Saturday 31 March 2012

:: What is love? ::



What is love when it is more than just a word?



Monday 26 March 2012

:: Sultans of Science Exhibition ::

Source: Sultans of Science 

Making its premiere in Asia at the Science Centre Singapore, “Sultans of Science", is a global touring exhibition celebrating the contributions of Muslim scholars in science, mathematics and technology during the Golden Age of the Islamic World (700-1700 CE), and the influence of their discoveries and inventions on modern society. The exhibition will also demonstrate to visitors that the foundation for the Renaissance in Europe was probably laid by these scholars while highlighting the harmonious working relationship between Muslims and people of other races and faiths.

Covering the main fields of scientific endeavour from mathematics to navigation, astronomy, medicine, engineering and technology, architecture and flight, the exhibition will feature 35 interactive, sensory and static exhibits, proposing that notable discoveries and inventions currently attributed to Western scientists were made by Muslim scholars.

Highlights

The Pioneers of Flight

Over a thousand years ago, in front of a crowd on a hill near Cordoba, Spain, Abbas Bin Firnas climbed into the harness of his glider, launched himself into the air and flew across the Spanish countryside. He was the first aviator, 1 000 years before Otto Lilienthal in Germany.

The Explorers

Trade runs deep in the blood of Islam. Explore the rich history of their nomadic and trading society, where travel and exploration was fundamental to the Arab way of life. Follow these explorers through the World Floor Map and Interactive AV Game of Ibn Battuta.

Medicine

Muslim physicians were one of the pioneers for modern medicine. Explore the rich history from the building of the first sophisticated hospital, the inventing of surgical instruments and procedures to the huge strides made by these scholars in understanding how the human body works!

Astronomy

Astronomy was vital for Islamic society in the Golden Ages; find out how it helped established the direction of Makkah (Mecca), the time for prayer and Ramadan and the seasons for planting crops.

17 April 2012 to 16 July 2012
Singapore Science Centre Annexe
http://www.science.edu.sg/exhibitions/Pages/SultansofScience.aspx

:: Procrastination and Laziness ::



Satan Hinders the Slave from Acting by Means of Procrastination and Laziness
by 'Umar Sulayman al-Ashqar

Concerning this point, Satan has many ways and means. It is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,

Narrated Abu Huraira Allah's Apostle said, "Satan puts three knots at the back of the head of any of you if he is asleep. On every knot he reads and exhales the following words, 'The night is long, so stay asleep.' When one wakes up and remembers Allah, one knot is undone; and when one performs ablution, the second knot is undone, and when one prays the third knot is undone and one gets up energetic with a good heart in the morning; otherwise one gets up lazy and with a mischievous heart." 
(Sahih Bukhari Book #21, Hadith #243)

It is also recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim that he said,

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "If anyone of you rouses from sleep and performs the ablution, he should wash his nose by putting water in it and then blowing it out thrice, because Satan has stayed in the upper part of his nose all the night." 
(Sahih Bukhari Book #54, Hadith #516) (Sahih Muslim Book #002, Hadith #0462)

Al-Bukhari also records that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked about a man who sleeps until the morning comes, that is, after the time of the dawn prayer. He said,

Narrated 'Abdullah : A person was mentioned before the Prophet (p.b.u.h) and he was told that he had kept on sleeping till morning and had not got up for the prayer. The Prophet said, "Satan urinated in his ears." 
(Sahih Bukhari Book #21, Hadith #245)

What we have mentioned is from among the ways that Satan hinders the human from doing some actions. He also whispers into the human a love for laziness, postponing or procrastinating actions and thinking about what a long period of time one has for such and such action or work.

Ibn al-Jawzi has written on this topic, stating, How many of the Jews or Christians have considered in their hearts love for Islam. But Iblees always hinders them. He says to them, "Do not be hasty. Look closer into the matter."And they postpone their conversion until they die as unbelievers.

In the same way the one who is disobedient to Allah postpones his repentance. He sets his sights on his desires and he hopes he will repent later. But, as the poet said, "Do not rush to perform the sins you desire and think about the period of repentance beforehand."How many are determined to do something and then they postpone it.

Perhaps a scholar is determined to return to his study. Satan says, "Rest for a while." Or a servant is alerted to the prayer at night and he says to him, "You have plenty of time."He will not stop making people love laziness and postponing of actions and he makes the person rely on hopes and dreams.

It is necessary for the energetic person to take matters into his own hand and act upon his energy. The energetic finds the time to do things and does not procrastinate and he turns away from just dreaming. The one who has a real fear of Allah does not feel safe of punishment. The soul never stops in its dispute about evil and facing the good. But it always expects that it will have plenty of time to complete the good.

One of the early scholars said, "Beware of procrastinating. It is the greatest of the soldiers of Satan." The serious, non-procrastinating person and the one who rests on his hopes and puts off working are like two who are passing through a city while journeying. The serious, energetic one buys his provisions early and waits for his traveling out of the city. The procrastinator says, "I will wait, as perhaps we will stay here a month," and continues to put off buying his provisions and preparing for his departure, until the last minute wherein he becomes rushed and mistake prone.

This is how people are in this world. Some of them are prepared and alert. When the angel of death comes, he is not sorrowful. Others are deceived by thinking they can procrastinate and they will despair when the time to move on comes. It is part of one’s nature to love laziness and dreams but then Iblees comes and builds upon that. This makes it difficult to struggle against him in that matter. But the one who is alert knows that he is in the middle of a battle. He knows that his enemy does not rest. And if it seems that he is resting, it is actually just part of his strategy.

Ibn al-Jawzi, Talbees Iblees, p. 458

Friday 23 March 2012

Thursday 22 March 2012

Sunday 18 March 2012

:: Jesus, son of Mary, brother of all Prophets ::


Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "Both in this world and in the Hereafter, I am the nearest of all the people to Jesus, the son of Mary. The prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is one." (Bukhari Book #55, Hadith #652)

:: Funeral rituals ::

Assalam Alaikum,

This was a discussion about the process of funeral in various traditions; such as in Islam, people in laos, Qinghai, India, Eskimos, the vikings. 

In the beginning of the video, Ustaz Ishaq Ma, from the Taipei Mosque, led the discussion by explaining the islamic funeral rituals and its meaning behind. Others started sharing what they observed while they were on holidays abroad.

Towards the end, Mr. Zhou gave further explanation and in the time 13:20, he spoke out for Islam being interpreted by the American media as the media is controlled by the 'jews'...

May Allah subhana wa ta'ala, gives him hidayat~ Ameen~

Enjoy the video!


W'salam,
Khadijah C.

Monday 12 March 2012

:: Who are we to judge? ::

It is prohibited for a person to say "such and such" is for Jannah or for Jahannam or that he is a kaafir.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "There were two men who were living as brothers; one of them was sinful, while the other stove very much to perform his devotion to Allah. The striver (after good) would continuously see the other in sin, and so he would continuously advise him to leave it. 

The sinner retorted: 'Leave me, by my Lord- are you sent as a watcher over me?' 

Worshipper said: 'By Allah, Allah will not forgive you, or (he said) Allah will not make you enter Jannah. 

After their souls were taken, they were brought together before Allah, so He said to the striver: 'Did you have knowledge of Me, or are you able to do what is in My Hand?' 

Allah said to the sinner 'Go to Jannah by my Mercy and said to the other "Take him to the fire (of Jahannam)'. " 


[Abu Dawood Book #41, Hadith #4883]

Taken from The many danger of the tongue (http://www.kalamullah.com/five.html#shame)

Sunday 11 March 2012

:: Allah will provide ::

:: Came as a mercy ::

Assalam Alaikum,

Every minute of my breathing moment is spending being grateful to Allah, subhana wa ta'ala, for His endless mercy to guide me and to give me strength to walk on the straight path.

Being spent twenty over odd years of being a non-muslim has given me the understanding of how lost one is without the guidance of Allah, subhana wa ta'ala... There is always a hikmah behind everything... I always wonder what is the hikmah of being a 'revert', to spend the first part of my life not knowing about islam, and to be guided again~

I start to have a glimpse of that hikmah from our beloved Prophet Muhammad, sallahu alayhi wa salaam~ There are some hadiths which I wish to share...

Narrated Ata bin Yasar: I met Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-'As and asked him, "Tell me about the description of Allah's Apostle which is mentioned in Torah (i.e. Old Testament.") He replied, 'Yes. By allah, he is described in Torah with some of the qualities attributed to him in the Quran as follows: "O Prophet ! We have sent you as a witness (for allah's True religion) And a giver of glad tidings (to the faithful believers), And a warner (to the unbelievers) And guardian of the illiterates. You are My slave and My messenger (i.e. Apostle). I have named you "Al-Mutawakkil" (who depends upon allah). You are neither discourteous, harsh Nor a noise-maker in the markets And you do not do evil to those Who do evil to you, but you deal with them with forgiveness and kindness. Allah will not let him (the Prophet) die till he makes straight the crooked people by making them say: "None has the right to be worshipped but Allah," With which will be opened blind eyes and deaf ears and enveloped hearts." (Bukhari Book #34, Hadith #335)

One day, the companions, as a result of pressures put on them by non-Muslims, asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) to make a prayer condemning the enemies of Islam. In response, the Prophet said: 

"I did not come for condemnation; I came as a mercy."
(Muslim, jihad 104; Abu Yaia, al-Musnad, XI, 35; al-Bayhaqi, al-Sunan al-Kubrd, III, 352; al-Tabarabi, al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, III, 223) 


The prayer he made against his fiercest enemies was as follows: "O my Lord! They know not! Give them guidance!" 
(Bukhari, Anbiya 54; Muslim, Jihad 104; Ibn Majah, Fitan 33; Ibn Hibban, al-Sahih, III, 254)

I would love to think that someone had done this dua for me somewhere in my life... During the time when I was not aware of the teaching of islam, I really did not know what's in life... If someone could see the lose state I was in and to talk to me about the oneness of The God, I would have grabbed onto the rope of Allah, subhana wa ta'ala, long ago... Then again, Allah, subhana wa ta'ala, has the best plan for me~

I know how it is to be lost... Subhan'Allah! Allah, subhana wa ta'ala, give me the courage, the fear, the strength, the hidayat to choose this path upon knowing the sweetest of the deen... There are many out there who knows about the deen but are not following it... Why? Allah, subhana wa ta'ala, has His plans for them... Maybe just like me, to let me see and experience life lessons in order to taste the sweetest of the deen~

There are many out there, like me, who are very lost and are just following the flow of the society... Among these are some who knows about the teaching of islam but many do not... I would believe that if they know it, they would be a sincere servant of Allah, subhana wa ta'ala~ Who is going to reach out to these group of mankind?

That's where I think the 'reverts' should do the job... One, they know the feeling of being lost and the feeling of searching for meaning. Two, 'reverts' have tasted the sweetest of iman and because of that he/she refuses to go back to the dark path... Third, 'reverts' do know the process of searching for truth and could demonstrate to others, through his/her daily activities...

Of course, this is a responsibility which need time and strength from Allah, subhana wa ta'ala, to carry out~ There are people like AbdulRaheem Green, or Hussein Yee, who are taking on the da'wah project on an international level... But how many of us could take up such big responsibility? Insha'Allah, one day we would... But till the day come, we can do da'wah in whatever we can...

If we can't speak, we can show by our actions... As I believe in the phrase 'action speaks louder than words'... But where do we start? To me, I am always reminded in my salat that Allah, subhana wa ta'ala, is Al-Rahman, Al-Raheem; The most gracious, The most merciful, The most compassionate...

To let others know about Allah, suhana wa ta'ala, let traces of His attributes be reflected in us~ Among mankind, there is one who reflected on Allah, subhana wa ta'ala, attributes very well and act according to it... And that's none other than our beloved Prophet Muhammad, Peace be upon him... In the hadith below, this man decided to follow the actions/sayings of our beloved prophet, peace be upon him, and it was informed to him that Allah, subhana wa ta'ala, loves him.

'A'isha reported: The Messenger of allah (may peace be upon him) sent a man in charge of an expedition and he would recite for his Companions during their prayer, ending (recitation) with:" Say, He is God, One." When they returned mention was made of it to the Messenger of allah (may peace be upon him). He (the Holy Prophet) told them to ask him why he had done like that. So they asked him and he said: Verily, it is an attribute of the Compassionate One, and (for this reason) I love to recite it. The Messenger of allah (may peace be upon him) thereupon said: Inform him that Allah loves him. (Muslim Book #004, Hadith #1773)
Very sadly, there are muslim in our ummah who 'discriminate' against other mankind... Yes, I would agree that there are people out there who are not behaving as well as they are expected to... But who are we to look down on them when they do not have the guidance of Allah, subhana wa ta'ala yet? Who are are to look down on those who have not taste the sweetness of being patience and restraining one nafs? Didn't our Prophet show us the way to treat them? The least we could do is to make dua'a for them, instead of cursing them~

Mankind were one community and Allah sent Prophets with glad tidings and warnings, and with them He sent down the Scripture in truth to judge between people in matters wherein they differed. And only those to whom (the Scripture) was given differed concerning it after clear proofs had come unto them through hatred, one to another. Then Allah by His Leave guided those who believed to the truth of that wherein they differed. And Allah guides whom He wills to the Straight Path.

( سورة البقرة , Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #213)

Mankind is one community... Why are we not those who can show those who are not on the straight path the brightness of it? Yes, Allah, subhana wa ta'ala, guides who He wills but that does not happen by magic... There are occasions when we look at the mannerism and action of a person and recognise it as an islamic way of living, but that person is not exposed to the deen~ That is our responsibility as a muslim to inform them and to share with them~

Insha'Allah, Allah subhana wa ta'ala, let us be those who can be an positive example to others~

I wish and I pray that whoever who is reading this will reflect on surah Al-Fatihah and realised that the actual fact that we are able to reflect, is a gift from Allah, subhana wa ta'ala~

May Allah, subhana wa ta'ala, gives us the strength, the courage, the wisdom to reflect His compassion, His mercy to others, with Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, be our guide... Ameen~

Wednesday 7 March 2012

:: The Reality of a Man ::


Assalam Alaikum,

What is the reason behind why we arrive this Earth as a helpless baby, then we are fed to be strong, and eventually back to be helpless old person? In the state that we are strong, we have forgotten that we were once helpless and eventually return to being helpless... 

Not everyone will be a rich man, not everyone will be a powerful man but one thing for sure, everyone arrives on this Earth with no money/power and will depart with no money/power~ 

So, what is the real purpose of all the time on this Earth when eventually we come to the same original spot of being helpless?

Something to ponder about~


W'salam,
Khadijah

:: International Women Conference ::


Sunday 4 March 2012

Thursday 1 March 2012

:: The Miraculous Qu'ran ::




:: Kind words ::


Kind words and the covering of faults are better than charity followed by injury. Allah is free of all wants, and He is Most-Forbearing.
( سورة البقرة , Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #263)

Abdullah ibn Amr, (may Allah be pleased with him), narrated that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) never used the bad expressions commonly used in daily language. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "the little matters of courtesy that look easy to you, those which you take lightly, will be very important on the Day of Judegement".
Tirmidhi, Birr61; al-Bayhaqi, al-sunan al-kubra, X, 193; Ma'mar ibon Rashid, al-Jami, XI, 146; al-Qudai, Musnad al-Shihab, I, 274.


Once Abu Dharr al-Ghifari called Bilal "the son of a black woman.' When the Prophet (peace be upon him) heard that, he said to Abu Dharr al-Ghifari: "O Abu Dharr! You are indeed someone who is still carrying traces of the time of ignorance, the Jahliyya."
Bukhari, Iman 22; Muslim, Ayman 38; Abu Dawud, Adab 124; Tirmidhi, Tafsir Surah 22,1; Ahmad ibn Hanbal, al-Musnad, V, 161.

Rude talk does not bring anything except shame! Modesty and decency decorate wherever they may be.
Muslim, Birr 78; Abu Dawud, Jihad 1.

:: Call Him ::

Assalam Alaikum~

It has been a long while since I write... =D Alhamdulillah! Allah, Subhana wa ta'ala, has been showering me with His endless mercy and make my journey fruitful~ =)

When My servants ask thee concerning me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on me: Let them also, with a will, Listen to My call, and believe in me: That they may walk in the right way.
( سورة البقرة , Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #186)

Allah, Subhana wa ta'ala, has told us that He listens to the prayer of every suppliant when one calls Him. Subhan'Allah! It's a gift to us mankind! Haven't we experienced before that there were times when we were feeling down and we started sharing our thoughts with someone, that person might not be ready to listen to us... And would just brush us off~ That's a hurtful feeling...

As-Sami (The All-Hearing) has never rejected our call for help, nor a complain, nor a silly statement... 

Al-Halim (The Forbearing) creates us weak (30:54) wishes to lighten our difficulties... And He reminded us that He is Ar-Razzaq (The Provider) and The Cherisher... As stated in the Qur'an...   

Say: "Shall I seek for (my) Cherisher other than Allah, when He is the Cherisher of all things (that exist)? Every soul draws the meed of its acts on none but itself: no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another. Your goal in the end is towards Allah. He will tell you the truth of the things wherein ye disputed."
( سورة الأنعام , Al-Anaam, Chapter #6, Verse #164)

For you who are reading this, for whatever difficulties you are facing, don't give up... Raise your hands and call Allah, Subhana wa ta'ala, and chitchat with Him... May Allah, Subhana wa ta'ala, keeps us close to him and far far far away from bad temptations~ Ameen!


W'salam,
Khadijah C.