God increases his blessings on those who are grateful

Every person is in need of God at every instant of life. From the air
one breathes to the food he eats, from the ability to use one's hands
to the faculty of speech, from being sheltered to beingin a joyful
spirit, one lives completely in need of what God creates and grants
him. Still, a vast majority of people do not perceive their weaknesses
and that they are in need of God. They suppose that thingsdevelop
spontaneously or that they acquire everything by their own efforts.
This is an important error, as well as a serious ingratitude towards
God. Ironically, people who render theirthanks to a person for even an
insignificant gift, spend all their lives ignoring the countless
blessings that God gives them all through their lives. However, so
great are the blessings granted to a person that one could never count
them. God relates this fact in a verse as follows:
If you tried to number God's blessings, you could never count them.
God is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surat an-Nahl: 18)
Despite this fact, most people fail to give thanks for any of the
blessings they have. The reason for this is related in the Qur'an:
Satan, who pledged to misguide people from God's way, said that his
ultimate aim is to make people be ungrateful to God. Satan's defiant
statements to God emphasize the importance of giving thanks to God:
'Then I will come at them, from in front of them behind them, from
their right and from their left. You will not find most of them
thankful.' He (God) said, 'Get out of it, reviled anddriven out. As
for those of them (mankind) who follow you, I, will fill up Hell with
every one of you.' (Surat al-A'raf: 17-18)
Believers, on the other hand, aware of their weaknesses and in
humility before God, render their thanks to Him for every blessing
granted. Wealth and possessions are not the only blessings for which
believers render their thanks to God. Knowing that God is the Owner
and Possessor of everything, believers express their inner
gratefulness for good health, beauty, knowledge, wisdom, love of faith
and hatred from disbelief, understanding, insight, foresight and for
power.They are thankful for being rightly guided andfor being in the
company of believers.
A beautiful landscape, easy handling of their affairs, fulfillment of
their wishes, tidings of great joy, respectful conduct or any other
blessings make believersimmediately turn to God,express their
gratefulness to Him and reflect on His mercy and compassion.
In return for good morals displayed, a reward awaits believers.This is
another of the secrets revealed in the Qur'an; God increases
Hisblessings on those who are grateful. For example, God grants even
more health and power to those who render their thanks to God for the
good health and strength they have. God bestows even more knowledge
and propertyto those who are grateful for their knowledge or wealth.
This is because they are sincere people who are contented with what
God gives and are pleased with the blessings and who take God as their
friend. God relates this secret in the Qur'an as follows:
And when your Lord announced: "If you are grateful, I will certainly
give you increase, but if you are ungrateful, My punishment is
severe."' (Surah Ibrahim: 7)
Being grateful is also a sign of one's closeness toand love of God.
People who give thanks have the insight and capability to perceive the
beauties and blessings that God creates. God's Messenger, peace be
upon him, also referred to this when he said:
When God gives you property, the bliss of God's blessing and offering
must be reflected on you.
On the other hand, a disbelieving or ungrateful person will only see
the imperfections and faults even in the most beautiful environment,
and thus will be unhappy and discontented. Indeed, as a divine purpose
in God's creation, such people, always come across with seemingly
unfavorable events and unpleasant scenes. On the other hand, God
displays more of His bounties and blessings to those who have a
sincere and insightful outlook.
That God increases His blessings to those who are grateful is one of
thesecrets of the Qur'an. However, one needs to keep in mind that
sincerity is a prerequisite for being grateful. No doubt, one'sway of
showing his gratitude without turning sincerely to God and feeling the
inner peace of God's infinite mercy and compassion, which is solely
intended to impress people, would be sheer insincerity. God knows what
hearts harbor, and will bear witness to this insincerity. Those who
have insincere inner intentions may conceal itfrom other people, but
not from God. Such people may render their thanks with affected
manners when there is no affliction, but at times of hardship, it is
possible that they may readily lapse into ungratefulness.
It should be also noted that true believers remain grateful to God
even under harshest conditions. Someone looking from outside may see
the diminishing of some blessings believers enjoy. However, believers,
whoare able to perceive the good aspect of every event and situation,
see goodness in this too. For example, God states that He will test
people with fear, hunger and loss of wealth or life. In such a
situation, believers rejoice and feel grateful,hoping that God will
reward them with the gifts of paradise in return for the steadfastness
they displayed in this test.
They know that God does not impose on anyone more than he can bear.
The steadfastness and submission of such awareness lead them to
patience and gratitude. Therefore, it is an obvious attribute of
believers to show unwavering dedication and submission and God
promises to expand His blessings on His grateful servants both in the
life of this world and in the Hereafter.

Everything we perceive with our five senses is the interpretation of electric signals in our brains

Although some people may realize that images consist of
electricsignals in the brain, theymay also form the impression that
the other senses, touch for instance, are different. They may think
that when they touch or smell something they aremaking direct contact
with real matter. Again, however, they are actually perceiving nothing
more than electric signals in the brain.
When we touch something with our hands, we are not really touching
that object at all. A chemical bond is formed between atoms in a
constant state of motion. But these atoms never actually "touch" one
another. In physical terms, therefore, we have never touched anything
we think we have. As a result of this illusory sense of touch, the
atoms in our hands vibrate and initiate an electrical current. That
current then moves towards the touch center in our brains. It is then
"interpreted" whenit arrives. And this is a great miracle. In the same
way that the visualcenter interprets an incoming current as a yellow
rose, the touch center interprets the signals reaching it as soft, hot
or rough. Similar signals head from our mouths to the taste region in
the brain and form a sensation of flavor, sweetness or sourness. The
signals from the nose reaching the scent detection center in the brain
and set up a perception in the brain regarding the aroma of the object
in question. Sound from the ears reaches the brain in the form of
other electric signals, and we then in some way are convinced that the
person calling our names is our mother. Weenjoy the tunes set up
byelectrical signals forwarded to the brain from the ear, and have no
doubt that the ringtone is actually coming from the phone.
All this is an extraordinary miracle created by Allah.
But the sound we hear does not actually belong to the phone, and
neither doesthe sound of music comefrom our stereos. We experience the
sound of a telephone, the originalof which we can never see, the
original of which we can never hear unless Allah so wills.What we see
is not the yellow flower on the outside. That flower, its image, its
perfume and all its beauty, consists of electric signals reaching our
brains. And we have no evidence whether the image of this flower is
the same as the real flower on the outside. Peter Russell explains
this as follows:
If all that we ever know are the sensory images that appear in our
minds, how can we be sure there is a physical realitybehind our
perceptions?Is it not just an assumption? My answer is: Yes, it is an
assumption; nevertheless, it seems a most plausible one. [i]
There is no doubt that it is impossible for us to know whether the
images, sounds, smells and tastes that form in our brains actually
exist on the outside. On the basis of this, we can be sure of only one
thing; there is a world created especially for us in our brains. And
we can never know whether other people see this world in the same way
we do. We can only see the images, hear the sounds and taste the
flavors of a world created especially for us.We can have no direct
experience of anything else.
That being the case, we need to ask the following question: can
electric signals alone give rise to such a harmonious world?
Of course, not. Itis Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, Who creates the
world for us in all its reality, clarity and beauty. Allah bestows
onus a soul from His own spirit. It is the soul created by Allah that
perceives, enjoys and rejoices, and the electric signals are merely an
instrument.
[i] Peter Russell, From Science toGod "A Physicist's Journey into the
Mystery of Consciousness", New World Library, 2002, p. 47

The foolishness of those who make idols out of animals by believing in the theoryof evolution is described in the gospels

The theory of evolution is a distorted ideology that denies the fact
of Creation and maintains that all of life emerged as the result of
blind chance. The adherents ofthe theory of evolution claim that life
emerged through a chain of coincidences. That is the essence of
Darwin's writings, and all the Darwinists who have come after have
made the same claim. Therefore, someone who sincerely believes inAllah
must realize and admit that evolution andCreation are two
diametrically opposed concepts. Evolution believes in blind and
unconscious chance, while Creation reveals an unbounded Mind,
theabsolute might of Allah.
The theory of evolution is not a scientific fact; it has been refuted
by all fields of science and totally conflicts with the accounts of
Creation of the revealed religions. The theory is also explicitly
refuted in the Qur'an and is absolutely incompatible with the fact of
Creation revealed in the Qur'an. The same truth is also explicitly set
out in the Gospels. We are told in the Gospels ofAllah's infinite
might andthe diametrically opposed error that people fall into.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave
thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish
hearts were darkened. Although they claimed tobe wise, they became
fools and EXCHANGED THE GLORY OF THE IMMORTAL GOD FOR IMAGES MADE TO
LOOK LIKE MORTAL MAN AND BIRDS AND ANIMALS AND REPTILES. They
exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created
things rather than the Creator—Who is forever praised. Amen.(Romans
1:21-23, 25)
The Gospels explicitly sets out the foolishness of those who fail to
appreciate the infinite might of Allah and make idols out of animals
by believing in the lie of evolution.
The theory of evolution maintains that living things turn into other
life forms by supposedly developing under the impact of mutations.
According to the theory of evolution, the transition from one species
to another happened slowly and gradually. Accordingly, a number of
supposed transitional forms must have existed reflecting the period of
transition between two different species and with characteristics from
both. For example, according to what evolutionists' maintain, as fish
emerged onto dryland and turned into amphibians, various living things
with semi-lungs and semi-gills, semi-legs and semi-fins must have
existed over a period of millions of years. Evolutionists call these
imaginary live forms that they believe once existed in the past
'transitional forms.' However, NOT ONE FOSSILOF A TRANSITIONAL LIFE
FORM HAS EVER BEEN FOUND.
THERE ARE NO TRANSITIONAL FOSSILS. The 'transitional life forms' in
the picture never existed.
The passage from the Gospels that reads " EXCHANGED THE GLORY OF THE
IMMORTAL GOD FOR IMAGES MADE TO LOOK LIKE MORTAL MAN AND BIRDS AND
ANIMALS AND REPTILES " may be a reference to Darwinists believing in
the existence of these imaginary creatures theycall 'transitional
forms' and thus denying the incomparable nature of Allah's creation
and our Almighty Lord's sublime and immaculate creativepower and
omniscience. Allah knows the truth. The fact is, however, that every
detail emerging from an examination of the skies,the earth and all
living things is proof of Allah's might and power. Allah is the Lord
and Creator of all. This is revealed as follows in the Gospels:
For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or
authorities; all things were created by Him andfor Him. He is before
all things, and in Him all things hold together. (Collosians 1:16-17)
Almighty Allah has warned Christians who follow the Gospels of
thedanger of the theory of evolution and against this grave deception
andthreat. Contrary to what many people believe, believing in the
truth of the theory of evolution is not harmless. With the perverted
ideas at their roots and the atheism they bring with them, Darwinist
and materialist ideology are the main reason for the bigotry,
degeneration, perversion, racist killingsand genocide over the last
150 years, and even of the two disastrous world wars in which
350million people were killed and martyred. People would have to admit
they are not true believers in order to support such a conception.
Sincere Christians must see the dimensions of the threat posed by
Darwinism by recognizing this danger described in the Gospels,must
wage an intellectual struggle against this harmful ideology and
eradicate its freedom of action. They must realize that Darwinism is
the greatest scientific fraud ever invented against belief in Allah
and must adopt a determined stance against this scourge that has
spread among people to such a surprising extent. Superstition is
absolutelycertain always to be condemned to decay and fade away.
Darwinism, which poses such a threat, will also, as our Lord promises,
meet the same fate. Those who are instrumental in this happening will,
by Allah's leave, be true believers. As our Almighty Lord says in one
verse:
That is because Allah is the Real and what you call on apart from Him
is false. Allah is the All-High, the Most Great . (Surat al-Hajj, 62)

Treatment of the month: Iridium Spa ,Health, -

After a month of over-indulgence, it's timeto dust off the cobwebs and
start the year afresh. Iridium Spa at the St Regis Beijing
specialises in Ayurveda, India's oldest healing system. The core
belief ofAyurveda is that health is the balanced and dynamic
integration of our environment, body, mind and spirit.
Whereas most spas will offer a general selection of treatments, the
idea behind Ayurveda is that we're all unique and all have our own
characteristics – physical, mental and spiritual – and selecting the
right treatments based on our own identity is crucial.
We went in for a consultation with the lovely Dr Pramod Mane, who
analysed us carefullyto determine the most suitable treatment. This
turned out to be the winter care massage, which incorporates authentic
Ayurvedic herbal oil with a sesame base to nourish weather-beaten
skin. Two therapists, to provide balance, then stretch contracted
muscles and gently ease away any aches and pains.
After the massage, we satin the steam room to allow the oil to fully
penetrate our skin, followed by a rainforest shower to cleanse the
soul.

Tooth Troubles: Don't Grind Yourself Down ,Health, -

Everyone handles stress differently. Some developan ulcer, others get
high blood pressure, and then there are those who grind their teeth.
Thoughteeth grinding (medicallycalled bruxism) won't cause a heart
attack, it can permanently damageyour teeth, or even worse, it can
cause you to lose your teeth.
"The dangerous thing about teeth grinding is that the grinder might
not even know they are doing it since it often occurs during sleep,"
saysDr. Wang Chen, deputy medical director and general dentist at SDM
Dental. "Occasional teeth grinding doesn't usually cause harm, but the
problems start to arise when it occurs on a regular basis and for a
long period of time."
But if it happens while we're sleeping, how are we supposed to know
we're doing it? Many times people learn that they grind their teeth
from their loved one whohears the grinding at night, but for those who
are solo, it's the feeling the morning after that makes their teeth
grinding problems apparent to them.
Signs of teeth grinding
"The telltale signs of teeth grinding usually are a constant headache,
sore jaw and sometimes even pains and stiffness in the neck, shoulders
and back since your mouth is clenched so tightly during the night,"
says Dr. Wang. "But, if nottreated early on, chronic teeth grinders
have the potential to wear down their teeth to little stumps,
eventually have teeth fall out, can affect their hearing, cause or
worsen temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and evenchange the appearance
of the face."
Though the two main culprits behind teeth grinding are stress and
anxiety, having an abnormal bite where the teeth do not line up
properly, or having missing or crooked teeth can also be reasons why
teeth grinders grind. "It'stheir body's unconscious response to try to
even out and get a good balance in their teeth," he says.
Solutions
Thankfully, fixing this problem is pretty quick and painless: get a
mouthguard. And it does exactlywhat its name says—it guards your
mouth. Though it's not the most flattering accessory to have in your
purse, it willsave your smile. It just takes a quick trip to the
dentist for a fitting.
But since teeth grinding is also caused by stress, Dr. Wang also
recommends talking to a doctor or dentist about ways to try to reduce
stress. From stress counseling to practicing yoga to cleaning up your
diet, there are many different ways to lessen stress.
"It's best to also avoid, or at least cut back on foodsand drinks that
contain caffeine like soda, chocolate, tea and coffee," says Dr. Wang.
"Smoking is also something that should belimited because it stimulates
the central nervous system, heart and respiratory system and you don't
want to have all those things running full force when you're
sleeping."

Methods of Westernizing women and its effects - I

The corruption of women is the corruption of the entire family and
society, owing to its profound effect on children and youth. What we
most significantly see today are well-designed schemes that have found
their way into schools and universities, and led to the Westernization
and secularization of women, and kept them away from their religion.
All forms of modern media have become weapons that destroy women and
lure them to vice, especially with the high degree ofcreativity and
influence it boasts, to the extent that it has become impossible to
resist their temptation. In most programs and advertisements, whether
on television and radio, or in newspapers and magazines, or, lately,
on the internet, they basically rely on a woman's appearance and
charming qualities.
Undoubtedly, the deviation of women has become a manifest phenomenon,
backed by the widespread effects that can be seen in the social,
cultural, economic and political aspects of life. In addition, it is a
[blatant] violation of the principles of sound religion and its moral
and faith-related teachings.
It is quite clear for the discerning observer that this trend is,
primarily, the result of the schemes of the colonizers and
secularists, which were set up to corrupt society and erase the
principles that it derives from its true religion and immortal
heritage. In this way, society has lost its ability to resist the
attack of Western colonization and has fallen prey to the West.
These schemes have solicited the aid of many false and flashy slogans
that take refuge in their [alleged] principle of achieving equality
between the genders, as well as liberating women from the restrictions
of religion and traditions.
To guarantee the success of this wily plot, they placed agents [among
us] like Murqus Fahmi, who wrote the book Al-Mar'ah fil Sharq (The
Woman in the East), wherein he beckoned women to shed the Hijaab and
mingle with men; he also attacked the rulingsof the Islamic Sharee'ah
that prohibit the marriage of a Muslimwoman to a non-Muslim man, and
called for a rebellion against these laws.
Moreover, in 1911, the Bint An-Neel Party was established in Egypt and
it called for the liberation of women from Hijaab and the divorce
process [in Islam]. Among the early leaders of this party were:
Durriyyah Shafeeq, Ameenah As-Sa'eed and others.
In 1923, Huda Shaarawi was invited to attend the meeting of the
International Women's Suffrage Alliance in Rome. Amongthe
recommendations of this conference were: modifying divorce laws to
stop the current trend [and introducing new laws to complicate the
procedure], preventing polygamy and acknowledging the woman's freedom
to mingle with men anduncover her face.
Similarly, Qaasim Ameen authored a book, Al-Mar'ah Al-Jadeedah,
wherein he called for blind imitation of the West, intellectually and
socially. This track was followed by Sa'eed 'Aql,Lewis 'Awadh, Lutfi
As-Sayyid, Najeeb Mahfooth and a number of members of Freemasonry, as
well as some poets, such as Saadiq Az-Zahaawi, Nizaar Qabbaani and
others. Matters worsened further when a national leader tore the
Niqaab (face veil) off of a Muslim girl in one of the largest squares
in Egypt and ordered his wife to burn the Hijaab in front of the
crowd.
Owing to the Grace of Allaah The Almighty, He granted the Islamic
Ummah (nation), diligent scholars who utilized all their powers to
resist those [people's] schemes and refute the maliciousallegations,
thereby lessening their evil.
Effects that resulted from corrupting women:
First : General indications that show the profound consequences on
women and society:
1. [There is a noticeable] alienation from the religion due to
ignorance of its tolerant nature, its obligations, acts of Sunnah, its
just Sharee'ah and its noble morals.
Another result of corrupting the woman is her non-observance of acts
of worship such as prayers, fasting, Zakaah (obligatory alms), Hajj
and 'Umrah (major and minor pilgrimage), remembranceand praise of
Allaah The Almighty, as well as supplication to Him in general, and
for forgiveness; and, recitation and memorization of the Quran,
enjoining good and forbidding evil, and exhorting one another to truth
and patience.
Some women even rejected and rebelled against the teachings of the
religion and its acts of worship and rulings. They violated the Orders
of Allaah The Almighty, Who Says (what means): {And they were not
commanded except to worship Allaah, [being] sincere to Him in
religion, inclining to truth, and toestablish prayer and to give
Zakaah. And that is the correct religion.} [Quran 98:5]
2. Following the devil and one's desires: This has led women to become
immoral and corrupt, and they became subservient to the whims of the
soul that is a persistent enjoiner of evil. Allaah The Almighty Says
(what means):
„X {And who is more astray than one who follows his desire without
guidance from Allaah? Indeed, Allaah does not guide thewrongdoing
people.} [Quran 28:50]
„X {Then do not be soft in speech [to men], lest he in whose heart is
disease should covet, but speakwith appropriate speech. And abide in
your houses and do not display yourselves as [was] the display of the
former times of ignorance.}
[Quran 33: 32-33]
Such women have been mentioned in many Hadeeths of the Prophet some of
which are:
• Abu Sa'eed Al-Khudri narrates that the Prophet said: "'Beware of the
greens of the dungy earth.' The Companions asked, 'What are thegreens
of the dungy earth, O Messenger of Allaah?' He replied, 'The pretty
woman who grows up in a bad environment.'" [Weak]
• The Prophet also said: "Any woman who wears perfume and passes by a
group of people so that they would smell her perfume is an
adulteress." [An-Nasaa'i]
• Further, he "cursed men who imitate women and women who imitate men".
3. Women have begun neglectingreligious manners, such as wearing the
Hijaab, lowering the gaze and avoiding mingling with men, except
within the Sharee'ahlimits. They disregard the teachings of religion
that forbid them from going out while dressed indecently or wearing
jewelry, make-up or perfume in order to tempt men.
Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said: "There are two types of
people in Hell: [one being] women who are dressed, yet appear to be
naked; who are inclined [to evil] and lure others [to it as well];
their heads are likethe humps of a camel. They will neither enter
Paradise nor smell its fragrance."
4. Wasting time in harmful matters: Time is life and certain women
squander their life enjoying various means of entertainment that bring
about the Wrath of Allaah The Almighty,such as watching lewd movies
and reading books, newspapers and novels that do not portray sound
morals and manners in their content. Furthermore, they attend
gatherings that are full of backbiting, talebearing, conspiracies
against virtue, driving wedges between people and many other sins.
5. Having bad companions: Shady friends have a great effect on
spreading corruption as they are similar to infectious diseases, which
spread by intermixing, particularly between men and women.
6. Being preoccupied with work and participation in social, economic
and political activities at the expense of her home and children:
Islam has permitted women to work in cases of necessity, but this
should not be the general rule. Also, when working, women should
observe the conditions imposed by the Sharee'ah, to protect themselves
from men and vice versa.

Domestic violence against women in the West – II

England - Severe, repeated and systematic violence occurs in at least
5 of every hundred marriagesin Britain;
Between 40 and 45% of murdered women are killed by their male partners;
Between 1 of every 2 women are murdered by their male partners everyweek;
more than 25% of all violent crime reported to the police is domestic
violence of men against women, making it the second most common
violent crime; (Domestic Violence - Action for Change, G. Hague & E.
Malos, 1993)
· 100,000 women peryear seek treatment in London for violent
injuries received in the home (Punching Judy, BBC1 TV programme, 1989)
· 30,000 women and children stay in refuges in the UK every year;
One quarter of all assaultsare in domestic circumstances (Domestic
Violence - Report of an Inter-Agency Working Party, 1992)
· Jean Louis stated that between one third to two thirds of
divorce cases are due to violence at homes, consuming intoxicants and
the low moral standards of men.
· In another report, 77% of husbands who beat their wives do
it for no reason. Additionally, the report quoted a woman, whose
husband has been beating her for three and a half years since they got
married, she said: "If I tell him complain about anythingafter he
beats me, he would resume hitting me, and thus I choose to remain
silent. He does not beat using one method, but rather uses many
different means of beating, like punching, kicking and hitting my head
against the wall; and he would not care if his kicks or munches fall
on sensitive areas of my body."
· Women organizations try to provide shelters, financial
assistance and psychological care for thevictims. Joan Jangler is one
such example for women who lead this type of campaign, and through the
past twelve years she helped thousands of people whowere abused at
their homes. She collected seventy thousand Poundsto run this project
and established the first center in Manchester in 1971, and then her
centers spread throughout England and reached one hundred and fifty
centers in total.
· Domestic violence accounts for almost a quarter (23%) of all
violent crime. The British Crime Survey: England and Wales. London:
HomeOffice, 2000.
· In 1999 37% of women homicide victims were killed by present
or former partners. This totals 92 women, - 1 every 3 days, or 2
womenper week. Criminal Statistics England & Wales1999. London: Home
Office, 1999.
· 1 in 5 young men think that abuse or violence against women
is acceptable. Zero Tolerance Charitable Trust. 1998.
France:
· In France, almost two million women are subject to physical
abuse.The officials from the French police stated that this phenomenon
covers around 10% of the French families. The government announced
that they will run a campaign to educate people most of whom consider
this phenomenon a normal thing.
· Michele André, who is the secretariat for women's rights in
France:"Even animals are treatedbetter than women sometimes. If a man
hits a dog in the street then at one person would complain to an
animal right's organization, but when a man hits his wife in the
street, no one moves". She added in a press conference to French
press: "People must be made to understand that hitting isan act that
just will hold them accountable for. I would like for people to stop
thinking of this as a normal matter … the world admits of the
existence of the concept of a controller and a controlled, and
approves of it …this is a logic that must be stopped".
· "France Swar" newspaper quoted officials in the police
forces regarding such who said: "92.7% of beating cases amongst
spouses happen in cities while 60% of the calls appealing for help in
Paris were women whose husbands were abusing them"
· The secretariat for women's rights in France that there
different typesof abuse practiced against women, some
arepsychological, like threats and humiliation, and others are
physical, like hitting.
· An organization named "Rescue of women who are beaten"
noticed that the women who are received in theirorganization range
between 25 and 35 years of age, and the average they were mothers of
two children whose education level was law. In most case such ladies
were isolated from their families and neighbors. More than often,
matters like illness, addiction to intoxicants or unemployment made
the abuse practiced against them increase even more, but few dared to
expose their situation due to them fearing theirhusbands' revenge, or
due to the lack of courage.
· A twenty five year old lady, who tolerated two years of her
husband's beating, said when she was told to leave her house: "In
France we do not talk about our married lives, because we do not trust
his friends or anyone elseto the point that we disclose our personal
secrets to them"
· Alixder Douma, one of the French writers resembled women to
meat slices saying: "The more you beat them the thicker they get"
Canada:
· In a major survey done of over 12,000 Canadian women in
1993, findings showed that one in four women reported experiencing
violence from a partner or ex-partner. The Violence Against Women
Survey. Ottawa: Ministry of Supply & Services, 1993.
· The results of a Canadian survey that included married
womenreflected that the capital experienced more intensive cases of
violence against wives than any other place. 36% of wives openly
declared that they were abused one way or another at least once since
they reached the age of sixteen. 81% of the abuse cases recorded by
the police departmentwere done by males, 9% of the abuse cases were
done by females, and 10% of the abuse cases were done by both malesand
females. More than half of these cases (53%) resulted due to one of
the two parties at least being under the influence of intoxicants.
New Zealand:
· According to an official survey to record the cases of
domestic violence which was conduct by the Suzan Snaifli and her team
reflected that almost three hundred thousand woman and children were
victims and domestic violence cases.
· Moreover, according to another survey done by social
services in New Zealand, it was agreed that the ratio of domestic
violence reach a rough percentage of 14%. According to other similar
studies and surveys in 1994, the ratio was 1 out of 10 or 1 to 4 based
the population. This means that the number of abused children were
129556 and the number of abused women were 172125, giving a total of
301681 abuse cases all together.
· In the year 1985 domestic violence was one of the factors
that contributed to the increase of divorce cases to reach 59% from
1500 divorce cases. 38% of these cases were working class women who
were forced to call in the police for severe cases of beating, while
13% of the middle class wives refrained from calling the police, in
addition to 4% of the wives from the upper class.
Germany:
· According to one of the surveys in Germany, not less than
one hundred thousand women are being attacked and abused by their
husbands or boyfriends yearly, both physically and psychologically,
with the possibility that the actual figure jumps the six digit
number.
· One of the surveys conduct attributed the high number of
abuse cases to long-term unemployment, debts, being an alcoholic and
extreme jealousy. One of the governmental institutes in Germany set a
program to offer aid through a charitable organization over a period
of two years as a solution to this phenomenon.
Switzerland:
· Switzerland 1997 - 20% of a small sample of women report
being physically assaulted (From WHO's website).
These were some surveys and numbers reflecting the reality of the
situation of the western woman in the United States and Europe. These
countries are claiming to want to reform men by amending laws and
legislations worldwide.
The American and European man who commits such a huge number of abuse
cases against women, whether a wife, a daughter or a girlfriend, he
does so because the method of upbringing in their countries are
corrupt andastray and need major practical reformation.
Women in the Arabic andMuslim countries do not face even one tenth of
such humility, because men get their guidance from their religion
before the law, men are (in most cases) ashamed of committing such
crimes that these surveys address.
We are not claiming that our communities are freefrom any abnormal
cases,but such crimes remain within limited numbers that co not exceed
by anycase 5%.
The so called "Women freedom" program that istrying to enforce the
western values and criterions on the entire glob, is doing nothing but
attempting to place Muslim women in a low rank and make her a cheep
commodity for men to enjoy, use and abuse her by working during day
time, then physical abuse on her and her children at night.
We wish that true and authentic surveys could be conducted in our
Islamic countries to proveto the world that the Muslim woman who wears
a head veil and a face cover, as in some of our conservative
communities, gets honored and enjoys the care which the American and
western woman never dreams to get.
Note: Most of the statistical data collected are about Western
societies that are due to the availability of documentation on the
matter. We realize that crime is prevalent in all societies -- Eastern
and Western alike. The main thrust of our topic is that adopting the
Islamic solution is more fruitful than man-made solutions.
Note: Most of the statistical data collected are about Western
societies and that are due to the availability of documentation on the
matter. We realize that domestic violence is prevalent in all
societies -- Eastern and Western alike. The main thrust of our topic
is that adoptingthe Islamic solution is more fruitful than man-made
solutions.

Domestic violence against women in the West – I

Where does the western woman stand in scale of humanity and who represents her?
Are they represented by the artificial ladies of Hollywood who appear
on the TV screens, who are suppressed by the massive work load and by
men?
When comparing two different cultures, can a real study be made in
order to compare between the realities of the two cultures, and thus
reach a practical answer (and not just an informative one) as to which
of the two is more honorable and civilized?
In a media that is controlled by corrupt people, women who adhere to
Hijaab are considered as a clear evidence for her humility,
backwardness degradation, ignorance… etc. On the other hand, trading
with women's bodies was never considered as such…!!
We are trying to claim that the situation of the Muslim or Arab woman
is in the highest level of perfection and development. Additionally,
we do not believe that the humongous stress she faces is due to her
being a female, but rather it is part of what men face, allof which
comes as a natural result of the nation being oppressed, tyrannized
and forced to follow other cultures.
When we address the situation and status of the western woman, we will
do it from an inside look and we will let thoseconcerned do the
talking,and let numbers and statistics inform about reality.
We will raise a real dialogue between two civilizations, not only a
methodological or ideological one, but a true comparison between the
two realities. The topic we chose to start with and address is;
"Domestic Violence Against Women In The West".
We must notice that such violence, which goes beyond human limits
anddimensions, is not exercised by illiterate people who live in the
countryside somewhere, nor in the poorest areas. Conversely, such
abuse is practiced by slick men like those who appear in Hollywood who
are in some cases well educatedhaving high social status. It is
exercised against weak women, regardless how fine they may appear to
be … after returning to their homes;they become nothing more than
slaves under the effect of lash of humility and violence.
We will limit our talk to domestic violence against women in the west,
and we will prove by numbers that the humiliated woman is not the one
who lives in Afghanistan and wears her face cover. We will illustrate
that such woman is not the one from the Arabian Peninsula, who is in
fact well protected and honored in a community that calls for her
respect. Real degrade and vulgarity is that which makes a woman cheap
merchandise just like anyother tradable good, andmade her subject to
attacks and all types of oppression and inequity.
The United States of America:
Violence, in all its shapes, has afflicted the weakest member of the
family, namely women and children. Things like, secrecy, no sufficient
evidence and legal and social barriers make it difficult to obtain
very accurate data regarding violence against women, which is,
according to social scholars, is the least type of crime that gets
reported.
Ironically, most of the available information regarding violence
against women is collected from small statistics done here and there,
which give a quickgeneral view for something as important as this
international phenomenon. Such information can not be used to provide
precise indicators to the level of violence and abuse practiced
against women, but it certainly clarifies that violence andabuse at
homes is a widespread phenomenon, and that the woman is the victim in
most cases.
· In 1980, a statistic was done by Appleton, which included
six hundred and twenty American ladies showed that 35% of them were
subject to physical husband abuse at least once. In 1981, Chtraws
expressed that husband abuse ranges between 50-60% in the United
States. On the other hand, in 1982, the percentage was estimated to be
21% by Russell, while Baglo estimated it to range between 25-30%.
· In 1984, based on her research, Walker pointed out that
American women are well experienced in physical abuse, and that 41% of
women experienced physical abuse by their mothers and 44% by their
fathers. 44% of them witnessed accidents of physical abuse by their
fathers on their mothers.
· Two thousand nine hundred and twenty eight people were
killed in 1985 by one of their family members, and if only consider
the case of women we see that two thirds of them were killed by their
husbands or boyfriends. Then again, in 1984, 20% of women were killed
by their husbands and 10% by their boyfriends.
· Statistics prove that three out of every four women were
subject to abuse; 9% of which was done by ex-husbands, 35% by
boyfriends and 32% by ex-boyfriends.
· Another statistic that studied the percentage of attackers
confirmed that ex-husbands or separated husbands committed 79% of the
attacks, while husbands committed 21% of the attacks.
· Statistics proved that the most common cause for physical
injury of women (and in some cases the only cause) wastheir
boyfriends. It was higher in number than injuries caused by car
accidents, robberies and rape all accumulated.
· According to a study, one out of every four women who seek
medical care by a family physician, report that they physically abused
bytheir boyfriends. 37% of such women reported that they hardly
overcame them being sexually abused in their childhood, and 29%
reported that they were sexually abused when they reached puberty.
Also, women who were subject to such abuse experienced depression more
than women who did not.
· Results of a questionnaire that was done on six thousand
American families showed that 50% of the men continuously abuse their
wives and children physically.
· Children who were subjected to physical abuse by their
fathers usually grow up to be violent people with their wives and
abusive of them three times more than other men who did not experience
abuse from their fathers in childhood. Additionally, children whose
fathers were very harsh and abusive are one thousand times more likely
to be abusive to their wives.
· More than three million kids are endangered by parents'
abuse per year.
· One million women per year suffer being the victim of abuse
by a family member that does not reach the extent of death; this
statistic is one of the most moderate ones.
· Four million American women a year experience life
threatening abuse by their boyfriends. Moreover, one out of every
three grown up women face physical abuse by their boyfriendsat least
once.
· In 1993 five hundred and fifty seven men were arrested for
their abuse to women.
· In 1994, 21% of physical abuse cases against women were done
relatives, while only4% of the attack cases against men were done by
female relatives.
· 90-95% of the victims of domestic violence were women.
· Children who live inhomes were the husbandand wife attack
one another are subject to physical abuse fifteen hundred times more
thanother children.
· 40-60% of the men who ill-treat their wives physically abuse
their children.
· In one of the studies done, 27% of the murder cases inside
the same family were children.
· 90% of children who get killed before theage of ten were
killed as a result of a family dispute, and 56% of themwere younger
than two years of age.
· In 1994, two hundred and forty three thousand of those who
received medical care in the "Emergency Room" were treated for
injuries resulting from physical abuse done by a relative, and the
ratio of men to women in this number was 1:9.
· There are at least four million reports of violence against
women yearly, and around 20% of them happened in the house.
· In 1991, more than ninety women were killed weekly; nine out
ofevery ten were killed by a man.
· In around 30% of the family violence cases weapons were used.
· 95% of family violence cases were attacks by men on women.

Does being in debt mean that zakaah is no longer due? Can he delayzakaah because he has no cash available?.,Dought clear -

In our country we have been affected by war and we were expelled from
our land 23 years ago. Praise be to Allah, my father and I are settled
now and we have a business. We borrowed money in order to settle and
start a business, the value of which was 1 million. When we worked out
the value of zakaah that we owe on the property and trade goods that
wehave in our possession, it was estimated to be 7 million, and the
trade goods on which zakaah is due are worth 5 or 6 million.
My questions are:
1. Are we required to pay zakaah, as we have not paid it all these
yearsbecause we were not able to pay off the debt of 1 million? Was it
correct for us not to pay zakaah?
2. We do not have any cash now, if we are required to pay zakaah. We
helped a brother of ours to pay off a debt heowed, so that he could
pay off the borrowed amount without paying the interest that had been
agreed upon. Is it possible for us to waive this debt and thus pay off
the zakaah that we owe?
3. We own some property in the country where the war was, that we took
possession of after the war ended, andwe are planning to sell this
property in order to pay off debts and so thatwe can buy a house in
the place where we live now. Is this property subject to zakaah?.
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
Zakaah is due on trade goods according to the correct scholarly
opinion. Whatever has been prepared for trade is subject to zakaah if
it reaches the nisaab or minimum threshold and one hijri year has
passedsince the capital was acquired.
Secondly:
According to the correct scholarly view, debt does not mean that
zakaah is waived. If a person owns the minimum threshold and one hijri
year has passed, he must pay his zakaah, even if he owes a debt that
brings his wealth lower than the minimum threshold. But if he pays off
his debts before the new zakaah year begins, and his wealth falls
below the minimum threshold, then he does not have topay anything.
See the answer to question no. 109896
Thirdly:
Based on the above, you have to pay zakaah for the years during which
you did not pay zakaah when it was due from you. The fact that you did
not know that debt does not waive the obligation of zakaah does not
cancel out the obligation that was due from the wealth, even if it
does mean that the burden of sin for not paying zakaah on time
iswaived.
Fourthly:
If a person lends money to someone, he does nothave the right to let
him off and count it as part of his zakaah. This is the view of the
majority of scholars. So you do not have the right to count what you
lent to this person as being part of your zakaah. But if you gave him
the zakaah of your wealth, and he returned it to you in order to pay
off his debt or part of it, there is no blame on you for that.
See the answer to question no. 13901 . Based on that, it is not
permissible for you to count what you lent to this man as part of your
zakaah.
Fifthly:
If zakaah is due from a person and he does not have any cash with
which to pay the zakaah,then he has the choice: either he can sell
some of the wealth on which zakaah is due and pay the zakaah; or he
can give some of the trade goods that he has that are equal in value
to the zakaah he owes, if thosegoods are things that will be of
benefit to the poor, such as food, clothing and so on; or this zakaah
may remain something that he owes until he acquires cash with which to
pay zakaah, if selling something on which zakaah is due will affect
him adversely. See the answer to question no. 177963
Sixthly:
With regard to the property in the land where war occurred, if you
could not dispose of it or reach it because of the war, no zakaah is
due on it for the past period, because it comesunder the ruling on
property that was usurped and could not be disposed of. But as you
have been able to obtain it and dispose of it, then to be on the safe
side you should pay zakaah of one year on it for what has passed, even
if it was many years. See the answer to question no. 129657
All of this applies if this wealth was things on which zakaah is due
in the first place, such as cash, gold, silver and thelike. As for
property suchas agricultural land and real estate, there is no zakaah
on that at all; rather zakaah is due on the crops and returns. During
wartime, there were no crops or returns.
And Allah knows best.

She is going to go to Jeddah and she does nothave any firm intention to do ‘umrah; from where should she enter ihram if she does decide to do ‘umrah?.,Dought clear -

I am currently living in Canada for the purpose of study, but my
permanent place of residence is between Jeddah and Amman. When I
stayed in Ammanduring the summer break, I decided to go toJeddah to
deal with some official papers, andI intended to do 'umrah if Allah
made that possible for me and if I had a mahram and enough time to do
'umrah. I intended to do 'umrah from Jeddah because my mahram would be
there. But because I was not certain that I would be able to do
'umrah, on the day I travelled by plane I did not do ghusl, because I
was menstruating and I had not yet decided to do 'umrah. When I got
there on the second day I did ghusl and formed the intention to do
'umrah from Jeddah, and I did it.
My questions are:
Is my ihram from the miqaat of Jeddah considered valid or not? Because
of my family circumstances, we are always moving back andforth between
Jeddah and Amman, and we always enter ihram fromour house in Jeddah,
even if we are on our way back from a trip to Amman and after
stayingin Jeddah for several days. We do not remember how many times
we have done 'umrah in this manner.
What is required of us if we should have entered ihram from the miqaat
for the people of ash-Shaam (Greater Syria)? After I did 'umrahI was
uncertain as to whether I was completely clean following my period. If
I think it most likely that I was still menstruating whilst I was
doing 'umrah, what is the ruling on my 'umrah andwhat expiation do I
haveto offer?.
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
If a person passes the miqaat intending to do Hajj or 'umrah, it is
not permissible for him to pass it without entering ihram, because of
the report narrated by Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) who
said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) defined the meeqaat of the people of Madeenah as Dhu'l-Hulayfah;
that of the people of Shaam (Syria) as al-Juhfah; that of the people
of Najd as Qarn al-Manaazil; and that of the people of Yemen as
Yalamlam. And he said: "And these miqaats are for the people at those
very places, and besides them for those who come through those places,
and are not residents thereof, with the intention of performing Hajj
and 'Umrah; and whoever is living within these boundaries can enter
ihraam from the place where he lives, and the people of Makkah can
start from Makkah."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari,1526; Muslim, 1181
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:ash-Shaafa'i and our
companions said: If the one who has come from far away comes to the
miqaat intending to perform Hajj or 'Umrah or qiraan (i.e., both), it
isharaam for him to pass itwithout entering ihram, according to
scholarly consensus.
End quote from al-Majmoo', 7/214
But if he passed the miqaat without intending to do Hajj or 'umrah, or
he was not sure and had not yet made up his mind, then he decided to
do 'umrahafter passing the miqaat,he should enter ihram from the place
where hedecided to do 'umrah, unless he is in Makkah, in which case he
should go outside of the Haram zone then enter ihram for 'umrah from
there.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said, commenting on
the hadeeth of Ibn 'Abbaas quoted above:
From this we understandthat if a person travels without the intention
of doing Hajj or 'umrah and he passes the miqaat, then after that he
decides to do Hajj or 'umrah, he should enter ihram from the place
where he decided to do Hajj or 'umrah, and he does not have to go back
to the miqaat, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) said: "from the place he sets out".
End quote from Fath al-Baari
Shaykh Muhammad al-Mukhtaar ash-Shanqeeti (may Allah preserve him) said:
The second scenario: if he went to Jeddah and was hesitant, thinking:
I do not know if I will have enough time or not, then in such cases it
is permissible for him not to enter ihram at themiqaat of Madinah.
For example: there is a person who has some business to do in Jeddah
and he does not know whether he will have enough time to do 'umrah or
not. If he is not sure about the time, it is permissible for him to go
to Jeddah without ihram, and do what he needs to in Jeddah, then enter
ihram from Jeddahif he decides to go to 'umrah from there, because the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "and whoever
is living within these boundaries can enter ihraam from the place he
decides (to do 'umrah)."
This applies to the one who does not have the clear intention of
performing 'umrah fromMadinah, so he is uncertain and hesitant; he
does not have to enter ihram until he is certain that he is going to
do 'umrah.
End quote from Sharh Zaad al-Mustaqni'.
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn 'Abdullah ibn Aal ash-Shaykh (may Allah
preserve him) was asked:
My colleagues and I were sent to Jeddah to do work for Hajj for two
months. Some of us put our ihram in our cars or suitcases, then when
we found some free time we intended to do 'Umrah and entered ihram
from Jeddah. Is this permissible, or do we have to go to the miqaat of
as-Sayl and enter ihram from there?
He replied: If you had decided to do 'umrah before travelling, and
from the time you started your journey to Jeddah your intention was to
do 'umrah, then what you have to do is enter ihram from the miqaat,
because the intention to do 'umrah had already been formed. But if the
decision to do 'umrah was not made until afteryou had settled in
Jeddah, then you should enter ihram from Jeddah.
But if your intention wasnot fixed, in the sense that you were not
sure, then this uncertainty means that you had not firmly decided to
do 'umrah. Based on that, if you made your mind up when you were
closer (to Makkah) than the miqaat, you can enter ihram from the place
where you formed your intention. And Allah knows best.
End quote from Majallat al-Buhooth al-Islamiyyah, 60/95
Secondly:
If a person passes the miqaat, intending to do Hajj or 'umrah, then he
does not enter ihram from the miqaat, he has to go back to the
miqaatthat he passed and enterihram from there. If he does not go
back, he hasto offer a sacrifice for each time that he passedit.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about a person
who was obligedto offer a sacrifice because he entered ihram from
Jeddah after passing the miqaat, and he has made this mistake several
times – what does he have to do? Should he offer one sacrifice and
will that be sufficient, or is the answer something otherthan that?
He replied: He has to offer a sacrifice for each occasion, to be
slaughtered in Makkah for the poor, if he passed the miqaat intending
to do Hajj or 'umrah, then he entered ihram from Jeddah. One seventh
of a camel or one seventh of a cow is acceptable as a sacrifice for
that. He also has to repent to Allah, may He be glorified, from that,
because it is not permissible for a Muslim to pass the miqaat,
intending to do Hajj or 'Umrah, without entering ihraam, because the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "And these
miqaats are for the people at those very places, and besides them for
those who come through those places, and are not residents thereof,
with the intention of performing Hajj and 'Umrah"; and because Ibn
'Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Whoever omits a ritual
(of Hajj or 'umrah) or forgets it, let him offer a sacrifice.
End quote from Majmoo'al-Fataawa, 17/12
He has to try hard to remember how many times he has to offer
sacrifices for, until he thinks it most likely that he has discharged
his duty.
Thirdly:
If a woman sees the tuhr(signal of the end of menses) that she usually
sees at the end of her period, whether that is complete dryness or the
white discharge, whatever usually signals the end of her period, and
she purifies herself and does tawaaf (circumambulation of the Ka'bah)
and sa'i (going between as-Safa and al-Marwah), or praysand fasts,
then after thatshe becomes uncertain about the state of purity on
which she based those acts of worship, she should not pay any
attention to that uncertainty and she does not have to do anything,
because uncertainty after completing an act of worship does not have
any impact, so long as she started it when she was certain about her
situation, on the basis ofwhat she usually sees at the end of her
menses.
But if she was hasty and was not sure whether her menses had ended
before she started 'umrah, and she did not sees what she usually sees
every time her period ends, then after that she began to doubt whether
her menses hadended, as is the case in this question, then her 'umrah
is not complete, because the basic principle is that she was still
menstruating and she did not know whether her period has ended. So she
has to avoid all the things that are prohibited during ihram, the most
important of which is intercourse with her husband, because she is
still in a state of ihram until she goes back to Makkah, does tawaaf
and saa'i, and cuts her hair, then exits her ihram.
If she did any of the actions that are prohibited during ihrambefore
that, she is excused for them because she thought that her 'umrah had
ended.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: With regard
to what she has done of the things that are prohibited (during ihram),
let us assume that her husband had intercourse with her, and
intercourse during ihram is the most seriousof the prohibited actions;
however there is no blame on her because she was unaware of the
ruling. Ifa person does one of theactions that are prohibited during
ihramout of ignorance or because he forgot or was forced to do it,
there is no blame on him.
End quote from Majmoo'al-Fataawa, 21/351
And Allah knows best.

The young man who learned what cannot be taught,Islamic Stories, -

Once upon a time, there lived in Basra an old man whose only
occupation was caring for and loving his only son who was a handsome
young man. The old man invested all his money on his son's education.
The young man went away for a few years and acquired an education at a
well known university under the great scholars of thatage.
The day had arrived for the son to return from his studies and the old
man waited at the door for his son. When the son came and met his
father, the old man looked into his eyes and felt great
disappointment. "What have you learnt my son?" he asked, "I have
learnt everything there was to be learnt, father",he said. "But have
you learnt what cannot be taught?" asked the father. "Go, my son and
learn what cannot be taught", said the old man.
The young man went back to his master and asked him to teach him what
cannot be taught.
"Go away to the mountains with these four hundred sheep and come back
when they are one thousand", said the master.
The young man went to the mountains and became a shepherd. There for
the first time he encountered a silence. He had no one totalk to. The
sheep did not understand his language. In his desperation, he would
talk to them but they would look back at him as if to say he was
stupid. Slowly but surely he began to forget all his worldly
knowledge, his ego, his pride and hebecame quiet like the sheep and
great wisdomand humility came to him.
At the end of two years when the number of sheep had grown to
onethousand, he returned to his master and fell on his feet. "Now you
have learnt what cannot be taught," said the master.
NB. It is interesting to note that the Nabis of Allah Taala (Alayhimus
salaam) at some time in their lives, generally before Nubuwwat, tended
to sheep, and other such animals.

Islamic Stories, - Ibrahim ibn Adham and the man who didn't disobey Allah again

A man came to Ibrahim ibn Adham, may Allah be pleased with him, and
said, "Abu Ishaq, I am unable to control myself.Please give me
something to help me with it"
"If you accept five conditions," said Ibrahim, "and are able to put
them into practice, your disobedience will not cause you any problem."
"Just tell me what they are, Abu Ishaq!" the mansaid. "The first is
that when you want to disobey Allah you do noteat anything He
provides." "Then how will I get anything to eat? Everything on the
earth is from Him!" "So isit right to eat His provision and disobey
Him at the same time?" replied Ibrahim.
"No, it is not. What is thesecond condition?""When you want to disobey
him, move off His land."
"That is even more difficult! Exclaimed the man. "In that case
wherewill I live?"
"Is it right to eat his provision and live on His land and then to
disobeyHim?" asked Ibrahim."No, it is not."
"What is the third condition?" "When you want to disobey Him in spite
of eating His provision and living on His land, find a place where He
will not see you and disobey Him there."
"What do you mean, Ibrahim? He knows everything that happenseven in
the most hidden places!" "So is it right to disobey Him when you eat
His provision and liveon His land and when you know that He can see
everything you do?""It certainly is not!" the man replied.
"Tell me the fourth condition." "That when the Angel of Death arrives
to take your soul,you say to him, 'Give me a reprieve so that I can
repent and act righteously for Allah.'"
"But he won't listen to me!" "Then if you cannotward off death long
enough to give yourself time to repent, and you know that when it
comes there will be no reprieve, how can you hope to be saved?"
"What is the fifth?" "Thatwhen the angels of the Fire come to you to
take you to the Fire, you do not go with them.""They will take me
whether I like it or not!" exclaimed the man.
"So how can you hope to be saved?"
"Enough, enough, Ibrahim! I ask Allah's forgiveness and I turn toHim!"
The man's repentance was sincere and from that time on he was
assiduous in his worship and avoided acts of disobedience until the
day he died.