Asalamalaikum


<b>Khattab, the man who died for the cause of Chechnya</b>





<b>Khattab's Last Interview </b>


Not too long before his death, Chechen Commander Amir Khattab gave an interview to one of the Arabic Internet editions Waislamah. We would like to offer you the translation of this interview, where the Chechen Commander expresses his point of view on the ongoing events in Ichkeria and in the Arab countries.


<b>Question: What is the military situation in Chechnya like nowadays?</b>


Khattab: Russian leadership and army have despaired of victory in Chechnya. They also despaired of killing the Mujahideen and their Commanders. Everybody saw monkey Putin on TV, when he summoned Christian priests and demanded the Church to help wounded Russian soldiers, whose number reaches thousands and thousands. Praise Allah, Who helps us in our deed...


<b>Question: There was a report that you were seriously wounded, and that Russian soldiers are besieging the Mujahideen. </b>


K: Yes, I was wounded. However, with the help of Allah we will be killing our enemies and we ourselves will die, but there is no way it will change the nature of our fight. We are really besieged every day, but we also besiege Russian forces every day. Russian leadership is a weak leadership, which makes a show of its any smallest victory and makes the whole world laugh at that, claiming that it is successfully fighting «terrorism». Concerning the Commanders being wounded. When any Chechen Commander is wounded, it means that he fights shoulder to shoulder with his soldiers, unlike Russian commanders or other traders of blood in other places. The enemies of Allah, generals, commanders and soldiers are working for their government: if their commander gets killed or the government resigns, it has a negative affect on their morale. Unlike them, the Mujahideen are fighting in the name of Allah, and Allah is eternal. Death of one of the Commanders only increases the inspiration and the morale of the Mujahideen.


<b>Question: Why, in your opinion, Russian Army has not won this war yet?</b>


K: First, praise be to Allah! Second, that's because of the persistence and courage of Chechen Mujahideen and Amirs in their intention to continue this war against the enemy. From day one the Chechen people have been ready to fight till the end to get rid of the power of Russian regime, which contradicts Islam. The army, that fights with no faith or purpose, will never win. Russian leadership was trying to inspire their generals, officers and soldiers with the claims that this war is a war against «terrorism» and against «bandits» by distributing fake video footage. Those video films were demonstrating the horrors that are ascribed to the Chechen Mujahideen: cutting off Russian hostages' fingers and ears, robberies, murders. There were also films shown about the explosions that shook Russian cities. However, not too long ago there was a documentary film shown that proves that Russian secret services were involved in those explosions and that they were forewarned about them. Russian officers and mercenaries who got paid big money are behind the explosions.


<b>Question: What is the morale and fighting spirit among the Mujahideen and their Commanders?</b>


K: Praise Allah, our spirit is high, higher than ever. Every day we observe funerals of Russian officers and generals in Moscow. Russian troops suffer humiliations every day. We know why we fight and for what purpose!


<b>Question: How can the American military forces, that recently arrived in Georgia, affect the situation?</b>


K: I don't think that their arrival down there will affect the situation in Chechnya. In Georgia there are mainly wounded Chechen soldiers and several Islamic humanitarian organizations that deal with them. Glory be to Allah, we don't need anything from Georgia. All we need is in the hands of our enemies, including Putin himself, and during combats we take what we need. Georgian leadership agreed to accept Chechen refugees and they are living up in the mountains, where Chechens have been living for centuries. None of them lives in Tbilisi. I think that Russia wants to cause friction between Georgian government and Chechens and thereby deprive Chechens of their external connections. I believe that if Georgian government intends to make any decision regarding Chechen refugees, it should announce such decision in advance.


As far as the Americans go, I don't think they are stupid enough to open up another front for themselves against the Chechen people. America has just started the war against Mujahideen in Afghanistan, and the planes just started to bring the dead bodies back home. America also has problems in Philippines, it also wants to start a war against Iraq. American economy is on the verge of a crisis, that's why the US armed forces landed in Georgia and Central Asia, in order to draw closer to Russian borders and to the oil fields of Caucasus and Central Asia.


<b>Question: How and when do you think this war will be over?</b>


K: From our point of view, we have already won. If we were not sure of that, we would not have kept fighting against Russian army, armed to its teeth. We will not retreat from our demands or our principles. We are standing for complete independence from Russia. The end of this war is important for the Russians, because this war costs them dearly. But for us this war means carrying out our duty before Allah and any end of this battle would be suitable for us: victory or paradise. With the help of Allah the victory is near, I don't think that Russian troops will remain in Chechnya.


<b>Question: How did the events of September 11 affect the help that you are receiving?</b>


K: Some of those who were helping us changed their minds and started to doubt, but praise Allah, there are also many people left who are faithful to us. Muslims are helping us.


<b>Question: What is your opinion on the situation in Palestine? What can you say to the Palestinian Mujahideen?</b>


K: The events that accompany the Intifada in Palestine have proven to the entire world that in reality there are no such things as human rights, UN, or international court. Today Muslims need their own Muslim UN to solve the problems connected with Islam or Shari'ah. Islamic countries no longer have the right to maintain relations with the phoney Christian heretical organizations that conduct the policy of double standards. That Intifada has also proven that the Arab rulers are slaves of the West, slaves of money and slaves of vainglory. The time has come to get free from these slaves, who are not capable of making a single decision in the name of the victory of Islam. We all see Jewish terrorism against defenseless Muslims on TV every day, as well as that support provided by America. Arab rulers are not capable of making a single worthy decision that would put an end to the outrages committed by descendants of swine and monkeys, they are not even able to provide Palestinian Shaheed with ammunition or weapons. Today there is no greater disaster for Muslims than the power of these slaves. Arab rulers must be thrown off the necks of the Muslims, and the Jews of Israel will reap humiliation up until the Judgment Day, as Great Allah promised.

I am Your Brother, Adam


Written by <i>ArShad</i>


I am Malaysian Pakistani and Somali and Arab:


I am Turk and Irani and native of the Maldives:


My home is in Paris, Berlin, London;


in Mexico City, Port-of-Spain, Durban;


in Karachi, Zagazig or Kuala Lumpur,


I am as at home sailing in a lateen


rigged baggala along the red-rock Oman


shores bound for Socotra's island as I


am crossing the Khyber Pass in a camel


caravan...or driving a Mercedes taxi


in Istanbul.


Na'am, aiwa, acha, kha,


I am your brother, Adam.


You will know me in the mosques when


I stand shoulder to shoulder with you


and wish you peace when prayer is done:


and you may see me in Isfahan talking with


a miniature painter or in Dera Ismail Khan


listening to a young and vocal teacher of


Urdu or in Medan listening to a old man


chanting the Quran or in Sacramento listening


to a college boy who has all the problems


of the universe solved.


You will know me becuase I am your brother


and in a real and forceful sense I am


a part of you, dependent on you as you are


dependent on me...as rocks in a city wall...


round as the ancient wall of Baghdad.


I am Egyption and Tunisian and Syrian:


I am Berber and Kurd; Fulani and Nausherwani


and Pawenda;


I am Maliki, Hanafi, Hanbali, and Shafii:


all these I am, for I am your brother


standing besides you in the mosque waiting


for the iqama...white-garbed in the plain


of Arafat...fasting with you in Ramadan.


I am at home in the black tents of the bedu


and the tall buildings of Hadhramaut...;


I am always lingering at the Great Mosque


to circle the Kaaba and to kiss the hajr


al-aswad and drink from the well of Zamzam;


and I am standing, too, in the Haraam ash-sharif


in Jerusalem and in Karbala...and all of them,


each of them, has meaning on meaning for me.


Na'am ya habibi, ya azizi, ya akhi,


I am your brother Adam.


You will know me when you see me


becuase I wll be fingering my beads


and you will know well what this means...


subhanAllah...


You will know me and I will know you


for we are real brothers; and I am of


one place as I am of another...as much a


part of one as the other; the lover


of all lands where I can listen to the


call of the muezzin coming over the night,


or hear the beat of a single Muslim heart.

SPEAKERS BUREAU TRAINING - NEW JERSEY


DATE 2/13/2005


BEGINNING TIME 9 :00 AM


END TIME 5 :00 PM


DESCRIPTION ISLAMIC NETWORKS GROUP (ING) training for the affiliated New Jersey Speakers Bureau titled,


"Presenting Islam in Schools & Other Public Institutions"


The training session includes the following:


- A Demo of a Live Presentation


- Introduction to New ING Presentations: "Islamic Contributions to Civilizations" & "Roots of Islam in America"


- First Amendment Center Guidelines for Speaking About Islam in the Public Square


- Training on How to Answer "Frequently Asked Questions"


- Speaker's Tips & Use of Visual Aids


SPEAKER Farhan Syed


SPONSOR New Jersey Islamic Speakers Bureau (NJISB)


MORE INFORMATION 408-296-7312

Assalamu Alalikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh


All my brothers and sisters at this forum whom i love so much even if some of you don't love meee! These forums are like a little family to me, i love them love the character and the people please all of you never leave. Had to get that corny moment off of my chest, i am sorry this is how i feel.


Ok on to the point of this post <b>Da'wah</b> i would like the more expierienced members to give tips to a new Muslim on the best way to give Da'wah. I now know much more about Islam then i did to begin with. I've read a large amount of books (something like 50+) books on Islam all recommended to me by Imams and good brothers. I try to learn from posts here, and i'm always asking for advice so even though the hill is still enourmously high, I feel confident enough to want to approach people to show them the light of Islam even though i only know so little, surely there is some kind of Da'wah i can do.


I would just like some of the more senior members to give me some advice. Or even books or website links on the subject of Da'wah. Some people tell me to start with the Muslims first, on some of the brothers who may need help getting back on the path, but sometimes i feel patronising doing this because i'm still a new Muslim. Others say speak with other faiths, so far i've only spoke with Christians but i can't seem to get through to them. I'm not sure of the approach. I think i could start with Atheists Agnostics because i was one myself but even so, techniques, etiquette and advice would be appreciated Qur'an and Sunnah quotes obviously too if anyone can help. So...


. Advice on calling others for a new Muslim


. Suggested books to read or website links


. Techniques and manners


Jazakallahu khayran


Assalamu Alalikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh

Assalamu aleikum,


Brothers and sisters,


I need your help with an issue. I read slightly of Shura, is that something that is used in connection with chosing a leader? Or HOW is a leader chosen according to Qur'an and Sunnah? How is it done in practice?


Wasalam

Assalamu aleikum,


Some subjects to compare.


Monotheism



Jesus said, “The first of all the commandments is: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.”1 This references: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.” Jesus went on to say, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. This is the first commandment.” (Deuteronomy 6:4)


There are numerous Biblical passages in which Jesus made a clear distinction between God and himself:


“Now behold, one came and said to him, ‘Good teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?’ So he said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but One, that is God.’” (Matthew 19:16-17)


If Jesus had been God, it would have been fitting for him to attribute goodness to himself. In fact, it would have been a concealment of the truth to deny it:


“…my Father is greater than I. (John 14:8)


How does this square with the Creed of Nicea, the first authoritative declaration of Trinity? “We distinguish among the persons, but we do not divide the substance. For the Father is a distinct person; the Son is a distinct person; and the Holy Spirit is a distinct person. Still the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit have one divinity, equal glory and co-eternal majesty.”


Jesus distinguished between his own limited knowledge and God’s perfect knowledge:


“But of that day and that hour knoweth no man; no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” (Mark 13:32)


“No man has seen God at any time.” (John 1:18)


But many people saw Jesus.


The New Testament refers to Jesus as God’s servant:


“Behold my servant, whom I have chosen.” (John 1:18)


“The God of Abraham and of Isaac…hath glorified his servant Jesus.” (Acts 3:13)


Jesus stressed that no one deserves worship except the one true God:


“It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’” (Luke 4:8)


Prayer



Among the acts of worship that Jesus devoted to God alone was his prayer,


“And he [Jesus] said to his disciples, ‘Sit you here while I pray.’” (Mark 14:32)


“And it came to pass in those days that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” (Luke 6:12)


The question arises: Who was he praying to? Was it to himself or to One who was greater than him, One whose will would come to pass, whereas what Jesus wanted might or might not come to pass?


“And he went a little further and fell on his face and prayed, saying, ‘O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will but as thou wilt.’” (Matthew 26:39)


Note that he fell on his face to pray. Prostration, i.e., putting one’s face on the ground is one of the four main postures of prayer in Islam. If Christians were following Jesus, one would expect them to pray like him.


Prostration in prayer was not unique to Jesus. It was a feature of worship among the prophets of the Old Testament as well.


“When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.’ Then Abram fell on his face.” (Genesis 17:1-3)


“And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting; and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. And fire came forth from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat upon the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted, and fell on their faces.” (Leviticus 9:23-24)


“Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping the LORD.” (2 Chronicles 20:18)


Jesus would have also performed ablution before prayer as Moses did:


“And he set the laver between the tent of the meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing, with which Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet…as the Lord commanded Moses.” (Exodus 40:30-31)


Muslims are commanded to wash their faces, forearms and feet and to wipe their heads before prayer.


''O ye who believe! when ye prepare for prayer, wash your faces, and your hands (and arms) to the elbows; Rub your heads (with water); and (wash) your feet to the ankles. If ye are in a state of ceremonial impurity, bathe your whole body. But if ye are ill, or on a journey, or one of you cometh from offices of nature, or ye have been in contact with women, and ye find no water, then take for yourselves clean sand or earth, and rub therewith your faces and hands, Allah doth not wish to place you in a difficulty, but to make you clean, and to complete his favour to you, that ye may be grateful.''
The Qur'an 5:6


Women’s Dress



Have you ever seen a painting of Mary, Jesus’ mother? How was she dressed? Did she have on a mini-skirt or a halter top or a long dress? Was her hair permed or was she wearing a scarf over her hair? Was she wearing makeup or was her face free of cosmetics? In fact the original dress code for Christian and Jewish women was very close to what religiously observant Muslim women wear today.


“And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she alighted from the camel, and said to the servant, ‘Who is the man yonder, walking in the field to meet us?’ The servant said, ‘It is my master.’ So she took her veil and covered herself.” (Genesis 24:64-65)


According to Rabbi Dr. Menachem M. Brayer (Professor of Biblical Literature at Yeshiva University), it was customary for Jewish women of the Biblical era to go out in public with a head-covering, which sometimes even covered the whole face, leaving only one eye free.


Following the Law



Jesus was an observant Jew. When the man came to ask him how to attain eternal life, he answered him:


“If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which?” And Jesus said, “You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. Honor your father and mother, and: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 19:17-19)


These commandments were from the ten commandments revealed to Moses. Jesus delivered a sermon in which he said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:18-20)


Yet Paul said, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law.” (Galatians 3:13)


And he said, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” (Romans 3:28)


Jesus was circumcised, in accordance with God’s covenant with Abraham:


“He that is eight days old among you shall be circumcised; every male throughout your generations.” (Genesis 17:12)


“And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus.” (Luke 2:21)


Paul on the other hand stated:


“Real circumcision is a matter of the heart, spiritual and not literal.” (Romans 2:29)


“Now I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.” (Galatians 5:2)


Muslims, on the other hand, observe this practice of all the prophets of God.


Jesus abstained from pork:


“And the swine, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed, is unclean to you. Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch; they are unclean to you.” (Leviticus 11:7-8)


Paul, on the other hand, said:


“I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.” (Romans 14:14)


“If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience.” (1 Chorintians 10:27)


I have done my best to put the verse numbers in right order.


Source,


http://www.viewislam.com/belief/jesus2.htm

On this site we shall examine Freemasonry, the main architect of the world system based on materialist philosophy, but which keeps that true identity concealed. Furthermore, the real philosophy of Freemasonry will be revealed. The anti-religious materialist philosophy that Masons seek to conceal by means of such positive concepts as "human love" and "the path of reason and


science" will be unveiled and its true origins concentrated upon.


http://www.globalfreemasonry.com/

Bismillah

as salam alykom brothers and sister

As it is the goal of this board to teach and help learn Islam by learning Quran and Sunnah, so I thought to start this thread in an effort to encourage my brothers and sisters to fill in the thread, we can actually create excellent educational material here.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Praise be to Allah and prayer and peace be upon His messenger Mohamed Ibn Abdullah

We as Muslims certainly highly regard Quran as a divine book from Allah, we are fully aware that reciting Quran is a worship that is highly rewarding that the Messenger salla Allah a`lyhee wa sallam said what means when one reads Quran one receives 10 hasant for one letter and he added I don’t mean alef lam meem as a letter but rather alef is a letter, lam is a letter and meem is a letter. So just imagine the mountains of hasant one may obtain by reciting the Quran.

However, did Allah only revealed the Quran for us to recite? Or take as a manual of life?

Let us examine few Ayahs here and then make the judgement afterwards.

How are u supposed to behave in a situation when someone hurts u in any possible form, be it physical, verbal or even moral? Are u supposed to fight back? Answer back? Hit the one who hits u back or may be even kill the person just to distinguish your anger. No look what Allah Is Commanding us to do:

“who restrain anger, and pardon (all) men; for God loves those who do good;” (Quran 2:134)

“who restrain anger, This is stage 1 is to just restrain your anger. Not answer back no matter what the form of harm might have been

Then comes an even harder attitude which is

and pardon (all) men; because u might restrain your anger but still hold the person responsible which certainly shall keep your right over the person shoulder till the Day After. U all know of course that Allah Forgives His rights but not those of the servants towards each other.

Then comes the final stage which is very hard to attain but is worth it which is

for God loves those who do good;” (Quran 2:134)

But let me shed some light here, I feel it is a duty since I am Alhamdulelah native arabic speaker. The sentence Allah Loves those who are muhseneen the word muhseneen means literally those who do good to others. From this we derive that after one restains the anger, one may pardon and then if the aggressor comes and asks for help for example one might if he/she can fulfil the need of the person, make dua for him/her in absence, tries to solve a problem he/she is suffering. Of course this is hard for human beings but the reward is immense.

From this we derive how Allah Wants the Islamic community to be. It is not a community where hatred, picking others faults and more is no but rather a community where u set an example for other how to behave or else we will turn into a jungle.

On the same theme Allah Explains more the reward and tells us He understands that this is difficult but yet Encourages us to strive to adopt such attitude:

“Nor can Goodness and Evil be equal. Repel (Evil) with what is better: then will he between whom and thee was hatred become as it were thy friend and intimate! * And no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self restraint, none but persons of the greatest good fortune.” (Quran 41: 34-35)

But Allah Is certainly the All Wisdom, He will not ask us to restrain anger, pardon help those who hurt us without basically setting the comprehensive rule. What Did Allah Say to help us all follow this:

“Say to my servants that they should (only) say those things that are best: for Satan doth sow dissensions among them: for Satan is to man an avowed enemy.” (Quran 17:53)

We have an important rule here, while we are talking with each other we must choose our words, we must not be aggressive, challenging, or offensive. We must try our best to say kind, good words, create an amicable atmosphere while talking in order to seal all gates in the face of shaytan.

Another option Allah Is Giving us here in the same regard is:

“And the servants of (God) Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say, Peace!;” (Quran 25:63)

At last let us look at this Ayah:

“Is there any Reward for Good other than Good?” (Quran 55:60)

Reviewing the number of noble Ayahs’ we quoted above we can sum up the attitude a Muslim must adopt in his/her daily life. We really must take Quran as a manual of our life.

In case u buy a new equipment, usually we look first into the manual before making the connections, settings, wiring otherwise we might miss set the machine and thus destroy it. Likewise our bodies and souls when we don’t adopt Quran as a manual, we suffer much as we will see Insh a Allah in the coming posts.

Assalamu aleikum,


''Etiquettes of Reading and Handling the Qur'an al-Kareem''


http://www.quran.org.uk/ieb_quran_etiquette.htm


Wasalam

A Matter of Pride


<i>Shariffa Carlo</i>


A group of ladies walk into a mosque. They are all beautiful physical examples of Muslim women. They are fully covered, some even in face veils with gloves with Jilbabs, Khymars and even abiyas over. They are the perfect picture of Islam. They make beautiful salat, and even more beautiful recitation. As they are about to leave, one of them looks to a sister who is praying in the masjid and thinks, "So and so should not call herself Muslim, for she does not even wear hijab, except when she comes to masjid."


This woman has harmed herself. Islam is certainly the physical - outward appearance. It is a very valid and significant part of the deen, but it is also the heart and the behavior and the soul. This woman may not have backbitten the woman who was not a muhajibah, because she did not actually say anything, but she has done something much more dangerous, much worse.


Arrogance and pride have affected her. She has allowed the practices that she does, for Allah's sake, to make her feel she is superior or even safe. No one has a guarantee. We do our best to please Allah, but we all have to rely on Allah's Mercy. Also, we can not judge who is going to be saved from the fire. We do not know what Allah will do, so to look down on one who does not practice as we do is arrogance, and we must avoid it.


Our Prophet Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) observed:


He who has in his heart the weight of a mustard seed of pride shall not enter Paradise.


<b>A person (amongst his hearers) said: Verily a person loves that his dress should be fine, and his shoes should be fine. He (the Prophet) remarked: Verily, Allah is Graceful and He loves Grace. Pride is disdaining the truth (out of self-conceit) and contempt for the people. </b>
[sahih Muslim; 1: #164].


Some of our beloved Prophet's companions (radiAllahu anhum) used to fear so much that they were not doing enough that they would sometimes faint from fear of Allah, while they were spending the nights praying and the days fasting and devoting their lives to Allah. Who are we to think we have a guarantee?


In the previous hadith, Rasul-Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) is clearly warning us that we have no right to look down on one another. No matter what. Even if the person is a sinner, we have no right. Look to the example of the adulterous man being punished. The man had confessed and been stoned to death.


"...Then the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) heard one of his companions saying to another: Look at this man whose fault was concealed by Allah but who would not leave the matter alone, so that he was stoned like a dog. He said nothing to them but walked on for a time till he came to the corpse of an ass with its legs in the air.


He asked: <b>Where are so and so? They said: Here we are, Apostle of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam)! He said: Go down and eat some of this ass's corpse. They replied: Apostle of Allah! Who can eat any of this? He said: </b>


The dishonor you have just shown to your brother is more serious than eating some of it. By Him in Whose hand my soul is, he is now among the rivers of Paradise and plunging into them. Sunan Abu Dawud; 38; # 4414].


Look to this example. The man had committed a major sin. He had confessed to the sin. Yet, his repentance for that sin was sincere. We must not judge others because they sin, for that is for Allah Only. We can give out the punishments that Allah has mandated, and then leave it to Allah to forgive them or not. We can not decide. We are not privy to what is in the heart. We can talk to the one who is not doing something Islam mandates, like hijab or beard or avoiding music or whatever, but we can not even try to believe that we are better than they are. For we do not know their circumstances or what is in their hearts or even their fates. That is for Allah.


Look to the example of the prostitute. If we had seen her in the street, what would we have thought of her? Yet she was granted Paradise for a small deed she did.


Abu Hurairah (radiAllahu anhu) narrated: Allah's Apostle said,


<b>"A prostitute was forgiven by Allah, because, passing by a panting dog near a well and seeing that the dog was about to die of thirst, she took off her shoe, and tying it with her head-cover she drew out some water for it. So, Allah forgave he because of that."</b>


[sahih al-Bukhari; 4: 54 #538].


We can not be happy with her sins, but we must teach her, maybe punish her, but we should not abuse her, nor should we be certain that we are so much better than her. Furthermore, we should take the time to befriend those who we see committing sins, if we can. The person may simply be ignorant of the correct Islamic practices. We should try to teach them and maybe gain something ourselves from this effort. It may be that this person has something to offer you in the way of goodness.


Let me add, I am constantly shocked by stories of Muslims looking down on others because of factors like race and national origin or because they are poor or even because they are rich.


I have seen some Arab women looking down on the convert Americans because, perhaps, they were not virgins before accepting Islam. Yet, many of these same women are stronger in their faith after accepting Islam than the women who look down upon them. I have seen some Pakistani's look down to a Muslim because he is black. Yet this black man is more Allah-fearing than those looking down on him.