Knowledge > Hadîth

Explanation of Riyaad-us-Saaliheen

by Shaykh Salîm al-Hilâlî

Translated by Abu Rumaysah

Sincerity and the prescence of intentions for all actions, both apparent and hidden

Allah, the Exalted, says,

"And they were only commanded that they should worship Allaah [Alone], making the religion sincerely for Him, inclining to the truth, [that they] establish the prayer and give the zakaah. That is the upright religion." [Al-Bayyinah (98):5]

"It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allaah, but it is piety from you that reaches Him." [Al-Hajj (22):37]

"Say: Whether you hide what is in your breasts or reveal it, Allaah knows it." [Aali Imraan (3):29]

Commentary

Al-Ikhlaas, or sincerity, is that one desire the Face of Allaah only when he does an action and this is one of the four conditions that must be met in order for that action to be accepted.

Two of these conditions deal with the validity of that action and they are:

Al-Ikhlaas, or sincerity, and you have come to know what this means.

As-Sawaab, or correctness. This means that the action must be in conformity to the authentic Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam).

The other two conditions deal with perfecting that action and they are:

Al-Akhdh bil Quwwa, or taking grasp of and accepting the action firmly and with determination.

Allaah says,

"Take what We have given you with determination." [Al-Baqarah (2):63,93]

"Take them with determination and order your people to take the best of it." [Al-A`raaf (7):145]

"Take the Book with determination." [Maryam (19):12]

Al-Musaara`ah, or hastening to perform the action.

Allaah, the Exalted says,

"Do not slacken in My remembrance." [Taa Haa (20):42]

The verses encouraging one to hasten to performing good actions are many.

[As for the saying of Allaah],

"And they were only commanded that they should worship Allaah [Alone], making the religion sincerely for Him, inclining to the truth, [that they] establish the prayer and give the zakaah. That is the upright religion." [Al-Bayyinah (98):5]

Allaah informs us that He has ordered his servants to single Him out Alone for worship (tawheed) and that they should not worship anything else alongside Him. That they should steer clear of and be averse to all the invalid religions and come to the religion of Islaam because it is the upright and eminent religion, or the religion of the nation that stands firm upon the truth.

This creed and mannerism is what differentiates the Islaamic nation from all the other disbelieving nations because this is a purpose from amongst the aims of sending Prophets.

[The saying of Allaah],

"It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allaah, but it is piety from you that reaches Him." [Al-Hajj (22):37]

Allaah informs us that he has legislated for you that you sacrifice these animals so that you can remember Him at the point of slaughtering for He is the Provider, Owner of Might and Powerful. Nothing of their meat or blood reach Him for He, the Exalted, feeds and is not fed and He is totally Self-Sufficient.

The people at the time of the pre-Islaamic ignorance (jaahiliyyah) used to place the meat of their sacrifices around their gods and also sprinkle the blood of their sacrifices on them. The Companions of the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, we are more deserving than they of sprinkling the [sacrificial blood] and so Allaah revealed this verse clarifying that he only accepts actions from the pious who desire thereby His Face only. In this lies a warning that actions that are stripped of a righteous intention will not be accepted.

[The saying of Allaah],

"Say: Whether you hide what is in your breasts or reveal it, Allaah knows it." [Aali Imraan (3):29]

The Master, Exalted is He, informs his servants that He knows the secrets, the thoughts and what is displayed outwardly; that nothing whatsoever is hidden from Him. Indeed His Knowledge encompasses them in every circumstance, age and time [just as it encompasses] everything that is in the heavens and the earth and all that is between them. Not even an atoms weight or less escapes Him from any region of the earth, sea or mountains.

This is a warning from Allaah, Mighty and Magnificent, to His servants that they should fear Him and be submissive to Him such that they not undertake what He has prohibited and what Angers Him, for He knows all of their affairs. He is Able to swiftly bring on their punishment, and let those who wait, wait for indeed He may give them respite but He never forgets and neglects, then He takes them to a mighty account!

When the servant comes to know these warnings he makes good his actions and becomes sincere and correct [in his actions].

The Reality of Tawheed

by Imâm Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

Translated by Abu Rumaysah

The Relief of the Heart and Body Lies in the Obedience of Allah

In this lies a great secret from the secrets of Tawheed. This is that the heart cannot become firm, it cannot find satisfaction and it cannot find tranquillity except by reaching out to Him. Everything that is loved and desired besides Him then it must be desired for other than His sake. The One Who is desired, the One Who is beloved in and of Himself, with Whom all matters find their final goal is only one. It is impossible that the final goal be to two destinations just as it is impossible that the beginning of the creation be from two sources.

So the one whose love, desire, will and obedience ends at other than Him then it will be rendered null and void, it will disappear and split off from him no matter how great his need be of it. However the one whose love, desire, will, obedience, awe and reverential fear ends at Him, far removed is He from imperfection, will find himself winning His favours, bliss and rapture, magnificence and splendour, and felicity for eternity.

The servant continuously finds himself altering between the laws of commandments and the laws of decree. Therefore he is perpetually in need of aid to fulfil the commandments and in need of kindness and leniency at the onset of the calamity. It is the extent to which he establishes the obligations that determine how much kindness the servant will receive at the onset of the calamity. Therefore if he completes his obligations both inwardly and outwardly then he will attain kindness and leniency both inwardly and outwardly. If, however, he merely establishes the outward form [of the commandments] without establishing their reality [inwardly] then he will receive an outward kindness and his portion of inward kindness will [greatly] diminish.

So if it is asked: what is this inward kindness?

It is what the heart attains of tranquillity and satisfaction at the onset of the calamity and the removal of unrest, confusion and despair. Therefore the servant surrenders and submits himself before his Lord and Master and he emerges in a state of complete rest and tranquillity - looking on at Him with his heart, and his soul at peace. His witnessing His Kindness has distracted him from the severity of the situation. His knowledge of Allaah's excellent choice and decision for him diverts him from feeling the calamity just as does his knowledge that he is nothing but a mere servant upon whom the decrees of his Master take effect, and he can either be pleased with them or angry with them. So if he is pleased then he will attain Pleasure and if he is displeased then his portion is nothing save Displeasure. Therefore this inward kindness is the fruit of this inward action [of being pleased with the decree of Allaah], it increases with its increase and decreases with its decrease.

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The Rights of the Prophet (peace be upon him)

by Shaykh `Abd al-`Azîz bin Muhammad Al `Abd al-Latîf

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Praise be to Allâh. And may His peace and blessings be upon the Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.

Speaking about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) strengthens people of faith and sets the righteous more firmly on the Straight Path. How could it be any other way? Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the most noble of Adam's descendants and the final Prophet sent to humanity. He is closer to the believers than they are to themselves. Allâh blessed him with the most noble of qualities, many of which were not shared by any other Prophet. He will be the first to cross the Bridge on the day of Resurrection. He will be the first to knock upon the gates of Paradise and the first to enter therein. He will have the place of honor and the banner of praise. He will be the first to intercede and the first whose intercession will be granted.

In these pages, I wish to present a few of the duties that we have towards our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) There should be no doubt that he has many rights over us. We must make sure that these rights are respected and our duties towards the Prophet (peace be upon him) are carried out. A general statement about these rights is given by Sheikh Muhammad b. `Abd al-Wahhâb when he says:

"Our testimony that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allâh means obeying him in what he commands us, believing him in what he tells us, shunning what he has prohibited, and worshipping Allâh only in accordance with the way he has instructed us."

The most important of these rights are as follows:

1. It is the Right of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that We Love him

One of the greatest rights the Prophet (peace be upon him) has over us is that we should love him. This love must be part of what we believe and it must be expressed in our words and our deeds. He should be dearer to us than ourselves and our families. Allâh says:

"Say: If it be that your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your spouses, or your kindred; the wealth that you have gained; the commerce in which you fear a decline: or the dwellings in which you delight - are dearer to you than Allâh, or His Messenger, or the striving in His cause, then wait until Allâh brings about His decision; and Allâh guides not the rebellious sinners." [sûrah al-Tawbah: 24]

Al-Qâdî `Iyâd makes the following observations about this verse:

This is sufficient proof that having love for the Prophet (peace be upon him) is both obligatory and compulsory. It is a very serious matter, especially since Allâh rebukes those who love their wealth and family more than Allâh and his Messenger and threatens them by saying "then wait until Allâh brings about His decision". Then He declares them rebellious sinners and says that they will not be guided.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

"I swear by Him in whose hand is my soul, none of you believes until I become more beloved to him than his parents and children and all humanity."

The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said:

"There are three qualities that if someone possesses one of them, he will experience the sweetness of faith. The first of these is that Allâh and His Messenger are more beloved to him than anything else."

The Companions gave us the best example of how this love is to be expressed. `Umar b. al-Khattâb once said to al`Abbâs, the uncle of the Prophet (peace be upon him):

"It is dearer to me that you accept Islam than that my own father al-Khattâb accepts it, because your acceptance of Islam is dearer to Allâh's Messenger (peace be upon him)."

When `Ali b. Abî Tâlib was asked to describe the love he and his fellow Companions had for Allâh's Messenger (peace be upon him), he said:

"Allâh's Messenger was more beloved to us than our wealth, our children, our fathers, and our mothers. He was dearer to us than cool water is to a man dying of thirst."

The Companion `Amr b. al-`آs said:

"There was no one dearer to me than Allâh's Messenger (peace be upon him). No one in my eyes was nobler than he. I could not look upon him directly because of the extreme respect that I had for him. If I were asked to describe his appearance, I would not be able to do so because I had been unable to look at him directly."

There are certain signs that show just how much a person loves the Prophet (peace be upon him). One of these is that he makes mention of him often, since a person always likes to mention someone he loves. Another is that he has a longing to meet him. Another sign is for a person to have love for those who loved the Prophet (peace be upon him) - namely the Companions - and to harbor enmity and hatred for his enemies and for those who hate him and slander him. It is natural for a person who loves something to love those who share those feelings. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said about his grandchildren al-Hasan and al-Husayn: "O Allâh! I love them, so please love them."

It follows that we must love the Qur'ân that he brought and the guidance found within it. We must emulate the teachings of the Qur'ân in our behavior. `آ'ishah said about her husband the Prophet (peace be upon him): "He was the living expression of the Qur'ân." Our love of the Qur'ân is expressed through our reading it, understanding it, and acting upon it.

2. It is His Right that We Follow His Example

It is our duty to follow his example and emulate his manner of conduct. This is, in fact, another sign of our love for him. Al-Qâdî `Iyâd says:

Know that whoever loves something prefers it and prefers to bring himself into harmony with it. Otherwise, his love is not genuine, only pretended. Someone who truly loves the Prophet (peace be upon him) will show some visible signs of that love. At the forefront of the signs that a person will show is that he will emulate the Prophet (peace be upon him) and to follow his Sunnah. He will follow him in his words and deeds. He will exhibit the same manners as the Prophet (peace be upon him) in both ease and hardship and in matters that please him and those that displease him. The proof for this is that Allâh says: "Say (O Muhammad): If you love Allâh, then follow me. Allâh will love you." [sûrah آl `Imran: 31]

Ibn Rajab has the following to say in this regard:

Genuine love requires emulation. It requires loving what the beloved loves and detesting what the beloved hates. So, whoever harbors genuine love for Allâh and His Messenger in his heart must necessarily love what Allâh and His Messenger love and hate what they hate. He must be pleased with what pleases Allâh and His Messenger and be displeased with what angers them. He must then put these feelings of love and hate into actual practice.

An important aspect of following the Prophet (peace be upon him) is to hold his Sunnah in high regard and to give preference to it over all other opinions and aspirations. Ibn `Abbâs made the following statement to some people who mentioned the opinions of others after hearing what the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said on a given matter:

“I fear that stones from the heavens might descend upon you. I tell you what Allâh's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, and you respond with what Abû Bakr and `Umar said!"

Ahmad b. Hanbal had the following to say:

I am startled by those people who after knowing the authenticity of a statement of the Prophet (peace be upon him) take instead the opinion of Sufyân. They do this, even though Allâh says: "Let those beware who go against the Messenger's command lest a trial afflict them or there befall them a painful chastisement." Do they have any idea what that "trial" is? That trial is polytheism. It is possible that if someone rejects the command of the Prophet (peace be upon him), his heart will become deviated and he will meet with destruction.

It is necessary to adhere firmly to the Sunnah and avoid innovating matters in Allâh's religion. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever introduces into this matter of ours something that is not a part of it will have it rejected."

Ibn Rajab makes the following comments on this hadîth:

“This hadîth directly states that every action that is not explicitly sanctioned by the Lawgiver is rejected. It also implies that every action that is in accordance with His Law is not rejected. The "matter" being referred to in the hadîth is the religion of Allâh. Therefore, the meaning of the hadîth is as follows: Whoever does an act outside of the parameters of Islamic Law and not in strict conformity with it will have it rejected."

3. It is His Right that We Support Him and Honor Him

Ibn Taymiyah mentions that supporting the Prophet (peace be upon him) means that we come to his assistance and his defense. Honoring him means that we feel conviction in our deference to him and that we conduct ourselves with respect to him in a manner that is reverent and never dishonorable.

Ibn Taymiyah also says:

Defamation of the character of Allâh's Messenger (peace be upon him) is a complete denial of Allâh's religion. Such defamation of character negates every semblance of respect and reverence. Therefore, the Message that he came with is equally compromised and the religion is negated. Praising, revering, and honoring the Prophet (peace be upon him) establishes the faith just as the opposite tears it down. Therefore, it is our duty to support the Prophet (peace be upon him) against those who defame his character.

Allâh makes clear the consequence of hating and insulting the Prophet (peace be upon him). He says: "Truly, he who insults you is cut off from future hope." [sûrah al-Kawthar: 3] Ibn Taymiyah says the following about this verse of the Qur'ân:

Allâh deprives of all good the one who insults the Messenger. He will be deprived of his reputation and cut off from his wealth and family. He will be at loss in the Hereafter and he will not benefit from his life anything that could help him in the Eternal Abode. His heart will be cut off from all good. It will not be able to contain any goodness, neither recognizing it nor inclining towards it. It will not have any faith for the Messengers who bring the message of goodness. His works will be devoid of obedience. He will find no helpers. He will be unable to perform righteous deeds and find no pleasure in doing them. Even if he engages in such deeds superficially, he heart will not be in it.

Abû Bakr b. `Ayyâsh says:

When the followers of the Sunnah die, their memory lives on. When the followers of innovations die, their memory dies with them. This is because the followers of the Sunnah kept alive what the Messenger came with. For this, they share in Allâh's promise: "And we exalted your fame." [sûrah al-Inshirâh: 4]

The followers of innovations insult what the Messenger (peace be upon him) brought, so they share in Allâh's threat: "Truly, he who insults you is cut off from future hope." [sûrah al-Kawthar: 3]

People have been punished by Allâh for their hatred of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and for the lies, calumnies, and snide remarks that they have brought forth.

The Companion Anas b. Mâlik narrates the following:

A Christian man accepted Islam. He read the chapters of the Qur'ân entitled "al-Baqarah" and "آl `Imrân" and became a scribe of the Prophet (peace be upon him). He subsequently returned to Christianity and began to say: "Muhammad knew nothing save what I told him." Allâh caused this man to die and his people buried him. The next morning, they saw that the Earth had thrown him out. They said: "This is the doing of Muhammad and his followers." So they dug as deeply as they could and buried him again. The next morning, they found that the Earth had thrown him out again and realized that no people were involved in the matter. Therefore, they cast his body onto the ground.

Ibn Taymiyah mentions the following:

We have what a good number of trustworthy and knowledgeable Muslims have mentioned about their experiences while laying siege to cities and fortifications along the Syrian coast. When the Muslims besieged the area known today as Banû al-Asfar, they had the following to say: "We would besiege a fort or a city for a month or more to no avail. We would almost be at the point of despair. Then, when their inhabitants would slander Allâh's Messenger (peace be upon him) and defame his character, we would know that victory was close. The situation would become very easy for us. It would only be another day or two before we would subdue the area amidst great bloodshed." They said: 'We would feel happy that victory for us was near when we heard them speaking ill of him, though we would be angry in our hearts about what they said about him."

We also have an incident mentioned by al-Nawawî:

We have many reports authenticated by the judicial authorities about a man who lived in the year 66 AH who had an evil opinion of righteous people. He even took a tooth stick and stuck it in his anus to show his disrespect for it and for the Sunnah as a whole. After a period of time, a fish-like organism came out of his anus. He killed it. Soon thereafter the man died. May Allâh save us from his affliction and grant us success in keeping the Sunnah pure and in giving it our full respect.

In our present time, we have the following incident mentioned by Sheikh Ahmad al-Shâkir about a sermon-giver in Egypt:

“He was a very eloquent and able speaker. This sermon-giver wanted to praise one of Egypt's governors for honoring the Taha Hussein (who was blind and also quite deviant), so he said: "The blind man came unto him, but he did not frown and turn away." Sheikh Muhammad Shâkir stood up after prayer and declared to the congregation that their prayers were invalid and had to be repeated because they had been led in prayer by a man who, by insulting Allâh's Messenger, had become an unbeliever. Yet, Allâh did not postpone this man's punishment for the Hereafter and leave his crime unpunished in this world. I saw him with my own eyes a few years later. Now, I remembered him as having been high-handed, proud, and smug in the company of prominent and powerful people. But when I saw him, he was a pitiful wretch, a servant at the door of a mosque in Cairo who would take the shoes of the worshippers from them for safekeeping. He was so pitiful and humiliated that I felt embarrassed to have him see me, since we knew each other from before. I did not feel sorry for him, since he did not deserve my pity, nor was I happy with his plight, for a respectable person never feels joy on the occasion of another's misfortune. However, I took it as an example and a lesson to be learned. I wish to conclude this article by mentioning that we can increase our love for Allâh's Messenger (peace be upon him) and his Sunnah by taking account of ourselves and recognizing our mistakes and shortcomings. When we face our own faults, we will then find the cure for them in the guidance that the Prophet (peace be upon him) brought. For instance, one of us might be lax in performing voluntary acts of worship. It would behoove this person to reflect upon the fact that Allâh's Messenger (peace be upon him) used to stand in prayer so long his feet would become swollen. He worshipped Allâh in this manner despite the fact that all of his past and future sins were already forgiven.

A person who might sometimes be afflicted with cowardice should recall that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was the bravest of men. `Alî said: "When our courage failed us, we would take our resolve from Allâh's Messenger (peace be upon him)."

If one of us becomes overly enamored of worldly gain, he should consider that Allâh's Messenger (peace be upon him) was among the most ascetic of people. `آ'ishah relates to us: "Allâh's Messenger (peace be upon him) never satiated his hunger for three days in a row - even on bread - up to the time of his death."

If one of us is prone to ill-treating others, he should recall the words of Anas: I was the servant of Allâh's Messenger (peace be upon him) for ten years. He never once said to me a harsh word. No matter what I did, he never said: "Now why did you do that?" No matter what I failed to do, he never said: "Now, why didn't you do that?"

Allâh says: "It is from Allâh's mercy that you are gentle with them. Had you been severe or harsh-hearted, they would have dispersed from about you." [sûrah آl `Imrân: 159]

If one of us becomes too self-centered and worries only about himself, he should remember the following words of the Prophet (peace be upon him): "None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself."

Jarîr relates an incident that shows us just how loyal, merciful, and compassionate the Prophet (peace be upon him) was to the believers. He says:

“We were with Allâh's Messenger (peace be upon him) at the early hours of the morning when a group of people came to him. They were barefoot and destitute and carrying their swords. Most of them - nay, all of them - were from Mudar. The expression of Allâh's Messenger (peace be upon him) changed when he saw the extent of their poverty. He went inside and came out again and ordered Bilâl to make the call to prayer. Then he stood and led us in prayer. Then he addressed us, saying: "O humanity! Reverence your Lord, who created you from a single person, then created from it its mate, and from them both spread abroad a multitude of men and women. Reverence Allâh, through whom - and through your ties of kinship - you demand your mutual rights. For Allâh ever watches over you." [sûrah al-Nisâ': 1]

Then he recited: "O you who believe! Observe your duty to Allâh. And let every soul look to that which it sends forth for tomorrow." [sûrah al-Hashr: 18]

The people began to vie with one another in giving charity. Some gave from their gold and silver coins, others from their clothing, others a quantity of grain or dates. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Give… even if only a half of a date."

Then a person from among the Ansâr came with a money bag which his hands could scarcely lift. Nay, he could not lift it at all. Then the people followed continuously, until I saw two great heaps form, one of food and the other of clothing. I saw the face of the Messenger (peace be upon him) shine like gold.

Then Allâh's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: "He who sets a good precedent in Islam will receive his reward and the reward of that also who acted according to his example without their reward being reduced in the least."

I ask Allâh to bless us to follow most perfectly the example of our Prophet (peace be upon him) and to gather us in his company on the Day of Resurrection. Allâh is the giver of success.

Praise be to Allâh. And may His peace and blessings be upon the Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.

SATAN'S MEETING:

(Read even if you're busy)

Satan called a worldwide convention of demons.

In his opening address he said,

"We can't keep Muslims from going to Mosque."

"We can't keep them from reading their Quran and knowing the truth."

"We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with

their Allah (s.w.t) and his messenger Muhammad (p.b.u.h)."

"Once they gain that connection with Allah (s.w.t), our power over them is broken."

"So let them go to their Mosques; let them have their covered dish

dinners, BUT steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a

relationship with Allah and his messenger Muhammad (p.b.u.h)."

"This is what I want you to do," said the devil:

"Distract them from gaining hold of their Allah (s.w.t) and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!"

"How shall we do this?" his demons shouted.

"Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable

schemes to occupy their minds," he answered.

"Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow."

"Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to

work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their

empty lifestyles."

"Keep them from spending time with their children."

"As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape

from the pressures of work!"

"Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still,

small voice."

"Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they

drive."

"To keep the TV, VCR, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their

home and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world

plays music constantly."

"This will jam their minds and break that union with Allah (s.w.t) and his messenger Muhammad (p.b.u.h)."

"Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers."

"Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day."

"Invade their driving moments with billboards."

"Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs,

sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering

free products, services and false hopes."

"Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so their

husbands will believe that outward beauty is what's important, and

they'll become dissatisfied with their wives."

"Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night."

Give them headaches too!

"If they don't give their husbands the love they need, they will

begin to look elsewhere."

"That will fragment their families quickly!"

"Give them story books to distract them from teaching their children

the real meaning of Salat."

"Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on Allah's

creation.

Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and

movies instead. "Keep them busy, busy, busy!"

"And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip

and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences."

"Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to

seek power from Allah (s.w.t)."

"Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their

health and family for the good of the cause."

"It will work!" "It will work!"

It was quite a plan!

The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Muslims

everywhere to get busier and more rushed, going here and there.

Having little time for their Allah(s.w.t), or their families.

Having no time to tell others about the power of Allah(s.w.t) and his

messenger Muhammad(p.b.u.h) to change lives.

I guess the question is, has the devil been successful in his

schemes?

You be the judge!!!!!

Does "BUSY" mean:

B-eing

U-nder

S-atan's

Y-oke?

Alhamdulillah.....Allah Subhaanahu wa Taalaa guided me to Islaam. Wallahi, how blessed am I that Allah Subhaanahu wa Taalaa chose to lead me into the light.

I think a TV christian evangelist summed up our difference in attitude towards God very well when he repeatedly hollered from his pulpit.....

[b:735a9f976f]"Our God loves us so much HE DIED FOR US!!! Whereas their God is so evil (Allah) He expects THEM to DIE for HIM!!!!" [/b:735a9f976f]

.....much clapping and applause.....

[b:735a9f976f]"and I'll say it again!....Our God loves us so much HE DIED FOR US!!! Whereas their God is so evil (Allah) He expects THEM to DIE for HIM!!!!"[/b:735a9f976f]

.....much clapping and applause and stamping of feet and whistling.....

[b:735a9f976f]"and I'll say it again!....Our God loves us so much HE DIED FOR US!!! Whereas their God is so evil (Allah) He expects THEM to DIE for HIM!!!!" [/b:735a9f976f]

Alhamdulillah, Allah Subhaanahu wa Taalaa guided me to Islaam. Looking back on what that preacher is hollering to his audience....and how they were lapping it up.....

La howla wa la quwwata illah billah...

Considering our relative positions Creator and created.....my dear christians.....please reconsider before its too late.

Say: "O people of the Book! Let us get together on what is common between us and you: that we shall worship none but Allah; that we shall not associate any partners with Him; that we shall not take from among ourselves any lords beside Allah." If they reject your invitation then tell them: "Bear witness that we are Muslims (who have surrendered to Allah)." 3.64

<span>[b:2d25e7bf82]Where is Allaah? [/b:2d25e7bf82][/size:2d25e7bf82][/color:2d25e7bf82]</span>

<span><span>[u:2d25e7bf82][b:2d25e7bf82]Ibn Abdul Barr on the Meaning of Istiwaa </span></span>

<span><span>Translation by Abu Rumaysah [/b:2d25e7bf82][/u:2d25e7bf82][/color:2d25e7bf82]</span></span>

<span><span>The 'Bukhaari of the west', the Imaam, the haafidh, ibn Abdul Barr (d.423), the Imaam of the Sunnah of his time said in his work at-Tamheed under the commentary of the 8th hadeeth: </span></span>

<span><span>"From Abu Hurayra that the Prophet (SAW) said, [b:2d25e7bf82]'Our Lord descends every night to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains and says: "who is there calling upon Me that I may answer? Who is there</span></span>

<span><span>asking of Me that I may give him?"' [/b:2d25e7bf82]</span></span>

<span><span>"This hadeeth is established from the point of view of transmission having an authentic isnaad, the Ahlul Hadeeth do not differ as to it's authenticity......and in this is an evidence that Allaah is over (fee) the heaven, over (alaa) Throne, above (fawqa) the seven heavens, as is said by the Jama'ah, and this is their proof against the Mu'tazila and the Jahmiyyah in their saying that Allaah is in every place, not over the Throne. And the evidence for what the People of truth say on that is His saying: </span></span>

<span><span>[b:2d25e7bf82]'The Most Merciful rose over the Throne'[/b:2d25e7bf82](20:5) </span></span>

<span><span>[b:2d25e7bf82]'the He rose over the Throne...' [/b:2d25e7bf82](32:4) </span></span>

<span><span>[b:2d25e7bf82]'Then He rose over the heaven when it was smoke' [/b:2d25e7bf82](41:11) </span></span>

<span><span>[b:2d25e7bf82]'Then they would surely have sought out a way to (ilaa) the Lord of the Throne' [/b:2d25e7bf82](17:42) </span></span>

<span><span>[b:2d25e7bf82]'To Him ascend all goodly words...[/b:2d25e7bf82]'(35:10) </span></span>

<span><span>[b:2d25e7bf82]'So when His Lord appeared to the mountain, He made it to collapse to dust' [/b:2d25e7bf82](7:143) </span></span>

<span><span>[b:2d25e7bf82]'Do you feel secure that he who is over (fee) the heaven will not cause the earth to sink on you?[/b:2d25e7bf82]' (67:16) </span></span>

<span><span>[b:2d25e7bf82]'Glorify the name of your Lord Most High' [/b:2d25e7bf82](87:1) </span></span>

<span><span>And this is from al-Uluww and likewise his saying: </span></span>

<span><span>[b:2d25e7bf82]'The Most High, the Most Great' [/b:2d25e7bf82](2:255) </span></span>

<span><span>[b:2d25e7bf82]'The Most Great, The Most High' [/b:2d25e7bf82](13:9) </span></span>

<span><span>[b:2d25e7bf82]'Owner of High ranks, owner of the Throne.[/b:2d25e7bf82]' (40:15) </span></span>

<span><span>[b:2d25e7bf82]'They fear their Lord from above them' [/b:2d25e7bf82](16:50) </span></span>

<span><span>[b:2d25e7bf82]And the Jahmi says he is lower (then them) 'He arranges every affair from the heavens to the earth, then it (affair)</span></span>

<span><span>will go up to him[/b:2d25e7bf82].' (32:5) </span></span>

<span><span>[b:2d25e7bf82]'O Jesus! I will take you and raise you to Myself' [/b:2d25e7bf82](3:55) </span></span>

<span><span>[b:2d25e7bf82]'Rather, Allaah raised him to Himself.' [/b:2d25e7bf82](4:158) </span></span>

<span><span>'From Allaah, the Lord of the ways of ascent. The Angels and the Spirit ascend to Him.' (70:2-3) </span></span>

<span><span>As for His saying, 'do you feel secure that he who is "fee" the heaven', then the meaning is 'who is over ('alaa) the Heaven' i.e. over the Throne. And the word fee is being used with the meaning 'alaa. Do you not see His saying, 'so travel freely fee the land' (9:2) meaning 'upon ('alaa) the land', and His saying, 'and I will surely crucify you on (fee) the trunks of the palm trees' (20:71) and all of this (i.e.interpretation of fee) is supported by His saying, 'the angels and the spirit ascend to Him' </span></span>

<span><span>And what we have recited and the like of it from the verses to do with this topic are clear in their denial of the saying of the Mu'tazila (i.e. Allaah is everywhere). And as for their taking istawaa metaphorically, and in ta'wil to mean istawlaa (conquering) then this is not a meaning of it because it is not clear (ghayru dhaahir) in the language. And the</span></span>

<span><span>meaning of istawlaa in the language is conquering/overcoming, and Allaah</span></span>

<span><span>the Exalted does not (need to) overcome or overwhelm anyone. And He is the One, the Eternal. </span></span>

<span><span>And from the right of the Words (of Allaah ) is that they be taken upon their literal meanings ('alaa haqeeqatihi), until the ummah is agreed that what is meant is the metaphorical meaning, when there is no way to follow what is revealed to us from our Lord except in that way. And the speech of Allaah is directed towards it's most famous and obvious</span></span>

<span><span>meanings if that (i.e taking it upon its most famous meanings) is not stopped by something we have to submit to. And if all the claims of metaphors were allowed for every claimant then nothing would be established from the actions of worship. And it befits Allaah that he</span></span>

<span><span>speaks only with that which the Arab understands according to the constraints of the speech (ie everyday language) from what is the correctly understood by the listener. And istawaa is known in the language and understood to be: Highness (uluww) and rising above</span></span>

<span><span>something and establishing (at-tamkinu) and settling in it (istiqraar feehee). </span></span>

<span><span>Abu Ubaid said about His saying, 'the Most Merciful Istawaa upon the Throne' - 'Above ('alaa)...' </span></span>

<span><span>And others said, Istawaa meaning istaqarra (settling) and they seek support in His saying, 'and when he attained his full strength and was perfect (istawaa)' (28:14) i.e. completed his youth and grew settled and there was not any increase in his youth. </span></span>

<span><span>Ibn Abdul Barr said, and istawaa is istiqraar in highness (uluww) [i.e. He has settled in being high], and this is what Allaah informs us, 'In order that you may mount firmly (tastu) on their backs, and then may remember the favours of your Lord when you mount (istawaytum) thereon...'</span></span>

<span><span>(43:13), and Allaah said, 'and it rested (wastawat) on Mount Judi' (11:44), and He the Exalted said, 'so when you embark (istawayta) and those with you on the ship' (23:28). [i.e. all the examples show istiwaa to mean coming to rest in an elevated position] </span></span>

<span><span>....and as for their using as proof the narration of Ibn Abbaas about the saying of Allaah, 'The Most Merciful istawaa upon the Throne' -'He conquered/overcame (istawlaa) all His opponents and He is everywhere.' </span></span>

<span><span>Then the answer is that this hadeeth is munkar to Ibn Abbaas (RA) and is transmitted by unknown and weak narrators ....(takhreej ommitted).... and they (i.e Mu'tazila who narrated this hadeeth) do not accept the individually narrated tradition so how can they permit depending upon the likes of this hadeeth, if they had sense and were just? As for what they hear Allaah say, 'And Pharoah said, "O Haman! Build me a tower that I may arrive at the ways - the ways of the heavens, and I may look upon the God</span></span>

<span><span>of Moses but verily I think him to be a liar."' (40:36-37) then thislends evidence to the fact that Moses (AS) used to say that verily my God is above the Heaven and Pharoah thought he was a liar. </span></span>

<span><span>And also from the proofs that Allaah is over the Throne , above the seven heavens is that the Believers in Tawheed (muwahhideen), all of them, arabs and non-arabs, when a matter concerns them, or a difficulty befalls them, they raise their faces to the heaven, and direct their raised hands</span></span>

<span><span>to the heaven, seeking succour from Allaah, their Lord. And this is common amongst the general masses as well as the elite (khaasa)....And the Prophet (SAW) said to the slave girl whose master wished to free her if she was a believer, so the Messenger (SAW) tested her asking her, 'where is Allaah?' So she pointed to the heaven. Then he asked, 'who am I?' So she said, 'you are the Messenger of Allaah'. So he said, 'set her free for she is a believer.' So it sufficed the Messenger of Allaah (SAW) from her, her raising her face to the heaven and was content with that, not requiring anything else. </span></span>

<span><span>And as for their seeking support in the saying of Allaah, 'their is no secret discourse of three except that he is the fourth' then this is not a proof for them according to the literal sense of this verse. Because the scholars from the companions and taabi'een from whom the explanation of the Qur'aan is taken from, said in explanation of this verse: He is over the Throne, and His Knowledge is in every place, and no one from amongst them, whose saying is depended on, differed on this. Ad-Dahhaak said about His saying, 'their is no secret discourse of three except that He is the fourth...' - 'He is over His Throne, and His Knowledge is with them, wheresoever they may be.' And it has reached me that Sufyaan ath-Thauri said something similar. Ibn Mas'ud (RA) said, 'Allaah is over the Throne, and nothing is hidden from Him of your actions'" (Tahdheeb 7:103-105) </span></span>

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

وهن العزيمة

الحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله وعلى آله وصحبه ومن والاه وبعد.

فإنه من الأهمية بمكان أن نقف وقفات تربوية على بعض الظواهر السيئة، التي تعتبر مثبطة للفرد المجاهد، تؤثر كثيراً على مردود العمل الإسلامي داخل الجماعة المجاهدة، وتسبب في خلق متاعب كثيرة تصل إلى حد إيقاف العمل نفسه أو إحباطه، مما ينتج عنه انسحاب الجماعة وغيابها من الساحة وترك المجال خصباً ومناسباً للعدو لكي يعيث فيها الفساد دون أية مقاومة. فيتحقق هدف الشيطان من إبعاد الداعية عن مزاولة عمله ومواصلة دربه بالنشاط المعهود.

ويبرز وهن العزيمة كأحد أهم هذه الظواهر/المثبطات، التي سنحاول من خلال هذا المقال، إبراز مظاهرها الأساسية وبعض الأسباب التي تؤدي إلى انتشارها، ثم نختم حديثنا بإيراد بعض وسائل العلاج أو الوقاية من هذا الوباء الخطير.

من العيوب الفردية في الحياة الاجتماعية، "وهن العزيمة" وهو عيب فتاك للغاية، وحقيقته أن الانسان يستمع لدعوة الحركة ويلبيها بصدق وتجرد، ويبدي لها في البداية القدر الكبير من الحماس والطاعة والانقياد، إلا أنه مع مرور الأيام يأخذ حماسه في نقص وتضعضع حتى يصل إلى درجة لا يبقى لـه أي اهتمام بالهدف الذي جاء لخدمته وتحقيقه، ولا يبقى لـه أي علاقة فعلية بالجماعة التي انضم إليها بدافع القلب والشعور أول مرة. وإن كان ذهنه ما زال متعلقاً بالجماعة وعلى جانب من الاطمئنان والقناعة بالدلائل التي بموجبها اقتنع بالانضمام إلى هذه الجماعة والتضحية في سبيل نصرة الحق. ولا يزال لسانه يلهج بالخير تجاه جماعته والنعمة التي جاءت له عن طريقها، بل ويعترف لها بالجميل ويدافع عنها في ظهر الغيب.. ولكنه مع كل هذا تجد جذوة الحماس قد انطفأت في قلبه أو كادت، وتراخت قواه العملية، علماً أنه لا مكان لسوء النية في هذا الأمر، فالنية لا زالت سليمة، وكذلك المبدأ والاقتناع بضرورة التحرك في هذا المسار، ولم يصل بعد إلى مستوى الانفصال عن الجماعة، فكل ما في الأمر هو "وهن العزيمة".

فأول بوادر هذا المرض هو التملص من النشاط، حيث يبدأ الفرد المصاب يتهرب من تحمل المسؤوليات، ويمتنع عن بذل الأوقات والجهود والأموال في سبيل الغاية، ويؤثر الدنيا على ذلك الأمر الذي كان قد اتخذه هدفاً وغاية أساسياً في حياته، فيصير ارتباطه وعلاقته بالجماعة مجرد علاقة تنظيمية إدارية أو انتماء صوري، لا يهمه ماذا ينفعها وماذا يضرها، ولا يهتم بشؤون جماعته، ولا ما يرتقي بها نحو الأفضل.

إن هذه الحالة يتدرج فيها المرء كما يتدرج الشاب إلى المشيب، وهو إن لم يتفطن لهذا أو ينبهه عليها غيره، لن يشعر بها، وسرعان ما يباغته الموت وهو على هذه الحالة من اللامبالاة والغفلة.

ومن خصائص الحياة الجماعية أنه إذا لم يحسب لهذا المرض الفتاك حسابه في أول الأمر، ولم تبذل العناية الواجبة في منع نموه فإن عدواه تأخذ طريقها إلى كل شخص بدأت تظهر فيه أسبابه.

ومن أسباب تفشي هذا الوباء هو تواجد بعض الاخوة في الجماعة بدون عمل بحيث يصبحون مجرد مستهلكين للكلام، فإن هذا من شأنه أن يدفع الآخر إلى التوقف عن العمل، "اقتداء" بهؤلاء القاعدين. ولكن هذا خطأ كبير، وخلل في الفهم والمنهج خطير، إذ كيف يقارن نفسه مع الضعفاء وينسى أن يضع نصب عينيه من فاته في العطاء والتضحية، فالفرد في الجماعة الإسلامية لا ينبغي أن يكون محركه الأول هو إرضاء الأشخاص، بل عليه أن يرضي الله وحده، ويقدم ما يقدمه من عمل وجهد في سبيل نصرة الحق، سواء عمل الناس أم لم يعملوا، تقدموا أم أحجموا، بذلوا أم بخلوا، أعطوا أم منعوا، حسبه في ذلك أن يرضي ربه ويواصل الطريق ولو كان وحده.

ومن ثم لا ينبغي أن يؤثر فيك تراجع الآخرين أو قعودهم، وحسبك أن العمل هو الحق وأن القعود هو الباطل، والجماعة هي أولاً ارتباط بالحق قبل أن تكون ارتباطا بالأشخاص، وهذا يكفي ليدفعك إلى المزيد من العطاء ومواصلة الطريق وإن كان موحشاً بل حتى وإن كان خالياً من الأنصار.

ومن الأسباب التي تساعد على انتشار هذا الوباء، علو الباطل وأهله، وإحجام الحق وأهله، وهي صورة منتشرة وغالبة منذ زمن ليس بالقصير، اعتاد عليها المسلمون حتى أصبحت هي الحالة الطبيعية لديهم، ما أدى إلى انتشار نوع من العجز والرضا بهذا الواقع، والاعتماد على المعجزات وانتظار علامات الساعة لتغيير الأوضاع بدلاً من البحث عن أسباب الضعف وتحصيل الوسائل اللازمة للتغيير، بعد الاعتماد على الله تعالى، وفق السنن الإلهية الثابتة. كما أن كثرة جنود الباطل وانتشار أنصارهم وحلفائهم في كل مكان، وإجماعهم على إبادة أهل الحق، من شأنه أن يقذف الوهن في قلوب المؤمنين وأنصارهم، ولكن حينما نتذكر قول الله تعالى {وَلَنْ تُغْنِيَ عَنْكُمْ فِئَتُكُمْ شَيْئاً وَلَوْ كَثُرَتْ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ} (الأنفال:19) ونؤمن بوعد الله بالنصر لعباده، فإنه سرعان ما ينجلي هذا الوهن ويحل محله الاستعلاء والثقة بالله تعالى.

إن انتفاش الباطل وأهله لا يعدو أن يكون مرحلة من عمر هذه المعركة الأبدية بينه وبين الحق وأهله ، وهو من شأنه أن يشحذ هممنا ويقوي عزائمنا من أجل المزيد من العمل والمثابرة والصمود لتغيير معادلة الصراع القائم بيننا وبينه، ولمحاولة ترجيح كفة الحق.

ولا ينبغي أن تكون غلبة الباطل – لحين أو لسبب ضعفنا – مدعاة وسبباً لانتشار الوهن في نفوسنا، لأن الباطل مهما علا وانتشر فإنه سرعان ما سيزول لأنه قائم على فراغ {وُقُلْ جَاءَ الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَاطِلُ إِنَّ الْبَاطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقاً}[الإسراء].

وخير شاهد على هذا، هذه التجارب التي نعيشها اليوم، حيث نرى الباطل - بالرغم من استعلائه وغلبته في الظاهر – يتوارى ويندحر، ويحسب كل صيحة عليه، ولا يحس بالأمن والأمان، بل إن المؤمنين الصادقين - بالرغم من قلة عتادهم وعددهم – يتواجدون في مواقع متقدمة وليس لديهم ما يحرصون عليه من غثاء هذه الدنيا، حملهم خفيف وزادهم الإيماني ثقيل، يمكِّنهم من مواصلة الصراع والتصدي لكل هجمات العدو.

أما أهم مظاهر هذا الوباء فهي أنك ترى المصاب به يحاول إخفاء ضعفه وتقاعسه والظهور بمظهر العامل المتحرك، وهو في الحقيقة يدور في حلقة مفرغة، لمجرد إسقاط الواجبات أو التذرع بأعذار واهية لتبرير هذا التقاعس، بينما يغض الطرف عن الأسباب والمعوقات الحقيقية. ولو أنه صرَّح بها لإخوانه لأعانوه على تجاوزها، ولوصفوا له الدواء المناسب للنجاة من هذا المرض وهو بعد في مهده حيث يكون العلاج أسهل.

ومن المظاهر الخطيرة على الجماعة لوهن العزيمة لدى بعض الأفراد، أن ترى هؤلاء المرضى يسعون إلى هدم ما تم بناؤه داخل الجماعة أو محاولة التصدي لكل عامل مخلص، لكي يتساووا معهم في هذا النقص، وحتى لا يتميزوا عنهم بالعمل والعطاء، فيتمنوا أن يكون الجميع مثلهم، متقاعسون وقاعدون، وهذه لعمري من أخطر المراحل التي يمكن أن يصل إليها واهن العزيمة.

بل إنك ترى المتقاعس يبذل جهداً في التقاط عيوب إخوانه وينقب عن بعض النقائص في جماعته، ليتخذ منها مبرراً ويقول بملء فيه: "هذا هو السبب الذي جعلني أتذمر من دعوتكم"، دون أن يترك لإخوانه فرصة لإزالة هذه الشبهات من رأسه، وقد يتحول في بعض الأحيان إلى مصدر تشويه خارج الجماعة حينما يقرر المسؤولون عزله وتهميشه ثم استبداله بغيره من الاخوة النشطين، وحينما يصل الأمر إلى هذه الدرجة فإن عملية العلاج تتعقد للغاية. وقد يتحول هذا الفرد إلى مصدر إزعاج وربما ثغرة كبيرة يدخل منها العدو ليحدث أضراراً بالجماعة.

من هنا يجب على الفرد المجاهد أن يحاسب نفسه ويتنبه إلى هذه المعضلة/العقبة التي ستوقفه عن العمل وتقذف به في مهاوي الجمود والقعود. ونطرح هنا بعض الدواء أو لنقل بعض طرق الوقاية من هذا الداء.

1 - إيثار ما عند الله

إن أهم ما يعوق المؤمن عن أداء واجباته تجاه ربه وتجاه دينه، هو التعلق بالدنيا وإيثارها على باقي الأهداف والغايات، بل إنها تصبح غاية الغايات، وفي سبيل نيلها يضحي بكل غال ونفيس، فينسى أن هذه الدنيا مجرد وسيلة لبلوغ الآخرة، وبأن عمله وتضحيته وتجرده لله تعالى هو الثمن الذي ينبغي أن يؤديه لنيل الدرجات العلا في الآخرة وتحقيق العبودية لله رب العالمين في الدنيا.

ومن هنا فإن المؤمن الذي ينتظر ما عند الله ويؤثره على ما في هذه الدنيا الفانية، لا يمكن أن تضعف عزيمته وتخفت همته، وإن أصابه بعض الضعف إلى حين، فإنه سرعان ما يستعيد عافيته ويواصل جهاده لتحقيق وعد الله تعالى في هذه الدنيا.

وعليه فإن منهج التربية الصحيحة ينبغي أن يركز كثيراً على هذه النقطة، بحيث يعمل دائما على محاربة الشح في النفوس وعلى نقل الفرد من الارتباط بالدنيا وملذاتها إلى ملاحظة ما أعده الله للمؤمنين في الآخرة، ويكون هذا عن طريق تعويده على النفقة والتخفف من متاع الدنيا الزائل.

2 - الوفاء بالعهد

ما من شك أن المؤمن في الجماعة لـه عهدان لا يمكن أن يخلفهما ما دام فيه عرق ينبض {وَأَوْفُوا بِالْعَهْدِ إِنَّ الْعَهْدَ كَانَ مَسْؤُولاً}، عهد مع الله تعالى بعبادته ونصرة عن دينه، وهو عهد في عنق كل مسلم لا يكتمل إيمان المرء دون الوفاء به، وعهد مع إخوانه بالتعاون على البر والتقوى ونصرة الدين في إطار جماعة منظمة، وفق منهج محدد موافق لشرع الله.

عهد على مواصلة طريق الدعوة على منهج الأنبياء والمرسلين من قبلنا، واقتداء بسلفنا الصالح وبكل إخواننا الذين سبقونا بالإيمان، لم يفتروا ولم يبدّلوا ولم ينحرفوا عن النهج القويم، ولم يدخلهم اليأس والقنوط ما داموا يعلمون أنهم على حق وأنهم مأجورون عند الله، وبأن عدوهم على باطل ولن يفلح في الدنيا ولا في الآخرة.

عهد على مواصلة طريق الجهاد بكل غال ونفيس، بالتضحية بالوقت والمال والأهل والنفس، التزاماً ببنود عقد البيع والشراء بيننا وبين الله {إِنَّ اللَّهَ اشْتَرَى مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَأَمْوَالَهُمْ بِأَنَّ لَهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَيَقْتُلُونَ وَيُقْتَلُونَ وَعْداً عَلَيْهِ حَقّاً فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالأِنْجِيلِ وَالْقُرْآنِ وَمَنْ أَوْفَى بِعَهْدِهِ مِنَ اللَّهِ فَاسْتَبْشِرُوا بِبَيْعِكُمُ الَّذِي بَايَعْتُمْ بِهِ وَذَلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ} (التوبة:111). فالعهدان ثقيلان، وكذلك تبعاتهما، ولكنهما ملزِمان ولازمان ولا يمكن أن نتملص لنتخلص منهما إلا إذا قررنا الخروج من دائرة هذا الدين، ووهن العزيمة يمكن أن يؤدي بنا إلى هذا المنحدر، فننقض العهدان، فنخسر الدنيا ونخسر الآخرة.

3 - الاستفادة من الأعداء

يتميز الصراع بيننا وبين أعدائنا بحدة لا نظير لها، والشيء الذي ينبغي أن نأسف لـه كثيراً هو أن هؤلاء الأعداء يتميزون بشراسة كبيرة في معاركهم واستماتة أكبر في بلوغ أهدافهم، وقلّما يتراجعون بالرغم من أنهم على باطل {الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ الطَّاغُوت}، وعليه فإن أصحاب الحق ينبغي أن يأخذوا العبرة من أعدائهم ولا يكونوا أقل عطاء وحماسة واستماتة في بلوغ أهدافهم.

انظروا إلى حلقات هذه الحرب الصليبية الجديدة، التي أعلنها الأعداء شاملة علينا، انظروا إلى أنصار الباطل كم تتكاثف جهودهم في حربنا، وفي ترقبنا وفي حصارنا، لا يهدأ لهم بال حتى يروننا مكسورين أو مسجونين أو مقتولين. يحاربوننا في السر والعلن، في الليل والنهار، لا يبخلون بجهد ولا يتركون وسيلة تقربهم من هذا الهدف إلا وسلكوها، فكيف نسمح لأنفسنا - ونحن أصحاب حق ونبتغي وجه الله تعالى ونصرة دينه – أن نكون أقل إخلاصاً منهم، فنبخل بجهودنا وأموالنا وأوقاتنا، بل نسمح لأنفسنا أن يدخلها الوهن فتقعد عن أداء واجباتها، ونكون بهذا قد فتحنا ثغرات واسعة يدخل منها العدو لإبادتنا وبناء صرح باطله على أنقاض أمتنا لا سمح الله.

إننا مطالبون – أكثر من أي وقت مضى – بشحذ هممنا وتقوية عزائمنا ومراجعة أخطائنا وتسوية صفوفنا للتصدي لهذه المؤامرات، ثم المرور إلى هجوم جديد على الأعداء، كما أمرنا رسولنا الكريم عليه الصلاة والسلام "الآن نغزوهم ولا يغزوننا"، وتلك هي قمة صور التصدي، وقمة صور العبادة.

والحمد لله رب العالمين أولاً وآخراً وصلى الله وسلم وبارك على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين

السـلام عليكم ورحمة الله

Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullah

I am a new member.

Hope to benefit from this form.

your sister in Islam

salamo alikom all,

as most of you know that i live in the Philippines right now. and i found something very strange in this country.. ARE YOU READY TO KNOW ??????? :shock:

i discoverd that there are more than 2000 Sects calling themselves CHRISTIANS. and each sect saying that they are the only people will be saved by GOD or by Jesus.. and they dont beleive in each other. and they also using different bibles..!!!!!!!

well, some calling themselves BORN AGAIN. some calling themseleves CHURCH OF CHRIST and right now am making List of these Sects Inshaa allah i will be able to post it in our Forum as soon as i finish studying..

THE GOOD NEWS IS .. i've met pastor from the sect BORN AGAIN and i started to discuss with him regarding Jesus(PBUH) and after long talk .. he became with GOD's help and mercy from him, interesting in ISLAM. and he will start Inshaa allah to study the Koran with me and with some Islamic Schools here in the Philippines. his problem that he never use computers , so i will help him Inshaa allah to post his ideas about Islam and may Allah help him to catch the right Pass.. and i think that will happen SOON. Inshaa allah.

he born in a catholic family and converted to BORN AGAIN becouse he did not like the idea of worshiping images and Mary,,

keep on praying brothers and sister. May allah send his mercy to this man and may Allah help us to give him more informations about Islam to guide him Inshaa allah to the light of the Truth. AMEEN

salam ,

Wel_Mel

Salaam! I am from China as Brother Aladdin, but from a different province, Yunnan. Yunnan borders on Vietnam, Burma and Laos, not far from Thailand. The distance between Yunnan Province and Zhejiang Province is as far as France and Egypt. I don’t know Aladdin in true life, however, he posted the BBS’s website on a Chinese Muslim BBS so it guides me here and I believe more and more Chinese Muslim who understand English will visit here.

I’d like to make additional remarks on some questions you asked him.

(1) About Muslim population in China. 20 million is rather accurate (of cause, some of them are nominal Muslims). Some world Islamic organizations use false references, which tend to magnify Muslim population in China. These references claim there were 50 million Muslim in China before 1949. As you know, before 1949, China is in the charge of Chinese Kuomintang (now it is in Taiwan), and Kuomintang’s governance of China was in a mess. None population census was conducted in reality. So the number of 50 million is merely a guestimate, which is too rough to hold water, and to believe at all (I guess at that time there was several million Muslims). Due to China's isolation from the world long, Islamic organizations often refer to Taiwan’s false information, and this is the point.

The major event having impact on Chinese Muslim population is the anti-Qing Dynasty Muslim uprising in the mid-1800s, when the uprising failed many people were killed. Before the uprising, take the example of Yunnan Province, every one out of eight are Muslims. And now there are 600 thousands Muslims in Yunnan Province making up 1 to 1.5 percent of the total provincial population, 40 millions.

(2) Chinese Muslim can be classified into two categories: Xinjiang Muslim (or Muslim speaking Turkish Languages, or Turkish Muslim) and inland Muslim (or Muslim Speaking Chinese, or somethmes, Hui Muslim). The former includes six ethnic groups: Uigur, Kazakh, Tatar, Uzbeks, Kirghiz and Tajik; while the later covers: Hui, Dongxiang, Baoan and Salar (the population of Dongxiang, Baoan and Salar is relatively small, and they tend to think they are branches of Hui). Hui and Uigur are the two biggest Muslim communities and make up 80 to 90 percent of the total Muslim population. As for Hui, Swahili is a very good reference frame. According to the prevailing idea, just like Swahili is developed from intermarriage between Arab, Persian and local Bantu in Africa, Hui came from intermarriage between Central Asian mainly speaking various Persian Languages, Persian, Arab and Han. Han is the majority of Chinese accounting for 95% of the total, and when we say Chinese we usually mean Han, for example, Chinese language refers to Han language. These ten ethnic groups are usually called “ten Muslim ethnic groups” and the population of Muslim is calculated using that of the ten Muslim ethnic groups. Undoubtedly, Many people out of the ten Muslim ethnic groups believe in Allah including many Han people and they are very good Muslims. However Han Muslim fails to develop into a community independent of the “ten Muslim ethnic groups” so they have less influence on the majority of Chinese, the Hans. In China, Islam is traditionally regarded as the faith of ethnic minorities while most Chinese are non-believer——neither Islam, nor Christianity, nor Buddhism, nor Taoism, and even, nor communist.

There are also other people believing in Islam, even as far as Tibet. Muslims with the registered permanent residence in Tibet are about some thousands (besides, there are maybe dozens of thousands inland Muslim doing business there), whom are the offspring of inland Muslim and local Tibetan. They speaks Tibetan in ordinary life as well as religious activities, some of them have difficult to speak fluent Chinese. In Lhasa Masjid, Imam usually lectures first in Arabic and then in Tibetan to make what he tells understood.

There an ethnic group named “Dai” living in Xishuangbanna at the southern of Yunnan Province, Dai observes water-splashing festival as Thailand people and they share common cultures and religion. Some inland Muslims settled down here when their trade caravan on the way to Thailand was robbed by bandits. They married Dai women, formed two villages there. They are called “Paxi” or “Paxi Dai” or “Hui Dai”. In Chinese “Hui” has the meaning of “Muslim” and some scholars believe in Dai language Paxi has the meaning of “Persian”. All there indicates there are Muslims, as well as in the eyes of people around them. What the most interesting is, their Masjids are made of bamboo. Each of them all has three names: Chinese name, religious name (or Islamic name) and Dai name.

Chinese Muslim mainly lives in the Northwest of China including Xingjiang and Ningxia, Central North China and Chinese Central Plains as well. South and Southeast including Shanghai and Zhejiang Province are sparsely Muslim-populated relatively.

(3) Chinese Islamic Association, as well as its branches over the country, is the only Muslim organization In China. As you know, China is a country devoid of freedom of association. The authority is alert to any kind of association, even associations such as alumni association. As for Chinese Islamic Association itself, on one hand, you can’t count on it; on the other hand, it is indispensable and contributes a lot for Muslim. Things are just like that. By the way, I must say Christian in China has got a severer situation then other religions including Islam. And there is no denying that the situation is getting better since reform and opening-up.

(4) The main problem of Chinese Muslim is not the lack of religious professionals such as imams and ahungs, but the getting-away of the faith and the undevelopment of education, science and economy. In fact, near ten Islamic institutes aiming to bring up imams have been set up sponsored by the central government and by the aid of Muslim world, located in Beijing, Xinjiang and zhenzhou etc.. Besides, Chinese Muslim has the tradition to train young Muslims for imams in Masjids. Further more, many Arabic language schools have been established in some places where many Muslim lives in, and some of the graduates can serve Islamic activities where others act as Arabic-Chinese interpreters for Arabic companies doing business in China such as Guangzhou and shenzhen. On the other hand, how to educate the younger generation, ordinary of they, to be faithful Muslims remains (rather than Islamic professionals) a problem. Due to historical complex, Chinese Muslims are reluctant to learn Chinese culture or accept national education (common education) in some place and in a certain degree , so here is another problem, too. Education, including religion, science and technology, to ordinary Muslim is an urgent affair.

I make efforts to give you a picture of Chinese Muslim as objectively as possible. Brother Aladdin and I like to answer your questions concerning Chinese Muslim. Anyone who understand Chinese can click these Chinese Muslim websites: www.salamacn.net, www.Islamcn.net or www.kyaz.com. Your visit will be warmly welcomed. More and more Chinese Muslim brothers and sisters will visit the BBS, too.