May Allah(SWT) Bless Erdogan

I'm not going to say much because the whole Gaza affair makes me EXTREMELY sick. But may Allah(SWT) bless Prime Minister Erdogan for speaking the truth.

http://muslimmatters.org/2009/01/29/turkish-pm-erdogan-admonishes-israel-president-shimon-peres-over-gaza-and-walks-off/

Understanding Al-Qadr (The Pre-Decree) Part 1

A special thank you to Br. Wasif for recommending me the awesome book, "Sharh Thalathatul Usool-Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles" by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih Al-Uthaymeen which this series is based upon.

What is Al-Qadr?

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih Al-Uthaymeen gives the following definition:

"Allah, the Most High's ordainment of the creation, in accordance with his Knowledge that preceded everything, and in accordance with his Wisdom."

He further goes on to explain that Al-Qadr consists of four things:

1. Allah(SWT) has knowledge of everything in the Universe
2. That all this knowledge has been written in Al-Lawhul Mahfooz
3. Everything that happens is by Allah(SWT)'s Will
4. Everything happens is caused by Allah(SWT)

Allah(SWT) has knowledge of everything in the Universe

This is one of the four components of Qadr. It means that whatever happened, is happening or will happen, ALlah(SWT) has full knowledge of it. Every single detail whether minute or enormous Allah (SWT) knows about it. Allah (SWT) says in the Quran:

"And with Him are the keys of the Ghaib (all that is hidden), none knows them but He. And He knows whatever there is in (or on) the earth and in the sea; not a leaf falls, but he knows it. There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth nor anything fresh or dry, but is written in a Clear Record. "(6:59)

Allah(SWT) even refers to himself with this attribute many times in the Quran:

إِنَّ اللّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

Truly, Allâh is the All-Hearer, All-Knower.

إِنَّ اللّهَ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ

Surely! Allâh is All-Sufficient for His creatures' needs, All-Knowing.

إِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ عَلِيمًا خَبِيرًا

Indeed Allâh is Ever All­-Knower, Well­-Acquainted with all things.

Effect of this Belief

Allah(SWT) has knowledge over everything, so what? What does it mean for me? How will knowledge of this belief help me or change me? If a person believes in this component of Qadr, what does it entail? What does it imply?

Belief in this component of Qadr entails that a Muslim knows whatever he did(past), is doing (present), and will do (future) is all known by Allah(SWT). So there is no way that any of his actions, big or small, hidden or apparent will be forgotten or neglected by Allah(SWT), Rabbul Alamin (Lord of the Universe).

فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ

So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it. (99:7)

وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ

And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it. (99:8)

Therefore, the Muslim should be wary of whatever he does because he knows that Allah (SWT) has knowledge about all of his actions. On the Day of Judgement, when all of mankind will be gathered together be judged for what they did in this life, Allah(SWT) will know every single action that they committed.

Subvertion of Society

The Queen's Statement

In Surah Naml, Allah(SWT) mentions the story of Sulayman(A) and the Queen of the kingdom of Saba (Sheba) . Sulayman(A) upon hearing the of the kingdom of Saba decides to send her a letter, inviting her to Islam,

أَلَّا تَعْلُوا عَلَيَّ وَأْتُونِي مُسْلِمِينَ

"Be you not exalted against me, but come to me as Muslims (true believers who submit to Allah with full submission)"-Surah Naml(27)-31

The Queen first asks her advisers as to what to do, then decides to negotiate a peace treaty. Allah(SWT) explains her reasoning in the Quran,

قَالَتْ إِنَّ الْمُلُوكَ إِذَا دَخَلُوا قَرْيَةً أَفْسَدُوهَا وَجَعَلُوا أَعِزَّةَ أَهْلِهَا أَذِلَّةً وَكَذَلِكَ يَفْعَلُونَ27:34

She said: "Verily, kings, when they enter a town (country), they despoil it and make the most honorable amongst its people the lowest." And thus they do.

What is interesting about this statement is not that Allah(SWT) mentioned her words in the Quran for Fir'awn's infamous saying, "I am your Lord, the Most High" is also mentioned in the Quran but that Allah(SWT) affirmed what she said.

And thus they do. وَكَذَلِكَ يَفْعَلُونَ

Subversion of Society

The Queen of Saba states in the above ayah that the most respected individuals of a society become the most downtrodden when a country is invaded . The upper classes become the lower classes while the lower classes become elevated in their ranks.

One needs to cast only a cursory glance at society to see the truth in her words. Members of the royal family were literally beheaded after the French Revolution. This would have been the same fate of last Shah of Iran if it were not for American intervention after the Iranian Revolution. And who benefited most from this change of government? Ayatollah Khomeini, who was once banished from the country. The same fate occurred in Pakistan to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto when Gen Zia-ul-Haq took power. And it happened to Muslim Spain when the Christians took power. The Muslim rulers used to live in luxurious palaces but when the Christians came, they became so poor that they had to beg others for money.

The Indian Subcontinent

The British first arrived in the Subcontinent in 1612. In 1857, their process of invasion of the subcontinent was complete. From the onset of their arrival into the subcontinent, they started the process of overturning society, making the most respectable individuals, the most ignoble.

Who was this elite class before the arrival of the British? Other than the chosen nobles, they consisted of the Ulema, the scholars of Islam. During the time of the Mughals, the Ulema were highly respected by the people, served as advisers to the Mughal Emperor and were given special accommodations near the compounds of the royal family.

On the other hand, the dregs of society consisted of the drunkards, the thieves, the prostitutes and the serial-killers. These people were systematically punished, humiliated and loathed by the common people as well.

The Gradual Change

In the 21st Century though, we see a totally different picture. The elite class- the politicians, the multi-millionaires, those who control the government of Pakistan consists of those who often practice Zina, carry out mass-scale murders, and use tax money for themselves. And what about the Ulema? They have been reduced to the most disliked, disrespected, loathed, group of society.

Talking to my many relatives and others in Pakistan, I realize that the respect I would have for a scholar, a person who knows the religion of Islam, is absent from them. More so, the Ulema been the subject of jokes, criticized, bad named, thought of as frightening and more. The term "Mullah" has become a slang used to criticize someone. All this from my fellow Muslims.

On the other hand, I hear success stories after success stories of people who gained a lot of wealth, became rich and have these awesome jobs which give them a lot of cash. These 'successful' people are often either non-Muslims or people that don't even practice Islam. What is more interesting is that I hear these stories from people of all segments of society. Whether they are upper, middle or lower class, religious or nonreligious, they all tell me the stories of the 'successful'. In other words, the general public looks up to the nonreligious, non-practicing Muslims. (If you got confused in this last paragraph, read my post, What's Our Goal?- Part 1, to see where I'm headed)

Was this change sudden, abrupt? No, it took alot of time. For many centuries, the British aimed to turn this society upside down, but met strong resistance. When they finally left in 1947, they had harnessed so many 'agents' united in this struggle that the process continues until today.

The Food of Jannah

I'm thinking of changing my style of writing. Instead of writing long, burdensome pieces that I hardly have the time to write, I'll, insha'Allah add shorter pieces related upon some Gem that I come across.


Surah Baqarah, Ayah 25 is an ayah that I've read many times with the translation. And It often disturbed and I've thought about it for many long hours.

وَبَشِّرِ الَّذِين آمَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّالِحَاتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَارُ كُلَّمَا رُزِقُواْ مِنْهَا مِن ثَمَرَةٍ رِّزْقاً قَالُواْ هَـذَا الَّذِي رُزِقْنَا مِن قَبْلُ وَأُتُواْ بِهِ مُتَشَابِهاً وَلَهُمْ فِيهَا أَزْوَاجٌ مُّطَهَّرَةٌ وَهُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ

Here's the translation:
(Note: I use Muhammad Muhsin Khan's translation, typed up but the Arabic I often copy from Islamicity)

"And give glad tidings to those who believe and do righteous good deeds, that for them will be Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise). Every time they will be provided with fruit therefrom, they will say: "This is what we were provided with before," and they will be given things in resemblance (i.e. in the same form but different in taste) and they shall have therein Azwajun Mutahharatun (purified mates or wives), and they will abide therein forever."

The ayah is self-explanatory but the part that disturbed me was this "Every time they will be provided with fruit therefrom, they will say: "This is what we were provided with before," and they will be given things in resemblance (i.e. in the same form but different in taste) ". I would always wonder how was it possible that practically the same thing would taste so good. And then I had an awesome experience a couple days ago which gave me some insight into what this ayah possibly meant.

My mother made me eat a Vitamin C tablet the other day. It was my first (and insha'Allah) last time. If you've ever had a Vitamin C tablet, you know that its SOUR, real SOUR. And I don't like sour things. I licked it once and put it back down, then again and again. At last I figured that this way would take me a real long time so I just chewed on it and swallowed it. The experience was AWFUL.

I immediately rushed to the kitchen, took out a glass, and drank some water from the watercooler. (A note here, I drinked boiled water because the tap water in Karachi is not too clean) The water from the watercooler ALWAYS tastes the same way. I can even tell if its been previously in a different container. But for some reason, it tasted VERY different this time. Totally sweet, like drinking a glass of Apple Juice or Rooh Afza(see here). I took another glass of water, same taste. I confirmed with my mother and sister that their was nothing wrong with the water. My sister even tasted it and said it was normal.

That got my brain thinking. How could a normal glass of water actually taste so sweet? I knew that the Vitamin C tablet had temporarily altered my taste buds. But then I thought of when our lives would be totally different, everything serene, bountiful, and simply amazing... Jannah. I recalled the above stated ayah and realized that this was a minute example of how food would taste over there. SubhanAllah....

The Story of the Two Gardens and Tests

SubhanAllah, I thought this would be a short article but it turned out very long. My final result will Insha’Allah arrive in the next week or so, so I wrote this article to serve as both a reminder to myself and to others. Even a simple thing such as a test is a huge trial from Allah(SWT). So make sure you make it an opportunity to strengthen your connection with Allah(SWT), not as a means to become arrogant and forget Allah(SWT).

Studying = Good Grades (or Marks)

Ever since preschool, every single teacher has taught me the same lesson. That is,

"If you study, you will get good grades."

Hmm. For many years, I believed this statement to be absolutely true without exception. I listened to my teachers and studied and Alhumdulilah, got good grades. I reasoned that this was the formula for success. After all, whenever I studied, I got good grades. Whenever I saw, other students who bad in their tests, I assumed it was because they didn't study. Lack of studying led to bad grades and studying led to good grades.

During my later years in middle school, I made many new friends. Alot of them got good grades. Why? Because they studied. And so they helped my theory to grow. Now, I believed that this was a principle that did not only work for me but for others as well. It was a universal principle.

Unfortunately, there was a slight problem. One of my best friends would always say the opposite. He used to say "Whenever I study, I don't do good on my tests". Whenever he said that, it was always worried me. I would have this sudden urge to yell at him and say, "No, you're lying! You're wrong!" but we were close friends and I didn't want to destroy our friendship. Why did his statement worry me so much? This principle was the basis of my hard work. I studied so that I could do good on my tests and get good grades. If for some reason, this principle didn't hold true, then all my hard work would be wasted and would be for absolutely nothing.

How could this be possible, I thought. How could it be that he studied and didn't get good grades? I told myself that his bad grades were not because he didn't study but because he didn't study the right way. And so I slightly modified my principle into:

If you study the right way, you will get good grades.

Surah Kahf-The Story of the Two Gardens.

In Surah Kahf, Allah (SWT) mentions four stories. One of these stories is the story of two men who had two beautiful gardens. Allah (SWT) says in the Quran:

"And put forward to them the example of two men: unto one of them We had given two gardens of grapes, And We had surrounded both with date palms; and had put between them green crops (cultivated fields). Each of those two gardens brought forth its produce, and failed not in the least therein, and We caused a river to gush forth in the midst of them. And he had property (or fruit) and he said to his companion, in the course of mutual talk: "I am more than you in wealth and stronger in respect of men." And he went into his garden while in a state (of pride and disbelief), unjust to himself. He said: "I think not that this will ever perish. " " And I think not the Hour will ever come, and if indeed I am brought back to my Lord, (on the Day of Resurrection), I surely, shall find better than this when I return to Him." His companion said to him during the talk with him: "Do you disbelieve in Him Who created you out of dust (i.e. your father Adam), then out of Nutfah (mixed semen drops of male and female discharge), then fashioned you into a man? "But as for my part, (I believe) that He is Allah, my Lord, and none shall I associate as partner with my Lord. "It was better for you to say, when entered your garden: "That which Allah wills (will come to pass)! There is no power but with Allah! ' If you see me less than you in wealth, and children, "It may be that my Lord will give me something better than you garden, and will send on it Husban (torment, bolt) from the sky, then it will be a barren slippery earth. "Or the water thereof (of the gardens) becomes deep-sunken (underground) so that will never be able to seek it. " So his fruits were encircled (with ruin). And he remained clapping his hands (with sorrow) over what he had spent upon it, while it was all destroyed on its trellises, and he could only say: "Would that I had ascribed no partners to my Lord!" And he had no group of me to help him against Allah, nor could he defend (0r save) himself. There (on the Day of Resurrection), Al-Walayah (protection, power, authority and kingdom) will be for Allah (Alone), the True God. He (Allah) is the Best for reward and the Best for the final end. (La ilaha illallah - none has the right to be worshipped but Allah) (Translation of Surah Kahf, Ayah 32-44 by Muhammad Muhsin Khan)

To summarize this story, it is about two men, one whom Allah (SWT) had given two gardens. He forgot to thank Allah (SWT) and denied the Hour. His friend admonished him for his behavior and told him to remember Allah (SWT) lest some harm fall unto him. The rich man did not follow his friend's advice and Allah (SWT) destroyed his crops.”

The Effort Involved...

Many people read or listen to this story and shake their head saying, "What a fool? Didn't he realize that everything that was given to him was from Allah (SWT)?" but unfortunately fail to realize that they make the same mistake themselves often.

If a Muslim suddenly gets ten thousand dollars without much effort (In a halal way), he is very much likely to thank. "SubhanAllah, Allah is the Greatest. I didn't even make much effort and Allah (SWT) gave me so much, so easily." On the other hand, if a person works hard long hours, saves for months and then finally earns that ten thousand dollars, he is less likely to remember Allah (SWT). The person believes that it was his effort, his dedication which was the cause of him earning ten thousand dollars.

The same is true for the story of the two gardens. If you've ever had a lawn and had to work on it just to keep it in shape, you know what I'm talking about. Growing a garden is HARD work. Think about it: planting row after row of trees, watering them, watching out for pests, etc. is both time and energy consuming work. When a person works on a garden for many long years and then finally bears the fruit of his hard work, it becomes difficult to attribute all that energy and time he spent to someone else. The person believes that it was because of his dedication, his striving that he now has a beautiful and fruitful garden. And so he forgets Allah (SWT) who gave him everything in the first place. Allah (SWT) provided for him with the arms and hands he needed to pick up things, the legs which enabled him to walk around, the mind to understand the necessities of a garden, the energy to work in the garden, the time to take out from his other responsibilities and dedicate to his garden and the list goes on and on. “How many of your Lord’s favors will you deny?” Surah Rahman

Back to Tests...

The same goes for tests. People study for days, weeks, or even months and they get excellent grades. They often attribute that to their hard work. But who's responsible, them or Allah (SWT)? Only and solely Allah (SWT). The ability to study for a test, the ability to memorize things, the ability to even take the test are ALL blessings provided by Allah (SWT).

What could possibly happen if Allah (SWT) didn’t want you to do good in a test? Take the example of an SAT exam. You have two months left and you utilize it to the maximum. You study every day, take practice exams, memorize your vocabulary. The night before the exam you have a good night's sleep and wake up early eager to finally take the test you have been waiting for so long. You arrive at your exam center, start your exam and all of a sudden feel nauseous. You rush to the bathroom and throw up. There goes your SAT. All that hard work goes down the drain. What happened? Simply Kon fayakoon. Allah(SWT) said "Be and it was". Allah (SWT), the one who controls all that is in the Heavens and the Earth, simply willed that you wouldn't be able to take the test and so it was.

Studying = Good Grades?

Last year, about 8 months ago, I had an interesting experience. My bi-monthly exams were coming up and I got lazy and didn't study enough. The result, a 63%. I realized my mistake and decided that for the next bi-monthly exams, I would start studying from now, instead of the last week or so. By the will of Allah (SWT), those next two months I studied very hard. The result, a 69%. I was appalled. How could it be that I studied for a week and got a 63 and then studied for two months and got a 69? The next 5 months or so, I pondered this question.

Was it possible that my principle was wrong? Was there a problem in my method of studying? No, that couldn't be. I probably worked harder than any other student and the method was I used was reserved for only the elite. So what went wrong? Did I simply not work hard enough? No, I utilized my time to the max. Did I all of a sudden become dull? No, I knew most of the answers to the questions. I searched and searched for answers, excuses anything to explain what happened in those exams. I created many excuses like my Chemistry teacher has a grudge against me, I made small mistakes, I read the question wrong, and so on. But none of them we too explanatory onto why a got an average of 69% from six subjects. Finally, about a month ago, I realized what I had been denying all along. My principle, "If you study correctly, you will get good grades." was wrong.

My New Principle

Everything in the Universe belongs to Allah (SWT). "To him belongs whatever is in the heavens and the Earth."(Ayat-ul-Kursi) He is Rabbul Alamin, the Lord of all creation. He has command over everything and does as He wills. Everything that happens in the heavens and the Earth are all a result of his Will. No one has any of share of his command over the heavens and the Earth. We are all subjected to whatever he wills. And so the same is true for tests.

When Allah (SWT) willed that I get good grades in my tests, I did. When he didn't, I didn't do so well in my tests. If someone told me this about a couple months ago, I would shake my head and say "Yeah, you are absolutely right". But I never understand what that meant until now. SubhanAllah. No matter what you do, if Allah (SWT) wills that something does not happen it doesn't. If he does, it will. So who should you be grateful for getting a good grade? Allah (SWT) ONLY. Your effort, your work, it's all in a way useless because, if Allah (SWT) doesn't Will something, it doesn't happen, period. And so my new principle,

If Allah(SWT) wills that you do good in a test, you will. If he doesn't you won't.