Truth Will Not Go Unsupported For Long

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said , "By Allah, the day is near when this faith (Islam) will reach its pinnacle and none will have to fear anyone except Allah."
[Bukhari]

Explanation : Muhammad (saws) preached to the people to trust in Allah (Swt). His whole life was a sublime example of the precept. In the loneliness of Makkah, in the midst of persecution and danger, in adversity and tribulations , and in th thick of enemies in the battles of Uhud and Hunain , complete faith and trust in Allah (Swt) seems to be the dominant feature of his life. However great the danger that confronted him, he never lost hope and never allowed himself to be unduly agitated.

Abu Talib knew the feelings of the Quraysh when the Prophet (saws) started his mission. He also knew the lengths to which the Quraysh could go , and requested the Prophet (saws) to abandon his mission , but the latter clamly replied , "Dear uncle, do not go by my loneliness. Truth will not go unsupported for long. The whole of Arabia and beyond will one day espouse its cause." [Ibn Hashim , Sirat-ur-Rasool].

When the attitude of the Quraysh became more threatening, Abu Talib again begged his nephew to renounce his mission but the Prophet's (saws) reply was :" O my uncle , if they place the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left, to force me to renounce my work, verily I would not desist from there until Allah made manifest His cause , or I perished in the attempt." [Ibid]

It was the trust in Allah (Swt) which emboldened the Prophet (saws) to say his prayers openly in the haram in the teeth of opposition.The Quraysh were once collected there and were conspiring to put an end to his life when he next entered the haram. His (saws) young daughter Fatimah (ra) , who happened to overhear their talk rushed weeping to her father and told him of the designs of the Quraysh. He (saws) consoled her, did his ablutions and went to the Ka'aba to say prayers. There was only consternation among the Quraysh when they saw him (saws). [Musnad Ahmad]

Sin is More Dangerous than the Tricks of the Enemy

Abu Hurairah (ra) narrated that I heard the Prophet (saws) saying , "If somebody commits a sin and then says, 'O my Lord ! I have sinned, please forgive me !' and his Lord says, 'My slave has known that he has a Lord who forgives sin and punishes for it, I therefore have forgiven My slave (his sins).' Then he remains without committing any sin for a while and then again commits another sin and says, 'O my Lord , I have committed another sin, please forgive me.' and Allah says, 'My slave has known that he has a Lord who forgives sin and punishes for it, I therefore have forgiven My slave (his sins).'Then he remains without committing any sin for a while and then commits another sin (for the third time) and says, 'O my Lord , I have committed another sin, please forgive me.' and Allah says, 'My slave has known that he has a Lord who forgives sin and punishes for it, I therefore have forgiven My slave (his sins).'

[Bukhari]

Explanation : We understand from this hadith that when Allah forgives a sin, it is forgiven. If the person commits the same sin again, Allah will not revoke His forgiveness for the previous time the sin was committed, but will only hold the sinner to account for the present occurrence. Forgiveness is something Allah gives, and He does not revoke what he gives. Once a sin is wiped from our records, it is wiped away for good.

If there is a phrase that can describe the world today , it has to be "Competing in Sin !" Many Muslim groups and individuals have taken an un-Islamic path and are trying to do what non-Muslim groups and individuals are doing. It is a competition in sin and Muslims are losing.

About fourteen hundred years ago, one of the most beloved person of the Muslim Ummah , Umar bin Abdul Aziz (r) wrote a letter to a military commander and said : Sin is more dangerous that the ruses/tricks of the enemy. We overcome our enemies in the battlefield only because of their vices and sins. Thus, if we equate ourselves with our enemies in misdeeds and transgressions, they would undoubtedly gain a victory over us by their numerical superiority and strength

Help Others In Their Hour Of Need

Sahl bin Sa'ad (ra) relates that Prophet (saws) said : "In the community of believers , a believer's place is like that of the head in the human body. The whole body suffers due to head ache , so the believer should feel pain if others in (Muslim) community suffer." And in another hadith Nauman bin Bashir (ra) reported that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said : "The believers in their mutual kindness , compassion and symapthy are just like one body . When one of the limbs suffers, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever."

[Bukhari]

Explanation : There is no doubt that Islam teaches sympathy, love and promotes brotherhood, the spirit to help others in their hour of need. If a Momin cannot afford to buy food for his hungry brother, then he should share his own meal with the hungry. That was the spirit of love, sacrifice and mutual concern which brought into being a love-woven society. Ayah 103 of the Surah Al-Imran is a clear reminder to such a quality :"Hold fast to Allah's rope all together, do not split into factions. Remember Allah's favor to you : you were enemies and then He brought your hearts together and you became brothers by His grace ; you were about to fall in a pit of Fire and He saved you from it - in this way Allah makes His revelations clear to you so that you may be rightly guided."

May Allah enable us to relaize the importance of the gift of life and the countless blessings we have been bestowed with and utilize our time prudently and wisely and the way it pleases Allah (Swt) and his Messenger (saws). Aameen !

Monopoly is Unlawful in Islam

The Messenger of Allah (saw) said , "O Aisha, love the poor and let them come to you and Allah will draw you near to Himself."

[Sahih Bukhari]

Explanation: The Prophet (saws) enjoined upon Muslims to treat the poor kindly and to help them with alms and in other ways. He said, "He is not a perfect Muslim who eats his fill and lets his neighbour go hungry." He (saws) asked , "Do you love your Creator?Then love your fellow beings first."

Monopoly is unlawful in Islam and he preached that "It is difficult for a man laden with riches to climb the steep path that leads to bliss."

He (saws) did not prohibit or discourage the acquisition of wealth but insisted that it be lawfully acquired by honest means and that a portion of it should go to the poor. He advised his followers , "To give the laborer his wages before the perspiration on his brow dried up."

He(saws) did not encourage beggary either and stated that "Allah is gracious to him who earns his living by his own labour, and that if a man begs to increase his property, Allah will diminish it and whoever has food for the day, it is prohibited for him to beg."/

We Should Develop A Friendship With Our Spouses

The Holy Prophet (saws) said ; "The most perfect believer in faith is the one whose character is finest and who is kindest to his wife."

[Tirmidhi & Nasa'i]

Explanation : We should develop a friendship with our spouses. The relationship based on friendship is more able to withstand outside pressures. We honor, trust, respect, accept and care for our friends , in spite of our differences. These are the aspects of friendship we should bring to our marriages.

Unfortunately the only aspect that people think of bringing to their marriage which is highly inappropriate is the buddy scenario . Shariah (Islamic law) has placed the husband in a leadership role within a family. This requires a certain decorum , which cannot be maintained if the spouses consider each other as pals.

This should not be taken to mean that the husband is a dictator but a shepherd who is responsible for and to his flock. This is a position of grave responsibility and places an enormous burden on the husband. Furthermore the children need to see their parents as friends but not as pals as this encourages disrespect.

One can Supplicate & Wish Well for a Non-Muslim...

Anas (ra) relates that a Jewish boy used to attend Prophet (saws). Once he fell sick and the Prophet (saws) went to visit him and asked him to embrace Islam. The boy looked at his father, who said to obey what the Prophet (saws) had advised. Prophet (saws) said : "Thanks to Allah (Swt), Who saved the boy from Hell fire."

[Bukhari]

Explanation : Islamic Jurisprudence, Traditions of Prophet (saws) , and history have a treasure of information and guidance about relations of Muslims with non-Muslims . Interpersonal relations, social interaction , trade or business partnership , and all other aspects of social interdependence have been discussed and clarified. Due respect is to be given to non-Muslims according to their status and rank . Islam does not teavh hatred, bias, prejudice and discrimination against non-Muslims.

In fact the life of the Prophet (saws) , and his companions (Allah be pleased with them) teaches us to be extra careful for their feelings and always make efforts to make a soft corner in their hearts by good behaviour and a positive winning attitude. The Arabic term Taaleef-e-Qalb defines this effort. This effort has brought millions to the fold of Islam. It was not the sword, but the character and knowledge that triumphed.

None forced Islam on anyone, but the entire poulation embraced Islam after Prophet (saws)'s return to Makkah as mentioned in Ayah 2 of Surah An-Nasr in the Holy Qur'an : "( Rasool Allah) , when you see people embracing Allah's faith in large crowds, celebrate the praise of your Lord and ask His forgiveness."

One can supplicate and wish well for a non-Muslim according to the situation he may be in . This is again a display of courtesy, kind heartedness and mutual respect taught by Islam.

We Should Not Waste Any Moment of our Life in Gossips

The Prophet (saws) said, "There are two blessings that most people are deluded by. Health and available time."

[Bukhari]

Explanation : In personal life, companions of the Prophet (saws) used to spend a lot more time in worship than we do. This would seem to leave a lot less time for other pursuits in life. We also know that means of communications were very poor at that time. Sometimes they (sahaba) had to travel on horseback for weeks or months to another area, say, to collect a report of a hadith from someone who had heard it directly from the Prophet (saws). Yet during this period and despite all the logistics problems, together they collected the hundreds of thousands of Ahadith . How in the world did they find time for that ?

The answer is simple . They (sahaba) valued time as the gift whose proper or improper use would determine the outcome for the eternity. Abdullah ibn Hasan(ra) reports that whenever two companions met, they would not depart till they had recited Surah Al-Asr to each other reminding themselves of the eternal loss everyone faces if we waste our time in foolish pursuits . They did not waste any moment of their life in gossips, useless talks or meaningless pursuits.

We are becoming older every day.One day our time will be up and we will leave the world forever.What happens afterwards depends solely on how we used all the moments available to us before that certain but unknown moment comes.