Birthday of the Prophet (saws) ?!?!?

The commands mentioned in the Qur'an and Sunnah to follow the laws of Allah and His Messenger, and the prohibitions on introducing innovations into the religion are quite clear. Allah says:

"Say (O Muhammad to mankind): 'If you (really) love Allah, then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Qur'an and the sunnah), Allah will love you and forgive you your sins'." [Al-Qur'an 3:31]

"Follow what has been sent down unto you from your Lord (the Qur'an and Prophet Muhammad's sunnah), and follow not any awliya' (protectors and helpers who order you to associate partners in worship with Allah), besides Him (Allah). Little do you remember!" [Al-Qur'an 7:3]

"And verily, this is My straight path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His path." [Al-Qur'an 6:153]

And the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said, "The most truthful of speech is the Book of Allah and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, and the most evil of things are those which are newly-invented." And he, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said, "Whoever innovates anything in this matter of ours (i.e., Islam), that is not part of it will have it rejected." [Narrated by al-Bukhari, no. 2697; Muslim, no. 1718]. According to a version narrated by Muslim, "Whoever doe anything that is not in accordance with this matter of ours (i.e., Islam), will have it rejected."

Among the reprehensible innovations that people have invented is the celebration of the birthday of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in the month of Rabi' al-Awwal. They celebrate this occasion in various ways:

Was An-Najashi of Abyssinia a Believer???

Was An-Najashi of Abyssinia a believer and did he still remain as a believer despite not having ruled by the Law of Allah? 

By Ustadh Musa Cerantonio (hafidhUllah) 

 

All praise belongs to Allah and may His Blessings and Peace be upon the Messenger of Allah

 

Allah the Almighty says in His Qur'ān, "Whosoever does not judge by that which Allah has revealed, then they are disbelievers" [5:44]

The implication of this verse is muḥkam (clear and decisive) and all Muslims agree that Allah has stated in this verse that whoever refuses to judge or rule by Allah's Law whilst he is able to do so and prefers another law to be used then such a person is not a believer and has left the fold of Islam and has become an apostate. This matter is clear and agreed upon, however some have attempted to add to this due to their ijtihad on the matter that there is a sub-category of people who do not rule by Allah's Law yet are not disbelievers due to the fact that they were under coercion and therefore were unable to rule by Allah's Law in fear of being persecuted by their people. An example of this in older times which they present is An-Najāshī of Abyssinia and in modern times they attempt to present modern-day rulers such as Erdoğan of Turkey or Mursī of Egypt as being 'excused' from not not ruling by Allah's Law due to the apparent pressures which they face. Since this matter is critical in our times and is very relevant to the Muslims I will analyse these claims according to the Revelation of Allah so as to clarify the reality of this matter and to put an end to any doubts that some may have and to unite us all upon the Truth which has come from Allah our Lord and Judge.

The Argument:
An-Najāshī ruled over Abyssinia for a number of years with a law other than the Sharīʿah yet the Prophet of Allah still prayed over him in absentia when he died, implying that he died as a believer since the Prophet would not pray over a disbeliever. Therefore An-Najāshī died as a believer despite not having ruled by Allah's Law and this can be understood to mean that he was excused from ruling by Allah's Law since he was unable to do so as his people who were non-Muslims would not accept to be ruled by any law other than their own and would have killed Najāshī or overthrown him which would therefore mean that the Arabian Muslims who migrated to Abyssinia to be protected under An-Najāshī's rule would be expelled and would lose their protection. As such An-Najāshī saw it to be a greater good to continue to rule by a law other than Allah's Law so as to protect himself and the other Muslims and this is why he had a valid reason to not rule by Allah's Law and is therefore not a disbeliever like those mentioned in the verse above.

Response:

Najashi ruled by the Law of Kuffr ???

Did the Rasool (saws) accept the Najashi to rule by the law of kufr?

The following is a chapter from the book 'The Da'wah to Islam' by Sheikh Ahmad Mahmoud which can be downloaded from http://www.khilafah.com/images/images/DawahToIslm.pdf

The one who carries Islam truthfully, and works with sincerity to re-establish it in ruling and life, whether as an individual or group, is not able to participate in any kufr rule, while claiming that he is working to destroy it. This is because participating in a kufr rule, which applies the systems and laws of kufr, is consolidation of the systems of kufr and not destruction of them. The proof that may be brought, to justify participation in a kufr rule, is nothing but self-deception, before deception to Allah (swt) and the believers. Especially when that proof is in conflict with the Shar’ee evidences, which are definite in meaning and authenticity.

It is indeed a severe test and a great sin, for the da’wah carrier to resort to taking a maslahah (interest), which his mind deduces, but the Shar’a did not consider, as an evidence to justify for himself his opposition to the text that is definite in meaning and authenticity. Or for him to resort to something not amounting to be a shubhat ad-daleel (semblance of an evidence), in order to justify participation in a kufr rule, which governs by other than what Allah (swt) has revealed; even though participation in kufr rule contradicts the evidences that are definite in meaning and authenticity. These evidences oblige ruling by what Allah (swt) has revealed and prohibit ruling by other than what Allah (swt) has revealed.

They take the story of an-Najashi - whose death the Messenger (saw) announced to the Sahabah the day he died and then prayed Salatul Janazah for him - as an evidence to justify participation in a kufr rule that rules by other than what Allah (swt) has revealed. They take the view that the Najashi had embraced Islam in the time of the Messenger (saw) and continued to rule by the system that he used to rule with before he had embraced Islam, even though it was a non-Islamic system. To prove this, they cite six ahadith, reported by al-Bukhari, relating to Najashi’s death and the prayer that was performed for him. Three of them have been narrated by Jaabir b. ‘Abdullah al-Ansari and the other three by Abu Hurayra. Even though these six evidences cannot stand up as an evidence to justify participation in a kufr rule that rules by kufr systems and laws. The following points will explain this matter.

Building Homes in Jannah...

1. “Whoever recites “Qul huwa Allahu ahad” [the entire Surah] ten times, Allah will build for him a house in Paradise.”[Sahih al-Jami' as-Sagheer]

2. “Whoever says: ‘Glorified is Allah, the Most Great, and praised is He’ [Subhan Allah al-'Adhim wa bi-Hamdih] will have a date palm planted for him in Paradise.” [Sahih al-Jami; # 5531]

3. “I met Ibrahim alayhi assalam on al-Israa’, and he said to me: ‘O Muhammad, convey my greetings to your Ummah, and tell them that Jannah is of pure land and sweet water. It’s expanse is vast and leveled, and its plants are, Subhan Allah, wal-hamdu-lillah, wa la illaha illa Allah, wa Allahu akbar.‘” [Sahih at-Tirmithi]

4. “Shall I not point you to one of the treasures of Paradise? [It is], ‘There is no power and no might except in Allah’ [La hawla wa la quwatta illa billah].” [Bukhari]

5. “Whoever is stricken with sadness, grief, sickness or hardship and says: ‘Allah is my Lord, without any partners’ [Allahu Rabbi, la sharika lah], then it will be removed from him.” [Sahih al-Jami'; # 6040]

6. “Whoever ate something, then said: ‘Praise be to Allah who has fed me this food and provided it for me, without any strength or power on my part’ [al-Hamdu lillah aladhi at'amani hadha wa Razaqnih bi ghayr hawlin minni wa la quwwa] is forgiven his past and future sins. And whoever wears a garment and says: ‘Praise be to Allah who has clothed me with this garment and provided it for me without any strength or power on my part’ [al-Hamdu lillah aladhi kasani hadha at-thawb wa Razaqnih bi ghayr hawlin minni wa la quwwa] is forgiven his past and future sins.” [Sahih al-Jami'; # 6086]

Physical Descriptions of the Sahabah

Compiled from the First Four Volumes of adh-Dhahabi’s ‘Siyar Alam an-Nubala”

1 – Abu Bakr:
“He was white-skinned, skinny, with thin cheeks. He had a wrinkly face, deep-set eyes, a protruding forehead, and he would dye his beard with henna and oil it.”
“He was white or yellow-skinned, handsome, with thin legs. His izar would not stay firmly tied around his waist.”

2 – Umar bin al-Khattab:
“He was white-skinned, leaning towards redness. He was tall, balding, and had white hair around his head.”
“He was very tall, and extremely bald. He had reddened skin, thin cheeks, and the edges of his mustache were long and dark red.”
“He would walk so fast that it was as if he was riding a horse while those around him were walking.”
“He used to dye his hair with henna.”

3 – Uthman bin Affan:
“He was not tall or short. He had a handsome face, a long beard, dark skin, wide shoulders, and he would dye his hair with saffron. He would cap teeth with gold.”
Abdullah bin Hazm said: “I saw Uthman, and I never saw a man or woman more beautiful than him.”
as-Sa’ib said: “I saw him dying his beard yellow, and I never saw an old man more handsome than him.”

4 – Ali bin Abi Talib:
“He was balding, but had much hair left, as if he was wearing a sheepskin. He was of medium height, with a large belly and a large beard.”
“He had a yellow beard.”
“He dyed his beard with henna once, then he never used it again.”
“His hair and beard were white, like cotton.”
ash-Sha’bi said: “I saw ‘Ali with a white beard, and I never saw anyone with a larger beard then he.”
“He had heavyset, large eyes, and he was closer to being short.”

FINALLY! The Khilafah Debate - MUST WATCH !!!

16 Horrifying Excerpts From the Torture Report!!!

ARTICLE SOURCE: 16 Horrifying Excerpts From the Torture Report That the CIA Doesn't Want You to See 

One prisoner froze to death after being left to sleep, without pants, on a cold concrete floor. Another was forced to stand in a "stress position" on broken bones. CIA officers threatened to sexually assault the wife of one detainee, and cut the throat of another prisoner's mother. 

And it gets worse. 

After months of negotiations with the White House and CIA, the Senate Intelligence Committee has released a redacted summary of its original 6,300-page report on the "enhanced interrogation techniques" carried out by George W. Bush-era intelligence agents on suspected terrorists. 

Through a process known as "extraordinary rendition," detainees were taken to prisons in allied nations — so-called CIA "black sites" — where American officers sought to extract information, often by using brutal and repugnant tactics banned by international law. The secret program began sometime in the weeks after 9/11; President Barack Obama's executive order formally ended it Jan. 22, 2009. 

Tuesday's "executive summary" is approximately 500 pages, with certain key details — names and locations — blacked out by CIA censors. The report is a dense and at times confounding read. CIA officials did their best to obscure the names of the 54 countries that partnered with U.S. intelligence to host the prisons. In 2005, 92 videotapes showing hundreds of hours of extreme interrogations were destroyed. Names of individual agents have also been wiped from the record, either to protect their safety or preserve their careers. 

Additional information will come out over time, but for now, here are 16 excerpts from the torture report  the CIA does not want you to see:

ISTIHLAAL Can Be HEART, TONGUE Or LIMBS !!!

The innovation that Istihlaal must occur in the heart was introduced only by the Murji’ah and never existed among Ahl Al Sunnah Wal Jama’ah.

Imaan is sayings and actions and conviction in the heart. Istihlaal by the heart is Kufr Akbar, Istihlaal by the sayings is Kufr Akbar and Istihlaal by the limbs is kufr Akbar too.

Example:

The one who believed in his heart that ribaa – Interest is Halal despite the revelation about ribaa reaching him – he is kafir even if he never pronounced that with his tongue or limbs but nobody will know him except Allah.

The one who claimed with his tongue: “Ribaa is Halal” or “Ribaa is not Haram” or “Ribaa is not a crime” or “Ribaa is not a sin” or “Ribaa is the better way” or “the one who doesn’t deal with ribaa is sinful or a criminal” etc – he is kafir EVEN IF HE BELIEVED DIFFERENT IN HIS HEART.

The one who wrote with his hand: “Ribaa is Halal” or “Ribaa is not Haram” or “Ribaa is not a crime” or “Ribaa is not a sin” or “Ribaa is the better way” or “the one who doesn’t deal with ribaa is sinful or a criminal” or he set up courts and judged in economic disputes OBLIGING people to pay ribaa in their loans and declaring the official law of the land to be punishment for the one who doesn’t pay it or reward for the one who does pay it – then he is kafir EVEN IF HE BELIEVED RIBAA WAS HARAM IN HIS HEART.

In fact he is even worse if he did that knowing that Allah made it Haram and claimed it was Halal as this is stubbornness and hatred for what Allah revealed and favouring his own opinion whereas Qudama bin Maz’un only made sincere ijtihaad when he concluded alcohol was halal for him and yet Umar said to him “repent or I will kill you.”

Sahaabah on the Virtues of Patience

As-Safar said: “Abû Bakr fell ill, so some people visited him and asked whether they should call a doctor for him. He said,‘The Doctor has already seen me.’ They asked, ‘What did he say?’ Abû Bakr said, ‘He said, “I do what I want”.’ ” (Meaning, that Allâh is his “Doctor” and can make him sick or healthy as He wills) (Ahmad).

‘Umar ibn al-Khattâb said:
“The best days we ever lived were by virtue of patience, and if patience were to take the shape of a man, he would be a noble and generous man.”

‘Alî ibn Abî Tâlib said:
“The relation of patience to îmân is like the relation of the head to the body. If the head is chopped off, the body becomes useless.” Then he raised his voice and said: “Certainly, the one who has no patience has no îmân, and patience is like a riding-beast that nevers gets tired.” 

The story of ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr:
‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr came to visit the Khalîfah al-Walîd ibn ‘Abdu’l-Malik. With him was his son Muhammad, who was one of the most handsome of men. The young man had dressed up for the occasion in fine clothes, and had his hair in two plaits or braids. When al-Walîd saw him, he said, “This is how the young people of Quraysh look!” and by so saying, put the evil eye on him. Before he left, the young man fell ill. When he was in the stable (preparing for the journey) he fell down, and the horses trampled him to death. Then ‘Urwah got gangrene in his leg, and al-Walîd sent doctors to him, who suggested that the leg should be amputated, otherwise the gangrene would spread to the rest of the body and kill him. ‘Urwah agreed, and the doctors began to remove his leg, using a saw. When the saw reached the bone, ‘Urwah fainted, and when he came around, sweat was pouring down his face, and he was repeating, “Lâ ilâh ill-Allâh, Allâhu akbar.”
 

Have You Thanked Allah???

By Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (rahimahUllah).
 
Salman al-Farsi (ra) said:
“There was a man who was given many of the luxuries of this world, and then they were taken away from him. But he continued to praise and thank Allah until everything had been taken from him, even his bed. And then he still praised and thanked Allah. Another man, who had also been given many of the luxuries of this world asked him, ‘What are you praising and thanking Allah for?’ The man said, ‘I am praising and thanking Him for blessings which, if others asked me to give them to them in return for all that they have, I would never give them up.’ ‘What can they be?’ asked the second man. ‘Can’t you see?’ asked the first man. ‘I have my eyesight, my tongue, my hands, my feet...’”

Layth ibn Abi Burdah said: ‘When Allah gathers people on the Day of Judgement, He will remind them of His blessings. One of His slaves will say: “Remind me of something,” and Allah will say: “Remember when you faced such-and-such adversity, and you prayed to Me, so I relieved you of it. Remember when you were traveling in such and-such a place, and you asked Me to give you a traveling companion, and I did so... Remember when you asked for the hand of so-and-so the daughter of so-and-so, and others also asked for her hand, so I gave her to you to marry; and kept the others away.” His slave will be standing before his Lord, Who will remind him of His many blessings.’” Then the narrator of this story (Layth) wept and said, "I hope that no one will stand before his Lord in this way, because the one who does so will be punished." (i.e. if Allah has to point out that which should be obvious, this is a sign of a person’s ingratitude, and he will be punished.)

A man of knowledge said: “The blessing of Allah to us in keeping the luxuries of this world away from us is greater than the blessing of that which he has given us, because Allah did not like His Prophet to have the luxuries of this world. So I prefer to live in the manner which Allah preferred for His Prophet than to live a life which He disliked for him.”

Nationalism : An Erroneous Concept !!!

For most of this century, the Muslim world continues to hobble along a treacherous path that has been constructed for them by others. The destination for this course is one that they have led us to believe is beneficial and worthy of striving for. The fuel for this journey is extracted from the false concepts that Imperialist implanted in the Muslim World.

Origins of Nationalism
One of these poisonous concepts that stigmatizes the Prophet's (saws) Ummah is Nationalism. It is a dangerous concept that has become the emotional basis for the state of the Ummah today and one, which visibly fortifies the division among those who profess to believe in the same ideology. Furthermore, the Muslims identify themselves as Turkish, Arab, African and Pakistani. If this is not enough, Muslims are further sub-divided within each country or continent. For example, in Pakistan people are classed as Punjabis, Sindhis, Balauchis and Pathans. This fragmentation continues to gain momentum amongst the Muslims.

The Muslim Ummah was never confronted with such a dilemma in the past during Islamic rule. They never suffered from disunity, widespread oppression, stagnation in science and technology and certainly not from the internal conflicts that we have witnessed this century like the Iran-Iraq war. So what has gone wrong with the Muslims this century? Why are there so many feuds between them and why are they seen to be fighting each other? What has caused their weakness and how will they ever recover from the present stagnation?

There are many factors that contributed to the present state of affairs, but some of the main ones are the abandonment of the Arabic language as the language of understanding Islam correctly and performing Ijtihad, the absorption of foreign cultures and thus the abandonment of Islamic beliefs, the gradual loss of central authority over some of the provinces, and the rise of Nationalism since the 19th Century.

A Principle Regarding the Movement of the Hearts...

Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahUllah) said:
"...and it is essential to point out a principle regarding the movement of the hearts to Allah so that they become firmly tied to Him, and their blemishes become reduced - or even completely removed - with the Will and Power of Allah.

So, we say:
Know that there are three things that push the hearts towards Allah, and they are love, fear, and hope. The strongest of these three is love, and it is something that is sought after in and of itself, since it is something that is desired both in this world and the next, as opposed to fear, which disappears in the Hereafter. Allah Said: {"No doubt! Verily, as for the awliya' of Allah, they will not have any fear, nor will they grieve."} [Yunus; 62] And the whole point of having fear is that it prevents one from deviating from the path he is on. Love puts the slave on the path to his Beloved, and the speed and strength of his journey to Him is in accordance with how strong or weak this love for Him is. At the same time, fear prevents him from deviating from this path to his Beloved, while hope serves as his leader and guide on this path.

So, this is a great principle that every servant must pay close attention to, as he will not attain true servitude without it, and it is an obligation on everyone to serve Allah, and none other than Him.

If it is said that the slave does not always have the love that will push him to seek out his Beloved - in such a case, what can push and move the hearts? In such a case, we say that the hearts can be moved by two things:

Armed Chinese Troops in Texas!

Following 3 MINS VIDEO (apologies for the Music, Astaghfirullah - but then again, its kuffar made!) is a hypothetical scenario to get Americans to imagine what if a powerful Foreign Nation invaded THEIR Country and killed their people, etc and they had to band together to fight the invaders and then what if the Americans were then called terrorists for defending their people and their land. It's just to get them to put the shoe on the other foot and think for a change but that is asking a lot of Americans to be frank.

 

 

Lies against IS (Islamic State) aka ISIS, DEBUNKED !!!

SOURCE : www.liveleak.com/view?i=383_1409350382#ORd6bhfCqF0hxkKF.01

1- 40 lies against the State found online and in the news (This specific news' content is in Arabic, for Arabic readers):
http://justpaste.it/glbs 

2- France24 admits there is a lot of false publicity about the State,
including the almost year-old dictate demanding women be circumcised: 
http://observers.france24.com/content/20140812-slavery-genital-mutilation-collective-marriage-fake-isis-images 

3- Debunked: The State burying children alive in Mosul: 
http://justpaste.it/buried_debunked 

4- Debunked: The State sells girls in Raqqah:  
http://justpaste.it/selling_debunked 

5- Debunked: Yazidis massacred by the State:  
http://justpaste.it/massacre_debunked 

6- Debunked: ISIS Saudi marries a 9 year old Christian girl:
http://justpaste.it/Debunked 

7- Debunked: Snowden files, Baghdadi is CIA/MOSSAD agent: 
https://mobile.twitter.com/wikileaks/status/49788904826314752   
http://liberalconspiracy.org/2014/08/14/the-isis-leader-was-not-trained-by-the-cia-or-mossad-and-snowden-didnt-say-it/ 

8- Debunked: ISIS crucifies Christians: 
http://wewritewhatwelike.com/2014/05/09/crucifixion-of-christians-debunking-the-new-fake-news-item/ 

Check out some of the other debunkings we did of lies that came from Iraqi government against the Islamic State:
 

Islam AND the Economic Question !

In depth understanding on the Economic System in Islam provided by honored Ustadh Abu Baraa' (hafidhUllah), clearing the many doubts raised by the Secularist, who love to run the system by the kuffar made Economic System!

In order to address the economic system in Islam, we first of all need to clarify the position of Islam.

In relation to the quest for material well being. This is because the word dunya, which is associated with material wealth or worldly matters, has become a dirty word for many Muslims. The separation for deen from dunya (secularism) is a Western-Christian concept that has been recently become widely internalized amongst Muslims. Consequently, seeking to increase in economic or worldly matters is frowned upon, – while continuous engagement in prayer and other personal ibadat is regarded as meritorious. As such, many people get confused and conduct a double life. On the one hand, money talks, it gives status and makes life comfortable, so they seek it vigorously. On the other, they feel guilty, thinking that their effort should be spent on ‘religious’ duties. This is due to a misunderstanding of the position of the economic question in Islam. There is no doubt that Islam is opposed to monasticism and views the economic activities of man as quite lawful and sometimes even obligatory and necessary. We find many injunctions in Islam that allude to this.

For example Allah (SWT) says in the Qu’ran: ” Disperse through the land and seek the bounty of Allah” [EMQ-62:10],

He also says, “Allah has permitted trade” [EMQ-2:275],

And even more directly, Allah (SWT) says, ” Seek the other world by means of that which Allah has bestowed upon you, and do not be negligent about your share in this world.” [EMQ-28:77]

These are all in reference to economic activity.

In the sunnah, we find that one of the most commonly said du’as that the Prophet (saw) taught us is: ‘ our lord give us the good in this life and the good in the hereafter’. But despite this, we find expressions in the Qu’ran which state: ” The life of this world is but a delusion” [EMQ 3:185]; “The mutual rivalry for piling up the good things of this world diverts you from the more serious things.” [EMQ 102:1]; and many others, stating that man has lust and greed for wealth (89:20) and that he is violent at this greed (100:8) and that he becomes boastful and proud (11:10) and so on.

10 that result in Allah’s Love for His slave and the slave’s Love for his Lord...

By: Ibn al-Qayyim (Madaarij as-saalikeen 3/17-18)

First: reciting the Qur’an while pondering over its meanings and what is meant by it.

Second: getting closer to Allah by performing voluntary deeds after completing obligatory deeds. This is as is stated in a Hadith Qudsi: “My slave continues getting closer to Me by performing voluntary deeds until I love him.” 

Third: continual remembrance of Allah under all circumstances, with one’s tongue, heart and actions. The extent of one’s love of Allah is determined by this. 

Fourth: giving precedence to what He loves over what you love when you are overtaken by your desires. 

Fifth: the heart being avid of Allah’s Names and Attributes and the heart roaming in that garden of knowledge. 

Sixth: observing Allah’s kindness, goodness and bounties, both hidden and open. 

Seventh: and this is the most wonderful, the heart being soft, subdued and meek before Allah. 

Eighth: being alone with Allah during the time when the Lord descends during the last portion of the night while reading His Book and ending that by asking for forgiveness and repenting. 

Ninth: sitting with the beloved and sincere, benefiting from the most fruitful of their speech. And not to speak unless speaking is more beneficial and you know that it will improve your state and be beneficial to others. 

Tenth: remaining away from every cause that comes between the heart and Allah.

“O MY SERVANTS! ...”

There is a Hadith Qudsi narrated by Imam Ahmed, which is known that it is reported from the people of Al Shaam, and so is known in ilm ul Hadith, as Hadith al shaamee because it was reported from people known to be shamee like abu idrees from the Sahabi abu Dharr. This Hadith is known that it had a special effect on the messenger (saw) because whenever he used to say this Hadith he used to shiver and whenever idrees used to read the Hadith he would sit on his knees and fall unconscious.

The Hadith is long but begins,

“O my servants! …”

This beautiful call from Allah, calling them ‘my servant'; this is khususiyyah, making them his own and showing his love for them and making them close to him and then He (swt) continued,

“O my servants! I have made oppression forbidden upon myself, and made it prohibited among you so do not oppress each other”

Allah is the one who made it forbidden upon himself while Allah will not be questioned by anybody for his actions, whereas everybody else will be questioned. Even if Allah (swt) did with his creation whatever he liked, even if he punished all of the creation, then he is the creator with that right and he will never be held to account for that. But the question is not about the prohibition of oppression upon himself; but rather, “How can any creation then oppress another creation?”
If Allah (swt) punishes it is justice, if he has mercy that is Karaamah from him. This Hadith is calling the people and asking them not to oppress each other and Allah (swt) does not oppress, Allah (swt) says,

“Verily, Allah does not oppress mankind in any matter but rather mankind oppresses themselves” [EMQ 10: 44]

And Allah (swt) says,

“Allah does not wish any oppression on his servant” [EMQ Ghafir: 31]

Allah does not like the oppression so he is not going to accept it and he informed us that the one who does oppression will be punished, Allah (swt) says,

 “Verily the punishment of Allah is severe for the people of a city whose residents are oppressors” [EMQ11:102]

How our Eyes Affect our Hearts...

Magazine ads and television commercials vie to influence us on beauty, but what is the true standard to be judged?

The Prophet Muhammad, (pbuh) once said, "O young people! Whoever among you can marry, should marry, because it helps him lower his gaze and guard his modesty (i.e., his private parts from committing illegal sexual intercourse etc.), and whoever is not able to marry, should fast, as fasting diminishes his sexual power." (Bukhari).

So with this hadeeth (saying of Prophet) in mind, what is the importance of lowering the gaze? Well, most importantly, it helps guard our modesty. Some may argue, "What is the harm in looking?" But, having that second glance does a lot more harm than they may think. But before we look at the harms, let us go through some of the benefits of lowering our gaze.

First and foremost, it is Islamic conduct. It is an obligation on us to do and if we do, Allah will reward us for it. But as most of us know by now, sometimes it is not an easy thing to do. Sometimes we even do it unwittingly, catching ourselves in the act. In fact, and unfortunately, it is almost impossible for us not to run into something haram (prohibited) while just living our average lives.

You cannot even go to a supermarket without being bombarded with illicitly sexual images, most of which are on the verge of being pornographic. It is on our televisions; it is in the newspapers we read, and wallpapered on the Internet. It is even in the cartoons our kids watch. Advertisers use sex because it sells, and have long pushed the margins of decent using of non-sexual products like rice, gum and shampoo to promote sexual images squeezed into a 60-second commercial. There it is, everywhere you look.

Emphasis on Seeking Forgiveness!!!

We wonder at times whether our prayers will ever be answered. We may face a problem, endure an illness, contend with difficulty or suffer an injustice. We take whatever measures available to us to overcome the problem, correct the injustice or get proper medical treatment. But that may not be sufficient. We realize that we need help which often cannot be given by any human being. That help could only come from Allah. Hence, we turn to Him with our supplication, hoping that our wishes are soon fulfilled. At times, we experience the fulfillment of our prayers coming straight away. Often we feel it slow-coming. This makes us wonder whether Allah has accepted our prayer and will grant us what we have requested of Him. Hence the question is asked: What is the factor which guarantees that prayers are answered?

There is a simple formula. A person who puts a request to Allah should first of all be sincere in his attitude. He should purify himself physically and mentally which means that he should repent of his sins. It is unthinkable that a person indulges in sin and at the same time requests Allah to grant his wishes, some of which are purely materialistic. He simply does not show any regrets that he has exceeded the limits set by Allah. How does such a person expect that Allah will answer his prayers, when he does not expect the same treatment by his fellow human beings? If he has offended someone, he knows that he cannot ask that person a favor. Yet he expects favors from Allah when he persists in offending Him! The first prerequisite for answering our supplication by Allah is repentance and seeking Allah's forgiveness. This repentance should be sincere, not a mere verbal statement which we repeat like parrots without putting any thought into it.

The second requirement is that one should not be hasty. We should not precipitate Allah’s actions. He answers our prayers in His own good time, but always in the way and at the time which is best for us. Indeed, we must not entertain any thought that our prayers may not be answered. Abu Hurairah quotes Allah’s messenger as saying: “The supplication of any one of you is answered as long as he is not hasty, saying: I have prayed Allah and my prayers were not answered.” (Related by Al-Bukhari, Muslim and others).