₦airaland Forum

I always knew this was always going to be d case, d priority of every politician is elections. Now this has to be taken 2 court and I hear there is a precedence from another cout case in kwars which the muslims won. Insha Allah we shall be victorious again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CybEoP_qp4


subhanallah, fantastic lecture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=547B7XbTicI

found dis fantastic illustration and thought i should share
May Allah grant us understanding

I got the mail too. Pls can anyone kindly send me materials to lordphababs@yahoo.com. Thanks in advance

I also got the msg. Pls can someone send me shl materials to lordphababs@yahoo.com, thanks in advance. All d best to everyone.

I got the same message too

NUUK: Wassam Azaqeer, a Lebanese, who lives in a country surrounded by icebergs called “Greenland”, is the only Muslim in this state who is fasting daily for 21 hours with full determination.
Greenland is the largest island in the world; lies between the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean; a self-governing province of Denmark.
According to an Arab TV report, Wassam Azaqeer, who is living in Greenland from the past several years and has been called “Arab Columbus” as he is the only Arab Muslim who not only managed to live in Greenland-despite for its long and difficult journey, but also running a successful business in the capital city of Greenland called Nuuk.
Wassam, is running his own restaurant where he receives 200 customers each day.
The month of the Ramdan,this year, came in summer so Wassam has to fast for 21 hours and after Aftari he only got 2 hours to prepare for Sehri to start next fast.
In these 2 hours Wassam, also has to offer his Maghrib and Isha prayers. Wassam says that he is very proud Muslim to be living on a state where he is the only one fasting and praying in the name of Allah.
He says he sometimes think about going to Lebanon in this holy month but he stops himself by thinking that if left Greenland, there wont be anyone to fast and pray on this land.
http://jazbablog.com/2011/08/08/the-only-muslim-in-greenland-who-fasts-for-21-hours/

Subhanallah!!!. May almighty Allah grant us patience and steadfastness

Asalam alaikum.
i just got on punchng.com and i saw a poll about hijab @ the bottom left corner of the fp.
Think u guys should go there and vote too.
masalam.

wa iyyakum

We all want to have a productive day. We strive hard in figuring out our interests and potential and learn to manage that precious commodity, time. We set goals and develop strategies to accomplish them.

Now, the point to ponder is, are these “goals” really aimed at gaining the Pleasure of Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (glorified is He)?

What goals should we set for ourselves to achieve in a day that are aimed at gaining the pleasure of Allah (swt) and inching closer to Jannah (Paradise) insha’Allah (God willingly)?

*Subhan’Allah (glory to God)!! Allah (swt)—the Supreme Being—gives us the answer in 7 short ayahs (verses of the Qur’an) very aptly titled –“Al Fatiha—The Opening.”

Here goes:–

*Say Bismillah before beginning a task—In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful: Start each task with the name of Allah (swt). It increases barakah (blessings). Say Bismillah before eating, starting something new, entering the house etc.

*Thank Allah (swt) often—[All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds: A true believer is grateful in all circumstances. Look around you and acknowledge the blessings of Allah (swt) and thank Him for them each day. This very practical exercise will help in dealing with traumatic situations and fighting discontentment and increase the chances of leading a stress-free lifestyle.

*Be Kind—The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful: Allah (swt)‘s beautiful qualities of being Especially merciful and Entirely Merciful. We should try to adopt these qualities in our daily lives and be merciful and kind to the people around us. Be kind to your family, neighbors, and friends. Take a pot of chicken soup to someone with a cold, or give a ride to someone to the mosque or the halaqas (study circles) today.

*Remember the Day of Judgment—Sovereign of the Day of Recompense: Tell yourself each day that this dunya (life, universe) is just “play and amusement” and very soon that day will come when Allah (swt) will recompense us for each good and bad deed done. This will insha’Allah assist us in balancing the dunya and the akhirah (Hereafter). Read Surah Mulk every night.

*Seek Only Allah (swt) for help—It is You we worship and You we ask for help: Remember Allah (swt) is only a du`a’ (supplication) away. The Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) said: “Man should call upon Allah alone to provide for all his needs, so much so that even if a shoe-lace is broken, he should pray to Allah to provide a shoe-lace, and if he needs salt, he should beseech Allah to send it to him.” [Tirmidhi] We know and accept that only Allah (swt) can help us during our hardships. We increase our reliance on Allah (swt) and make du`a’ and practice patience.

*Follow the Sunnah—Guide us to the straight path: Yahiya ibn Mu‘âdh (rahimahu Allâh, may God be pleased with him) said, “Renew your hearts with the remembrance of Allâh because it rushes into forgetfulness.” We should try each day to learn something new about the deen (religion). Learn a new sunnah (tradition) or Qur’anic ruling on some matter relating to your everyday life.

*Do righteous deeds and seek the company of the righteous—The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray: Make an effort to do good deeds and seek the company of those people who remember Allah (swt) when they meet. Listen attentively to the jumu`ah khutbah (Friday sermon) and attend halaqas (study circles).

The good news is that Allah (swt) reminds us of these goals at least 17 times a day; in every fard salah (mandatory prayer).

Alhamdulillah (praise be to God) for that

http://www.suhaibwebb.com/islam-studies/quran/the-7-goals-for-a-productive-day-surah-fatiha/

the only problem with this op-ed is that he is part of this government.
Nice subliminals to el-rufai, fani kayode, obj and co

A loosely bound group of yesterday’s men and women seems to be on the offensive against the Jonathan administration. They pick issues with virtually every effort of the administration, pretending to do so in the public interest; positing that they alone, know it all. Arrogantly, they claim to be better and smarter than everyone else in the current government. They are ever so censorious, contrarian and supercilious.

They have no original claim to their pretensions other than they were privileged to have been in the corridors of power once upon a time in their lives. They obviously got so engrossed with their own sense of importance they began to imagine themselves indispensable to Nigeria. It is dangerous to have such a navel-gazing, narcissistic group inflict themselves with so much ferocity on an otherwise impressionable public. We are in reality dealing with a bunch of hypocrites.

With exceptions so few, they really don’t care about Nigeria as a sovereign but the political spoils that accrue from it. And so they will stop at nothing to discredit those they think are not as deserving as they imagine themselves to be. President Jonathan has unfairly become the target of their pitiable frustrations.

Underneath their superfluous appearance, lies an unspoken class disdain directed at the person and office of a duly elected president of the country. It is a Nigerian problem, perhaps. In the same advanced societies which these same yesterday men and women often like to refer to, public service is seen and treated as a privilege. People are called upon to serve; they do so with humility and great commitment, and when it is all over, they move on to other things. The quantity surveyor returns to his or her quantity surveying or some other decent work; the lawyer to his or her wig and gown; the university teacher, to the classroom, glad to have been found worthy of national service. When and where necessary, as private citizens they are entitled to use the benefit of this experience to contribute to national development, they speak up on matters of public importance not as a full-time job as is the case in Nigeria currently.
What then, is the problem with us? As part of our governance evolution, most people become public servants by accident, but they soon get so used to the glamour of office that they lose sight of their own ordinariness. They use the system to climb: to become media celebrities, to gain international attention and to morph into self-appointed guardians of the Nigerian estate. They mask self interest motives as public causes and manipulate the public’s desire for improvements in their daily struggles as opportunity for power grab.
They are perpetually hanging around, lobbying and hustling for undeserved privileges. They exploit ethnic and religious connections where they can or join political parties and run for political office. They even write books (I, me and myself books, packaged as cerebral stuff); if that still doesn’t work, they lobby newspaper houses for columns to write and they become apostolic pundits pontificating on matters ranging from the nebulous to the non-descript. Power blinds them to the reality that we are all in this together and we have a unique opportunity to do well for the taxpayers and hardworking electorate that provide every public official the privilege to serve.

Unsatisfied with the newspaper columns, they open social media accounts and pretend to be voices of wisdom seeking to cultivate an angry crowd which they feed continually with their own brand of negativity. They arrange to give lectures at high profile events where they abuse the government of the day in order to gain attention and steal a few minutes in the sun; hoping to force an audience that may ‘open doors’ for them, back into the corridors of power. These characters are in different sizes and shapes: small, big; Godfathers, agents, proxies. The tactics of the big figures on this rung of opportunism may be slightly different. They parade themselves as a Godfather or kingmaker or the better man who should have been king. They suffer of course, from messianic delusions. The fact that they boast of some followership and the media often treats them as icons, makes their nuisance factor worse. They and their protégés and proxies are united by one factor though: their hypocrisy.

It is in the larger interest of our country that the point be made that the government of the day welcomes criticism and political activism. This is an aspect of our emergent democracy that expands on the growing freedom of expression, thought and association but there is need for caution and vigilance, lest we get taken hostage by the architects of odious disinformation. Nigerians must not allow any group of individuals to hold this country to ransom and no one alone should appropriate the right to determine what is best for Nigeria. The accidental public servants who have turned that privilege into a life-long obsession and profession must be told to go get a life and find meaningful work to do.

Those who believe that no one else can run Nigeria without them must be told to stop hallucinating. The former Ministers, former Governors, former DGs, and all sorts who have been busy quoting mischievous figures, spreading cruel propaganda must be reminded that the Jonathan administration is in fact trying to clean up the mess that they created. They want to own the game when the ball is not in their possession. They want to be the referee when nobody has offered them a whistle. They seek to play God, forgetting that the case for God is not in the hands of man. One of the virtues of enlightenment is for persons to have a true perspective of their own location in the order of things. What they do not seem to realise or accept is that the political climate has changed.

When one of them was in charge of this same estate called Nigeria, he shut down the Port Harcourt airport and other airports for close to two years under the guise of renovation. The Port Harcourt airport was abandoned for so long it was overgrown with weeds after serving for months as a practice ground for motoring schools. It was reopened without any improvement and with so much money down the drain, and the pervasive suspicion that the reason it was shut down in the first place was to create a market for a new airline that had been allowed the monopoly use of the other airport in the city.

Under President Jonathan, airports across the country are being upgraded, rebuilt and modernized; in less than two years, the transformation is self-evident. Perhaps the greatest hypocrisy from our see-no-good commentators comes from the one who superintended over the near-collapse of the aviation sector who is now audacious enough to claim to be a social critic.

For the first time since 1999, the Nigerian Railway Corporation is up and running as a service organization. The rail lines have become functional from Lagos to Kano; Ewekoro to Minna, and very soon, from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, Abuja to Kaduna and Lagos to Ibadan. They couldn’t do this in their time, now they are busy looking for money that is not missing with their teeth. When questions are asked, they claim they invented the ideas of due process and accountability. They once promised to solve the crisis of electricity supply in Nigeria. But what did they do? They managed to leave the country in darkness with less than 2,000 MW; abandoned independent power projects, mismanaged power stations, and uncompleted procurement processes. The mess was so bad their immediate successors had to declare an emergency in the power sector. It has taken President Jonathan to make the difference. Today, there is greater coherence in the management of the power sector with power supply in excess of 4, 200 MW; a better conceived power sector road map is running apace, and the administration is determined to make it better.

They complain about the state of the roads. Most of the contracts were actually awarded under their watch to the tune of billions! They talk about corruption, yet many of them have thick case files with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the courts and the police on corruption-related charges. One of them was even accused of having awarded choice plots of government land to himself, his wives, his companies and other relations when he was in charge of such allocations! Really, have we forgotten so soon?

These yesterday men and women certainly don’t seem to care very much about the Nigerian taxpayer who has had to bear the brunt of the many scandals this administration is exposing in its bid to clear out the Augean stable. They’d rather grandstand with the ex-General this, Chief that, Doctor this and ex-(dis)Honourable Minister who has no record of what he or she did with the funds the nation provided them to deliver results to protect our interest so that we don’t end up continuing to make the same wasteful mistakes.

It is enough to make you shudder at the thought of any of them being part of government with access to the public purse; but then we’ve already seen what some of them are capable of doing when in control of public money, authority and influence; and to that the people have spoken in unison – they have had enough. Nigerians are wiser and are now familiar with the trickery from these persons whose claim to fame and fortune was on the back of their public service.

Our point at the risk of overstating what is by now too obvious: We have too many yesterday men and women behaving too badly. We are dealing with a group of power-point technocrats who have mastered the rhetoric of public grandstanding: carefully crafted emotion-laden sound bites passed off as meaningful engagements. That is all there is to them, after many years of hanging around in relevant places and mingling in the right corridors, all made possible through the use/abuse of Nigeria. Our caveat to their audience is the same old line: let the buyer beware!

Dr. Abati is Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to President Goodluck Jonathan

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/02/face-off-the-hypocrisy-of-yesterdays-men-by-reuben-abati/

This statement is totally uncalled for. Since he already apologised and bias because dere is no condemnation the original tweet which emanated from a christian and countless of comedians making jokes about jesus christ(pbuh) every weekend

bamosagie: Some contracts do have a get out clause, mostly to protect the club not the player. Messi have a 250 million dollars clause, Ba had a seven million dollar clause. RVP, Ashley Cole, Fabregas or Nasri had no such clause but they put in transfer request when they want new challenge, that's what Osaze has done. u cant keep a player that doesn't want to stay and you just don't let go of your best players if you can keep them, hence the game of wit. contract and negotiation is as complicated as it is interesting.

My friend, we r sayin d same thing, no 1, osaze's contract doen not hv a buy-out clause. No 2, all d examples u gave even when it was obvious to arsena dat those players wanted to leave d buyin clubs still met arsenal waluation, remember fabregas already wanted 2 leave a season earlier and wenger was even contemplating van persie seeing out his contract plus many of them had only one year left so arsenal hand were forced and they didn't go on twitter makin noise. Osaze has now been fined 2 weeks wages. Let qpr meet w/brom valuation and they will sell, simple, if not let him see out his contract and join whoever he want to join like flamini

bamosagie: Contract only exist when there is meeting of minds, if one party feels the union is no longer benefitial, he/she/they can opt out unless the other party have a better argument. It's a two way thing.

this is totally false, he signed a contract in the summer with no buy out clause like dat of demba ba to play till a time for x amount of money. i repeat, it is the perogative of west brom to sell or not to sell @ their price

brixton: what exactly are you saying? That contracts cant be broken when one of the parties is agrieved or dont fancy the contract condition anymore? Are you saying people should not aspire for greater position/posts in life? I hope you are not 'suffering and smiling' in ur current job all in the name of honouring a contract

again, do u know the meaning of a contract, i doubt u do with these ur utterances. And yes if i signed a contract @ my work place to work 4 dem till a particular time and i get another offer, i'll talk 2 my boss and if he doesnt allow so be it till tyhe contract expires, i wont go on twitter and fb makin unnecessary noice, let him see it out, SIMPLE

CONTRACT: a binding agreement between two or more persons or parties; especially : one legally enforceable

brixton: how is he going crazy? people get tired of certain circumstances and its a personal right to demand change in life. He has seen a better job in one of the best cities in the world and want to try out his expertise therein... would you stay back in a job that pays you peanuts when a big break comes calling? Its same people that will laugh at him when he retires without enof money to take care of his bills, I support Osaze 100%. Nothing here suggests he wud not fare better than thes super chickens we have in SA atm.

do u know the meaning of a contract. if yes, all these ur talk is unnecessary, it is up to the club if they want to sell, chikena.

game on now, 2-2 first set

Brotherly

Baby mama: Turkey is about 95% Mulsim
This was the gay parade in that country last year
This tells you that gays exist in every Muslim country in large numbers
Turkey cannot clamp down on them because they want to belong to EU so the gays are out with bells ringing
The only reason they are closeted is fear of death,doesn't mean people are not doing it




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=se8QNKnNl1k&sns=em

u were asked to name one islamic sect that has legalised gay practice , u are busy naming countries. smh

this is obviously a plan that will fail again. there is nothin like gay,straight,white,black,igbo,yoruba,hispanic,african,american,arab mosque. A mosque is a mosque, simple.

Following are the Top 50 Twitter Accounts on Religion and Muslim Affairs which are a Must Follow for those having interest in the issues surrounding Muslims. It should be pointed that the List compiled is not in any specific order. The list includes the Most Prominent Scholars, News & Current Affairs Twitter handles on Religion & Islam and Sociopolitical Commentators who have an eye on Muslim World.

@hamzayusuf : Shaykh Hamza Yusuf is an American Islamic scholar, and is co-founder of Zaytuna College in Berkeley, California, United States.This is the official Twitter account. Jordan’s Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center placed him 42nd on its list of the top 500 most influential Muslims in the world.  His lectures can be found at http://sandala.org/

@mohamedghilan : Mohamed Ghilan is a Neuroscience PhD Candidate, a Student of Traditional Islam & a Lover of Philosophy. He blogs at http://mohamedghilan.com/

@tariqramadan : Tariq Ramadan is Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at Oxford University. He is one of the top most Muslim intellectuals currently living. His official website is http://www.tariqramadan.com/spip.php?lang=en

@kzmawrid : Dr Khalid Zaheer is the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of University of Central Punjab. Prior to joining UCP, he was the Director Education, Al-Mawrid (founded by Javed Ghamidi), which is an NGO established to promote research and education on Islam. Prior to joining Al-Mawrid in September 2006, he was an Associate Professor of Islamic Studies and Ethics at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). His website is http://www.khalidzaheer.com/

@JavedGhamidi : Javed Ahmad Ghamidi is a well-known Pakistani Muslim theologian, Quran scholar and exegete, and educationist. Ghamidi is the founder of Al-Mawrid Institute of Islamic Sciences and its sister organization Danish Sara. This is the official account of Javed Ahmad Ghamidi & managed by Team Ghamidi. Tweets are mostly Javed Ghamidi’s own words. http://www.javedahmadghamidi.com/

@musafurber : Shaykh Musa Furber is a Research Fellow at @tabahfoundation. He was recruited by Shaykh Habib Ali al-Jifri to serve as a lead researcher at the Taba Insitute in UAE, where he currently resides. He Has Ijazas in Shafii fiqh and trained & licensed in ifta under the direct supervision of Shaykh Dr Ali Jumua, the Mufti of Egypt.

@ShaykhNinowy : Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Muhammad ibn Sa’id ibn Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Ninowy is a Syrian-born American Islamic scholar and Imam of Iraqi descent. This account is maintained by Students of Shaykh Dr. Muhammad bin Yahya Al Husayni An-Ninowy. His website is http://www.madinainstitute.org/ & http://alhaqq.com/AlHaqq/

@MoAnsar : Mohammed Ansar is a political and social commentator regularly appearing on television and radio. He is a public speaker and visiting lecturer on Islamophobia, Islam in contemporary Britain and Theology. A civil rights activist and legal advocate, he works across a variety of sectors in the fields of education and interfaith. He blogs at http://moansar..in/

@FarazRabbani : Faraz Fareed Rabbani is a scholar and researcher of Islamic law and translator of several Arabic works to the English language. Faraz Rabbani was born in Karachi, Pakistan and raised in Toronto, Canada. Rabbani is a teacher at SeekersGuidance based in Toronto,Canada. More about him can be read at  http://www.SeekersHub.org & http://www.SeekersGuidance.org

@alhabibali : Habib Ali Zain al-`Abideen al-Jifri is an Islamic scholar from Hadhramaut, Yemen of the Shafi’i school. Al-Jifri is the founder and director-general of the nonprofit privately-funded Tabah Foundation for Islamic Studies in Abu Dhabi, UAE. He is a member of the board of Dar al-Mustafa Islamic University in Tarim, Yemen. He runs the Islamic Center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. His official website is http://www.alhabibali.com/index.php?ln=en

@TahirulQadri : Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri is a Pakistani scholar and former professor of international constitutional law at the University of the Punjab. On 2 March 2010, Qadri issued a 600-page Fatwa on Terrorism, which is a scholarly refutation of all forms of terrorism. This is the official twitter page of Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri founder of Minhaj-ul-Quran International in Pakistan. His website is http://www.minhaj.org

@JihadiJew :Lee Weissman graduated from George Washington University, with a Bachelor’s in Religion, then continued graduation at the University of Chicago in South Asian Studies. Also a specialist in Sanskrit and Tamil studies. Jihadi Jew is dedicated to creating a space where observant Jews and Muslims can struggle together to create real understanding, through discussion, debate and mutual support. He blogs at http://jihadiyehudi..in/

@TahirAshrafi : Maulana Tahir Ashrafi is Chairman Ulema and Mashaikh Council Pakistan. He is very pro-active on twitter & is media friendly, tweets mostly in Urdu.

@MuhammadBadsha : Muhammad Badsha is an Imam & editor of Islamic Focus Website http://www.islamicfocus.co.za/

@TCNLive : Two Circles is a News website delivering happenings around the lives of Indian Muslims. http://twocircles.net/

@onfaith : Washington Post’s On Faith editor brings you conversation on religion and politics. http://washingtonpost.com/onfaith

@Qantara : Qantara.de is an Internet portal in German, English, Arabic and Turkish, designed to promote intercultural dialogue between the Western and the Islamic world http://en.qantara.de/

@channelislam : Channel Islam International is a dynamic Islamic Satellite Radio station that reaches out to a global audience daily bringing Islam to the world based in Johannesburg. http://www.ciibroadcasting.com

@loonwatchers : Loonwatch.com is a blogzine run by a motley group of hate-allergic bloggers to monitor and expose the web’s plethora of anti-Muslim loons & conspiracy theorists.

@WeTheMuslims : Providing an insight into the everyday life of Muslims and their religion of Islam. http://www.wethemuslims.com/

@ReligionEthics : News coverage and analysis of national and international events in the ever-changing religious world http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/

@pewforum : Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life delivers timely, impartial information on issues at the intersection of religion and public affairs. http://www.pewforum.org/

@No_Islamophobia : Islamophobia Today is an e-newspaper. http://www.islamophobiatoday.com/

@GdnBelief : Religious news and comment from the Guardian and around the web from London. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief

@MuslimMatters : Official twitter for the MuslimMatters blog. Sharing news/thoughts on Islam & Muslims. http://muslimmatters.org/

@IslamopediaO : Translation, News & Analysis of Contemporary Islamic Thought based in Cambridge, MA http://www.islamopediaonline.org/

@HuffPostRelig : A wide-ranging discussion about religion, spirituality, and the ways they influence our lives. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/religion/

@muslimvoices : Blogs, podcasts & videos about Islam & the Islamic world, promoting dialogue and understanding between Muslims and Non-Muslims. Tweets from @rompenni http://muslimvoices.org/

@CNNbelief : Covering the faith angles of the biggest stories for CNN http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/

@BahareMadinah : Tweets on Islam & beauty of Tasawwuf based in England, UK http://BahareMadinah.com

@IMONewsOnline : A Delhi-based Journalist, Danish Ahmad Khan and Founder-Editor of http://IndianMuslimObserver.com .

@farzana_versey : Farzana Versey is an Indian writer based in Mumbai. She is currently a regular op-ed contributor to the newspapers. She Blogs at http://farzana-versey..in/

@kaaashif : An Indian Muslim Scientist & Journalist, living in the United States. Executive Editor of http://TwoCircles.net  news website.

@shadihamid : Shadi Hamid is Director of Research at the Brookings Doha Center & Fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institute.

@YBirt :Yahya Birt is a Writer and publisher, specializing in British Muslim affairs based in Leicester. His website is http://www.yahyabirt.com/

@iyad_elbaghdadi : According to his own words, “I startup startups, coach social media, tweet revolutions, and make fun of tyrants. An Islamic libertarian based in Dubai, UAE & is of Palestinian origin. http://www.el-baghdadi.com/

@yvonneridley : Yvonne Ridley is a British journalist, war correspondent and Respect Party activist best known for her capture by the Taliban and subsequent conversion to Islam after release. Her website is http://yvonneridley.org/

@TheMuslimGuy : Arsalan Iftikhar is an international Human Rights Lawyer, Global Media Commentator, Founder of TheMuslimGuy.com & Author of ‘Islamic Pacifism: Global Muslims in the Post-Osama Era’ based in Washington DC http://www.islamicpacifism.com/

@shahed : Shahed Amanullah is a Senior Advisor at @StateDept focused on digital diplomacy; formerly with @WorldBank. Created @halalfire, @altmuslim, @zabihah in Silicon Valley. http://www.shahed.com

@WajahatAli : A Playwright, Attorney, Commentator, Blogger, Humorist, Researcher & Writer for Center for American Progress living in Bay Area, Ca.  http://www.domesticcrusaders.com

@DaisyKhan : Daisy Khan is of Kashmiri Descent who is Executive Director and Co-Founder of American Society of Muslim Advancement. She and her husband proposed building a community center near ground zero which precipitated a national dialogue in the media about the effects of 9/11. http://www.asmasociety.org

@hsmoghul : Haroon Moghul is a Fellow @NewAmerica Foundation. Associate Editor @RDispatches. and a Ph.D. candidate in Columbia University’s Department of Middle East, South Asian and African Studies. His research focus is colonial India, and specifically Muhammad Iqbal’s project of reconstructing religious thought in Islam.

@aminawadud : Amina Wadud is an American scholar of Islam with a progressive focus on Qur’an exegesis & is known as an Islamic feminist.

@Ed_Husain : Mohamed Mahbub Husain popularly known as Ed Husain is a writer. Husain is the author of ‘The Islamist’, a book about Islamic fundamentalism, and an account of his five years as an Islamist activist. He is a Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). Husain also co-founded, with Maajid Nawaz, the counter-extremism organisation, the Quilliam Foundation. He currently lives in Manhattan, New York, USA.

@mehdirhasan : Mehdi Hassan is  Huffington Post UK’s political director, co-biographer of Ed Miliband & presenter on Al Jazeera English’s The Café (launched in July 2012) , lives in London

@IngridMattson : Dr. Ingrid Mattson is a Muslim religious leader, a professor of Islamic Studies and an expert in Christian-Muslim and interfaith relations.

@fahadfaruqui : Fahad Faruqi is a Writer, Lecturer & Journalist based in Karachi, Pakistan ·

@masudcouk : Webmaster of masud.co.uk, blogger masudblog.com, photographer http://www.flickr.com/photos/masud, his blog is http://masudblog.com/

@Farah_Pandith : Farah Pandith, actually from Kashmir is the first ever Special Representative to Muslim Communities for the United States Department of State.

@MaajidNawaz : Maajid Nawaz is a British Pakistani and former member of the Islamic political group Hizb ut-Tahrir. He holds a B.A. from London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies and a M.Sc. in Political Theory from the London School of Economics. http://www.maajidnawaz.com

http://a123lad./2012/11/27/top-50-must-follow-twitter-accounts-on-religion-and-muslim-affairs/

As the volatility between Israel and Gaza continues to transform, one constant remains: rising "collateral damage." Unrest in Israel traces back six decades but the concept of collateral damage stretches back several millennia. And while in modern times we are allegedly "more civilized," 11-month-old Omar Masharawi's funeral, three dead Israelis, and a horrifying 120 killed Palestinians, tell a different story.

Prophet Muhammad is history's first major figure to condemn collateral damage in word and deed. His advanced rules of war established 1,400 years ago a yet unmatched humanitarian standard. And herein lies the solution to modern conflict. The Quran first describes when fighting is permitted:

Permission to fight is given to those against whom war is made, because they have been wronged... Those who have been driven out from their homes unjustly only because they said, 'Our Lord is God' -- And if God did not repel some men by means of others, there would surely have been pulled down temples and churches and synagogues and mosques... (22:40-41).

Thus, the permission -- not commandment -- to fight is defensive. And that fighting protects temples, churches, synagogues, and mosques -- which is to say, universal religious freedom.

While critics and extremist groups both love to cite Quranic excerpts like "kill them where ye find them," they ignore that such verses clearly refer to treatment of those who would violently persecute Christians, Jews, or any person because of his faith. Indeed, Muhammad commanded the following uncompromising rules of war:

O people! I charge you with ten rules; learn them well... for your guidance in the battlefield! Do not commit treachery, or deviate from the right path. You must not mutilate dead bodies. Neither kill a child, nor a woman, nor an aged man. Bring no harm to the trees, nor burn them with fire, especially those which are fruitful. Slay not any of the enemy's flock, save for your food. You are likely to pass by people who have devoted their lives to monastic services; leave them alone.

Thus, Muhammad's rules of war permit defensive fighting against active combatants while forbidding harm to anyone or anything else -- human, animal, or property. Contrast this with Hamas rocket attacks and PIJ terrorist attacks -- the distinction is clear. Likewise, as Gaza's death count rises, Israel also has blood on its hands. According to Muhammad's rules of war, no justification exists for either side to attack civilians, property, animals, or anyone who is not an active combatant.

And even against combatants, Muhammad put Muslims on notice. Once, Usama bin Zaid overcame an enemy soldier in hand-to-hand combat. The soldier implored Usama for amnesty just as Usama prepared to deliver the deathblow. Usama heard but ignored the plea and killed him anyway. Learning of this, Muhammad vociferously condemned Usama's act as repulsive to Islamic rules of war.

Mind you, this combatant persecuted Muslims, helped exile them from Mecca, pursued them to murder them, and even then Muhammad required Usama to accept his amnesty plea -- knowing full well the plea could be a lie.

Muhammad assumed this risk because he refused to forsake any opportunity for peace. After Muhammad, the Khalifa Umar, and centuries later, the legendary Muslim General Salahuddin, again demonstrated these principles. Both insisted Jews return to Jerusalem -- as equals -- whereas they suffered immense persecution under Christian rule.

Even ardent critics of Islam such as Sir William Muir admit that Muslims treated POWs with immense dignity. Captives were well fed and ransoms were according to their means. Indigent captives, meanwhile, "were allotted ten boys to be taught the art of writing" as a ransom.

A ransom of education -- an example Hamas and PIJ have forgotten, and one Israel doesn't know.

History demonstrates that Muhammad's rules of war -- when applied with justice -- lead to peace. If applied today, Muhammad's rules can end not only collateral damage, but war itself.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/blackberry/p.html?id=2169309

Sexxydivaa: i was born into Islam,but slipped along d way,for about 10tyears,but dis time i need to return,i need help on hw to pray(what do i say while praying),forgotten some surahs,and seriously, prayer time and names.thanks

may Allah guide and keep u on the right path till death comes to u

smileyprin: Salam Alaiku, I am Hafiz muhammad by name...newbie in this section....Hoping to make any meaninful contributions requested or needed of me....Salam.

wa alaikum salam. u're welcome

Record numbers of young, white British women are converting to Islam, [b]yet many are reporting a lack of help as they get used to their new religion, according to several surveys.
[/b]As Muslims celebrate the start of the religious holiday of Eid today and hundreds of thousands from around the world converge on Mecca for the haj, it emerged that of the 5,200 Britons who converted to Islam last year, more than half are white and 75 per cent of them women.
In the past 10 years some 100,000 British people have converted to Islam, of whom some three-quarters are women, according to the latest statistics. This is a significant increase on the 60,000 Britons in the previous decade, according to researchers based at Swansea University.
While the number of UK converts accelerates, many of the British women who adopt Islam say they have a daily struggle to assimilate their new beliefs within a wider culture that both implicitly and explicitly positions them as outsiders, regardless of their Western upbringing.
More than three-quarters told researchers they had experienced high levels of confusion after conversion, due to the conflicting ways Islam was presented to them. While other major religions have established programmes for guiding new believers through the rigours of their faith, Islam still lacks any such network, especially outside the Muslim hubs of major cities.
Many mosques still bar women from worship or provide scant resources for their needs, forcing them to rely on competing cultural and ideological interpretations within books or the internet for religious support.
A recent study of converts in Leicester, for example, found that 93 per cent of mosques in the region recognised they lacked services for new Muslims, yet only 7 per cent said they were making efforts to address the shortfall.
Many of the young women – the average age of conversion is 27 – are also coming to terms with experiences of discrimination for the first time, despite the only visible difference being a headscarf. Yet few find easy sanctuary within the established Muslim population, with the majority forming their closest bonds with fellow converts rather than born Muslims.
Kevin Brice, author of the Swansea study A Minority Within a Minority, said to be the most comprehensive study of British Muslim converts, added: "White Muslim converts are caught between two increasingly distant camps. Their best relationships remain with other converts, because of their shared experiences, while there is very little difference between the quality of their relationship with other Muslims or non-Muslims.
"My research also found converts came in two types: some are converts of convenience, who adopt the religion because of a life situation such as meeting a Muslim man, although the religion has little discernible impact on their day-to-day lives. For others it is a conversion of conviction where they feel a calling and embrace the religion robustly.
"That's not to say the two are mutually exclusive – sometimes converts start out on their religious path through convenience and become converts of conviction later on."
Another finding revealed by the Leicester study was that despite Western portraits of Islam casting it as oppressive to women, a quarter of female converts were attracted to the religion precisely because of thestatus it affords them.
Some analysts have argued that dizzying social and cultural upheavals in Britain over the past decades have meant that far from adopting an alien way of life, some female Muslim converts are re-embracing certain aspects of mid-20th-century Britain, such as rigid gender demarcation, rather than feeling expected to juggle career and family.
The first established Muslim communities started in Britain in the 1860s, when Yemani sailors and Somali labourers settled around the ports of London, Cardiff, Liverpool and Hull. Many married local women who converted to Islam, often suffering widespread discrimination as a result.
They also acted as a bridge between the two cultures, encouraging understanding among indigenous dwellers and helping to integrate the Muslim community they had joined. Today, there is growing recognition among community leaders that the latest generation of female converts has an equally vital role to play in fostering dialogue between an increasingly secular British majority and a minority religion, as misunderstood as it is vilified.
Kristiane Backer, 45
Television presenter and author, London
I converted to Islam in 1995 after Imran Khan introduced me to the faith. At the time I was a presenter for MTV. I used to have all the trappings of success, yet I felt an inner emptiness and somewhat dissatisfied in my life.
The entertainment industry is very much about "if you've got it, flaunt it", which is the exact opposite to the more inward-oriented spiritual attitude of my new faith. My value system changed and God became the centre point of my life and what I was striving towards.
I recognise some new converts feel isolated but, despite there being even fewer resources when I converted than there are now, it isn't so much an issue I've faced. I've always felt welcomed and embraced by the Muslims I met and developed a circle of friends and teachers. It helps living in London, because there is so much to engage in as part of the Muslim community. Yet, even in the capital you can be stared at on the Tube for wearing a headscarf. I usually don't wear one in the West except when praying. I wear the scarf in front of my heart though!
I always try to explain to people that I've converted to Islam, not to any culture. Suppression of women, honour killings or forced marriages are all cultural aberrations, not Islamic ones. Islam is also about dignity and respect for yourself and your femininity. Even in the dating game, Muslim men are very respectful. Women are cherished as mothers, too – as a Muslim woman you are not expected to do it all."
Amy Sall, 28
Retail assistant, Middlesbrough
I'd say I'm still a bit of a party animal – but I'm also a Muslim. I do go out on the town with the girls and I don't normally wear my headscarf – I know I should do, but I like to do my hair and look nice! I know there are certain clothes I shouldn't wear either, even things that just show off your arms, but I still do. My husband would like me to be a better Muslim – he thinks drinking is evil – so it does cause rows.
I haven't worshipped in a mosque since I got married, I find it intimidating. I worry about doing something wrong; people whispering because they see my blonde hair and blue eyes. Middlesbrough is a difficult place to be a Muslim who isn't Asian – you tend to be treated like an outsider. Once, I was out wearing my headscarf and a local man shouted abuse. It was weird because I'm white and he was white, but all he saw was the scarf, I suppose. It did make me angry. My family were surprisingly fine with me converting, probably because they thought it would rein me in from being a bit wild.
Nicola Penty-Alvarez, 26
Full-time mother, Uxbridge
I was always interested in philosophy and the meaning of life and when I came across Islam it all just clicked. In the space of four or five months I went from going to raves to wearing a headscarf, praying five times a day and generally being quite pious – I did occasionally smoke though.
I felt very welcomed into the Muslim community, but it was a mainly white convert community. My impression of the Asian community in west London was that women felt sidelined and were encouraged to stay at home and look after the men rather than attend mosque. I think this was more a cultural than religious thing, though.
Non-Muslims certainly treat you differently when you're wearing a headscarf – they're less friendly and as a smiley person I found that hard. After a year-and-a-half of being a Muslim I stopped. I remember the moment perfectly. I was in a beautiful mosque in Morocco praying beside an old lady and something just came over me. I thought: 'What the hell am I doing? How have I got into this?' It just suddenly didn't feel right. Needless to say my husband, who was a fellow convert, wasn't impressed. He remained devout and it put a lot of strain on our relationship. We split up, but are on amicable terms now. I'm not really in contact with the Muslim friends I made – we drifted apart.
I don't regret the experience. There is so much that I learnt spiritually that I've kept and I haven't gone back to my hard partying ways.
Donna Tunkara
Warehouse operative, Middlesbrough
I was a bit of a tearaway growing up – drinking, smoking, running away from home and being disrespectful to my parents. I converted 10 years ago because I met a Muslim man but I've probably become more devout than him.
Sometimes, I miss going shopping for clothes to hit the town and then going home and getting ready with my mates, having a laugh. The thing is no one is forcing me not to – it's my choice.
It did come as a shock to my family, who are Christian. They've not rejected me, but they find it difficult to understand. I feel bad because I don't now attend weddings, funerals or christenings because they're often at pubs and clubs and I won't step inside.
There needs to be more resources for women who convert. I know some mosques that won't allow women in. But in the Koran there is an emphasis on women being educated. I've learnt about the religion through my husband's family and books – if you want support you have to look for it. It's taken time to regain an identity I'm comfortable with. Because I'm mixed race and a Muslim ,people don't see me as British – but what's important is that I know who I am.


http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/women--islam-the-rise-and-rise-of-the-convert-6258015.html

we have alot of work to do on the bolded

Hurricane Sandy: A headline read, "New Jersey damage fathomless" - there is so much we can learn from this hurricane sandy's massive destruction. Here are few important things we can learn:
- Our materialistic strength is weak and what really stands tall despite a destructive hurricane is our strong Imaan and the return on good deeds for Allah.
- We ought to not place our hopes and lives at mercy of worldy strength and ability because a mere hurricane can destroy many strong technologically advanced cities!
- so instead of putting our hopes on money, economy, military strength, lets put our hope and turn our devotion to Allah. If we spent 100 years to build a powerful city, economy and military, it can be destroyed by "Nature" overnight. Whereas if we spend our energies to do good deeds obediently to Allah, no hurricane nor tsunami can deny us the reward of it in Paradise and the happiness of good Iman in Dunya. That is what we ought to spend ou
r lives working for (good deeds for Allah) and not for weak dunya!

Why the hurricane: Allah said, "We will try you with mischief and with good. And to us is your return." This hurricane was mischief in one way, but it helps us in another way to not put our trust on worldy prowess because it can be devastated overnight, but, instead to put our love, life-devotion and sacrifice into doing good deeds following Allah's commands because it's rewards are certain in Paradise and no hurricane can take away the reward that Allah oromised us! Such difficult events as this Hirricane, helps us to look at the World, Worldly Power and Luxury, and note its insignificance. Note that the worldly things cannot give us happiness on its own without good deeds from the religion of Allah - these good deeds are what really help whereas the dunya power can vanish overnight. Lets get our priorities right!

Shaikh Aslam

Bangladeshi millionaire loses everything, becomes a sweeper in Makkah and then regains everything back again! – Amazing story of repentance, family ties and property ✦

An expatriate working as a street sweeper in Makkah saw his life change in a blink during the Haj season after his estranged brother sought to make amends for wronging him by returning his share of the family fortune.

The Bangladeshi man was sweeping Taneem Street in Makkah when an old man wearing the Ihram cloth of Haj pilgrims crossed the busy road and embraced him warmly much to the perplexity of passersby. However, the sweeper returned the embrace, indicating his familiarity with the older man.

The embrace in fact was between two brothers who had not seen each other for more than five years in the aftermath of a bitter dispute over inheritance rights, Saudi news site Sabq reported. The two men were from a wealthy family in Bangladesh, but the older brother had refused to give his sibling his share of the inheritance estimated at 17 million Saudi riyals in cash in addition to several properties.

The older man even managed to have his younger brother sent to prison whenever he asked for his share. The younger brother, disappointed and dejected, opted to leave Bangladesh and work as a sweeper in the holy city of Makkah. As it turns out, the sweeper has become a millionaire in his home country.

He told the people who gathered around him and his brother that he had forgiven his brother who had apologised profusely for mistreating him and that he was ready to return home.

The older man said that he had been diagnosed with cancer and that he was not sure how long he would live.
He reportedly looked for his brother in several places to ask for his forgiveness and make amends for all the years of deprivation he was forced to endure. He even offered financial rewards to whoever could help him locate his brother.

According to the news site, the younger brother said he was ready to forget the past and move forward with his new life. “I will always be kind with the poor and the needy,” he said. “I have learned a lot about deprivation and poverty in the last five years. I will always be fair with everyone after I lived through years of injustice,” he said in Arabic, a language he learned during the time he spent sweeping the streets of Makkah.

@lagoshia, this ur obsession with wahabbis is turning to something else, what has this story got to do with all this wahhabi ranting. I think this should prove to us once again that sharia law is heads and shoulders above any man made law. Keep ur wahhabi bashing for another thread abeg

CONVERSATION BETWEEN PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PEACE BE UPON HIM) AND THE DEVIL:

As told to the Prophet(Sallalahu Alayhi Wasallam)

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

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds; and blessing and peace be upon our master Muhammad (Sallalahu Alayhi Wasallam), the righteous Prophet, upon his family, the pure ones, and upon his companions.

As reported by Mu'adh ibn Jabal (r.a.). Abd-Allah the son of `Abbas (r.a.) said: "We were sitting together in a group with the Apostle of Allah (PBUH) in the house of one of the Ansar, when someone called out 'O people of the house! Will you permit me to enter? I have a task to fulfill for you'. "

"Do you know who the caller is?" asked the Apostle of Allah (Sallalahu Alayhi Wasallam)."Allah and His Apostle knows best." They said. So the Apostle of Allah (Sallalahu Alayhi Wasallam) told them: "This is Satan, the Cursed One whom Allah has dammed." "Let me kill him, O Apostle of Allah !(Sallalahu Alayhi Wasallam)"said Umar ibn al Khattab (r.a.), but the Prophet (Sallalahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "Gently, Umar. Do you not realize that he is among those granted respite until the Appointed Day? Instead, open the door for him, for he is under command. Understand what he says and listen to what he has to tell you."

Abd-Allah son of `Abbas (r.a.) continued: "So the door was opened for him and he entered to join them. He was an old man, blind in one eye and with only very thin hair growing on his face. His beard consisted of seven hairs like those of the horse, and his eyes were set vertically. His head was like that of a great elephant, his eye-teeth protruded like the tusks of a boar, and his lips were like those of a bull."

"Peace be upon you, Muhammad." He said, "and peace be upon you, O gathering of Muslims." "Peace is of Allah (SWT), Cursed One," said the Prophet (Sallalahu Alayhi Wasallam). "I have heard. What is your desire?" "Muhammad," he said to him, "I did not come to you of my own accord, but rather because I was forced to do so." "And what is that, that forced you, Cursed One?" asked the Prophet (Sallalahu Alayhi Wasallam). Satan replied, "An angel came to me from the Exalted Lord and told me, 'Allah Most High orders you to come to Muhammad (Sallalahu Alayhi Wasallam). Be humble, abject and unpretentious; tell him how you deceive and mislead the sons of Adam (Alayhis Salaam), and answer truthfully any question he asks you. By my might and glory, if you tell him a single lie or fail to be truthful with him, I will turn you into ashes for the winds to blow away, and your enemies will gloat at your misfortune.'

So I have come to you as I was ordered, Muhammad. Ask me anything you want, for if I do not respond truthfully to what you ask me my enemies will gloat at my misfortune, and nothing is there more unbearable than the gloating of one's enemies."

"If you be sincere," said the Apostle of Allah (Sallalahu Alayhi Wasallam), "then tell me - who among men do you most hate?" "You Muhammad," replied Satan, "and those like you are to me the most hated of Allah's (SWT) Creatures." "What else do you hate?" the Prophet (Sallalahu Alayhi Wasallam) asked. "The devoted youth who dedicates his soul to Allah Almighty." "And then who?" "A pious learned man I know to be patient." "And then who?" "He who remains pure through three prayers." "And then who?" "A patient pauper, if he speaks of his poverty to no one and does not complain of his plight." "And how do you know him to be patient?" "Muhammad, if he complained of his plight to another, created as he is, for three consecutive days, Allah Ta'alaa would not record for him the merit allotted to the patient." "And then who?" "The rich man who is thankful." "And how do you know him to be thankful?" asked the Prophet (Sallalahu Alayhi Wasallam). "When I see him take the right thing and put it in the right place."

"Then the Prophet (Sallalahu Alayhi Wasallam) asked, "What happens to you when my people rise for prayer?" "Muhammad," he replied, "I am afflicted by fever and trembling." "Why Cursed One?" "Because when the worshiper prostrates himself before Allah Ta'alaa, Allah Ta'alaa raises him a step." "And when they fast?" "I am fettered until they lapse." "And when they make the pilgrimage?" "I become insane." "And when they read the Qur`an?" "I melt, as lead melts over the fire." "And when they give alms?" "It is as if the almsgiver had taken a saw and cut me in two." "And why is that, Abu Murra(Father of bitter)?"(1) asked the Prophet (Sallalahu Alayhi Wasallam). "In almsgiving there are four benefits," he said; "and they are that Allah Almighty sends down blessing on all his possessions, endears him to His Creation, makes his offering a screen between him and the Fire, and through it defends him from infirmities and disasters."

[What do you say of Abu Bakr Siddiq? *was omitted *] "He did not submit to me in the days of ignorance, Muhammad, so how could he do so under Islam?" "And what say you of `Umar ibn al-Khattab?" "By Allah (SWT), I never encountered him without fleeing from him." "And what say you of `Uthman ibn Affan?" "I feel ashamed before one whom the angels of the Merciful feel ashamed." "And what say you of `Ali ibn Abi Talibi?" "Would Allah (SWT) that I were secure from him head for head; he would leave me alone and I would leave him alone. But that he has never done." "Praise be to Allah (SWT), who has made my community felicitous and you wretched until the Appointed Day," said the Apostle of Allah (Sallalahu Alayhi Wasallam).

But Satan, the Cursed One, said to him, "Alas, how wrong you are! Where is the felicity of your community while I live and die not until the Appointed Day?" How can you be pleased with your community while I enter them through the bloodstream and flesh and they recognize me not? By He who created me and granted me respite until the day when they are called forth, I shall tempt them all, ignorant and learned, illiterate and literate, blasphemer and worshiper, except for the sincerely devoted worshipers of Allah (SWT)."

"And who, according to you, are the sincerely devoted ones?" "Do you not know, Muhammad, that he who cherishes the dirham and dinar is not sincerely devoted to Allah Almighty? When I see a man who loves neither dirham nor dinar, nor flattery nor praise, I know that he is sincerely devoted to Allah Almighty and so leave him alone. But as long as the worshiper cherishes wealth and flattery, and his heart is preoccupied with worldly desires, he will be more submissive than I could possibly describe to you. Do you not know that the love of wealth is one of the most heinous sins of all, Muhammad; and that the lust for power is one of the most heinous sins of all; and that pride is one of the most heinous sins of all? Do you not know, Muhammad, that I have 70,000 sons, each of whom has 70,000 devils? Among these are those I assign to the learned men, those I assign to young men, those I assign to old men, those I assign to old women - as for the young men, there is no disagreement between us and them; and as for the boys, the [devils] play with them as they choose - those I assign to worshipers, and those I assign to ascetics. They enter among them and drive them out from station to station and gate to gate until they beguile them by one means or another; they deprive them of sincerity, so they worship Allah Almighty insincerely and yet do not realize it."

"Do you not know, Muhammad, that the monk Barisa devoted seventy sincere years to Allah (SWT), to the point that he could cure by his invocation anyone who was ill; yet I did not abandon him until he had fornicated, murdered and apostatized. He is the one to whom Allah Almighty referred in His Glorious Book when He said: 'Like Satan, when he said to Man, "Disbelieve;" then, when he disbelieved, he said, "Surely I fear Allah (SWT), the Lord of the Worlds.'"(2)

"Do you not know, Muhammad, that lying is my doing, that I was the first to lie, and that whoever lies is my friend and whoever swears falsely in Allah's (SWT) name is my beloved? Do you not know, Muhammad, that in Allah's (SWT) name I swore to Adam and Hawwa (Eve) (Alayhis Salaam). 'For Allah's sake, surely I am one of your sincerest advisors.' The lying oath is the joy of my heart; slander and defamation are my fruits and my delight; and bearing false witness brings pleasure and satisfaction to my eye."

"He who swears divorce is on the brink of sin, even if he does so only once, or acts in good faith. The wife of him whose tongue has grown accustomed to divorce is forbidden to him; but they do not cease to beget children until the Resurrection Day, and all of those will be children of adultery and will enter the Fire for the sake of a word."

"Muhammad, in your community there are those who postpone the prayer an hour or so. Every time he wants to rise for prayer, I stand by him and whisper wicked suggestions to him and tell him, 'There is still time; you are busy,' until he puts off the prayer and performs it at other than its appointed time, for which it is flung back in his face. If he defeats me I send to him one of the devils of mankind to delay him beyond the time for prayer, and if he defeats me in that, I leave him alone until he is praying and then say to him, 'Look to the right and left.' So he looks, and as he does so I stroke his face with my hand, kiss him between the eyes and tell him, 'Surely you have done what can never be forgiven.' And you yourself know, Muhammad, that Allah (SWT) flings back in his face the prayer of one who keeps looking around as he performs it."

"If he defeats me in the prayer and is praying alone, I tell him to hurry; he pecks at the prayer like a rooster pecks at seeds, and rushes through it. If he defeats me and is praying in a group, I hold him back with a bridle, raise his head before the Imam and lower it before the Imam. And you yourself know, Muhammad, that the prayer of one who does that counts for nothing, and on the Resurrection Day Allah (SWT) will turn his head into that of an ass."

"And if he defeats me in that, I tell him to crack his knuckles during the prayer, so that he becomes one of my worshipers as he prays. And if he defeats me in that I blow into his nose until he yawns while he prays, and if he does not put his hand over his mouth the devil enters his stomach, making him increasingly greedy for and fond of things of the world, and attentive and submissive to me."

"And is there any felicity for your community while I order the poor to stop praying, telling him, 'Prayer is not your obligation, but rather the obligation of him to whom Allah (SWT) has shown favor,' and telling the sick, 'Stop praying; it is not your obligation, but rather the obligation of him whom Allah (SWT) has favored with good health, for Allah Almighty has said: "There is no fault in the sick."(3) When you recover you will pray as you should,' so that he dies as an apostate. And when he dies having abandoned prayer in his illness, he meets Allah Almighty and Allah (SWT) is displeased with him."

"If I have lied or digressed, Muhammad, ask Allah (SWT) to turn me into ashes. Can you rejoice in your community, Muhammad, when I have diverted a sixth of it from the path of Islam?"

"Cursed One," asked the Prophet (Sallalahu Alayhi Wasallam), who is your table companion?" "The usurer." "And who is your friend?" "The fornicator." "And your bedfellow?" "The drunkard." "Who is your guest?" "The thief." "And who is your envoy?" "The sorcerer." "What is refreshing to your eye?" "He who swears divorce." "And who is your beloved?" "The one who abandons the Friday prayer."

"Cursed One," said the Apostle of Allah (Sallalahu Alayhi Wasallam), "What breaks your back?" "The whinnying of the horses in the cause of Allah (SWT)." "And what wastes away your body?" "The repentance of the contrite." "And what inflames your liver?" "Frequent seeking of Allah's (SWT) forgiveness by night and day." "What embarrasses you?" "Giving alms in secret." "What blurs your vision?" "The dawn prayer." "What bridles your head?" "Frequent prayer in a group." "And who, according to you, is the happiest of men?" "He who deliberately abandons prayer." "And which men, according to you, are the most wretched?" "The thrifty." "What distracts you from your work?" "The councils of the learned." "And how do you eat?" "With the fingers of my left hand."

"Where do you go to shelter your sons in times of fiery winds and sandstorms?" "Under the fingernails of men." Then the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam asked, "How many needs have you asked your Lord to grant you?" "Ten things." "And what are they, Cursed One?"

"I asked Him to let me share in the wealth and children of the sons of Adam (Alayhis Salaam), so He made me their associate when He said: 'And share with them in their wealth and their children, and promise them. But Satan promises them naught, except delusion.'(5) I feed on any ill-gotten fortune, and also on any source of sustenance associated with usury or other forbidden practices, on any wealth from which he does not seek protection from Satan the Cursed, and on anyone who does not seek protection during intercourse. When he enters his wife the devil enters with her, and the child is born attentive and submissive to me. And whoever rides the beast of burden in search of anything not permissive has me for a comrade, as in the Word of the Almighty: 'And rally against them thy horsemen and thy foot.'"(6)

"I asked Him to make for me a home, and it was the bathhouse. I asked Him to make for me a mosque, and it was the bazaars. I asked Him to make for me a call to prayer, and it was the sound of flutes. I asked Him to make for me a bedfellow, and he was the drunkard. I asked Him to make for me some servants, and they are the abilitarians. I asked Him to make for me some companions, and He said: 'Those whose fortunes are squandered in sin.' And then recited His verse: 'The squanderers are brothers of Satan.'"(7) "Were you not offering me verification in verses of the Book of Allah Almighty for every word," said the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam, "I would not believe you."

"Muhammad, he said, "I asked Allah Almighty that I may see the sons of Adam (Alayhis Salaam) while they see me not, so He caused me to flow in their veins like blood and granted my soul the freedom to roam as I wish. If I want something within the hour, Allah Almighty says, 'You shall have what you seek,' and of that I can boast until Resurrection day. Those with me are more numerous than those with you, and most of the progeny of Adam (Alayhis Salaam) are with me until the Resurrection day."

"I have a son whom I call 'Atama; he urinates in the ear of the worshiper if he sleeps through the evening prayer, and were it not for that people would not fall asleep until they had performed the prayer. I have a son whom I call Mutaqadi; when a believer privately performs a pious deed and wants to keep it secret, he never stops trying to drag it out of him in front of others until he tells people about it. Allah Almighty thus cancels ninety-nine of the hundred merits and there remains for him only one, since for every good deed done in secret he gains one hundred merits.

And I have a son whom I call Kahil; it is he who lines the eyes of the people with kohl in the councils of the learned and during the orator's address, until they fall asleep while listening to the words of the scholars. Thus Allah (SWT) never records merits for them. No woman goes out without a devil sitting at her backside and another at her privates; they make her attractive to those who see her and tell her, 'Stretch forth your hand.' When she does so, her fingertips are exposed and she is disgraced."

Then he said, "Muhammad, I have nothing to do with misguidance; rather I am a whisperer of wicked suggestions and a tempter. If misguidance was within my grasp, I would leave no one on the face of the earth saying 'There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah,' or fasting or praying. Similarly, you have nothing to do with guidance, but are an apostle and a messenger. If guidance was within your grip, you would leave no unbeliever on the face of the earth. You are Allah's (SWT) proof among His creation, and I am the reason given to one whose misery is foreordained. The happy man is the one whom Allah (SWT) made so in his mother's womb, and the miserable man is the one whom Allah (SWT) made so in his mother's womb."

Then the Apostle of Allah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam recited the Word of the Almighty: 'But they continue in their differences, excepting those on whom thy Lord has mercy;'( and then: 'And Allah's (SWT) command is doom decreed."(9) With that the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam said, "Abu Murra, turn from sin and return to Allah Almighty, and I will be your guarantee of Paradise." "Muhammad," he replied, "it has been decided, and the pen is dry from recording how things will be until the Resurrection Day. So praised be He who made you the master of the prophets and the preacher to the people of Paradise, singled you out and loved you, and made me the master of the damned and preacher to the people of the Fire, cursed me and banished me. This is all I have to say to you, and indeed, I have done so in good faith."

Praise be to Allah (SWT), Lord of the Worlds, first and last, visible and invisible; and may the blessing of Allah (SWT) be upon our master Muhammad, the unlettered Prophet, and on his family and all his companions, and His peace be upon the Muslims. Praise be to Allah (SWT),
Lord of the Worlds. Ameen.

[Notes]: 1. Abu Murra, 'father of Murra (bitter)', was one of Satan's surnames, in this case deriving from his athering of a girl with this name. 2. According to the traditional account, Barisa was entrusted with custody of the ill sister of three brothers who were leaving the country for a time. Tempted by Satan, Barisa seduces her, and then kills her upon discovering that she was with child. The brothers return, and Barisa tells them the girl died a natural death. Satan, however, reveals the truth to them, and then goes to the terrified monk and offers to save him if he will denounce Allah (SWT) and swear loyalty to Satan. Barisa complies, whereupon Satan mocks him with these words from Surat al-Hashr (56:16). The story and its literary development are discussed in useful articles in both editions of the Encyclopaedia of Islam, q.v. Barisa. 3. Surat an-Nur (24:61) 4. [skipped number] 5. Surat al-Isra' (17:64) 6. Surat al-Isra' (17:64) 7. Surat al-Isra' (17:27) 8. Surat Hud (11:118,119) 9. Surat al-Ahzab (33:38) *****

There
is great wisdom in acting for God's sake and refusing to act for any other reason. Once Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet, was fighting on the battlefield with one of the most powerful champions of the enemy. He finally managed to strike the warrior's sword from his hand. As he raised his sword to take the enemy's life, the man spat in Ali's face. Ali sopped and sheathed his sword. The warrior said, "I don't understand. You were about to kill me, and yet after I spit at you, you spare my life. Why?" Ali replied, "I was going to take your life in battling for God's sake, but when you spat at me, it angered me. Had I killed you then, I would have been a murderer, or I would have struck in anger. I will fight for God, but I will not murder for my ego