AFTER 9/11, Islam and Muslims have been targeted and accused of violence and terrorism. The reality is that terrorists have no religion and this is specially true because they have targeted and killed probably more Muslims than non-Muslims. Islam is against all anti-social behavior and it has clearly defined the rights of every creation, including animals and plants. It has outlined our duties towards each other and defined how our relationships with each other should be. The rights and duties of parents and children towards each other, for example, or those of wives and husbands or masters and servants have all been explained. Islam orders Muslims to be good with their neighbors, irrespective of their status in society, color or religion. It orders the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice in the society.Our duty is not restricted to our relatives or neighbors alone, but it also includes common people we meet on the street. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was a mercy to the Alameen (all creation). Islam promotes welfare of all humanity. It orders rich Muslims to pay Zakat (obligatory charity) to the needy people. Moreover, the right to education is very much emphasized. Islam orders free education for all. Every citizen should have access to free learning and this is a responsibility on every Muslim state.Furthermore, Islam does not allow its followers to swear at the gods of people of other religions. It prohibits forceful conversions and promotes tolerance. Muslim rule from its very beginning provide a living proof of its tolerance and humanitarian approach. – SG 
By ‘Aaidh Bin Abdullah Al-Qarni1. Wake up in the last third of the night to beg forgiveness from Allah.“...and those who pray and beg Allah’s Pardon in the last hours of the night.” (Qur’an, 3:17)2. At least once in a while, seclude yourself from people in order to contemplate.“Those who remember Allah standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth...” (Qur’an, 3:191)3. Stay in the company of the righteous.“And keep yourself patiently with those who call on their Lord...” (Qur’an, 18:28)4. Remember Allah often.“Remember Allah with much remembrance.” (Qur’an, 33:41)5. Pray two units of prayer with sincerity and devotion.?“Those who offer their prayer with all solemnity and full submissiveness.” (Qur’an, 23:2)6. Recite the Qur’an with understanding and reflection.“Do they not then consider the Qur’an carefully?” (Qur ‘an, 4:82)7. Fast on a hot, dry day.“He abandons his food, drink, and desire — all for Me.”8. Give charity secretly.“Until the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand has spent.”9. Provide relief and aid to the afflicted Muslim.“Whoever gives relief to a Muslim from one of the vicissitudes of this life, Allah will relieve him from a calamity that is from doing the calamities of the Day of Judgment.”10. Be as abstemious and abstinent as possible in this fleeting world.?“The Hereafter is better and more lasting.” (Qur’an 87: 17) – Excerpt from ‘Don’t Be Sad, IIPH
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the worst of false tales; and do not look for the others’ faults and do not spy, and do not be jealous of one another, and do not desert (cut your relation with) one another, and do not hate one another; and O Allah’s worshipers! Be brothers (as Allah has ordered you!”) (Al-Bukhari, 8/73, no. 90)
JUST think about it. The eyes follow the righteous soul as it floats effortlessly upwards through the seven heavens. It leaves the body like water flowing from a stream and angels greet it with beautiful words supplicating to Allah to bless it. The doors of heaven open and angels dress it with beautiful clothes, asking who this wonderful soul is. At last, that day arrives and records are placed in the right hand and it is told to return to its grave until the Day of Judgment.On the other hand, the evil soul is ripped apart from the body by angels with the sternest of faces, welcoming it to Allah’s wrath and anger. The body is torn from the inside as the severity hits home. All angels curse the soul and the doors to heaven are shut. There is total pandemonium as angels ask about the ugly soul. Slowly but surely the records go to the left hand and Allah’s promise is delivered. Allah says in the Noble Qur’an: “Everyone shall taste death. And only on the Day of Resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full. And whoever is removed away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeeds successful. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception.” (Qur’an, 3:185)Everyone must experience the end. This is the only real guarantee we have in life. Death is true and we all know people who have died. Think back, those who were alive last year are no longer here today and as another Ramadan approaches of the Prophet (peace be upon him), ask yourself, is this going to be my last? The Companions remembered death continuously and acted upon the knowledge of death they had. They were from the best of people and with the best of Allah’s creation, Muhammad (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). But see how they remembered this reality. They would weep remembering that they will be held accountable for their deeds after death. For more read here.
HOW does a born Muslim meet a revert American Muslim woman? ‘Wow! Masha Allah, Allah guided you. It’s such a pleasure to meet you.’Little more than speaking glorifying words do we do. Helping her out in the issues she may be facing hardly crosses our mind. Reverts aside, our attitude gets worse toward Muslims in general.Meet Umm Ni’mah, an African American woman whose ancestors were slaves and who grew up in the late 1960s in New Jersey under the cult of Elijah Muhammad. She embraced Islam in her early twenties.“I remember how I’d often pass by a Masjid on the bus and look at how beautiful and clean the sisters looked. I wanted to be like them, I wanted to look like that,” Umm Ni’mah recalls. “I found no real satisfaction from dating and going out dancing. I wanted to submit to something greater to feel fulfilled, not used. I became tired with wasting my life and my time.”“I started to practice true Islam. I read the Qur’an more and more. I tore down and fought my desires within myself in order to please my Lord, Allah Alone. I cried to Him a number of times to remove the evil filth of shirk from my chest, my mind, and my soul. I tried to follow every rule I could and I loved reading about the religion, Alhumdulillah.”Reborn with Islam, Umm Ni’mah’s life was filled with peace, contentment and gratitude. She found the purpose of life and the way to success. Then came time for the next stage of life, the desire of every youthful being, the world’s prelude to fantasies – it was time to get married.“I married at 26. We had a son together.” But marriage is more than a fantasy, it’s about adjusting to one’s role, caring for each other and building a family.“We argued a lot and our marriage did not last over two years. We divorced, may I add, happily?” Like Umm Ni’mah, her husband was a practicing Muslim and a student of Islamic studies. He left for Yemen with their son, Abdur Rahman, to study Islam and live in a Muslim country. He remarried and settled there.Two years later, in 1999, it was Umm Ni’mah’s turn to travel to Yemen. It was her own Hijrah (migration to a Muslim land). “After two years of staying away from my only child, I wanted to leave the non-Muslim land and be with my son and support him,” Umm Ni’mah wrote in email to Saudi Gazette.“At the airport, a couple received me and escorted me to the village where my son lived. I had high hopes that my son would be learning Islam and benefitting from living in the Muslim land. Everyone seemed anxious to meet the sister who’d let her only child go to the land of the Muslims at such a young age. They didn’t know the pain and hardships I faced alone for doing this.” For more read here.
Is Iblis an angel?Q- Is Iblis, may Allah curse him, an angel or not? And if he is not an angel then what is the meaning of exclusion in Allah’s Words: “All the angels prostrated themselves, except Iblis.” (Qur’an, 15:30-31)?A – It should be known that angels are creatures of Allah. He created them from light, they never disobey Him, and do as He says. As for Iblis (Satan), Allah mentioned that he was amongst the Jinn, Allah says: “...and when We said to the angels, prostrate to Adam, they all did, except Iblis who was from the Jinn, who transgressed the command of his Lord. (Qur’an, 18:50) Allah mentions in the Qur’an what Iblis said when He commanded him to prostrate to Adam. He said: “You created me from Fire, and You created him from clay.” (Qur’an, 38:76) As for the type of exception, in His Words: “All the angels prostrated themselves, except Iblis,” it is a separate exclusion, as one may say: ‘Everyone came except for a donkey.’ There are some people of knowledge who say Iblis, may Allah curse him, is an angel except that he disobeyed Allah, the Exalted, and insisted on being disobedient. Iblis deserved the curse of Allah till the Day of Recompense.– Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Verdicts; Fatawa Islamiyah, vol. 1, pg. 96 Sunnah prayers during travelQ – Is the requirement for offering the fixed Sunnah prayers lifted during travel, and (if so) what is the evidence for this?A – It is prescribed for one to leave the fixed Sunnah prayers during travel, except Witr and the Sunnah of Fajr. It has been authentically reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the Hadith of Ibn Umar and others, that the Prophet would not pray the fixed Sunnah prayers while traveling, except Witr and the Sunnah of Fajr. As for the supererogatory prayer, they are prescribed during travel and while one is resident, and likewise the prayers for whose performance there is a reason, such as the Sunnah of Wudhu, Tawaf, Adh-Dhuha, and Tahajjud prayer at night, based upon Hadiths which have been narrated to that effect. – Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Baz; Fatawa Islamiyah, vol. 2, pg. 431
COMPUTER security firm Sophos issued a warning Thursday about an Internet virus transmitted from a mass email claiming to contain secret songs and photos of Michael Jackson. The email comes with the subject “Remembering Michael Jackson” and is sent from “sarah@michaeljackson.com”, Sophos said in a statement sent by its Asia office in Singapore.It tells recipients that an attached file titled “Michael songs and pictures.zip” contains secret songs and photos of the pop music icon.Sophos warned computer users not to open the attachment.“By opening the attachment, computer users are exposed to infection. Once infected, a computer will begin automatically spreading the worm onto other Internet users,” Sophos said. “Besides spreading via email, Sophos experts note that the malware is also capable of spreading as an Autorun component on USB memory sticks.”Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant at Sophos, said many computer users are likely to be tempted to open the attachment because of the feverish interest in the King of Pop’s sudden death.“But sensible computer users should by now be well aware that cybercriminals will be quick to exploit news events to spread malware and spam,” he said. “Anyone who receives this email should delete it immediately to save themselves the embarrassment of infecting their email contacts.” - AFP
