Wednesday, December 26, 2007

A Message to Someone Drowning

A message to someone Drowning

Author: Sh. Hamed ibn Abdullah Al-Ali


Question:
I would like to let you know that I have committed most major sins and I am not saying this in order to take pride in my sins; I used to feel this before but not any longer. I have drunk wine twice in my life or perhaps three times, I don’t know. I have committed adultery with almost 10 women and I was about to destroy the future of a girl but Allah saved her from my harm; I do not know is it possible that Allah repents on me and forgives me? I don’t know, I have tried to repent more than once and every time I return to the same sins to the degree that I have felt I am a hypocrite who is not afraid of death and being accounted. Sometimes I feel that Allah loves me and that I love Him, but then Satan quickly takes over my heart again.

I have defeated Satan in many rounds, but he defeated me in more battles; Is it possible for me to return to Allah once again and how?

I have prayed a lot but more than that I have interrupted my prayers. My weakness has reached points a believer cannot imagine.

I have sworn upon the Holy Quran that I will stop smoking but I haven’t.

I have promised Allah Himself that I will not view pornographic sites and that I will never visit them again and that I will not watch those unclean movies that the west uses to kill our faith but I have broken my promise to Allah; My will has weakened to a level that nobody can imagine after I used to have strength in performance and the ability to change my personality and my way of life;

I have become a person who does not feel the pleasure of life even though I still maintain my soul and my rounds of vice, sins, lying, cheating; so how do I get rescued?

I want to know what religious people have known but what
I haven’t. I am sure that they know something I don’t know and don’t feel, so why? This is me so what do I do to benefit me, may Allah benefit you.

Answer:
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise be to Allah, and prayers and greetings upon our prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.

The prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa sallm) said Allah will repent upon whoever repents before the sun rises from the west [reported by Muslim from the hadith of Abu Hurairah]

I have read your message, and I know that nothing prevents you from repenting, even if your sins reach the sky or fill the whole earth. As long as the human is in this life, the door of repentance is open. I have noted from your letter that you are living a battle between the call of faith in your heart, and the call of desire that is guided by Satan in your heart.

Praise be to Allah the Exalted who has retained in your heart some of the light of faith, which blames you for sins, and beautified good deeds to you.

But this light is weak, because the darkness of sins, which are the blowings of Satan, has weakened this light. This is why it sometimes shines, making your conscience awake a little, only to extinguish again and you return to committing sins.

I will clarify to you the illness that you are suffering from, then I will describe the treatment, so please read this with reflection and interest, may Allah benefit you from it.

Dear brother, the heart is the place of will in the human; sometimes it wants good, and sometimes evil, and the body parts are nothing but soldiers that obey the heart according to what it desires.

The difference between religious people and yourself is that the hearts of the former firmly want good, so their body parts obey this will and are thus persistent in obeying Allah the Exalted. As for yourself, your heart knows good and evil, and differentiates between good and bad deeds, but it cannot want good, so you find that it wants desires even though it knows they will harm it, so it commands the body parts so they obey it, but what is the reason?.

The reason is that the hearts that are immune to Satan easily want to do good because these hearts are healthy and strong. On the other hand, in hearts that Satan can enter and wonder in freely, Satan can easily achieve making the heart want sins, after he has made them look attractive to the heart, because the latter is ill and full of satanic germs.

For some people, Satan only briefly enters their hearts owing to the strong immunity surrounding them. For example, those who commit minor sins then quickly repent from them, and those are the ones about whom Allah (SWT) has said (interpretation of the meaning):
{The pious ones, when a visitation from Satan afflicts them they become mindful, then lo! they see.}.

There are some people whom Satan never comes close to their hearts, as they are like the sky, which is guarded from devils by flames; likewise their hearts are guarded from devils.

The Prophet (PBUH) has said about this heart white like a smooth rock not harmed by temptation as long as the heavens and earth exist [reported by Muslim from the hadith of Huzaifah (RAA)].
Satan has entered the hearts of other people and has dwelled there and created a nest for himself in which he lays his eggs and hatches them. So he has controlled these hearts, commanding them to do forbidden desires, so their hearts want these desires and command their body parts to commit them and they indeed do that. This is because Satan has found hearts that have no immunity, their doors open, weak and ill owing to committing sins, and this is why Allah the Exalted has said about this type (interpretation of the meaning)
{Satan has gained the mastery over them, so he has made them forget the remembrance of Allah}.

Because the zikr (remembrance) of Allah is immunity from Satan, Satan has made them forget it in order to control and drive their hearts, which their body parts will then follow.

The heart is not immunized from Satan except with the zikr of Allah the Exalted, and it does not have the strength to want good except by doing good deeds.

Satan does not defeat the heart unless it is inattentive of the zikr of
Allah the Exalted and weak because of committing sins and vice.

And now, after you have known the reason why your heart does not obey you in wanting to do good and avoid sins, and cannot preserve its righteousness, the treatment is in the following medical prescription. Take it and maintain it as its results are guaranteed -Allah willing - if you persevere it honestly:

1. Maintain the five prayers in congregation, especially the fajr prayer and never miss it. Allah the
Exalted says {and the fajr reading, for the fajr reading is witnessed} i.e. the fajr prayer is witnessed by angels.

2. After the fajr prayer remain in the mosque to read the Quran until sunrise, and then offer 2 rakas 10 minutes after sunrise.

3. Say subhan Allah wa bi hamdih (may Allah be glorified and praised) one hundred times a day at any time in the mosque or house, whether walking, sitting, in the car, etc. This zikr wipes out sins.

4. Ask forgiveness of Allah one hundred times each day, saying astaghfirullah wa atoobu ilayh (I ask forgiveness of Allah and I repent to Him), once again at any time you wish and in whatever condition you are in.

5. Say this zikr: la ilaha illa Allahu wahdahu la sharika lah, lahulmulku wa lahulhamdu wa howa ala kul shayin qadeer (there is no god but Allah; He has no partner; He has the possession and praise, and He is capable of everything) one hundred times each day at any time you wish and in whatever condition you are in. It doesn’t necessarily have to be said in the mosque. The prophet (PBUH) maintained these zikrs, as they are the life of the heart and its indispensable nutrition.

6. Between Maghrib and Ishaa remain in the mosque and do not leave it, and recite as much as you can of the Quran while concentrating.

7. You should totally avoid watching TV and reading magazines, and going to places where there is vice, as you are in quarantine in order to restore health to your heart, and the medicine (good deeds) will not benefit you if you induce disease (sins) into your heart during the treatment period.

8. Continue this program for at least a month: living with the Quran reciting it with consideration, and acting upon what is in it; spending time alone for long hours for the zikr of Allah the Exalted. The proof of doing this for a month is that the
Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa sallm) ordered that by saying “Recite the Quran in a month, in 25 days, in 10 days, in 7 days” [Bukhari & Muslim from the hadith of Ibn Omar].

9. If the environment in which you live does not support you in applying this program then change this environment: abandon bad friends, and avoid places in which you spend your free time if they encourage you to commit sins, and if you can travel to Makkah for example to follow this program then do it.

10. Donate part of your money as a form of repentance to Allah the Exalted, as secret charities are seen only by Allah the Exalted. In the authentic hadith
“Secret charities extinguish the anger of the Lord”
[narrated by ibn Hibban from the hadith of Anas].

11. Try to perform umrah with the intention of renewing your faith and cleansing your past with the water of this blessed trip.
The Prophet (sallalahu alyhi wa sallm) said A umrah causes forgiving of sins since the previous umrah, and an accepted hajj has no reward other than paradise
[Bukhari & Muslim from the hadith of Abu Hurairah (RAA)].

12. If you owe anything to others return everything, and do not retain anything you will be accounted for, as a form of repentance to Allah.

13. Ask Allah every night during the sahar (prior to fajr) with this supplication Rabbi inni zalamtu nafsi zulman kathiran wa la yaghfir uzunuba illa Ant, faghfir lee maghfiratan min indik warhamni, inaka Anta Alghafoor Urraheem (My Lord, I have oppressed myself a lot and only You forgive sins, so forgive me a forgiveness from You and have mercy upon me, You are Most Forgiving, Most Merciful), and also Allahuma alhimni rushdi wa qini shar nafsi(O Allah, grant me my the right way and protect me from the evil of myself), as the Prophet (sallalahu alyhi wa sallm) taught these two to some of his companions.

In addition, perform a lot of istighfar and supplication, as the sahar is a time of acceptance of supplication.

This is your prescription, and one month is not necessarily the period required, as change might appear on you before that, or you might need more than a month in this quarantine. The goal is to expel Satan from the heart and clean his traces and dirt and the filth that he has placed there, as this is the reason behind the weakness of your heart and its incapability of wanting good and doing good deeds, and its quickness to follow desires.

So if health returns to your heart and you become fit and strong when it comes to the zikr of Allah the Exalted, immune from the cunningness of Satan, then you may slightly reduce this program to the extent that you can withstand, as the
Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa sallm) said “You should do what you can withstand”
[Bukhari & Muslim from the hadith of Aisha (RAA)],
unless you can withstand more than this, for in this case you should increase doing good as long as your heart loves good deeds.

These faithful duties are the levels as considered by Allah: the more a servant does, s/he ascends in the levels of piety. The best things to perform are what Allah has prescribed upon you (obligatory forms of worship). You will notice that things have changed in a surprising manner, as long as you maintain the prescription I have given you, and you will find yourself hating to commit sins and your heart not wanting them, looking at them with inferiority and disdain. You will also like good deeds and feel enthusiastic about them, and feel their good taste in your heart. The secret behind this change is that you have treated you heart with the zikr of Allah the Exalted and good deeds until your heart has become healthy wanting good and loving it after it was ill, wanting evil and sins and loving them.
Allah, the Truth and Exalted says (interpretation of the meaning)
{but Allah has endeared the faith to you and has made it seemly in your hearts, and He has made hateful to you unbelief and transgression and disobedience; those are the followers of the right way).


By grace from Allah and as a favor; and Allah is Most Knowing, Most Wise and Allah knows best

Sh. Hamed ibn Abdullah Al-Ali, who loves good for You.

Tawheed for Children: (Level One) Knowing ALLAH

http://www.understand-islam.net/Books/TawheedforChildren.pdf

Interview with Umm ‘Abdullaah Wife of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih Al-'Uthaimeen (rahimahullaah)

http://www.understand-islam.net/Articles/InterviewwithSh.Uthaimeen-swife.pdf

Friday, December 21, 2007

Scientific Proofs From the Quran about Creation


Thought #1: "A century ago, the creation of the universe was a concept that astronomers as a rule ignored. The reason was the general acceptance of the idea that the universe existed in infinite time. Examining the universe, scientists supposed that it was just a conglomeration of matter and imagined that it had no beginning. There was no moment of "creation"–a moment when the universe and everything in it came into being. "

Ponder This: Who or what created that matter, how did that matter come into being? Who or what created the supposed infinite time? How can an “object” like matter not be a created item? And lastly, if this was how the universe “came about”, this matter and infinite time had all the power of creation within itself, if this were the case, where did this infinite time and matter get this power to create from and how did it decide when to create our universe without intelligent thought?

Thought #2: "The universe was not a created object, if it were, then it would have to be created instantaneously by God and brought into existence from nothing. To admit creation, one has to admit, in the first place, the existence of a moment when the universe did not exist, and that something came out of nothingness. This is something to which science can not accede. 2"

Ponder This: Can scientists prove with “all their abundance of knowledge” that there is no God? Many scientists chose to ignore the belief of God because it is the one thing that they have NO explanation for!


"He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth."
(The Qur'an, 6:101)

"And it is We who have constructed the heaven with might, and verily, it is We who are steadily expanding it."
(The Qur'an, 51:47)

"Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together (as one unit of creation), before We clove them asunder, and We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?"
(The Qur'an, 21:30)

"It is He Who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. They swim along, each in an orbit. "
(The Qur'an, 21:33)

"And the sun runs to its resting place. That is the decree of the Almighty, the All-Knowing. " (The Qur'an, 36:38)

"By the sky full of paths and orbits."
(The Qur'an, 51:7)

"He has created the Heavens and the Earth for Truth. He wraps the night up in the day, and wraps the day up in the night."
(The Qur'an, 39:5)

"By Heaven with its cyclical systems."
(The Qur'an, 86:11)

"We made the sky a preserved and protected roof yet still they turn away from Our Signs.."
(The Qur'an, 21:32)

"It is He Who created everything on the earth for you and then directed His attention up to heaven and arranged it into seven regular heavens. He has knowledge of all things."
(The Qur'an, 2:29)

If we count the number of layers cited in this source, we see that the atmosphere consists of exactly seven layers, just as stated in the verse.
1. Troposphere
2. Stratosphere
3. Ozonosphere
4. Mesosphere
5. Thermosphere
6. Ionosphere
7. Exosphere

SUBHNALLAH…..how could the Prophet Mohammed (sallalahu alayhi wasallm) have known this all by himself!

How could the Quran then not be considered TRUTH.

What HUMAN in the time of the Prophet Mohammed (sallalahu alayhi wasallm) or any time before that have known that the atmosphere had 7 layers!



"Then He turned to heaven when it was smoke. In two days He determined them as seven heavens and revealed, in every heaven, its own mandate."
(The Qur'an, 41:12)



Ponder these verses…Research on Science and the Universe and Look to the explanation of the Verses from the Quran which pertain to this matter.

The Quran itself tells us to Ponder its verses…

"Do they not reflect upon the Qur'an? Or are there locks upon their hearts?"
(Quran 47:24).

"Indeed, in the skies and the earth...are signs for people who reason"
(Quran 2:164)

"Most surely in the creation of the skies and the earth...are signs for people who understand, those who remember Allah...and who ponder the creation..."
(Quran 3:190-1)

"Thus does Allah clarify for you the verses, so that you may think"
(Quran 2:219)
"Do they not ponder the Qur'an?" (Quran 47:24)
For more in depth info on this topic go to:

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Muslims, Tell me whats wrong with these pictures.




The Prophet Mohammed(sallalahu alayhi wa sallm) said that : Let the knives be sharpened and concealed from the animals and whenever you do the sticking, it should be quick.

I have asked for guidance concerning these above pictures and the lawfullness of this situation. I am waiting on a response, when I get it inshallah I will post it here.

Until then, I leave you with this thought: I feel we have a need to pray for guideance of the Muslim Ummah more than ever before....


Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Super Rich mistake!

"Objects of desire: Millionaire fair

XPRESS
http://www.xpress4me.com/myxpress/blogs/mustseemustdo/20004683.html

Dubai’s first-ever Millionaire Fair is an exclusive event for the region’s elite and the super rich.
A Dh5.4 million bottle of Tequila Ley 925 (see below) – the most expensive in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records – will be the highlight of the Millionaire Fair, which is all set to dazzle the region’s aficionados and followers of luxury.
The three-day event is expected to bring together key players from the "industry of opulence" and offer the finest luxury products from the world over.

Where: International Marine Club, Dubai
When: December 15 to 17 "


Because this is what a millionare from this part of the world would want to see? hummmm...

A 5.4 million dirham bottle of Tequila is being shown as the "highlight" of an event for the super rich in a MUSLIM country.


What did I miss here???


Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and efface our bad deeds and take our souls in the company of the righteous (Quran 3:193).
-------
Ya Muqallib al-Quloob Thabbit Qalbi 'Ala Deenika wa ya Musarrifal Quloob Sarrif Qalbi Ela Ta'atika.
-------
(O, Controller of Hearts, make firm my heart in your faith in your worship. O, Holder of Hearts, turn my heart to Your obedience.)

Friday, December 14, 2007

Rain by Design



Rain by Design



Rain is indeed one of the most important factors for the permanence of life on earth. It is a prerequisite for the continuation of activity in a region. Rain, which carries great importance for all living things, including human beings, is mentioned in various verses of the Qur’an, where substantial information is given about the formation of rain, its proportion and effects. This information, which never could have been known by the people of the time, shows us that the Qur’an is the word of God.


Now, let us examine the information given in the Qur’an about rain.


The Proportion of Rain


In the eleventh verse of Surat az-Zukhruf, rain is defined as water sent down in “due measure”. The verse is as follows:


{He sends down (from time to time) water from the sky in due measure, and We raise to life therewith a land that is dead. Even so will you be raised (from the dead)} (43: 11)


This “measure” mentioned in the verse has to do with a couple of characteristics of rain. First of all, the amount of rain that falls on the earth is always the same. It is estimated that in one second, 16 million tons of water evaporate from the earth. This number is equal to the amount of water that drops on the earth in one second. This means that water continuously circulates in a balanced cycle according to a “measure”.


Another measure related with rain is about its falling speed. The minimum altitude of rain clouds is 1,200 meters. When dropped from this height, an object having the same weight and size as a rain drop, would continuously accelerate and fall on the ground with a speed of 558 km/h. Certainly, any object that hits the ground with that speed would cause great damage. If rain happened to fall in the same way, all harvested lands would be destroyed, residential areas, houses, and cars would be damaged, and people would not be able to walk around without taking extra precautions. What is more, these calculations are made just for clouds at a height of 1,200 meters; there are also rain clouds at altitudes of 10,000 meters. A raindrop falling from such a height could normally reach a very destructive speed.


But this is not how it works; no matter from what height they fall, the average speed of raindrops is only 8-10 km/h when they reach the ground. The reason for this is the special form they take. This special form increases the friction effect of the atmosphere and prevents acceleration when the raindrops reach a certain speed “limit”. (Today parachutes are designed by using this technique.)


This is not all about the “measures” of rain. For instance, in the atmospheric layers where it starts to rain, the temperature may fall as low as 400 °C below zero. Despite this, raindrops never turn into ice particles. (This would certainly mean a fatal threat to the living things on earth.) The reason is that the water in the atmosphere is pure water. As is well known, pure water hardly freezes even at very low temperatures.


The Formation of Rain


Raindrops fall on the ground with a speed of 558 km/h. Any object that hits the ground with that speed would cause great damage.


How rain forms remained a great mystery for people for a long time. Only after weather radar was invented, was it possible to discover the stages by which rain is formed.
The formation of rain takes place in three stages. First, the “raw material” of rain rises up into the air. Later clouds are formed. Finally, raindrops appear.


These stages were clearly defined in the Qur’an centuries ago where precise information is given about the formation of rain:


{It is God Who sends the Winds, and they raise the Clouds: then does He spread them in the sky as He wills, and break them into fragments, until you see rain-drops issue from the midst thereof: then when He has made them reach such of his servants as He wills, behold, they do rejoice!} (30: 48)


Now, let us look at the three stages mentioned in the verse:


1st Stage: {It is God Who sends the winds...}


Countless air bubbles formed by the foaming in the oceans continuously burst and cause water particles to be ejected towards the sky. These particles, which are rich in salt, are then carried away by winds and move upwards in the atmosphere. These particles, which are called aerosols, form clouds by collecting around themselves the water vapor, which again ascends from the seas, as tiny drops by a mechanism called “water trap”.


2nd Stage: {...and they raise the Clouds: then does He spread them in the sky as He wills, and break them into fragments...}


The clouds form from the water vapor that condenses around the salt crystals or the dust particles in the air. Because the water drops in these are very small (with a diameter between 0.01 and 0.02 mm), the clouds are suspended in the air and they spread in the sky. Thus, the sky is covered with clouds.


3rd Stage: {...until you see rain-drops issue from the midst thereof}


Water particles that surround salt crystals and dust particles thicken and form raindrops. So the drops, which become heavier than air, depart from the clouds and start to fall on the ground as rain.


Every stage in the formation of rain is told in the verses of the Qur’an. Furthermore, these stages are explained in the right sequence. Just as with many other natural phenomena in the world, it is again the Qur’an that provides the most correct explanation about this phenomenon, and more, it has announced these facts to people centuries before they were discovered by science.


Life Given to a Dead Land


In the Qur’an, many verses call our attention to a particular function of rain, which is {giving life to a dead land}:


{We send down pure water from the sky. That with it We may give life to a dead land, and slake the thirst of many beings We have created, beasts as well as humans} (25: 48- 49)


In addition to furnishing the earth with water, which is an inevitable need of living beings, rain also has a fertilization effect.


Raindrops that reach the clouds after being evaporated from the seas, contain certain substances {that will give life} to a dead land. These “life-giving” drops are called “surface tension drops”. Surface tension drops form on the top level of the sea surface, which is called the “micro layer” by biologists. In this layer, which is thinner than one tenth of a millimeter, there are many organic leftovers caused by the pollution of microscopic algae and zooplankton. Some of these leftovers select and collect within themselves some elements that are very rare in seawater, such as phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and some heavy metals like copper, zinc, cobalt and lead. These “fertilizer”-laden drops are lifted up into the sky by the winds and after awhile they drop on the ground inside the raindrops. Seeds and plants on the earth find numerous metallic salts and elements essential for their growth here in these raindrops. This event is revealed in another verse of the Qur’an:


{And We send down from the sky rain laden with blessing, and We produce therewith gardens and grain for harvests} (50: 9)


Salts that fall with rain are small examples of certain elements (calcium, magnesium, potassium, etc.) used for increasing fertility. The heavy metals found in these types of aerosols are other elements that increase fertility in the development and production of plants.


A barren land can be furnished with all the essential elements for plants in a 100-year period just with these fertilizers dropped with the rain. Forests also develop and are fed with the help of these sea-based aerosols. In this way, 150 million tons of fertilizer falls on the total land surface every year. If there were no natural fertilization like this, there would be very little vegetation on the earth, and the ecological balance would be impaired.


What is more interesting is that this truth, which could only be discovered by modern science, was revealed by God in the Qur’an centuries ago.


Harun Yahya is the author, who writes under the pen name Harun Yahya, was born in Ankara in 1956. He studied arts at Istanbul's Mimar Sinan University and philosophy at Istanbul University. Since the 1980s, the author has published many books on political, faith-related and scientific issues. Harun Yahya is well known as an author who has written very important works disclosing the imposture of evolutionists, the invalidity of their claims and the dark liaisons between Darwinism and bloody ideologies. Some of the books of the author have been translated into English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Albanian, Arabic, Polish, Russian, Bosnian, Indonesian, Turkish, Tatar, Urdu and Malay and published in the countries concerned. Harun Yahya's books appeal to all people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, regardless of their age, race and nationality, as they center around one goal: to open the readers' mind by presenting the sign's of God's eternal existence to them.

Please visit : www.harunyahya.com e-mail : info@harunyahya.com

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Random Thoughts

-So an American presidential candidate was giving a speech on why he would make a good president, he says to the audience that he will not base any presidential decisions on his own religion or anyone else's religion for the matter, no matter what church they come from...

ERM, do you see the most ignorant idiotic mistake I do in that comment!
Yikes , no wonder he doesn't have enough supporters!
-Just because a person wants to follow their religion 100 percent to their ability doesn't make them a fanatic...Why do something half way, especially when its what you base you whole life on!
-Why do some people cover their awrah for prayer only, and not when they are in public?!?!?
-No matter what status level of life you grew up on you should always have patience and respect for other people. A poor person who is humble is more honorable and noble than a rich man whose ignorant!
-I learned this weekend that people should think about what they want to say before they speak, although i knew that already, i really understood it this weekend when i heard someone put their foot in their mouth more than once.
-I also observed over the weekend something I see alot: A Muslim who thinks that they know everything their is to know about Islam and they think you don't know anything like them....
HELLO! We NEVER know enough! Its not a competition people!
My BIGGEST lesson I learned was that sometimes you have to keep you mouth shut and not comment on other peoples ignorance, because they don't hear you say anything once they've said what they want to say. You could say it 12 times and they will still repeat their sentence to you! Alot of people only hear what they want to and they don't open their minds to the fact that you might be right and they wrong!

Monday, December 3, 2007

Help Needed!


Salam Alaykum Readers :)



I have a dilemma that I need help with.


If anyone of you who reads this blog is a Muslim with some knowledge or even an opinion on "The lawfullness of spaying/neutering animals(specifically cats and dogs)" in Islam, please email me with your advice or any info you could point me to. Id like to see what other peoples opinions are on this issue. I will, inshallah, have the chance later in the year to conduct some classes on Islamic Animal Rights and Proper care for household pets, so I would be so grateful for help in this topic!