Silent Whispers

S i L e N t     W h I s P e R s

Surah Fatir;Verse 6:
Surely, Shaitân (Satan) is an ENEMY to you, so take (treat) him as an enemy. He only invites his Hizb (followers) that they may become the dwellers of the blazing Fire.

Only when you have commited a sin and realise what you commited was totally against Islam do you then realise how shaytan is your enemy

and when you have commited it, do you think shaytan will leave you? NO
he will constantly repeat to you the sin that you commited and would put you living in sadness,
why does he do this? so that you forget to ask for forgiveness from your Lord, shaytan hates for us to remember Allah and to ask for His forgiveness, so act upon what shaytan dislikes.

Surah Ahzab; Ayaa 41:

O you who believe! Remember Allâh with much remembrance

Surah Al-Baqara (2); Verse: 152

Therefore remember Me (by praying, glorifying, etc.).^[] I will remember you, and be grateful to Me (for My countless Favours on you) and never be ungrateful to Me.

and if you do ask for forgiveness, do you think shaytan will leave you? NO
he will whisper ”Allah wont forgive you after what you did, so dont bother asking”

DO NOT be decieved by his whispers for surely Allah is THE Forgiver (If you have sincere repentance)
and if you are deceived; then you are disbelieving in Allahs attributes, and by disbieliving in His attributes it leads to disbelieving in Allah (May Allah protect us from this). One of the 3 tawheeds are believing in His names, one of His names is The Forgiver.

we all know the story of Adam & his wife (as), and how shaytan decieved them, shaytan has done this to a Prophet of Allah, so who are we to think that we are not going to be played by shaytans whispers?

once you have learnt that doing such and such is a sin, shaytan tries his best to make you forget what you have learnt.
and do you think he will ever remind you that such and such is wrong to do? NO
that is the LAST thought of his EVIL and ARROGANT mind.

once you have acknowledged yourself with doing such and such is a sin, constantly repeat it so that when the time comes of shaytans whispers you will remember what is wrong well enough to protect yourself from the action.

Ambiya 21:35
Everyone is going to Taste Death, and We shall make a Trial of you with Evil and with Good, and to Us you will be returned.

when you are afflicted with harm, this is the time when shaytan works his mind to make you forget that this life is all a test and that by being Patient you will be rewarded with Jannah.

To expell the devil and his whisperings one should:

• Seek refuge from the protection of shaytan to Allah
• Say the Aadhaan (call to prayer) [That is why the Adhaan is whispered in a child’s ear]
• Recite the Qur’an
• Authentic texts of rememberance and supplications
• Ask for forgiveness

Shaytan does NOT FORCE, he WHISPERS. remember he CAN NOT harm us, but following the footsteps of shaytan, WE will be HARMED SEVERELY by Allahs punishment, and who is the MOST SEVERE in punishment?..ALLAAH

Al-Baqara (2) Verse: 208
O you who believe! Enter perfectly in Islâm (by obeying all the rules and regulations of the Islâmic religion) and follow not the footsteps of Shaitân (Satan). Verily! He is to you a plain enemy.

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Avoiding the Satanic ‘Intellect’

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

 

This was  a piece of advice from Hamad bin ‘Atiq an-Najdi to Muslims in general, written around two hundred years ago. It finds itself very relevant today.

“…And it should be known that intellect (‘aql) is of three types:

• Natural intellect
• Faith-based intellect obtained from the Prophetic light
• Satanic, hypocritical  ‘intellect’

And the possessors of this last type think they are something special, and this type of intellect is found among many people – most of them, in fact. It is the essence of ruin and the fruit of hypocrisy, as its possessors think that intellect is to please everyone and to not go against their interests and desires, as well as to gain their friendship. They say that the best thing for you is to be part of the people and don’t cause them to hate you.

This is the corruption and ruin of the soul, and this is due to four things:

The first is that the one who does this has gained the pleasure of people by angering Allah, and the people are more important in his eyes than Allah. Whoever gains the pleasure of people by angering Allah will end up with the anger of both the people and Allah. It was narrated that Allah Said: “When I am angered, My Curse reaches the seventh generation of descendants.”

So, if the one who is able to enjoin the good and prevent the bad abandons doing so, he will bring about Allah’s Curse that will reach the seventh generation of his progeny, and this is proven by the verse: {“The disbelievers from the Children of Isra’il were cursed by the tongue of Dawud and ‘Isa bin Maryam. This is because they were rebellious and would transgress…”} [al-Ma’idah; 78]

So, it is clear that this compromising person has ruined himself through what he thought would help him.

Second, it is inevitable that Allah will open a door of humiliation and disgrace for the one who compromises from where he sought honor. And some of the Salaf said: “Whoever leaves off enjoining good and preventing evil out of his fear of people, the respect and obedience people had for him will be removed.” So, if he orders his son or servant to do something for him, they will belittle his status. Just like he belittled the rights of Allah, Allah will belittle and humiliate him: {“…they forgot Allah. So, He forgot them…”} [at-Tawbah; 67]

Third, if some sort of punishment is sent down, the one who compromises will be one of its targets, as in the verse: {“And beware of a trial that won’t only afflict the wrongdoers among you…”} [al-Anfal; 25]

…And Ibn Abi ad-Dunya reported from Wahb bin Munabbih that he said: “When Dawud made a mistake, he said: “My Lord, Forgive me!” So, Allah Said: “I have Forgiven you and placed your sin on the Children of Isra’il.” Dawud asked: “Why, O Lord? How can this be when You are the Just who oppresses nobody? I fall into error and You place the sin on others?” He Said: “When you did this error, they didn’t criticize you for it.””

And Ibn Abi ad-Dunya reported that Allah revealed to Yusha’ bin Nun (Joshua): “I will destroy 40,000 of the best of your people and 60,000 of their worst.” He asked: “My Lord, I can understand the worst of them being destroyed. Why destroy the best of them?” He Said: “They didn’t become angry for My Anger, and they would give the worst ones food and drink.”

Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr and others reported that Allah commanded one of the Angels to destroy a town. So, he asked: “My Lord, it has such and such a person who is a zahid who worships You constantly!” Allah Said: “Begin with him, and let me hear his voice. His face never once became red for My sake.”

So, the only way out when punishments descend is to be from those who enjoin the good and prevent the wrong, as Allah Said: {“So, when they forgot what they were reminded of, We saved those who would forbid what was bad…”} [al-A’raf; 165]

Fourth,this compromising person who seeks the pleasure of people is worse than the adulterer, the thief, and the consumer of alcohol. Ibn al-Qayyim said:

“The Religion is not just leaving off outer prohibitions. Rather, it is to fulfill what Allah Loves along with this. Most religious people today don’t do this except when it comes to things that the majority of people accept and agree with them in. As for Jihad, enjoining good and preventing evil, giving advice for the sake of Allah and His Messenger to His worshipers, giving aid and victory to Allah and His Messenger and Book and Religion – these obligations don’t even occur to them, let alone evoke a desire on their part to carry them out, let alone be carried them out by them!

The lowest of people in the Religion and the worst of them with Allah are those who abandon these obligations, even if he practices the most zuhd from everything in this world. It is rare to find from them one whose face becomes red for the sake of Allah, and who becomes angry due to His limits being violated, and who gives all he has to help his religion. Those who fall into major sins are better with Allah than these people.”

So, imagine that someone fasts all day, prays all night, abstains from all worldly pleasures, and despite this never becomes angry or has his face reddened for Allah’s sake and doesn’t enjoin good and prevent evil – such a man is the most hated of people to Allah and the least of them in religiousness, and those who fall into major sins are better with Allah than such a person.

And a trustworthy person told me that Shaykh al-Islam, the leader of the da’wah in Najd (Muhammad bin ‘Abd al-Wahhab), once said: “I saw some people sitting in the mosque with their Qur’ans, reciting and weeping. However, they didn’t enjoin the good if they saw it and they didn’t prevent evil if they saw it. I saw people sitting near them saying: “These are the source of benefit,” and I said: “These are the source of disgrace.” Someone heard me and said: “I can’t say they are a source of disgrace!” So, I replied to him: “They are blind and mute.”

And this is supported by what some of the Salaf said: “The one who is silent about the truth is a silent devil, while the one who speaks falsehood is a speaking devil.”

So, if the one who compromises by remaining silent comes to know that he is from the most hated of people to Allah even if he thinks he is good, he would speak openly. And if the one who seeks the approval and pleasure of people came to know that by not speaking out against their evil that those who fall into major sins are better with Allah than him – even if he assumes himself to be religious – he would repent from his compromise and would retreat from it. And if the one who is stingy with his tongue from openly proclaiming the command of Allah came to know that he is a silent devil even if he fasts, prays, and is a zahid, he would do all that he could to avoid being similar to Satan.

O Allah, I seek refuge with You from every action that angers the Merciful, and from every trait that makes us resemble Satan or compromise on our religion with the people of doubts, hypocrisy, and kufr.

And may peace and blessings be on Muhammad, his Household, and Companions.”

[‘ad-Durar as-Saniyyah’; 8/75-79]

Courtesy of Iskandrani

Ramadan Advice

By Tarek Mehanna 

There is a universal law which states that the more something is recognized as being rare, the higher its value. For example, you have the Law of Scarcity in the science of economics, where withdrawing something from the market automatically makes its value go up.
Gold is so highly valued in part because of its rarity among metals.

When a person dies or is otherwise absent, everything about the person seems to change. They become surrounded with an aura of respect that wasn’t there when they were around, and others wish they had takes more advantage of the person’s presence.

This rule also applies to occasions in time. Here in jail, in the American prison system, inmates are given the chance to be released on parole every few years during their sentence. On these rare occasions, a parole board meets with the inmate and evaluates him, then decides whether or not he can be freed early. Next to one’s actual release date, this is the most highly anticipated day in an inmate’s life, not only because of its significance, but also because the chance only pops up once in a few years. Due to its rarity, such a day is valued high above all others.

Ramadan is the same in its rarity. If you look at a list of the twelve months of the Hijri calendar, you’ll find that Ramadan is only one of the twelve months, is only thirty of the 360 days of the lunar year, is only 8% of the entire year. So, it is a rarity that should be valued like a piece of gold, or someone who will soon depart your presence. It is not an everyday presence that will be there whenever we wish it to be. Rather, it appears once Sha’ban is up, and disappears once Shawwal begins, and the characteristics that make it unique disappear along with it. No other month is the anniversary of the revelation of the Qur’an; no other month contains the Night of Decree; no other month showcases the act of fasting each day; no other month brings about such a beautiful presence in the mosques; no other month provides such a spiritual atmosphere; no other month chains up the devils and opens up the doors of Paradise like Ramadan. It is a rare, unique time unlike any other in the entire year and in order to treat it as it deserves, we must meet it with this mindset of appreciation & valuation.

Typically, emotions run high for Ramadan in its first week, then in its last few days. The middle portion is when we get used to its presence and subconsciously feel like we’re in any other time of year. We should do the opposite: our emotion and zeal naturally scream out more and more as the days progress, but our heedlessness drowns out those screams. We have sand slipping through our fingers, but the message doesn’t hit home to us because we only see the pile of sand increasing on the ground, and we ignore the pile decreasing in our hand… the calendar we look at gives this deceptive impression as the days are added – 1,2,3… 13,14,15…26,27… You don’t get the feeling of something about to fade into zero. So, a remedy for this is to make for yourself a countdown calendar where each day, you are reminded of how little time remains in Ramada, rather than how much time has elapsed. It’s like when you work out and are doing pushups or any other repetitious exercise, counting down will motivate you to squeeze out every last bit of energy moreso than counting up, because you know that your opportunity to grow & build strength is soon to be over for that session. And what is Ramadan other than a month-long workout for your soul?

So, the key to the door of Ramadan is to enter it with the mindset that this is your only chance for the entire year to extract what it has to offer, and you can in fact be punished for letting opportunities like this go to waste. Ibn al-Qayyim said, in ‘Zad al-Ma’ad’ (3/574):

“If someone is given an opportunity to get closer to God and worship Him, then he should do whatever it takes to take advantage of it, especially if he isn’t sure that such an opportunity will come again. Enthusiasm and resolve very easily die off, and rarely remain consistent, and God punishes those for whom He has opened a door to do good if they waste that chance. He punishes them by coming between the person’s heart and his willpower, and prevents him from having the will to do what he had the chance to do. So, whoever doesn’t answer the call of God and His Messenger, He will come between that person’s heart and his willpower, and he will never be able to answer the call after that…” and he mentioned v.24 of Surat al-Anfal.

And Ibn al-Jawzi said, in ‘Sayd al-Khatir’ (p.419):

“I’ve seen it become a habit for people to waste time, and the people of the past warned of this. Some of the Salaf used to say to their guests: “When you leave my home, leave separately so that you recite the Qur’an to yourselves whilst walking, then you can talk when you meet again.” And know that time is too valuable to be wasted – even a second of it. The Prophet said that: “Whoever says ‘Subhan Allah al-‘Adhim wa bi hamdihi’ (Glory and praise are for God, the Mighty) will have a palm tree planted for him in Paradise.” So, how many hours do we lose out on this great reward? These days are like a farm. It’s as if it’s being said to you: ‘whenever you plant one seed, we’ll give you a thousand plants from that seed.’ So, does it make sense for an intelligent person to stop planting seeds?”

The Deep Advice of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA)

The Deep Advice of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (as narrated by Sa’id ibn al-Musayyib):

“There’s nothing more sufficient than when someone disobeys Allah in dealing with you, you do nothing but obey Allah in dealing with him.

Place the affairs of your brother when they reach you upon the best of interpretations until there comes to you clarity which overcomes that.

Do not think ill of a statement which comes from another Muslim if you can find a good interpretation for it.

Whoever exposes himself to suspicion let him not blame those who then think badly of him, and whoever conceals his secrets, strength of choice will be in his hands.

Hold fast to truthful companions, live with them closely for they are a charm at times of ease and an aid at times of difficulty. Stick to the truth even if the truth kills you, and do not involve yourself with issues that don’t concern you.
Do not ask about things which haven’t taken place for indeed, that which has already taken place is enough to preoccupy you from it!

Do not seek help or take your affairs to someone who doesn’t wish to see you succeed, and do not befriend the sinful lest you learn from his sins and evil.

Keep away from your enemy and be cautious of even your friend, except for the truthful and trusted friend. And no-one is trustworthy except him who fears Allah.

Humble yourself at the graves, lower yourself in obedience and stand firm against disobedience. And when it comes to your affairs, seek counsel only from those who truly fear Allah for indeed, Allah says,

إِنَّمَا يَخۡشَى ٱللَّهَ مِنۡ عِبَادِهِ ٱلۡعُلَمَـٰٓؤُاْۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ غَفُورٌ

“.Indeed, it is only those who have knowledge among His Slaves, that truly fear Allah.” [al-Fatir:28]

The advice of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab as narrated by Sa’id ibn al-Musayyib
Rawdhat al-‘Uqala’ (pg. 77-78)

 

Sins lead to more sins

Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim writes regarding sins in his book ad-Daa wa Dawaa:

And from it [i.e consequences] is that the sin produces more of its like and multiply, so much so that it becomes overwhelming for the slave to leave it off or find a way out.

Just like some of the salaf used to say:

 

 

 

From amongst the punishments of committing sins is that they lead to more sins and from the rewards of performing good deeds is that one performs more good deeds, so if a slave performs a good deed another good deed calls towards him proclaiming do me too! 

 

 

 

And if he does it a third good deed proclaims the same thing and so on.

So the reward is multiplied and the good deeds are increased.

And the same thing applies for sins, until performing either good deeds or committing sins become firmly imbedded habits and part of a person’s character.

 

 

 

So if a righteous person was to leave off a good deed then that would weigh him down immensely and he would feel as a fish taken out of its water until he is brought back into it so that his heart finds peace and tranquility again.

And if the sinner was to turn away from his sins towards obedience then he would feel an immense constriction of his soul until he made himself firm upon that righteous action.

To such an extent that a lot of sinners commit sins without acquiring any pleasure from it rather they commit it due to the pain and anguish they feel leaving it off.

 

 

 

And a slave does not cease to perform acts of obedience, loving it, but that Allah through His infinite Mercy sends angels to him encouraging him towards obedience and righteousness. And makes him leave his bed and laziness altogether.

And a slave does not cease to commit sins, loving it, but that Allah sends devils upon him edging him on [in sin].

So as for the first one then he sought strength in righteousness and asked for aid [from the angels] so they became from amongst the greatest of helpers.

 

 

 

And the other strengthened his army of evil with help [from the devils] so they became aids against him.

Advice on seeking knowledge

I asked brother Tarek a question, which was sent to him by a sister…the question and response is below 🙂

Q. What advice would you give to a person who started seeking Islamic knowledge (like wot order to learn things etc.)

As to your question about what knowledge to start with, then start with the bottom line: Knowledge of your Creator. He Himself commands us in the Qur’an to learn about Him:

{“So, know that none has the right to be worshipped except God…”} (Muhammad, v.19)

This much is obvious, though, and Tawhid is a vast topic with many branches. Where should you begin within this topic, then? Shaykh ‘Abd ar-Rahman as-Sa’di commented on the above verse, and he presented a list of eight ways through which you can truly know about God and His Rights. The very first thing on that list is this: “… and this is the greatest of them all: to reflect on the names and attributes of God, and His actions that demonstrate His perfection, greatness, and magnificence. This results in one exerting themselves in devotion to Him, and worshipping the perfect Lord, to whom belongs all praise, glorification, beauty, and majesty.” (‘Taysir al-Karim al-Rahman’, p.731) And this makes perfect sense, because nobody will devote themselves to someone they are unfamiliar with, and the entire point of seeking knowledge is to learn how to properly devote yourself to God. Therefore, your priority is to familiarize yourself with your Creator, and the only way to do this is to study His characteristics.

When it comes to loving God, people are of two types. One type of person loves God because of the many manifestations of His kindness & mercy that he or she encounters on a daily basis. The problem: this person’s love for God will weaken once the circumstances change for the worse. Naturally, his love for God in times of difficulty will not equal his love for God when he’s enjoying life. In reality, his love of God is tied directly to his love of himself, as it’s based on whether he gains or loses. This type of person is described explicitly in the Qur’an:

{“And among people is he who worships God as if on the edge – if he experiences something good, he is assured by it. But if he is tested, he flips onto his face…”} (al-Hajj, v.11)

The second type of person, however, loves God simply because of Who He is. He has an intrinsic love of Him because His qualities – His names & attributes – automatically make him worthy of love, in and of themselves. This is the ultimate, purest form of love that you can have, and the only way to have this love for God is to study those qualities and become familiar with Him. This is what al-Hasan al-Basri meant when he said: “The one who knows his Lord will love Him.” We naturally feel love for who/whatever possesses the qualities we love. When we read about the lives of al-Bukhari, Ahmad bin Hambal, ash-Shafi’i, Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Hajar, etc., our hearts are overcome with love for them simply on account of the knowledge they possessed. Today, centuries after their deaths, millions of us around the world love these scholars because of the respect we have for their knowledge. But what is their knowledge compared to God’s knowledge? The knowledge of each & every scholar, biologist, physicist, physiologist, chemist, mathematician, engineer, physician, etc. that has ever walked this Earth put together doesn’t even equal a drop in the ocean compared to the knowledge God possesses. Indeed, their knowledge is ignorance when compared with God’s knowledge:

{“… and you’ve only been given a tiny portion of knowledge.”} (al-Isra’, v.85)

When you think to yourself about the limitless nature of God’s knowledge – what He must know about the intricacies of the human body, animal life, plant life, the contents of the oceans, mountains, forests, deserts, and the jungles, the clouds, the planets, the stars, the galaxies, atomic & subatomic particles, bacteria, etc. – and how it literally encompasses everything, you cannot help but love Him:

{“And He knows about everything in the land and sea. Not a leaf falls except that He knows about it. There isn’t a grain in the darkness of the Earth, nor anything fresh or dry, except that it’s written in a Clear Record.”} (al-An’am, v.59)

And this is all simply in regards to the physical, tangible world around us. This doesn’t even include the Unseen world – Paradise, Hell, the Jinn, the Angels, the Day of Judgement, etc. – that is mentioned in the first sentence of the above verse that I omitted:

{“And with Him are the keys to the Unseen. None knows them except He…”} (al-An’am, v.59)

So, God knows literally everything. Considering the love you have for the scholars of Islam due to their knowledge, how much more love do you think you’d feel for God after studying & reflecting over the infinite nature of His knowledge? All of this revolves around just one of His characteristics/names: al-‘Alim (the All-Knower). Likewise, we are attracted to power and those who possess it. When we read about the likes of Khalid bin al-Walid, ‘Umar bin al-Khattab, ‘Abdullah bin al-Mubarak, Salah ad-Din al-Ayyubi, etc., their bravery & strength automatically instill in us a love for them. These were people who laid waste to empires and faced death with a smirk. They radiated power and influence, and this is part of what makes them loved by so many of us who read about them. But with all they and others were able to change in the world, think about his hadith: “… and know that if the whole world was to get together to help you in some way, they wouldn’t be able to do it except with what God decreed for you. And if they got together to hurt you in some way, they wouldn’t be able to except with what God has decreed against you…” Ibn Rajab al-Hambali once said that upon hearing this hadith, he was about to lose his mind because of its immense implications. Every single tyrant, empire, nation, president, with all of their sophisticated military arsenals and armies, their money, their political clout – each & every super power the world has ever known – if their power was all combined in one time & place to try to do one thing to one person, this power would be useless compared to the power of God. Anyone who thinks they have “power” should realize that they are just one person on one piece of land on one planet in one solar system in one galaxy in the endless Universe, and they should then realize that the Kursi is the size of only a ring in the desert compared to the Throne of God itself… again, all of this revolves around just one of God’s qualities: His Power. It changes your entire outlook upon reflection.

Perhaps the most beloved quality to the human heart is that of beauty. We are naturally attracted to anything that’s beautiful, as beauty is like a form of magic that captures our hearts and doesn’t let go. We love the beauty in everything around us: people, animals, plants, mountains, and beyond. All of the beauty we marvel at is only that of God’s limited, worldly creation. How much more beauty is possessed by the Creator Himself. The Prophet (peace be upon him) taught us that God is Beautiful in his hadith: “Indeed, God is Beautiful and loves beauty.” So, this principle applies to each characteristic, each name & attribute of God. The more you study & reflect on each one, the more familiar you’ll become with Him, and this will result in stronger love of Him, which will result in stronger and more enjoyable worship. Once again, as al-Hasan al-Basri said: “The one who knows his Lord, will love Him.”

But the effects of this knowledge will extend beyond this. It will even go as far as to have a direct impact on your own personality. There is a very beautiful principle described by Ibn al-Qayyim: “God loves His own attributes and characteristics, and He loves to see the manifestation of His attributes on His worshippers. As He is Beautiful, so He loves beauty; as He is Forgiving, so He loves forgiveness; as He is Generous, so He loves generosity; as He is All-Knowing, so He loves the people of knowledge; as He is Strong, so He loves the strong believer more than the weak one; as He is Patient, so He loves the patient; as He is Grateful, so He loves those who give thanks. As He loves those who have His characteristics, so He is with them, and this is a unique type of relationship…” (‘Patience and Gratitude’, p.22) So, for each quality God possesses, He loves to see us adopt it in a manner that befits us. This is why, for example, He associates the quality of ‘izzah (honor) with both Himself and us in this verse:

{“… and honor belongs to God, His Messenger, and the believers…”} (al-Munafiqun, v.8)

While God Himself is al-‘Aziz (the Honorable), we are also to adopt the trait of ‘izzah in our own lives. God wants us to maintain a sense of strength & pride, confidence, self-sufficiency, firm adherence to principles, and dignity. This will result from learning and reflecting on the quality of ‘izzah that God possesses; that you have come to love a Lord so mighty, powerful, noble, and honorable will and of itself cause you to love these traits and motivate you to incorporate them into your own personality, and the fortunate people who are most like this are those who are most familiar with His quality of ‘izzah. This is why the Prophets were the most honorable people, and this is why they were so firm on the truth. They knew God the best, through His names & attributes. And the better you know Him, and the more you internalize His qualities, the more of a change you’ll see in your own qualities. This process is exactly what the Prophet was referring to when he said: “God has 99 names. Whoever encompasses them all will enter Paradise.”

So, this field of knowledge is where to focus: it will strengthen your devotions & attachment to your Creator, and have a direct effect on your own personality – all of which is the point of knowledge in the first place.

Finally, you have two main sources from where to begin:

• The verses of the Qur’an which mention His qualities, such as Ayat al-Kursi, the first few verses of Surat al-Hadid, the last three of Surat al-Hashr, Surat al-Ikhlas, etc., and read their tafsir in the books of at-Tabari & Ibn al-Kathir;

• The last section of ‘Sahih al-Bukhari,’ which is ‘Kitab at-Tawhid,’ reading each chapter slowly & thoughtfully.

Recitation of Ahmed Abu Ali

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ahmed Abu Ali

Ahmed Abu Ali was arrested in Medina, Saudi Arabia at the Islamic University of Medina as he was taking his final exams. Saudi mabahith (intelligence) officers arrested him at the behest of US officials and tortured him into falsely confessing to plotting to assassinate President Bush among other things. After being held for nearly two years in Saudi Arabia without any charges, Mr. Abu-Ali was transferred to the custody of the United States and charged with nine counts of conspiracy and other terrorism-related charges with a penalty of a minimum twenty years and a maximum sentence of life in prison. The judge refused to suppress the confession that was extracted under torture, and he refused to allow the defense expert witnesses testify that Mr. Abu-Ali showed signs of torture and suffered post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his abuse and torture in Saudi Arabia. The judge also allowed the government to present its own expert witnesses and to present the testimony of the Saudi guards who had tortured Mr. Abu Ali. They testified that they never tortured Mr. Abu-Ali and that Saudi Arabia does not torture anyone. The jury returned a guilty verdict on all charges after deliberating for only two days. The district judge sentenced Mr. Abu-Ali to 30 years in prison, noting his outstanding character and demeanor as well as the tremendous amount of support he has in the community. The judge also noted the fact that he had received hundreds of letters of support from the community urging the judge to give Mr. Abu-Ali the lowest sentence possible.

Following his sentencing, Mr. Abu-Ali was transferred to the Colorado supermax prison, where he is currently being held in solitary confinement. He is under lockdown for 23 hours per day, and he is not allowed any contact with the outside world except for his family and attorneys. His communication with his family is also limited.

Mr. Abu-Ali filed an appeal in the Fourth Circuit, but his sentence was upheld. The government cross-appealed and won, and the appellate court ruled that Mr. Abu-Ali’s sentence needed to be increased to a sentence of life in prison. The Supreme Court denied certiorari and refused to review his case. On May 18, 2009, the District Court in Alexandria, VA will re-sentence Mr. Abu-Ali. Ahmed Abu-Ali is now planning to file a writ of habeas corpus to challenge the constitutionality of his detention in the federal court in Alexandria, VA. – May Allah ease his affairs and grant him freedom, ameen!

Taken from: Universal Justice Foundation

A drone over the skies of Madinah – Tarek Mehanna

‘A DRONE OVER THE SKIES OF MADINAH …’

(The Final Crusade)

 Tarek Mehanna

 

 

Ask yourself: if the Prophet was with us today,

If he spoke the same words and lived the same way,

If he returned with the same message to relay,

How long would the forces of the world let him stay?

 

 

Back then, he taught humankind to: ‘Bow down to none,

No idol, no tyrant, no oppressive nation,

Keep your heart and mind free from their domination,

True power is with God, so don’t fear anyone!’

 

 

Quraysh let him be so long as he was benign,

And to his message, they thought that few would incline,

But when he preached openly, would not bend his spine,

The state turned against him, for he had crossed the line;

 

 

At first, they rushed to him seeking some compromise,

They’d give him the mic if he just ceased to chastise,

The ills around him they feared he would neutralize,

But he would not clothe his words in any disguise;

 

 

And he persisted in making more minds aware,

Of society’s false gods of which to beware,

Of the tyrants of Earth, so the state could not bear,

And his “freedom of speech” vanished into thin air;

 

 

Choking him as he prayed, they tried suffocation,

Then imposed three years of economic sanction,

Signed off authorizing his assassination,

He was hunted in his land, forced to migration;

 

 

To track down this “radical”, the vast land they’d comb,

Abu Jahl led the pack, his mouth frothing with foam,

Put him on a ‘Wanted’ list in his own home,

Like Jesus Christ before him at the hands of Rome;

 

 

And the Romes of today at whose hands we’re abused,

Who preach to us values from which they’re self-excused,

How similar the tools of repression they used,

The tyrants of past and present are ever fused;

 

 

Today, he’d see us consumed by the same fires,

With the gods in our hearts these worldly desires,

And the gods of the Earth nations and empires,

Headed by killers and professional liars;

 

 

He laid siege to Qaynuqa’ for one woman’s fear,

So what would he say to those who gang-raped ‘Abeer?

Muffled ‘Aafia’s screams as she shed tear after tear?

And occupy Muslim countries year after year?

 

 

He’d come back to remind us to: ‘Bow down to none,

No idol, no tyrant, no oppressive nation,

Keep your heart and mind free from their domination,

True power is with God, so don’t fear anyone!’

 

 

In a repeat of that reality uncouth,

Imagine he stood and struggled for the same truth,

And had the same impact on society’s youth,

Would they not once again fight this man nail & tooth?

 

 

Of course, they’d first test him to see what he’s about,

Would he stay true like before, or would he sell out?

Would fear of the state instill in his mind some doubt?

No doubt, he’d be a mountain shaking off their clout;

 

 

In an era where his inheritors deprave,

The trust of their knowledge so their skins they would save,

He’d be and inspiration for every field slave,

Craving an example of the fearless and brave;

 

 

Their think-tanks would scramble to counter his appeal,

Find scholars for dollars with whom to make a deal,

To persuade us: ‘The Prophet is just full of zeal,

Grieving injustices – quote – “perceived” and not real!’

 

 

They’d wiretap him as he said: ‘Bow down to none,

No idol, no tyrant, no oppressive nation,

Keep your heart and mind free from their domination,

True power is with God, so don’t fear anyone!’

 

 

Then they’d name him on a federal indictment,

American court would charge him with incitement,

Through Surat at-Tawbah – marked ‘Criminal Statement’

Khalid bin al-Walid as his co-defendant;

 

 

They’d say he conspired from the North to South Pole,

And seek a life sentence with no chance of parole,

In a bright orange suit on lockdown in the Hole,

Such do they treat those spirits they cannot control;

 

 

Like the rest of us who have committed no crime,

But to be a proud Muslim at this point in time,

As the war on his message has reached its full prime,

Giving those who live by it more mountains to climb;

 

 

When they saw that in this message he would persist,

They would designate him a global terrorist,

And just like Quraysh, they would pound an angry fist,

Before placing his name on their own target list;

 

 

Over the skies of Madinah, they’d send a drone,

Distribute ‘Wanted’ posters with his bearded face shown,

Talk to local tribes, make the reward money known,

For those who capture or kill him and retrieve each bone;

 

 

They’d study Badr and Uhud, learn his strategy,

And profile those who pledged to him under the Tree,

Try to identify his ‘Number Two’ and ‘Three,’

Is it Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, or ‘Ali?

 

 

To the Prophet’s Mosque, they’d send an entire brigade,

To round up the Ansar who had given him aid,

To kick down his family’s door in a night raid,

To make him the target of their final crusade;

 

 

Because his message would still be: ‘Bow down to none,

No idol, no tyrant, no oppressive nation,

Keep your heart and mind free from their domination,

True power is with God, so don’t fear anyone!’

 

 

Imagine if the Prophet was with us today,

If he spoke the same words and lived the same way,

If he returned with the same message to relay,

They’d reserve him a cell at Guantanamo Bay …

صلي الله عليه و سلم

 

طارق مهنا

Tarek Mehanna

 

Monday 9th of Dhu al-Hijjah 1431/

15th of November 2010

 

Plymouth Correctional Facility, America

Isolation Unit – Cell #108

 

 

FOOTNOTES:

1.) Abeer Qasim al-Janabi, a 14-yr old Iraqi girl who was gang-raped,

beaten, shot, and burned along with her parents and siblings by American soldiers in March of 2006, south of Baghdad. (May Allah have Mercy on them)

2.) Referring to the hadith: “The scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets.”

3.) Referring to the Pledge of Ridwan given under a tree on the day of Hudaybiyah, as mentioned in Surat al-Fath, v.18.

Mus’ab ibn ‘Umayr 1

Mus’ab Ibn ‘Umayr

Before Islam:

Mus’ab ibn Umayr (radi Allahu ‘anhu) was brought up in luxury by a very very wealthy family. His parents went out of their way to provide the best for him and so he had the best perfume, he wore the most expensive stylish clothes, the most expensive shoes. At that time, shoes from Yemen were perceived to be the most elegant and Mus’ab ibn ‘Umayr had the privilege of owning Yemen’s finest.

Youthful years

Throughout his youth, he was admired by the people of Quraysh, not only because of his good looks and great sense of style but because of his intelligence. His intelligence and sharp mind made him to be one of the youngest members to attend the meetings of Quraysh. This gave him a good understanding of the problems that the Makkans face and what their strategies towards them were.

After the first revelation  

After the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam) came out and openly called people towards Islam, the Quraysh were hell-bent in looking for ways to silence him. The whole of Makkah was buzzing with the news of the message of Islam and the warning from the Prophet (s) and of the punishment they would receive if they did not obey Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) and His messenger (s). The leaders of the Quraysh put all their brains together to come up with different ways to keep the Prophet (s) from calling people to Islam, as even they knew that the words of the Qur’an were powerful and a real threat to the way of their forefathers.

 

Mus’ab’s discovery

Mus’ab found out about the meetings that the Muslims would have in Daar al Arqam, a house near the hill of as Safa. He was already curious about Islam and about the Prophet (s), thus he went there to find out what it was all about. From this we can tell that he was not as closed minded as some of the leaders of Quraysh, he gave Islam a chance and wanted to discover for himself what it was really about.

When he went to Daar al Arqam, he met the Prophet (s) who welcomed him. Mus’ab saw the Prophet (s) teaching a few companions by reciting to them verses of the Qur’an and he witnessed them perform Salah with complete submission to Allah the Most High.

After this first meeting, Mus’ab was impressed and eager to join the religion of Islam and submit to Allah (swt) without associating any partners to Him. The words of the Qur’an, the words of Allah had a huge impact on him that he almost instantly became a Muslim.

This was Mus’ab ibn ‘Umayr radi Allahu ‘anhu at a time and age when the followers of Islam were few and were the ‘most wanted’ and were painted as being the worst in society. Now, Islam has spread so far and wide, there are millions of Muslims around the world, but, very few of us understand the meaning of a few ayat. The Qur’an and the Prophet (s) were sent to us as a manual; we go back to the Qur’an and Sunnah and live our lives in accordance to it. The importance the sahaba (radi Allahu ‘anhum) gave to Islam, gave to the Qur’an, gave to the Prophet (s) many of us give that importance with lip service only and not in action.

Mus’ab’s mother

After Mus’ab (ra) had accepted Islam, his first hurdle was his mother, Khunnas bint Malik. She was a woman of power and had a dominant personality which would arouse fear in people. Mus’ab feared his mother finding out about his acceptance of Islam more than he feared the leaders of Quraysh finding out, thus, he kept his Islam a secret until Allah provided him a solution.

He continued to go to Daar al Arqam and learn from the Prophet (s) and be in the company of the rest of the believers.  The verses of the Qur’an continued to deepen his faith and his heart was filled with tranquillity.

Out in the open

The Quraysh had their eyes and ears everywhere when it came to Islam. It was inevitable that Mus’ab would be found out sooner or later and it just happened to be sooner. Uthman ibn Talha saw Mus’ab going into Daar al Arqam and on another occasion, Mus’ab was seen praying like the Prophet (s), so it didn’t take long for them to work out that Mus’ab had become a Muslim. This breaking news had reached the mother of Mus’ab.

Mus’ab very calmly and with confidence confirmed that he is indeed upon the religion of Islam and had explained his reasons for doing so and recited some verses of the Qur’an to them. Mus’ab’s mother stared at her son that she had given so much care and affection and felt like smacking him one to make him stop talking, but she didn’t. In fact she did much worse. She bound him in a corner of their house; he had become a prisoner in his own home.

Despite all of this, Mus’ab did not give in and did not compromise Islam, not even a little. For Mus’ab and many of the other sahaba, life had become extremely difficult in Makkah as Muslims were being tortured and prosecuted.

To Abyssinia

Mus’ab heard that some Muslims were preparing to seek refuge in Abyssinia from the torture they were facing in Makkah. His immediate thoughts were to escape and to join them, so when his mother and the guards were not looking, he slipped away and escaped to Abyssinia.

Although the Muslims were happy that they had peace in Abyssinia and were able to practice Islam without fear of persecution, their hearts still missed Makkah and the company of Rasoolullah sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam. So, when they heard that the situation for Muslims in Makkah had improved, some of them were quick to return to Makkah, only to find that what they heard was false. After this they all returned back to Abyssinia.

Return to Makkah

When Mus’ab finally did return to Makkah, he again faced his mother as a obstacle. She made another attempt to make him leave his religion and she again failed due to the high level of eman that he had. Both mother and son had to separate, as there was a strong persistence of kufr from his mother and even greater eman from the son.

Mus’ab tried again to bring his mother to Islam, to which she told him that she will never do so. Thus, Mus’ab left his home, his family, all the luxury he had once enjoyed and was on a more important mission, which was to learn about Islam and serve the Prophet (s) and Allah (swt).

From luxury to poverty

Many years later, Mus’ab came across a gathering of Muslims and went to them, the Muslims lowered their heads and their eyes were filled with tears when they saw Mus’ab. They remembered how he was the wealthiest young man in Makkah and had the most expensive clothes and owned the best perfumes, there was no youth like him in Makkah. If Mus’ab had gone to the market, hours later the smell of his perfume would still be in the air.  Now, Mus’ab’s clothes were tattered and old. The Prophet (s) saw Mus’ab and smiled and said: “I have seen this Mus’ab with his parents in Makkah. They lavished care and attention on him and gave him all the comforts. There was no Quraysh youth like him. Then he left all that seeking the pleasure of God and devoting himself to the service of His Prophet”

This shows us what a great sacrifice Mus’ab had made when he became Muslim. He left the entire materialistic world that he had, everything he could possibly want in this dunya was at his very feet yet he rejected it all for Islam, all for the sake of Allah.

Now is the time to question ourselves, how many times have we put the dunya before Allah?