COURAGE AND FEAR

COURAGE AND FEAR:

Taken from: Masharai al-Ashwaq Ila Masarai al-Ushaaq – Ibn Nuhaas
216. Abu Hurairah narrated: “The strong believer is more beloved to Allah than the weak believer” (Muslim)

217. The Messenger of Allah used to say: “O Allah I seek refuge in you from gloom and sorrow; from inaction and laziness; and from cowardice, stinginess and old age, and I seek refuge in you from the punishment of the grave” (Bukhari – Muslim)

Notice that the Messenger of Allah combined between seeking refuge in Allah from gloom and sorrow. For gloom is the fear of what is coming while sorrow is sadness on what has already passed.  So the Muslim should not feel sorry for the past nor fear the future. And he combined between inaction and laziness for inaction is the state of the heart while laziness is the state of the body. He combined between stinginess and cowardice for stinginess is the unwillingness to give wealth for Allah while cowardice is the unwillingness to give the soul for Allah.

How to overcome fear:

Cowardice is the opposite of courage. Courage is the firmness of the heart. The heart is the essence of every good deed. The heart cannot be firm if the mind isn’t sound. If the heart is weak it leads to cowardice, and if the heart is too strong it leads to recklessness.

The coward needs to cure cowardice by eliminating its cause. If it is caused by ignorance then ignorance is cured by learning. The cause could be fear of the unknown and that is cured by experiencing situations. We find that the beginner in public speaking experiences fear in the beginning but after experience this fear is overcome. We find that when a person first meets a king they might fear the occasion and their tongue would be tied and their posture would change.

That is due to the anxiety of facing a new experience. But if that occasion is repeated many times the fear is eliminated. Original nature can be changed. It is sufficient as proof to see a Hawa child (children trained to care for snakes) grabbing a large snake that would make a brave man tremble while this same child could fear a frog because he is not exposed to frogs. Taming animals is a process of changing their original nature and it is done through training. A wolf could play with a sheep, a cat with a mouse, and a dog with a cat if they are conditioned to do so even though that is contrary to their original nature. Now if animals can change their characteristics can’t humans do the same?

Having a strong heart leads to victory. Ali was asked: “How do you defeat your enemies?” He said: “When I would meet my enemy I would believe with firm conviction that I would defeat him while he believes that I would defeat him so both myself and his self support me against him”.

Some have advised: “Believe in victory, you will be victorious”

Others say: “If you fear your enemy you have allowed an army to be sent against your heart”

We have found that the ones who died because of their fear are more than the ones who died due to their courage.

Al Tartooshi says:

Courage is of three types:

1. A man who stands in front of the army asking for a challenger from the enemy to come out and face him

2. A man who remains calm, concentrating, tranquil while the battle is ragging. And when others are succumbing to fear he has not lost his orientation and is not confused and acts in a way that proves he has control over himself.

3. A man when everyone else is defeated and is retreating remains firm calling them, and encouraging them to continue the fight.

Al Tartooshi says that the third man possesses the greatest form of courage.

The courageous of this Ummah:

The most courageous of all mankind is the Messenger of Allah.

He had the strongest heart of all.

He faced the toughest of situations. Heroes would scatter from around him while he is firm. The Messenger of Allah never turned his back in battle.

218. In Bukhari and Muslim Anas bin Malik narrates: “The Messenger of Allah was the best of people, he was the most generous and the most courageous.”

219. Ali said: “When the ferocity of combat would reach its limit and the eyes would turn red we would seek refuge next to the Messenger of Allah. He would be the closest of us to the enemy.” (Muslim)

220. A man asked al Baraa bin Aazib: “Did you run away during the life of the Messenger of Allah?” He said: “We did. But he didn’t.” (Bukhari – Muslim)

In Uhud Ubayy bin Khalaf, riding his horse, charged towards the Messenger of Allah. Some Muslims wanted to get in the way to protect the Messenger of Allah but he told them to move aside. The Messenger of Allah picked up a spear and threw it at Ubayy who was covered in iron armor from head to toe. Nothing appeared from him except his eyes and a small opening in his neck. The spear hit him right in the neck and he fell off his horse. Even though the spear only caused a minor bruise in his neck due to the protection of the armor, Ubayy rushed back screaming: “Muhammad has killed me!” The people of Quraish checked him and said we don’t find any major injury. You are fine! He said: “Muhammad claimed he would kill me, therefore it must come to happen!” Ubayy latter died on his way back to Makkah.

The courageous of this Ummah are too many to count. On top of the list are the Sahabah whom Allah praised in Quran:
Among the famous brave men of the Ummah are:

1. Abu Bakr:

The courage of Abu Bakr was witnessed by the hero of the Ummah Ali bin Abi Talib. When he was the Khalifah Ali asked: “Who is the bravest of men?” They said: “You are,” He said: “I have never dueled anyone and lost. But the bravest man is Abu Bakr. During the battle of Badr we built a shed for the Messenger of Allah and we asked who would be the bodyguard of the Messenger of Allah therein. Abu Bakr came carrying his sword and defended the Messenger of Allah for the entire day. In Makkah the disbelievers attacked the Messenger of Allah: One would pull him, the other would beat him and they would say: “Have you made the gods one God?” No one dared to go near the Messenger of Allah save Abu Bakr. He went and started fighting them and would say: “Are you going to kill a man just because he says: “Allah is my Lord!”““ Then Ali asked: “Who is better Abu Bakr or the believer of the family of Pharaoh? (His story is mentioned and praised in Quran)” The people remained quite. He said: “Why don’t you answer? In the name of Allah, one moment in the life of Abu Bakr is greater than the entire earth full of the likes of the believer of the family of Pharaoh! The believer of the family of Pharaoh was a man who concealed his faith while Abu Bakr was a man who proclaimed his faith”

Abu Bakr is the bravest man of this Ummah after the Messenger of Allah. One can note the strength of his heart during the battle of Badr, Uhud, the trench, al Hudaybiah, and Hunain. It is enough to note his steadfastness, firmness, and strengthening of the entire Ummah when the greatest disaster of all befell us: The death of Muhammad (saaws). That was when the hearts deviated, and the nation was shaken. When all the hearts where trembling the heart of the Siddeeq was firm. If the heart of Abu Bakr were placed on one side of the scale and the hearts of all the Ummah on the other, his heart would outweigh them all. The courage of Abu Bakr in his
decision to fight the apostates if distributed over the hearts of the cowards on the entire face of the earth, it would be sufficient to make them brave.

2. Umar bin al Khattaab

It is sufficient to point out that the courage of Umar was sufficient enough to make Shaytaan avoid him.

The Messenger of Allah told Umar: “O son of Khattaab: In the name of whom my soul is in His hands whenever Shaytaan sees you taking a route he would take another” (Bukhari – Muslim)
His Islam brought strength to the Muslims. Abdullah bin Masood said: “We used to not be able to pray next to al Kaabah publicly until Umar became Muslim.

3. Ali bin Abi Talib:

He was the lion of this Ummah. He never missed a battle with the Messenger of Allah except Tabook because the Messenger of Allah appointed him over Madinah in his absence. During the battle of Khaibar the Messenger of Allah said: “Tomorrow I will give the banner to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger, and Allah and His Messenger love him. He does not turn his back away in battle and Allah will make opening occur on his hands” All of the Sahabah desired that honor. The next day the Messenger of Allah called Ali and gave him the banner.

Musaab al Zubairi said: “Ali was very cautious in battle. He was swerve terrifically from his enemy and whenever he charges his enemy he would protect all his sides and when he retreats back from his charge he would be even more protective of himself. No one could get to him. His shield was one sided. It only protected him from the front. When asked: “Don’t you fear an attack from behind?” He replied: “I never give my enemy the chance to attack me from my
back”

4. Talhah bin Ubaidillah:

He is one of the ten given the glad tidings of Paradise. During Uhud he shielded the Messenger of Allah with his own body causing over 70 injuries in his body. Whenever the Messenger of Allah wanted to look at the disbelievers Talhah would plead with him not to do so and would shield him with his body.

5. Al Zubair bin al Awwaam:

He is also one of the ten given the glad tidings of Paradise. He was the first Muslim to draw out a sword. During the early days of Islam in Makkah a rumor spread that the Messenger of Allah was kidnapped. Al Zubair drew out his sword and went looking for him. He ran into the Messenger of Allah who asked him: “What’s wrong with you Zubair?” He said: “I heard that you were kidnapped so I came out to fight them!” The Messenger of Allah prayed for him.

6. Saad bin Abi Waqqaas:

He is one of ten given the glad tidings of Paradise. The Messenger of Allah prayed for him: “O Allah make his arrow hit its target and make his prayer accepted” Umar appointed him to lead the army at Qadisiyah. The Muslims won and he continued leading them in Persia until he opened most of it and entered the capital, al Mada’in. Saad is the one who founded the two cities of Kufah and Basra. When he was dying he requested his body be rapped and buried in an old wool cloth. He said this was what I had on during the battle of Badr and I’ve reserved it for this day.

7. Abu Ubaydah bin al Jarraah:

He is one of the ten given the glad tidings of Paradise. Umar appointed him over the army opening al Shaam. He was the leader of the army during the great battle of al Yarmuk. He died in the plague of Amawas in al Shaam.

8. Hamzah bin Abdulmutalib:

He is the lion of Allah and his Messenger. After the battle of Badr Umayyah bin Khalaf who was captured asked AbdulRahman bin Awf: “Who was the man in your army marked with an ostrich feather on his chest?” AbdulRahman said: “That is Hamzah” Umayyah said: “He is the one who brought ruin to us!” He was killed during the battle of Uhud.

9. Jaafar bin Abi Talib:

He was ten years older than his brother Ali. He was the second leader in line at the battle of Mu’tah. When he took over after Zaid he carried the banner with his right hand which was cut off so he carried it with his left hand, which was in turn also cut off so he embraced the banner and continued fighting until he fell. They found in the front of his body over 90 injuries.

10. Muadh bin Amr bin al Jamooh:

He was the slayer of the Pharaoh of this Ummah Abu Jahl.

He said: I made Abu Jahl my target on the day of Badr. When I found him I charged at him and struck him with my sword and cut his leg in two. Then his son Ikrimah hit me on my shoulder until he cut off my arm. It only remained hanging to my body by the skin of my side. But
because fighting distracted me I remained dragging it behind me for most of the day. When it annoyed me I placed my foot over it and pulled it off.

11. Al Baraa bin Malik:

He is the brother of Anas bin Malik the servant of the Messenger of Allah. He was one of heroes of this Ummah.

Anas bin Malik heard his brother al Baraa humming poetry so he told him: “O my brother you are humming poetry? What if this is the last thing you speak?” [When Quran was revealed the Sahabah disliked reciting anything but Quran. Anas was warning his brother and saying that if you die this moment and the last words you spoke were lines of poetry, how would you face Allah? In another narration he told him to rather remember Allah] Al Baraa said: “No! A man like me won’t die on his bed. I’ve killed ninety nine of the nonbelievers and hypocrites!”
(Mussanaf ibn Abu Shaybah)

Umar wrote to his military generals to never allow al Baraa to hold any position of leadership in the Muslim armies. The reason: Umar said he is too hazardous for the Muslims! (Al Hakim)

During the battle against the forces of Musaylamah the liar, he sat on a shield and asked the Muslims to carry the shield on their spears and throw him over the walls of the enemy in order to open the gates! He did open the gates but after he received over 80 injuries. (Al Isabah) On the day of the battle of Tastur the Muslims asked al Baraa to make an oath to give them victory. Al Baraa said: “O Allah! I make an oath that you hand us over their shoulders (give us victory) and to make me follow your prophet (to die)” He charged the enemy and the Muslims followed him. The Persians lost, and al Baraa was martyred. Allah fulfilled his oath.

Anas narrated: When Abu Musa was appointed governor over al Basra he told al Baraa to choose any position of leadership in his government and he will be appointed to it. Al Baraa said: “I don’t want any. Rather I want you to hand me over my bow, horse, spear, sword, and shield and then sent me to jihad. He sent him in an army. Al Baraa was the first to die” (Ibn Abu Shaybah)

12. Sammaak bin Kharshah (Abu Dujaanah):

Before the battle of Uhud started the Messenger of Allah held a sword in his hand and said: “Who would fight with this sword and give it its due right?”

Some men stood up and offered to take it but the Messenger of Allah didn’t give it to them. And then Abu Dujaanah stood up and said: “O Messenger of Allah what is its due right?” He said: “That you strike with it the faces of the enemy until it bents!” Abu Dujaanah said: “I will take it O Messenger of Allah” and he gave it to him. Al Zubair bin al Awwaam said: “I felt saddened that I, the cousin of the Messenger of Allah, would ask for the sword and would not get it but Abu Dujaanah would. So I decided to follow Abu Dujaanah and see what he would do with it.

Abu Dujaanah pulled out a red bandanna and tied it around his head. The Ansar said: Abu Dujaanah has pulled out his bandanna of death! He then attacked enemy and whenever he would face anyone he would kill him!”

Before the battle he marched with pride before the enemy. The Messenger of Allah said: “This is a walk despised by Allah except in this situation”

During the battle of al Yamamah he threw himself over the wall surrounding the city and broke his leg. He continued fighting with a broken leg until he was martyred.

13. Khalid bin al Waleed:

He is the drawn sword of Allah. As soon as he became Muslim the Messenger of Allah was sending him to fight the enemies of Allah. Khalid never in his life lost a battle.

Khalid bin al Waleed said: “If I were to marry a beautiful woman whom I love, or if I were given the good news of having a newborn son, is less beloved and dear to my heart then to be in a cold icy night in an army waiting to meet my enemy the next morning. I advise you to go on jihad”
These were the words of Khalid before his death.

14. Salamah bin al Akwa:

We mentioned his story earlier when he fought the disbelievers alone.
The Messenger of Allah said about him that day: “The best of our foot soldiers today is Salamah bin al Akwa”

15. Ukashah bin Mahsan:

His bravery in war was well known. In the battle of al Ghabah he saw Amr bin Abaar along with his father riding the same camel. He threw his spear and killed both of them the same time.

16. Amr bin Ma’adi Yakrib:

He was a king from Yemen who was famous for his bravery. He later embraced Islam.
Umar would count him as a thousand men. Al Tartooshi mentions in Siraj al Molook that Amr bin Maadi Yakrib went next to the river and told his people: “I am going to cross the bridge. If you follow me after a time equivalent to the time it takes to slaughter a camel you would find me with my sword in my hand fighting whoever is in front of me with the enemy surrounding me and I am standing between them. If you come later than that you would find me dead.” And then
he crossed the bridge over the river towards the enemy’s camp. A while later his people said: “O sons of Zabid! Are we going to leave our man alone? We might not even catch him alive”

So they crossed the bridge and found him without his horse while he was holding both back legs of an enemy’s horse and the horse failed to move. The fighter on the horse was trying to reach Amr behind him with his sword with no avail. When the fighter saw us attacking he came down from his horse and ran away. Amr then mounted the horse. He then told us: “You were almost going to miss me” They asked him: “Where is your horse?” He said: “It was hit by an arrow that killed and I fell off its back”

17. Ikrimah the son of Abu Jahl:

He was courageous before becommung a Muslim and Islam only added to his courage. During the battle of Yarmuk he fought ferociously. He was told to slow down and be cautious. He replied: “I used to fight to defend Allaat and al Uzza (two idols) and I would not take any care for myself. Now you want me to take caution when I am fighting for Allah and His Messenger!”
He then said: “Who is going to pledge to die!” Al Harith bin Hisham, Dhirar bin al Azwar along with 400 of the brave gave their pledge. They attacked the Romans and disappeared in their ranks. Ikrimah never came out. His body was found with more than seventy injuries.

18. Tulayhah al Azdi:

When Saad bin Abi Waqqaas asked the Khalifah Umar to send him reinforcement. Umar replied:
“I have sent you 2000 men: Amr bin Ma’adi Yakrib and Tulayhah al Azdi. Each one of them counts as a thousand”

Tulayhah, Amr, and Qays bin Makshooh went on a reconnaissance mission to the enemy’s army.
Both Amr and Qays kidnapped some Persian soldiers and brought them back to the Muslim camp for interrogation. Tulayhah went further until he was in the camp of the army’s commander. He hid until nightfall and then went straight to the tent of the commander and took away his horse -which was tied to the tent- and ran away. A Persian horseman saw that and followed him. Tulayhah killed him and took his horse along with his and the commander’s horse.

Another horseman pursued him and Tulayhah also killed him and took his horse. A third horseman attacked him but then surrendered. Tulayhah captured him and carried him away, along with a total of four horses in addition to his. The Muslim leaders gathered to question the Persian who turned out to be one of their leaders. He said: “I have fought numerous battles but I have never seen anything like this man! He crossed our camps until he made it to where even the brave would not dare: the camp of our army’s commander, which had over 70,000 soldiers. As if that wasn’t enough he went ahead and took the commander’s horse! The first of us to follow him was considered among us to be equal to a thousand men and he killed him! The second to follow him was killed and then I pursued him and I don’t think that there is anyone in the army equal to myself in strength and courage. But I saw death on his hands and surrendered! The man then accepted Islam and fought along side the Muslims.

19. Abdullah bin al Zubair:

He was the courageous and son of the courageous. His father was al Zubair bin al Awwaam. Abdullah participated in the opening of North Africa and killed Jarjeer, the king of the Berber.

20. Abdullah bin Abi al Sarh:

He was the opener of North Africa. He was the one to lead the first naval battle of the Muslims:
The battle of al Sawari against the Romans. He was appointed by Uthman to govern Egypt.
When the fitnah occurred he retired to al Ramlah in Palestine where he remained until he died.

21. Al Qa’qaa bin Amr

When the Messenger of Allah was consulting the Sahabah before Badr Al Qa’qaa said: “Go ahead and fight and we will not say what Banu Israel said to Musa: “Go and fight with your Lord, we will stay here” But we will say: “Go ahead and fight with your Lord, we are going to fight with you”

Abu Bakr said about him: “The voice of al Qa’qaa in battle is better than 1000 men”

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Islam - the Only, One, True Religion for all of Mankind

The True Religion

By Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
THE RELIGION OF ISLAM

The first thing that one should know and clearly understand about Islam is what the word "Islam" itself means. The religion of Islam is not named after a person as in the case of Christianity which was named after Jesus Christ, Buddhism after Gotama Buddha, Confucianism after Confucius, and Marxism after Karl Marx. Nor was it named after a tribe like Judaism after the tribe of Judah and Hinduism after the Hindus. Islam is the true religion of "Allah" and as such, its name represents the central principle of Allah's "God's" religion; the total submission to the will of Allah "God". The Arabic word "Islam" means the submission or surrender of one's will to the only true god worthy of worship "Allah" and anyone who does so is termed a "Muslim", The word also implies "peace" which is the natural consequence of total submission to the will of Allah. Hence, it was not a new religion brought by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) I in Arabia in the seventh century, but only the true religion of Allah re-expressed in its final form.

Islam is the religion which was given to Adam, the first man and the first prophet of Allah, and it was the religion of all the prophets sent by Allah to mankind. The name of God's religion lslam was not decided upon by later generations of man. It was chosen by Allah Himself and clearly mentioned in His final revelation to man. In the final book of divine revelation, the Qur'aan, Allah states the following:

"This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion". (Soorah Al-Maa'idah 5:3)

"If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah (God) never will It be accepted of Him" (Soorah Aal'imraan 3:85)

"Abraham was not a Jew nor Christian; but an upright Muslim." (Soorah Aal'imraan 3:67)

Nowhere in the Bible will you find Allah saying to Prophet Moses' people or their descendants that their religion is Judaism, nor to the followers of Christ that their religion is Christianity. In fact, Christ was not even his name, nor was it Jesus! The name "Christ" comes from the Greek word Christos which means the annointed. That is, Christ is a Greek translation of the Hebrew title "Messiah". The name "Jesus" on the other hand, is a latinized version of the Hebrew name Esau.

For simplicity's sake, I will however continue to refer to Prophet Esau (PBUH) as Jesus. As for his religion, it was what he called his followers to. Like the prophets before him, he called the people to surrender their will to the will of Allah; (which is Islam) and he warned them to stay away from the false gods of human imagination.

According to the New Testament, he taught his followers to pray as follows: "Yours will be done on earth as it is in Heaven".

THE MESSAGE OF ISLAM

Since the total submission of one's will to Allah represents the essence of worship, the basic message of Allah's divine religion, Islam is the worship of Allah alone and the avoidance of worship directed to any person, place or thing other than Allah.Since everything other than Allah, the Creator of all things, is Allah's creation; it may be said that Islam, in essence calls man away from the worship of creation and invites him to worship only its Creator. He is the only one deserving man's worship as it is only by His will that prayers are answered. If man prays to a tree and his prayers are answered, it was not the tree which answered his prayers but Allah who allowed the circumstances prayed for to take place. One might say, "That is obvious," however, to tree-worshippers it might not be. Similarly, prayers to Jesus, Buddha, or Krishna, to Saint Christopher, or Saint Jude or even to Muhammad, are not answered by them but are answered by Allah. Jesus did nottell his followers to worship him but to worship Allah. As the Qur'aan states:

"And behold Allah will say: "O Jesus the son of Mary Did you say to men, Worship me and my mother as gods besides Allah He will say-"Glory to you I could never say what I had no right (to say')" (Soorah Al-Maa'idah- 5:116)

Nor did he worship himself when he worshipped but rather he worshipped Allah. This basic principle is enshrined in the opening chapter of the Qur'aan, known as Soorah Al-Faatihah, verse 4:

"You alone do we worship and from you alone do we seek help".

Elsewhere, in the final book of revelation, the Qur'aan, Allah also said:

"And your Lord says:"Call on Me and I will answer your(prayer)."(Soorsh Mu'min 40:60)

it is worth noting that the basic message of Islam is that Allah and His creation are distinctly different entities. Neither is Allah His creation or a part of it, nor is His creation Him or a part of Him.

This might seem obvious, but, man's worship of creation instead of the Creator is to a large degree based on ignorance of this concept. It is the belief that the essence of Allah is everywhere in His creation or that His divine being is or was present in some aspects of His creation, which has provided justification for the worship of creation though such worship maybecalled the worship of Allah through his creation. How ever, the message of Islam as brought by the prophets of Allah is to worship only Allah and to avoid the worship of his creation either directly or indirectly. In the Our'aan Allah clearlystates:

"For We assuredly sent amongst every people a prophet,(with the command) worship meand avoid false gods " (Soorsh Al-Nahl 16:36)

When the idol worshipper is questioned as to why he or she bows down to idols created by men, the invariable reply is that they are not actually worshipping the stone image, but Allah who is present within it. They claim that the stone idol is only a focal point for Allah's essence and is not in itself Allah! One who has accepted the concept of the presence of God's being within His creation in any way will be obliged to accept this argument of idolatry. Whereas, one who understands the basic message of Islam and its implications would never concede to idolatry no matter how it is rationalized. Those who have claimed divinity for themselves down through the ages have often based their claims on the mistaken belief that Allah is present in man. They merely had to assert that although Allah according to their false beliefs, is in all of us, He is more present in them than in the rest of us. Hence, they claim, we should submit our will to them and worship them as they are either God in person or God concentrated within the person.

Similarly, those who have asserted the godhood of others after their passing have found fertile ground among those who accept the false belief of God's presence in man. One who has grasped the basic message of Islam and its implications could never agree to worship another human being under any circumstances. God's religion in essence is a clear call to the worship of the Creator and the rejection of creation-worship in any form. This is the meaning of the motto of Islam:

"Laa Elaaha lllallaah" (There is no god but Allah)

Its repetition automatically brings one within the fold of Islam and sincere belief in it guarantees one Paradise.

Thus, the final Prophet of Islam is reported to have said, "Any one who says: There is no god but Allah and dies holding that (belief) will enter paradise".(Reported by Abu Dharr and collected by Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim).

It consists in the submission to Allah as one God, yielding to Him by obeying His commandments, and the denial of polytheism and polytheists.

THE MESSAGE OF FALSE RELIGION

There are so many sects, cults, religions, philosophies, and movements in the world, all of which claim to be the right way or the only true path to Allah. How can one determine which one is correct or if, in fact, all are correct? The method by which the answer can be found is to clear away the superficial differences in the teachings of the various claimants to the ultimate truth, and identify the central object of worship to which they call, directly or indirectly. False religions all have in common one basic concept with regards to Allah. They either claim that all men are gods or that specific men were Allah or that nature is Allah or that Allah is a figment of man's imagination.

Thus, it may be stated that the basic message of false religion is that Allah may be worshipped in the form of His creation. False religion invites man to the worship of creation by calling the creation or some aspect of it God. For example, prophet Jesus invited his followers to worship Allah but those who claim to be his followers today call people to worship Jesus, claiming that he was Allah!

Buddha was a reformer who introduced a number of humanistic principles to the religion of India. He did not claim to be God nor did he suggest to his followers that he be an object of worship. Yet, today most Buddhists who are to be found outside of India have taken him to be God and prostrate to idols made in their perception of his likeness.

By using the principle of identifying the object of worship, false religion becomes very obvious and the contrived nature of their origin clear. As God said in the Our'aan:

That which you worship besides Him are only names you and your forefathers have invented for which Allah has sent down no authority: The command belongs only to Allah:

He has commanded that you only worship Him; that is the right religion, but most men do not understand ". (Soorah Yoosuf 12:40)

It may be argued that all religions teach good things so why should it matter which one we follow. The reply is that all false religions teach the greatest evil, the worship of creation. Creation-worship is the greatest sin that man can commit because it contradicts the very purpose of his creation. Man was created to worship Allah alone as Allah has explicitly stated in the Our'aan:

"I have only created Jlnns and men, that they may worship me"(Soorah Zaareeyaat 51:56)

Consequently, the worship of creation, which is the essence of idolatry, is the only unforgivable sin. One who dies in this state of idolatry has sealed his fate in the next life. This is not an opinion, but a revealed fact stated by Allah in his final revelation to man:

"Verily Allah will not forgive the joining of partners with Him, but He may forgive (sins) less than that for whom so ever He wishes"(Soorah An- Nisaa 4:48 and 116)

THE UNIVERSALITY OF ISLAM

Since the consequences of false religion are so grave, the true religion of Allah must be universally understandable and attainable, not confined to any people, place or time. There can not be conditions like baptism, belief in a man, as a saviour etc., for a believer to enter paradise. Within the central principle of Islam and in its definition, (the surrender of one's will to God) lies the roots of lslam's universality. Whenever man comes to the realization that Allah is one and distinct from His creation, and submits himself to Allah, he becomes a Muslim in body and spirit and is eligible for paradise. Thus, anyone at anytime in the most remote region of the world can become a Muslim, a follower of God's religion, Islam, by merely rejecting the worship of creation and by turning to Allah (God) alone-It should be noted however, that the recognition of and submission to Allah requires that one chooses between right and wrong and such a choice implies accountability. Man will be held responsible for his choices, and, as such, he should try his utmost to do good and avoid evil. The ultimate good being the worship of Allah alone and the ultimate evil being the worship of His creation along with or instead of Allah. This fact is expressed in the final revelation as follows:

"Verily those who believe, those who follow the Jewish (Scriptures), the Christians and the Sabians any who believe In Allah and the last day, and work righteousness *hall have their reward with their Lord;They will not be overcome by fear nor grief (Soorah Al-Baqarah 2:62).

If only they had stood by the law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that was sent to them from their Lord, they would have enjoyed happiness from every side. There Is from among them a party on the right course; but many of them follow a course that Is evil.". (Soorah Al-.Maa'idah 5:66)

RECOGNITION OF ALLAH

The question which arises here is, "How can all people be expected to believe in Allah given their varying- backgrounds, societies and cultures? For people to be responsible for worshipping Allah they all have to have access to knowledge of Allah. The final revelation teaches that all mankind have the recognition of Allah imprinted on their souls, a part of their very nature with which they are created.

In Soorah Al-A'raaf, Verses 172-173; Allah explained that when He created Adam, He caused all of Adam's descendants to come into existence and took a pledge from them saying, Am I not your Lord? To which they all replied, " Yes, we testify to It:'

Allah then explained why He had all of mankind bear witness that He is their creator and only true God worthy of worship. He said, "That was In case you (mankind) should say on the day of Resurrection, "Verily we were unaware of all this." That is to say, we had no idea that You Allah, were our God. No one told us that we were only supposed to worship You alone. Allah went on to explain That it was also In case you should say, "Certainly It was our ancestors who made partners (With Allah) and we are only their descendants; will You then destroy us for what those liars did?" Thus, every child is born with a natural belief in Allah and an inborn inclination to worship Him alone called in Arabic the "Fitrah".

If the child were left alone, he would worship Allah in his own way, but all children are affected by those things around them, seen or unseen.

The Prophet (PBUH) reported that Allah said, "I created my servants in the right religion but devils made them go astray". The Prophet (PBUH) also said, "Each child is born in a state of "Fitrah", then his parents make him a Jew, Christian or a Zoroastrian, the way an animal gives birth to a normal offspring. Have you noticed any that were born mutilated?" (Collected by Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim).

So, just as the child submits to the physical laws which Allah has put in nature, his soul also submits naturally to the fact that Allah is his Lord and Creator. But, his parents try to make him follow their own way and the child is not strong enough in the early stages of his life to resist or oppose the will of his parents. The religion which the child follows at this stage is one of custom and upbringing and Allah does not hold him to account or punish him for this religion.

Throughout people's lives from childhood until the time they die, signs are shown to them in all regions of the earth and in their own souls, until it becomes clear that there is only one true God (Allah). If the people are honest with themselves, reject their false gods and seek Allah, the way will be made easy for them but if they continually reject Allah's signs and continue to worship creation, the more difficult it will be for them to escape. For example, in the South Eastern region of the Amazon jungle in Brazil, South America, a primitive tribe erected a new hut to house their main idol Skwatch, representing the supreme God of all creation. The homage to the God, and while he was in prostration to what he had been taught was his Creator and Sustainer, a mangy old flea-ridden dog walked into the hut, The young man looked up in time to see the dog lift its hind leg and pass urine on the idol. Outraged, the youth chased the dog out of the temple, but when his rage died down he realized that the idol could not be the Lordof the universe. Allah must be elsewhere. he now had a choice to act on his knowledge and seek Allah, or to dishonestly go along with the false beliefs of his tribe. As strange as it may seem, that was a sign from Allah for that young man. It contained within it divine guidance that what he was worshipping was false.

Prophets were sent, as was earlier mentioned, to every nation and tribe to support man's natural belief in Allah and man's inborn inclination to worship Him as well as to reinforce the divine truth in the daily signs revealed by Allah. Although, in most cases, much of the prophets' teachings became distorted, portions remained which point out right and wrong. For example, the ten commandments of the Torah, their confirmation in the Gospels and the existence of laws against murder, stealing and adultery in most societies. Consequently, every soul will be held to account for its belief in Allah and its acceptance of the religion of Islam; the total submission to the will of Allah.

We pray to Allah, the exalted, to keep us on the right path to which He has guided us, and to bestow on us a blessing from Him, He is indeed the Most Merciful. Praise and gratitude be to Allah,the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be on prophet Muhammed, his Family, his companions, and those who rightly follow them.

Accepting Islam Cleanses You From All Previous Sins

Question :

A brother of ours has recently become Muslim. During his days of Jaahiliyyah (ignorance – i.e., before he became Muslim), he earned a lot of money by dealing in drugs. He brought this money with him and opened a big bookstore and got married using this money. Recently he has been told that it is not permissible for him to give this money in charity, because Allaah is Good and only accepts that which is good, Our question is, what should he do with this money, and how sound is what he has been told?.


Answer :

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly:

Praise be to Allaah Who has guided him to Islam. We ask Allaah to make him steadfast and to guide him to that which is good for him in this world and in the Hereafter.

Secondly:

By His grace and mercy, Allaah has caused Islam to destroy the sins that came before it. When a kaafir becomes Muslim, Allaah forgives all that he did when he was a kaafir, and he becomes cleansed of sin.

Muslim (121) narrated that ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: When Allaah put Islam in my heart, I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: “Give me your right hand so that I may swear allegiance to you.” He held out his hand and I withdrew my hand. He said, “What is the matter, O ‘Amr?” I said, “I want to stipulate a condition.” He said, “What do you want to stipulate?” I said, “That I will be forgiven.” He said, “Do you not know that Islam destroys that which came before it?”

“Islam destroys that which came before it” means that it erases it and wipes it out. Stated by al-Nawawi in Sharh Muslim.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked a similar question, about someone who earned money by dealing in drugs before he became Muslim. He replied:

We say to this brother whom Allaah has blessed with Islam after he had earned haraam wealth: be of good cheer, for this wealth is permissible for him and there is no sin on him in it, whether he keeps it or gives it in charity, or uses it to get married, because Allaah says in His Holy Book (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say to those who have disbelieved, if they cease (from disbelief), their past will be forgiven. But if they return (thereto), then the examples of those (punished) before them have already preceded (as a warning)”

[al-Anfaal 8:38]

i.e., all that has passed, in general terms, is forgiven. But any money that was taken by force from its owner must be returned to him. But money that was earned by agreements between people, even if it is haraam, like that which is earned through riba or by selling drugs, etc. it is permissible for him when he becomes Muslim because Allaah says, “Say to those who have disbelieved, if they cease (from disbelief), their past will be forgiven”. And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas when he became Muslim: “Do you not know that Islam destroys that which came before it?”

Many of the kuffaar became Muslim after they had killed Muslims, but they were not punished for what they had done. So tell this brother that his wealth is permissible and there is no sin in it; he may give it in charity and use it to get married. As for what he has been told about it not being permissible for him to give it in charity, there is no basis for that. End quote.

Liqaa’aat al-Baab il-Maftooh, /373-374.


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Allah Bless America - With Islam

Allah Bless America - With Islam

By Shariffa Carlo

The other day, I attended an awards banquet for a Muslim organization. I was extremely surprised when I arrived. This was supposed to be a group of people, "doing the right thing" Islamically. They were supposed to be the religious Muslims, yet there they were, unveiled woman after unveiled woman. All the men were in Western suits, with barely a beard in the place. Other than the accents, there was nothing to distinguish these people from the non-Muslims. Had I seen it from far, I might have thought this was a group of non-Muslim Hispanics. Why do I bring this up? Well had it stopped there, it would have been bad enough, but these people took it to a higher level.

The ceremony itself was American figurehead after figurehead, from representatives, to mayors to Bank CEO's. Once, the local Police Commissioner "stopped by" to say hello, and they halted all proceedings to give him an opportunity to speak. This man was completely ignorant of Islam. Made an inane comment about Persian rugs, and how "his people" love our rugs. What really struck me about this is that the Muslims actually clapped when he said it.

These Muslims were like dogs at the feet of their master, waiting for any scrap he might throw from his table. It did not matter what he threw, they took it as a sign of love and affection. During the dinner, I had to actually step out of the place because, of all things, they had a singer. Now get this. He was singing "God Bless America"!!!!! God Bless America! I was flabbergasted. Here was a Muslim, singing a song about blessing America which was written by a Jew for a nation of Christians. How far we have fallen from that "best of Statures" in which Allah created us.

I am not saying that we should hate this land, the opposite. This LAND belongs to Allah, as do all the lands of this earth. We should work hard to make this land a Muslim land. What I am saying is that the way to do this is not by bending down to the feet of the non-Muslims and puckering up! We are not supposed to be clamoring after them, seeking their approval.

I told one of my friends that these people reminded me of an old Arabic story. There was this crow. He saw the beautiful peacok, with his feathers at full glory, and he wished to be one. He spent his days imitating the peacok's walk, his sound, and his dance. He tried desperately to imitate the fanning of that beautiful tail. Eventually, he realized that he had failed; yet, when he tried to go back to being a crow, he couldn't. He had forgotten how. Now, he was neither crow nor peacok. I was reminded of this by these people, but sadder still was the realization that in this situation, the peacok was actually trying to imitate the crow, hiding his beautiful feathers and trying to paint himself black. Allah guide us!

We need to realize that these people are not our friends. Have the tragedies in Bosnia and Kosova taught us nothing? Did we not learn from the fact that the moment they have the opportunity, they will exterminate us? Has the current suffering of the Iraqi people taught us nothing? Its time to open our eyes. Look to the behavior of the Americans in the past. They fight against a country, destroy it, and rebuild it in their own image. Look to Germany and Japan as the prime examples. All they need is to get their foot in the door. These people do not love us. Allah, the One Who knows the hidden secrets of man has warned us! Do we disbelieve him? Will we not heed His warning?

Allah says:

O you who believe! Do not take for intimate friends from among others than your own people; they do not fall short of inflicting loss upon you; they love what distresses you; vehement hatred has already appeared from out of their mouths, and what their breasts conceal is greater still; indeed, We have made the communications clear to you, if you will understand. Lo! you are they who will love them while they do not love you, and you believe in the Book (in) the whole of it; and when they meet you they say: We believe, and when they are alone, they bite the ends of their fingers in rage against you. Say: Die in your rage; surely Allah knows what is in the breasts. If good befalls you, it grieves them, and if an evil afflicts you, they rejoice at it; and if you are patient and guard yourselves, their scheme will not injure you in any way; surely Allah comprehends what they do. 3:118-120

We have beautiful examples of their hate for us. When I lived in South Carolina, a member of the State Board of Education, Dr. Henry Jordan, made the following statement when the board refused to allow Christian religious pictures in the public school hallways: He said, "Screw the Jews and KILL THE MUSLIMS" Now, imagine, Allah said that what they hide in their hearts is worse!!!! What do we need to start believing Allah?

Watch the Muslims being corralled into prison camps in the movie, "The Siege". This is our future, do not doubt it. This could happen to us just as easily as it happened to the Japanese in WWII. Just look at how they have treated us whenever there is a serious terrorist threat. They do not even wait until the facts are in. We are automatically the first suspects. They hunt us down all over the earth and bring us here - to America - for JUSTICE and the Democratic way! They have no concept of the word! Was it justice and Democracy, when during the Gulf war, Bush commented about the masses who were protesting their governments' involvement in Morocco. Bush said, "Do not worry about the people, the government is with us." Is it justice to allow the people of Iraq to suffer and die because they do not like Saddam? Is it justice to support dictators who kill their own people just because they support America?

America is not about Justice, it is about protecting its own interests world-wide. They did not rush in to save Kuwait because it was a matter of justice! They did it for the oil! They do care about us. They care about themselves, and they will squash us (or try to) like the bugs they see us as the moment they have the chance or the moment we get a backbone and try to establish ourselves. Do not doubt it.

Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it! This is true. Look at the history of this nation. See how they deal with the world and learn! Allah has warned us. They are not our people. We are the Muslims, the greatest nation raised by Allah. Isn't it time we started acting like it? Isn't it time we stopped wagging our tails and started acting like men and women. Isn't it time we stopped acting like animals whose only purpose in life is eating, sleeping, procreating and dying? Isn't it time we started to worship Allah as He commanded us to, instead of trying to blend into these kafir nations where we reside, these kafir nations we are flocking to, these kafir nations we are praising and singing to?

Allah says, And I have not created the jinn and the men except that they should worship Me. 51:56

We are not here for fun and games. We are not here to work towards blending in. We are here to worship Allah. That entails sacrifice and devotion to the way of Allah. It means turning away from all that is against the way of Allah. It is not having awards dinners where we throw away our hijabs, shave our beards, wear a suit and tie, sing the praises of this kafir system and applaud idiots who praise us for our rugs!

Allah Guide the Muslims! Allah Guide the Muslims! Allah Guide the Muslims! Ameen.

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What does it mean in Islam, Do not take the unbelievers for friends?

Question :


In the Quraan, it says that we can not take the Kuffaar as awliyaa, but what does that mean? I mean, to what degree? Can we do business with them still? If I'm at school, can we play basketball with them? Can we talk to them about basketball and stuff? Can we hang out with them as long as they keep their beliefs to themselves? The reason I ask is because someone I know does hang out with them in this way and it doesn't affect his beliefs, but I still tell him, "Why don't you hang out with the muslims instead?" He says that most or many of the Muslims drink and take drugs where they hang out and they have girlfriends and he's afraid that the sins of the Muslims will lure him, yet he's sure that the Kufr of the Kaafirs will not lure him because that's something that isn't attractive to him. So is hanging out with them, playing sports with them, and talking with them about sports considered as "taking them as awliyaa instead of the believers" keeping in mind that he is doing that for his own eemaan?.

Answer :

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly:

Allaah has forbidden the believers to take the kaafireen (disbelievers) as friends, and He has issued a stern warning against doing that.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians as Awliyaa’ (friends, protectors, helpers), they are but Awliyaa’ of each other. And if any amongst you takes them (as Awliyaa’), then surely, he is one of them. Verily, Allaah guides not those people who are the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers and unjust)”

[al-Maa’idah 5:51]

Shaykh al-Shanqeeti (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

In this verse Allaah tells us that whoever takes the Jews and Christians as friends is one of them because of his taking them as friends. Elsewhere Allaah states that taking them as friends incurs the wrath of Allaah and His eternal punishment, and that if the one who takes them as friends was a true believer he would not have taken them as friends. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“You see many of them taking the disbelievers as their Awliyaa’ (protectors and helpers). Evil indeed is that which their ownselves have sent forward before them; for that (reason) Allaah’s Wrath fell upon them, and in torment they will abide.

81. And had they believed in Allaah, and in the Prophet (Muhammad) and in what has been revealed to him, never would they have taken them (the disbelievers) as Awliyaa’ (protectors and helpers); but many of them are the Faasiqoon (rebellious, disobedient to Allaah)”

[al-Maa’idah 5:80-81]

Elsewhere Allaah forbids taking them as friends and explains the reason for that, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe! Take not as friends the people who incurred the Wrath of Allaah (i.e. the Jews). Surely, they have despaired of (receiving any good in) the Hereafter, just as the disbelievers have despaired of those (buried) in graves (that they will not be resurrected on the Day of Resurrection)”

[al-Mumtahanah 60:13]

In another verse Allaah explains that this is so long as they are not taken as friends because of fear or taqiyah (i.e., being friendly with them in order to avoid harm); if that is the case then the one who does that is excused. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Let not the believers take the disbelievers as Awliyaa’ (supporters, helpers) instead of the believers, and whoever does that, will never be helped by Allaah in any way, except if you indeed fear a danger from them”

[Aal ‘Imraan 3:28]

This verse explains all the verses quoted above which forbid taking the kaafirs as friends in general terms. What that refers to is in cases where one has a choice, but in cases of fear and taqiyah it is permissible to make friends with them, as much as is essential to protect oneself against their evil. That is subject to the condition that one’s faith should not be affected by that friendship and the one who is behaves in that manner out of necessity is not one who behaves in that manner out of choice.

It may be understood from the apparent meaning of these verses that the one who deliberately takes the kuffaar as friends by choice and because he likes them, is one of them. End quote.

Adwa’ al-Bayaan, 2/98,99

One of the forms of making friends with the kaafirs which is forbidden is taking them as friends and companions, mixing with them and eating and playing with them.

In the answer to question no. 10342 we have quoted Shaykh Ibn Baaz as saying:

Eating with a kaafir is not haraam if it is necessary to do so, or if that serves some shar’i interest. But they should not be taken as friends, so you should not eat with them for no shar’i reason or for no shar’i purpose. You should not sit and chat with them and laugh with them. But if there is a reason to do so, such as eating with a guest, or to invite them to Islam or to guide them to the truth, or for some other shar’i reason, then it is OK.

The fact that the food of the People of the Book is halaal for us does not mean that we may take them as friends and companions. It does not mean that we may eat and drink with them for no reason and for no shar’i purpose.

Shaykh Muhammad al-Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about the ruling on mixing with the kuffaar and treating them kindly hoping that they will become Muslim. He replied:

Undoubtedly the Muslim is obliged to hate the enemies of Allaah and to disavow them, because this is the way of the Messengers and their followers. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Indeed there has been an excellent example for you in Ibraaheem (Abraham) and those with him, when they said to their people: ‘Verily, we are free from you and whatever you worship besides Allaah, we have rejected you, and there has started between us and you, hostility and hatred for ever until you believe in Allaah Alone’”

[al-Mumtahanah 60:4]

“You (O Muhammad) will not find any people who believe in Allaah and the Last Day, making friendship with those who oppose Allaah and His Messenger (Muhammad), even though they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred (people). For such He has written Faith in their hearts, and strengthened them with Rooh (proofs, light and true guidance) from Himself”

[al-Mujaadilah 58:22]

Based on this, it is not permissible for a Muslim to feel any love in his heart towards the enemies of Allaah who are in fact his enemies too. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe! Take not My enemies and your enemies (i.e. disbelievers and polytheists) as friends, showing affection towards them, while they have disbelieved in what has come to you of the truth”

[al-Mumtahanah 60:1]

But if a Muslim treats them with kindness and gentleness in the hope that they will become Muslim and will believe, there is nothing wrong with that, because it comes under the heading of opening their hearts to Islam. But if he despairs of them becoming Muslim, then he should treat them accordingly. This is something that is discussed in detail by the scholars, especially in the book Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah by Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him).

Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 3, question no. 389.

Secondly:

With regard to what this person says about not mixing with sinful Muslims for fear that he may be tempted by their sins, but the kufr of the kuffaar does not tempt him, the answer to that is:

As for not mixing with Muslims who commit sin, he is doing well thereby, if he is not able to advise them and forbid them to do evil, and he fears that he may fall into the same sins and think it is something good.

With regard to mixing with the kuffaar, the reason why mixing with the kuffaar is not allowed is not only the fear that one may fall into kufr, rather the main reason for this ruling is their enmity towards Allaah and His Messenger and the believers. Allaah has indicated this reason in the verse where He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe! Take not My enemies and your enemies (i.e. disbelievers and polytheists) as friends, showing affection towards them, while they have disbelieved in what has come to you of the truth (i.e. Islamic Monotheism, this Qur’aan, and Muhammad), and have driven out the Messenger (Muhammad) and yourselves (from your homeland) because you believe in Allaah your Lord”

[al-Mumtahanah 60:1]

So how can it be appropriate for a Muslim to keep company with the enemy of Allaah and his enemy, and make friends with him?

How can he be certain that he will not start to think of their ways as good? Many Muslims have fallen into kufr and heresy and have apostatized from Islam because of keeping company with the kuffaar and living in their countries. Some of them have become Jews and some have become Christians, and some have embraced atheistic philosophies.

We ask Allaah to make us steadfast in following His religion.

See also the answer to question no. 2179, which explains the important principle of the prohibition on taking the kuffaar as close friends. It also describes many forms of the kinds of friendship that are forbidden.

In the answer to question no. 43270 you will find the ruling on saying that the morals and manners of the kuffaar are better than those of the Muslims, and there is a quotation from Shaykh Ibn Baaz on the prohibition on saying such a thing.

In the answer to question no. 26118 and 23325 it is stated that it is forbidden to keep company with the kuffaar and make friends with them.

And Allaah knows best.



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