May Allah forgive me

Sacrifice of Prophet Muhammed (PBUH)

The most conspicuous quality of Muhammad (peace be upon him) was his unselfish struggle for the cause of Islam and sacrifice of his personal comforts for other people. He sacrificed all, even the love and comfort of his most dear ones, for Islam and for the convenience of other people. He loved his daughter, Fatima (RA), so much that he used to stand up with an abundance of love for her and kissed her forehead whenever she came to see him. She lived in extreme poverty and herself worked on a wheel to grind flour and brought water from the well. The palms of her hands were worn out through the grinding of flour and her chest was beaten black and blue with the load of the water-bag. She came to her father and asked him for a maid-servant. Muhammad (PBUH) replied, "I have not been able to do anything for the As'hab Suffah; until this problem is resolved satisfactorily I cannot attend to other matters."

Once a woman offered him a sheet of cloth which he needed at that time and he took it from her. A man praised the beauty of the sheet of the cloth and asked the prophet to give it to him; the Prophet took it off and gave it to him. When he left the assembly, the people cursed the man saying, "You knew that God's Messenger needed this and also knew that he never turns down anyone's request." He agreed with them but said that he wanted the cloth as blessing and that it would be kept for his coffin.

Muhammad (PBUH) spent all his life in poverty but still never refused anyone's request. After the Muslim victories, many lands and orchards came into their possession but he distributed them all. Muhammad (PBUH) himself set an example of self-sacrifice by his own deeds for others, and his companions followed in his footsteps:

"But those who, before them, had homes (in Medinah) and had adopted the faith, show their affection to such as came to them for refuge, and entertain no desire in their hearts for things given to the (latter), but give them preference over themselves, even though poverty was their (own lot). And those saved from the covetousness of their own soul, they are the ones who achieve prosperity."

[Qur'aan 59:9]

There are hundreds of such instances in the life of Muhammad (PBUH) which bear witness to his unselfishness and to his sacrifice for other people.

May 21st Judgment Day

There have been numerous claims lately that Judgment Day may come either on May 21st of this year, or on 21 November 2012 and they are showing the proof that it guarantees in Bible. Throughout history, there have been people who tried and failed to predict the end of the world. For Muslims, such talk is nonsense. While Muslims do believe in a Day of Judgment and a life after death, the Quran clearly states that the exact time is known only to God:

Men ask you of the Hour. Say: The knowledge of it is with God only. What can convey to you that maybe the Hour is near? (Quran 33:63)

The threatened hour is near. None beside God can disclose it. Are you surprised then at this statement? (Quran 53:57-59)

Sending Blessings on our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

One of the matters which we Muslims overlook or not implement it as much in our lives is to get in the habit of sending blessings on our prophet Muhammad (SallaAllahWasallam). This matter is of so much importance that in Quran Allah declares doing so Himself along with the angels and then instructs the Muslims to do the same.

In Quran, Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Allah sends His Salaah (Graces, Blessings, Mercy) on the Prophet (Muhammad), and also His angels (Angels ask Allah to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! end your Salah on (ask Allaah to bless) him (Muhammad), and greet him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation, i.e. As?Salaamu ‘Alaykum)” [Quran: al-Ahzaab 33:56]

Sending blessings on the prophet is so vital that in one of the hadeeth, acceptance of our Dua is made dependant on it. According to a hadith by ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allah be pleased with him) who said:

Dua is suspended between heaven and earth and none of it is taken up until you send blessings upon your Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).” (Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi).

Another hadith takes this topic further in that it advises believers to include as much blessings on the Prophet (SAW) part of our dua. It was narrated (in part of the hadith) that Ubayy ibn Ka’b said:

I said: O Messenger of Allah, I send blessings upon you a great deal; how much of my prayer (dua) should be for you? He said: “Whatever you wish.”

I said: One quarter? He said: “Whatever you wish, and if you do more it is better for you.”

I said: Half? He said: “Whatever you wish, and if you do more it is better for you.”

I said: Two thirds? He said: “Whatever you wish, and if you do more it is better for you.”

I said: Should I make all my du’aa’ for you? He said: “Then your concerns will be taken care of and your sins will be forgiven.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2457); classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.

About the above hadith, Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Jala’ al-Afhaam (79): Our Shaykh Abu ‘Abbaas (i.e., Ibn Taymiyah) was asked about the meaning of this hadeeth. He said: Ubayy ibn Ka’b had a dua that he used to say for himself, and he asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) whether he should make one-quarter of it sending blessings on him, and he said … because whoever sends blessings on the Prophet, Allah will send blessings on him tenfold, and if Allah sends blessings on a person He will take care of his concerns and forgive him his sins.

In another hadith by Al-Tirmidhi (484) narrated from ‘Abd-Allah ibn Mas’ood that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

The closest of people to me on the Day of Resurrection will be those who send the most blessings on me.” [Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb.]

In summary, we should send our salutations to the prophet (SAW) whenever possible or whenever we hear his name mentioned. Let’s remember that Allah Himself does that along with the angels too.

Tawheed… the essence of Islam

Tawheed (Islamic monotheism) is the greatest foundation of Islamic belief. In fact, a person is considered as Muslim if he/she accepts that there is no god worthy of worship but Allaah and that Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and His messenger to humankind.

Almighty Allaah Says in the Noble Quran (what means): "Allaah- there is no deity except Him, the Ever- Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them, and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills. His Kursi (literally, a footstool) extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires Him not. And He is the Most High, the Most Great." [Quran 2: 255]

In these marvelous verses, Allaah describes Himself as The Only One- Most Powerful, Ever-Living Lord of us. Tawheed is the bedrock of Islam and it states that it is Allaah Who has created the universe with whatever is in it and administers it. What we deduce from the operation of the universe and call ‘natural laws’ are, in fact, Allaah’s regular ways of creating things and events and administering the universe.

According to Islam, all religions revealed to the prophets, may Allaah exalt their mention, have the same essence and knowledge of Tawheed and unity of Allaah, but, with the time, the message was misinterpreted, mixed with superstition, and degenerated into magical practices and some rituals. That was the same message with which Aadam was sent down to earth, the same knowledge that Allaah revealed to Nooh (Noah), Ibraaheem (Abraham), Moosaa (Moses) and 'Eesaa (Jesus), may Allaah exalt their mention, and the last Prophet sent to humanity, Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ).

Islam rejects characterizing Allaah in any human form or depicting Him as favoring certain individuals or nations on the basis of wealth, power, or race. However, our human minds are often in search of understanding the concept of Allaah in materialistic ways, although we are not capable to completely comprehend this concept. When Prophet Muhammad’s sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) contemporaries asked him about Allaah, Allaah revealed the chapter of Ikhlaas (Quranic Chapter No. 112) which is considered as the motto of Tawheed, Saying (what means): "Say (O Muhammad), “He is Allaah, [who is] One. Allaah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor was He begotten. Nor is there to Him any equivalent." [Quran 112:1-4]

The Creator must be a different nature from the things created, because if He is of the same nature as they are, He will be temporal and will, therefore, need a maker. If the maker is not temporal, He must be eternal. But if He is eternal, He cannot be caused. If nothing apart from Him causes Him to continue to exist, He must be Self-Sufficient and Self-Subsistent. If He does not depend upon anything for the continuance of His own existence, this existence can have no end. The Creator is therefore Eternal and Everlasting Allaah Says (what means): "He is the First and the Last" [Quran 57:3].

The Creator does not create only in the sense of bringing things into being, in other words, He is not only a Starter, He also preserves everything, takes them out of the existence, and is the ultimate cause of whatever happens to them.

'Ali Ibn Abu Taalib may Allaah be pleased with him the fourth Muslim Caliph, is reported to have said: "He is being but not through the phenomenon of coming into being. He exists but not from non-existence. He is with everything but not physical nearness. He is different from everything but not by physical separation. He acts but without the accompaniment of movements and instruments. He is the One, only such that there is none with whom He keeps company or whom He misses in his absence."

In Islam, Allaah is known by His Names and Attributions and the manifestation of these names in the universe.

Another aspect of Tawheed in Islam is that it implies the equity and unity of all people in their relation with Allaah. Thus, people of different social strata were not created by separate deities with varying levels of power, since this would violate Tawheed by putting barriers between them. Instead, social dimension of Tawheed states that the same Allaah created everyone, and so all people have the same fundamental essence. In fact, the noblest person in Allaah’s Sight is the one who is most Allaah-conscious.

Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) said: “Your Lord is One. You are from Aadam and Aadam was created from dust. An Arab is not superior to a non-Arab, nor a white person over a black person, except for his/her piety and righteousness.” [Ahmad]