Finally, the moment I've been waiting for. 2 years of constant studying in Intermediate. May 19th, the last day of exams. Now insha'Allah the path will be easy from now on, at least in terms of academics (secular) . Insha'Allah, I'll finish a couple of Part 2's in the next week or so.
Oh yeah, I'm planning on making MAJOR changes in my life, my attitude, work schedule, personality, practically everything. And the changes will start today, insha'Allah. Bit by bit...
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
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/
http://muslimmatters.org/2009/01/29/turkish-pm-erdogan-admonishes-israel-president-shimon-peres-over-gaza-and-walks-off/
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
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:
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:
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).
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.
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:
- Allah(SWT) has knowledge of everything in the Universe
- That all this knowledge has been written in Al-Lawhul Mahfooz
- Everything that happens is by Allah(SWT)'s Will
- Everything happens is caused by Allah(SWT)
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.
Monday, December 8, 2008
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,
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.
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
قَالَتْ إِنَّ الْمُلُوكَ إِذَا دَخَلُوا قَرْيَةً أَفْسَدُوهَا وَجَعَلُوا أَعِزَّةَ أَهْلِهَا أَذِلَّةً وَكَذَلِكَ يَفْعَلُونَ27:34 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.
Subversion of Society"Be you not exalted against me, but come to me as Muslims (true believers who submit to Allah with full submission)"-Surah Naml(27)-31The 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.
And thus they do. وَكَذَلِكَ يَفْعَلُونَ
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.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
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.
Here's the translation:
(Note: I use Muhammad Muhsin Khan's translation, typed up but the Arabic I often copy from Islamicity)
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....
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....
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