One of the best websites I have seen so far for learning Arabic:
Natural Arabic..
March 28, 2012 at 10:40 am (Arabic language, Seeking Knowledge)
Tags: Arabic language, Seeking Knowledge
A story full of إحسان…
March 28, 2012 at 8:47 am (Quran, Seeking Knowledge)
Tags: Quran, Seeking Knowledge
A good friend of mine recently shared something particlular interesting with regards to the usage of the word إحسان and its derivatives within surah Yusuf.
وَلَمَّا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ ۥۤ ءَاتَيۡنَـٰهُ حُكۡمً۬ا وَعِلۡمً۬اۚ وَكَذَٲلِكَ نَجۡزِى ٱلۡمُحۡسِنِينَ
And when he reached the prime of his age, We gave him wisdom and knowledge, and this is how We reward those who are good in their deeds. 22
وَدَخَلَ مَعَهُ ٱلسِّجۡنَ فَتَيَانِۖ قَالَ أَحَدُهُمَآ إِنِّىٓ أَرَٮٰنِىٓ أَعۡصِرُ خَمۡرً۬اۖ وَقَالَ ٱلۡأَخَرُ إِنِّىٓ أَرَٮٰنِىٓ أَحۡمِلُ فَوۡقَ رَأۡسِى خُبۡزً۬ا تَأۡكُلُ ٱلطَّيۡرُ مِنۡهُۖ نَبِّئۡنَا بِتَأۡوِيلِهِۦۤۖ إِنَّا نَرَٮٰكَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُحۡسِنِينَ
And two men entered the prison with him. One of them said, “I have seen myself (in dream) pressing wine.” And the other said, “I saw myself carrying bread on my head of which the birds were eating. Let us know its interpretation. We see you are a man of good deeds.” 35
وَكَذَٲلِكَ مَكَّنَّا لِيُوسُفَ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ يَتَبَوَّأُ مِنۡہَا حَيۡثُ يَشَآءُۚ نُصِيبُ بِرَحۡمَتِنَا مَن نَّشَآءُۖ وَلَا نُضِيعُ أَجۡرَ ٱلۡمُحۡسِنِينَ
And thus We gave Yusuf power in the land. He could settle in it wherever he wished. We extend Our mercy to whomsoever We will, and We do not let the reward of the righteous people to go to waste. 56
قَالُواْ يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلۡعَزِيزُ إِنَّ لَهُ ۥۤ أَبً۬ا شَيۡخً۬ا كَبِيرً۬ا فَخُذۡ أَحَدَنَا مَڪَانَهُ ۥۤۖ إِنَّا نَرَٮٰكَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُحۡسِنِينَ
They said, “O ‘Aziz he has a father, a very old man. So, take one of us in his place. We see you are a generous man.” 77
قَالُوٓاْ أَءِنَّكَ لَأَنتَ يُوسُفُۖ قَالَ أَنَا۟ يُوسُفُ وَهَـٰذَآ أَخِىۖ قَدۡ مَنَّ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيۡنَآۖ إِنَّهُ ۥ مَن يَتَّقِ وَيَصۡبِرۡ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجۡرَ ٱلۡمُحۡسِنِينَ
They said, “Is it that you are, in fact, Yusuf?” He said, “I am Yusuf, and this is my brother. Allah has been very kind to us. Surely, whoever fears Allah and observes patience, Allah does not let the reward of such good people to go to waste.”90
Now what is really interesting is how Allah starts the surah off:
نَحۡنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيۡكَ أَحۡسَنَ ٱلۡقَصَصِ بِمَآ أَوۡحَيۡنَآ إِلَيۡكَ هَـٰذَا ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ وَإِن ڪُنتَ مِن قَبۡلِهِۦ لَمِنَ ٱلۡغَـٰفِلِينَ
By revealing this Qur’an to you, we hereby narrate to you the best narrative, while before this you were among those unaware (of it).2
Now all the above words are from the root word حسن(to read more about this:http://arabic.tripod.com/Roots.htm)
Sadly neither me or the brother have enough knowledge to discover the hikma behind the mircales usage of these words within the surah. Perhaps one day inshAllah.
Another useful link to help understand the above: http://yassarnalquran.wordpress.com/2011/12/17/better-deeds-best-reward/#more-1578
اللهم اجعلنا من المحسنين
Diapered U.S. soldiers
March 24, 2012 at 9:14 am (Current Affairs)
Tags: Current Affairs
There have been startling reports in the different blogs and websites and media release circulating around “diaper scarcity” or “the US-NATO troops in diapers” over the past couple of weeks.
Few days ago, I came upon an amusingly newsworthy report under the title “diapered soldier” or so that I’d kind of like to share with you.
According to the newspaper reports, the US authorities have quietly and unofficially requested the Pakistani authorities for the immediate provision of the tissue paper and pampers in the recent times.
A diplomatic source and press release said that the highly-secured and well-equipped US-NATO troops can not venture out of the heavily-protected armored personnel carriers to relieve themselves for the fear of facing Mujahideen, as a result, the only option the US-NATO troops are left with is to have on pampers so that they ease themselves comfortably while confronting Taliban.
To put it simply, the latter choice for the US-NATO in case of lack of diapers while fighting Taliban would be quite an embarrassing and humiliating one. Can you imagine what it would be?” pissing their paints during the fight.”!!!
I’ll let you into a little secret though; some press release has even revealed that the US-NATO forces uncontrollably pee in their pants during the fight with Mujahideen, or for the fear of attack by Taliban.
Mind you, I, for one, guess it is a fairly good idea for the US-NATO forces to wear diapers without any fear of soiling their uniforms.
So ‘Let us not stand between a US soldier and his diaper, as the news reports put it.
Ansar Abbasi, an eminent writer and editor for one of the newspapers from Pakistan, The News International has surfaced interesting facts by issuing a funny column” Pamper (Diaper) Army (US).”
He said the spokesman of ISAf in Afghanistan was contacted regarding this issue who argued that he was neither a soldier nor did he know that the US Marines and NATO soldiers wear diapers while fighting their war against Taliban inside Afghanistan.
Ansar Abbasi further said in his article that US Embassy spokesman Mark Stroh sent through a mobile SMS, what he called, a “denial” of the reality and The News story (a brazen denial by Mark Stroh), adding that besides him the Isaf Deputy PAO Col Gary Kolb could also be cited to have said this.
Since the emergence of the issue of “ diaper crisis faced by US-NATO forces on the ground and its resulting consequences” the Pakistani authorities have refused to allow the provision of the US-NATO supplies on an urgent basis.
However, it is believed that the Pakistan government has been advised to retrieve a large supply of diapers from the Nato containers and urgently send them to the US forces in Afghanistan which, on the one hand, would be of a humanitarian assistance; on the other hand, would clear the Pakistan government further of charges and involvement in the issue. Further delay in supplies by Pakistani authorities and failure to comply with the US demands may lead to the emergence of a far more fatally toxic stench in Afghanistan than that of phosphorus and uranium bombs previously exercised by US which would turn the sweet-smelling aroma of flowers and roses of the upcoming spring into the smell of death and mourning!
To tell you the truth, the current Afghan War in connection with the very heated issue opened up a whole new chapter in the global history from the combative aspect as there used to be weaponry such as sword, shield, javelin which developed into gun, artillery. rocket, armored tank, fighter craft, pilotless plane in the modern sense of the word and so forth, while “ a US soldier wearing a military nappy” is the most up-to-the-minute term the we have recently come across for the first time in the world history and his” diaper” is an unusually extraordinary weapon and armor, isn’t it?
It is the destiny of a country with the most modern industry and state-of-the-art technology worldwide, strange as it may seem.
It reminds me of a well-know Arabic quotation” السيف بالساعد لا الساعد بالسيف” which, figuratively speaking, indicates that it is the hand that uses the sword, not the sword that uses the hand ,that is, the actual power behind the sword is that of a powerful hand, or the sword is of no use without a stronger hand which leads us to the conclusion that you have to be man enough to use your weapon in the battle field or will certainly need to use a diaper to help support the weapon and avoid the side effect.
It is a proven fact that when the faith goes out of some one and belief, courage, and spirit desert their hearts, the worldly arms and logistic support would never do them any good. On the other way round, anyone equipped with power of true faith and spirit of Jihad will singlehandedly have the entire army taste embarrassing defeat and humiliation no matter how arrogant and exploitive it may be.
The likelihood is that the America and her allies, by now, may have realized the fact that their pipe-dream would no longer come true in Afghanistan; they had better leave our country or they are sure to ask Pakistan for the their soldiers’ coffins, too, along with the toilet papers and diapers.
a beacon for us all… by Babar Ahmad
March 24, 2012 at 6:21 am (Food for the soul)
Tags: Food for the soul
a beacon for us all… by Babar Ahmad
Subject: Najma (lit.”star”)…. a beacon for us all.may allah grant her jannatul firdaus, ameen.
by Babar Ahmad
[Science lecturer Najma Yasmin Gani from South London passed away at the age of 34 on 10 March 2012 after a six-year battle with leukaemia (blood cancer). Babar Ahmad writes about the correspondence he exchanged with her from prison during the final months of her life.]
The first letter I received from Najma was in October 2010. Enclosed with the letter was some money and words of encouragement for me. At the end of her letter were a couple of lines requesting that I pray for her, since she was in the final stages of acute myeloid leukaemia.
I wrote back to Najma thereby starting a cycle of correspondence that was to last until shortly before her death. Sometimes she would reply promptly; at other times she would reply after several weeks apologising for the delay due to her being in hospital. She told me the story of her battle against leukaemia since February 2006, describing in detail the types of treatment she was undergoing. One thing that struck me about her letters was the matter-of-fact, at times even humorous, way in which she would describe horrendously painful medical procedures.
Recounting a four-month course of arsenic chemotherapy whose “side- effects are worse than the actual cancer, ” she wrote, “Due to the known damage arsenic has on the heart, I spent a lot of time on the Intensive Care Unit and Cardiac Care Unit … The heavy-metal constitution of arsenic meant that lumps of it, painful hard lumps, accumulated on my skin which had to be surgically cut away. ”
She went on to detail her past week of treatment involving six-inch needles into her pelvic bone and bone marrow, three intravenous lines in her hand, “the removal of my Hickman line (attached to my jugular vein, requiring seven stitches and a lumbar puncture – spinal cord injection), ” and daily blood tests. At the end of this passage she wrote, “I am still smiling though.”
Despite all these medical procedures, her letters would be full of concern for other people. She would tell me about her work with Desidonors.org, a charity seeking bone marrow donors for sick children in the Asian community. I was particularly touched by the story of Amun Ali, a cute and chubby 10-year old boy from Birmingham with a bone marrow disorder that had already claimed the life of his 4-year old brother. I would ask Najma for regular updates on his situation. On 19 June 2011 Najma replied,
“Before I update you about my health, let me inform you that Amun Ali passed away in March this year. We found a bone marrow donor for him. However, the entire process is very aggressive and his young body couldn’t it…Truly devastating for all of us.”
Her concern for others began with her own parents before anyone else, especially her mother. She wrote,
“But perhaps the worst thing about my cancer is the effect it has on my parents. I don’t know what it feels like to be a parent, so cannot fathom how my mother stops her own life just to put some comfort into mine … She has never left my side since the first day I was diagnosed … She is so firmly committed to my care, she never stops smiling and praying for me every time I catch a glimpse of her. Parents are such a mercy, even at my age I need her. I feel so humble as I promised I would always look after her, and be there for her, but it seems to be the other way round.”
Every now and then, however, Najma would reveal the true extent of what she was going through:
“I’m tired and exhausted and in pain most days … My dreams are a respite from the painful, invasive, draining and toxic treatment I have to endure daily… Sadly my bones remain in agony and I refuse morphine simply because I feel numb and emotional … I have had a 6-inch needle into my spinal cord. It really hurts, in fact it burns. It’s a level of pain I never knew existed … I don’t know why I am still alive…”
Najma’s unshakeable faith in God and the After-life is what fuelled her determination to bear her ordeal with dignity: “I know my Creator is a Merciful One and I know I shall be rewarded for my struggles and that fact alone makes my journey bearable … When I think of Allah’s love, it makes some of this pain bearable… In the blood cancer unit, I see tragedy, pain, helplessness and misery most of the time. But there is something very special about believers: they never complain, not to others anyway. Their resolve comes from knowing that we shall only be transient in this world … And Allah knows best. ”
Najma’s last letter to me was written on 20 November 2011, from her hospital bed, where she had been for several weeks by then. Unlike all her previous letters, this one was written in poor handwriting with disjointed line structure. “I wrote this letter from my room in the ward. I can barely lift my head up; it might even be incoherent… The chemotherapy has damaged my eyes so I can barely see on some days … I am still vomiting from the chemotherapy and most of my hair has fallen out … ”
Despite her condition she still enclosed some money for me and went on to congratulate me for receiving 140,000 signatures in the e-petition campaign: “We are all praying for relief from your hardship. Nothing can remain the same. Things will change. ”
She continued, “Sickness teaches you so much: humility, mercy, obedience, the list is endless… Patience is a hard lesson, but very beneficial indeed. I was always impatient and in a hurry, rushing around wasting my life away until sickness entered my life and I was forced to reflect … Some days I think I won’t make it through but those days are the ones that I forget that Allah has already written it down for me …”
During Najma’s final weeks and days my family visited her in hospital many times. As her condition deteriorated I sent her one final card in which I encouraged her to look forward to the reward that God had prepared for her in Paradise. My mother told me that Najma spent a long time reading and re-reading the card.
The next day, on 05 March 2012, she was taken to the Intensive Care Unit and she passed away a few days later, on the Saturday afternoon of 10 March 2012. All those present testified to the look of extreme peace and serenity on her face after she died. After a funeral attended by hundreds of people, she was buried in the Gardens of Peace cemetery in Ilford, Essex. May God have mercy on her and reward her for her patience through suffering.
I have learnt from my journey through life that there is rich inspiration to be gained by sharing the living moments of those who, for whatever reason, have been deprived of life. Whenever I have met cancer sufferers, the crippled, prisoners in indefinite detention, the blind and the dying, I have seen them attach a value to life, people and friendship that is unseen in others. To pass objective judgement on something, one must be external to it. Since they live in the twilight between life and death, they are able to see life for what it really is. They value every second of their existence and the people around them because they know that everything in life is temporary. In doing so, they increase the value of their own lives and the lives of those whom they touch.
The name ‘Najma’ in Arabic means ‘star’. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) once said that one of the reasons God created the stars was to act as beacons for those who want to find their way. Najma’s life was a beacon to any of us who have lost our way. Her life (and death) was the inspiration to many people, most of whom had never met her, even though she never realised it.
Through her six years of hell, Najma taught us how to be pleased with God’s destiny and how to confront hardships with dignified patience. She taught us how to cherish everything you have and how to value people because you don’t know how long you will be with them. She taught us how to smile in the face of suffering and how reaching out and helping others in pain can relieve our own pain. Through her life, Najma taught us how to die. And through her death, she taught us how to live.
Babar Ahmad
HOW THE FAMOUS PEOPLE OF THE PAST USED TO RAISE THEIR CHILDREN AND INTERACT WITH THEIR FAMILIES
March 22, 2012 at 11:09 am (Seeking Knowledge)
Tags: Seeking Knowledge
March 5, 2012
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
- Zayd Ibn Aslam narrated upon his father that ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab used to pray the night prayer for as long as Allah had decreed for him. When the last part of the night arrived he would wake his family saying: ‘The Prayer! The Prayer! And he would recite the verse:
وأمر أهلك بالصلاة
“And command your family to pray.” [Taha: 132] “At-Tahajjud wa Qiyaam Al-Layl” - ‘Uthmaan Al-Haatimee said:
I heard Ibn ‘Umar say to a man: Discipline your children because you will be asked: How did you discipline your child? What did you teach them? Ash-Shu’ab” (8295)
- Thaabit Ibn ‘Ubaid said:
Zayd Ibn Thaabit was the most joyful of people to his family. Ash-Shu’ab” (7852)
- Sufyaan Ibn ‘Uyainah said: I heard Abu Sanaa Darraar Ibn Murrah say:
Today I milked the animals and provided my family with water to drink. It used to be said: The best of you are the most beneficial of you to your families. “Ash-Shu’ab” (7855)
- Saalih the son of Ahmed Ibn Hanbal said:
Whenever a righteous, pious man who wasn’t tempted by the beauties of this world came to visit, my father would send for me so that I could see them. He loved for me to be like them. “As-Siyar” (12/530)
- Al-Hasan (Al-Basri) said:
- May Allah have mercy upon the one who admonishes themselves and their family by saying: Oh my family; your prayer! Your prayer! Your Zakaat! Your Zakaat! Your neighbours! Your neighbours! The poor and needy! The Poor and needy! Hopefully Allah will have mercy upon you on the day of judgement. Verily Allah praised the slave who behaves like this; He said:
وكان يأمر أهله بالصلاة والزكاة وكان عند ربه مرضيا
“And he used to command his family to pray and give the Zakaat ,
and his Lord was pleased with him.” [Maryam: 53] “Al-‘Iyaal” (1/506)
- Sufyaan Ath-Thawri said:
“It is proper for a man to force his child to acquire knowledge because he will be asked about this.” “As-Siyar” (7/273)
Taken from the Book “Narrrations of the Salaf” (273-274)
Zakarriiyyah Ibn Ghulaam Al-Baakistaani
Translated by Hassan as-Somali
Source: Troid.ca
Zakarriiyyah Ibn Ghulaam Al-Baakistaani
Translated by Hassan as-Somali
Source: Troid.ca
Exactly whom do we dress for?
March 22, 2012 at 10:48 am (Food for the soul, Seeking Knowledge)
Tags: Food for the soul, Seeking Knowledge
Obviously this is aimed for the sisters but we can all still benefit inshAllah.
Ask any woman who dresses up before leaving home who she has dressed up for. Her answer will be, “for myself of course”.
The question is, are we being honest with ourselves? Have we searched deep within our hearts to ascertain the truth? If not, then let us not waste any more time because tomorrow may be too late.
Sisters, let’s not be deceived by the enemy, Shaytãn. In order to divert us from the path of Truth he will lead us into believing we are at the height of piety by merely covering our hair with a flimsy scarf. Not only are the scarves pretty and colourful, nowadays they even carry designer names! And the scarf is worn in such fashionable ways that in actual fact it enhances the face and leaves the throat and chest uncovered. Even if it was worn in such a way that the throat and chest were not exposed, use of make-¬up does nothing but make the face attractive, and use of scents emanate sweet fragrances that catch the attention of even those who, out of the Fear of Allah, keep their gazes lowered. We need to question ourselves, whom are we making ourselves attractive for? Shaytãn has led us into believing it is ‘for my self-confidence’, but it is in fact a green light for any man on the street, young and old, to look.
The ever changing fashions has brought in tight, short dresses which leaves little to the imagination and which makes the fathers and brothers look away in shame. As if this wasn’t enough, we arrogantly try to change what Allah ta‘ãlã has granted us. Plucking eyebrows and the recent fashion of wearing coloured contact lenses that change the colour of the eyes is surely a cause of His Wrath coming down on us.
All this for whom?
If the answer is ‘for myself’, one needs to ask oneself if one is always dressed in this manner, whether at home or out, in private or in public, in the morning or at night.
If the answer is ‘for my husband’, one needs to ask oneself if it is only for the husband, or does it include his brothers, friends and other non-mahram men.
If the answer is ‘for Allah’, one needs to ask oneself if the manner of dressing is indeed according to the laws laid down by Allah.
If one goes out to school, college or work dressed in this manner then the question, “Exactly whom do we dress for?” applies even more.
A short time of quiet reflection will reveal that we are showing ingratitude to Allah ta‘ãlã who has blessed us with beauty and has made us special. Are precious gems not hidden away safely? Are they left unattended and paraded around for anyone to steal?
Today, the made-up face lights up the eyes of every male, young and old, but on the Day of Qiyãmah, only those faces kept pure with wudhoo will glow with light so that our beloved Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, who fought for us, cried for us and prayed for us all night will recognise us as his followers. We all claim to love Allah and His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wasallam, but that claim will be a false one if we dress in a manner that displeases them. Let’s not forget the words of our beloved Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam,
“A woman who applies perfume and passes by a (male) gathering has a doubtful character (the narrator mentions that by that he meant that she is like an adulteress).” (Aboo Dãwood, Tirmizi)
And let’s take heed of the dire warning given in the Hadeeth:
“Those women who appear naked even though they are wearing clothes, who allure and are allured by others,…will never enter Paradise, or even smell its fragrance, and the scent of Paradise can be perceived from a very great distance.” (Bukhãri, Muslim)
We claim to be Muslim women. Let us then become true Muslim women and submit to our Lord. Let us dress to please Him Alone and not “ourselves” or anyone else.
FOR MUSLIM SISTERS…
©Islāmic Da‘wah Academy (Da‘wah Series 36) – This is the first part of the leaflet
http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/entry.php?422-Exactly-whom-do-we-dress-for
Interesting observation…
March 22, 2012 at 10:10 am (Quran, Seeking Knowledge)
Tags: Quran, Seeking Knowledge
It’s interesting Allah uses the same words for describing the covenant taken from the Prophet’s and with regards to marriage. I am sure there must be a deep nuance in the tafseer of this. InshAllah perhabs Allah will disclose this to me one day.
But if you want to replace one wife with another and you have given one of them a great amount [in gifts], do not take [back] from it anything. Would you take it in injustice and manifest sin?
And how could you take it while you have gone in unto each other and they have taken from you a solemn covenant?
And [mention, O Muhammad], when We took from the prophets their covenant and from you and from Noah and Abraham and Moses and Jesus, the son of Mary; and We took from them a solemn covenant.
Was the Qur’an Revealed to Entertain People? Dr. Ayman Swaid
March 22, 2012 at 10:02 am (Quran)
Tags: Quran
May Allah preserve the shaykh.
Robert Fisk: Madness is not the reason for this massacre
March 18, 2012 at 12:08 pm (Current Affairs)
Tags: Current Affairs
I’m getting a bit tired of the “deranged” soldier story. It was predictable, of course. The 38-year-old staff sergeant who massacred 16 Afghan civilians, including nine children, near Kandahar this week had no sooner returned to base than the defence experts and the think-tank boys and girls announced that he was “deranged”. Not an evil, wicked, mindless terrorist – which he would be, of course, if he had been an Afghan, especially a Taliban – but merely a guy who went crazy.
Mohammad Awan 