Life After Death,How Do Muslims View Death?

Life After Death

By World Assembly of Muslim Youth1

How Do Muslims View Death?

Muslims believe that the present life is a trial in preparation for the next realm of existence. When a Muslim dies, he or she is washed and wrapped in a clean, white cloth (usually by a family member) and buried after a special prayer, preferably the same day. Muslims consider this a final service that they can do for their relatives and an opportunity to remember that their own existence here on earth is brief.

The question of whether there is life after death does not fall under the jurisdiction of science, as science is concerned only with classification and analysis of sense data. Moreover, man has been busy with scientific inquiries and research, in the modern sense of the term, only for the last few centuries, while he has been familiar with the concept of life after death since time immemorial.

All the Prophets of God called their people to worship God and to believe in life after death. They laid so much emphasis on the belief in life after death that even a slight doubt in it meant denying God and made all other beliefs meaningless.

The very fact that all the Prophets of God have dealt with this metaphysical question of life after death so confidently and so uniformly - the gap between their ages in some cases, being thousands of years - goes to prove that the source of their knowledge of life after death as proclaimed by them all, was the same, i.e. Divine revelation.

We also know that these Prophets of God were greatly opposed by their people, mainly on the issue of life after death, as their people thought it impossible. But in spite of opposition, the Prophets won many sincere followers.

The question arises: what made those followers forsake the established beliefs, traditions and customs of their forefathers, notwithstanding the risk of being totally alienated from their own community? The simple answer is: they made use of their faculties of mind and heart and realized the truth.

How many prophets has God sent to humanity?

One might well ask:

How many prophets has God sent to humanity?  We are only sure of what is clearly mentioned in the Quran, that God has sent a messenger to every nation.  That is because it is one of God’s principles that He will never call a people to account unless He has made clear to them what to do and what not to do.  The Quran mentions the names of 25 prophets and indicates that there have been others who were not mentioned to Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him.  These 25 include Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad (may God praise them all).  These five are the greatest among God’s messengers.  They are called ‘the resolute’ prophets.

An outstanding aspect of the Islamic belief in prophethood is that Muslims believe in and respect all the messengers of God with no exceptions.  All the prophets came from the same One God, for the same purpose: to lead mankind to God.  Hence, belief in them all is essential and logical; accepting some and rejecting others has to be based on misconceptions of the prophet’s role or on a racial bias.  The Muslims are the only people in the world who consider the belief in all the prophets an article of faith.  Thus the Jews reject Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them), and the Christians reject Muhammad.  The Muslims accept them all as messengers of God who brought guidance to mankind.  However, the revelations which those prophets before Muhammad brought from God have been tampered with in one way or another.

The belief in all the prophets of God is enjoined upon the Muslims in the Quran:

The Beauty of Paradise( Jannah)

Asslamu Alaikum Wa Rahamatu Allah..

Reminding ourselves of the beauty of Paradise, may Allah make us all of its inhabitants, encourage us to do more good deeds and get ready for the real life.

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

by Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim, Rahimahullaah:

And if you ask about its ground and its soil, then it is of musk and saffron.

And

if you ask about its roof, then it is the Throne of the Most Merciful.

And if you ask about its rocks, then they are pearls and jewels.

And if you ask about its buildings, then they are made of bricks of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its trees, then it does not contain a single tree except that its trunk is made of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its fruits, then they are softer than butter and sweeter than honey.

And if you ask about its leaves, then they are softer than the softest cloth.

And if you ask about its rivers, then there are rivers of milk who's taste does not change, and rivers of wine that is delicious to those who drink it, and rivers of honey that is pure, and rivers of water that is fresh.

Backbiting & Slander

Allaah Says in the Quran what means: "And why, when you heard it, did you not say: 'It is not for us to speak of this. Exalted are You, [O Allaah]; this is a great slander?'" [Quran 24:16]

Backbiting & Slander Defined

Prophet Muhammad once asked: "Do you know what backbiting is?" His companions replied: "Allaah and His Messenger know best." He then said: "It is to say something about your brother that he would dislike." Someone asked: "But what if what is said is true?" The Messenger of Allaah replied: "If what you say about him is true, then you have backbitten him, but if it is not true then you have slandered him." [Muslim]

Islam is a religion of peace, love and compassion. Lies, suspicion, backbiting, slander and gossip are totally alien to Islam. In fact, they are considered amongst the most destructive of major sins. This is so because these sins sow enmity and discord among the Muslim Ummah (nation) and lead to its destruction. They cause hostilities between people of the same household, and between neighbours, friends and relatives.

Islam demands that our relationship with mankind be one of sincerity and responsibility. It should be one where we have respect for the honour, reputation and privacy of others. Islam teaches us that we are not only held accountable for our attitudes and actions, but also for anything over which we have control or influence in our society or the world around us.

Allaah has Forbidden the Believers from Backbiting

Allaah states in the Quran (what means): "O you who have believed! Avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin. And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allaah; indeed, Allaah is Accepting of repentance and Merciful." [Quran 49:12]

Most Common Questions asked by Non-Muslims

Q1. Why is a man allowed to have more than one wife in Islam? i.e. why is polygamy allowed in Islam?

Q2. If a man is allowed to have more than one wife, then why does Islam prohibit a woman from having more than one husband?

Q3. Why does Islam degrade women by keeping them behind the veil?

Q4. How can Islam be called the religion of peace when it was spread by the sword?

Q5. Why are most of the Muslims fundamentalists and terrorists?

Q6. Killing an animal is a ruthless act. Why then do Muslims consume non-vegetarian food?

Q7. Why do Muslims slaughter the animal in a ruthless manner by torturing it and slowly and painfully killing it?

Q8. Science tell us that whatever one eats, it has an effect on one’s behaviour. Why then, does Islam allow Muslims to eat non-vegetarian food, since eating of animals could make a person violent and ferocious?

Q9. When Islam is against idol worship why do the Muslims worship, and bow down to the Kaaba in their prayer?

Q10. Why are non-Muslims not allowed in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah?

Q11. Why is the eating of pork forbidden in Islam?

Q12. Why is the consumption of alcohol prohibited in Islam?

Q13. Why are two witnesses who are women, equivalent to only one witness who is a man ?

Q14. Under Islamic law, why is a woman’s share of the inherited wealth only half that of a man?

Q15. IS THE QUR'AN GOD'S WORD?

Q16. How can you prove the existence of hereafter, i.e. life after death?

Q17. When all the Muslim follow one and the same Qur’an then why are there so many sects and different schools of thoughts among Muslims?

Q18. All religions basically teach followers to do good deeds. Why should a person only follow Islam? Can he not follow any of the religions?

Q19. If Islam is the best religion, why are many of the Muslims dishonest, unreliable, and involved in activities such as cheating, bribing, dealing in drugs, etc.?

Q20. Why do Muslims abuse non-Muslims by calling them ‘Kafirs’?

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POLYGAMY

Question:

Why is a man allowed to have more than one wife in Islam? i.e. why is polygamy allowed in Islam?

Answer:

Definition of Polygamy

1.  Polygamy means a system of marriage whereby one person has more than one spouse. Polygamy can be of two types. One is polygyny where a man marries more than one woman, and the other is polyandry, where a woman marries more than one man. In Islam, limited polygyny is permitted; whereas polyandry is completely prohibited.

Now coming to the original question, why is a man allowed to have more than one wife?

2.  The Qur’an is the only religious scripture in the world that says,"marry only one".

The Qur’an is the only religious book, on the face of this earth, that contains the phrase ‘marry only one’. There is no other religious book that instructs men to have only one wife. In none of the other religious scriptures, whether it be the Vedas, the Ramayan, the Mahabharat, the Geeta, the Talmud or the Bible does one find a restriction on the number of wives. According to these scriptures one can marry as many as one wishes. It was only later, that the Hindu priests and the Christian Church restricted the number of wives to one.

Many Hindu religious personalities, according to their scriptures, had multiple wives. King Dashrat, the father of Rama, had more than one wife. Krishna had several wives.

In earlier times, Christian men were permitted as many wives as they wished, since the Bible puts no restriction on the number of wives. It was only a few centuries ago that the Church restricted the number of wives to one.

Polygyny is permitted in Judaism. According to Talmudic law, Abraham had three wives, and Solomon had hundreds of wives. The practice of polygyny continued till Rabbi Gershom ben Yehudah (95% C.E to 1030 C.E) issued an edict against it. The Jewish Sephardic communities living in Muslim countries continued the practice till as late as 1950, until an Act of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel extended the ban on marrying more than one wife.

3.  Hindus are more polygynous than Muslims

The report of the ‘Committee of The Status of Woman in Islam’, published in 1975 mentions on page numbers 66 and 67 that the percentage of polygamous marriages between the years 1951 and 1961 was 5.06% among the Hindus and only 4.31% among the Muslims. According to Indian law only Muslim men are permitted to have more than one wife. It is illegal for any non-Muslim in India tdu men with respect to the number of wives allowed. It was only in 1954, when the Hindu Marriage Act was passed that it became illegal for a Hindu to have more than one wife. At present it is the Indian Law that restricts a Hindu man from having more than one wife and not the Hindu scriptures.

A Belief in All Prophets without Distinction

One might well ask:

How many prophets has God sent to humanity?  

We are only sure of what is clearly mentioned in the Quran, that God has sent a messenger to every nation.  That is because it is one of God’s principles that He will never call a people to account unless He has made clear to them what to do and what not to do.  

The Quran mentions the names of 25 prophets and indicates that there have been others who were not mentioned to Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him.  These 25 include Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad (may God praise them all).  These five are the greatest among God’s messengers.  They are called ‘the resolute’ prophets.

An outstanding aspect of the Islamic belief in prophethood is that Muslims believe in and respect all the messengers of God with no exceptions.  All the prophets came from the same One God, for the same purpose: to lead mankind to God.  Hence, belief in them all is essential and logical; accepting some and rejecting others has to be based on misconceptions of the prophet’s role or on a racial bias.  The Muslims are the only people in the world who consider the belief in all the prophets an article of faith.  

Thus the Jews reject Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them), and the Christians reject Muhammad.  The Muslims accept them all as messengers of God who brought guidance to mankind.  However, the revelations which those prophets before Muhammad brought from God have been tampered with in one way or another.

The belief in all the prophets of God is enjoined upon the Muslims in the Quran:

“Say (O Muslims): We believe in God and that which is revealed to us and that which was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael, and Isaac and Jacob, and their children, and that which Moses and Jesus received and that the prophets received from their Lord.  We make no distinction between any of them and unto Him we have surrendered.” (Quran 2:136)

The Quran continues in the following verses to instruct the Muslims that this is the true and impartial belief.  If other nations believe in the same, they are following in the right track.  If they do not, they must be following their own whims and biases and God will take care of them.  Thus we read:

“And if they believe in what you believe, then they are rightly guided.  But if they turn away, then they are in disunity, and God will suffice you against them.  He is the Hearer, the Knower.  This is God’s religion and who is better than God in religion?” (Quran 2:137-138)

There are, at least, two important points related to prophethood that need to be clarified.  These points concern the roles of Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them) as prophets, who are usually misunderstood.

The Quranic account of Jesus emphatically rejects the concept of his ‘divinity’ and ‘divine sonship’ and presents him as one of the great prophets of God.  The Quran makes it clear that the birth of Jesus without a father does not make him the son of God and mentions, in this respect, Adam, who was created by God without a father or mother.

“Truly, the likeness of Jesus, in God’s sight, is as Adam’s likeness; He created him of dust, them said He unto him “Be”, and he was.” (Quran 3:59)

Like other prophets, Jesus also performed miracles.  For example, he raised the dead and cured the blind and lepers, but, while showing these miracles, he always made it clear that it was all from God.  Actually, the misconceptions about the personality and mission of Jesus, peace be upon him, found a way among his followers because the Divine message he preached was not recorded during his presence in the world.  Rather, it was recorded after a lapse of about one hundred years.  According to the Quran, he was sent to the Children of Israel; he confirmed the validity of the Torah, which was revealed to Moses, peace be upon him, and he also brought the glad tidings of a final messenger after him.

“And when Jesus son of Mary said, ‘Children of Israel.  I am indeed the messenger to you, confirming the Torah that is before me, and giving good tidings of a Messenger who shall come after me, whose name shall be the praised one…” (Quran 61:6)

(The “praised one” is the translation of “Ahmad”, which is Prophet Muhammad’s name.)

However, the majority of the Jews rejected his ministry.  They plotted against his life and in their opinion, crucified him.  But the Quran refutes this opinion and says that they neither killed him nor crucified him; rather, he was raised up to God.  There is a verse in the Quran which implies that Jesus will come back and all the Christians and Jews will believe in him before he dies.  This is also supported by authentic sayings of the Prophet Muhammad.

The last prophet of God, Muhammad, was born in Arabia in the sixth century C.E.  Up to the age of forty, people of Makkah knew him only as a man of excellent character and cultured manners and called him ‘Al-Ameen’ (‘The Trustworthy’).  He also did not know that he was soon to be made a prophet and receiver of revelation from God.  

He called the idolaters of Makkah to worship the one and only God and accept him (Muhammad) as His prophet.  The revelation that he received was preserved in his lifetime in the memory of his companions and was also recorded on pieces of palm leaf, leather, etc.  Thus the Quran that is found today is the same that was revealed to him, not a syllable of which has been altered, as God Himself has guaranteed its preservation.  This Quran claims to be the book of guidance for all of humanity for all times, and mentions Muhammad as the last Prophet of God.

The True Narrative of Jesus the Son of Mary as Revealed in the Qur'an

First mention of Jesus (may the peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) in the Qur'an

"And indeed, We gave Mûsa (Moses) the Book and followed him up with a succession of Messengers. And We gave 'Iesa (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary), clear signs and supported him with Rûh-ul-Qudus [Jibrael (Gabriel)]. Is it that whenever there came to you a Messenger with what you yourselves desired not, you grew arrogant? Some, you disbelieved and some, you killed." [The Noble Qur’ân, Chapter Al-Baqarah (no.2), Verse 87]

Mention made of some of the Prophets of Allâh

"And that was Our Proof which We gave Ibrâhim (Abraham) against his people. We raise whom We will in degrees. Certainly your Lord is All­Wise, All­Knowing. And We bestowed upon him Ishâque (Isaac) and Ya'qûb (Jacob), each of them We guided, and before him, We guided Nûh (Noah), and among his progeny Dawûd (David), Sulaimân (Solomon), Ayub (Job), Yûsuf (Joseph), Mûsa (Moses), and Hârûn (Aaron). Thus do We reward the good­doers. And Zakariyâ (Zachariya), and Yahya (John) and 'Iesa (Jesus) and Iliyâs (Elias), each one of them was of the righteous. And Ismâ'il (Ishmael) and Al-Yas'â (Elisha), and Yûnus (Jonah) and Lout (Lot), and each one of them We preferred above the 'Alamîn (mankind and jinns) (of their times)." [The Noble Qur’ân, Chapter Al-An’âm (no.6), Verse 83-86

The religion followed by the Messengers was one and the same.

"He (Allâh) has ordained for you the same religion (Islâm) which He ordained for Nûh (Noah), and that which We have inspired in you (O Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him)), and that which We ordained for Ibrahîm (Abraham), Mûsa (Moses) and 'Iesa (Jesus) saying you should establish religion (i.e. to do what it orders you to do practically), and make no divisions in it (religion) (i.e. various sects in religion). Intolerable for the Mushrikûn [Those who worship others along with Allâh], is that to which you (O Muhammad) call them. Allâh chooses for Himself whom He wills, and guides unto Himself (he) who turns to Him in repentance and in obedience.

" [The Noble Qur’ân, Chapter Ash-Shûra (no.42), Verse 13]

What the Bible says about Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

A Lecture by Ahmed Deedat
********

MY FIRST MAJOR ENCOUNTER

Say: "Do you see? Whether this message be from Allah (God Almighty), and yet you reject it, and a witness from among the children of Israel bore witness of one like him...."

(Qur'an, Al-Ahqaf 46:10)

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen

The subject of this evening's talk - "What the BIBLE says about Muhammad " - will no doubt come as a surprise to many of you because the speaker is a Muslim. How does it come about that a Muslim happens to be expounding prophecies from the Jewish and Christian Scriptures?

As a young man, about 30 years ago, I attended a series of religious lectures by a Christian theologian, a certain Reverend Hiten, at the "Theatre Royal", Durban in South Africa.

Pope or Kissinger?

This Reverend gentleman was expounding Biblical prophecies. He went on to prove that the Christian Bible foretold the rise of Soviet Russia, and the Last Days. At one stage he went to the extent of proving that his Holy Book did not leave even the Pope out of its predictions. He expatiated vigorously in order to convince his audience that the "Beast 666" mentioned in the Book of Revelation - the last book of the New Testament - was the Pope, who was the Vicar of Christ on earth. It is not befitting for us Muslims to enter into this controversy between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants. By the way, the latest Christian exposition of the "Beast 666" of the Christian Bible is Dr. Henry Kissinger [2]. Christian scholars are ingenious and indefatigable in their efforts to prove their case.

Reverend Hiten's lectures led me to ask that if the Bible foretold so many things - not even excluding the "Pope" and "Israel", then surely it must have something to say about the greatest benefactor of mankind [3] - the Prophet Muhammad .

As a youngster I set out to search for an answer. I met priest after priest, attended lectures, and read everything that I could lay my hands relating to the fields of Bible prophecies. Tonight I am going to narrate to you one of these interviews with a dominee [4] of the Dutch Reformed Church.

Lucky Thirteen

I was invited to Transvaal [5] to deliver a talk. Knowing that in that Province of the Republic of South Africa, the Afrikaans language is widely spoken, even by my own people, I felt that I ought to acquire a smattering of this language so as to feel a little "at home" with the people. I opened the telephone directory and began phoning the Afrikaans-speaking Churches. I indicated my purpose to the priests that I was interested in having a dialogue with them, but they all refused my request with "plausible" excuses. Number thirteen was my lucky number. The thirteenth call brought me pleasure and relief. A dominee Van Heerden agreed to meet me at his home on the Saturday afternoon that I was to leave for Transvaal.

He received me on his veranda with a friendly welcome. He said if I did not mind, he would like his father-in-law from the Free State (a 70 year old man) to join us in the discussion. I did not mind. The three of us settled down in the dominee's library.

Al-Wala' Wal-Bara' in Islam

By: Dr. Muhammad Saeed Al-Qahtaani

Translated by: Omar Johnstone

Al-Wala' Wal-Bara' and the Declaration of Faith

Love is the source of wala' and hate is the source of bara'; it is by this that both the heart and the hand are moved to act. Wala' inspires intimacy, concern and help. Bara' provokes obstruction, enmity and rejection. Wala' and Bara' are both related to the declaration of faith and constitute essential elements in it. The evidence of this from the Qur'an and the Sunnah is considerable.

As for the Qur'an, consider the following ayat: "Let not the believers take disbelievers for their friends in preference to believers. Whoever does this has no connection with Allah unless you are guarding yourselves against them as a precaution. Allah bids you to beware (only) of Himself. And to Allah is the journeying." [3:28] And He says: "Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind), If you love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your wrong actions. Allah is Forgiving, Compassionate. Say, Obey Allah and the Messenger. And If they turn away, then surely Allah does not love the disbelievers." [3:31-32] Speaking of the aims of the enemies of Allah, He says: "They long for you to disbelieve even as they disbelieve, so that you may be the same (as them). so do not choose friends from among them until they go out in the way of Allah." [4:89]

And also: "O you who believe! Do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends. They are friends of one another. And whoever of you takes them for friends is (one) of them. Surely Allah does not guide wrongdoing people." [5:51]

And lastly: "O you who believe! Whoever of you becomes a rebel against his Deen, (know that in his place) Allah will bring a people whom He loves and who love Him, humble towards the believers, harsh towards the disbelievers, striving in the way of Allah, and not fearing the blame of any blamer." [5:54]

We will mention only a few of the many hadith and reports of the Companions on this subject. Imam Ahmad reports from Jarir ibn Abdullah that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, made him swear an oath to 'offer counsel to every Muslim and to steer clear of every disbeliever.' (1) Ibn Shayba reports that the Prophet said, "The strongest bond of faith is love for the sake of Allah and enmity for His sake." (2) Ibn Abbas reports that the Prophet said, "The strongest bond of faith is loyalty for the sake of Allah and opposition for His sake, love for the sake of Allah and enmity for His sake." (3)

Ibn Abbas is also reported to have said,

"Whoever loves for the sake of Allah, and hates for the sake of Allah, and whoever seals a friendship for His sake, or declares an enmity for His sake, will receive, because of this, the protection of Allah. No one may taste true faith except by this, even if his prayers and fasts are many. People have come to build their relationships around the concerns of the world, but it will not benefit them in any way." (4) Shaykh Sulaiman ibn Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab explained the words of Ibn Abbas by saying that the meaning of 'to seal a friendship for the sake of Allah' indicates the obligation of establishing relationships of love and trust for His sake; this is friendship for the sake of Allah. It also indicates that simple affection is not enough here; indeed what is meant is a love based upon alliance. This entails assistance, honour, and respect. It means being with those whom you love both in word and deed.

As for 'enmity for the sake of Allah', it includes the obligation to declare enmity for His sake: opposition for the sake of Allah. it is to declare opposition in deed, to take up arms against His enemies, to shun them, and to stay far from them both in word and deed. This proves that simple opposition of the spirit is not enough, and that it must be a complete honouring of your commitment, for Allah says: "There is a good example for you in Ibrahim and those with him, when they told their people: 'Surely we disassociate ourselves from you and all that you worship beside Allah. We have done with you. And there has arisen between us and you enmity and hate for ever until you believe in Allah only'." [60:4] (5)

What Islam Says About Interest/Riba?

Muslim Jurists are of the view that reward for capital should be linked with the outcome of the underlying project if financing facility is being extended and/or reward should be obtained through trade involving sale and purchase.
In Arabic term Riba is a synonym for the term interest used in conventional banking operations. Riba means charging predetermined additional amount on a loan extended based on length of credit period. 

Certain quarters are of the view that Riba which is prohibited by revelations is the Usury (interest charged on consumption loans) and banking interest (interest charged on productive loans) is not covered by the term. This point was debated in detail during the Supreme Court (Pakistan) hearing and concluded that there was no difference between usury and interest as for prohibition is concerned. 

Following are some further citations (definitions) extracted from literature to clarify the meanings of word Riba used in Holy Qura'n.

What Drives People to Convert to Islam

The nature of religious faith is quite mysterious. As part of their religious faiths, people believe in a variety of deities. There are people who have religious faith in the unseen supreme transcendental power and then there are others who believe in some humans as Gods, animals (e.g. monkeys), fire, idols made of stone, and the list goes on.

A lot is associated with having a religious “faith”. Part of it has to do with beliefs passed on through generations. People’s identities therefore get tied to it. Many times, these beliefs and associated feelings are not completely demonstrable by reason or any rational arguments. There is nothing right or wrong with this but that’s just how the nature of religious faith has come to be.

Everyone thinks they are right in their faith and beliefs. Being with people and groups with similar faiths further strengthens people’s faiths and they see it as “right” even though logical reasoning and argument sometimes can’t explain it all. That’s human psychology.

ISLAM’S ARGUMENTS BASED ON INTELLECTUAL REASONING

Muslims believe however, that the Islamic religion is different in this context. One may argue that similar to other faiths there are aspects of it which are not completely demonstrable by reason but on the other hand, the Quranic text, which is Allah’s words addressing the humanity at large, uses intellectual reason, critical thinking, and the process of reflection as a means to not only reinforce the faith of the believers but also to call non-believers to ponder about the authenticity of Islam as the way of life for the humanity at large. Although no religious beliefs can be fully based on logic and reasoning, Islam and Quran provide more than enough examples and an opportunity to examine the truth and the soundness of its message through the lens of empirical evidence and knowledge.

Islam The Biggest Blessing

Shaykh Saalih Al-Maghamisee Explaining The Biggest Blessing of Allah Almighty Upon Us.

Tawakkul

Whoever relies on Allah (has Tawakkul), He is sufficient for him. (At-Talaaq 65:3)
by Ayub A. Hamid

Tawakkul is another attribute that results from a true Eeman in Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala and the hereafter and continual remembrance of both. It is an attitude that emanates from the conviction that:

Allah has put me in this world temporarily for a test and all of my good and bad circumstances are part of the test.

The test is about my performance in given circumstances, not about how good or bad my circumstances are. Regardless of what circumstances I encounter, the test is about how well I exhaust all my efforts in achieving the objective of the Deen Allaah has prescribed for me for His pleasure.

My success depends on the quality (in terms of relevance, wisdom, propriety, tactics, strategy and sincerity) and quantity I put in, not on the material results they appear to produce, regardless of what kind of good or bad circumstances I happen to encounter.

Whatever Allah has commanded us to do and the objectives He wants us to achieve are the best things for us in this world and in the hereafter. My duty is to continue steadfastly on the job Allah has assigned to me utilizing every tool humanly possible and doing my earnest best, without worrying about the results, but instead leaving the results totally to Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta`aala.

The real success is attaining the pleasure of Allah, not the results in this world. Whether my efforts bear any visible result in this world or not, I must continue on my course steadfastly.

Whatever hardships, test, trials and sufferings I endure during my servitude to Him are all part of His plan for my ultimate success. Enduring them with contentment without a word of complaint or without being disheartened in any way is a part of my job as His slave that I am doing for His pleasure.

Shirku-Du'a - Calling on Other Than Allah

By Br. Abdullah Mujahid

The purpose of Mankind, the sole reason behind our creation, is to worship Allah Alone: 

"And I created not the Jinns and men except that they should worship Me (Alone)." [51: 56]

Worship has been defined by Ibn Taymiyyah as being: "a term which comprises everything that Allah (s.w.t) loves and approves of from the apparent and hidden sayings and deeds."

The main condition for such worship to be accepted however, is that they must be solely made for the Sake of Allah, and no one else. This is the essence of Tawheed, and the Kalima itself, which declares boldly that there is no deity worthy of worship except for Allah.

And Du'a (supplication) is undoubtedly a part of worship, as Ibn Abbas said, "the best forms of worship is the du'a" [Munthir and Ibn Haakim].

To Allah belongs certain rights, among these including to slaughter in His Name, to prostrate before no one but Him, and to direct Du'a to no one but Him. In this regard, the scholar Ibn Rajab said: "Know that it is an obligation to invoke Allah Alone in Du`a, and not His creation... Admitting (and showing) humility and meekness can only be revealed to Allah, Alone, for this is the essence of worship."

Ibnul Qayyim said: "And from the types of Shirk, requesting needs from the dead, and Istighaathah from them and direction (of the call) to them, and this is the original of the Shirk of Mankind. Since the dead has his deeds cut off from him, and he cannot cause upon himself any good nor bad, let alone whoever seeks help from him, or asked him to seek intercession from Allah on his behalf. "

Calling upon the dead represents a hollow attempt to seek help from a creature who can benefit the caller nothing. Allah Says: "If you call upon them, they hear not your call, and if (in case) they were to hear, they could not grant it (your request) to you. And on the Day of Resurrection, they will disown your worshipping them" [35: 14]

Supplication and Its Manners, Times, Conditions and Mistakes

By Abdulaziz Addweesh

In the name of Allah, The most Beneficent, The most Merciful.

Praise is to Allah whom we ask for help and forgiveness. We seek the protection of Allah from the evil of ourselves and the sins of our deeds. Whom Allah guides no one can misguide and whom Allah does not guide will never find a guide. And I testify that there is no God but Allah the One with no partner, and Mohammed is his Slave and Messenger, (SAW ) (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, meaning: may the peace and blessings of Allah be with him)

The subject of Supplication is very important. Every Muslim must know how to supplicate the way that Allah has directed us. I found it very important to write about this subject to guide our brothers in Islam to perform this kind of worship the correct way. I also ask Allah (SWT) (Subhanahu wa ta’ala, meaning: the Glorious and Most Exalted) to guide me to do good deeds and May Peace and Blessings be upon the Prophet, his Family, Companions and all of his followers to the Day of Judgment.

Proofs Of Supplication From Qur’an

All mighty Allah (SWT) said :

“And when My slaves ask you (O Mohammed) concerning Me then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by my knowledge) I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on me (without any mediator or intercessor) So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led to the right path.” (Qur'an 2:186)

The Prophet (SAW) was asked by some of his companions: “Is Allah near so we invoke him or is he far so we call him? so Allah revealed this verse, - Allah (SWT) is near He can hear the supplicant anytime anywhere and respond to him if the supplicant invokes Allah (SWT) with a sincere heart and avoid interdictions of supplication.

Allah (SWT) also said:

“Invoke your Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) with humility and in secret, He likes not the aggressors.” (Qur'an 7:55)

Supplication is of two kinds. One is worship and the other is a request. So He commands to be invoked with humility which is insisting in request and continuously in worship and “secretly” not loud to avoid “Ryea” (showing off)

Allah (SWT) also said:

“And your Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) said: “Invoke Me (i.e. believe in My Oneness) (and ask Me for anything) I will respond to your (invocation) Verily! Those who scorn My worship (i.e. do not invoke Me, and do not believe in My Oneness ) they will surely enter hell in humiliation!” (Qur'an 40:60)

Allah (SWT) said:

“Invoke Me, I will respond to you” , so from His mercy for His slaves He has promised to respond to their invocations but for those who do not invoke Him, He has promised punishment because invocation of Allah (SWT) is an act of worship and refusing to invoke Him ( disbelieving in Him or having doubt in His ability to answer the invocation) is refusal to worship Him.