Ch 7: Meeting of the Men of Allah

This was the time when Muslims had started building mosques and
schools all over Spain and eminent divines and jurists of Islam had
come over to this country. In the capital Cordova the Islamic system
of teaching and training had been introduced. Ziad b. Umar was a
highlylearned traditionist, philosopher and interpreter of the Quran.
At the same time he had no equal in offering prayers and, due to his
integrity, purity, and unostentatious prayerfulness, he was held in
great affection throughout Spain. He would spend his days in teaching
and at nights hewould attend gatherings of divines and officials ofthe
government. His house was adjacent to the University of Cordova and so
after isha prayer those interested in learning gathered at his house.
One day while this meeting was in progress and eminent divines and men
of letters were present, Ziad b. Umar came. All stood up in his
respect. After they were seated Ziad enquired after everyone's health
and then addressed UmarLahmi.
Ziad b. Umar: May Allah fructify your efforts! You have conveyed the
message of truth in the very home of unbelief and humbled unbelievers.
Umar Lahmi: I am just an ordinary weak Muslim and this has been
possible because of your prayers. Isabella has accepted Islam in her
heart. She was desirous of meeting you, so she has come here for an
audience.
Ziad b. Umar : Oh! Is Isabella present here? Umar Lahmi: Yes, she has
been put up in the adjoining house and if you permit she may be
brought to your presence.
Ziad: Yes, certainly. If she has come to meet me, let her come.
Asad (one of those present): By Allah, sir, thisis very great. There
is a great commotion among the Christians of Cordova.But is it
Isabella alone who has been attracted to Islam or are there others
also with her?
Umar Lahmi: About this you will hear from Isabella herself.
Another of the audience: I have heard that Christians intend to kill Isabella.
Umar Lahmi: So far Isabella has taken great care to keep it secret. No
one has found out that she has embraced Islam or intends to do. So the
rumour of the intention to kill her is premature.
Ziad: Now call Isabella here. We shall hear the interesting details
from her own lips.
Shortly after Isabella enters and, seeing Ziad b.Umar sitting at a
prominent place, raises her hand to salute him and sits in a corner,
while all those present congratulate her on her great courage and
firmness.
Ziad: Daughter Isabella, I congratulate you on yourlove of truth Allah
has taken you out of the darkness of unbelief and granted you the boon
of Islam, relieved you from the labrynth of Trinity and put you on to
the Straight Path beset with dangers. To remain firm on it is the task
of a very brave person. But those in whose hearts Islam hasfirmly
established itself would not mind the greatest trouble of the earth.
Allah guides them.
Isabella: Revered father…
Ziad: Daughter, you have to give up such words too. There is no papacy
in Islam. Islam has not given its divines the position which
Christians have given to their priests. There is perfect equality in
Islam. The only duty of the divines isto guide Muslims in the light of
the Holy Quran and sacred Traditions of the Prophet. It is the dutyof
Muslims to act on that guidance and not to "deify them or make them
masters of all their affairs.
Isabella (ashamed): Now you will yourself teach me how I should
address you and other leaders of Islam.
Ziad: Address me and other Muslims just as brothers, but if you desire
to add anything, just say "Sir".
Isabella : Very well, sir, I will obey all your orders in future. Oh
sir, it is a great benevolence and grace of God that He showed this
humble servant the path of truth and justice and took me out of the
course of Trinity and worship of the Cross. The means of my guidance
is my spiritual preceptor and benefactor Umar Lah-mi, who preached to
all the priests of Cordova in their own homes and, through him, the
call of truth reached my ears. I wholeheartedly pray thatGod grant him
all the boons of this world and the next and by your prayer my life
and death be on Islam.
All those present cried: Amin.
Ziad: Daughter, Allah wants to take from you great service and surely
Muslims will be greatly benefited through you. But say if you have
converted any one of theother ladies.
Isabela: Yes, sir, I have four other friends of mine who have lost
their faith in Christianity and are inclined to Islam. Godwilling, I
will bring them with me tomorrow or theday after, that they may have
grace from you and any doubts that may still lurk in them are removed.
Umar Lahmi: Sister, who are these friends of yours? By Allah, we have
no knowledge of them and you never mentioned them to me.
Isabela: One of them is the daughter of Michael, my teacher in
theology, and there are other three. All these have been listening to
all the discussions.
Umar Lahmi: Have they really become Muslimss and seen through the
weaknesses of Christianity ?
Isabella: The weaknesses of Christianity have become manifest to all
ofthem, and they have recognised the truth of Islam, but they have not
yet mustered enough courage to give up their ancestral religion and
declare their adherence to Islam.
Ziad: Well, Allah will give them the necessary courage. We shall also
pray for them.
Umar Lahmi: Bring Michael's daughter also some day so that her doubts
may also be removed.
Isabella: Tomorrow or day after I will surely bring her with me and if
all the four girls do not come, I will bring at least this one
(Michael's daughter) with me.
Ziad: I tell you, daughter, again that you should accept Islam after
clearing all your doubts and never, by any greed or deception, for
Allah wants sincerity and the Quran says that a Muslim's life and
death, prayer and devotion, sitting and standing, sleep and walking
everything should be for Allah and the pleasure of Allah should be the
aim of our life.
Isabella: Oh sir, I say it and bring God to witnessthat no lust or
greed has brought me to the threshold of Islam, nor the acquisition of
wealth and power is my aim. You yourself know the honour my father
enjoys in Cordova and throughout Spain.
Ziad: May Allah reward you, give you firmness and shower His bounties on you.
Umar Lahmi: Islam is the only religion by accepting which Allah's
bounties are showered on man and all his sins are forgiven.
Isabella (smiling): All my sins are forgiven every week by the priest
of Cordova, who is in charge of the department of inquisition and
(bowing her head) I am already sinless and innocent.
Ziad: What is this department of inquisition and what is the meaning
of the priestforgiving sins ? Can any man also forgive sins ?
Isabella (with a sham humility): Oh sir, this story is most
interesting and probably quite novelto you, as you are not aware of
the inner working of Christianity.
Ziad: Will you inform us of these matters? Such interesting facts
should certainly be worth knowing and no one can relate them better
than you.
Isabella: Oh sir! Christians go before the altar of theChrist in the
presence of the head priest every week and confess their sins which
the head priest forgives as, according to Christian creed, the head
priest has power to do that as he is considered to be the
representative of Saint Peter.
Ziad: La hawla wala quwwata ilia billah [Allahforgive us! There is no
power or authority except with Allah]. Can any man forgive sins except
Allah ? This is why the Quran has accused Christians that they have
made their priests and elders their Rabb (fosterer) besides Allah. (In
surprise) Have the priests the authority to forgive all sins?
Isabella: Yes, provided the sinner confesses all his open and secret
sins before the priest. If he has concealed anything itwill not be
forgiven.
Isabella – A girl of Islamic Spain

Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah - Biographies of the Companions (Sahabah)

His appearance was striking. He was slim and tall. His face was bright
and he had a sparse beard. It was pleasing to look at him and
refreshing to meet him.He was extremely courteous andhumble and quite
shy. Yet in a tough situation he would become strikingly serious and
alert, resembling the flashing blade of a sword in his severity and
sharpness.
He was described as the Amin orCustodian of Muhammad's community. His
full name was Aamir ibn Abdullah ibn al-Jarrah.He was known as Abu
Ubaydah. Of him Abdullah ibn Umar, one of the companions of the
Prophet, said:
"Three persons in the tribe of Quraysh were most prominent, had the
best character and werethe most modest. If they spoke to you, they
would not deceive you and if you spoke to them, they would not accuse
you of Lying: Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, Uthman ibn Affan and Abu Ubaydah ibn
al-Jarrah."
Abu Ubaydah was one of the first persons to accept Islam. He became a
Muslim one day after Abu Bakr. In fact, it was throughAbu Bakr that he
became a Muslim. Abu Bakr took him, Abdur Rahman ibn Aut, Uthman ibn
Mazun and al-Arqam ibn Abu al Arqam to the Prophet, upon whom be
peace, and together they declared their acceptance of the Truth. They
were thus the first pillars on which the great edifice of Islam was
built.
Abu Ubaydah lived through the harsh experience, which the Muslims went
through in Makkah, from beginning to end. With the early Muslims, he
endured the insults and the violence, the pain and the sorrow of that
experience. In every trial and test he remained firm and constant in
his belief in God and His prophet. One of the most harrowing
experiences he had to go through however, wasat the battle of Badr.
Abu Ubaydah was in the vanguard of the Muslim forces, fighting with
might and main and as someone who was not atall afraid of death. The
Quraysh cavalry were extremely wary of him and avoided coming face to
face with him. One man in particular, however, kept on pursuing Abu
Ubaydah whereverhe turned and Abu Ubaydah tried his best to keep out
of his way and avoid an encounter with him.
The man plunged into the attack. Abu Ubaydah tried desperately to
avoid him. Eventually the man succeeded in blocking Abu Ubaydah's path
and stood as a barrier between him and the Quraysh. I hey were now
face to face with each other. Abu Ubaydah could not contain himself
any longer. He struck one blow to the man's head. The man fell to the
groundand died instantly.
Do not try to guess who this man was It was, as stated earlier, one of
the most harrowing experiences that Abu Ubaydah had to go through, how
harrowing, it is almost impossible to imagine. The man in Fact was
Abdullah ibn al-Jarrah, the father of Abu Ubaydah!
Abu Ubaydah obviously did not want to kill his father but in the
actual battle between faith in God and polytheism, the choice open to
him was profoundly disturbing but clear. In a way it could be said
that he did not kill his father--he only killed the polytheism in the
person of his father.
It is concerning this event that God revealed the following verses of the Quran:
"You will not find a people believing in God and the Last Daymaking
friends with those who oppose God and His messenger even if these were
their fathers, their sons, their brothers or their clan. God has
placed faith in their hearts and strengthenedthem with a spirit from
Him. He will cause them to enter gardens beneath which streams flow
that they may dwell therein. God is well pleased withthem and they
well pleased withHim. They are the party of God. Is not the party of
God the successful ones?" (Surah al-Mujactilah 58:22)
The response of Abu Ubaydah at Badr when confronted by his father was
not unexpected. He had attained a strength of faith in God, devotion
to His religion and a level of concern for the ummah of Muhammad to
which many aspired.
It is related by Muhammad ibn Jafar, a Companion of the Prophet, that
a Christian delegation came to the Prophet and said, 'O Abu-l Qasim,
send one of your companions with us,one in whom you are well pleased,
to judge between us onsome questions of property about which we
disagree amongourselves. We have a high regardfor you Muslim people."
"Come back to me this evening,"replied the Prophet, "and I will send
with you one who is strongand trustworthy."
Umar ibn al-Khattab heard the Prophet saying this and later said: "I
went to the Zuhr (midday) Prayer early hoping to be the one who would
fit the description of the Prophet. When the Prophet had finished the
Prayer, he began looking to his right and his left and I raised myself
so that he could see me. But he continued looking amongus until he
spotted Abu Ubaydahibn al-Jarrah. He called him and said, 'Go with
them and judge among them with truth about that which they are in
disagreement." And so Abu Ubaydah got the appointment."
Abu Ubaydah was not only trustworthy. He displayed a great deal of
strength in the discharge of his trust. This strength was shown on
several occasions.
One day the Prophet dispatched a group of his Sahabah to meet a
Quraysh caravan. He appointed Abu Ubaydah as amir (leader) of the
group and gave them a bag of dates and nothing else as provisions. Abu
Ubaydah gave to each man under his command only one date every day. He
would suck this date just as a child would suck at the breast ofits
mother. He would then drink some water and this would suffice him for
the whole day.
On the day of Uhud when the Muslims were being routed, one of the
mushrikeen started to shout, "Show me Muhammad, show me Muhammad." Abu
Ubaydah was one of a group of ten Muslims who had encircled the
Prophet to protect him against the spears of the Mushrikeen.
When the battle was over, it wasfound that one of the Prophet's molar
teeth was broken, his forehead was bashed in and twodiscs from his
shield had penetrated into his cheeks. Abu Bakr went forward with the
intention of extracting these discs but Abu Ubaydah said,"Please leave
that to me."
Abu Ubaydah was afraid that he would cause the Prophet pain if he took
out the discs with his hand. He bit hard into one of thediscs. It was
extracted but one of his incisor teeth fell to the ground in the
process. With his other incisor, he extracted the other disc but lost
that tooth also. Abu Bakr remarked, "Abu Ubaydah is the best of men at
breaking incisor teeth!"
Abu Ubaydah continued to be fully involved in all the momentous events
during the Prophet's lifetime. After the beloved Prophet had passed
away, the companions gathered to choose a successor at the Saqifah or
meeting place of BanuSaaadah. The day is known in history as the Day
of Saqifah. On this day, Umar ibn al-Khattab said to Abu Ubaydah,
"Stretch forth your hand and I will swear allegiance to you for I
heard the Prophet, peace be upon him say,'Every ummah has an amin
(custodian) and you are the amin of this ummah.' "
"I would not," declared Abu Ubaydah, "put myself forward in the
presence of a man whom the Prophet, upon whom be peace, commanded to
lead us in Prayer and who led us right untilthe Prophet's death." He
then gave bayah (the oath of allegiance) to Abu Bakr as-Siddiq. He
continued to be a close adviser to Abu Bakr and hisstrong supporter in
the cause of truth and goodness. Then came the caliphate of Umar and
Abu Ubaydah also gave him his support and obedience. He did not
disobey him in any matter, except one.
The incident happened when Abu Ubaydah was in Syria leading the Muslim
forces from one victory to another until the whole of Syria was under
Muslimcontrol. The River Euphrates lay to his right and Asia Minor to
hisleft.
It was then that a plague hit theland of Syria, the like of which
people had never experienced before. It devastated the population.
Umar dispatched a messenger to Abu Ubaydah witha letter saying:
"I am in urgent need of you. If my letter reaches you at night I
strongly urge you to leave before dawn. If this letter reaches you
during the day, I strongly urge you to leave before evening and hasten
to me.
When Abu Ubaydah received Umar's letter, he said, "I know why the Amir
al-Mumineen needs me. He wants to secure the survival of someone who,
however, is not eternal." So he wrote to Umar:
"I know that you need me. But I am in an army of Muslims and I have no
desire to save myself from what is afflicting them. I do not want to
separate from them until God wills. So, when this letter reaches you,
release me from your command and permit me to stay on.''
When Umar read this letter tearsfilled his eyes and those who were
with him asked, "Has Abu Ubaydah died, O Amir al-Mumineen?"
"No," said he, "But death is near to him."
Umar's intuition was not wrong.Before long, Abu Ubaydah became
afflicted with the plague. As death hung over him, he spoke to his
army:
"Let me give you some advice which will cause you to be on the path of
goodness always."Establish Prayer. Fast the month of Ramadan. Give
Sadaqah. Perform the Hajj and Umrah. Remain united and support one
another. Be sincere to your commanders and do notconceal anything from
them. Don't let the world destroy you for even if man were to live a
thousand years he would still end up with this state that you see me
in.
Peace be upon you and the mercy of God."
Abu Ubaydah then turned to Muadh ibn Jabal and said, "O Muadh, perform
the prayer with the people (be their leader)." At this, his pure soul
departed. Muadh got up and said:
"O people, you are stricken by the death of a man. By God, I don't
know whether I have seen a man who had a more righteous heart, who was
further from all evil and who was more sincere to people thanhe. Ask
God to shower His mercyon him and God will be merciful to you. "

Family Values and Parent-Child Relationship in Islam

It seems that terrorism is the only projection of Islam that the media
likesto display; non-Muslims are rarely introduced to any meaningful
aspects of Islam. And yet, one of the growing attractions to Islam is
the family values that are upheld byMuslims.
The foremost and fundamental institution of human society is the
family unit. A family is established by the coming together of a man
and a woman and their contact brings into existence a new generation.
It then produces ties of kinship and community, which gradually
develop into a large society. The family is the institution through
which a generation prepares the succeeding generation for the service
of human civilization and for the discharge of its social obligations
with devotion, sincerity and enthusiasm.
Islam has emphasized theimportance of the family unit, and has laid
down its governing rules and regulations in great detail in Noble
Qur'an and in the Sunnah. This highlights the importance of the family
with regards to the well-being of the individual, society and Muslim
Ummah.
One of the most striking features of Muslim society is the importance
attached to the family. The family forms the basic building block of
Muslim society. The family unit is regarded asthe cornerstone of a
healthy and balanced Muslim society. Despite the many pressures it
faces, the family institution remains strong in any Muslim society.
Muslim families around the globe have adopted many of the traditions
inherent in the culture ofthe country they live in. But still, there
are many Islamic traditions that unite Muslim families regardless of
ethnic or cultural background.
Islam devotes much attention to those relating to the family
andstrives to establish this important social unit on the healthiest
and strongest foundations. According to Islam, the correct form of
relationship between a man and woman is marriage, that is, the onein
which full social responsibilities are undertaken by them and which
results in the emergence of a family. Irresponsible behaviour are not
condoned by Islam as innocent past times or ordinary transgressions.
Rather, they are acts that strike at the very roots of human society.
Muslims strive to maintain close family andcommunity ties. These bonds
are strengthened during life-changing events, when Muslims turn to
each other for support and sometimes celebration. Muslim community
usually observes important personal and family milestones together.
They may gather to welcome a new member of the community (through
birth or conversion), congratulatea young person upon reaching
adulthood or mourn the loss of a community member who has passed away.
Islam places the roles of the man, women and children into the proper
perspective that will best serve the family and society. The woman is
not subjugated or inferior to the man, rather each has a proper place
in the creation that Allah (SWT) intended. TheFamily Values in Islam
areordained and highly esteemed; while the rest of the world is
falling apart around us we will always have our Muslim family.
In the traditions of Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) good
treatment of relatives has been emphasized and counted among the
highest virtues. Maintaining the bonds of kinship (silatur-rahim)
indeed enjoys extraordinary importance in Islam. Conversely, severing
the ties (qata-ur-rahim), is very high on the list of enormities. At
two places in Noble Qur'an (3:25, 47:22-23), Allah (SWT) hascursed the
one severing family ties.
We aspire to have Muslimfamilies - as Almighty Allah (SWT) intended
them to be - as entities ofcompassion, mercy, care and love, and
capable of issuing forth righteous generations, who can actas role
models to societies in general, proving that Islam places humanity on
the right path and offers a life of contentment.
By listing wide array of well-written articles (Muslim Family Stories)
appeals to all ages of Muslim Families, we hopeto assists Muslims
around the globe in forming and maintaining a healthy family values
based on Islamic beliefs and principles, by building strong family
structures, promoting healthy marriages, helping reduce divorces,
eradicating domestic violence.

Interesting Stories

No one person can ever experience all that life has to offer. It is
only through sharing - experiences, feelings, insights - that we can
hope to grow beyond our own meager lifetime.As saying goes, "Learn
from the mistakes of others, you can't live longenough to make them
all yourselves!" So, are you ready to learn and grow together?
Here on this page we have listed a great collection of most
interesting stories or popular stories collected from various sources
on different Islamic themes. Take a moment to browse around; we
hopeyou find something very interesting and worth while.
This page is devoted to interesting stories or amusing stories about
various Islamic themes such as, Akhlaq (Good Conduct), Story of Trust
inAllah (SWT), Jihad in Islam, Wonderful Stories of Islam, Islam and
Leadership, Ethical Stories, Spiritual Stories for Children, Stories
for Character Building and Character Development.
These interesting stories or amusing stories are told from a defined
pointof view, so there is feeling as well as specific and often
sensory details provided to get the reader involved in the elements
and sequence of the story. These interesting stories or amusing
stories are capable of arousing excitement and holding the attention
or curiosity of readers.
These interesting stories or amusing stories are for people of various
faiths who seek to understand religion of Islam and Muslims better.
Interesting facts about the religion of Islam: Islam, a religion of
peace and mercy, does not permit terrorism. Islam and other various
Islamic terms and concepts are grossly misunderstood in the West.
Muslims can hardly find anyone to blame but themselves because (a)
they have failed to live by the Islamic tenets in our times, and (b)
they have failed to promote understanding of Islam inthe West through
outreach projects. The terrorists are tarnishing the image of Islam by
attaching their heinous crimes to the religion of Islam. Killing and
terrorizing Innocent people and the destruction of property are
strictly prohibited by Islam.
Do you know? The word Jihad appears 44 times inNoble Qur'an. Nowhere
has it been used in the sense of war. For war, Noble Qur'an has words
like Qatal and Harb. Derived from the Arabic word Juhd, Jihad
literally means to strive, to struggle. Moreover, Noble Qur'an teaches
Muslims and non-Muslimsto live peaceful lives together. Because of
this word like, compassion, love and mercy are mentioned more than 355
times in Noble Qur'an.
The things that will destroy us are: politics without principle;
pleasure without conscience; wealth without work; knowledge without
character; business without morality; sciencewithout humanity; and
worship without sacrifice.