₦airaland Forum

As humans, we seek greatness, we get a sense of honour and praise when we achieve things that we perceive to be great. We like it for ourselves and look at, praise, or look up to those who are perceived as honorable, due to what they have achieved of perceived greatness.

But many don’t realize that the way we understand things is by comparing it to another thing:
We understand something is cheap because we compare it to what is more expensive
We understand that something is good because we compare it to what is bad/lesser
We understand greatness because we compare it to what is lesser than that.

The thing is, no matter what achievement a person might reach in this world, no matter the collective achievements the top people, from what they obtained of power, knowledge, status, luxury, etc., it will never be great when compared to the greatness of the heavens and the earth. If only people but ponder about it. Allah said:
The creation of the heavens and the earth is indeed greater than the creation of mankind, yet most of mankind know not. (Quran 40:57)

And no matter what people achieve in this worldly life, nor the supposed good that they've done, nor the supposed impact they have made in this worldly life, of all the great things, luxury, status, or power that someone can acquire in this world, none of them will be greater than belief and righteous good deeds. Ponder upon the words of Allah glory be to Him the Most High, when He said:
And not equal are the blind and those who see, nor are (equal) those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous good deeds, and those who do evil. Little do you remember! (Quran 40: 58)

And if one doubts this, one simply looks back in the past, to the very beginning and see that does whose history and legacy have remained up till today, are truly the Prophet and those who followed them, and what they left behind of knowledge and wisdom and truth. As for their people who chose to go against them, then they their ways, their culture and all they possessed perished with time, which is the end of all falsehood matter what level it reaches:
Have they not travelled in the land and seen what was the end of those who were before them? They were superior to them in strength, and in the traces (which they left) in the land. But Allah seized them with punishment for their sins. And none had they to protect them from Allah. That was because there came to them their Messengers with clear evidences, proofs and signs but they disbelieved (in them). So Allah seized them with punishment. Verily, He is All-Strong, Severe in punishment. (Quran 40: 21-22)

Lukgaf:
Thanks for your message sir. But do you understand my message sir? Did I in any way attribute Democracy to Islam in the piece? Probably you might want to read again

Leave these kinds of matters, its people are not those that aspire for the akhira and Allah's Pleasure, aren't you a salafi? How many of them sold their deen for the dunya no hesistation, may Allah guide them.

WHy don't you ask around your locality, look for where they will hang out, or someone that knows someone. Places that come to mind are islamic schools, actually, that's all i can think of.

So far, I discussed the principles of Islam and how is all boils down to what everyone who succeed is doing which is worshipping Allah Alone based on how He guided us. I went on to explain the why behind it, that people in the actions they take are seeking benefit and the removal of harm, and the reality is that it lies in the hands of Allah, and no one else, though it’s just one of the reasons why Allah is worshipped.

So now I like to paint a picture in your mind, with a history where this was applied and the cause of this was a success who's effect changed history and is seen up till today. So if we define success simply as that which will bring the greatest benefit and remove all harm, and say it lies in worshipping Allah Alone, then we can say failure lies where partners are ascribed to Him or other than Him is worshipped, as we shall see, in sha Allah.

There was a time in history where the whole world was engulfed in the worship of idols, they were everywhere, in their homes, bought and sold, in their places of worship, and places they honored. All sorts of things were worshipped, stars, trees, stones, even the king of the time. And it was in such a time that Allah chose Ibrahim be born in.

One would not be surprised if someone due to pressure confirmed to the way of not just the people, but the whole world. What one would be surprised in is that Ibrahim revolted against it, he stood firm in the belief that Allah Alone deserved to be worshipped, with deep conviction, opposition, and security. He made statements such as:
When he said to his father and his people: "What are these images, to which you are devoted?"They said:"We found our fathers worshipping them." He said: "Indeed you and your fathers have been in manifest error." (Quran 21:52-54)
When he said to his father and his people: "What do you worship?" They said: "We worship idols, and to them we are ever devoted." He said: "Do they hear you, when you call (on them)? "Or do they benefit you or do they harm (you)?" They said: "Nay, but we found our fathers doing so." He said: "Do you observe that which you have been worshipping, You and your ancient fathers? "Verily! They are enemies to me, save the Lord of the 'Alamin (Quran 70-77)
His people disputed with him. He said: "Do you dispute with me concerning Allah while He has guided me, and I fear not those whom you associate with Allah in worship. (Nothing can happen to me) except when my Lord (Allah) wills something. My Lord comprehends in His Knowledge all things. Will you not then remember? And how should I fear those whom you associate in worship with Allah (though they can neither benefit nor harm), while you fear not that you have joined in worship with Allah things for which He has not sent down to you any authority. (So) which of the two parties has more right to be in security? If you but know." (Quran 6:80-81)

And when he decided to show them the errors of their ways by destroying their idols, they decided that they will burn him. Tied and awaiting his fate, Ibrahim chose in that situation to put his trust and assurance in Allah, saying: ‘Sufficient (i.e. not needing anything else) for me is Allah, how good a Guardian He is (An expression of praise & greatness e.g. how rich Sulaiman was)’.
As is known, Allah saved Him from the fire, after the incident, Ibrahim left his people and family all for the sake of Allah, and what happened Allah gave him not just a better family but the best of the families and made him the father of the Prophets, the best of people to walk on the face of the earth. Amongst others, He also took him as a Khalil (close friend), and made him an example for generations and generations to follow long after he has passed away. The 3 religions differ on the truth and the other’s Prophet, but none says about Ibrahim except good. What about his people, and the world that clanged to idol worship, did it benefit them? Allah said:
And they wanted to harm him, but We made them the worst losers. (Quran 21:70)
We also know that they were forgotten, them and all that they partook in of falsehood.

So what more does somebody need as a reason to worship Allah Alone? Has anybody worship other than Him and was successful, except those who benefitted for the little gain of the worldly life, and it was gone, and after that was torment, or those who have been deceived to believe otherwise, with no strong proof, except blindly following their fathers. This is the basic principle I feel Muslims, as well as others should know and the choice lies with us, And help comes from Allah, may He grant us success.

Subhanaka, Allahuma wa bihamdik, ashadu allaa ilaha illa anta, astaghfiruka wa atoobu ilayk. As salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah.

I’ve been discussing about how Allah is the only One who truly harms and benefit, but the shaitan tries to make people believe otherwise, so they seek benefit and removal of harm with other than Allah, thus being led astray. And I mentioned some of his tricks are lies, which in reality neither cause harm nor benefit, including knowing the unseen. But magic seems to be slightly different. Magic creates effect that are considered to harm and benefit, whose causes are unknown, the shayatin teaches it to their followers and they make use of and rely on it to seek benefit, so how can we understand it.

First of all, the knowledge of magic is generally unknown and forbidden to learn, and whoever learns from it commits kufr. So, does it cause harm and benefit. I believe these verses best explains all we need to know about magic:

And when there came to them a Messenger from Allah (i.e. Muhammad Peace be upon him) confirming what was with them, a party of those who were given the Scripture threw away the Book of Allah behind their backs as if they did not know! They followed what the Shayatin gave out (falsely of the magic) in the lifetime of Sulaiman. Sulaiman did not disbelieve, but the Shayatin (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic and such things that came down at Babylon to the two angels, Harut and Marut, but neither of these two (angels) taught anyone (such things) till they had said, "We are only for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning this magic from us)." And from these (angels) people learn that by which they cause separation between man and his wife, but they could not thus harm anyone except by Allah's Leave. And they learn that which harms them and profits them not. And indeed they knew that the buyers of it (magic) would have no share in the Hereafter. And how bad indeed was that for which they sold their ownselves, if they but knew. And if they had believed, and guarded themselves from evil and kept their duty to Allah, far better would have been the reward from their Lord, if they but knew! (Quran 2:101-103)

With the explanation from tafsir, here are some points to note:
1. Some people of the book (Jews) ignored the teachings of the torah and learnt instead magic which was taught by the shayatin, and not Solomon as many have been made to believe.
2. They learnt magic despite it amounting to kufr, and knowing whoever learns from it will not succeed. And though they found gain in whatever they learnt, it was so little in comparison to the loss, it’s as if they gain nothing from it.
3. Even after learning magic, they could neither harm nor benefit anyone, except if Allah willed.
4. They sold themselves for an evil gain, and incurred a great loss, but if they had believed in Allah and were Godfearing, the reward (benefit) they would have gotten would have been far better, than what they got from learning of the magic. And that applies to all evil.

Hopefully you can see once more that it all returns to seeking benefit and removal of harm, and our success depends on who we seek it from, as well as how we see it. That being said, let’s look at some others about magic and what is similar to it. i.e., things we cannot explain.

If you were to look at the magicians of Firawn, they were experts in magic and understood how it worked, so when they first met Musa alayhi salam, they believed him to be a magician like them. As the story goes, when they casted their magic Allah said:

Then behold, their ropes and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him as though they moved fast…..

In other words, they were still ropes and stick, but by magic, they made an illusion, and the people believed that they had become snakes and were moving. Recall that this was a miracle given to Musa, so when they heard of it, they simply assumed it was magic, like they said:

“Verily! These are two magicians. Their object is to drive you out from your land with magic, and overcome your chiefs and nobles.” So devise your plot, and then assemble in line. And whoever overcomes this day will be indeed successful

So when Musa’s staff really turned to a snake and swallowed their sticks and ropes, the magicians knew that this was real, because they understood that magic cannot really turn his sticks into snake, so the only way that would have happened was if it was an actual miracle from Allah, as He said:

So the magicians fell down prostrate. They said: “We believe in the Lord of Harun (Aaron) and Musa (Moses).”

if you compare that to the miracles of the Prophets the people who did not understand magic, called their miracles magic and accused their Prophets of being Magicians, this was the case with Musa, Isa, Muhammad alayhimus salam. Of course, they didn’t know how magic worked, and in trying to deny them, those were the closest thinks they could come up with. But magic cannot turn water to blood (Musa), bring the dead back to life (Isa), or cause the moon to split in plain sight (Muhammad), it never even came close to any miracle of any of the Prophets. But none of the Prophets claimed any special ability, they attributed it to Allah and said they were men like us. They taught us to believe in Allah, and that Allah can do the same for us, and as we know, they were people who reached high degree of faith, and Allah gave them similar miracles. This is unlike the magicians and their like who rely on tricks, yet people are made to believe otherwise, even today, though in the form of entertainment, people are made to believe that witches/magic possess supernatural powers and extraordinary abilities, all lies. Again, it all comes back to Allah.

If you were to look at what we might call an amazing ability that had not being achieved by jinn/man, which is long life. The longest life we know of from religious history is 1000 yrs, lets double it and say 2000. Shaitan has been around long before Adam was created, let’s say at least 5000yrs, then before the common calender system beginning after the ‘death’ of christ, lets say at least 8000AD, then we’re in mankind’s 2nd millennium after christ, so we’re looking at someone that’s been alive for at least 15000 years. Now does shaitan have a special ability, or did he do magic? No he simply asked Allah to prolong his life, and Allah did, and it was easy for Him.

In conclusion these are the tricks of the shaitan, out of all of them, magic seems to have an effect, but not something that we’ll attribute to harming and benefiting, but a test for us, and that’s it. The culture of today has cause people to believe about magic what it can’t do, and even if it can do something, as Allah said:

……and the magician will never be successful, no matter whatever amount (of skill) he may attain.”

Now, coming to the final part, how can we believe all this, afterall, there are ‘evidence’ to prove otherwise. This is what we’ll be discussed in the last part, in sha Allah.

Raheeqilmaktoom:
All Salaf scholars of recent have given verdicts on participation in elections, Sheikh Albani, Sheikh Bin Baz, Sheikh Uthaymin: there is no wrong in it. ...........................
If you understand Hausa I recommend you get and listen to Sheikh Auwal Albani Zaria comprehensive lecture in this topic: Demokradiyya.
المستعان.

Are you kidding me? First of all, they are not the only scholars, just the ones that media supported.
Secondaly, Albaani Zaria, contrary to popular opinion, was someone with many errors that went against the sunnah

NeoWanZaeed:
No Muslim or scholar will tell you to VOTE OR SUPPORT DEMOCRACY except khawarij.
............
It's kufru and takes one out of the fold of islam

You mean ikwaani, khawaarij will make the above statement, and even go beyond that.

Khawaaji support revolting against the leader, causing unrest in the land
ikwaani call to using the laws and politics to support islam, even if it's other than the law of Allah

1. Blood money and rituals
The shaitan just makes people to commit major sins in exchange for money, and all he does is just carry the money from one person and gives it to another. In the old days, people reported of their missing money, and the exact money was found with another person, who confessed that it was given to him by his jinn companions. The sins of killing, mutilating a body, fornication, incest, or all that sort have nothing to do with the money, as the shaitan can just give the money if he so willed, but as he desires that man sinks deeper into Allah’s punishment, he, may Allah curse him, will never do anything for free, and will always want you to do things of kufr & major sins.

2. Contracts
There are people that say they made a contract with the devil, where they signed with blood, and they cannot go back on it, cause they will be killed. Also, ritual practices in the night, where they wear dark/red clothes, wear a mask and do strange things, no need to go into details. All these are just to scare someone into losing hope of Allah, so he doesn’t repent, or he fears for his life. The devil and his associates, have no power over anyone, and man is given a choice, even if he makes the wrong, he can choose to leave it and repent to Allah. Allah said:
"Allah the Most Exalted said: 'O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with the world full of
sins, and meet Me without making anything partner to Me (Shirk), I would come to you with a
similar amount of forgiveness.' "

3. Knowledge of unseen/the future
Again, people seek knowledge of these matter to seek benefit and avoid harm. But all claims of people to believe in the knowledge of the unseen are all lies that lead astray, the truth:
Say: "None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib (unseen) except Allah….(27:65)
So how do people claim to know? Well, first lets divide they people claiming to have said knowledge into 2 categories: Those who claim they obtain if from specialized knowledge, and those who claim that they obtain it from spiritual means.

3.1. From Specialised Knowledge
For the first category, even if it has nothing to do with him, are from one of his lies some people have come to believe. That is that there are ‘hidden knowledge’ that if one was to learn, will obtain knowledge of the unseen, such as such as death, birth, epidemics, disasters, attaining happiness and other matters for which there is no rational or empirical basis, rather based on what they have come to understand from thes knowledge. There are several of them, such as numerology, astrology, zodiac signs, studying the letter, not to read and write, but to study their hidden meanings, etc.

I won’t go into details, but all they have in common is that they attribute the cause to other than Allah, or see it as a means to a cause, example; If you have such and such zodiacal sign, then such and such will happen to you. So you attribute the cause to a zodiacal sign, or star, or number etc., or see it as a means. These are falsehood, as the scholars said in explaining this matter, ‘if anyone would have had knowledge of the unseen, it would have been Adam, for Allah taught him the name of all things. But he did not foresee his downfall, for there is no knowledge that reveals the unseen, that is known only to Allah. Other evidences:

Al-Bukhaari said in his Saheeh: Qutaadah said: “Allaah created these stars for three purposes: to adorn the heavens, to stone the devils and as signs by which to navigate. Whoever seeks anything else in them is mistaken and does not benefit from them, and he is wasting his time and effort in seeking something of which he has no knowledge.”

A hadith Qudsi where Allah said:
‘This morning one of My slaves became a believer in Me and one became a disbeliever. As for the one who said, “We have been given rain by virtue of Allaah and His mercy,” he is a believer in Me and a disbeliever in the stars. But as for the one who said, “We have been given rain by such and such a star,” he is a disbeliever in Me and a believer in the stars.’” Moving on;

3.2. From Spiritual means
As for those who claim to obtain such knowledge from spiritual means, they are all shaitan. Again not to do into details, from the hadith of Aisha:
“Some people asked the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about soothsayers. He said, ‘They are nothing.’They said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, sometimes they say something and it comes true.’The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘That is a word of truth that the jinn snatches and whispers into the ear of his familiar, but they mix a hundred lies with it.’
In other words, the jinn do not know the unseen, they only steal what they hear from the angels and mix it with lies. It’s known that Allah gave Sulaiman power over the shayatin from the jinn, and he put them in hard labour, they had to do as he said as long as he was alive, but when he gave them work and died, it was unknown to them and they continued their work as Allah revealed:

Then when We decreed death for him [Sulaiman (Solomon)], nothing informed them (jinns) of his death except a little worm of the earth, which kept (slowly) gnawing away at his stick, so when he fell down, the jinns saw clearly that if they had known the unseen, they would not have stayed in the humiliating torment. (Quran 34:14)

There is however one aspect that the shaitan is heavily involved, that seems to have an effect, unlike those which are just lies and tricks, and that’s magic. Allah is the sole giver of benefit, inflictor and remover of harm, but magic seems to have an effect/ability that makes people believe otherwise, which will be discussed next, in sha Allah.

People don’t realize that there are beings deliberately planning that man be misguided, and the more unaware someone is of them, the more likely he is be lead astray, may Allah save us from that faith.

Here’s what you should understand, amongst the creation, there are 3 beings that are said to possess consciousness as we understand it. There are angels, jinn and man. The angels always obey Allah and devote all actions to Him, the jinn and man have a choice whether to obey or disobey. While many among mankind sway between obedience and disobedience, there exist and group of jinn called the shayaatin (sig. shaitan), commonly known as devils. The name shayatin indicate that they are far from any good/righteousness whatsoever and all they do is rebel against Allah’s commands. Their chief and commander is iblis, commonly known also as shaitan, and he has one goal in his life, to lead as many of mankind as he can to dwell with him in hell:

(Iblis) said: "Because You have sent me astray, surely I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on Your Straight Path. Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them as grateful ones (ingratitude is the root of kufr) …. (Quran 7:16)

……But Shaitan promises them nothing but deceit. (17:64)

Hence the Shaytaan declared his evil and enmity towards the children of Adam, so he made sin attractive to us and to tempt us to the things that Allah had forbidden us from, just like he did with our parents. And so many people are deceived by him and are lead astray, believing they were deriving benefit, but in reality, they were drawing away from it. Allah said:

They (all those who worship others than Allah) invoke nothing but female deities besides Him (Allah), and they invoke nothing but Shaitan (Satan), a persistent rebel! Allah cursed him. And he [Shaitan (Satan)] said: "I will take an appointed portion of your slaves; Verily, I will mislead them, and surely, I will arouse in them false desires; and certainly, I will order them to slit the ears of cattle, and indeed I will order them to change the nature created by Allah." And whoever takes Shaitan as a Wali (protector or helper) instead of Allah, has surely suffered a manifest loss. He [Shaitan] makes promises to them, and arouses in them false desires; and Shaitan's promises are nothing but deceptions. The dwelling of such (people) is Hell, and they will find no way of escape from it. But those who believe do deeds of righteousness, We shall admit them to the Gardens under which rivers flow (i.e. in Paradise) to dwell therein forever. Allah's Promise is the Truth, and whose words can be truer than those of Allah? (4:117-121)

O mankind! Verily, the Promise of Allah is true. So let not this present life deceive you, and let not the chief deceiver (Satan) deceive you about Allah. Surely, Shaitan (Satan) is an enemy to you, so take (treat) him as an enemy. He only invites his Hizb (followers) that they may become the dwellers of the blazing Fire. (35:5-6)

“And Shaytaan (Satan) will say when the matter has been decided: ‘Verily, Allaah promised you a promise of truth. And I too promised you, but I betrayed you. I had no authority over you except that I called you, and you responded to me. So blame me not, but blame yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me. I deny your former act in associating me (Satan) as a partner with Allaah (by obeying me in the life of the world). Verily, there is a painful torment for the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers)’” (Surah Ibraaheem 14:22)

In summary, the shaitan leads people to hell, and one way he does that is by deceiving people to believe in what will not benefit them, but will in in fact harm them: He deceived people into worshipping idols, just like he deceived Adam and Hawwa to eat of the fruit Allah had forbidden them from, promising them kingdom and immortality. Let’s make something clear, Adam and his wife did not derive a single benefit from eating of the fruit, and I’ll leave it at that.

There is a reason shaitan is characterized with deception, and many of his lies have come to be believed by the masses. I’ll i sha Allah go over the realities of some things that people have come to believe.

Everyone one way or another is looking to benefit and to avoid harm, and this is something that is entirely in the hands of Allah. If people realize this, they won’t have been worshipping idols, and seeking benefit from other than Him, following different kinds of falsehood that are invented to lead them astray. So thinking they will find benefit, they were lead to the greatest harm. This is why the Prophets (peace be upon them) were of vital importance in the lives of the people, because they showed us the way leading to Allah, leading to the greatest benefit and avoidance of all harm:

Ibrahim said to his people
…."Worship Allah Alone and fear Him that is better for you if you did but know. You worship besides Allah only idols and you only invent falsehood. Verily, those whom you worship beside Allah have no power to give you provision, so seek your provision from Allah Alone, and worship Him Alone and be grateful to Him, to Him you will be returned. (Quran 29:16-17)

The Egyptian man who believed in Musa said:
"And O my people! How is it that I call you to salvation while you call me to the Fire! You invite
me to disbelieve in Allah (and in His Oneness), and to join partners in worship with Him, of
which I have no knowledge, and I invite you to the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving! No doubt you
call me to worship one who cannot grant me my request or respond to my invocation in this
world or in the Hereafter. And our return will be to Allah, and Al-Musrifeen (polytheists, and
arrogants, those who commit great sins, the transgressors of Allah's set limits)! They shall be the
dwellers of the Fire! And you will remember what I am telling you, and my affair I leave it to
Allah. Verily, Allah is the All-Seer of His slaves." So Allah saved him from the evils that they plotted
(against him), while an evil torment encompassed Pharaoh's people. (Quran 40:41-45).

When the throne of Sheba was brought to Suleiman in the blink of an eye:
40. ….He said: "This is by the Grace of my Lord to test me whether I am grateful or ungrateful! And whoever is grateful, truly, his gratitude is for (the good of) his ownself, and whoever is ungrateful, (he is ungrateful only for the loss of his ownself). Certainly! My Lord is Rich (Free of all wants), Bountiful."

Allah said about the Christians who fled from their people when their king wanted to force them to partake in their celebration rooted in idol worship:
And We made their hearts firm and strong when they stood up and said: "Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, never shall we call upon any ilah (god) other than Him; if we did, we should indeed have uttered an enormity in disbelief. "These our people have taken for worship aliha (gods) other than Him (Allah). Why do they not bring for them a clear authority? And who does more wrong than he who invents a lie against Allah. (The young men said to one another): "And when you withdraw from them, and that which they worship, except Allah, then seek refuge in the Cave, your Lord will open a way for you from His Mercy and will make easy for you your affair (i.e. will give you what you will need of provision, dwelling, etc.). (Quran 18: 14-16)

But many didn’t listen to the Prophets, rather they followed their fathers and people, preferring it over that which Allah sent down, they believed and put their trust objects they were told could grant benefit or avoid harm (charms),they listened to the people of magic (fortune tellers, soothsayers), believed in things that claimed to reveal to those who learn it the knowledge of the unseen, believed in falsehood and turned away from the truth, they followed them, and they were destroyed. And on the day of judgement, they will confess, as Allah revealed:
They will say: "Yes indeed; a warner did come to us, but we belied him and said: 'Allah never sent down anything (of revelation), you are only in great error.'" And they will say: "Had we but listened or used our intelligence, we would not have been among the dwellers of the blazing Fire!" (Surah Mulk 67: 9-10)

Rasulullah clarified these matters, there are no ghost, evil omen, no evil/revengeful spirits, there are no lucky charms, no one knows the future, and no one can do anything to your destiny, in fact, no one knows what it is. No one and nothing truly harms or benefits but Allah.

Everything other than Allah is the creation of Allah, and Allah created the creation that His greatness is shown, and He be worshipped Alone, it’s all about Allah, all the good we seek is from Him. He said:

Whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Allah, and He is the All-Mighty, All-Wise. His is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, It is He Who gives life and causes death; and He is Able to do all things. He is the First (nothing is before Him) and the Last (nothing is after Him), the Most High (nothing is above Him) and the Most Near (nothing is nearer than Him). And He is the All-Knower of everything. (Quran 57:1-3)

He it is Who has made you successors generations after generations in the earth, so whosoever disbelieves on him will be his disbelief. And the disbelief of the disbelievers adds nothing but hatred with their Lord. And the disbelief of the disbelievers adds nothing but loss. Say (O Muhammad ): "Have you seen your (so-called) partner-gods to whom you call upon besides Allah, show me, what they have created of the earth? Or have they any share in the heavens? Or have We given them a Book, so that they act on clear proof therefrom? Nay, the Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers, etc.) promise one another nothing but delusions." (Quran 35:39-40)

See you not that to Allah prostrates whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth, and the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the mountains, and the trees, and Ad-Dawab (moving living creatures, beasts, etc.), and many of mankind? But there are many (men) on whom the punishment is justified. And whomsoever Allah disgraces, none can honour him. Verily! Allah does what He wills. (Quran 22:18)
Despite the warnings, people still choose to worship other than Allah, worship those who can neither harm nor benefit them, they couldn’t learn from the fate of those who denied the Messengers, and as the saying goes, those; ‘who don’t learn from the past are doomed to repeat history’, or something like that.

So if this is the truth, perhaps the question one should ask is ‘how are people made to believe otherwise?’
This is what we’ll discuss further in sha Allah.

Part 2: 2 keys to Iman
We all know the importance of iman, without it, you don’t have anything with Allah. But people misunderstand it to mean the mere term faith and belief in Allah, but by that definition, even iblis believes in Allah, he afterall worshipped Allah along with the angels in Jannah, but Allah stated very clearly: “And he is of the kaafireen”.
But this is not an explanation of iman, this however discusses 2 matters that if one was to truly grasp, they will strengthen his iman and certainty, and significantly reduces his chances of him being misguided, as we shall see.
So what are they;
• Knowledge of the unseen (Ilml ghaib)
• Ability to harm and benefit
The ghaib/unseen is that which cannot be perceived by the senses of man, hence they are unseen and unknown. Examples include: the soul, the last hour, when rain will fall, Paradise and Hell, etc. In this context, we will be focusing on the future, and what will happen to us aka our destiny.

Here’s the thing, the knowledge of the unseen, as well as the ability to truly harm and benefit someone, are things that Allah has not given to any of the creation, so they rest with Him Alone. Only Allah has the knowledge of the unseen, and only Allah can truly harm and benefit someone.

These are concepts that Islam reinforces over and over again, and going through them in one writing is just impossible (at least for my level). It is such an importance concept, it is seen in the stories of the Prophets, the fate of those who believed them, as well as those who denied. They are two powerful truths that one should come to realize if he seeks success.

Ponder of these verses:
Knowledge of the unseen:
(He Alone is) the All-Knower of the Gha'ib (unseen), and He reveals to none His Gha'ib (unseen)." Except to a Messenger (from mankind) whom He has chosen….. (Quran 72:26-27)

50. Say (O Muhammad): "I don't tell you that with me are the treasures of Allah, nor (that) I know the unseen; nor I tell you that I am an angel. I but follow what is revealed to me by inspiration." (Quran 6:50)

In a statement of Aisha: “::….whoever tells you Muhammad had knowledge of the unseen has lied to you…..”

Notice the 2 are related, for one who knows the unseen will most definitely use it to benefit himself and avoid harm. Imagine knowing where and when kidnapping will take place? What industry will experience a boom? Or if knowing what bitcoin was going to be worth when it first came out? This is why Allah said:

Say (O Muhammad): "I possess no power of benefit or hurt to myself except as Allah wills. If I had the knowledge of the Ghaib (unseen), I should have secured for myself an abundance of wealth, and no evil should have touched me. I am but a warner, and a bringer of glad tidings unto people who believe." (Quran 7:188)

At the end, it’s all about seeking the benefit and avoiding harm, and this also rest with Allah, as He said:
Blessed be He Who sent down the criterion (of right and wrong, i.e. this Qur'an) to His slave (Muhammad) that he may be a warner to the 'Alamin (mankind and jinns). He to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and Who has begotten no son (children or offspring) and for Whom there is no partner in the dominion. He has created everything, and has measured it exactly according to its due measurements. Yet they have taken besides Him other aliha (gods) that created nothing but are themselves created, and possess neither hurt nor benefit for themselves, and possess no power (of causing) death, nor (of giving) life, nor of raising the dead. (Quran 25: 1-3)

"And invoke not besides Allah, any that will neither profit you, nor hurt you, but if (in case) you did so, you shall certainly be one of the Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers). " And if Allah touches you with hurt, there is none who can remove it but He; and if He intends any good for you, there is none who can repel His Favour which He causes it to reach whomsoever of His slaves He will. And He is the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (10:106-107)

In the hadith of ibn Abbas, Allah’s Messenger said to him:”…..And know that if the nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, they would not be able to benefit you except with what Allah had already written for you. And if they were to gather together to harm you with anything, they would not be able to harm you except with what Allah had already written against you…….. And know that what has passed you by (or you missed) was not going to afflict you, and what afflicted you was never going to miss you. “

Part 1: The basics
As previously mentioned, success can be studied, and when one sees the principles behind it, it can be replicated to produce the same results. This is what all believers are doing, and if you don’t understand this, then you might not even know the real reason behind submitting to Allah.

Moving on, scholars such as Ibn Rajab have explained that all aspects of the religion are traced back to: observing the commands, leaving the prohibitions and leaving doubtful matters. And they all come down to 3 hadith, the two we’re concerned with are:
The hadith of Umar: "Actions are (judged) by motives (niyyah), so each man will have what he intended…..
The hadith of Aisha: “He who innovates something in this matter of ours (i.e., Islam) that which is not of it will have it rejected”, in another narration, “He who does an act which is not from our affairs (i.e., Islam), will have it rejected”

In other words, as Muslims, worshipping Allah requires us to take actions, and these actions have 2 conditions before they can be accepted;
1. Sincerity - That they are performed for the sake of Allah, and
2. Correctness – That they are in accordance with sunnah of His Messenger.

As Fudail Ibn Iyad explained, the best of deeds are those that are most sincere and correct.
Note: As mentioned, all acts of worship most meet both conditions, observe:
If; Sincere + Correct = Accepted
But; Insincere + Correct = Hypocrisy
And; Sincere + Incorrect = Innovation

Understand this, and you’ll realize that the actions of people who succeed are in general, one and the same, and people break away from them by spoiling one or both of the conditions. Now contemplate on the following:
You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything). Guide us to the Straight path.

"And verily, this is my Straight Path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His Path. This He has ordained for you that you may become God-fearing. (Al-An'am 6:153)

……then whenever there comes to you Guidance from Me, and whoever follows My Guidance, there shall be no fear on them, nor shall they grieve. (Baqara 2:38)

The Hadith of Irbaad, Allah’s Messenger said:……….. Verily he among you who lives long will see great controversy, so you must keep to my Sunnah and to the Sunnah of the Khulafa ar-Rashideen (the rightly guided caliphs), those who guide to the right way. Cling to it stubbornly [literally: with your molar teeth]. Beware of newly invented matters [in the religion], for verily every bidah (innovation) is misguidance.

In other words, our success depends on us following the guidance Allah sent through His Messenger, without deviating from it, this is how all people enter Jannah, as well as what the people of the Fire leave. And it all comes down to the right actions that fulfill the conditions of sincerity and correctness. This is what we have been commanded with.

"And verily, this is my Straight Path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His Path. This He has ordained for you that you may become Al-Muttaqun.(Quran 6:153)

And that’s it, this I believe is/is part of what Allah’s Messenger was referring to when he said: “This religion is ease”, But people understood it according to their desires, interpreting it to mean they can abandon the commands when it’s hard. They don’t realize that the problem is weakness in their iman, and not the difficulty in observing the commands and leaving the prohibitions.

One might ask, if this is what we have to do, how are people still mislead? That’s what the next part deals with.

We all want to succeed, whatever our definition of success is, sadly many will fail, and while people can point to thousands of people/things to blame, the fault isn’t anyone but themselves. People simply fail because they don’t do what their supposed to do.

We live in a world governed by what people call natural laws or principle, in simple terms, they’re the way things work, and can’t be broken. In other words, if someone wants something, he simply replicates the process others have used to get it, and he will get the same, bi iznillah.

And the same applies to succeeding in the next world, many people say different things, each claiming it’ll bring success, or in this case, will make you to be forgiven and go to heaven. Rather than argue, we can look at those we are sure have succeeded, namely the Prophets and Messengers, and replicate what they have done. In fact, the whole essence of prophethood was teaching the people what’ll lead to success in the next world, and they conveyed their message with clarity. Even though am focusing on Muslims, no doubt this is something everyone needs to know and understand.

With all successes, there are principles governing them, and Islam is no different. By understanding these principles, one grasps the core of the religion bi iznillah, he understands the guidance sent by Allah, which His Prophets taught to the people (for their message was one), more importantly, it’ll make clear to him how people fail by simply going against these principles, and no one goes against principles in general and succeeds.

This write-up is broken into 3 parts, all linked together:
Part 1 – The Basics: All islam boils down to, this is what all people who’ll succeed are doing, and all those who’ll fail are not doing, or lacking in.
Part 2 – 2 keys to Iman & Yaqin (Certainty): 2 non disputable truths to solidify one’s belief in Allah and deep certainty that He Alone is worthy of worship. I’ll also go into how kufr & misguidance works, and how it’s based on people believing other than these truths.
Part 3 – Proof: Of course, these are from me and what I have learned, so one might say I’m simply making claims, and maybe I am. I’ll however like to back up my claims, using a point in history that’s overlooked, even though it lead to a big changed in the world, whose effect is seen up till today, but many have forgotten or are unaware.

That’s it for now, I hope to update as I go along. Also, not that all verses quoted from the Quran will be the interpretation of the meaning, and not their exact meaning.

Amin

9japicker:
. Is this kind of thing normal, killing animals to do special prayers to do SARA while doing special prayers with Others alfa?

No it's not, in fact, doing it will guarantee your failure. 'religious leaders' are ment to be people who lead people to God on behalf of Prophets. The Prophets were taught by God and people came to them for their problems, they never collected their money nor did sacrifices, rather, they did miracles, taught people to rely on God and pray to Him. When they passed away, people who learnt from them spread their teachings, and others corrupted it, they were misguided and lead others astray, and people followed them blindly, to their own demise.

In summary, what the alfa is doing is not what the Prophets taught, as they were the only one who had contact with God, and their message was one, even if people don't think so. The red flags are 2:
1. Paying money
2. Relying on the killing of an animal, and not God (sounds like magic)

I didn't memorise the evidences, but feel free to ponder upon these:
"And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger
(proclaiming): 'Worship Allah (Alone), and avoid (or keep away from) Taghut (all false deities
etc. i.e. do not worship Taghut besides Allah).' "

And verily, this is My Straight Path, so follow it, and
follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His Path. This He has ordained for
you that you may become Al-Muttaqun (God-fearing)."

"Say: Tell me then, the things that you invoke besides Allah, -if Allah intended some harm
for me, could they remove His harm, or if He (Allah) intended some mercy for me, could they
withhold His Mercy? Say: Sufficient for me is Allah; in Him those who trust (i.e. believers) must
put their trust." (39:38)

"Whoever wears talisman or an amulet would never see his wish fulfilled by Allah. And
whoever hangs a sea shell would never get peace and rest."

And invoke not besides Allah any that will neither profit you nor hurt you, but if (in case)
you did so, you shall certainly be one of the Zalimun (polytheists and wrongdoers). And if Allah
touches you with hurt, there is none who can remove it but He; and if He intends any good for
you, there is none who can repel His Favour which He causes it to reach whomsoever of His
slaves He will. And He is the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (10:106, 107)

During the days of the Prophet (May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) there was
a hypocrite who used to harm the believers, some of them (the believers) said, "Come (support)
with us while we appeal to Allah's Messenger (May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him)
for assistance against this hypocrite." The Prophet (May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon
him) replied, "Verily, no one should seek to me for assistance. Indeed, it is Allah Who is to be
sought for assistance and help."

Returning to your situation: You had a problem, lets call it 'spiritual', then you relied on other than Allah to seek a solution, even though it was from a 'religious leader'. That is not what the Prophets taught people, and if people learnt religious guidance from other than the Prophets, then they only learnt misguidance

You were looking for answers, i've given you. It's left to you to make a decision.

jaicey:
Public beware that the above page on Instagram under the guise of selling phones is a scam. .....

Sorry about this, you said yourself you wanted to risk it, and you did. So best learn from it.
There's possibility of recovering the money, but you sound like someone that lack the know-how, so it'll probably cost you alot of time, energy and maybe more money. I'll advise you, if you let it go, do so

But next time:
Don't risk money you can't afford to lose
Scammers prey on your desire to get things at cheaper prices
Most of these people are scammers, i repeat, most of them, it's best not involving yourself with them
You could have used escrow, a 3rd party that'll receive the money and only send it after conditions stated like receiving the item
Look for reputable people

Lastly, don't be cheap, it won't help in the long run. I don't know the price of the phone, but i'm guessing you could have added a little more to get it. I'll tell you what a female nairalander advised me "don't expect to not be scammed, work hard and make money, you'll it from it, but expect people will find ways to rob it from you, if you want to buy something online, do thoroug background check. And as you make money, maintain your means, when you get more, you can upgrade"

Sorry for your loss

That being said, if you want to take it up, involve military, look for someone who knows someone (connection), just know that it's going to cost you. 200k is alot of money, but only for some people.

[quote author=Raheeqilmaktoom post=119328032]Masha Allah, jazakillah. Meanwhile, are these posts originally in English or you translated them? [/quote

The original is arabic, sheik Muqbil may Allah have mercy on him spoke only arabic, to the best of my knowledge. He had students from all over the world, so translation won't be a problem.

If you like his writings, his daughter wrote a very interesting book 'Advice to the women', highly recommend it, if you're interested. i was amazed at her writing and depth of knowledge, not to mention her humility, and am a man.

You mean brothers in islam, not in Allah.

..............وَكُونُوا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ إخْوَانًا، ............Hadith

what neowanzeed said, it's deception, stay away from it. If you believe in Allah glory be to Him, stick to he sunnah of His Messenger, peace be upon him, and you will be successful

smadas:
What does it mean when they put someone destiny in Koko aye(spiritual pot)?

Lies and deceit, don't believe them. Where did they see your destiny to put in a pot, and if someone had that power (which none but Allah has), what is the objective behind putting it in a pot? In fact, what does a pot has to do with it. Think bro

Bintdawood:
Akhi you got me wrong! I didnt say we should only post on Fridays. Didnt you see the subject of the thread? I was talking about islam posts making front page on Fridays.
Thank you

Okay, my mistake, asif

smadas:
How can break generational curse? How can I fight spiritual attack?

They are not real, who did Allah give power to curse a generation?

The second question is similar, put your trust in Allah

Kcblunt:
Salam ...what's best way to use black seed... For spiritual purification.

Help me with a prayer against , of affiliated poverty

What is spiritual purification? Anything regarding spirituality, rely on Allah and follow what is authenticated by the sunnah, that is the implication of Muhammadu rasulullah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam)

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 
“And We send down of the Qur’aan that which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe”[al-Isra’ 17:82]

According to Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him), this is the nature of the Qur’aan as a whole, not parts of it.

As for poverty, make dua to Allah to enrich just like you'll ask someone for something, then take the steps to seeking wealth, and know that whatever happens is from Allah, as He said(interpretation of the meaning):
As for man, when his Lord tries him by giving him honour and gifts, then he says (puffed up): "My Lord has honoured me." But when He tries him, by straitening his means of life, he says: "My Lord has humiliated me!" (al Fajr 89:14-15)

Bintdawood:
Assalam alaikum

This is what annoys me tbh. No islamic posts on Fridays. I have been observing nairaland for years and i recently joined... Please lets do something about it

I'll advice you abadon this idea and stick to what you have been ordered to do, if you understand. If you want to post, then do so, but if you want to specify a specific time for post, then this is not something we have been commanded to do, and a deviation:

The truest word is the Book of Allah and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad. The most evil matters in religion are those that are newly invented, for every newly invented matter is an innovation, every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Hellfire.”

Aisha reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Whoever innovates into this matter of ours that which does not belong to it, it will be rejected.”

In another narration, the Prophet said, “Whoever performs a deed that is not in accordance with our matter, it will be rejected.”

The true path is the straight path, and one only needs to deviate by one degree, where there's no obvious consequences, and with time, he completely deviates. And Allah know best

Was salam

Tormentedsoul:
I will make sure i write more about my escapades here.. i hope i get help sooner if not i may turn this thread to updates of past events even way before i was a normal human to now that i am fortified and needing help.

If you're really serious about getting, let me tell you it is not impossible, as bad as it is, people have done worse than you and were able to leave it. Whoever is hunting you is not all-powerful, they too will die like you and only want you to suffer like them in the next life, and that does not have to be your portion.

beauty16:
thanks Alot for this write up May God bless and reward you I fell so relieved from reading this,I was so much in pain anger and depresse when I find it so very difficult to get a little thing that I want to get for my baby it started bothering me about how long am I going to continue like this,how will I survive if things continue this way but then again a very good friend that I know from here chat me up to check on me and ask me hope you are good just that question he asked I spit everything out for him and he advise me to calm down that everything will be alright he say alot of things to me and I was calm truely and here you are saying the same thing thank you very much for this may God bless you

That's good to hear

beauty16:
This life self how will someone going to survive All this stress and frustration to start up something inorder to survive there is no money to start up,money rule in this life is too much without money nothing is possible God what kind of life is this how long did one need to continue all this

If you think life is hard in this world, what do you think the life will be for the people of hellfire, that it is said that if they were put in the fire of this world no sleep in it, they will not have the blessing of breathing, nor a sip of water, and death will come to them from all sides, but they will never die.

How does one survive?
The way you survive today is the same way you survive yesterday, things happen, bad things, but they don't kill you, and you live, you were able to sleep, and while you were asleep, all your pains and sufferings were gone, but you woke up and they came again.

We see other people and think how they are happy but we are suffering, I was speaking with somebody that makes millions and he told me that is so depressed, he can't get good sleep, and he's in a lot of pain but people cannot tell cuz they see him as somebody that has money, with car and good clothes, but he's miserable on the inside, and the money he's making to use to take care of his family is what's causing the pain, as if his business is sucking all the soul from his body.

I'm not trying to say that you're in a better situation than him, or other people are in worse situation is than you, but what you should know is that this world is not a place where people are happy, it just looks like becuz we want something and see others having it. I was speaking with my aunty, one of the most happy and cheerful person i've seeing, and she said to me: 'People don't know what i'm feeling, i've been married for how many years and i don't have a child', and before that, i said to myself, i didn't even realize, not to talk of those who commit suicide.

Sometimes ago when am feeling depressed, i use to go the family section and I see how people are suffering and I see how my condition is better. There was even a thread opened for people to discuss about it, but i didn't save it. Someone mentioned how bad it was for him that he'll go to parties he wasn't invited to and beg strangers for money, and it hurt him, but what choice did he have?

What can somebody do, except to be patient and keep looking for a way out, even if you find on you don't find what you're looking for, one day it will be over, cause in this world, all we're looking for is something to make us happy, and that is the destroyer of all happiness.

Sorry sister.

Once upon a time, we were non existent, and people walked the surface of this world, they suffered their hardships, but now they're gone, and we are the one alive and experiencing things we call hard. Then we'll die and be forgotten, and another generation will be the ones walking the earth, and then they'll die, and so on.

Lima98:
Salamualekum to everyone in the house please I am finding it difficult to understand what this story really mean can someone please break it down for me to understand it better
Hadith 2
Narrated Abu Huraira (r.a) Allah 's Apostle ordered me to guard the Zakat revenue of Ramadan. Then somebody came to me and started stealing of the foodstuff. I caught him and said, "I will take you to Allah's Messenger (saw)" Then Abu Huraira (r.a) described the whole narration and said: That person said (to me), "Please don't take me to Allah's Messenger (saw) and I will tell you a few words by which Allah will benefit you. When you go to your bed, recite Ayat-al-Kursi, (2.255) for then there will be a guard from Allah who will protect you all night long, and Satan will not be able to come near you till dawn." When the Prophet (saw) heard the story he said to me, "He who came to you at night, told you the truth although he is a liar; and it was Satan."

Sometimes, things are hard for the shaitan just like it is for humans, thus Allah has decreed. When it became tough for him, he resorted to stealing, Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) caught him but he did not know him because he came in the form of an old man. Shaitan made an excuse and pleaded with Abu huraira not to take him to the Prophet and Abu Hurairah took pity on him and left him, this happened twice, and he said that if the man comes for the third time, he won't let him go, but the third time, seeing that Abu Hurairah will not spare him, he made an offer that Abu Hurairah will not resist, that was when he taught him the dua. Shaitan knew the importance of the dua but was not going to tell him, the only reason why he did that was because he was in a desperate situation and did not want to be taken to the Prophet (peace be upon him), and so he gave that up. the Prophet affirm that what He said was true even though he is a liar.

The verse Ayatul kursiyy is as affirmed by the Prophet (peace be upon him), the greatest verse in the Quran, if i remember correctly. It mentions some of Allah's greatest Names, His Power over the creation, affirms His Oneness, right to be worshiped Alone, and so on.

Offpoint1:
The British Royal Family are directly or indirectly the foundation of Nigeria woes.

I hun give a shxt about them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uuW4AP8M4M&t=4s

Was scrolling a channel and found a very informative vid about our country. The guy tried, i know the country is corrupt, but had no idea it reached this extent. Even the comment section is very revealing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uuW4AP8M4M&t=4s

Imām Ahmad رحمه الله said:

“The worldly life is a place for action and the hereafter is a place for recompense!

So whoever does not prepare here, will regret there!”

[Az-Zuhd Al-Kabīr: 282]

Learn about the Salaf:
https:///gemsofthesalaf