Beware Of Shaytan's Tricks

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Asalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

It came to my attention a claim of archeological "discovery" in Saudi Arabia which points to the annihilated nation of 'Ad mentioned in the Qur'an. Allah knows best. Since it is related to this article We Wouldn't Have Known, I thought I share these thoughts with you.

Below are links saying that this "discovery" is a hoax. I am not suggesting that you read them word for word or even read them at all and start indulging yourself in discussions about the truth or untruth of the discovery.

Remember, the Shaytan loves to distract us from our Lord and this one is among his tricks. Your time is best spent on contemplating on the creation of Allah that surround us that we know for real--the skies, the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, the trees, the rivers, the breeze, the changing seasons, ...etc. This can help you in your spiritual journey to know Allah. When you know Allah, you will love Him and He will love you, and you will never feel alone.

The "discovery" mentioned above, whether they are true or not, Allah knows best, is immaterial to us. We have the Qur'an, Alhamdulillah, and it is sufficient proof to us that the people of 'Ad existed and they were annihilated due to their disbelief and their disobedience.

The story of the people of 'Ad and many other previous nations mentioned in the Qur'an, serve as a warning to us of what will happen if we disbelieve and disobey Allah and His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace. It should strike fear in our hearts of Allah Most High and make us rush to obedience. Allah brought everything into existence and He can bring everything out of existence. It is easy for Him. Allah Al-Mighty says, "Be and it be!" This should change us.

If we insist to disbelieve in Allah and His Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc,) Allah will include us in severe punishment when He decrees it. If we stick to the Truth that we have and keep away from the ways of the non-believers, and we are grateful with what Allah has given us, whenever Allah punishes the non-believers, Allah will save us because we believe in Him inshaAllah.

"And when Our Commandment came, We saved Hud and those who believed with him by a Mercy from Us, and We saved them from a severe torment. Such were 'Ad, they rejected the Ayaat of their Lord and disobeyed His Messengers, and followed the command of every proud obstinate (oppressor of the truth, from their leaders) (Qur'an Hud 11:58-59)

"When Our decree issued, We saved Shu'aib and those who believed with him, by (special) mercy from Ourselves. But the (mighty) blast did seize the wrong- doers, and they lay prostrate in their homes by the morning,- As if they had never dwelt and flourished there!. Ah! Behold! How the Madyan were removed (from sight) as were removed the Thamud!" (Qur'an Hud 11:94-95)

Our existence is to worship Allah, the only One. What we should be doing is always focus on our obligatory worship and perfecting them, while increasing our voluntary worship. We hope by these good deeds, our Lord will love us and be merciful to us.

The internet, while it is a great tool for educating the masses about Islam and other da'wah works, it is also a huge distractor and time-waster, and many people, even people with knowledge, fall into the trap. So beware. Remember, the Shaytan to the humans is a clear enemy. So treat him like an enemy.

InshaAllah, by this time you don't have a need to open these links.


http://www.snopes.com/photos/odd/giantman.asp

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_giant_skeleton.htm

May Allah keep us under His infinite care and have mercy on us and our parents. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Sowing The Seeds

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

We need to sow the seeds of Islam and the first place we need to do that is in the hearts of our children. Life is short, and the wind is blowing against us. If we don't make a conscious effort to do this, we can be wiped out. Look at Muslim Spain--it is now a history. Read the many stories in the Qur'an about nations that were destroyed--they are for us to reflect on ourselves.

As a single mother, I know how hard it is to raise children to be good and strong Muslims. Never a day is without any challenge. But we must do what we must and be patient. Nothing precious comes without a big price tag. It is easy to give in, to leave them in front of a TV or computer. They are quiet, they don't argue, and they don't give us trouble--so we think. But that is not where Allah wants them to be, and anywhere that Allah doesn't want us to be is not good for us. If we persist to be where Allah doesn't want us to be, the troubles will surface sooner or later. Allah chose us to be their parents and entrusted them to us. So we must do our job, and do it well. This is being a thankful servant. We always go back to Him and ask Him to help us do our job well. He is the only One who can guide and help us.

When you find no where to turn to for the moment, remember what Lukman said to his son:

"O my son! Establish regular prayer, enjoin what is just, and forbid what is wrong: and bear with patient constancy whatever befalls you; for this is firmness (of purpose) in (the conduct of) affairs. "And swell not your cheek (for pride) at men nor walk in insolence through the earth; for Allah loves not any arrogant boaster. "And be moderate in your pace, and lower your voice; for the harshest of sounds without doubt is the braying of the ass." Qur'an Lukman 31:17-19

Apply this advice to ourselves first as the best teacher is a good example.

We just left the month of Ramadhan where we had trained our children to wake up before Fajr to eat the pre-dawn meal. Then we prayed Fajr with them. For some, you stayed up with them after Fajr and read the Qur'an, and for many others, you took them to the masjid for iftar, prayed Maghrib, 'Isha and taraweeh. Don't lose this momentum. Keep waking them up before Fajr and do a couple rak'ah of prayer, then Fajr, then read a few pages of Qur'an with them. Try to do Maghrib and 'Isha at the masjid. In between these prayers, they can do their homework and/or read/learn Qur'an. Ramadhan should not come and go without them reaping the benefits of it the whole year. It was their training ground. What is life without Allah in your hearts and you want to sow this in your precious children's hearts while you still have the say so in their lives. Each moment you let your children watch shows on TV or computer, you are taking them away from the pre-disposition which Allah created them with.

Remember, Shaytan to us is our clear enemy and so we should treat him like an enemy. He is always there lurking to snatch our Faith away and for sure TV and internet have more soldiers of Shaytan than anywhere else waiting to get your entire family into his domain. So protect your precious ones by giving them Islam.

"Allah cursed him.And he [Shaytan] said: "I will take an appointed portion of your slaves; Verily, I will mislead them, and surely, I will arouse in them false desires; and certainly, I will order them to slit the ears of cattle, and indeed I will order them to change the nature created by Allah." And whoever takes Shaytan as a Wali (protector or helper) instead of Allah, has surely suffered a manifest loss." Qur'an An-Nisa 4:118-119

May Allah help us raise our children well and guide them. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam

Control Your Anger

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

I cannot tell you how sad and disturbed I have been for the past few weeks since I received the heartbreaking news. How would you feel if you see someone you love in handcuffs and shackles? I wasn't about to go to this court hearing because I know I would not be able to avoid such a scene. I know my heart won't be able to bear it. But I felt I had to put my feelings aside to give moral support to my friend.

So I called my friend the day before the court hearing and told her that I was planning to be with her in court. She was very happy and thanked me vehemently--for she did not expect that I would attend being aware of my other obligations. There we sat nervously in the courtroom waiting for the case to be called. There he came out into the courtroom with hand cuffs and shackles! At that moment we both came to tears. Both of us have a great love for him in different ways--she, a mother's love and me, a love for a brother in Islam. I do not wish anything like this to happen to anyone, especially to our children and our youths--they are our future and the future of Islam. He gazed at us from the other side of the courtroom and we raised our hands and moved our lips to say assalaamu alaykum. He returned our salaams with lip movements. My friend just could not stop sobbing!

As I am writing this to you I am crying remembering that day and anticipating his future. Only Allah knows what his future is going to be, but please make du'a for him and this family. And I hope when you read this you can feel if this is your son. I hope this will motivate you to do something quickly to bring youths (teenagers to 40 year olds) to the masjid. Our youths need proper Islamic education, lots of support growing up and in raising their own families in this very trying and difficult times.

As well, Muslims need to set models for others to learn from. We cannot be the criminals.

In all domestic violence cases, it is because someone could not control his anger. The consequence of this is very grave. The criminal justice system is tougher than before--so don't take this lightly.

We need to control our anger because uncontrollable anger leads to destruction. We see this over and over again.

If one gets angry, then it is necessary that the person performs a muhasabah, which is to account oneself of the mistakes committed, what leads to them and how to overcome them in the future. This is an important training for us to improve ourselves.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said that anger comes from the shaytan. Shaytan is our open enemy and shaytan promotes evil and creates disputes among us. Shaytan promotes evil to people by influencing their perception.

"And say to My servants (that) they should (only) speak that which is the best; (Because) shaytan verily sows dissensions among them. Surely, Shaytan is an open enemy to man." Qur'an Al-Isra' 17:53

Indeed, if somebody uses a vague word in his speech, then Shaytan ‘whispers’ a wrong interpretation or understanding to the listeners of the speech that may affect the relationship amongst them. This is how relationships in the family, brothers, sisters and friends are severed.

Allah mentions the qualities of the Muttaqin (God-fearing): “Those who spend (in Allah’s cause) in prosperity and in adversity, who repress their anger, and who pardon men, verily, Allah loves the Muhsinun (the good-doers).” Qur'an AleImran 3:133-134

Abu Hurairah, Allah be well pleased with him, reported that a man said to the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace "Advise me! "The Prophet said, "Do not become angry and furious." The man asked (the same) again and again, and the Prophet said in each case, "Do not become angry and furious."

Abu Hurairah related that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "A strong person is not the person who throws his adversaries to the ground. A strong person is the person who contains himself when he is angry." (Bukhari)

Our Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, taught us how to control our anger.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "I know a word, the saying of which will cause him to relax, if he does say it. If he says: 'I seek Refuge with Allah from Shaytan' then all his anger will go away." (Bukhari)

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “Anger comes from the devil, the devil was created of fire, and fire is extinguished only with water; so when one of you becomes angry, he should perform ablution.” (Abu Daud)
Abu Dharr , Allah be well pleased with him, narrated: The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to us: "When one of you becomes angry while standing, he should sit down. If the anger leaves him, well and good; otherwise he should lie down." (Abu Daud)

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "If one of you becomes angry then he should be silent.”

And from the du'a (supplications) of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, "I ask you O Allah, for truthful speech during times of pleasure and anger" (Nasaai and Ahmad)

There are praiseworthy anger as known from the examples of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. He never got angry except when the commandments of Allah are violated. If we want to get angry for the sake of Allah, then we need to be careful that we are really not getting angry for ourselves or for our own interests, and we do not commit wrong and illegal actions like using harsh, disparage or vulgar words, or beating up somebody. If the commanding or forbidding leads to more harm than benefit, then it should be avoided based on the principle of weighing between the benefits and harms.

It is also known in the medical arena that anger causes many health problems especially if they are not controlled. All shari’ah injunctions are for our benefit, even if we don't know them (as yet) but strive to follow them anyway. And our beloved Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, is our best example.

May Allah guide us all and grant us tawfiq. May Allah protect our youths. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

Wassalaam

related reading:

http://journey2allah.blogspot.com/2010/05/who-is-shepherd.html

http://journey2allah.blogspot.com/2010/05/true-shepherd.html

http://journey2allah.blogspot.com/2010/05/going-back-to-nature.html

The true enemy

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
السلام عليكم

I pray that you are well.

The tendency is when people say bad things about you or simply something you don't like to hear, you want to respond--to set it straight. There is no need because as for you what matters is what Allah think of you. Allah is the judge and He is just. Leave it to Him--He will make it right for you. So don't be sad or mad. Allah will reward you abundantly for being patient and for avoiding confrontation with your brother/sister. Remember, our enemy is the Shaytan, not our brother/sister.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, reminded us of Shaytan, "Beware of Shaytan, for your safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things."

Shaytan does not care about causing dissension among the kuffar, he is concerned about the Muslims since he cannot make them non-believers, he is making them fight among themselves. He is always instigating this waswasa in the hearts of Muslims and causing fitnah among us.

A lesson from surah Yusuf when Ya'qub, Allah grant him peace, said to Yusuf, Allah grant him peace:
"He said, 'O my son, relate not thy vision to thy brothers, lest they devise against thee some guile. Surely Satan is to man a manifest enemy." Qur'an Yusuf 12:5

This is my personal story related to this topic--only in brief

A person of authority and high esteem hated me for none other than me being a Muslim woman. Suffice to say she was on a mission to destroy me. After you think she has exhausted all avenues to destroy me, she began another theory--she called me insane and someone with impaired cognitive functions. I was then had a successful career and led a systems project for a big company--so how could my cognitive functions be impaired! Alhamdulillah, I was not any of the two that she wanted people to believe.

But I knew I could not fight her at the time--I was alone and didn't have the right armor. So I waited 4 years and then fought back. How did I fought back? I immediately took the LSAT (law school entrance exam) and went to law school. I thought if I could not fight her from outside, I fight her from inside. And the only way for me to fight her from inside was to be an officer of the court (an attorney). Yes, she was a judge. After I graduated from law school, I fought her. I believe she was privately reprimanded and removed from office. La hawla wala quwwata illa billah. Throughout the four years, Allah helped me through my law school professors, some of them were judges. One of my teachers was a very wise and beloved federal court district judge and he said: "If your cognitive functions are impaired then all of ours are too, including hers. May God save us!" SubhanAllah!

So, we have bigger things to fight. Not squabbling between us. Like the cliche: what goes around comes around. Don't worry. Allah will aid you in ways unimaginable if you have believe and put all your trust in Him.

May Allah give us tawfiq. Ameen. Please don't forget me in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

Wassalaam

Fly high with the wings of fear and hope

BismillahirRahmanirRahim
Assalaamu alaykum

I pray that you are well.

One year has once again passed. We are still here but we know we will one day die, be it from sickness, accident or simply we die in our sleep. It's not over until it is over. But once it is over we know there is no return. So, we want to prepare ourselves now so we are one of those radiant faces gazing upon our Lord when that Day comes and not the scowling faces wreaked with Calamity on that Day.

So, while we are still here, each of us has something to watch out for.

If you are a practicing Muslim, don't feel secure and safe. This is a trick that the Shaytan uses to steal your faith. Don't let pride enters your heart for pride is destruction. If you are a struggling Muslim, Shaytan will come to you using different tricks. Shaytan has many many tricks and even people with knowledge can fall into the tricks. We ask Allah to protect us from this. Understand who those devils are and shield your heart from its pierce. Raise as many walls as you can each moment of your life. All acts of obedience to Allah are your walls. Do lots of zhikr (remembrance of Allah) throughout your day. Doing what Allah wants you to do sincerely and excellently and striving to do more is a manifestation of your love for Allah. And if your heart is filled with love for Him, there won't be room for another love.

Don't say waking up for fajr is difficult, don't say wearing hijab is difficult, don't say having a beard is just a sunnah, don't say in the negatives. Because Shaytan will finally tell you this--since you cannot do anything, you might as well do nothing. If you have this in your thoughts, don't despair of the mercy of Allah. Do something now, do what you can to improve. Improvement takes time. Don't let other Muslims make you despair--those who tell you this is difficult. Some will rain you with criticisms when you look a little different than them or simply because they are jealous of you. The tendency is to follow the crowd because it is easy. We have fears to do the things that we know in our hearts is right. We have the wrong fear because we are deficient. The fear should be fear of Allah's displeasure and punishment. Deficiency can be removed through knowledge of Allah. Learning the Qur'an give you better knowledge of Allah. When you reflect on Allah, you should have hope. Look at the Qur'an, every surah except one, Allah begins with BismillahirRahmanirRahim--In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate.

Fear and hope are two wings that one fly to Allah Most High. So balance your wings and you are ready to fly high to Him inshaAllah. May we reach very high in our flight to Allah, Most High. Ameen.

And Allah knows best.

Wassalaam