am 20132013 editor: sadiq noor - aaiil.canada@gmail.com you, wherever you are aaiil.canada@gmail.com...
Post on 26-May-2020
2 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
aaiil.canada@gmail.com Page 1
Many reports by different companions of the Prophet, peace on him, speak of their initial feelings
toward him, stating that they adopted a hostile attitude toward him before they even met him. They also
say how such feelings evaporated on meeting him, and how their hate was replaced by a far more
genuine feeling of love. When we examine such reports, we find that the Prophet, peace on him, did not do
anything of personal nature to bring about such a change. Invariably, he would simply speak naturally,
with genuine feeling, stating his mission clearly and truthfully, without mincing words. People would
always recognize his truthfulness and his honesty. This is what attracted people to him, and they would
soon realize that the message he advocated was the message of the truth.
An unnamed man from Baladawiyyah narrates the story of his grandfather’s first meeting with
the Prophet, peace on him, as he himself reported it. He states that he went to Madinah where he stopped at
the valley, which he did not name. Most probably it was either Bathan or Al Aqeeq, which were the
nearest valleys where market days were held. “I saw two men negotiating the sale of a single female
goat. The buyer said to the seller: ‘Be good to me in this transaction.’ I thought to myself that this was
probably the Hashemite man who has led people astray. As I looked at him I saw a handsome man with
a broad forehead, small nose and this eyebrows, and from just below his neck down to his navel
stretched a thin black line of hair. He was wearing two old garments. As he approached us he greeted
us saying, ‘Assalamo Alaikum’, and we replied. He then spoke to the buyer who said to him:
‘Messenger of God! Tell him to make me a good transaction.’
NO
OR
-I-I
SLA
M
Ah
mad
iyah
An
jum
an I
sha’
at-i-I
slam
[Lah
ore
] , C
anad
a
SE
PT
EM
BE
R -
20
13
Editor: Sadiq Noor - aaiil.canada@gmail.com
He {ALLAH} is with
you, wherever you are
aaiil.canada@gmail.com Page 2
“He stretched his hand as if in apology, and said: ‘you own your property. I hope to meet God
on the Day of Resurrection and none of you having a claim against me that I might have wronged him
with anything in his money, in himself or his honor. And that I would not have taken anything from
anyone except in accordance with what is right. May God bless anyone who is easy in his buying and
selling, easy in taking and giving, easy in settling his debts and in demanding settlement.’ He then left,
and I thought that I needed to make sure of the man because his words were good. I followed him and
called him by his name, Muhammad. He turned with all his body (which was his habit), and asked what
did I want. I asked him: ‘Are you the one who led people astray, caused them to perish and turned them
away from what their forefathers worshipped?’ He said: ‘That is God.’ I asked him about his message,
and he said: ‘I call on God’s servants to turn to God.’ When I asked him what he said, he answered:
‘Declare that you believe that there is no deity other than God, and that I am God’s Messenger. You
should believe in what God has revealed to me, and disbelieve in Al-Lat and Al-Uzza (the main two idols
the Arabs worshipped), attend regularly to your prayer and pay your Zakah.’ I asked him what was Zakah
and he said: ‘That the rich among us should give our poor.’ I said to him: ‘This is a fine message that
you advocate.’
“’There was no living person on the face of the earth more hateful to me than him, but now he
was dearer to me than my children, my father and all people. I said to him: ‘Now I know.’ He said to
me: ‘Then you know.’ As I answered in the affirmative, he said: ‘Would you bear witness that there is
no deity other than God, and that I am God’s Messenger, and would you believe in what has been
revealed to me?’ I said: ‘Yes.’
“I then said: ‘Messenger of God! I frequent a water spring, which attracts many people, and I
will call on them to believe in what you said to me. I hope that they will follow you.’ He said: ‘Yes,
do.’ All people who used to frequent that water spring, men and women, accepted Islam. The Prophet,
peace on him, then wiped his head.”
We note that the man started with an extremely negative view of the Prophet, peace on him, and
Islam. He had a good look at the Prophet, peace on him, and noted that his outfit was that of a poor person.
The Prophet’s talk, however, was impressive as he expressed his strong hope that he would never take
anything from anyone except in accordance with what was right. He was not offended when it was put
to him that he caused trouble among his people by advocating a message that aimed to change their
religion. He put the principles of Islam clearly and called on people to accept it. This is the way to win
people’s hearts and minds.
aaiil.canada@gmail.com Page 3
The Prophet, peace on him, always visited those who were ill, to inquire after their health. But he also
took the opportunity to invite them to believe. He did so knowing that an ill person accepts more
readily believing that only God grants recovery. Anas ibn Malik reports that the Prophet, peace on him,
visited a man from the Najjar clan of the Ansar who was ill. The Prophet, peace on him, said to him:
“Maternal uncle! Say: “There is no deity other than God.’” The man asked him whether he was a
paternal or maternal uncle, and the Prophet, peace on him, confirmed that he was a maternal uncle. This is
due to the fact that the Prophet was related to that clan through his mother. The Prophet, peace on him, again
told him to declare his belief in the One God. The man asked him whether it was good for him to do so,
and the Prophet, peace on him, confirmed that. We are not told whether the man believed or not, but we
know that the Prophet, peace on him, took the opportunity of the visit to call on him to become a Muslim.
He did the same with a Jewish youth that used to serve him. When the youth fell ill, the
Prophet, peace on him, went to visit him and sat close to him, near his head. He then said to him: ‘Accept the
faith of Islam.’ The youth looked at his father who was present and his father said to him: ‘Obey Abu
Al Qasim.’ The boy did that and declared that he was a Muslim. When the Prophet, peace on him, left, he
praised God for having saved the youth from hell. This authentic Hadith related by Ahmad, shows that
the Prophet, peace on him, did not seek to do things in a roundabout way. He spoke to the youth in front of
his father. The father realized that the Prophet, peace on him, only wanted what was good for his son, and he
told him to obey God’s Messenger.
Not only so, but the Prophet, peace on him, did his best to make people who were hostile to Islam
accept his message. Ahmad relates to Hadith, which mentions that, the Prophet, peace on him, said to a man:
“Become a Muslim and you will be safe.” The man said: “I find myself unwilling to do so.” The
Prophet, peace on him, said: “Even though you are unwilling.” Here we see the Prophet, peace on him, undeterred
from advocating his message even though his interlocutor clearly says that he does not want to respond.
But we should say that the Prophet, peace on him, did not threaten the man when he said to him that he
would be safe if he became a Muslim. He only meant that he would be safe from God’s punishment in
the Hereafter. He also said to him that even if he were reluctant at the beginning, by accepting Islam
even verbally, he would be in a better position to judge it clearly.
aaiil.canada@gmail.com Page 4
OUR H
ISTORY
Abu Tariq Hijazi Imam Malik was oneof the most
respected scholars of Fiqh also known as
‘Imam Darul Hijrah’. His great grandfather
Abi Aamer, who was from Yemen, embraced
Islam in 02AH and migrated to Madinah. He
participated in all the battles alongside the
Holy Prophet, peace on him, except the Battle of
Badr. Malik was born near Madinah in 93AH.
He received his education in Madinah and
contacted about 900 scholars for collecting
Hadiths. He acquired a great amount of
knowledge from the desciples of the
companions of the Prophet, peace on him. He
mastered the science of Hadith at the age of
17 and began to issue Farwa after 70
scholars confirmed his eligibility for the
purpose. He collected over 100,000 Hadiths
written by his hand.
Imam Abu Hanifa met Imam Malik
and recognized his shcolarship. Imam Shafie
was a desciple of Imam Malik.
Imam Malik was the first to compile
an authentic book of Hadith named “Al-
Mawatta.” It contained 1,720 Hadiths. The
book was approved by 70 scholars and thus
called Muwatta (The Approved). Many
commentaries have been written on the
book. Imam Shafie, who was one of Malik’s
students for nine years, said: “Imam Malik is
like a star among scholars.” Imam Malik
memorized the Qur’an in his youth and
studied under famous scholars like Hisham
ibn Urwah, Ibn Shihab Al Zuhri and Imam
Jafar Al Sadiq, the descendant of the Holy
Prophet, peace on him.
He served and protected the science
of Hadith for over 70 years in Madinah and
expired at the age of 87. He was so attached
to the city of the Holy Prophet that he
performed Haj only once and never went
outside the city. His jurisprudence was later
developed into the Maliki School of
Thought, which was promoted in Morocco,
Ageria and Spain. Imam Malik compiled Al-
Muwatta in the course of 40 years, having
started with 10,000 narrations until he
reduced them to their present number.
Imam Bukhari said that the most authentic
chain of transmission of Hadith is called
Silsalat Al Zahabi (Golden Chain), which has
only three links – “Malik from Nafi from Ibn
Umar and then from the Holy Prophet.”
There are 80 narrations with this
chain in this book, Imam Shafie regarded Al-
Muwatta as the most authentic book on
earth after the Holy Qur’an. Imam Malik was
very strong in defending Shariah and did not
care for the likings of the ruling class.
Madinah governor during Abbasid
Caliphate arrested and flogged him publicly
for issuing a Farwa against ruling Caliph
Mansur. When the caliph came to know
about it, he dismissed the governor and
apologized to Imam Malik. He also sent
3,000 dinars and invited Imam Malik to live
IMAM MALIK
a great scholar of Hadith
aaiil.canada@gmail.com Page 5
in Baghdad but he refused the offer saying
that he preferred to live in the city of the
Holy Prophet, peace on him.
Imam Malik also issued a Fatwa
against the will of Caliph Haroon Rashid for
which he was severely punished. But once,
when the caliph came to Madinah he asked
him to teach Hadith to his princes. But Imam
replied that the wealth of knowledge does
not go to the doors of others. Haroon Rashid
was wise enough, he came with his princes
to the gathering of Imam Malik and
attended his lecture like others. Haroon
Rashid had suggested that Imam Malik’s
book, Al-Muwatta, should be put in the Holy
Ka’aba and all Muslims be told to follow it in
all matters of jurisprudence. But Imam Malik
refused, saying “Refrain from this as the
companions of the Prophet, peace on him,
themselves held opposing views on
subsidiary issues.”
Imam Malik’s daughter Fatima had
memorized Al-Muwatta. Imam Malik fell ill
and died on 14th of Rabiul Awwal 179AH.
Emir of Madinah Abdul Aziz ibn Muhammad
ibn Ibraheem led his funeral prayers. He was
buried in Jannatul Baqee.
It is reported that the Holy Prophet
had said: “Very soon will people beat the
flanks of camels in search of knowledge, and
they shall find no one more knowledgeable
than the knowledgeable scholar of
Madinah.” (Sunan Al Thirmidhi) Scholars consider that
the scholar referred to was Malik ibn Anas
(May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon them all)
{Omayyad Mosque – Damascus}
aaiil.canada@gmail.com Page 6
We have mentioned at many ocasions that the
Prophet, peace on him, never go angry for anything personal.
No matter what unbelievers said about him, leveling any
false accusations aginst him, he would always control himself, showing no sign of overreaction.
Indeed, he kept his cool in all situations. However, if some violation of the limits God has ordered to be
observed occurred, the Prophet, peace on him, could be very angry, and his anger showed in his face.
The contrast between the two situations is clear. If the matter were personal, he would tolerate it
without difficulty. His self-control ensured that he would never overreact. He was certain that even his
worst enemies realized that he always told the truth. But he could not tolerate that what God has
ordered should be deliberately violated. His anger in such situations was visible, but he still expressed
himself in decent language, never allowing himself to utter a word that was unworthy of a messenger
delivering God’s message to mankind. We have several reports of situations that made him angry, and
we will look at these.
Zayed Ibn Thabit reports: “The Prophet, peace on him, chose a place where he went
out at night to pray. Some men saw him doing that and they prayed with him.
They came every night to do that. One night, the Prophet, peace on him, did not come
out to join them. They started to make some noises, like little coughs, and then
they raised their voices, and even threw pebbles at his door. He came out to them
angry and said: “Look you people! You continued doing what you did until I
thought it might be made obligatory for you. Pray in your own home, becuase the
best prayer a person can offer is that he offers at home, except for obligatory
prayers.” [Al Bukhari, Abu Dawood, Al Nisaee]
What angered the Prophet, peace on him, in this incident is that his companions tried every means to
get him to come out to lead them in night prayer, which is not an obligatory one. Some of them resorted
to impolite means, first raising their voices and then throwing some pebbles at his door. We need to
remember that some of the Prophet’s companions were uncultivated Bedouins who lacked polite
manners, until Islam gave them the best manners people could have. They were insisting on doing a
voluntary worship in a particular way. This is wrong becuase it imposes a duty where there is none.
Hence, the Prophet, peace on him, told them that he feared that this night prayer would become obligatory to
them. And if it were made obligatory, it would have applied to all generations of Muslims. Thus, their
action would have committed them and others to more than what God wished to assign to them as
worship duty.
The Prophet, peace on him, also told them to pray at home, saying that this is the best prayer, except
for obligatory prayer that is much better offered with the congregation in the mosque. Offering
voluntary prayer at home is better for several reasons. The first is that prayer gives light to the place
where it is offered. If obligatory prayer is offered at the mosque with the congregation, then the proper
Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah on him}
Things That Made
the Prophet
Angry
aaiil.canada@gmail.com Page 7
way to ensure that the light of prayer and worship spreads in our homes is to offer then Sunnah and
voluntary prayer at home.
Another very important reason is that when voluntary prayer is offered at home, it is more
sincere. This is not to say that when offered in the mosque it is not sincere, but there is certainly no
element of show off when we offer voluntary prayer in the privacy of our own homes. We may
mention here the incident when one person testified to the fine character of another person in
front of Omar, the second caliph. Omar asked him the basis of his knowledge, mentioning three
ways of knowing a person well. These are being his next-door neighbor, traveling with him or
having regular financial dealings. When the man answered in the negative to all three, Omar said
to him: “Perhaps you are speaking highly of him because you might have seen him in the mosque
reading the Qur’an?” When the man answered this question in the affirmative, Omar said to
him: “You may go now. You do not really know the man.” So, it is easy to gain a reputation of piety
when one offers voluntary worship in the mosque. Hence, the Prophet, peace on him, tells us that the best
such prayer is that which is offered at home. A further reason is that one provides a good example for
one’s children and other family members to follow. It will encourage them to offer voluntary prayers,
which strengthens their faith and increases their reward.
The Prophet, peace on him, might get angry at something said or done by one of his
companions, which suggests the violation of God’s law. Zayd Ibn Khalid reports: “A man asked
the Prophet, peace on him, about what one might find in the street, without knowing
its owner. What to do with it. The Prophet, peace on him, said to him” ‘Publicize it for a
year, and then made sure to know its description and spend it. Should its owner
come up, give it back to him.’ The man said: ‘What about a lost sheep?’ The
Prophet, peace on him, said: ‘It belongs to you, your brother or the wolf.’ The man
further asked: ‘What about a lost camel?’ The Prophet’s face was reddened with
anger at this question, then he said to the man: ‘What do you want with it? It has
its own hoofs and drink until its owner finds it.’” [al Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood, Al Tirmithi, Ibn Majah]
The Hadith gives details of the rulings concerning lost articles or animals and what to do with
them. However, it tells us that the Prophet, peace on him, was angry when asked about a lost camel. There is
a good reason for his anger. The first thing the Hadith tells is that if one picks up a lost article, he
should publicize the fact for a year, so that if the owner come back looking for it, he would know where
to find it. After a year the person who found it may sell it and spend its price, either using the price
himself or giving it to charity, but he continues to be responsible for it. If the owner turns up after a
year, the one who found it must give him the price he sold it for, unless he had given it away to charity
and the owner agrees to his action. If he does not agree, he has to refund it to him. He will certainly
earn the reward of his charity.
If it is a sheep or a similar animal that cannot defend itself, or is bound to fall prey to beasts,
then one can slaughter it for food, or look after it, or sell it. If the owner turns up, he compensates him
or give it back. But if it is a camel or a similar animal, such as a horse, then there is little danger that it
aaiil.canada@gmail.com Page 8
would come to much harm. It should be left alone until its owner finds it. The Prophet’s anger was due
to the implied suggestion in the question that the one who finds a camel could do with it what is done
with a sheep. This is an attitude of a person keen on taking an easy gain. The Prophet, peace on him, points
out to the man that a lost camel is unlikely to harm it or to be in an danger. It can tolerate being without
water for a long time. It is better left alone.
Unfortunately, the last few years have seen
a steady attack on the character of our Holy
Prophet Muhammad, peace on him. These attacks
are emanating from media, clergy,
columnists and others. False and baseless
accusations have been leveled for which no
proof has ever been provided. Shameless
cartoons have been published, insulting
articles written and derogatory
presentations made. This slanderous and
despicable campaign is being justified in the
name of freedom of speech and expression!
The people who are guilty of this gross
indecency, have not even bothered to
examine as to what many outstanding and
renowned European, American and other
(religious and non-religious) scholars have said
about the Holy Prophet, peace on him. It must be
noted that several of these people are not
favorably disposed toward Holy Prophet,
peace on him, or Islam. They are biased and
prejudiced yet they had to admit that the
Holy Prophet, peace on him, was an exemplary
person. He was a loving, kind,
compassionate, thoughtful, considerate,
honest, forgiving and just husband, father,
grandfather, friend, legislator, army general,
administrator and ruler.
Let us look at some of the comments:
“Head of the state as well as the
church, he {Muhammad} was a
Caesar and Pope without the Pope
Pretensions, and Caesar without a
standing army, without a body
guard, without a palace, without a
fixed revenue.
If ever a man had the right to rule by
a right divine, it was Muhammad for
he had all the power without the
instruments and without its
supports.” [An American Protestant Episcopal Bishop, Reverend Benjamin Bosworth
Smith (1784-1884), ‘In Mohammed and Mohammedanism’, 1996, Atlantic
Publishers and Distributors, Pvt. Ltd.]
“I find in his character such diverse
and manifold qualities impossible to
find in another man whose biography
Holy Prophet Muhammad {Peace and Blessings of Allah on him}
In the Eyes of Non-Muslim Scholars MS (KHI), PhD, DIHom (UK), MPH (MI USA)
aaiil.canada@gmail.com Page 9
has been preserved by history. He is a
king having a whole country under
his control, but never claiming
mastery even on his own self, ever
taking pride in his being the serf of
God.” [American Astrophysicist, Dr. Michael H. Hart (b. 1932), in The 100, A
Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History, 1978, Hart Publishing
Company, New York]
“If the object of religion be the
inculcation of morals, the diminution
of evil, the promotion of human
happiness, the expansion of human
intellect, if the performance of good
works will avail in the great day
when mankind shall be summoned to
its final reckoning it is neither
irreverent nor unreasonable to admit
that Muhammad was indeed an
Apostle of God.” [Famous historian/author, Samuel P. Scott (1830-1919), in History of Moorish
Empire in Europe, 1904, Lippincott, London]
“I became more than ever convinced
that it was not the sword that won a
place for Islam in those days in the
scheme of life. It was the rigid
simplicity, the utter self-effacement
of the prophet, the scrupulous regard
for his pledges to his friends and
followers, the intrepidity, his
fearlessness, his absolute trust in God
and his own mission, these, and not
the sword carried everything before
them and surmounted every
trouble.” [Indian leader/freedom fighter, Mohandas K. (Mahatma) Gandhi, 1869-1948,
in ‘Young India’, quoted in ‘The Light, Lahore’, September 16, 1924]
“I believe if a man like him were to
assume the dictatorship of the
modern world, he would succeed in
solving its problems in a way that
would bring much needed peace and
happiness.
I have studied him – the man and in
my opinion is far from being anti-
Christ. He must be called the savior of
Humanity.
I have prophesied about the faith of
Mohammed that it would be
acceptable to Europe tomorrow as it
is beginning to be acceptable to the
Europe of today.” [Irish play writer/Literary Critic and Co-Founder of London School of Economics,
George Barnard Shaw, 1856-1950, in ‘The Genuine Islam’, 1936, London]
“He was the most faithful protector
of those he protected, the sweetest
and most agreeable in conversation.
Those who saw him were suddenly
filled with reverence; those who
came near him loved him; they who
described him would say, ‘I have
never seen like his either before or
after.’ He was of great taciturnity,
but when he spoke it was with
emphasis and deliberation, and no
one could forget what he said.” [British Orientalist and Archeologist, Stanley Lane Poole, 1854-1931, in ‘Table
Talk of the Prophet’, Republished 2002, Fredonia Books]
“Mohammed brought an end to idol
worship. He preached monotheism
and infinite mercy of God, human
brotherhood, care of orphans,
emancipation of slaves, forbidding of
wine – No religion achieved as much
success as Islam did.” [Scottish Orientalist and Colonial Administrator, Sir William Muir, 1819-1905,
in ‘Life of Mahomet’, 1878, London]
“Like almost every major prophet
before him, Muhammad fought shy of
serving as the transmitter of God’s
aaiil.canada@gmail.com Page 10
word, sensing his own inadequacy.
But the angel commanded ‘Read.’ So
far as we know, Muhammad was
unable to read or write, but he began
to dictate those inspired words
which soon revolutionized a large
segment of the earth, There is One
God.” [Famous American author of more than 40 works, James A. Michener, 1907-
1997, in ‘Islam, the Misunderstood Religion’, in Reader’s Digest 9U.S. Edition,
May 1955]
“It is impossible for anyone who
studies the life and character of the
great prophet of Arabia, who knows
how he taught and how he lived, to
feel anything but reverence for that
mighty prophet, one of the great
messengers of the Supreme. And
although in what I put to you I shall
say many things which may be
familiar to many, yet I myself feel
whenever I re-read them, a new way
of admiration, a new sense of
reverence for that mighty Arabian
teacher.” [British writer, orator, women’s rights activist, Annie Besant, 1847-1933, in
‘Mohammed’, 1932, Madras, India]
“He was decisive and wholehearted in
everything he did ... He inspired such
confidence that he was known as Al-
Ameen, the reliable one.” [British author, teacher, commentator, Karen Armstrong, b. 1944, in
‘Muhammad: A prophet of our Time’, 2006, Harper Collins, New York]
“His readiness to undergo
persecutions for his beliefs, the high
moral character of the men who
believed in him and looked up to him
as a leader and the greatness of his
ultimate achievement-all argue his
fundamental integrity. To suppose
Mohammed an imposter raises more
problems than it solves. Moreover,
none of the great figures of history is
so poorly appreciated in the West as
Mohammed.” [Scottish Historian/Professor, William Montgomery Watt, 1909-2006, in
‘Mohammed at Mecca’, 1953, Oxford]
“How one man single-handedly, could
weld warring tribes and Bedouins
into a most powerful civilized nation
in less than two decades? The word of
Mohammed is a voice direct from
nature’s own heart-all else is wind in
comparison. The lies that we have
heaped around this man are
disgraceful to ourselves only.” [British Historian, Thomas Carlyle, 1795-1881, in ‘Heroes and Heroes
Worship’, 1993, University of California Press]
The question is why the extremists do not
desist from spreading false propaganda
against the Holy Prophet, peace on him. The
answer in my mind is that it is first and
foremost based on lack of knowledge. It is
also the outcome of some people being
extremely bigoted with little tolerance of
the beliefs of others. They have never
attempted to find the truth. I am sure that if
they only studied the life of the Holy
Prophet, peace on him, in an unbiased way, they
will change their opinion about his noble
and glorious character. Indeed he was an
excellent exemplar and was sent by God as a
mercy for the universe.
In the end, let me say what happened when
the Holy Prophet, peace on him, sent letters to
some Heads of States including Heraclius
[610-641 AD], the Emperor of the Byzantine
Empire inviting him and others to Islam.
aaiil.canada@gmail.com Page 11
Treasures Of
Paradise
Upon reading the letter, Heraclius said: “I
was certain that a prophet was coming, but
I did not know that he would be born in
Arabia. If I were to go there, I would
embrace Islam and wash the Prophet’s feet
with my own hands.” [Sahih Al Bukhari, Vol 1, Book 1, Number 6]
{Editor’s note: “The author is a former Associate Adjunct Professor, University of Calgary Medical School, Calgary, Alberta-Canada. He is currently
on the faculty of Benedictine University-Lisle, Chicago, IL. USA”}
Narrated by Abu Musa, Razi Allah Anhu: “While
we were with Allah’s Prophet, peace on him, in
a Holy Battle, we never went up a hill or
reached its peak or went down a valley
but RAISED our voices with Takbir.
Allah’s Messenger, peace on him, came
close to us and said, “O people! Don’t exert
yourselves, for you do not call a deaf or an absent one, but you call the
ALL-LISTENER, the ALL-SEER.” The Messenger, peace on him, then said: “O
‘Abdullah bin Qais!’ Shall I teach you a sentence which is from the
TREASURES OF PARADISE? (It is): LA HAULA WALA QUWATA ILLA
BILLAH.” (There is neither might nor power except with Allah).
Shalimar Gardens Lahore – Pakistan
aaiil.canada@gmail.com Page 12
I visited home, Calgary – Canada, the second last weekend in August. It was rather a spontaneous trip and I had a few interesting moments I want to share with our readers. Arriving in Calgary, I found out an old family friend had passed away. Uncle Ubaid was one of the softest spoken people one can meet. His Salaat-al-Janazah was the first I’d ever attended. It was at the Islamic Centre of Calgary and we arrived a little late to catch the last half of the Jumah Khutbah. The Khutbah was particularly aimed at parents raising children in Canada. The imam spoke about parents who either don’t invest enough in religious education of their children and those who give up way too early. He made reference to those who (might) say that even Prophet Nuh had a son who was not convinced by his father, then “who are we compared to the Prophet?” The imam’s defense for this was “Prophet Nuh never gave up”. Come to think of it, that’s so true. We give up or even give in, way too early. We all need to build strength and as a parent I pray for all of us to have the blessings of Allah as we bring forth a new generation. As the prayers ended, we all approached the family to express our condolences. My heart sank as I hugged the widow. However, what shocked and offended me was that ... When asked if the body was still at the mosque, we were told by his niece that even his wife wasn’t allowed to see his face. She had to do quite the struggle to be allowed to view the face, of her husband she’d been married to for over 45 years. When dared the question as to “why not”, I was very audaciously told that it was due to the fact that he was no longer her ‘Mahram’. I felt her pain sting me; to deal with such ignorance at such a delicate time was deemed rather unnecessary. Standing there in the house of Allah, I felt fortunate and blessed to be one of the extremely few Ahmadies present at the time. I felt this was a case of even a higher ignorance than what one lady had displayed before the prayers had started. A lady there had walked out of the prayer hall declaring it as “Haram” for women to pray Salaat-al-Janazah. Better yet, she had said she knew this because she had performed Umrah and this was taught to her during her stay in Makkah. Although, no one to hold an authority to propagate Islam, I do hold the authority as a Muslim to clear ignorant claims regarding my religion. People, in general, form judgments, which is understandable as it is one of the traits of us wonderful creations of the Almighty. People who make acclamations using the name of the Almighty, is not understandable and not tolerated. I don’t necessarily believe in walking up to random individuals and converting them to follow the ‘Siraat al Mustaqeem’, but i do have full belief in speaking up against ignorance and
MY TASTE OF
SUMMER Siddiqa Sadiq - Montreal
aaiil.canada@gmail.com Page 13
unawareness of Islam. That should be, and has been, our fundamental responsibility towards our Deen. We hold our silence so many times (let’s admit it) because when it comes to it and it’s time to say something we don’t want to be that “dull religious person”. For instance, the “nazar boncuk”, the blue eye, which the Turkish believe protects against the evil eye, has become hugely common in the recent years. It’s sad to see the amount of Muslims who guard it, hand it, keep it, wear it, or simply believe in it. It is however more pathetic to see people from our belief and Jama’at also use it. I even know someone first hand, who has a ‘Tasbeeh’ with each bead as a blue evil eye charm. If that’s not ironic, I don’t know what else you can call it. But it is at such time, our belief is tested upon us. It doesn’t make me a better Muslim by simply not using something creating shirk but by recognizing shirk and putting awareness of the danger of committing shirk.
4:48 Surely Allah forgives not that a partner should be set up with Him, and forgives all besides that to whom He pleases. And whoever sets up a partner with Allah, he devises indeed a great
sin.
4:36 And serve Allah, and associate naught with Him,
There simply is no room for shirk and not only that, but it is the biggest and only unforgiveable sin one can commit. I pray for all of us, may Allah help us fight off the biggest evil, shirk, and keep us in His guidance (Ameen). May Allah help us keep our children on the right path (Ameen). May Allah give us the awareness to spot ignorance and then provide us the wisdom to steer away from it (Ameen).
top related