent human being
acknowledged as equally essential for the survival of humanity, Islam
has given her a share of inheritance. Before Islam, she was notonly
deprived of that share but was herself considered as property tobe
inherited by man. Out of that transferable property Islam made an
heir, acknowledging the inherent human qualifiesin woman. Whether she
is a wife or mother, a sister or daughter, she receives a certain
share of the deceased kin's property, a share which depends on her
degree of relationship to the deceased and the number of heirs. This
share is hers, and no one can take it away or disinherit her. Even if
the deceased wishes to deprive her by making a will to other relations
or in favor of any other cause, the Law will not allow him to do so.
Any proprietor is permitted to make his will within the limit of
one-third of his property, so he may not affect the rights of his
heirs, men and women. In the case of inheritance, the questionof
quality and sameness is fully applicable. In principle, both man and
woman are equally entitled to inherit the property of the deceased
relations but the portionsthey get may vary. In some instances man
receives two shares whereas woman gets one only. This no sign of
giving preference or supremacy to man over woman.The reasons why man
gets more in these particular instances may be classified as follows:
*.
First man, is the person solely responsible for the complete
maintenance of his wife, his family and any other needy relations.
Itis his duty by Law to assume all financial responsibilities and
maintain his dependents adequately.It is also his duty to contribute
financially toall good causes in his society. All financial burdens
are borne by him alone.
*.
Secondly, in contrast, woman has no financial responsibilities
whatsoever except very little of her personal expenses, the high
luxurious things that she likes to have. She is financially secure and
provided for. If she is a wife, her husband is theprovider; if she is
a mother, it is the son; if she is a daughter, it is the father; if
she is a sister; it is the brother, and so on. If she has no relations
on whom she can depend, then there is no question of inheritance
because there is nothing to inherit and there is no one to bequeath
anything to her. However, she will not be left to starve, maintenance
of such a woman is the responsibility of the society as a whole, the
state. She may be given aid or a job to earn her living, and whatever
money she makes will be hers. She is not responsible for the
maintenance of anybody else besides herself. If there is a manin her
position, he would still be responsible for his family and possibly
any of his relations who need his help. So, in the hardest situation
her financial responsi-bility is limited, while his is unlimited.
*.
Thirdly, when a woman gets less than a man does, she is not actually
deprived of anything that she has worked for.The property inherited is
not the result of her earning or her endeavors. It is something coming
to them from a neutral source, something addition-al or extra. It
issomething that neither man or woman struggled for. It is a sort of
aid, and any aid has to be distributed according to the urgent needs
and responsibilities especially when the distribution is regulatedby
the Law of God.
*.
Now, we have a male heir, on one side, burdened with all kinds of
financial responsibilities and liabilities. We have, on the other
side, a female heir with no financial responsibilities at all or at
most with very little of it. In between we have some property andaid
to redistribute by way of inheritance. If we deprive the female
completely, it would be unjust to her because she is related to the
deceased. Likewise, if we always give her a share equal to the man's,
it would be unjust to him. So, instead of doing injustice to either
side, Islam gives the man a larger portion of the inherited property
to help him to meet his family needs and social responsibilities. At
the same time, Islam has notforgotten her altogether, but has given
her a portion to satisfy her very personalneeds. In fact, Islam in
this respect is being more kind to her than to him. Here we can say
that when taken as a whole the rights of woman are equal to those of
man although not necessarily identical(see Qur'an, 4:11-14, 176).
In some instances of bearing witness to certain civil con-tracts, two
men are required or one man and two women. Again, this is no
indication of the woman being inferior to man. It is a measure of
securing the rights of the contracting parties, because woman as a
rule,is not so experienced in practical life as man. This lack of
experience may cause a loss to any party in a given contract. So the
Law requires that at least two women should bear witness with one man.
if a woman of the witness forgets something, the other onewould remind
her. Or if she makes an error, due to lack of experience, theother
would help to correct her. This is a precautionary measure to
guarantee honest transactions and proper dealings between people. In
fact, it gives woman a role to play in civil life and helps to
establish justice. At any rate, lack of experience in civil life does
not necessarily mean that women is inferior to manin her status. Every
human being lacks one thing or another, yet no one questions their
human status (2:282).
Woman enjoys certain privileges of which man is deprived. She is
exempt from some religious duties, i.e., prayers and fasting, in her
regular periods and at times of confinement. She is exempt from all
financial liabilities. As a mother, she enjoys more recognition and
higher honor in the sight of God (31:14-15;46:15). The Prophet
acknowledged this honor when he declared that Paradise is under the
feet of the mothers. She is entitled to three-fourths of the son's
love and kindness with one-fourth left for their father. As a wife
sheis entitled to demand of her prospective husband a suitable dowry
that willbe her own. She is entitled to complete provision and total
maintenance by the husband. She does not have to work or share with
her husband the family expenses. She is free to retain, after
marriage, whatever she possessed before it, and the husband has no
right whatsoever to any of her belongings. As a daughter or sister she
is entitled to security and provision by the father and brother
respectively. That is her privilege. If she wishes to work or be
self-supporting and participate in handling the family
responsibilities, she is quite free to do so, provided her integrity
and honor are safeguarded.
The standing of woman in prayers behind man does not indicate in any
sense that she is inferior to him. Woman, as already mentioned, is
exempt from attending congregational prayers which are obligatory on
man. But if she does attend she stands in separate lines made up of
women exclusively . This is a regulation of discipline in prayers, and
not a classification of importance. In men's rows the head of state
stands shoulder to shoulder to the pauper. Men of the highest ranks in
society stand in prayer side by side with other men of the lowest
ranks. The order of lines in prayers is introduced to help every one
to concentrate in his meditation. It is very important because Muslim
prayers are not simply chanting or the sing-a-song type. They involve
actions, motions, standing, bowing, prostration, etc. So if men mix
with women in the same lines, it is possible that something disturbing
or distracting may happen. The mind will become occupied by something
alien to prayer and derailed fromthe clear path of mediation. The
result willbe a loss of the purpose of prayers, besides an offense of
adultery committed by the eye, because the eye-by looking at forbidden
things - can be guilty of adultery as much as the heart itself.
Moreover, no Muslim man or woman is allowed during prayers to touch
the body of another person of the opposite sex. If men and women stand
side by side in prayer they cannot avoid touching each other.
Furthermore, when a woman is praying in front of a manor beside him,
it is very likely that any part of herdressed body may become
uncovered after a certain motion of bowing or prostrating. The man's
eye may happen to be looking at the uncovered part, with the result
that she will beembarrassed and he will be exposed to distractionor
possibly evil thoughts. So, to avoid any embarrassment and distraction
to help concentrate on mediation and pure thoughts, to maintain
harmony and order among worshippers, to fulfill the true purposes of
prayers, Islam has ordained the organization of rows, whereby men
stand in front lines, and women behind the children. Anyone with some
knowledge of the nature and purpose of Muslim prayers can readily
understand the wisdom of organizing the lines ofworshippers in this
manner.
The Muslim woman is always associated with an old tradition known as
the "veil". It is Islamic that the woman should beautify herself with
the veil of honor, dignity, chastity, purity and integrity. She should
refrain from all deeds and gestures that might stir the passions of
people other than her legitimate husband or cause evil suspicion of
her morality. She is warned not to display her charms or expose
herphysical attractions before strangers. The veilwhich she must put
on is one that can save her soul from weakness, her mind from
indulgence, her eyes from lustful looks, and her personality from
demoralization. Islam is most concerned with the integrity of woman,
with the safeguarding of her morals and morale and with the protection
of her character and personality (cf. Qur'an, 24:30-31).
By now it is clear that thestatus of woman in Islam is unprecedentedly
high and realistically suitable to her nature. Her rights and duties
are equal to those of man but not necessarily or absolutely identical
with them. If she is deprived of one thing in some aspect, she is
fully compensated for it with more things in many other aspects. The
fact that she belongs to the female sex has no bearing on her human
status or independent personality, and it is no basis for
justification of prejudice against her or injustice to her person.
Islam gives her as much as is required of her. Her rights match
beautifully with her duties. The balance between rights and duties is
maintained,and no side overweighs the other. The whole status of woman
is given clearly in the Qur'anic verse which may be translated as
follows:
And women shall have rights similar to the rights against them,
according to what is equitable; but man have a degree (of advantage as
in some cases of inheritance) over them (2:228).
This degree is not a title of supremacy or an authorization of
dominance over her. It is to correspond with the extra
responsibilities of man and give him some compensation for his
unlimited liabilities. The above mentioned verse isalways interpreted
in thelight of another (4:34).
It is these extra responsibilities that give man a degree over woman
in some economic aspects. It is not a higher degree in humanity or in
character.Nor is it a dominance of one over the other or suppression
of one by the other. It is a distribution of God's abundance according
to the needs of the nature of which God is the Maker. And He knows
best what is good for woman and what is goodfor man. God is absolutely
true when He declares:
mankind! reverence yourGuardian-Lord, Who created you from a
singleperson, and created of like nature his mate, and from them twain
scattered (like seeds) countless men and women (4:1).

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* Sayyid-il-Istighfaar:

Sayyid-il-Istighfaar:
It is related that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu AlaiheWasallam) once
remarked that the following prayer was Sayyid-il-Istighfaar (the
leader of all the prayer ofIstighfaar).
O Allah! Thou art my Lord.There is no God save thee. Thou art my
Creatorand I am Thy slave. I abide by Thy covenant and promise as best
as I can. I seek refuge in Theefrom the mischief of what I have
wrought. I acknowledge unto Thee Thy favour which Thou hast bestowed
upon me, I also confess my sins; so forgive me, for none forgiveth
sins save Thee.
Says the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam):
"He who will offer repentance and beg the forgiveness of Allah
(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) reciting this prayer with faith and sincerity
during day-timethen if he died on that day before nightfall, he shall
go to Heaven, and he who will recite it at night, with faith and
sincerity, and then if he died on that night, before day-break, he
shall go to Heaven."
The three Kalimahs of Taubah we have mentioned above are quite easy to remember.
"Blessed, indeed, is the man in whose record the profusion of Taubah
is written."
What has been stated in these lessons of this smallvolume will,
InshaaAllah, suffice for anyone for theattainment of Divine pleasure
and paradise. It seems appropriate here to give a brief resume of the
whole discussion before bringing the bookto a close.
The first principle of Islam and the most essential prerequisite of
deliverance and the attainments of paradise is that a man affirms his
faith in the Kalimah of After that, he should try to acquire knowledge
of the tenets of Islam at least as far as it is necessary to know them
in order to be a good Muslim. His constant endeavour should be to
observe the Islamic teachings faithfully and to carry outsincerely the
Divine commandments regarding the Rights of Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) as well as the Rights of man and good social and moral
behaviour. When there may occur a lapse on his part in respect of
these matters he should feel genuinely sorry over it and repent to
Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) and seek His forgiveness. He should
resolve honestly not to be guilty of the transgression again. If hehas
transgressed against a fellow being by violating his rights or doing
him any other harm he should seek his pardon and make amends for his
fault or misconduct or pay suitable compensation asthe case my be.
In the same way, the effort of a Muslim should always be that the love
of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) and of His Apostle (Sallallahu Alaihe
Wasallam) and his Faith should be stronger in his heart than that of
anyone or anything else in the world. He should remain steadfast in
faith and waver not in the least form the path of duty to Allah
(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) and the Prophet (Sallallahu AlaiheWasallam)
whatever the circumstances are. He should also, as a matter of duty,
take some part or another in the preaching and propagation of Islam.
It isan act of outstanding virtue and merit and a most special legacy
of theProphets. In the present age, particularly, its valueis
much greater than that of all other forms of prayers and worships
(other than obligatory) and when a person devotes himself to it, his
devotion to Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa), the Prophet (Sallalla!iu
Alaihe Wasallam) and the Faith also develops and becomes stronger.
Among the other prayers,if possible, one should develop the habit of
Tahajjud. Its auspiciousness is of the very highest.
One must always be on one's guard against sin, specially against the
major sins, like adultery, stealing, falsehood, drinkand dishonest in
monetary affairs.
It is advisable to do someZikr every day. In case it may not be
possible to spare more time for it, one should recite at least
Kalimah-i Tamjid.
Or only and Istighfaar and Durood Shareef, a hundred timeseach,
morning and evening.
Time should also be set aside for the daily reading of the Holy
Quraan. It should be done with due religious respect and reverence.
After every obligatory Salaah and at bedtime the
Tasbeehaat-i-Fatimahmay also be recited.
For those who aspire for more, the advice is to seek guidance from a
spiritual mentor who may be worthy of it. The last thing to be said in
this connection is that the company of true, pious and exalted
devotees of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) and attachment and
devotionto them is the very elixir of religious and spiritual
existence. If this can fall to the lot of anyone all the rest will
follow automatically.

TAUBAH

Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) sent down His Apostles into the world
and revealed His Books through them so that men may learn to
distinguish good from evil, virtue from vice, andearn for themselves
Divine approbation and deliverence in the life to come by abstaining
from the wicked and the unlawful and adopting what was good and
virtuous. Thus those who reject the faith and refuse to believe in the
Prophets (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) and theDivine guidence with
which they had been raised up their whole existence. So to speak, is
one of defiance and transgresion. They are totally indifferent to the
message sent down by Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa). They will have
nothing to do with it. Unless they believe in the Messengers and
Apostles raised up by Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) and in the Holy
Scriptures revealed by Him, and particularly in the Last of the
prophets. Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) and theDivine
Book he brought, i.e., the Holy Quraan and accept his guidance they
can never hope to attain the good pleasure of Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) and success and salvation in the Hereafter. The denial of
Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa), His Apostles and His Books is not
pardonable. It cannot be condoned. This fact has been made abundantly
clear by every prophet ofAllah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) during his
time. In any case it is essential for the salvationof the Apostates
and Polytheists that they first of all renounce Apostasy and
Polytheism and take to the path of Faith and Monotheism. Without it
salvation is not possible.
Those who believe in the prophets and affirm theirintention to live
according to their teachings also sometimesfall into error. They are
misled by the Devil or by their own baser instincts and impulses into
committing a sin. For such defaulters Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa)
has kept the door of Taubah (Repentance) open.
Taubah means that if a person slips into folly andbe guilty of a sin
or an act of transgression against the law of Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) he should feel genuinely sorry and ashamed over it, and
resolve sincerely not to do so again, and seek theforgiveness of Allah
(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) with all his heart. It is stated in the Holy
Quraan and the Traditions that by doing only this much a man's sin is
forgiven and he succeeds in winning the pleasure of the Almighty.
It is essential to know that Taubah is not vocal penitence. It is not
at all a matter of uttering so many words of repentance. The sorrow
must be sincere, the shame must be felt in theheart and the resolution
not to repeat the folly and be guilty of the sin again must be totally
genuine.
It is like this, suppose in afit of temper or in a moment of acute
depression a person swallows poison with theintention of killing
himself. But when the poison begins to work and a thousand knives
begin to tear his intestines into pieces andhe knows that death is
near, he repents his folly and cries out in desperation for medical
relief. Now, at that time, his first thought will be that if he
survived he would never touch the poison again or think of committing
suicide. This exactly should be the state of the man who repents after
sin. His heart should be seized bythe fear of Divine Chastisement, the
resolution not to repeat the act again should be an honest resolution
and so also his entreaties to Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) for
forgiveness.
If such a state of feelings is realised by a person in any degree he
should be sure that the stain of sin has been washed way and the gates
of mercy have opened for him. After such a Taubah the sinner is
completely absolved of his sin, he is thoroughly sanctified and
becomes even dearer in the sight of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) than
he was before, so much so that sometimes a person succeeds in
attaining, through Taubah, a place which would be hard to reach even
after a hundred years of prayer and fasting.
All this that we have said on the subject of Taubah was derived
entirely from the twin sources of the Holy Quraan and the Traditions.
We are going now to consider some of the relevant verses of theHoly
Quraan:
O ye who believe! Turn toAllah with sincere repentance: in the hope
that your Lord will remove from you your illsand admit you to Gardens
beneath which rivers flow. [LXVI:8]
Why turn they not to Allah, and seek His forgiveness? For Allah is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. [V:74]
When those come to theewho believe in Our Signs,say: "Peace be on you!
your Lord hath inscribed for Himself (the rule of) Mercy: Verily, if
any of you did evil in ignorance,and thereafter repented, and amended
(his conduct). Lo, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." [VI:54]
"Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) says, 'O My Creatures! you commit
follies day and night and I can forgive them all. So,seek My
forgiveness. I will forgive."
"Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) extends the arms of Mercy and
Forgiveness every night so that the sinners of the day may repent and
seek His pardon and every dayso that the sinners of the night may
repent and seek His pardon and it shall be like this with Allah
(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) till the sun rises from the West near the
Doomsday."
"A man committed a sin and then he prayed to Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa), 'O Lord! I have sinned. Forgive me'.Upon this, the Lord
observed, 'My servant knows that there is a Lord, Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa), who can punish him for his sin as well as forgive. I have
forgiven the sin of My servant.' The person abstained from sin as long
as the Lord wished after which he again went astray and fell into
transgression. He once again prayed to Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa),
'O Lord! I have sinned. Forgive me.'The Lord observed, 'My sinning
servant knows that there is a Lord, Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa), who
can chastise him for sinning as well as forgive. I have forgiven the
sin of My servant'. He remained free from sin as long as the Lord
wished and then was again guilty of it. Once again he prayed to Allah
(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa), 'O Lord! I have sinned. Forgive me'.The Lord
observed, 'My servant knows for certainthat there is a Lord, Allah
(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa), who can punish as well as forgive him for his
sin. I have forgiven the sin of My servant'."
"One who seeks Divine forgiveness after sin, becomes like one who has
never been guilty of a sin."
These Traditions show how Merciful and Oft-Forgiving is the Lord. To
get emboldened by them and to start indulging freely in sinful
activities on the strength of Taubah is not worthy of a Muslim. Such
verses and Traditions should, onthe contrary, lend greater strength to
the love of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa). They should make one feel
that it really was the height of meanness to act against the wishes of
such a Compassionate and Benevolent Lord. If a master be of a most
kind and affectionate nature, would it become his servants to pay back
his kindness and affection by violating his wishes and disobeying his
commands?
What these verses and Traditions seek to conveyis that should a person
succumb to the temptations of the Devil or to his own ignoble desires
and inclinations and commit a sin he mustnot despair of the mercy of
the Lord and lose all hope of salvation. He should, on the other hand,
turn his back immediately on the lapseand try earnestly to remove its
stain through Taubah, by begging Allah(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa), in all
sincerity, His forgiveness. The Almighty, in His Infinite Mercy, will
forgive and instead of being angry with him, Hewill become even more
pleased for regretting sincerely what he had done and turning to Him
hopefully for remission. ATradition states:
"When a man turns to Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) after sin and
repents sincerely for his folly it makes Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa)
even happier than a rider whose mount may have thrown him down in a
vast desert and fled awaywith all the journey's provisions laden on
its back, and, when the rider may have resigned himself to his fate
and satdown under a tree to wait for his death, the animal may return,
all of a sudden, with the provisions intact and the rider may catch
hold of itand blurt out (stupidly) in sheer joy, 'O Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa), Thou, indeed, art my slave and me thy Master'." The
Prophet (Sallallahu AlaiheWasallam) says, "The pleasure, this person
feels after getting his mount back, Allah (Subhaanabu Wata'aalaa)
Almighty is pleased more than that ifhis sinner servant repents."
If, after knowing these verses and Traditions, someone still fails to
seekDivine forgiveness and approbation by offering repentance for his
sins through Taubah and resolving not to fall into error again he,
emphatically, is most unfortunate.
Many people are inclinedto take a most complacent attitude, towards
Taubah. They say, "We are healthy and strong, so what's the hurry? We
will do Taubahbefore dying." Brothers! This is an extremely dangerous
deception which the Devil practices on us. Deprived as he hashimself
of Divine Mercy and Beneficence and earned a permanent abode in the
Hell, he wants us also to go his way. No one knows when death may
strike. Thus, we should considerevery day to be the last day of our
lives and lose no time in begging the forgiveness of Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) if and when we have been guilty of an evil. This, alone,
is the path of wisdom. It is stated candidly in the Holy Quraan that:
Allah accepts the repentance of those whodo evil in ignorance, and
repent soon afterwards; to them will Allah turn in mercy, for Allah is
full of knowledge and wisdom. Of no effect is the repentance of those
whocontinue to do evil, until death faces one of them, and he says,
"Now have I repented indeed!" Nor ofthose who die rejecting faith: for
them have We prepared a punishment most grievous. [V:17-18]
We should catch time by the forelock and realise the value of life
that is left to us. We should not put off Taubah by a moment; we must
not procrastinate. We ought to set about, at once, reforming our ways.
Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) alone knowswhen death is going to make
its call on us, and then, it may be too late. Who can tell whether, at
that time, we will get theopportunity to offer Taubah or not?
Brothers! We all have seen people dying. The general experience is
that a person dies in the same state in which he has led his life. It
does not happen that a personmay have spent all his days in folly and
negligence and, then, suddenly repented and turned into a saint a day
or two before his death. Hence, a man who wants to die in a state of
Taqwaa, for him it is necessary to become pious in his lifetime. Then
alone can he hope to die as a good Muslim, by the grace of Allah
(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa), and to be raised up with the faithful and the
righteous in the Hereafter.
If after offering repentance for a sin a person may be guilty of the
same sin again there is no need for him to feelso frustrated over it
as to lose faith in Divine Mercifulness. He should offer Taubah
quickly again, and if again he may break it, he should not hesitate in
offering itonce more even if it be a thousand times. Whenever he will
repent with a sincere heart it is the promise of Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) that He will accept his repentance and forgive him. The
benevolence of the Lord, and His Paradise, is infinite.
Words of Taubah
From the foregoing it would have been clear that in words or language
a person may offer Taubah Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) will listen
and accept his penitence.But the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe
Wasallam) has laid down certain specific phrases or prayers in this
regard which he used to recite himself. These prayers, surely, are
most auspicious, most worthy of His acceptance and most pleasing to
Him. Weare reproducing some of these here for you to learn by heart
and recite for seeking divine forgiveness.
I beg the forgiveness of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) save Whom there
is no God, the living, the Eternal. Unto Him do I turn penitent.
The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) has said, "Whoever will offer
penitence to Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) and implore His forgiveness
through this Kalimah, Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) will forgive him
even if he has fled ofJihad which is a most mortal sin in the sight of
Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa)."
And again: "Whoever willrecite this Kalimah thrice before going to
sleep Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) will forgive his sins even though
theymay be as profuse as the foam of the sea."
Sometimes the sacred Prophet (Sallallahu AlaiheWasallam) used to
recite only (I implore the forgiveness of the Lord). It is a very
brief phrase and we should try to cultivate the habit of repeating it
every now and then.

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
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True stories » Am I jealous or is he a philanderer?

I am trying to answer thisquestion, but trust me, it's very difficult!
I love my husband very much; we have been married for 8 years now, the
first three of which we were separated, because we used to live in
different countries. But now we are already together.
It was all perfect at the beginning and I was even scared to share it,
because we all know the saying that "Too much good is not good".
I started noticing that whenever we are in a company with lots of
handsome men around, my husband stays close and is very kind to me. I
find this normal and it actually really pleases me.I think this is the
normal way to treat your wife. I love showing people how much I love
my husband and it makes mehappy when they see it, and when I do it.
The problem is that when we are in a company with lots of pretty
women, he changes completely: he doesn't touch me at all, even more,
he keeps away from me or if I manage to somehow demonstrate that he is
my husband and I love him, he acts unpleasantly surprised and stands
still, but with the other women he is smiling and more than friendly.
Sometimes he would talk to a woman over my seat for 10-15 minutes and
never even look at me, not to mention to includeme in the
conversation. I sometimes think of leaving the place in orderto see
how much time it would take him to realizethat I'm gone.
I think it would take him at least an hour, if in the meantime he
doesn't see a handsome man close by.
Every time he is introduced to a woman, he would hug her, which I find
normal, but then hewould look her over fromhead to toe while talkingto
her. Another thing, whenever a woman calls him on the phone he is so
enthusiastic, and if you hear him you would think it's the happiest
day of his life, but then when I call him, he is awfully indifferent,
it is so terrible. He acts the same way when I tell himhis favorite
team won over their biggest competitor for the title.
Having described that (I have plenty more cases to share, it's so sad
that the unpleasant memoriesare now more than the pleasant ones)
please help me understand if I am being too jealous.
I need your advice badly, because I am on the edgeof a divorce!
Thank you in advance!

True stories » Cheating was the best thing I ever did.

At the tender age of twenty years, I have beenlucky enough to fall in
love 3 times. Sometimes I think I fall in love too easy. Or maybe I
have justbeen lucky. Or have I merely followed the way I think
relationships should go, conducive of media pressures?
The reason I bring this upis a recent actualisation of my long
oppressed feelings towards a guy, who is relatively new in my life.
Warren, a colleague from work, had given me the most emotionally
confusing, yet amazing 6 months of my life. Trying to work out what I
want, and my feelings for him amongst this, has been indescribably
scary. But ithas also brought me to some sort of awakening.
Intrigued?! I hope so.
I'll start with the past. My first boyfriend, Peter, was a great guy.
I was 15 and he was two years older than me in school. He played the
drums and was a little bit rebellious, without being too mad for my
church going parents. We really were madly in love, but in the end we
grew more into best friends than anything else. I don't regret my time
with any of my past boyfriends, but as Peter and I figuredout how this
whole 'relationship' idea worked, we realise we were growing apart and
we had become too different. We had a few months of being on and off,
and then one night I met Matt.
I was just turned 18 and Iwas enjoying going out with my friends to
bars and clubs I never could have before. As Peter wasolder, he had
been there,done that. I met Matt on NYE after Peter and I had a huge
fight. Matt was popular, just a year older than me and clearly worked
out a lot. I thought he has definitelytoo good looking for a slightly
quirky, rocky girl like me. But we had fun together and he took my
number. We texted back and forth for a bit, nothing too flirty even,
until I broke up with Peter a few weeks later, Ihad had enough of
beingignored. Then things changed. We fell in love and had a great
year together. We ended up atthe same university and I loved that we
spent so much time together and could enjoy going out together and
with groups of friends, something Peter would never allow me to do.
After we were together ayear, Matt got a job as a Trainee Paramedic,
and dropped out of university. It was great, a fantastic opportunity
to have a brilliant career. I was so supportive, even though his
training meant I only saw him once a week. For the firstfew months I
made the effort to go visit him some nights after he had finished his
training in Belfast, but when I realised the effort wasn't being
reciprocated, I quickly became bored and felt like there had to be
something more.
Then we have the present. Warren is six years older than me, funny as
hell, a Civil Engineering graduate, currently working in Tesco.
Imagine Clark Kent, that's what he lookslike. I started in Tesco in
May. Matt and I were okay, but nowhere near as good as we were. For
the first while, Warren and I didn't really speak. We were being
nasty; wejust didn't know each other.
One night I was out with my two best friends, Rebecca and Rachel. We
met a guy James, who it turns out was good friends with Warren.
Drunkenly, (but thank god) Rachel and I decided it would be a good
idea to text Warrenon James phone, and do a bit of flirting. I had
always though he was good looking, but as I was in a relationship
andhe was older, it never crossed my mind. That night I got his
number. We started flirting via text. Then we started sexting. It
started as a bit of fun, I don't think either of us ever though it
would come to anything. We started getting closer; I liked his sharp
sense of humour and his emotional and well as academic intelligence.
Then, there was the first night we kissed. I met him in Tesco car
park. (Classy, I know.) He got into my car and we talked for hours
about absolutely everything. And we could have talkedfor longer, but
the sun was coming up. For the first time in my life, I felt like
someone really understood me, and someone was actually interested. He
seemed to want to know everythingabout me. The sexual tension was
still there, we just realised; 'Shit, this might be more than sex.'
We kissed. I freaked out.
I felt so guilty; I never wanted to be the girl who cheated on her
boyfriend. It wasn't who I was. I was meant to be loyal, trustworthy,
and honest. But we kept coming back to each other. At the time I read
astory about passion and saw the word 'inevitability'. To me, this
described us.
But I hated not being in control of my own emotions. I tried to do
what I thought other people wanted, what I thought was right, and what
other people expected. So I told Warren we had to stop. The look on
his face when I told him this was the exact moment I knewI was in love
with him.
Things were weird for a few days, but it gave me the chance to get my
head around the fact thatthings with Matt were over. I secretly
resented Matt, how did he not know I was in love with someone else?
How couldhe not see? I wanted to be with Warren. In every way.
So I broke it off with Matt. It was hard, he was oblivious to it all,
so it was a complete shock. I have never looked back. Iregret hurting
him, but I don't regret what I did.
Warren and I got together. The sex was amazing (and still is), after
all the months of built up sexual tension. He makes me laugh like no
one else. He makes mefeel appreciated. He protects me, but not in a
patronising way. We have both intelligent conversation, and the most
stupid, random and childish conversation. I am head over heels.
For the first time in my life, I am scared. Scared of this
disappearing, scared of what the futurebrings, and scared of how good
things could be.
It's inevitable. It's out of my control, and I fucking love it.

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

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Jafar ibn Abi Talib - Biographies of the Companions (Sahabah)

In spite of his noble standing among the Quraysh, Abu Talib, an uncle
of the Prophet, was quite poor. He had a large familyand did not have
enough means to support them adequately. His poverty-stricken
situation became much worse when a severe drought hit the Arabian
peninsula. The drought destroyed vegetation and livestock and, it is
said, people were driven to eat bones in the struggle for survival.
It was during this time of drought, before his call to prophethood,
that Muhammad said to his uncle, al Abbas: "Yourbrother, Abu Talib,
has a large family. People as you see have been afflicted by this
severe drought and are facing starvation. Let us go to Abu Taliband
take over responsibility for some of his family. It will take one of
his sons and you can taken another and we will look after them."
"What you suggest is certainly righteous and commendable," replied
al-Abbas, and together they went to Abu Talib and said to him: "We
want to ease some of the burden of your family until such time as this
distressing period has gone." Abu Talib agreed.
"If you allow me to keep Aqeel (one of his sons older than Ali), then
you may do whatever you like ," he said.
It was in this way that Muhammad took Ali into his household and
al-Abbas took Jafar into his. Jafar had a very close resemblance to
the Prophet. It is said there were five men from the Hashim clan who
resembled the Prophet so much, they were often mistakenfor him. They
were: Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith and Qutham ibn al-Abbas both of whom
were cousins of his. As-Saib ibn Ubayd,the grandfather of Imam ash
Shafi: al-Hasan ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet, who resembled
him most of all; and Jafar ibn Abi Talib.
Jafar stayed with his uncle, al-Abbas, until he was a young man. Then
he married Asma bintUmays, a sister of Maymunah who was later to
become a wife of the Prophet. After his marriage, Jafar went to live
on his own. He and his wife were among the first persons to accept
Islam. He became a Muslim at the hands of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may God
be pleased with him.
The young Jafar and his wife were devoted followers of Islam.They bore
the harsh treatment and the persecution of the Quraysh with patience
and steadfastness because they bothrealized that the road to Paradise
was strewn with thorns and paved with pain and hardship.
The Quraysh made life intolerable for them both and for their brethren
in faith. They tried to obstruct them from observing or performing the
duties and rites of Islam. They prevented them from tasting the full
sweetness of worship undisturbed. The Quraysh waylaid them at every
turn and severely restricted their freedomof movement.
Jafar eventually went to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and sought
permission for himself and a small group of theSahabah, including his
wife, to make hijrah to the land of Abyssinia. With great sadness, the
Prophet gave his permission.It pained him that these pure and
righteous souls should be forced to leave their homes and the familiar
and cherished scenes and memories of their childhood and youth, not
for anycrime but only because they said, "Our Lord is One. Allah is
our Lord."
The group of Muhajirin left Makkah bound for the land of Abyssinia.
Leading them was Jafar ibn Abi Talib. Soon they settled down in this
new land under the care and protection ofthe Negus, the just and
righteous ruler of Abyssinia. For the first time since they became
Muslims, they savoured the tasteof freedom and security and enjoyed
the sweetness of worship undisturbed.
When the Quraysh learnt of the departure of the small group of Muslims
and the peaceful life they enjoyed under the protection of the Negus,
they made plans to secure their extradition and their return to the
great prison that was Makkah. They sent two of their most formidable
men, Amr ibn al-Aas and Abdullah ibn Abi Rabiah, to accomplish this
task and loaded them with valuable and much sought after presents for
the Negus and his bishops.
In Abyssinia, the two Quraysh emissaries first presented their girls
to the bishops and to each of them they said: "There are some wicked
young people moving about freely in the King's land. They have
attacked the religion of their forefathers and caused disunity among
theirpeople. When we speak to the King about them, advise him to
surrender them to us without his asking them about their religion. The
respected leaders of their own people are more aware of them and know
better what they believe."
The bishops agreed.
Amr and Abdullah then went to the Negus himself and presented him with
gifts which he greatly admired. They said to him: "O King, there is a
group of evil persons from among our youth who have escaped to
yourkingdom. They practice a religion which neither we nor you know.
They have forsaken our religion and have not entered into your
religion. The respected leaders of their people- from among their own
parentsand uncles and from their own clans - have sent us to you to
request you to return them. They know best what trouble they have
caused."
The Negus looked towards his bishops who said: "They speak the truth,
O King. Their own people know them better and are better acquainted
with whatthey have done. Send them back so that they themselves might
judge them."
The Negus was quite angry with this suggestion and said: "No. ByGod, I
won't surrender them to anyone until I myself call them and question
them about what they have been accused. If what these two men have
said is true,then I will hand them over to you. If however it is not
so, then I shall protect them so long as they desire to remain under
my protection."
The Negus then summoned the Muslims to meet him. Before going, they
consulted with one another as a group and agreed that Jafar ibn Abi
Talib and no one else should speak on their behalf.
In the court of the Negus, the bishops, dressed in green surplises and
impressive headgear, were seated on his right and on his left. The
Qurayshite emissaries were also seated when the Muslims entered and
took their seats. The Negus turned to them and asked:
"What is this religion which you have introduced for yourself andwhich
has served to cut you off from the religion of your people? You also
did not enter my religion nor the religion of any other community."
Jafar ibn Abi Talib then advancedand made a speech that was moving and
eloquent and which is still one of the most compelling descriptions of
Islam, the appeal of the noble Prophet and the condition of Makkan
society at the time. He said: "O King, we were a people in a state of
ignorance and immorality, worshipping idols and eating the flesh of
dead animals, committing all sorts of abomination and shameful deeds,
breaking the ties of kinship, treating guests badly and the strong
among us exploited the weak. "We remained in this state until
Allahsent us a Prophet, one of our own people whose lineage,
truthfulness, trustworthiness and integrity were well-known to us. "He
called us to worship Allah alone and to renounce the stones and the
idols which we and our ancestors used to worship besides Allah.
"He commanded us to speak thetruth, to honor our promises, to be kind
to our relations, to be helpful to our neighbors, to cease all
forbidden acts, to abstain from bloodshed, to avoid obscenities and
false witness, not to appropriate an orphan's property nor slander
chaste women.
"He ordered us to worship Allah alone and not to associate anything
with him, to uphold Salat, to give Zakat and fast in the month of
Ramadan.
"We believed in him and what he brought to us from Allah and we follow
him in what he has asked us to do and we keep away from what he
forbade us from doing.
"Thereupon, O King, our people attacked us, visited the severest
punishment on us to make us renounce our religion and take us back to
the old immorality and the worship of idols.
"They oppressed us, made life intolerable for us and obstructed us
from observing our religion. So we left for your country, choosing you
before anyone else, desiring your protection and hoping to live in
Justice and in peace m your midst."
The Negus was impressed and was eager to hear more. He asked Jafar:
"Do you have with you something of what your
Prophet brought concerning God?" "Yes," replied Jafar.
"Then read it to me," requested the Negus. Jafar, in his rich,
melodious voice recited for him the first portion of Surah Maryam
which deals with the story of Jesus and his mother Mary.
On hearing the words of the Quran, the Negus was moved to tears. To
the Muslims, he said:"The message of your Prophet and that of Jesus
came from the same source..." To Amr and his companion, he said:" Go.
For, by God, I will never surrender them to you." That, however, was
not the end of the matter. The wily Amr made up his mind to go to the
King the following day "to mention something about the Muslims belief
which will certainly fill his heart with angerand make him detest
them" On the morrow, Amr went to the Negus and said:
"O King, these people to whom you have given refuge and whom you
protect say something terrible about Jesus the son of Mary (that he is
a slave). Send for them and ask them what they say about him."
The Negus summoned the Muslims once more and Jafar acted as their
spokesman. The Negus put the question: "What do you say about Jesus,
the son of Mary?"
"Regarding him, we only say what has been revealed to our Prophet ,"
replied Jaffar. "And what is that?" enquired the Negus.
"Our Prophet says that Jesus is the servant of God and His Prophet.
His spirit and His word which He cast into Mary the Virgin."
The Negus was obviously excitedby this reply and exclaimed: "By God,
Jesus the son of Mary was exactly as your Prophet has described him"
The bishops around the Negus grunted in disgust at what they had heard
and were reprimanded by the Negus. He turned to the Muslims and said:
"Go, for you are safe and secure. Whoever obstructs you will pay for
it and whoever opposes you will be punished. For, by God, I would
rather not have a mountain of gold than that anyone of you should come
to any harm."
Turning to Amr and his companion, he instructed his attendants:
"Return their gifts to these two men. I have no need of them." Amr and
his companion left broken and frustrated. The Muslims stayed on in the
land of the Negus who proved to be most generous andkind to his
guests.
Jafar and his wife Asma spent about ten years in Abyssinia which
became a second home for them. There, Asma gave birthto three children
whom they named Abdullah, Muhammad and Awn. Their second child
waspossibly the first child in the history of the Muslim Ummah to be
given the name Muhammad after the noble Prophet, may God bless him and
grant him peace.
In the seventh year of the hijrah,Jafar and his family left
Abyssiniawith a group of Muslims and headed for Madinah. When they
arrived the Prophet was just returning from the successful conquest of
Khaybar. He was so overjoyed at meeting Jafar that he said: "I do not
know what fills me with more happiness, the conquest of Khaybar or the
coming of Jafar."
Muslims in general and the poor among them especially were just as
happy with the return of Jafar as the Prophet was. Jafar quickly
became known as a person who was much concerned for the welfare of the
poor and indigent. For this he was nicknamed, the "Father of the
Poor". Abu Hurayrah said of him: "The best of men towards us indigent
folk was Jafar ibn AbiTalib. He would pass by us on hisway home and
give us whatever food he had. Even if his own food had run out, he
would sendus a pot in which he had placed some butterfat and nothing
more. We would open it and lickit clean..."
Jafar's stay in Madinah was not long. At the beginning of the eighth
year of the hijrah, the Prophet mobilized an army to confront
Byzantine forces in Syria because one of his emissaries who had gone
in peace had been treacherously killed by a Byzantine governor. He
appointed Zayd ibn Harithah as commander of the army and gave the
following instructions:"If Zayd is wounded or killed, Jafar ibn Abi
Talib would take over the command. If Jafar is killed or wounded, then
your commander would be Abdullah ibn Rawahah. If Abdullah ibn Rawahah
is killed, then let the Muslims choose for themselves acommander."
The Prophet had never given such instructions to an army before and
the Muslims took thisas an indication that he expected the battle to
be tough and that they would even suffer major losses.
When the Muslim army reached Mutah, a small village situated among
hills in Jordan, they discovered that the Byzantines had amassed a
hundred thousand men backed up by a massive number of Christian Arabs
from the tribes of Lakhm, Judham, Qudaah and others. TheMuslim army
only numbered three thousand.
Despite the great odds against them, the Muslim forces engaged the
Byzantines in battle. Zayd ibn al-Harithah, the beloved companion of
the Prophet, was among the first to fall. Jafar ibn Abi Talib then
assumed command. Mounted onhis ruddy-complexioned horse, he penetrated
deep into the Byzantine ranks. As he spurred his horse on, he called
out: "Howwonderful is Paradise as it draws near! How pleasant and cool
is its drink! Punishment for the Byzantines is not far away!" Jafar
continued to fight vigorously but was eventually slain. The third in
command, Abdullah ibn Rawahah, also fell. Khalid ibn al-Walid, the
inveterate fighter who had recently accepted Islam, was then chosen as
the commander. He made a tactical withdrawal, redeployed the Muslims
and renewed the attack from severaldirections. Eventually, the bulk of
the Byzantine forces fled in disarray.
The news of the death of his three commanders reached the Prophet in
Madinah. The pain and grief he felt was intense. He went to Jafar's
house and met his wife Asma. She was getting ready to receive her
absent husband. She had prepared dough and bathed and clothed the
children. Asma said: "When the Messenger of God approached us, I saw a
veil of sadness shrouding his noble face and I became very
apprehensive. But I did not dare ask him about Jafar for fear that I
would hear some unpleasant news. He greeted and asked, 'Where are
Jaffar's children?' I called them for him and they came and crowded
around him happily, each one wanting to claim him for himself. He
leaned over and hugged them while tears flowed from his eyes.
'O Messenger of God,' I asked, 'why do you cry? Have you heard
anything about Jafar and his twocompanions?'
'Yes,' he replied. 'They have attained martyrdom.' The smilesand the
laughter vanished from the faces of the little children when they
heard their mother crying and wailing. Women came and gathered around
Asma.
"O Asma," said the Prophet,"don't say anything objectionable and don't
beat your breast." He then prayed to God to protect and sustain the
family of Jafar and assured themthat he had attained Paradise.
The Prophet left Asma's house and went to his daughter Fatimah who was
also weeping. To her, he said: "For such as Jafar, you can (easily)
cry yourselfto death. Prepare food for Jafar'sfamily for today they
are beside themselves with grief."

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤

Does the Bible Teach ThatJesus is God?

All thanks are due to Allah; May Allah's blessings be on all of His
Prophets from Adam to Nu`h (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses),and
`Esa (Jesus), and ending with Allah's Final and Last Prophet and
Messenger, Prophet Muhammad.
Islam teaches that `Esa (Jesus) the Masee`h (Messiah) is an
honorableprophet from Allah and that his mother Maryam (Mary) is, as
Prophet Muhammad described her, the best among the women of the world;
(Fat`h al-Bari). I bear witness that Prophet `Esa (Jesus) was born
miraculously, that he spoke in the cradle and declared Allah (I) as
the One and Only True Lord and Ilah (God),
{O, People of the Scripture (Christians)! Do not exceed the limits in
your religion, nor say of Allâh aught but the truth.The Messiah 'Îsâ
(Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), was (no more than) a Messenger of Allâh
and His Word, ("Be!" — and he was) which He bestowed on Maryam (Mary)
and a spirit (Rûh) created by Him; so believe in Allâh and His
Messengers. Say not: "Three (trinity)!" Cease! (It is) better for you.
For Allâh is (the only) One Ilâh ('God'), glory is to Him (Far Exalted
is He) above having a son. To Him belong all that is in the heavens
and all that is in the earth. And Allâh is All-Sufficient as a
Disposer of affairs. The Messiah will never be proud to reject to be a
slave of Allâh, nor the angels who are the near (to Allâh).}
(4:171-172)
Question: Can you summarize the entire foundation of the religion of
Islam in abouta minute?
Answer: 'Yes, I can. Pleasestart counting the seconds.'
In one of his Hadeeths, Muhammad (r), the Prophet of Allah, mentioned
all six pillars of Eman, the Islamic Faith, when he (r) said that
'Eman' is,
" أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلاَئِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ
وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَتُؤْمِنَ بِالْقَدَرِ خَيْرِهِ وَشَرِّهِ "
"To believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers and in the
Last Day; and to believe in the al-Qadar (Predestination), both the
good and the evil it may bring" (Muslim).
Also, Muhammad (r), the Prophet of Islam, collected all five pillars
ofIslam in one statement, when he said,
" بُنِيَ الإِسْلاَمُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ
اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَإِقَامِ الصَّلاَةِ
وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ وَالْحَجِّ وَصَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ "
"Islam is based on (the following) five (principles): To testify that
there is no deity (owing the right to be worshipped) but Allah and
that Muhammad is Allah's Messenger; to offer the (compulsory) prayers
dutifully and perfectly; to pay Zakat (obligatory charity); to perform
Hajj (Pilgrimage to Makkah); and to fast during [the lunar month of]
Ramadan" (Bukhari and Muslim).
I am done! You see, Islamis built on the six pillars of Eman (Faith),
and Faithexists in the heart, affirmation of the faith with the
tongue, and performing the remaining four practical pillars of Islam.
This is a brief, clear, plain and most powerful creed. These
statements are found throughout the Quran and Prophetic Sunnah
Traditions. Thesefoundations, if embracedand practiced, make one a
faithful believer. This isthe entire foundation of the religion of
Islam. Really, I am done!
The Christian creed with regards to the nature of God is a mystery as
we often hear from advocates of the divinity of Jesus and his place in
the Christian Trinity, such as using this type of title: 'The
Incomprehensible Nature of God and his Son'. Agreed! The Christian
creed is incomprehensible, and a mystery. Firstly, no one can explain
what the divinity of Jesus really means or how this concept is
supposed to work within the Trinity, or where this concept came from
or where it is going. Secondly, how can billions of Christians
believe in a creed built on an elaborate scheme of, 'This could mean
that; that may mean this; probably; may be; it is possible; we could
say'; and so forth? This is where advocates of the divinity of Jesus
'glue together' a creed based on vague verses that are twisted and
corrupted to mean what they do not mean. Hence, advocates of
Christianity need long minutes and substantial effort to prove their
creed, because their creed does not exist to begin with. They need
substantial time and extensive effort to manufacture a creed based on
texts that are atbest vague and could mean a host of things. Can we
ask Christendom to simply quote Jesus as saying, 'People: I am God;I
created you; worship me; I am one in three andthree in one; worship
theHoly Ghost; the Holy Ghost is God; Trinity is thecreed to follow; I
am divine.' Instead, we always hear the usual blend of verses
distorted to force them to mean what they do not mean to support a
creed that does not exist in the Bible.
'Does the Bible Teach thatJesus is God?' There are five aspects to
discuss here found in the title itself: God; Jesus; The Bible;
'Twinity'; and God'sTrue Name.
Is Jesus God?
What is the Biblical proof that Jesus is God? Is it thesame old
evidence that mankind has been hearing from Christianity for almost
1,700 years? Evidence the Jews vehemently deny exists inthe OT, while
Muslims andcountless Christians vehemently deny it exists in the OT or
the NT? Let's discuss this so-called evidence. Inshaallah (Allah
willing), I will mention Biblical texts to prove that the Bible says
that Jesus is NOT God. Wewill assert this fact in different ways.
"God is not a man" (Numbers 23:19).
Agreed! Jesus is a man, as the Bible testifies, "Jesus of Nazareth, a
man" (Acts 2:22); "…and being found in fashion asa man" (Philippians
2:8). Therefore, according to the Bible, Jesus is not God.
"God is not a man … neither the son of man" (Numbers 23:19).
Agreed! Jesus, a man, so often said this about himself, "For the Son
of man is come to save that which was lost" (Matthew 18:11).
Therefore, according to the Bible, Jesus is not God, since God,
accordingto the Bible, is neither a man nor the son of man, while
Jesus is a man and the son of man, who was also often called in the
Bible, "The son of David" (Matthew 9:27).
"En arche en ho logos kaiho logos en pros ton theon kai Theos en ho
logos (In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God)" (John 1:1).
John 1:1 is celebrated by Christians worldwide. Does this verse
affirm thedivinity of Jesus, let aloneaffirming Trinity?
1. In the first instance, The God is described as, 'Ton Theon', while
the Word is described as being 'Theos'.
2. Key-Word: Twinity! The Holy Ghost is not found in John 1:1 yet
Christians somehow use it to prove Trinity. It seems that the Holy
Ghostwas not with The God and the Word from the beginning.
3. The Greek copy of the New Testament I have access to uses 'Theos'
in both instances where 'god' is mentioned in John 1:1. However, the
first instance of 'Theos' is preceded by 'Ho' which makes the
reference in it to The God; the second instance is not preceded by
'Ho', which makes the second 'theos' merely a god.
4. In the Bible Collection Suite, 'Theos' is the same term used to
describe both the devil and The God, "In whom the god (Ho Theos;
Satan) of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,
lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of
God (Ho Theos), shouldshine unto them" (2 Corinthians 4:4). This
verse seems to equate the devil to The God; John 1:1 refers to the
Word merely as a god.
5. Somehow, to Christians, 'Theos' is God when talking about Jesus,
but 'theos' is only god when talking about the devil. This is the
never-ending capital letters vs. lower case letters game that the
modern day Christian world has engaged itself in.
6. However, Jesus did not speak Greek, did not speak in capital
letters or lower case letters, and did not speak English.
7. If, as we are told, John 1:1 qualifies Jesus to be a god besides
God, the devil would have more right to this title than Jesus: The
devil is the 'ho theos' of the world, whileJesus is merely a 'theos'.
None deserves to be worshipped, except Allah,Alone without partners.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten
(Monogenes) Son (Huios),that whosoever believethin him should not
perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
The NT mentions this veryterm, 'Monogenes', while describing Prophet
Is`haq (Isaac u), son of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham u), "By faith
Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received
the promises offered up his only begotten son (Monogenes)" (Hebrews
11:17). Of course, Prophet Is`haq (Isaac u) was neither Ibrahim's
(Abraham's) only begotten son, nor his first begotten son; Prophet
Isma`eel (Ishmael u) was as the OT itself attests, "And Abram was
fourscore and six years old (86), when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram"
(Genesis 16:16). In contrast, Genesis statesthis, "And Abraham was an
hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him" (Genesis
21:5). Hajar (Hagar), the mother of Ishmael, was Abraham's wife as
Genesis 16:3 testifies.
'Monogenes' does not mean 'only begotten'. If, 'Monogenes', means
'the only begotten [KJV]', then, the current copy of the Old Testament
is wrong in describing Isaac as being the only begotten son of
Abraham; the same is said about the New Testament which used this term
to describe Isaac; (Hebrews 11:17). If'Monogenes' means 'only (New
Revised Standard Version of the Bible [NRSV])', this proves that both
the Old Testament and the New Testament were corrupted and changed:
the first for contradicting the fact that Isaac was not the only son
of Abraham, andthe second for being translated as meaning 'the only
begotten,' when 'Monogenes' only means, 'only'.
The NRSV has expunged 'begotten' from John 3:16, because it is an
addition; an innovation. The dispute about the true meaning of
'Monogenes' is irrelevant;Jesus did not speak Greek, and the author of
the Gospel of John is an unknown person who wrote what was never
before preached by any Prophet whom Allah sent. This alien idea should
not be allowed to overturn the clear Monotheism preached in the Two
Testaments and upheld by the Quran.
"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word,
andthe Holy Ghost: and these three are one" (1 John 5:7).
1 John 5:7, a foundation of Christianity, is among the fabricated
texts added to the New Testament. The appearance and disappearance of
1 John 5:7 between the Standard and the King James Versions of the
Bible expose the little respect Christians have for their own holy
book. Even the versions of the Bible that kept this verse almost
intact translate it differently, especially the last part of it: "…and
these three are one"; "…and the three agree asone"; "…and the three
agree in one."
Before using this fabricated text, Christiansshould agree among
themselves on what is their true Word of God. Christendom has many
words of God, such as theAmerican Standard Version of the Bible, which
does not have this verse exactly as other words of God do. The
Revised Standard Version, The New RevisedStandard Version, The New
American Standard Bible, The New English Bible, The Phillips
ModernEnglish Bible have expunged this verse altogether from their
versions of the Bible because it is agreed now that it was a later
insertion to the Bible by the church.
Absolutely no one before John wrote this verse ever uttered any
statement like it. Not even Jesus said this. No prophet ever said
this. This is why it is a fabrication that should not be used as
evidence to anything.
The answering Islam team agrees that the KJV contains at least an
error,by saying, "This passage is recognized by a majority of
Christian scholars as an extrapolation since 1 John 5:7 is not found
in any early Greek manuscripts." Yet, this verse still exists today
in the most popular version of the Christian Word of God, the KJV.
"I and my father are one"(John 10:30).
Christians claim that this statement proves that Jesus is one or
united with God and, consequently, Jesus is God. However, when Jesus
died, he did not give up the Father, he only gave up the ghost, "And
Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost" (Mark 15:37).
This claimed unity was not available to Jesus when he died; what
happened to this unity and why did not the Father die when Jesus died,
if Jesus and the Father are one? Hopefully, no one will claim that
when Jesus said that he and the Father are one, it was Jesus the human
not Jesus the divine who saidit. It this is suggested, then one would
be saying that God is human. And where is theHoly Ghost in John
10:30? He is missing, again. Key-Word: Twinity!
It seems the unity between God and Jesus can include many more people.
Jesus is claimed to have said, "That they all may be one; as thou,
Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us:
that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which
thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are
one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one"
(John 17:21-23). If, as weare told, John 10:30 proves that Jesus is
God, then, John 17:21-23 prove that the disciples and possibly many
other people are also God. Also, if God and Jesus are one, why would
Jesus keep calling himself, 'My God': "I ascend to my Father and your
Father, and to my God and your God" (John 20:17)? The Quran states
that Prophet`Esa said,
{Never did I say to them aught except what You (Allâh I) did command
meto say: "Worship Allâh, myLord and your Lord." And I was a witness
over them while I dwelt amongst them, but when You took me up, You
were the Watcher over them; and You are a Witness to all things.}
(5:117)
"Jesus said … Before Abraham was, I AM" (John8:58).
Christians try to pass this verse as proof of the divinity of Jesus.
However, this hardly proves anything, whether 'I am' is written in
capital or lower case letters. Jesus did not speak Greek, and he did
not speak in capital letters or in English. The first handwritten
English Bible manuscripts were produced in the late fourteenth century
by John Wycliffe, more than thirteen centuries after Jesus supposedly
died.
We should also note that in the Greek copy of the Bible, the terms
'Ego (eg-o') Eimi (i-mee')' usedfor 'I AM' in John 8:58 are the same
terms used by other than Jesus, such as in Matthew 9:13. Yet, some
Christians ignore this fact and talk about the 'I AM' of Jesus being
translated in capital letters. What if Jesus said, 'I AM', or 'I IS',
or, 'I ARE', how would one of these make him God?
What about what Jesus said in truth, where is it? Produce the real
original copy of what he said in the language he said it in, as
recorded by truthful witnesses who passed this information through
truthful chains of narration. Instead, theadvocates of the divinity
of Jesus base their religion on doubt and suspicion, and neither
Christians nor Jews can produce any exact replicaof any page in the OT
or the NT.
"For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither
shall evil dwell with thee" (Psalm 5:4).
Shocking proof that Jesusis not God: "Then was Jesus led up of the
Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Andwhen he had
fasted fortydays and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. And
when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son ofGod,
command that thesestones be made bread. But he answered and said, It
is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into
the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacleof the temple. And saith
unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down ... Jesus said
unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and
showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them. And
saith unto him, All these things will Igive thee, if thou wilt fall
down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan:
for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only
shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came
and ministered unto him." (Matthew 4:1-11)
If mankind were to believe that Jesus is God, then the devil is a
bigger god, since he tempted 'God', led 'God' around, asked 'God' to
commit suicide, offered 'God', who owns everything to begin with, the
kingdoms of the world, and then demanded that 'God' worship him!
Meanwhile, Jesus never said to the devil, 'How dare you; I am God; do
you offer me the kingdoms which I own and then demand that I, who
created you and everything else, worship you?' Jesus cannot be God
according to the Bible, since God cannot be tempted by evil; Jesus was
tempted by the devil as the Bible claims.
Either way it looks bad: Someone may suggest that Jesus the human, who
was then disconnected from Jesus the divine, was actually tempted by
the devil. This is worse; this means that God has a selective
amnesia, and Jesus the man was still led by the devil.
"The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make
thine enemies thy footstool" (Psalm 110:1).
Christian enthusiasts on Psalm 110:1, "Christians believe that Jesus
is David's Lord since he is the Christ. And since Yahweh is David's
Lord, Jesus must therefore be Yahweh God." So, the Lord spoke to
himself and said, 'My-self, sit at my right hand until I make my
enemies a footstool for my feet." And what happened to the Holy
Ghost? Key-Word: Twinity, Jesus and God!
A Christian view on Psalm110:1, "The words in Hebrew … the above
version translates LORD and Lord are actually Yahweh and Adoni, two
different words with twoobviously different meanings."

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

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