:: 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~

:: 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 ::

:: Choice is ours ::

:: 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.

:: Abdurraheem Green's dad's Shahadah ::

Assalam Alaikum,

For the last 20 years, Abdurraheem Green's father rejected his invitation to Islam... In September 2011, his father passes away... 

10 days before he died, something remarkable happened... Abdurraheem Green speaks about the process of inviting his dad into Islam~

It's for us to share the beauty, Allah, Subhana'Allah Wa Ta'ala, to guide~ Don't give up on giving the message, Someday somehow, Allah swt guides them back~

May Allah, Subhana'Allah Wa Ta'ala,  gives us the last breath to say the shahadah on our death bed~ Ameen!

W'salam,

Khadijah C.

:: Say those things that are best ::

Say to My servants that they should (only) say those things that are best: for Satan doth sow dissensions among them: For Satan is to man an avowed enemy.

( سورة الإسراء , Al-Isra, Chapter #17, Verse #53)

According to Tafsir by Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi,

The believers have been enjoined to say only the best things even in their discussion with the disbelievers and other opponents of their Faith. They should neither use harsh words nor make exaggerated statements. They should be cool in their conversation and say only what is true and dignified in spite of the provoking behavior of the opponents.

The believers have been forewarned to guard against the provocations of Satan, as if to say, "While answering your opponents, if you feel that you are being aroused to anger, you should at once understand that it is Satan who is exciting you in order to do harm to your dispute, in which he wants to engage human beings for sowing discord between them."

:: Don't give up ::

Assalam Alaikum,

Got this article from a sister... For those who are striving for the cause of Allah, Subhana Wa ta'ala... 

Do men think that they will be left alone on saying, "we believe", and that they will not be tested?

( سورة العنكبوت , Al-Ankaboot, Chapter #29, Verse #2)

You might feel alone. The loneliness in your heart because you can’t tell your family who you are. You might feel worthless because you’re not who your parents want you to do be. You’ll see your non-Muslim friends living an easy life, you’ll get frustrated because you can’t read Arabic, you’ll get let down when you constantly have to hide to your family of the One that lifts you up.

You wear the hijab, but when your family is with you, you have to take it off.

You read the Qur’aan, but when your family is with you, you have to hide it underneath your bed.

You can’t even say mashaAllaah to your mother, when her smile is the most beautiful than anyone here.

Jobs, education, priorities - you’re not who you were before reverting! Now marriage is your focus, for the sake of Allaah, but everyone looks at you as if you’re wasting your life away.

Everything is difficult, and you even have Muslims mocking you.

Just thinking about how it would be when you tell your parents is enough for you to break down.

But don’t.

All of this is worth it, just as long as it’s for the sake of Allaah subhana wa ta’ala.

Remember Him. Remember Paradise, and remember the Hell Fire. Remember death, because so many times we forget we are living to worship Him.

Allaah subhana wa ta’ala didn’t guide you for no reason. He chose you, so you can choose Him. Allaahu Akbar - God is greater than all of your problems. What you think you can’t handle, Allaah azza wa jal is greater than that. What you think is pure bliss, Allaah azza wa jal is greater than that.

SubhanaAllaah.

Fight your battles as a Muslim.

You can never lose when you give yourself up to Al Mani’, The Preventer of Harm, Allaah subhana wa ta’ala.

Live for Him, fight for Him, die as a slave for Him and in shaa Allaah, you will be with Him.

(via tumblr)

:: Atheist Vs Imam ::

Atheist: Can your Lord fit the entire universe into an egg without making the egg any bigger and the universe any smaller?

Imam Jafar As-Sadiq: I would like you to look at the sky, and at that bird in the sky, and at that tree, and at all those people who have gathered around us and now look at me.

Atheist: I see them all.

Imam Jafar As-Sadiq: If Allah can fit all of those things inside the tiny pupil of your eye, do you think that he cannot fit the universe into an egg?

Taken from http://hamidswisdom.blogspot.com/2011/12/atheist-vs-imam.html

:: 清爱 ::

:: We are nearer to him than ((his)) jugular vein ::

It was We Who created man, and We know what dark suggestions (his) soul makes to him: for We are nearer to him than ((his)) jugular vein. Behold, two (guardian angels) appointed to learn (his doings) learn (and noted them), one sitting on the right and one on the left. Not a word does he utter but there is a sentinel by him, ready (to note it).( سورة ق , Qaf, Chapter #50, Verse #16-18)

:: Adding spices to conversation ::

Assalam Alaikum,

hahahaha! Makes me laugh at how what Ali said! I wonder how many couples do agree to what he said~

W´salam,

Khadijah C.

:: Where's the fear? ::

Where's the Fear?

O children of the book have you forgotten your agreement

Your covenant with your Lord, you're resembling the heathens

Where is your fear? Because clearly no one can see it,

And it's not a matter of just wanting my friends; you must want to need it

You God worshipping, devil hating, creations

Haitians, Asians, brown skinned, Caucasian

Arab-African, son or daughter of a son and a daughter,

Mostly made from water, tell me where is your fear?

Surely God has made his message easy for remembrance,

But is there anyone of you that will actually remember?

Despite your gender, age, colour or class

Those who fight fire with fire usually end up with ash

You're young and dumb and dumb because you're young

Not ready for commitment, you just wanna have fun

Insh'Allah you say, you'll change your ways one day

The only problem is, we're supposed to praise like we have no more days

You who came from this faith, you who pray every other day

You part time Muslims, working for minimum wage

Masha'Allah you are very brave, have you no fear?

You say Iman is in your heart, but is your heart sincere?

What if you were a hypocrite and didn't even know it?

Scared of being scared so your pride won't let you show it

Your friends think it's funny that your sisters wear a hijab

Or that for a month every year you decide to fast

Halas, you just wanna blend in, so you decide to hang out

Accustom to sin, like the dessert is to draughts

But you shouldn't be scared of what your friends might say

You should be scared to death of the Judgment day

So lose those friends, like fools do their wealth,

Cause you hang with 9 idiots, you're probably the 10th

We plot and dream about things that don't count

As if money and fame mean anything in the next life

It's a shame we can't come through on the things we claim

Guard your tongue from praise as you have guarded it from blame

To whom is your fear aimed? You wouldn't disrespect your mother

But yet you would disrespect the actual creator of all things?

So who do you choose to fear? Who deserves your nerves?

Don't curve your words, for Allah has already heard,

All your truths, your secrets worst dreams,

Surely the creator of all, sees and knows all things

So who are you lying to except yourself?

A Branch from a dead tree, please release yourself

Troubled teens; ask your Lord to guide you to the dean

Iyyāka na'budu wa iyyāka nasta'īn

You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help

Ya Allah please have mercy on those who do not have mercy on themselves

This country of Kaffir, makes our faith that much harder

So please forgive our parents for their failing sons and daughters

I am your martyr, so please bring me to your safety

I'm black and Muslim, everywhere I go someone hates me

So please protect me and the rest of this ummah

Provide us with fear, allow us to live sunnah

The way of the Rasoul, sallallahou alayhi wasallam

The way of your messenger, May peace be upon him

Help us to practice the words of your holy text,

Because who cares about this life, I'm worried about the next

So don't let them get you down, ask Allah for some better days

Because when the world pushes you to your knees,

You are in the perfect position to pray.

© Boonaa Mohammed - 2008

:: A parting message ::

Assalam Alaikum!

Saw this on CII Broadcasting and would like to share~

May Allah swt gives us opportunity to this duniya by giving Him thanks! Ameen~

W'salam,

Khadijah C.

Indian pilgrim passes away minutes before Madinah landing

By MUHAMMAD HUMAIDAN

JEDDAH: A 70-year-old Indian pilgrim died shortly before his flight touched down at Prince Muhammad Airport in Madinah on Wednesday.

Ali Kotub was accompanied by his wife, who said when the plane finally started its descent, her husband raised both his hands expressing thanks to Almighty Allah, she said.

“Then he reclined on the seat and when the plane finally stopped he did not get up. A doctor on board examined him and pronounced him dead,” she said.

According to the doctor his death occurred 10 minutes before the plane landed.

At least 15 Indian pilgrims have died as of Thursday due to various causes, according Indian diplomatic sources. By Wednesday night, 54,959 pilgrims have arrived from the country. | ARAB NEWS

"...One who dies in one of the two Holy Sanctuaries (Makkah or Madina), Allah will resurrect him amongst those granted safety on the Day of Judgment.” [al-Bayhaqi, Shu'ab al-Iman]

:: 穆斯林在台灣 ::

:: People in our lives ::

Assalam Alaikum,

As I always believe that there is reason for people in our lives... Allah swt sent them into our lives to teach us something... Someday, people will leave and what they left is the lessons for us to learn...

Enjoy the video~

W'salam,

Khadijah C.

:: Film about Muslim Savior of Holocaust Jews ::

Taken from OnIslam

Wednesday, 05 October 2011 15:07

CAIRO – Delving into untold stories of the Holocaust, a new film is shedding the light on heroism of Muslims who risked their lives to rescue Jews from the Nazi brutality.

“This film is an event,” Benjamin Stora, France’s pre-eminent historian on North Africa, told The New York Times.

“Much has been written about Muslim collaboration with the Nazis. But it has not been widely known that Muslims helped Jews.”

The film, “Free Man”, traces the heroism of the founder of the Grand Mosque of Paris in saving Jews from the Nazis.

It tells the story of Algerian-born Kaddour Benghabrit who rescued Jews in France from the Nazi brutality. Benghabrit provided shelter and Muslim identification documents to scores of Jews to help them escape arrest by Nazi troops.

He also used the Grand Mosque of Paris to shelter more than 100 Jews from persecution.

Despite hiding Jews inside, Benghabrit used to give mosque tours to German officers and their wives to deceive them.

The movie premiered this week in France after four years of travel and research. It is also to be released in the Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the Holocaust refers to "systematic state-sponsored killing of Jewish men, women, and children and others by Nazi Germany and its collaborators during World War II."

The commonly used figure for the number of Jewish victims is six million.

But the figure has been questioned by many European historians and intellectuals, chiefly French author Roger Garaudy.

Muslim Heroes

Stora says that there are many untold stories about Muslim heroism to save Jews from the Nazis.

“There are still stories to be told, to be written,” he said.

Director Ismael Ferroukhi says that he encountered many stories about Muslim heroism during the film making.

One account came from Albert Assouline, a North African Jew who escaped from a German prison camp. Assouline said that more than 1,700 resistance fighters, including Jews, found refuge in the mosque’s underground caverns, and that the imam provided many Jews with certificates of Muslim identity.

The film comes almost five years after Robert Satloff, director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, revealed in his 2006 book, “Among the Righteous,” stories of Arabs who saved Jews during the Holocaust.

The book included a chapter on the Grand Mosque of Paris.

“One has to separate the myth from the fact,” Satloff told The New York Times.

“The number of Jews protected by the mosque was probably in the dozens, not the hundreds,” he said.

“But it is a story that carries a powerful political message and deserves to be told.”

Satloff recalled a 1940 Foreign Ministry document shown to him by the current mosque rector Dalil Boubakeur about the Nazi suspicions of the mosque’s role in sheltering Jews.

“The chief imam was summoned, in a threatening manner, to put an end to all such practices,” the document says.

The mosque’s role in sheltering Jews from the Nazis was explored by a television documentary tilted “A Forgotten Resistance: The Mosque of Paris” in 1991.

Another children’s book “The Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Saved Jews During the Holocaust,” published in 2007, also highlighted the mosque’s role.

Ferroukhi, the director, urges the France government to take the film about the Muslim heroism to schools.

“It pays homage to the people of our history who have been invisible,” he said.

“It shows another reality, that Muslims and Jews existed in peace. We have to remember that — with pride.”

"Ensemble" inspiré de l' histoire vraie de... by Eden2011

:: See ya not how Allah has created... ::

:: On-going classes by Darul Arqum ::

:: 2nd World Conference on Riba ::

2nd World Conference on Riba

Date	:	26th & 27th July 201
Venue	:	Tun Hussein Onn Hall Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Lumpur, 5 July 2011: The 2^nd World Conference on Riba scheduled to be held in Malaysia on 26 and 27 July 2011 will set the stage for an in-depth and comprehensive deliberation on Riba (usury) from all perspectives.

With the theme “The Riba Conundrum: Impartial Outlook from Accounting, Legal and Religious Perspectives”, the conference will be held at the Tun Hussein Onn Hall, Putra World Trade Centre.

Conference Convener, Professor Dr. Ahamed Kameel Mydin Meera said that the conference will critically look at the element of interest, commonly known asRiba in Islamic finance from the banking and accounting perspectives. It also aims to take Islamic banking as it is practised today to the next level and re-visit the legal tender law to mitigate the use of ‘fiat’ money with gold or community currencies.

“The inaugural World Conference on Riba which was held last November received tremendous support from both Islamic and Western scholars, as well as industry leaders. We discussed the issue of Riba amid signals of another financial crisis looming. This was despite constant reports of economic recovery,” he said.

“Almost nine months later, we see turmoil in Arab countries, weakening US$, sharp rise in gold prices, countries going bankrupt and many other worrying financial developments--- all signalling that the discourse on Riba is even more pertinent in addressing entrenched financial practices which correspond directly to the political and economic upheavals around the world,” said Kameel who is also the Head of Department of Finance, Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).

Read more... 

:: A witty reply for "oppressing" muslim women ::

Taken from Facebook page TEACHING OF THE DAY IN THE LIGHT OF QURAN AND HADITH

:: Signs of the last day ::

:: Omar Mukhtar ::

Assalam Alaikum,

A movie must watch to know what happened in Libya in the early 20th century (History is repeating itself now!) and the strength of an old man to protect his homeland~ 

Inspiring movie!

W'salam,

Khadijah C.

:: Smoking ::

And spend of your substance in the cause of Allah, and make not your own hands contribute to (your) destruction; but do good; for Allah loveth those who do good.

( سورة البقرة , Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #195)

:: Whoever believes in Allah (Sahih Bukhari) ::

Whoever believes in Allah, should...


1) take good care of the women
2) not hurt (trouble) his neighbor and should serve his guest generously
3) talk what is good or keep quiet
4) unite the bond of kinship

Narrated Abu Huraira: the Prophet said, "Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should not hurt (trouble) his neighbor. and I advise you to take care of the women, for they are created from a rib and the most crooked portion of the rib is its upper part; if you try to straighten it, it will break, and if you leave it, it will remain crooked, so I urge you to take care of the women." (Sahih Bukhari Book #62, Hadith #114)

Narrated Abu Huraira: the Prophet said, "Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should not hurt his neighbor and Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should serve his guest generously and Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should talk what is good or keep quiet." (Book #73, Hadith #158 and Book #76, Hadith #482)

Narrated Abu Shuraih Al-Ka'bi: Allah's Apostle said, Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should serve his guest generously. the guest's reward is: To provide him with a superior type of food for a night and a Day and a guest is to be entertained with food for three Days, and whatever is offered beyond that, is regarded as something given in charity. and it is not lawful for a guest to stay with his host for such a long period so as to put him in a critical position." (Book #73, Hadith #156)

Narrated Abu Shuraih Al-Khuza'i: My ears heard and my heart grasped (the statement which) the Prophet said, "the period for keeping one's guest is three Days (and don't forget) his reward." It was asked, "What is his reward?" He said, "in the first night and the Day he should be given a high class quality of meals; and Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should entertain his guest generously; and Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should talk what is good (sense) or keep quiet." (Book #76, Hadith #483)

Narrated Abu Huraira: the Prophet said, "Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should serve his guest generously; and Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should unite the bond of kinship (i.e. keep good relation with his Kith and kin); and Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should talk what is good or keep quiet. " (Book #73, Hadith #160)

:: Along with every hardship is relief ::

Have We not opened your breast for you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم)?

And removed from you your burden.

Which weighed down your back?

And have We not raised high your fame?

Verily, along with every hardship is relief,

Verily, along with every hardship is relief.

So when you have finished (your occupation), devote yourself for Allah's worship.

And to your Lord (Alone) turn (all your) intentions and hopes.

( سورة الشرح , Al-Inshirah, Chapter #94, Verse #1-8)

:: Do the people think that they will be left alone? ::

Surah Al Ankabut (The Spider)

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

[1-3] Alif. Lam. Mim. Do the people think that they will be left alone after they have once said, "We have believed," and they will not be tested?¹ The fact is that we have put to test all those who have gone before them.² Surely, Allah has to see³ who are the truthful and who the liars.

Tafsir

1 When this thing was said, the conditions prevailing in Makkah were extremely trying. Whoever accepted Islam was made a target of tyranny and humiliation and persecution.

If he was a slave or a poor person, he was beaten and subjected to unbearable tortures; if he was a shopkeeper or artisan, he was made to suffer economic hardships, even starvation; if he was a member of an influential family, his own people would tease and harass him in different ways and make life difficult for him.

This had created an atmosphere of fear and fright in Makkah, due to . which most people were afraid of believing in the Holy Prophet although they acknowledged him to be a true Prophet in their hearts; and some others who believed would lose heart soon afterwards and would submit and yield to the disbelievers when they confronted dreadful persecutions. Though these trying circumstances could not shake the determination of the strong-willed Companions, naturally they also were sometimes overwhelmed by an intense feeling of anxiety and distraction.

An instance of this is found in the tradition of Hadrat Khabbab bin Arat, which has been related by Bukhari, Abu Da'ud and Nasa'i. He says, "During the time when we had become sick of our persecution by the mushriks, one day I saw the Holy Prophet sitting in the shade of the wall of the Ka`bah. I wen up to him and said, `O Messenger of Allah, don't you pray for us !' Hearing this his face became red with feeling and emotion, and he said, `The believers who have gone before you had been subjected to even greater persecutions. Some one of them was made to sit in a ditch in the earth and was sawed into two pieces from head to foot. Someone's joints were rubbed with iron combs so as to withhold him from the Faith. By God, this Mission will be accomplished and the time is not far when a person will travel without apprehension from San`a' to Hadramaut and there will be none but Allah Whom he will fear."

In order to change this state of agitation into forbearance, Allah tells the believers, "No one can become worthy of Our promises of success in the world and the Hereafter merely by verbal profession of the Faith, but every claimant to the Faith will have to pass through trials and tribulations so as to furnish proof of The truth of his claim. Our Paradise is not so cheap, nor Our special favors in the world so low-priced, that We should bless you with all these as soon as you proclaim verbal faith in Us. The vial is a pre-requisite for them. You will have to undergo hardships for Our sake, suffer losses of life and property, face dangers, misfortunes and difficulties; you will be tried both with fear and with greed; you will have to sacrifice everything that you hold dear for Our pleasure, and bear every discomfort in Our way. Then only will it become manifest whether your claim to faith in Us was true or false." 

This thing has been said at every such place in the Qur'an where the Muslims have been found placed in hardships and difficulties and obsessed by fear and consternation. In the initial stage of life at Madinah, after the migration, when the Muslims were in great trouble on account of economic hardships, external dangers and internal villainy of the Jews and the hypocrites, Allah said:

"Do you think that you will enter Paradise without undergoing such trials as were experienced by the believers before you? They met with adversity and affliction and were so shaken by trials that the Prophet of the time and his followers cried out, `when will Allah's help come?' (Then only they were comforted with the good tidings:) "Yes, Allah's help is near!"'
( سورة البقرة , Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #214)

Likewise, when after the Battle of Uhud, the Muslims again confronted a period of afflictions, it was said:

Did ye think that ye would enter Heaven without Allah testing those of you who fought hard (In His Cause) and remained steadfast?

( سورة آل عمران , Aal-e-Imran, Chapter #3, Verse #142)

Almost the same thing has been said in Al-i-'Imran: 179, Taubah: 16 and Surah Muhammad: 31. 

Allah in these verses has impressed on the Muslims that trial is the touchstone by which the pure and the impure are judged. The impure is turned aside by Allah and the pure is selected so that Allah may honor them with His favors which the sincere believers only deserve.

2That is, "This is not a new thing which you alone may be experiencing. The same has been happening before also. Whoever made a claim to the Faith was made to pass through trials and tribulations. And when the others were not given anything without the trial, you are in no way any special people that you should be favored and rewarded merely on verbal profession of the Faith."

3Literally, "It is necessary that Allah should find out." A question may be asked: "When Allah already knows the truth of the truthful and the untruth of the liar, why should He put the people to the test for the sake of these?" 

The answer is: Until a person has manifested his potential and capability to do a thing in practical terms, justice requires that he neither deserves any rewards nor any punishment. One man, for example, is capable of being trustworthy and another man of being un-trustworthy. Unless both are tried and one manifests trustworthiness and the other the lack of it practically, it will not be justice on the part of Allah that He should reward one for trustworthiness and punish the other for the lack of it only on the basis of His knowledge of the unseen. 

Therefore the knowledge Allah already possesses about the capabilities of the people and about their conduct in the future is not enough to satisfy the requirements of justice until the people have manifested their potentialities in practical ways. 

Justice with Allah is not based on the knowledge that a person possesses a tendency to steal and will commit a theft, but on the knowledge that he has actually committed a theft. Likewise, Allah does not bestow favors and rewards on the basis of the knowledge that a person has the potential and capability to become a great believer and fighter in His way, but on the basis of the knowledge that the person concerned has practically proved by deed and action that he is a sincere believer and a brave fighter in His way. That is why we have translated the words of the verse as: "Allah has to see..."