Interfaith Marriages

Interfaith Marriages

by Dr. M. Amir Ali, Ph.D.

In the year 2 A.H. Allah revealed Surah Al-Baqarah (#2) to the Prophet. In verse 221 Allah commanded that no Muslim should marry anyone outside of Islam. The terms used in this verse is “al-mushrikoon wa al-mushrikat” meaning idolater men and idolater women. However, scholars agree that the term at that time applied to all non-Muslims. It meant that neither Muslim men nor Muslim women were allowed to marry outside of Islam.

In the year 7 or 8 A.H., before the conquest of Makkah, Surah Al-Mumtahinah (#60) was revealed. In verse 1 Allah reprimands those who have the relationship of friendship and trust with those who reject the faith and persecute the believers. A wife is the closest friend of a man and she is among the most trusted by him. A non-Muslim woman, by her rejection of Islam, is making the statement that Prophet Muhammad was a liar, the Qur’an is a false book written by a man and there is no Allah. How is it possible for a man to make such a women who rejects faith to be his wife?

In the verse 10 of surah 60 Allah categorically prohibits sending a Muslim woman to a non-believing man as his wife. Also, Allah clearly says that a Muslim man should not keep a non-believing woman as his wife. However, in the year 10 A.H. Allah made an exemption with some restrictions that a Muslim man could marry a woman from the People of the Book as given in verse 5 of surah 5. However, there are conditions attached, which are given in the same verse and there are the precautions as outlined in surah 60.

Muslim scholars understand that the permission to marry a Christian or a Jewish women is an exception not a recommendation. Marrying a non-Muslim women has its blessings when she eventually accepts Islam. If she does not accept Islam, the Muslim male is depriving a Muslim woman of finding a home. In addition, he may be bringing a women into the Muslim society who may be a source of disruption, an informant and a saboteur. I have seen some disastrous cases of interfaith marriages whereas a few have worked very well.

Human Rights In Islam

Human Rights In Islam

Since God is the absolute and sole master of men and the universe, He is the Sovereign Lord, the Sustainer, and Nourisher, the Merciful, whose mercy enshrines all beings; and since He has given each man human dignity and honor, and breathed into him of His own spirit, it follows that, united in Him and through Him, and apart from their other human attributes, men are substantially the same and no tangible and actual distinction can be made among them, on account of their accidental differences such as nationality, color or race. Every human being is thereby related to all others and all become one community of brotherhood in their honorable and pleasant servitude to the most compassionate Lord of the Universe. In such a heavenly atmosphere the Islamic confession of the oneness of God stands dominant and central, and necessarily entails the concept of the oneness of humanity and the brotherhood of mankind.

Although an Islamic state may be set up in any part of the earth, Islam does not seek to restrict human rights or privileges to the geographical limits of its own state. Islam has laid down some universal fundamental rights for humanity as a whole, which are to be observed and respected under all circumstances whether such a person is resident within the territory of the Islamic state or outside it, whether he is at peace with the state or at war. The Qur'an very clearly states:

O believers, be you securers of justice, witnesses for God. Let not detestation for a people move you not to be equitable; be equitable – that is nearer to the God-fearing. (5:8)

Human blood is sacred in any case and cannot be spilled without justification. And if anyone violates this sanctity of human blood by killing a soul without justification, the Qur'an equates it to the killing of entire mankind.

...Whoso slays a soul not to retaliate for a soul slain, nor for corruption done in the land, should be as if he had slain mankind altogether. (5:32)

It is not permissible to oppress women, children, old people, the sick or the wounded. Women's honor and chastity are to be respected under all circumstances. The hungry person must be fed, the naked clothed, and the wounded or diseased treated medically, irrespective of whether they belong to the Islamic community or are from among its enemies.

When we speak of human rights in Islam we really mean that these rights have been granted by God; they have not been granted by any king or by any legislative assembly. The rights granted by the kings or legislative assemblies can also be withdrawn in the same manner in which they are conferred. The same in the case with the rights accepted and recognized by the dictators. They can confer them when they please and withdraw them when they wish; and they can openly violate them when they like. But since in Islam human rights have been conferred by God, no one on earth has the right or authority to make any amendment or change in the rights given by Him. No one has the right to abrogate them or withdraw them. Nor are these basic human rights which are conferred on paper for the sake of show and exhibition and denied in actual life when the show is over. Nor are they like philosophical concepts which have no sanctions behind them.

The charter and the proclamations and the resolutions of the United Nations cannot be compared with the rights sanctioned by God, because the former is not applicable on anybody while the latter is applicable on every believer. They are a part of the Islamic faith. Every Muslim, or administrators who claim to be Muslim, will have to accept, recognize and enforce them. If they fail to enforce them, and start denying the rights that have been guaranteed by God, or make amendments and changes in them, or practically violate them while paying lip service to them, the verdict of the Qur'an for such government is clear and unequivocal:

Those who do not judge by what God has sent down are the disbelievers. (5:44)

Human Rights in an Islamic State

1. The Security of Life and Property

In the address which the Prophet delivered on the occasion of the Farewell Hajj, he said: "Your lives and properties are forbidden to one another until you meet your Lord on the Day of Resurrection." The Prophet has also said about the dhimmis (non-Muslim citizens of the Muslim state): "One who kills a man under covenant (i.e. dhimmi) will not even smell the fragrance of Paradise."

2. The Protection of Honor

The Qur'an states:

You who believe,
i) do not let one make fun of another
ii) do not defame one another
iii) do not insult by using nicknames
iv) do not backbite or speak ill of one another
(49:11-12)

3. Sanctity and Security of Private Life

The Qur'an has laid down the injunctions:

i) Do not spy on one another. (49:12)
ii) Do not enter any houses unless you are sure of the occupant's consent. (24:27)

4. The Security of Personal Freedom

Islam has laid down the principle that no citizen can be imprisoned unless his guilt has been proven in an open court. To arrest a man only on the basis of suspicion and to throw him into a prison without proper court proceedings and without providing him a reasonable opportunity to produce his defense is not permissible in Islam.

5. The Right to Protest Against Tyranny

Among the rights that Islam has conferred on human beings is the right to protest against a government's tyranny. Referring to this, the Qur'an says:

God does not love evil talk in public unless it is by someone who has been injured thereby. (4:148)

In Islam, as has been argued earlier, all power and authority belongs to God, and with man there is only delegated power which becomes a trust; everyone who becomes a recipient of such a power has to stand in awful reverence before his people towards whom and for whose sake he will be called upon to use these powers. This was acknowledged by Abu Bakr, who said in his very first address as Caliph: "Cooperate with me when I am right, but correct me when I commit error; obey me so long as I follow the commandments of Allah and His Prophet; but turn away from me when I deviate."

6. Freedom of Expression

Islam gives the right of freedom of thought and expression to all citizens of the Islamic state on the condition that it should be used for the propagation of virtue and truth and not for spreading evil and wickedness. The Islamic concept of freedom is much superior to the concept prevalent in the West. Under no circumstances would Islam allow evil and wickedness to be propagated. It also does not give anybody the right to use abusive or offensive language in the name of criticism. It was the practice of the Muslims to enquire from the Prophet whether a divine injunction had been revealed to him on any given matter. If he said that he had received no divine injunction, the Muslims freely expressed their opinions on the matter.

7. Freedom of Association

Islam has also given people the right to freedom of association and formation of parties or organizations. This right is also subject to certain general rules.

8: Freedom of Conscience and Conviction

Islam has laid down the injunction:

There should be no coercion in the matter of faith. (2:256)

On the contrary, totalitarian societies totally deprive the individuals of their freedom. Indeed, this undue exaltation of the state authority, curiously enough, postulates a sort of servitude, of slavishness on the part of man. At one time, slavery meant total control over man – now that type of slavery has been legally abolished, but in its place, totalitarian societies impose a similar sort of control over individuals.

9. Protection of Religious Sentiments

Along with the freedom of conviction and freedom of conscience, Islam has given the right to the individual that his religious sentiments will be given due respect and nothing will be said or done which may encroach upon his right.

10. Protection from Arbitrary Imprisonment

Islam also recognizes the right of the individuals not to be arrested or imprisoned for the offenses of others. The Qur'an states clearly:

No bearer of burdens shall be made to bear the burden of another. (35:18)

11. The Right to Basic Necessities of Life

Islam has recognized the right of the needy people for help and assistance to be provided to them:

And in their wealth there is acknowledged right for the needy and destitute. (51:19)

12. Equality Before the Law

Islam gives its citizens the right to absolute and complete equality in the eyes of the law.

13. Accountability of Rulers to the Law

A woman belonging to a high and noble family was arrested in connection with theft. The case was brought to the Prophet, and it was recommended that she might be spared the punishment of theft. The Prophet replied, "The nations that lived before you were destroyed by God because they punished the common man for their offenses, and let their dignitaries go unpunished for their crimes. I swear by Him Who holds my life in His hand that even if Fatimah, daughter of Muhammad, had committed this crime, I would have amputated her hand."

14. The Right to Participate in the Affairs of State

And their business is (conducted) through consultation among themselves. (42:38)

The Shura or the legislative assembly has no other meaning other than that: the executive head of the government and the members of the assembly should be elected by free and independent choice of the people.

Lastly, it is to be made clear that Islam tries to achieve the above mentioned human rights and many others not only by providing certain legal safeguards, but mainly by inviting mankind to transcend the lower level of animal life to be able to go beyond the mere ties fostered by the kinship of blood, racial superiority, linguistic arrogance, and economic privileges. It invites mankind to move on to a plane of existence where, by reason of his inner excellence, man can realize the ideal of the Brotherhood of man

Moral System Of Islam

Moral System Of Islam

Islam has laid down some universal fundamental rights for humanity as a whole, which are to be observed and respected under all circumstances. To achieve these rights, Islam provides not only legal safeguards, but also a very effective moral system. Thus, whatever leads to the welfare of the individual or the society is morally good in Islam and whatever is injurious is morally bad. Islam attaches so much importance to the love of God and love of man that it warns against too much formalism. We read in the Qur'an:

It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the East or West; but it is righteousness to believe in God and the Last Day and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the freeing of captives; to be steadfast in prayers, and practice regular charity; to fulfill the contracts which you made; and to be firm and patient in pain and adversity and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the God-conscious. (2:177)

We are given a beautiful description of the righteous and God-conscious man in these verses. He should obey salutary regulations, but he should fix his gaze on the love of God and the love of his fellow-men.

We are given four directions:

a) Our faith should be true and sincere,
b) We must be prepared to show it in deeds of charity to our fellow-men,
c) We must be good citizens, supporting social organizations, and
d) Our own individual soul must be firm and unshaken in all circumstances.

This is the standard by which a particular mode of conduct is judged and classified as good or bad. This standard of judgment provides the nucleus around which the whole moral conduct should revolve. Before laying down any moral injunctions, Islam seeks to firmly implant in man's heart the conviction that his dealings are with God, who sees him at all times and in all places; that he may hide himself form the whole world, but not from Him; that he may deceive everyone but cannot deceive God; that he can flee from the clutches of anyone else, but not from God's.

Thus, by setting God's pleasure as the objective of man's life, Islam has furnished the highest possible standard of morality. This is bound to provide limitless avenues for the moral evolution of humanity. By making Divine revelations as the primary source of knowledge, it gives permanence and stability to the moral standards which afford reasonable scope for genuine adjustments, adaptations and innovations though not for perversions, wild variation, atomistic relativism or moral fluidity. It provides a sanction to morality in the love and fear of God, which will impel man to obey the moral law even without any external pressure. Through belief in God and the Day of Judgment, it furnishes a force which enables a person to adopt the moral conduct with earnestness and sincerity, with all the devotion of heart and soul.

It does not, through a false sense of originality and innovation, provide any novel moral virtues, nor does it seek to minimize the importance of the well-known moral norms, nor does it give exaggerated importance to some and neglect others without cause. It takes up all the commonly known moral virtues and with a sense of balance and proportion it assigns a suitable place and function to each one of them in the total scheme of life. It widens the scope of man's individual and collective life – his domestic associations, his civic conduct, and his activities in the political, economic, legal, educational, and social realms. It covers his life from home to society, from the dining-table to the battle-field and peace conferences, literally from the cradle to the grave. In short, no sphere of life is exempt from the universal and comprehensive application of the moral principles of Islam. It makes morality reign supreme and ensures that the affairs of life, instead of dominated by selfish desires and petty interests, should be regulated by norms of morality.

It stipulates for man a system of life that is based on all good and is free from all evil. It encourages the people not only to practice virtue, but also to establish virtue and eradicate vice, to bid good and to forbid wrong. It wants that their verdict of conscience should prevail and virtue must be subdued to play second fiddle to evil. Those who not respond to this call are gathered together into a community and given the name Muslim. And the singular object underlying the formation of this community (Ummah) is that it should make an organized effort to establish and enforce goodness and suppress and eradicate evil.

Here we furnish some basic moral teachings of Islam for various aspects of a Muslim's life. They cover the broad spectrum of personal moral conduct of a Muslim as well as his social responsibilities.

God-Consciousness

The Qur'an mentions this as the highest quality of a Muslim:

The most honorable among you in the sight of God is the one who is most God-conscious. (49:13)

Humility, modesty, control of passions and desires, truthfulness, integrity, patience, steadfastness, and fulfilling one's promises are moral values that are emphasized again and again in the Qur'an:

And God loves those who are firm and steadfast. (3:146)

And vie with one another to attain to your Sustainer's forgiveness and to a Paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, which awaits the God-conscious, who spend for charity in time of plenty and in times of hardship, and restrain their anger, and pardon their fellow men, for God loves those who do good. (3:133-134)

Establish regular prayer, enjoin what is just, and forbid what is wrong; and bear patiently whatever may befall you; for this is true constancy. And do not swell your cheek (with pride) at men, nor walk in insolence on the earth, for God does not love any man proud and boastful. And be moderate in your pace and lower your voice; for the harshest of sounds, indeed, is the braying of the ass. (31:18-19)

In a way which summarizes the moral behavior of a Muslim, the Prophet (PBUH) said:

"My Sustainer has given me nine commands: to remain conscious of God, whether in private or public; to speak justly, whether angry or pleased; to show moderation both when poor and when rich; to reunite friendship with those who have broken off with me; to give to him who refuses me; that my silence should be occupied with thought; that my looking should be an admonition; and that I should command what is right."

Social Responsibility

The teachings of Islam concerning social responsibilities are based on kindness and consideration of others. Since a broad injunction to be kind is likely to be ignored in specific situations, Islam lays emphasis on specific acts of kindness and defines the responsibilities and rights within various relationships. In a widening circle of relationships, then, our first obligation is to our immediate family – parents, spouse, and children – and then to other relatives, neighbors, friends and acquaintances, orphans and widows, the needy of the community, our fellow Muslims, all fellow human beings, and animals.

Parents

Respect and care for parents is very much stressed in the Islamic teaching and is a very important part of a Muslim's expression of faith.

Your Sustainer has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to your parents. whether one or both of them attain old age in your life time, do not say to them a word of contempt nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor. And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility and say: My Sustainer! Bestow on them Your mercy, even as they cherished me in childhood. (17:23-24)

Other Relatives

And render to the relatives their due rights, as (also) to those in need, and to the traveler; and do not squander your wealth in the manner of a spendthrift. (17:26)

Neighbors

The Prophet (PBUH) has said:

"He is not a believer who eats his fill when his neighbor beside him is hungry."

"He does not believe whose neighbors are not safe from his injurious conduct."

Actually, according to the Qur'an and Sunnah, a Muslim has to discharge his moral responsibility not only to his parents, relatives and neighbors, but to the entire mankind, animals and trees and plants. For example, hunting of birds and animals for the sake of game is not permitted. Similarly, cutting down trees and plants which yield fruit is forbidden unless there is a pressing need for it.

Thus, on the basic moral characteristics, Islam builds a higher system of morality by virtue of which mankind can realize its greatest potential. Islam purifies the soul from self-seeking egotism, tyranny, wantonness and indiscipline. It creates God-conscious men, devoted to their ideals, possessed of piety, abstinence, discipline and uncompromising with falsehood. It induces feelings of moral responsibility and fosters the capacity for self-control. Islam generates kindness, generosity, mercy, sympathy, peace, disinterested goodwill, scrupulous fairness and truthfulness towards all creation in all situations. It nourishes noble qualities from which only good may be expected.

Allah's Love

Allah's Love

Question:

I am hoping perhaps you could answer a question of mine. The other day I was debating a Christian about God's love. I myself am a former Christian, now Muslim. He asked me if Allah's Love was unconditional and I was stumped, because in the Qur’an it says God does not love those who do evil. So I am confused, is God's Love based on Doing Good, or is His love unconditional? If it is based on doing Good, does that mean when I make mistakes and sin, he stops loving me? I am hoping you could answer this or give me a link to a site that can. I hope its not a dumb question, I am just confused on this issue?


Answer:

No, this is not a dumb question. The only dumb thing is not to ask when you have a question.

As Christians would say that God loves the sinner but hates the sin and it is true in Islam too.

Indeed, "The Loving" is one of Allah's names as He said about Himself: "And He is the Forgiving and Loving" (Qur'an 85:14). Love is just a word which must be translated in action and it becomes obedience in the case of His creation, human beings, and mercy in case of the Creator, Allah. You can see that when love is translated into action it is mercy and His mercy is unconditional. You receive Allah's mercy whether you are an obedient servant of Allah or you are a mushrik (pagan, idolater) and a sinner; they all receive equal treatment in this life. Let us take a few examples:

* A man may say to his wife "I love you" but he beats her and does not provide for her. Does he love her?
* A wife says to her husband "I love you" but when he desires sex she does not agree to it. Does she love him?
* A child says to his parents "I love you" but he disobeys them most of the time. Does he/she love them?

Love must be translated in action, attitude and behavior, otherwise it is just a word without meaning. Similarly Allah's love is translated in His attributes of forgiving, compassion and mercy. Look around and you will find that Allah's mercy is spread all around. "Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Raheem" means "In the name of Allah the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate." The words are AR-RaHMan and AR-RaHeeM. AR represents the article AL, meaning "the". The root word is RHM, which may be read as RaHiMa or RaHaMa, means mercy. Allah does not use two identical words next to each other unless there is a difference in their meaning.

Allah is Ar-Raheem for all humankind irrespective of their belief in Allah and their character whether they believe in Allah or not; whether they are good-doers or evil-doers; they all obtain their sustenance from Allah. Many evil people are very rich because Allah decided to give them all the wealth and good things of this life; this is because Allah is Ar-Raheem. Allah is also Ar-Rahman for the believers in Him; they are good-doers. They receive special blessings from Allah, that is, happiness and contentment in this life and reward in the hereafter.

As for the life hereafter, or the next life, the matter is different. The Christian concept of God is a merciless God. He punishes the sinless, Jesus, for the wrong done by others. The Christian God is powerless to forgive sins and accept repentance. He makes the entire mankind sinners for the sin of one couple, Adam and Eve. The Christian God is incapable of forgiving the sin of one couple but makes their entire progeny sinners. For forgiving their sins he has to concoct a charade of bringing "his son" who is sinless and kills him for no fault of his own. This is a cruel god and a pagan-assumed god, not the One True God.

The Bible says "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16 NKJV). The converse of this statement is that the rest of humanity will perish, that is, will go to hell without any other way of receiving His forgiveness for the sin they did not commit. What happens to the people who were born and died before God decide to concoct this charade only 2000 years ago? It seems that the Christian God is a poor planner and a late thinker because it took him thousands if not millions of years to find a way of forgiving "the sins" of mankind. What happens to those who never received the message of Jesus until it was thoroughly corrupted by the "Christians" and it became illogical and unacceptable?

In the Qur'an Allah says that He does not love those who reject Him (3:32), does not love those who are transgressors (2:57, 140, 5:87, 7:55), does not love those who are evil-livers (5:64), does not love evil talk (4:148) and others. In all these cases love is connected to the deeds of a person. At the same time Allah does not deprive them of anything in this life. You will not find that all good people are rich and all sinners are living in poverty and a wretched life. Allah gives a person life-long opportunity to turn away from the life of sin and disobedience and receive His forgiveness. Conversely, Allah says, "Say, if you love Allah, obey me (Muhammad), Allah will love you and forgive you your sins, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful" (3:31). If you love Allah show it in your conduct and obey Allah and His Messenger, for obedience of His Messenger is the obedience of Allah (4:80). It means our expression of love is in obedience.

See what Allah also says in the Qur'an, "Say: O My slaves (mankind) who have been prodigal to their own hurt! Despair not of the mercy of Allah, Who forgives all sins. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the Merciful..." (39:53-58). Here the message is that those who commit evil are doing wrong and hurting themselves in this life and the next, however, Allah's forgiveness has no limits and the only condition is asking for forgiveness and repentance (not committing wrongs again knowingly).

Important Doa

Dua Before Studying :

اللهم انفعني بما علمتني وعلمني ما ينفعني اللهم اني أسألك فهم النبيين وحفظ المرسلين المقربين اللهم اجعل لساني عاما بذكرك وقلبي بخشيتك انك على ما تشاء قدير وأنت حسبنا الله ونعم الوكيل

“Allahumma infa’nii bimaa ‘allamtanii wa’allimnii maa yanfa’uunii. Allahumma inii as’aluka fahmal-nabiyyen wa hifzal mursaleen al-muqarrabeen. Allahumma ijal leesanee ‘aiman bi dhikrika wa qalbi bi khashyatika. Innaka ‘ala ma-tasha’u qadeer wa anta hasbun-allahu wa na’mal wakeel.”

“Oh Allah! Make useful for me what you have taught me and teach me knowledge that will be useful to me. Oh Allah! I ask you for the understanding of the prophets and the memory of the messengers, and those nearest to you. Oh Allah! Make my tongue full of your remembrance and my heart with consciousness of you. Oh Allah! You do whatever you wish, and you are my availer and protector and best of aid.”



Dua After Studying :

اللهم اني أستو دعك ما قرأت وما حفظت فرده علي عند حاجتي إليه انك على ما تشاء قدير وأنت حسبنا الله ونعم الوكيل

“Allahumma inni astaodeeka ma qara’tu wama hafaz-tu. Farudduhu ‘allaya inda hajati elahi. Innaka ‘ala ma-tasha’-u qadeer wa anta hasbeeya wa na’mal wakeel”

“Oh Allah! I entrust you with what I have read and I have studied. Oh Allah! Bring it back to me when I am in need of it. Oh Allah! You do whatever you wish, you are my availer and protector and the best of aid.”

Dua While Studying Something Difficult :

اللهم لا سهل إلا ما جعلته سهلا أنت تجعل الحزن إذا ما شئت سهلا

“Allahumma la sahla illama ja-‘altahu sahla anta taj ‘alu al hazana eza ma shi’ta sahal.”

“Oh Allah! Nothing is easy except what you have made easy. If you wish, you can make the difficult easy.”

Dua For Concentration :

صلى الله على محمد وال محمد اللهم اني أسألك يا مدخر الخير وفاعله والآمر به ذكرني ما انسانيه الشيطان

“Salla-l-laahu alaa Muhammad wa aal-e Muhammad. Allahumma inni as’aluka yaa mudhakkira-l khayr wa faa’ilahu wa-l-aamimira bihi dhakir-ni maa ansaani-hi-shaytan.”

“Blessings of Allah be upon Muhammad and his progeny. O Allah, I ask you, the one who mentions goodness and actualizes it and commands it, remind me of that which the shaytan makes me forget.”



Du`aa' for removing Anxiety :

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَمِّ وَ الْحَزَنِ وَ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ العَجْزِ وَ الْكَسَلِ

وَ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْجُبْنِ وَ الْبُخْلِ وَ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ غَلَبَةِ الدَّيْنِ و قَهْرِ الرجال

Allâhumma innî a‘ûdhu bika min al-hammi wa al-hazan. Wa a‘ûdhu bika min al-‘ajzi wa al-kasal.

Wa a‘ûdhu bika min al-jubni wa al-bukhl. Wa a‘ûdhu bika min ghalabat id-dayni wa qahr ir-rijal.

"Oh Allah, I seek refuge in You from worry and grief, from helplessness and laziness, from cowardice and stinginess, and from overpowering of debt and from oppression of men."



Recite This Dua Everyday For Victory And Prosperity :

“Ya sayyedas-sada-te, ya mojeebad-da’vate, ya rafe’ad-darajate, ya vali-yal hasanate, ya ghaferal-khati’ate, ya mo’ti-yal mas’alate, ya qabi-lat-tavbate, ya same’al-asvate, ya ‘alemal-khafiyate, ya dafe’al bali yate.”

“O’ the Chief of all Chiefs! O’ the Acceptor of prayers! O’ the elevator of ranks! O’ the Master of virtues! O’ the Forgiver of sins! O’ the Granter of requests! O’ the Excerptor of penance! O’ the Hearer of all voices! O’ the One who Knows all mysteries! O’ the Remover of calamities!”

May Allah increase our knowledge.
JazakAllah khair

Adam, Mengertilah..

Adam,mengertilah...
Hawa bukanlah insan yg kuat..
bukan juga insan yg bisa menahan nafsu..
tatkala diri diuji, Hawa sering tewas...
tewas dgn godaan syaitan & nafsu sendiri..

Adam,mengertilah...
sesungguhnya, Hawa telah cuba melakukan yg terbaik..
agar diri ini tidak menjadi fitnah dunia...
telah Hawa cuba menjaga diri ini sebaik-baiknya..
Hawa sedaya upaya menjauhkan diri dari tabarruj..
perfume, make up, perhiasan...
telah Hawa elakkan sejauh-jauhnya..
namun mengapa masih Adam tertarik pd Hawa
yg serba kekurangan ini..

Adam,mengertilah...
Hawa ini berjiwa lembut...
sukar untuk Hawa menolak bila Adam meminta...
Hawa mengetahui permintaan Adam
tidak mungkin membawa Hawa ke kancah maksiat...
namun, Hawa lemah...
Hawa takut zina hati...

Adam,mengertilah...
setiap kali 'sms' diterima..
Hawa keliru...
ingin sekali Hawa membiarkan sahaja..
tapi Hawa akur tuntutan sahabat...
Hawa tewas...
Hawa membalas juga...
mengenangkan Adam adalah sahabat....

Adam,mengertilah...
setiap layanan yg Hawa beri hanya sekadar membantu..
mungkin Hawa adalah antara kasih sayang Allah yg dikurniakan buat Adam..
memudahkan perjalanan hidup Adam..
jgn disalah tafsir apa yg Hawa berikan..

Adam,mengertilah...
Hawa mengharapkan Adam menjaga Hawa..
namun,bukanlah 'couple' yg Hawa pinta...
tapi cukuplah sekadar tidak memandang Hawa..
cukuplah sekadar menghormati Hawa sebagai Hawa..
jgn dipinta apa yang tak mampu Hawa berikan..
kerana Hawa milik Allah sepenuhnya...

Adam,mengertilah...

Valentine's Day From an Islamic Perspective

First of all, we’d like to shed light on the origin of this festival, known as "Valentine Day" or "Festival of Love":

The Festival of Love was one of the festivals of the pagan Romans, when paganism was the prevalent religion of the Romans more than seventeen centuries ago. In the pagan Roman concept, it was an expression of "spiritual love".

There were myths associated with this pagan festival of the Romans, which persisted with their Christian heirs. Among the most famous of these myths was the Roman belief that Romulus, the founder of Rome, was suckled one day by a she-wolf, which gave him strength and wisdom.

The Romans used to celebrate this event in mid-February each year with a big festival.

One of the rituals of this festival was the sacrifice of a dog and a goat. Two strong and muscular youths would daub the blood of the dog and goat onto their bodies, then they would wash the blood away with milk. After that there would be a great parade, with these two youths at its head, which would go about the streets. The two youths would have pieces of leather with which they would hit everyone who crossed their path. The Roman women would welcome these blows, because they believed that they could prevent or cure infertility.

The connection between Saint Valentine and this festival:

Saint Valentine is a name which is given to two of the ancient "martyrs" of the Christian Church. It was said that there were two of them, or that there was only one, who died in Rome as the result of the persecution of the Gothic leader Claudius, c. 296 CE. In 350 CE, a church was built in Rome on the site of the place where he died, to perpetuate his memory.

When the Romans embraced Christianity, they continued to celebrate the Feast of Love mentioned above, but they changed it from the pagan concept of "spiritual love" to another concept known as the "martyrs of love", represented by Saint Valentine who had advocated love and peace, for which cause he was martyred, according to their claims. It was also called the Feast of Lovers, and Saint Valentine was considered to be the patron saint of lovers.

One of their false beliefs connected with this festival was that the names of girls who had reached marriageable age would be written on small rolls of paper and placed in a dish on a table. Then the young men who wanted to get married would be called, and each of them would pick a piece of paper. He would put himself at the service of the girl whose name he had drawn for one year, so that they could find out about one another. Then they would get married, or they would repeat the same process again on the day of the festival in the following year.

The Christian clergy reacted against this tradition, which they considered to have a corrupting influence on the morals of young men and women. It was abolished in Italy, where it had been well-known, then it was revived in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when in some western countries there appeared shops which sold small books called “Valentine’s books”, which contained love poems, from which the one who wanted to send a greeting to his sweetheart could choose. They also contained suggestions for writing love letters.
The above quotation is excerpted, with slight modifications, from www.Islam-qa.com

As regards the Islamic stance on this festival, Dr. Su`ad Ibrahim Salih, professor of Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh) at Al-Azhar University, states the following:

Indeed, Islam is the religion of altruism, true love, and cooperation on that which is good and righteous. We implore Allah Almighty to gather us together under the umbrella of His All-encompassing Mercy, and to unite us together as one man. Allah Almighty says: (The believers are naught else than brothers. Therefore make peace between your brethren and observe your duty to Allah that haply ye may obtain mercy.) (Al-Hujurat 49: 10)

Focusing more on the question in point, I can say that there are forms of expressing love that are religiously acceptable, while there are others that are not religiously acceptable. Among the forms of love that are religiously acceptable are those that include the love for Prophets and Messengers. It stands to reason that the love for Allah, and His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) should have the top priority over all other forms of love.

Islam does recognize happy occasions that bring people closer to one another, and add spice to their lives. However, Islam goes against blindly imitating the West regarding a special occasion such as Valentine’s Day. Hence, commemorating that special day known as the Valentine’s Day is an innovation or bid`ah that has no religious backing. Every innovation of that kind is rejected, as far as Islam is concerned. Islam requires all Muslims to love one another all over the whole year, and reducing the whole year to a single day is totally rejected.

Hence, we Muslims ought not to follow in the footsteps of such innovations and superstitions that are common in what is known as the Valentine’s Day. No doubt that there are many irreligious practices that occur on that day, and those practices are capable of dissuading people from the true meanings of love and altruism to the extent that the celebration is reduced to a moral decline.