Muslims: What Did You Learn In Islam Recently?

salamu alaikum, i find it very difficult  to post msg here with the use of my phone, anyway we give thanks to Allah creating us a muslim, the best of mankind      . I jst want to give on some Islamic facts muslim need to know ; Do u know that jinn exist ? They are every where on earth, They were the first inhabitant of earth but they shed blood on it and Allah sent them battalions of angel who beat them and drove them somewhere  at that seaside. Jinns are like people in terms of religion and tribe, they imitate human myths and legendry, jinn are very dangerous because they have a unique power to transform into whatever material they wish, a jinn who incarnate himself into a human being was interviewed in Bauchi state northern nigeria, he was asked 'can u enter into a house whose doors and windows are closed ? " the jinn responded "yeah, we can even enter an egg talkless of house". During the life of the Holy Prophet S.A.W he gathered some  jinn in Iraq and gave them admonition, Among the jnn we have Ifritu, this Ifritu are powerful than Shaytan and normal jinn, according to the narration of an Islamic cleric "had it been mankind can see jinn in its original form, human being will leave with great fear. Jinn can be found at fithy places such as toilet , dustbin etc. TO BE CONTINUE

Character-building

Salam Alaykum Brothers and Sisters!

The call of the Adhan summons you five times a day to the presence of the Lord of the universe; five times a day you put everything aside to rush to Him; before every Prayer you purify your bodies and souls with wudu’; and you are fully aware of the meaning of the things you are saying during the Prayer. In such circumstances is it not inevitable that the fear of God will arise in your hearts, that you will feel ashamed to break God’s commandments, that your wins will weigh heavily on your consciences? How, then, when you return to your work after the Prayer, can you justify telling or giving bribes, paying or levying interest, and committing indecent or illegal acts? And how, after doing any of these things, can you possibly go back to God at the next Prayer and seriously reaffirm your obedience to Him? Seriously say, thirty-six times a day, ‘Thee alone we worship, Thee alone we ask for help’, and afterwards ask favour of others in worship?

Properly understood and performed, Salah must improve your morals and, where necessary, fundamentally change your lives. This is why Allah emphasizes: ‘Surely Prayer restrains  [man]  from all that is shameful and wrong’. If it does not, the reason lies in you, not in the Prayer. It is not the fault of soap and water that coal is black.

Perhaps one great obstacle to Prayer doing its purifying work is that you may not fully understand or give serious attention to the words you recite in Arabic. A little extra effort in learning by heart these recitations in our own language may bring you rich reward.

May Allah grant us the Will to  always keep HIS commandment, doing good and restrain from all forms of evils. (ameen).

Yaa IbaadAllaah, take heed of what Allaah says in the Qur'aan:

    "Everyone is going to taste death, and We shall make a trial of you with evil and good, and to Us you will be returned." (21:35)

Indeed, Allaah's promise will be fulfilled. The Death is something so inevitable, yet so very often forgotten.

Each day that passes, each day we breathe, each day we go about our lives, sinning or doing good, is but a day closer to our end, closer to our return to our Creator - Allaah the All-Mighty. Many of us, have at some point in our lives, lost a close relative or a close friend. True, we shed tears, we show remorse and we show sadness - but I ask you yaa IbaadAllaah, what did you learn?, how did you reflect it upon you own self

Allaah says in the Qur'aan

    "Then why do you not [intervene] when [the soul of a dying person] reaches the throat?" (56:83)

    "And you at the moment are looking on." (56:84)

    "But We [i.e. Our Angels that take the soul] are nearer to him than you, but you see not." (56:85)

Perhaps you think that death is yet a distance from you and you will not taste it until at a later age, or perhaps when you think  that you are better prepared for it's coming, and indeed this way of thinking arises only from falsehood!

It was once said  "The night and the day are like two treasure-chests. So be careful of what you do in them."

Mujaahid (d.104H) said, "Not a day passes which does not say 'O son of Adam, I have come to you today and I will never come to you again, So be careful of what you do during my stay!'"

When the day has passed, it is folded up and sealed, never to be re-opened by anyone until Allaah re-opens it on the Day of Judgement!

There is a poem that goes :

    "Life is nothing other than a road,
    that leads to the Garden,
    or to the Fire.
    Its night's are a man's workshop,
    And its days are his market place,
    So time is surely the servants capital."

Many a times are we told off about the death in the light of the Qur'aan and Sunnah.

    "It is Allaah who takes away the souls at the time of their death, and [the souls] of those that do not die during their sleep. He retains those souls for which He has ordained death, whereas He releases the rest for an appointed term. Verily, in this are signs for a people who think deeply." (39:42)

See you not then, that Allaah has already decreed the time of your death, be you going about your daily business or be you asleep - your time has been written and your soul will be taken out accordingly to your deeds.

Look to what the Messenger of Allaah SAW said about those who disbelieved in Allaah ,

"The Angel of death says, 'O you foul soul, come out to the anger and wrath of your Lord'. The soul inside the disbeliever's body is overcome by terrible fear [and does not want to deliver itself up], whereupon the Angel of death violently pulls it out like multi-pronged skewers being yanked out of wet wool - tearing with them the arteries and nerves." (Hadith Saheeh)

But for those who believed in Allaah, then ,

"The angel of death comes to the dying believer, sits at his head and says 'O you good soul, come out and receive your Lords forgiveness and pleasure'. Then the soul slows out effortlessly, just as water flows from the mouth of a water skin." (Hadith Saheeh)

Ya IbaadAllaah, these are but only a few reminders from the Qur'aan and Sunnah. Indeed our time of leaving the Dunya is but closer than we think. But are we prepared for it's coming?, have we truly been dutiful to Allaah's commands in this life?  Have our hearts become so hard that we shed no tears out of fear of meeting with out Lord? What will you do? What will you say? After death has come unto you? - Indeed those who did wrong in this life, will surely wish they could come back to this life and to have another chance to do good, and by this time, it will be too late ,

And Allaah gives us a clear warning in the Qur'aan ,

    "And of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil deeds until death faces one of them and he says: 'Now I repent' Nor of those who die while they are disbeliever's. For them we have prepared a painful torment." (4:18)

It is reported that al-Bara 'bin 'Azib said: "We went out with the Prophet SAW in order to participate in the funeral rites of a man from the Ansar. We arrived at the grave, but the inner chamber had not been prepared yet; so Allaah's Messenger SAW sat down facing the direction of the Qiblah, and we sat around him so attentively that it was as if birds were sitting upon our heads. He had a stick in his hand with which he sketched upon the ground. Then he began looking alternately to the heavens and to the earth, raising his gaze and then lowering it. Finally, he said two or three times, 'Seek refuge in Allaah from the torment of the grave.' Then he said, 'O Allaah, verily I seek refuge in You from the torment of the grave.' He repeated it three times, then he elaborated,

'Verily, when the believing servant is leaving this world and entering the next, angels from the heavens descend to him - their faces white with brightness like the sun and carrying with them burial sheets and scents from Paradise. They sit before him at a distance as far as the eye can see. Then the Angel of Death (upon whom be peace) comes to the person, sits at his head and says, "O good soul [and in another narration "O confident soul"], come out to your Lord's forgiveness and pleasure. "' [The Prophet SAW continued],

'There upon the soul flows out of the body like water flowing from the mouth of a water skin, and all of the angels between the skies and the earth supplicate for Allays blessing upon him. The doors of the heavens are opened for him, and the keepers of these doors [i.e., the angels all plead with Allaah that this soul might pass in front of them as it is being carried upward. The Angel of Death barely receives the soul in his hands, whereupon the other angels take it from him and wrap it with fragrant winding sheets. This is what is meant by Allaah's saying,

    "Our messengers [i.e., angels] seize his soul, and they do not fall short of their duty."'

Then the Prophet SAW said, 'There exudes from the soul a scent like the most beautiful fragrance of musk that one could find on the face of the earth. The angels ascend with the soul never passing a host of angels without hearing them ask, "Who is this wonderful soul?" They reply, "So and so, the son of so and so," addressing him with the best names he was known by during his earthly life.

Upon reaching the first heaven, the angels request that it be opened for the soul - which is granted The soul is then accompanied by the angels of each heaven until it reaches the one above it and finally arrives at the seventh heaven. Then Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, says [to the angels], "Place the record of My servant in 'illiyyun."'

    "And what will explain to you what 'illiyyun' is? [it is] a written record, witnessed by those brought near to their Lord." (83:19-21)

The person's record is then placed in 'illiyyun, whereupon a command is heard: "Return him to the earth, for verily I have promised mankind that having created them from the earth, I will return them to it. And l will make them come out of it, yet another time. " Then the soul is returned to the earth back into its body. Verily, the deceased hears the shuffling feet of his companions who attended his burial as they tam away and leave his grave.

Thereupon, two angels, severe in interrogation come to him, and sitting him up, they begin to ask him questions. They say, "Who is your Lord?" He replies, 'Allaah is my Lord. " They continue, "What is your religion?" He answers, 'Islam is my religion " They proceed with the questioning, saying, "Who is this man that has been sent to you?" He responds, 'He is the Messenger of Allaah SAW." Finally, they ask him about his deeds, to which he replies, 'I read Allaah's Book and believed in it."' (In another narration the Prophet SAW indicated that the angels ask, "Who is your Lord, what is your religion and who is your prophet?" [Allaah's Messenger SAW explained that] this was the believer's last test, and it is what is meant when Allaah says,

    "Allaah strengthens those who believe with a firm testimony in this worldly life and in the Hereafter."

The deceased answers, "Allaah is my Lord, Islam is my religion, and my prophet is Muhammad."

[The Prophet SAW then indicated, 'Upon the believer's answer to these questions], a voice is heard in the heavens, saying, "My servant has told the truth, so clothe him in the clothing of Paradise, spread for him the furnishings of Paradise, and open for him a window with a view of Paradise." Thereupon, he is engulfed by a breeze of fresh air and fragrance, while the expanse of his grave is extended before him as far as the eye can see.

There appears before him a man with a wonderful face and beautiful clothing, emitting a splendid fragrance. He says to the soul, "Rejoice at the news which will gladden you! Rejoice at Allaah's pleasure and His Paradise, whose joys and delights never end. This is the day which you were promised."

The deceased says to him, "And who are you, for your face bears glad tidings.?! " The figure answers, "I represent your good deeds; by Allaah, I've always known you to be quick in obedience to Allaah and slow to His disobedience. So may Allaah award you with good."

Then a door to Paradise is opened, and a door to the Fire is opened, whereupon his said to him [regarding the Hell fire], "This would have been your final abode had you disobeyed Allaah; however, it has been exchanged for this other abode [i.e., Paradise]. " When the soul sees what is in Paradise, he cries, "My Lord, hasten the arrival of the Hour [i.e., the Resurrection] so that I may be joined with my family and wealth." There upon it is said to him, "Rest in tranquillity. "'

But how many of us can call ourselves true believers? Such that we would be good enough to receive such a reward?

Allaah's Messenger SAW continued, 'When the disbelieving servant and in another narration "sinful servant"] is about to leave this world and enter the next, angels, powerful and severe, descend to him from the heavens - their faces black and carrying with them coarse strips of cloth from Hell. They sit before him at a distance as far as the eye can see.

Then the Angel of Death arrives, and sitting at the head of the disbeliever, he says, "O you foul soul, come out to the anger and wrath of your Lord." The soul inside the disbeliever's body is overcome by tenable fear [and does not want to deliver itself up], whereupon the Angel of Death violently pulls it out like multi-pronged skewers being yanked out of wet wool - tearing with them the arteries and nerves.

Upon this, the soul is cursed by every angel between the earth and the heavens and by those inside the heavens. Then the doors of the heavens are closed to him, and every single guard at these doors begs Allaah that this soul not be carried up in front of him.

'The Prophet SAW continued, 'The Angel of Death barely receives the soul in his hands, whereupon the other angels grasp it from him and wrap it up in coarse cloth. There emits from it the foulest odour that could be found on the face of the earth. They ascend with it, never passing a host of angels without being asked, "Who is this ugly soul?" They reply, "So and so, the son of so and so, " using the worst names by which he was known in this world.

When they arrive at the lowest heaven, they request that it be opened for this soul, but the request is denied. ' At this point Allaah 's Messenger SAW recited the verse:

    "The gates of the heavens will not be opened for them, nor will they enter the Garden of Paradise until a camel goes through the eye of a needle."

After that, he continued, 'Then Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, says [to the angels], "Place his record in sijjeen [a book which contains all of the deeds of the devils and the disbeliever's]- in the lowest earth Return My servant to the earth, for verily I have promised mankind that having created them from the earth, I will return them to it. And I will make them come out of it, yet another time."

Upon this command, the deceased [disbeliever's] soul is thrown down from the sky until it lands in its body. ' The Prophet SAW then recited the verse:

    "And whoever ascribes partners with Allaah, it is as though he had fallen from the sky, such that birds snatch him up or the wind throws him to a remote place."

Then he commented, 'Verily [when the soul is returned to its body], the deceased hears the sound of his companions' footsteps as they tam away from his grave.' [The Prophet SAW resumed his explanation, saying 'Then two angels, severe in interrogation come to him, and sitting him up, they begin to question him, who is your Lord? He replies, 'Hah! Hah! (an expression describing a state of surprise, shock and pain) I don't know. " They continue by asking him, "What is your religion?" He answers, 'Hah! Hah! I don t know. ' so they ask, "Then what do you say about this man who was sent to you?" [The disbeliever does not appear to understand who they are referring to, so it is said] 'Muhammad. " Again he states, 'Hah! Hah! I don t know. I only heard people talking about him." Then it is said, "You did not know! And you did not read!"

There upon a voice from the heavens is heard, 'He has lied! So spread out for him a place from the Fire and open for him a window to the Fire."

 The searing hot winds of Hell engulf him while his grave closes in upon him, crushing him until his ribcage is broken by the force - causing the ribs of one side to intertwine with the ribs of the other Then there appears to him a person with an ugly face and ugly clothing and exuding a foul odour, who says, "Tidings of evil to you, for this is the day which you were promised!" The deceased says to him, 'And you, too; may Allaah give you evil tidings! Who are you, for yours is a face which portends evil."

The person rejoins, 'I represent your wicked deeds. By Allaah, I have always known you to be slow in obedience to Allaah and quick in disobedience to Him. May Allaah reward you with evil!"

Then one who is deaf, dumb and blind and is carrying an iron rod is sent to the deceased. If he were to strike a mountain with it, the mountain would disintegrate into rubble. He strikes the deceased with a blow, which turns him into dust. Allaah returns the deceased to his original form, whereupon he is struck a second time. This causes him to shriek with such violence that it is heard by all of creation except mankind and jinn.

Then a door to the Fire is opened, and beddings of the Fire are spread for him, whereupon he cries, "Lord, do not establish the Hour! "

One thing we constantly hear from the followers of Islam is that, "There is no compulsion in religion." Perhaps someone could then explain the hadith of sahih Bukhari vol. 1, book 11/ number626.  This hadith states quite clearly that Mohammed ordered the the homes, and the people in them , to be burnt for not heeding the call to prayers. Maybe you have a different meaning for the word "compulsion" but as I understand it and the dictionary explains it, compulsion it was.

@Piacere



Do you care to give us the full quote please?





Brother, who is deceiving you? You didnt have liver to contribute in threads where Muslims and Christians have been having discussion but here to make mockery of yourself.

If you still want to carry on with your curiosity or what have you, create a thread and we discuss.

@Piacere




Ok, let us read what you supplied.



Before I give you detailed response because I learnt that you didnt understand the above, so will not waste much time arguing back and forth with you but will like to ask you few questions:

What volume is the hadith you posted so I go and check myself?

Secondly, since you believe that he compelled people into accepting Islam, can you please serve me where he carried out the above before his death?

Babs787, you asked that I provide the volume of Bukhari's hadith so as you can look it up for yourself, well I have already given volume, book and number in my original post. You also say that you have learned that I didn't understand what I had posted. How did you learn this, and what do I not understand?  You can't just come out with statements like that and not explain yourself.
You also ask when, before his death, he carried out such an action. Maybe you don't believe this particular hadith, but I didn't make it up. You would need to question Abu Huraira, he was the companion who narrated this hadith, and as I am sure you know he is well respected within the Sunni tradition. Abu Huraira was either telling the truth or he was telling lies.  What's it to be?

Babs787, my original post was on may 3rd at 8:30 pm. Anyway once again here is the info you requested. Bukhari vol 1, book 11, number 626.

As-salam Alaekun Warahmotullah Wabarakatuh

Three Different Natures

 

In the creation of Allah the Almighty there are three different types: the first is that given to absolute obedience and complete self-surrender whose role is completed with its submission and is manifested in the angels prostrating, one and all, to Adam as commanded by their Lord.

The second type is that of absolute disobedience and spiteful arrogance, while the third is that of human nature. We will concentrate on the characteristics of the latter two types and how they work.

Allah the Almighty says

{And [Allah] said: "What has prevented you from prostrating yourself when I commanded you? He [Iblis] answered: "I am nobler than he: You created me out of fire, while You created him out of clay."} (Al-A`raf 7: 12)

Here Iblis claimed for himself a private opinion and a right of discretion to consider whether or not to comply with an order given by Allah the Almighty. He wanted to base the justification of his action on what was apparent to him. Needless to say, when a clear order is given by Allah the Almighty no one has the right of discretion. The only thing that remains is complete obedience and perfect compliance.

However, fully aware that Allah is the Creator and Sustainer of all creation who controls the universe to the extent that nothing takes place without His permission and consent, Iblis refused to comply, justifying his disobedience by his own logic: ("I am nobler than he: You created me out of fire, while You created him out of clay.")(Al-A`raf 7: 12)

Immediately, he received the correct answer to his arrogance:

{He [Allah] said: Off with you hence! It is not for you to show your arrogance here. Get out, then; you will always be among the humiliated.) (Al-A`raf 7: 13)

Neither Iblis's knowledge of Allah the Almighty nor his belief in His existence and attributes were of any benefit to him. The same applies to anyone who receives a divine order and claims for himself a degree of discretion about whether to accept or refuse that order, or claims the right to refuse the ruling of Allah the Almighty on any question whatsoever; for this entails disbelief in spite of knowledge and certitude.

Iblis was not at all lacking in either his knowledge of Allah the Almighty or his certainty of His attributes. He was expelled from Heaven and deprived of the grace of Allah the Almighty. He incurred the displeasure of Allah the Almighty and was condemned to permanent humiliation.

Evil and obstinate as he is, Iblis does not forget the cause of his expulsion and the fact that Allah the Almighty is displeased with him. This cause was Adam. Iblis does not want to accept his miserable fate without trying to avenge himself. Furthermore, he wants to fulfil his task in accordance with the evil nature that he has come to symbolize, according to the words of Allah the Almighty

{He [Iblis] said, "Grant me a respite until the Day when all will be raised [from the dead]." Allah replied: "You shall indeed be among these granted respite." He [Iblis] said, "Since You let me fall in error, I shall indeed lurk in ambush for them all along Your straight path, and I shall most certainly fall upon them from the front and from the rear, and from their right and from their left; and You will find most of them ungrateful.") (Al-A`raf 7:14-17)

His attitude, then, is one of complete determination to follow the path of evil, and absolute insistence on trying to lead people astray. Here we see his nature revealing its main characteristic; that of a deeply entrenched, deliberate evil, and not a passing or temporary one.

We also see here a concrete outline of thoughts, concepts and reactions that are all portrayed with exceptional vividness. Iblis requested his Lord to give him respite until the Day of Resurrection. He knew that what he was asking could only be granted by the will of Allah the Almighty who granted his request and gave him respite until the {Day of the appointed time} as it is described in another surah (i.e., Sad 38: 81).

As he has been granted prolonged life, Iblis announced with wicked arrogance that he would concentrate his efforts in leading astray the very creature on whom Allah the Almighty bestowed His honor and who was the cause of Iblis's own tragedy and rejection. His endeavor to tempt human beings away from the right path is shown here by drawing the practical import of what he declared

{I shall indeed lurk in ambush for them all along Your straight path, and I shall most certainly fall upon them from the front and from the rear, and from their right and from their left.} (Al-A`raf 7:16-17)

He always wants to be close to the straight path watching for Adam and his offspring, trying to turn away any human being who tries to pass along this way. The way to Allah the Almighty cannot be a concrete one, because Allah the Almighty is above being confined to a certain place. It is, then, the road of faith and obedience which leads to His pleasure. Iblis, then, will have to come at human beings from every direction.

{I shall most certainly fall upon them from the front and from the rear, and from their right and from their left and You will find most of them ungrateful.} (Al-A`raf 7:17)

His constant aim is to continually seek to prevent them from believing in Allah the Almighty and obeying Him. This is a very lively portrait of Iblis falling upon human beings. He continually endeavors to tempt them away from the path of Allah the Almighty so that they cannot believe in Him or show their gratitude to Him, except for a small number of them who manage to escape his evil efforts: {"You will find most of them ungrateful.") (Al-A`raf 7:17)

In this verse we find the reason for the lack of gratitude on the part of human beings. Its real cause is Iblis's endeavor and the fact that he lurks in ambush for human beings to prevent them from believing in Allah the Almighty. Human beings are then alerted to the designs of their enemy who constantly try to stop them from following divine guidance. They should be on their guard, since now they know the reason for their ingratitude.

Iblis's request has been granted because Allah the Almighty has willed human beings to find their own way since their nature is susceptible to both good and evil. Furthermore, the human being has been given a mind to think, reflect and choose, and has been given reminders and warnings through the messengers of Allah the Almighty. Furthermore, human beings have been given the means to control and correct themselves.

It is the will of Allah the Almighty that human beings receive signals of right guidance and error, and that goodness and evil should have their conflict within them so that their faith is determined in accordance with the law Allah the Almighty has set in operation. Thus, the will of Allah the Almighty is accomplished by testing human beings. Whether they follow right guidance or go astray, the law of Allah the Almighty is thus accomplished.

The verses quoted above do not state clearly that any permission has been given to Iblis to put his threat into effect. At least not in the same way; as the verses clearly state his request to be given respite has been granted. We are not told the result of that threat; however, we are informed of Iblis's humiliating expulsion and that he had fallen completely from grace.

Furthermore, these verses tell us that Allah the Almighty has warned that He will fill Hellfire with Iblis's offspring along with all those human beings who follow him into error: {He [Allah] said: 'Get out of here, despised, disgraced. As for those of them that follow you, I shall fill Hell with you all. }(Al-A`raf 7:18)

His followers among human beings may simply follow him in his knowledge of Allah the Almighty and his belief that Allah the Almighty is the supreme deity and overall Lord, but they may, nevertheless, reject His sovereignty and legislative authority. They may follow Iblis in claiming that they have discretion to look into the orders of Allah the Almighty and determine whether or not to implement them. On the other hand, Iblis's human followers may simply follow his footsteps and thus, be turned away from guidance altogether. Both situations represent following Iblis and both earn Hellfire as a reward.

Allah the Almighty has granted Iblis and his offspring the chance to lead people away from the right path. At the same time, He has also given Adam and human beings in general, freedom of choice so that He can put them to the test. It is this choice that makes man a special type of creation: he belongs neither to the realm of the angels who obey Allah the Almighty in all situations nor to the world of the devils who disobey Him all the time. Man has a totally different role to play.

Maa Salam

@Piacere




I now see that you don't understand what compulsion is. If you ar saying that he compelled muslims, which muslim did he do that to during his time and who did his companion punish for such?



I don't argue blindly, I prefer facts be it from My Q uran or any Islamic source or even from your bible. If you are ready for rebuttal, its ok by me too.

Time is a sword, Strike a balance
 

"By time, verily man is at loss" so begins one of the shortest surah in the Qur'an. The majority of the mufassireen (commentators) are of the opinion that the word Asr refers to time. Allah takes oath by time to impress upon us the importance of time. Perhaps, for many of us, this is the period when we are most conscious of the precious nature of time, as we try to stretch every second while gearing toward the all important exams. At a time like this when our minds are most focused and yet most distracted, we have to stop and take a moment to reflect and take stock of our lives. We have to ask ourselves what our goals and priorities in life are, and most importantly how we are expending the commodity upon which Allah has taken an oath?

This article started with the first verse of surah al-Asr. But do we truly understand the implications of this surah and put it into practice in our lives? Perhaps, you may be thinking that such assertions are patronizing and condescending for whom in their right mind, living in this society is not aware of the value of time, when people have to resort to country hideouts to get a sense of their lives. But, precisely because we live in this society are we becoming lost in the quagmire of materialism? Whether we are aware or not it would not be incorrect to say that many of us suffer from a disease, it is a disease of delusion about time and lack of understanding of our priorities in life.

Allah created us for the sole purpose of doing his ibadah 'I have only created the jinn and the mankind except that they may worship Me. ' we were not created in vain: 'Did you think that we had created you without purpose, and that you would not be brought hack to us for account?' Indeed that is what our goal in life is, to seek the pleasure of Allah, attain salvation from the hellfire and a place in paradise. To achieve these, we have to make sure that the most precious gift Allah has given us, our life is utilized in the best possible manner, for our lives are only remarkable and we can only attain the position of the best of creation' when we serve Allah.

Hasan al Basri (rahimullah) writes whilst thinking of the oath of time, I saw a person selling ice and he was exclaiming, 'O people have mercy on a person whose merchandise is melting away'. He then concluded: 'Now I fully understand this oath'. The vendor's capital is ice, if he does not manage to sell it, it will melt away, thus suffering a loss. Likewise if one regards time as ones capital and life as a business, if it is allowed to pass without being utilized it is only a matter of time before we will lose our business. And if we invest that time solely for the dunya, then we have already lost.

Most of us consciously or unconsciously have a defected view of life and time. We tend to regard both as a vast expanse without end, where each day rolls into the next. This should not be the case, as many sayings of the Prophet indicate 'Every morning there is a shout, oh children Adam this is a new day, and it is a witness over your actions.' Each day is unique and an opportunity, not a continuum of the last. Whatever we do on that day will be closed forever, only to be opened on the Day of judgement. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud once said 'I do not regret about anything as I regret about the day in which the sun has set, as this day has been decreased from my life and in that day my actions cannot be increased'.

We are at an age when we are enjoying some of the best things in life; wealth, youth and time without the pressure of responsibilities, which our parents are shouldering. But such blessings will not go unquestioned. As the hadith of the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) tells us: ,  on the Day of judgement a servant's feet will not move until he is asked about four thing; about his life and what he spent it on, his body and what he used it on and about his wealth from where did he earn it and what he spent it on: The substance of our answers to these questions is to be made now. 'Two blessings are such that many people are in deception about them.

The first is good health and the second is spare time' Each minute that goes we cannot get it back, each day that passes is gone. We have to invest the time of this life for the next life. The society we are living in is engrossed in the materialistic world and accumulating as much as possible be it power, fame or wealth. We Muslims are not exempt from this pursuit of the dunya. Our despicable position in the world is due to this very fact.

We may think that the position of the Muslim Ummah and its many problems are very far from us and not a thing that we can affect. But are we not in our own way running after this world. What are our conditions and state of mind when we have to sit our exams or we have an assignment to sub-nut? It is one of complete anxiety to the extent that we start abusing the rights of our body. We become engrossed in attaining that goal we forget what our real goal in life is. Some of us are even prepared to miss our salat in order to get such tasks done. I am not advocating that we don't spend time upon our studies or other duties. Far from it, what I am trying to inculcate is getting our priorities in life straight and truly valuing our time and what we do with it. Of course we must study and try our best, for a Muslim should never be one who undertakes things half-heartedly There is no contradiction between the two when we utilize our time properly.

If we look at the lives of the companions and our pious predecessors we understand how vigilant they were about their time. They were a people who were successful for they truly knew the precious nature of time as Imam Shafi'ee said:'I stayed with the people of tasawuf and learned two things from them. First is that they say time is like a sword if you don't cut with it, it will Cut you. Second is your self, if you don't keep it busy with right, it will make you busy with wrong.

Umar (radiAllahu anhu) said 'I hate to see people wasting time, whether in their dunya or for Akhira'. Employ your time wisely, do not waste it sitting in front of the T.V or playing computer games. It is very easy for us to fall into the tricks of shaytan and justify such actions as valid, 'we all need time to relax and give our minds a break!' Such activities rarely achieve anything apart from diverting our balance of time. Abu Huraira narrated:
The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: Allah's saying 'The son of Adam hurts Me by abusing time, for I am Time; in My Hands are all things and I cause the revolution of night and day.’ There are much better and fruitful ways to relax if we look at the life of the Prophet and his companions. We do not want to-when we get to our Parents age-look back upon our youth with regret as time wasted.

'And it is not your wealth, nor your children that bring you nearer to Us (Allah), but only he (will please Us) who behaves and does righteous deeds. As for such, there will be twofold reward for what they did, and they will reside in the high dwellings in peace and security.'
We are blessed by Allah that we have Islam at a young age. If we endeavour with our lives now to attain the pleasure of Allah, perhaps we too can be one of the seven types of people who enjoy the shade of the Throne of Allah-on the day when there will be no other shade.

"In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. By al-Asr. Verily! Man is in loss, except those who believe, and do righteous deeds, and recommend one another to the truth and exhort one another to patience."