working4islam

article: Last Man Standing

2007-12-14T22:08:00.000-05:00

Last Man Standing

Allah, subhanahu wata'aala (swt), has promised to preserve the Quran. But how?

You probably don't know Muhammad b. Nuh, but that's no surprise. During the great trial of 'the creation of the Quran,' many contemporaries of Imam Ahmed had acquiesced to the khalifah's claim that the Quran was a creation of Allah and not His Word. Opposing this claim were two indomitable figures, Imam Ahmed and his student and contemporary, Muhammad b. Nuh, who were summoned to the khalifah's court to be reprimanded for their persistent defiance .

They were arrested and placed in shackles, which the Imam described as being heavier than his body-weight, and were marched to the capital. Upon seeking respite for salaah only minutes away from Ma'moon's palace, the Imam prayed in qunoot, "oh Allah, your clemency has made this sinner (Ma'moon) very arrogant and he has become so bold as to transgress all bounds. O Allah, if the Quran is Your Speech, uncreated, then free us of this man." As the Imam ended his salaah, shrieks and wailing could be heard from the palace as mourners grieved the instant death of Ma'moon. Who is there (but Allah) to answer the call of the oppressed when he cries out…(Naml:62)

While the next khalifah, Mu'tasim, was being inaugurated, the two shaykhs were taken to a nearby prison. On their way, Muhammad b. Nuh fell sick and passed away.

That day, Allah swt honored one of them with death on siraatal-mustaqeem, and chose the other to carry the standard of Islam
single-handedly.

Ali ibn al-Madini commented: "truly, Allah reinforced this Religion with AbuBakr al-Siddiq the day of the Great Apostasy, and He reinforced it with Ahmad ibn Hanbal the day of the Inquisition. " And how wise is Allah in His choosing!

Mu'tasim continued in the footsteps of his predecessor and was even more determined to end his opposition. Imam Ahmed was summoned and momentarily placed in a room before his appointment with the khalifah. As he entered the room, he glanced around and found it completely empty.

A few hours later, engulfed by absolute darkness, the Imam decided to pray tahajjad and began searching for water. As he felt his way around the room, he recollected the image of the empty room when he entered. As the thought crossed his mind, he felt his hand touch a pitcher of water. And whoever fears Allah, He prepares a way out for him and provides for him from sources he did not expect. (Talaq:2-3) The Imam made wudu and stood for qiyamul layl.

We might have come across some people who have seen the Prophet, peace be upon him (pbuh), in their dreams. But how often does that happen? Imam Ahmed would see the Prophet pbuh on most nights, and when he wouldn't see him, upon whom be peace, he would declare himself a hypocrite. The standards for such luminaries are invariably higher.

From simple Arabic grammar to the intricacies of Aqeedah, Imam Ahmed was a master of nearly every discipline of Islam. He is unquestionably a leading authority in the fields of Hadith, Quran –exegesis and recitation– and jurisprudence and its principles. It was perhaps due to this knowledge and influence that he underwent such an arduous trial. After all, the more difficult the struggle, the greater the reward.

Imam Ahmed was brought before the khalifah for an event that would forever etch his name in the tablets of history and raise him to the ranks of heroes.

Many Mu'tazilite scholars were brought to debate with him, each one leaving defeated and speechless. Mu'tasim was flabbergasted.

After a few days of interrogations, Mu'tasim felt embarrassed and decided to relieve his anger by punishing the Imam. He struck Imam Ahmed with his hand, dropping him to the ground, unconscious. When he regained his senses, a group of strong men were ordered to take turns whipping him, each whip eliciting a heartfelt reaction everytime: Alhamdulillah, SubhanAllah, Allahu Akbar.

Mu'tasim beat the Imam with the handle of his sword until he too became fatigued. But to no avail. He then called another man who was the most skilled at flogging and inquired how many whips it will take to finish him. "Five to ten. Fifteen to twenty, max." As he flogged, Imam Ahmed began bleeding, pieces of his flesh peeling off his body. If matters of life and death were in the hands of men, this day would surely have been the Imam's last!

As the sun set and the activities for the day came to a close, Mu'tasim ordered that a sweet drink of dates be brought for the Imam. When the delicious beverage was presented to Imam Ahmed, he refused to drink, saying: by Allah, I will not take a sip of this drink, fa innee saa'im –for I am fasting.

Say: Indeed, my prayer and my sacrifice, my life and my death, are for Allah, the Lord of the worlds. (An'am: 62)

written by Umer Akbar

Durbah Newsletter: Iqra, December 2007

Ramadan Farewell

2006-10-22T00:55:00.000-04:00

Ya know, how at the end of the movie, alongside the credits there are these random clips of the movie, (sometimes bloopers and sometimes just comical moments from the film)... Well after the sheikh in my local masjid had finished the Quran on the 27th night, he began reciting random surahs from the Quran. And listening to him recite like that gave me a similar feeling…like a really good movie had just ended.

Obviously a movie and Ramadan are not comparable but a small analogy is warranted.

As I was listening to the recitation, I could see those moments flashing before my eyes when the sheikh had recited those same surahs earlier this month. And listening to him jump from one surah to another so quickly made me realize that it was with the same quickness this month had ended.

After much preparation, such great anticipation and excitement, we had welcomed this month. And here we are at its conclusion, saying our farewell as if a loved-one was parting. When a loved-one gets ready to depart, after a hug, a kiss, and hand-shake, you squeeze their hand tighter as their fingers slip out of your hand, hoping to hold on just a little longer. And as they walk away, your eyes swell with tears and the throat chokes with a loss of words.

Ramadan is leaving, brothers and sisters. What will you do until it returns?

Woe to those that worshipped Ramadan, as Ramadan has ended. Glad tidings to the worshippers of Allah, for He has no end.

khutbah: got taqwa?

2006-10-10T16:27:00.000-04:00

A man had sinned greatly, and when death came to him he charged his sons, saying: "When I have died, burn me, then crush me and scatter (my ashes) into the sea, for, by Allah, if my Lord takes possession of me, He will punish me in a manner in which He has punished no one else." So they did as he wished.

Then He, the Exalted in Might, said to the earth: "Produce what you have taken" -and there he was! And He (swt) said to the man: "What caused you to do what you did?" He said: "Being afraid of You, O my Lord."

Allah (swt) forgave him because of that.

Perhaps we were expecting a different ending to the story (especially if you've never heard it before). This man had committed such a grave sin that after realizing his mistake, he feared the punishment of Allah swt so much that he wished never to meet with Allah swt and answer for his sin. But Allah is the Almighty, All-Powerful.

What is so important about fearing Allah swt? Why did the fear of Allah save this man from the hellfire?

Think about how many khutbahs you’ve heard, and how many of them started with encouraging the listeners to have taqwa and fear Allah. To this day, I have not heard a single khutbah which did not begin by exhorting people to have taqwa!

So what is so important about having taqwa?

We are in the month of fasting, and we know the oft-recited verses of the Quran which explain the purpose of fasting, as Allah swt says: "Oh you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed to those before you, in order that you may attain taqwa."

Fasting is one of five pillars of Islam, and the sole purpose of fasting, as Allah swt explains in this verse, is to attain taqwa. It is not to lose weight, or to feel as the hungry/needy feel, or to attain better health. These may be great secondary benefits of fasting, but the ONE reason Allah, 'azza wa jall, has ordained fasting is to attain taqwa.

The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam, said, " at-taqwa haahunaa, at-taqwa haahunaa " meaning 'Taqwa is here, taqwa is here,' and he pointed to his chest.

Notice, my brothers and sisters, that the Messesnger of Allah (pbuh) did not point to the stomach, which cried for food all day long. He didn't point to the tongue which was deprived the wetness of any kind of liquid. He didn't point to the legs, which stood all night in prayer before the Creator of the worlds. He didn't point to the hands, which were raised in front of his Lord, begging for His mercy. He didn't point to the eyes, which read the Quran or the lips that recited it so beautifully. But he pointed to the heart. THIS is where taqwa is.

But what exactly is taqwa?

Taqwa, as one shaykh explains, is when one is by himself, and his passions begin to overwhelm him, and Shaitan takes him aside and whispers to him, but then the slave remembers the One who knows all secrets, the One who hears the crawling of the black ant on a massive rock in the darkest night, the One who knows the glances of the eyes and what the hearts conceal. The slave remembers the blazing fire, which does not burn except the wretched one, the one who denies and turns away. He prefers the pleasure of His Lord over pleasing himself. The soul returns to its Lord, and remembers the command of its Creator. It wakes up from its heedlessness and takes refuge in its Lord, seeking protection from Shaitan and his whisperings. Within the soul of the Muslim the words of Allah are resounding:

"Those who have taqwa, when a passing notion from the Devil troubles them, they remember, and they immediately see clearly between right and wrong." (6:201-2

When you are alone with a freind and he invites you to go to a party or a club, but you refrain, that is taqwa; when someone offers you some alcohol but you refuse to drink, that is taqwa; when you’re driving in a car alone, and you want to listen to music but you don’t because it's haraam, that is taqwa; when you are alone with someone of the opposite gender, they extend their hand but you reject their offer because you remember the fire of Hell, that is taqwa; when you are in the privacy of your own home, and you want to commit a sin, but you don’t, fearing the punishment of Allah, that is taqwa.

Umar (R) asked Kaab (R), the meaning of Taqwa as he was renowned for his deep understanding of the Quran.

Kaab asked Umar whether he had walked through a thorny bush path with his cloak on. Umar replied that he had done so on numerous occasions. Kaab asked Umar to describe his movements through this thorny path. Umar replied that he moved very cautiously, so as not to tear his clothing. Kaab said that was the description and the meaning of Taqwa," --that we be cautious around the boundaries of Allah, being careful so as not to transgress them.

The definitions of taqwa are many, but none of them independently explains the meaning of taqwa. Some say taqwa is fear of Allah, others call it God-consciousness and love of Allah, and still others define it as obedience, piety, and righteousness.

So again I ask, why is taqwa so important?

It's part of human nature to compete. Some compete for fancy, expensive cars and huge mansions, and some for high status, but in the eyes of Allah swt, the winner is not the one with the material wealth. The one who is closer to Allah, more dearer to Allah is the one who has more taqwa, as He says in the Quran: "The most honourable of you with Allah is the one who is the most fearful." (49:13)

So if someone wants to know the scale by which Allah measures His closeness to His slaves, then know that this measure is taqwa. It isn’t wealth, or how much of it you spent in charity, it isn’t salaah and how many nights you stayed up praying, but it’s a combination of all those things and more.

But taqwa isn’t something optional. It's not an extra topping in the recipe for success in the hereafter. Allah swt says: "there isn’t one of you except that you will pass over it (hellfire)…and then We will save those who feared Allah and were dutiful to Him."

May Allah make us among those who are saved. Ameen.

Part II

Half of the semester is almost over. At this time, students begin to evaluate how they’ve been doing thus far and will make a decision based on their assessment. Should they drop a class, or should they just study harder? Do they need to change their studying techniques, or should they continue what they’ve been doing for the first half of the semester?

Similarly, Ramadan is half over. But are we going to evaluate our accomplishments this Ramadan? Are we going to sit and think about what we’ve done in the first half? How are we going to improve ourselves for the next half?

Some of you may have already thought about this, but many people overlook it. Why should our success in school be more important than our success in the hereafter?

We should think about how we spent our fasts over the past couple of weeks. Were we rude to the students in our classes and to the people on the road while driving home from school? Did we say any bad words to our friends or neighbors? Did we lie or cheat in any of our affairs? Did we draw nearer to Allah (swt), or were we too busy talking on the phone or chatting online with our friends? Was the Quran our companion, or was it the TV?

In conclusion:
Unfortunately Ramadan comes only once a year, therefore, we should host it in the best possible way. However, contrary to what many of us think, Ramadan is not a month of tables full of dishes and useless parties and gatherings but rather it is the month of recital of the Qur'an, the remembrance of Allah, the prayer at night, the Suhour, the du`a at the Iftar, and the charity ...amongst other things. It is only by doing these actions will one attain taqwa of Allah in this world, and Jannatul Firdows in the next.

I end in the words of Umar b. Abd al-Aziz, may Allah have mercy on him, when he wrote to a man saying, "I advise you to be fearful (have taqwa) of Allah the Exalted, as nothing will be accepted except that, and no one will be showered with mercy except the people who have it, and no one will be rewarded except because of it; those who remind us of it are many, but those who practice it are few. May Allah make us and you of the people of taqwa." Ameen.

As you walk away from here, ask yourself one question: got taqwa...yet?

Allahumma ja’alnaa minal muttaqeen.
Allahumma ja’alnaa minal muttaqeen.
Allahumma ja’alnaa minal muttaqeen.

written by: Umer Akbar, October 2005

Reaction not surprising

2006-09-20T20:26:00.000-04:00

Learning from the Pope

2006-09-17T22:05:00.000-04:00

The pope was probably thinking the same thing that the King thought when he decided to follow the instructions of the little Boy; namely to shoot the arrow in the name of the Lord of the Boy and he shall perish.

I’ve heard the story of the 'Boy and the King' far too many times to find myself praying that the boy be saved at the end. But that same ending sends a shiver down my spine…everytime. I can't seem to help it.

Once, as I was pondering over the cartoon debacle which was too recent for anyone of us to have forgotten, I thought that 'ultimately, victory is for the party of Allah.'

“…they plan and Allah plans, and Allah is the Best of Planners.” (Quran)

If you consider some of the recent global occurrences, such as the accusations that Sept 11th was perpetrated by Muslims, or the American soldiers disrespecting the Quran in Iraq, or the caricaturing of the Prophet, upon whom be many praise and blessings, or this very last attack by the pope, we find that as a result of these events an increasing amount of people turn to Islam, sometimes in the thousands.

After the Boy was executed, the crowds that had witnessed the execution turned to the Oneness of Allah at once. Consequently, the King made a ditch of fire and threatened those believers that stood firm in faith.

In comparison, we find that the people who speak out and defend the insults and accusations against their religion are subject to another hardship/attack just like the People of the Ditch after they had accepted Islam. When a muslim practices his right to speak out, he’s labeled as an extremist or wahhabi, and in rare instances, arrested.

Analyzing these striking similarities between our times and this parable underscores one thing: Truly, the Party of Allah will be successful.

"Not-too-Islamic Muslims"

2006-09-15T18:55:00.000-04:00

“Not-Too-Islamic” Muslims

By Yasmin Mogahed Freelance Journalist – Wisconsin

March 07, 2005

Answering his first question in a 2004 presidential debate, Senator John Kerry explained that America needed to isolate the “radical Islamic Muslims.”

“I have a better plan to be able to fight the war on terror by … beginning to isolate the radical Islamic Muslims, not have them isolate the United States of America.”

At first, the statement sounded redundant—even uneducated. A Muslim is, by definition, a follower of Islam, and is therefore, by definition, “Islamic.” Saying “Islamic Muslims” was a lot like saying “American Americans.”

So was Kerry just being repetitive? Or was his statement perhaps more telling than even he realized? Are all Muslims “Islamic”? Well, the truth is, no. Not the good ones, at least.

More and more, the underlying assumption seems to be that Islam is the problem. If Islam, as a faith, is in essence radical, the less “Islamic” something is the better. And thus a “moderate Muslim”—the much coveted title—is only moderately Muslim, and therefore only moderately bad. Saying this would be like telling someone to only be “moderately black” so as not to be too violent.

Conversely, a Muslim who is too “Islamic” is then by definition “radical”—a “radical Islamic Muslim”—and must be dealt with (isolated).

In fact, Mona Mayfield understood these rules well when she defended her husband—wrongfully accused of participating in the Spain bombing.

“We have a Bible in the house. He’s not a fundamentalist—he thought it was something different and very unique,” Mayfield told the Associated Press of her husband’s conversion to Islam.

To prove his innocence, Mayfield tried to downplay her husband’s commitment to Islam. She even felt the need to justify his conversion—as if that were his crime.

Mosque administrator Shahriar Ahmed took a similar approach to defend Mayfield. “He was seen as a moderate,” Ahmed told reporters. “Mayfield showed up for the Friday ritual of shedding his shoes, washing his bare feet and sitting on the carpets to hear services. He did not, as some devout Muslims do, pray five times a day at the mosque.”

The implication here is that Brandon Mayfield’s guilt or innocence was in some way related to how many times he prayed at the mosque. Ahmed even went on to assert,“He was on the less religious side if anything.”

These “less religious” icons of what an “acceptable” Muslim should look like can be found all over the media. Irshad Manji, media entrepreneur and author of The Trouble with Islam, is one of the most celebrated of these icons. Manji is widely published and has appeared in all the top media outlets. She even received Oprah’s Chutzpah Award for “gutsiness.”

Although Manji refers to herself as a “Muslim refusenik,” the media refers to her as the model of a “practicing Muslim.” Daniel Pipes, a board member of the United States Institute of Peace, calls her a “courageous, moderate, modern Muslim.” But interestingly, Manji’s ideas have less to do with Islam than Pipes’ ideas have to do with peace. A Washington Post article describes

Manji’s epiphany about prayer—the cornerstone of the Islamic faith:

Instead, she said, she began praying on her own. After washing her feet, arms and face, she would sit on a velvet rug and turn toward Mecca. Eventually, she stopped this as well, because she did not want to fall “into mindless submission and habitual submissiveness.”

Manji is welcome to her opinion about this practice of 1.5 billion people worldwide. She is also welcome to abandon any and all of these practices. But Manji is not simply depicted as an insignificant woman who decided not to pray. Her personal decision to abandon central tenants of her faith—so long as that faith is Islam—is portrayed as a fight for freedom. A fight against tyranny. She is “courageous” and “gutsy,” a model for other not-too-Islamic Muslims to follow.

Making this the model is like asking someone not to be “too black” or “too Jewish,” as if these were in essence bad or violent, and anyone who struggled only to be “moderately black” or “moderately Jewish” was a freedom fighter.

For example, Manji told the Washington Post, “The violence is going to happen, then why not risk it happening for the sake of freedom?”

Yes. Freedom is good. Manji may have said it better. Kerry may have said it subtler. But a business management professor at California’s Imperial Valley College said it truer: “The only way to end Islamic terrorism is to eliminate the Islamic religion.”

But regardless of how you say it, one thing is for sure: when it comes to Islam these days, less is definitely more.

Yasmin Mogahed is an Egyptian-American journalist based in Wisconsin, USA.

Pre-FOL Preperations

2006-01-31T02:28:00.000-05:00

"...The attitude of the unknown and unnamed Ansari girl who readily agreed to be the wife of a physically unattractive man was an attitude which reflected a profound understanding of Islam. It reflected on her part the effacement of personal desires and preferences even when she could have counted on the support of her parents. It reflected on her part a total disregard for social pressures. It reflected above all a ready and implicit confidence in the wisdom and authority of the Prophet in submitting herself to whatever he deemed good. This is the attitude of the true believer."

Read about the story of Julaybib, radiAllahu anh.

Freedom or "Freedom"

2006-01-23T00:14:00.000-05:00

Apparently after years of 'oppression,' an increasing amount of women are coming out to enjoy their America-given-'freedom'. To do what, you ask?

Drive. (Which would also include learning to drive...I hope, anyway.)

Let me just make something very clear from the get-go. I really don't care that women drive, and I personally dont think that it is forbidden in the Islamic religion. HOWEVER, have you seen some women slowing down the parkway because it takes them like forever to change lanes, or slow down toooo much when they want to take an exit (and the exit is still like a mile-and-a-half away). Just today on my way to the masjid, I saw an auntie backing up on a really busy street...like right in the middle of the road. I wont mention the deluge of comments she got from people, but suffice it to say that they described her driving perfectly.

So the point I'm making is that many women are horrible drivers (as are many men...but women more so). But is that reason enough to forbid them from driving? Yes. Religiously? No.

One issue that irritates feminists all across the world is their 'freedom to drive'.

The recent article on BBC about Afghani women wanting to drive got me thinking. What exactly is freedom of driving? I think the 'freedom' which they've adopted from the intense Western influences creeping into...um, rather bombarding their minds, isn't really freedom.

This is how I see it.

These women want the right to go grocery shopping, to go to the bank, the right to pick up the kids from school and drop them to Sunday school, and to go buy their school supplies, and drive them to the doctor's, and fill-up the prescription, and so on.

That's all "freedom."

This is freedom: having the right to tell your father, brother, son, or husband to take you to do whatever you want!

So what are you holding on to?

2006-01-07T23:51:00.000-05:00

This has got to be the most touching (true) story I've ever read.

Bismillahir-rahmanir-raheem

ENGLISH: the Letter & Amr Khaled's comments

“I am a Lebanese girl, a daughter to a Muslim father and a Christian mother. I lived in Lebanon the first 10 years of my life before migrating to Australia with my parents to be the end to all my relation with the Middle East. I am 22 years old now. With my moving to Australia my relation with religion ended completely. All I know is that I am a Muslim, and that’s it. I do not know how the Holy Book (the Quran) looks like, I don’t know what Surat Al-Fatiha is, and I don’t even know how to pray.

Religion doesn’t even encompass any importance in my life. My father left my mother, before I entered university, and each married others. Both my parents then left Australia, leaving me alone, without a family or siblings, and without any information on my grandparents back Lebanon. I lived by myself, so I had to work to provide for my living. I went to university in the mornings, and worked at the bar at night time. I had a boyfriend, in the Western meaning of the word, and didn’t leave anything from the forbiddens/sins (il-Haraam), I did not do, without feeling embarrassed or ashamed, for I was totally Western. I only knew very little Arabic.

Because I am very pretty, I entered a beauty contest in New Zealand, and won the title of the town the contest was held in. I am now getting ready to compete in the major beauty contest in New Zealand. I became the cover girl (model) of improper (unrespectable) magazines. During this time, I was visiting a Lebanese family in Australia. I watched an episode talking about chastity/virtue, and the site address was on the screen. (http://www.amrkhaled.com). I had a severe breakdown when I was watching, as if that episode was directed at me (talking to me). So here I am writing to you to ask you whether it is possible for The Divine to accept. Can my God accept me and can I return to God?”

Amr Khaled’s comments: “I received this letter and said to myself Subhana Allah the human soul no matter how low it goes, it longs to God. It’s like how the stomach longs for food, the soul longs for God.” So I wrote her back telling her that of course God will accept your repentance and I directed her to some tapes on the repentance.

She called me after two days saying “I repented to God, and left my boyfriend, and won’t see him after today)”
Two days later she called and said: “I want to learn how to pray”
Two days later she called and said: “I want Quran tapes” So we sent her through DHL AL-‘Ajamy, Mishari Rashid, Al-Madina readings, and all my tapes.
She became silent for a week (i.e. they didn’t hear from her for a week), then she called saying that she gave up her Beauty title.
Then the surprise came four days later when she called to say that she wore the scarf/ veil.

The story does not end here. Several days after her news of wearing the scarf, she said that she had been feeling severe pains in her head, so went to the doctors to get it checked. The doctor told her that she had cancer in her brains and her days are few.

This girl will enter the operation room in Australia next Friday to undergo an emergency operation to her head with only 20% chance of succeeding, according to the doctors over there.

That was what the doctors said, but for her, she sent saying what the scientists fail to say, namely: “I am very happy to be meeting God. I am happy that I repented before knowing that I was sick. I don’t know if my father and mother will know of what happened to me, as they don’t call me but rarely. But I repented only three weeks ago, and have sinned/ disobeyed God for twenty years prior. I pray to God to accept me from the people of Heaven, and if I lived, to serve Islam through this site, for this site was my window to Islam.”

Comments: Pray to God with me to cure her, and the rest will be next Friday, Insha Allah. ……
Sarah, 22, passed away, and the prayed on her the Friday prayers and buried her today in the Muslim cemetery in New Zealand.

Immediately before entering the operation room, Sarah sent me a short note saying: “I lived far away from God for 22 years, but I repented 3 weeks ago. But I witness you, that I repented to God, left my boyfriend, working in the bar, and the beauty contest. I wore the scarf, and was consistent with my prayers. I witness you, that I did all this for my God, and I don’t know of any Muslims, but you and this forum, so please pray to God to be Merciful on me and Forgive me. And pray to God to Guide my mother, for she doesn’t know anything about me.” – Sarah

Please dedicate as much effort as you can in good deeds from Hajj, and Umrah and Sadaqah (charity/giving alms) and praying, and dedicate it to Sarah. Have you seen with me God’s mercy on his creations, and that it’s written for her to die at that time, but that God has written for Himself to be The Merciful, and let her seek forgiveness, and leave all sins just three weeks before passing away.

{Verily, therein is indeed a reminder for him/her who has a heart or gives ear while s/he is heedful} -- verse 37; Surat Qaf.

All I can think after reading this is: how much wealth, power, influence, fame, and freedom do WE have? Probably not much...but STILL we hold on to whatever we have SO dearly that some of us don't register the concept of giving it up for the pleasure of our Creator and Sustainer.

This sister had everything that can be desired and she had the ability and freedom to experience any desire left unfulfilled. But she gave up that freedom, that wealth, power and fame to attain the pleasure of Allah swt.

So I ask plain and simple: What are you holding on to?

2005-11-25T20:01:00.000-05:00

"I can't, it's impossible"
article by Shaikh Naser Al-Omar

...Our long history is full of such pioneering leaders and revivers, who recorded for us the most admirable examples; the Muslim’s ability to overcome the greatest of physical and mental obstacles, neither surrendering to psychological defeat, nor allowing the compound difficulties to numb their senses.

Many would say, “They were great men, and how few such men are!!”

I say that we did not know they were great until after they recorded those shinning pages of history with their admirable victories in different fields. Before that they were just ordinary men. However, for many reasons, they were able to climb the ladder of success that made them heroes and leaders. Foremost of these reasons is the destruction of the illusion “I can’t, it’s impossible.”
Read complete article

What better time...?!

2005-11-02T13:50:00.000-05:00

A couple of hours after I prayed taraweeh in preparation for the 27th fast, I learned that my grandfather had passed away. Truly we come from Allah and to Him we shall return.

After swallowing the news initially, I felt sadness, a general sadness...one that I feel when I hear of anyone’s death. Then I sat down to really digest the news. I saw his face in front of my eyes, even as my vision blurred by the soon-to-be tears, and then realized that I will never see that face again…at least not in this lifetime.

But then it hit me. Why was I sad? I really wasn’t…well… maybe a little. For the first time ever (and quite surprisingly), I felt some sort of joy after hearing news of someone’s passing. I began to wonder if there was any better time I would like my janaazah to be prayed than one of the most virtuous nights in one of the holiest months in my life. Honestly, I couldn’t come up with anything better than the 27th night of Ramadan…the day of my grandfather’s death (26th of Ramadan) and time of janaazah (27th night).

No doubt I will miss him. But it is somewhat comforting to know that he is most likely in a better place…in fact, very likely, considering that the gates of Hellfire are closed and gates of Paradise are wide-open, and the Infinitely Merciful One liberates many from Hellfire every night in this month.

Every soul shall taste death. If mine doesn’t taste martyrdom, then I pray it’s a death like his.

2005-10-01T14:23:00.000-04:00

this is an excerpt from the khutbah:
"30 day Shaytan-free Trial"

...People are often making excuses for their unwillingness to change. Sometimes they blame the shaytan, sometimes their nafs (desires), and other times exclaim that “it’s just too hard.” Let us tackle these excuses one at a time, inshaAllah.

First there are people who blame their inner lusts and desires that enslave them, and eventually drive them to do things that they know they shouldn’t do. A practical step in dealing with this problem is to ‘avoid’ the sin instead of ‘fighting’ it. For example, if a person has a drinking problem, instead of going to a party where there is 1) alcohol and 2) people who like to drink, this person should take a detour and avoid the party all-together.

Secondly, there are those people who cry that “it’s just too hard,” when, in reality, they have made absolutely no effort to change. It’s said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. How many steps have you taken to earn paradise?

Finally, you have the people who always blame the shaytan for everything. For those people, alhamdulillah, we have the “30 day Shaytan-free Trial.” It’s now up to them to make the most of this offer.

People often blame everything but their own willingness to change; may Allah protect us and have mercy on us.

If one is willing to change, there is no better time, as Ramadan is a month of change; gates of Paradise are wide-open, gates of Hell are locked, shayateen are chained-up, halaal becomes haraam (eating during the day), sunnah is (rewarded as) fardh, fardh is multiplied manifold, the seriousness of sinning is greater, peoples’ greed, envy, and gossip becomes generosity, love and remembrance of the Exalted and Majestic.

Allah has changed so much for us so that we can turn to Him, but how much of an effort will we make?

As I was growing up in the NY tri-state area, I utilized the NYC Subway quite often. There are many busy people in the ‘city that never sleeps.’ To accommodate their schedule, the trains make only brief stops, especially during rush hours. One thing I’ve come to learn over time is that if the train has arrived at the station and you are not standing their with your belongings, ready to jump on, it will pass you by!

Brothers and sisters, how many speeches have you heard about Ramadan in khutbahs, halaqas, and lectures? Some of us have heard so many that it is difficult to enumerate them. This fact illustrates the importance of this virtuous month. Today, we are four days away from Ramadan, and I can assure you that every minbar (pulpit) in every corner of the world is proclaiming the greatness of this month!

In fact, had we understood the status of this month, we would have wished that Ramadan was all year long.

Brothers and sisters, think of Ramadan as a train that will take you from this pathetic, lowly station to the next. And the following year, the same train will take you from that station to the next. But if you miss the train this year, you will always be one station behind. So it is imperative that we take some time to gather our belongings and prepare for the train that’s arriving at our station very soon, lest it passes us by.

Following are some tips on preparing for this month, so that inshaAllah we can make the most of it.

Remember, firstly, that just as an investor waits for the news that a stock will multiply before he invests, we wait for the perfect opportunity to invest our time and energy. During Ramadan, there is a projected profit of 70,000%. In other words, you investment will multiply 700 times. And did I mention this was a guaranteed profit?! No risk involved!

1) Read Quran – start reading Quran as often as possible, because it’ll help you 1) pickup speed and 2) make time for it in your schedule.

2) Make a list of Duas – Duas of three people are not rejected; one of them is the fasting person when he breaks his fast. Iftar time is usually very hectic, and even IF we have the time to make dua, we often times cant remember what to pray for. We should pray for our physical, emotional, spiritual well-being, and for the well-being of our families and friends (muslim AND non-muslim), and the Ummah of Muhammad (saw), and for our needs (from a spouse to a shoe-lace, not to mention everything in between). From experience, I’ve learned that the best way to remember all these things is to write them down, and sit with your family five minutes before Iftar and make dua, whether collectively or individually.

3) Start changing habits – like I said earlier, the seriousness of sins increases during Ramadan; last thing you want is to be sinning unconsciously. It’s good to start changing habits now; whether its long hours on the internet, watching TV, or smoking. In fact, unplugging the TV, wrapping it in a cloth, and placing it in storage is really helpful.

4) Do all chores NOW – Ramadan seconds are valuable and wasting them in grocery stores, barber shops, and laundromats is just foolish.

Oh worshippers of Ramadan, know that Ramadan will end. Glad tidings to the worshippers of Allah, as He has no end, the Majestic, the Exalted.

Enjoy the ride and see you at the next station.

written by: Umer Akbar, September 2005/Sha'ban 1426

2005-09-20T14:52:00.000-04:00

The Fitnah of Fantasy

Anas (companion of the Prophet pbuh) said to one of his followers, “You imagine certain sins to be more insignificant than a straw. But at the time of the Prophet we used to count them among those that can destroy a man.”

Ibn Mas`ud said, “A believer treats a sin as if it is a mountain over his head that may fall on him any moment; whereas a dissolute (fajir) looks at them as a fly that perked on his nose and he waived it away with his hand.”
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Seeing as how I’m writing this post, or article (if you wanna call it that), reading on may be of no interest to you, for my words of wisdom (as I insist on calling them) may have no significance in your lives. But as I hear, in the back of my mind, the echoing voice of that lady in Spiderman (the cartoon) who occasionally told him as she faded away turning into smoke, “along with power comes great responsibility,” I feel compelled to address this issue that has affected so many of us today.

[Though I don’t have much power, I still feel obliged to share the responsibility. (So how is this related to Spiderman, you ask? Well, it’s not…I just like the cartoon :P)]

The virus of Fantasy Football has crept into many homes and has infected everyone except for maybe ammi and abbu…ummm, well…maybe some abbu’s have also been victimized. Some of you reading this may not know what I’m talking about (a very small minority, I’m sure), but you can get details by going to fantasyfootbal.com or something, because I don’t have much time to explain here.

Know that I’m not writing this as a way of condemning another product of the Western Society, but only as a reminder: stop sleeping in a complacent world of fancy cars and expensive clothing, and wake up to the reality of earthquakes, hurricanes, catastrophes, poverty, disease (of body and soul), hunger, homelessness, refugees (muslim and non-muslim) and an ongoing list of pathologies troubling a global community.

Imam Shafi’i said, “Out of my company with Sufis, I benefited only two things, one of which is their saying: like a sword, time will cut you if you do not cut it…” I need not explain the simple message of this quote, as it is self-explanatory. Many will read this and take it as a joke and ignore the message, belittling the gravity of wasting time and its consequences. At the same time, some will argue that it is only a ‘waste’ or haraam if one indulges in it excessively. To those people, I ask the question: how much is too much?

As an aside…
What I really can’t wait to see is to go to an iftar and hear the aunties talking about the trades they’ve proposed and accepted...or some uncles making dua for their team as they break their fast with a date, and then blowing in their hands and then all over their bodies…hoping that that will have a greater effect…somehow. Well, it should, because a dua at that time is one that Allah swt does not reject.

But it makes me wonder… how many prayers will be missed, how many iftars will be delayed, how many ayahs will not be read, how many khutbahs will not be listened to, how many prayers will lack khushoo (concentration), how many homework assignments will not be completed, how many parents will be disobeyed, how many sins will be accumulated, how much time will be wasted?

All I ask is, how much is too much?

Take yourself to account before you are taken to account.

2005-08-23T11:53:00.001-04:00

khutbah: "One Life, One Death, One Brotherhood"

And He has united their hearts. If you had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have united their hearts. But Allah has united them: Certainly, He is All-Mighty, All-Wise. (8:63)

Hudayfa relates: "The Battle of Yarmuk had just ended. I was walking over the battlefield among the martyred and injured with a pitcher of water. I was looking for the son of my uncle. I found him lying in blood on the burning sand. He was about to die. I asked him whether he wanted water. Unable to speak, he gestured that he did. I was just about to offer it to him when a groaning was heard: ‘Water! Water! Please, a drop of water!’

My uncle’s son, whose name was Harith, heard that and gestured that I should take the water to him. I hastened to the groaning one, who was Ikrima. Ikrima had not yet taken the pitcher when a similar groaning was heard. Refusing to take the water, Ikrima wanted me to take it to the one groaning. When I got to that one, who was ‘Iyash, he was supplicating: "O God! We have never refrained from sacrificing our lives for the sake of faith. Honor us with the rank of martyrdom, and forgive our sins!"

‘Iyash saw the water but did not live long enough to drink it. I immediately returned to take the water to Ikrima. However, I found Ikrima also martyred. Then I hastened to Harith, my uncle’s son. Unfortunately, he too was lying dead on the burning sand.”

The Messenger of Allah, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “You will not enter paradise until you are a believer, and you are not a believer until you love for your brother what you love for yourself.” Brothers and sisters, These men and women were true believers. They earned paradise sacrificing their lives, preferring their dying brothers over themselves.

When the Muslims migrated to Madina, leaving behind the persecution they faced in Makkah, they were met with open arms by the Madinan Ansaar. Some of the Ansaar split with the Makkans their money, shelter and food, evenly. While others even offered to divorce their wives so that their brothers in Islam could marry them.

Brothers and sisters, we have strayed far from the ways of the pious predecessors.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) once said that a man set out to visit one of his brothers for the sake of Allah and Allah (swt) appointed an angel to watch over him. The angel asked the man, 'Where are you going?' The man replied: 'I wish to visit my brother.' 'Do you need anything from him?' asked the angel. 'No,' the man answered. 'Then why are you going to visit him?" inquired the angel. The man replied, 'I love him for Allah's Sake.' Then the angel said to the man, 'Then know that Allah has sent me to tell you that Allah loves you because of your love for your brother and that He has decreed Paradise for you.’ (Muslim)

Abu Hurayrah quotes the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) to have said: Verily, Allah would say on the Day of Resurrection: Where are those who have mutual love for My Glory's sake? Today I shall shelter them in My shadow when there is no other shadow but the shadow of Mine. [Muslim]

I pray that we too are sitting under the shade of Allah as we are now, when there is no other shade but His shade.

Part II

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) discussed with Abu Hurayrah the importance of good character.

The Prophet (pbuh) said, "O Abu Hurayrah, maintain good character." Abu Hurairah then asked the Prophet (pbuh): "And what is good character, O Messenger of Allah?" The Prophet (pbuh) replied: "Connect with the people that shun you, forgive those that wrong you and give to those that deprive you."

This, my brothers and sisters, is the true meaning of good character, true brotherhood, but this is the exact opposite of the way we think and act.

Every Muslim has rights over his brother. These rights are of many types. We’ll discuss a couple today inshaAllah.

Right to wealth:
One of many instances of how this responsibility of brotherhood was fulfilled in the 20th Century occurred when a righteous Muslim was jailed because of his Islamic activities. His brother in the sake of Allah divided his salary between his own family and the family of his imprisoned brother. When his wife asked him, "How can we get by on half a salary?" he answered, "How can my brother's children get by on no salary at all?"

One author in his book describes the degrees of generosity and brotherhood. The LOWEST, he says, is that you give your brother something when he asks you. And the highest is that you give him something that you NEED and you give it to him BEFORE he asks you for it.

Right on your self:
This right consists of inquiring about your brother and his well-being, smiling and greeting him when you see him, and praying for him in his absence. It also entails dealing gently and honestly with him; giving him the benefit of the doubt; loving him as you love yourself and your family; trusting him in all your matters; shunning ill thoughts of him; keeping your promises to him and guarding his secrets; and visiting him if he should become ill.

To fulfill your brother's rights over yourself, you should never remind him of your generosity should you happen to help him or give him something. Give him sincere advice, inquire about his children, protect his honor and his wealth, and do not covet him.

The Prophet of Allah (pbuh) once said: "Whoever relieves a believer from a distress of this life, Allah will relieve him from a distress on the Day of Judgment. Whosoever brings ease to a believer who is in difficulty, Allah will bring ease to him in both this life and the next. Whosoever conceals the shortcomings of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his shortcomings in this world and the next. Allah will always help a servant as long as that servant helps his brother."

We should strive to emulate the man about whom the honored Prophet (pbuh) said, "A man of Paradise shall enter among you shortly." The fine merit of this man described by the Prophet (pbuh) was that every night before he slept, he cleansed his heart of any hatred or envy towards his fellow Muslims.

Abdullah ibn Umar narrates that Allah's Apostle (pbuh) said: It is not permissible for a Muslim to have estranged relations with his brother beyond three days. [Muslim]

Many times we find it difficult to forgive and over-look the faults of our brothers and sisters. We should take solace in the words of Allah ‘azza wa jall when He says in Surah an-Nur:

" ...Let them pardon and forgive. Do you not love that Allah should forgive
you? And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." [24:22]

In conclusion:
On one occasion Idrees al-Khawadani said to Mu`aadh ibn Jabal: "I love you for the sake of Allah." Mu`aadh responded: "Behold! Then, behold again the good news! For I have heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saying: 'On the Day of Judgment, seats will be placed around the Throne [of Allah] for a group of people whose faces resemble the full moon. These people shall not experience any fear or terror although all others will. They are the friends of Allah upon whom there shall be no fear and who shall not be sad. It was asked, 'Who are those people, O Messenger of Allah?' The Messenger (pbuh) replied, 'They are the ones who love one another for the sake of Allah, The Exalted.''"

written by: Umer Akbar, October 2004

the path & the struggle

2005-07-06T21:01:00.000-04:00

I was preparing a khutbah when i came across this excerpt from Tahfheemul Quran by Maulana Maududi. This passage really highlights the path we're to follow and the inevitable obstacles that lie ahead.

'...but all that you may do to understand the Quran is not enough. If you want to identify with the spirit of the Quran, you must practically involve [yourself] with the struggle to fulfill its mission. For the Quran is not a book of abstract theories and cold ideas, which one can grasp while seated in a cosy arm chair. Nor is it merely a religious book like other religious books, whose meanings can be grasped in seminaries and oratories.

'On the contrary, it is a Book which contains a message, and invitation, which generates a movement. The moment it began to sent down, it impelled a quiet and pious man to abandon his life of solitude and confront the world that was living in rebellion against God. It inspired him to raise his voice against falsehood, and pitted him in a grim struggle against the lords of disbelief, evil and inquity. One after the other, from every home, it drew every pure and noble soul, and gathered them under the banner of truth. In every part of the country, it made all the mischevious and the corrupt to rise and wage war against the bearers of the truth.

'This is a Book which launched a glorious movement, with the voice of a single individual, and continued to provide guidance to it for twenty-three years, till the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth. At every stage during this long and heart-rending struggle between truth and falsehood, this Book showed its followers the ways to eradicate the old order and usher in the new.

'Is it, then, possible, to reach the heart of the Quran merely by reading its words, without ever stepping upon the battlefield of faith and disbelief, of Islam and Ignorance, without passing through any stage of the struggle? No, you can understand the Quran only when you take it up, begin to act upon it, and call mankind to God, and when every step you take is in obedience to its guidance.

'Then and only then, you will go through all the events and experiences which occurred during the course of its revelation. You will then pass through Makka, and Habash, and Taif; you will face Badr, Uhud, Hunayn and Tabuk. You will encounter Abu Jahl and Abu Lahab; you will meet the hypocrites and Jews; you will come face to face with those who instantly responded to this call as well as those who were drawn into Islam seeking some gain. You will come across all of these human models; you will deal with all of them.

This is a path different from the so-called 'mystic-path', which I name the 'Quranic path' that, as you pass through its various stations and stages, certain Surahs and Ayahs will disclose their full message to you, and tell you that they were revealed precisely for this stage and station that you are passing through. You may miss some linguistic and grammatical subtleties, you may miss certain finer points in the rhetoric and semantics of the Quran, yet it is impossible that the Quran will fail to reveal its full and true spirit to you.

'In the same way, no person can ever understand the legal injunctions, the moral teachings, and the political and economic directives of the Quran, unless and until he puts them into practice. Neither the individual who lives independently of the Quran nor the nation which runs its institutions in violation of its guidance can discover the spirit of the Quran.'

Reference: Tahfhimul Quran, Vol.I

a little motivation...

2005-04-28T23:11:00.000-04:00

this is the introduction to the book 'Milestones' by Syed Qutb. subhanAllah, i find this paragraph to be very moving. whenever i think that working for islam is tough and am faced with tests and tribulations, the last few lines of this paragraph revitalize my energy....EVERYTIME!

"Islam stands for change. It seeks to change the individual and the society. This change covers every aspect of human life, from personal morality to business, economics, and politics. It is only natural that Islam should be fought by those who oppose change. This is the way it has been throughout history. It happened to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad, peace be upon them all. It will happen to anyone who wants to stand up and proclaim the true message of Islam to the world today. Syed Qutb, the author of this book, tried to bring together some of the fine points of Islam and Islamic work in the present volume. It seems that true Islamic principles are too much for the corrupt regimes of the self-proclaimed leaders of so-called Islamic countries in the present and the past. Syed Qutb was persecuted, and eventually hanged. The ultimate price of working to please God Almighty and to propagate his ways in this world is often one’s own life. The author tried to do it; he paid for it with his life. If you and I try to do it, there is every likelihood we will be called upon to do the same. But for those who truly believe in God, what other choice is there?"

khutbah: U-Turn Ahead

2005-04-28T12:27:00.000-04:00

U-Turn Ahead

Among those who lived in the past was a man who had killed 99 persons. Desiring to repent, he enquired for a wise man and was directed to a monk. He went to him and asked whether having killed 99 persons there was any possibility of repentance for him. The monk said, 'No!' So he killed the monk and completed his hundred.

Then he enquired again and was directed to a scholar. To him he put the like question whether having killed 100 persons there was any possibility of repentance for him. The scholar replied, “Yes! No one can stand between you and repentance. Go to such a land where there is a company that worships Allah Most High. Worship Allah Most High along with them and do not return to your own country; for surely it is a wicked land.” So the man packed his bags and set off. But half-way through his journey, death overtook him.

Then arose a dispute regarding him between the angel of mercy and the angel of punishment. The angel of mercy maintained that he was coming to Allah repentant. The angel of punishment argued that he had never done good in his life. Then came to them an angel in human form and they made him arbiter. He suggested that they should measure the distance between the two countries and to whichever he was nearest they should reckon him as belonging. So they measured and found that he was nearer the country to which he was journeying than to that which he had left, only by a span of a hand. He was taken by the angel of mercy.

Another narration of this story states that the man was not initially in the territory of the new city, but with His mercy and grace, Allah swt ordered the earth to move from beneath the man, placing him in the territory of the new city.

This, brothers and sisters, is from the mercy of Allah ‘azza wa jall. Many of us have not murdered even a single person, yet we despair in the mercy of Allah. Allah swt loves to forgive. In fact, the Prophet pbuh said that if you people did not sin, then Allah would wipe you out and replace you with people who would sin, and then ask for forgiveness, and Allah would forgive them. [Sahih Muslim]

Allah swt says in Suratul Baqarah:
"SURELY ALLAH LOVES THOSE WHO TURN UNTO HIM IN REPENTANCE AND LOVES THOSE WHO PURIFY THEMSELVES."

The Prophet pbuh once explained Allah’s happiness in accepting the repentance of His slave. A man left for a journey with all of his provisions on his camel. Feeling tired, the man stopped to take a nap under the cool shade of a tree. Some time later, he awoke only to find that his camel was missing. After searching all over, the tired man returned to the tree in utter disappointment and fell asleep. This time he woke up and found that the camel had returned. Wanting to thank Allah, the over-joyed man (not thinking about what he was saying) yelled, “oh Allah, I am Your lord and You are my slave.” The Prophet pbuh said that Allah is happier with His slave when he returns to Him than this man, who lost his mind upon recovering his camel, was.

Brothers and sisters, will we make Allah happy today?

Part II

Pharaoh lived a life of disobedience. But when he was drowning in the sea, he said that he believed in the Lord of the Children of Israel (Allah) and that he is amongst the Muslims. As he was dying, he proclaimed his belief in Allah, but did this avail him anything?

No!

Allah swt said in response: “Now?! And you had disobeyed before and were of the corrupters?”

The prophet pbuh said that the repentance from every person is accepted, except from the one who is on his deathbed. If the greatest kaafir to ever step foot on this earth remembers Allah while death is staring him in the eyes, then it is fair to say that we (Muslims) might also remember Allah on our deathbed. But that, brothers and sisters, is a bit too late!

Many times we put off our repentance, until a time when repentance no longer matters. May Allah have mercy on us.

Other times people are caught in the state of sinning, not realizing that death is approaching. A brother told me a story recently, which was published in a newspaper.

A few people were drinking and dancing in a night-club balcony, which fell to the ground, killing everyone instantly. The article went on to list some of the names of the people killed, and one of the names was Muhammad.

Brothers and sisters, Muhammad didn’t have a second chance, but you do!

Allah swt says: "SAY: O MY SLAVES WHO HAVE TRANSGRESSED AGAINST THEMSELVES! DESPAIR NOT FOR THE MERCY OF ALLAAH, VERILY ALLAAH FORGIVES ALL SINS. TRULY HE IS OFT FORGIVING, MOST MERCIFUL." [Az-Zumar (39):53]

When Pharaoh was drowning, angel Jibreel was stuffing mud in the mouth of Pharaoh, lest Allah, Most-Gracious Most-Merciful, accepts the words of regret and repentance coming from his mouth.

He died a kaafir.

Brothers and sisters, we should not underestimate the vastness of Allah’s mercy. We must have hope in Allah and beg Him for forgiveness.

I will share with you three conditions one must meet to have his repentance accepted, and inshaAllah we can implement them in our lives, in order that we may be forgiven.

STOP the sin
Feel REGRET for committing the sin, and
PROMISE never to do it again

This must be done with a sincere heart, and pure intentions.

In conclusion:
It is stated in a hadith that the one who repents is like a sinless person. The Prophet (pbuh) is recorded to have said: Verily, Allaah extends His hand out at night in order to accept the repentance of the sinner by day. And He extends His hand out during the day in order to accept the repentance of the sinner by night, (and He will continue to do this until the Day of Judgment.)

Brothers and sisters, I pray that when the sun sets on us today, all of the Muslims listening to this khutbah are purified and sinless.

written by: Umer Akbar, May 2004

khutbah: The Sale is Almost Over

2005-04-28T00:50:00.000-04:00

The Sale is Almost Over

It's almost Christmas season. Soon, you'll be receiving magazines from Macy's, Sears, Radio Shack and other similar stores advertising their products. The advertising will intensify for the season. The staff will increase, at least momentarily. The stores will be at their cleanest, and will look better than they've looked all year round. Why?

Because they are going to reap the benefits of the season. These stores see an opportunity to make a whole lot of money in a small amount of time.

Similarly brothers and sisters, Allah the Mighty and Exalted has blessed us with a season. This is the season where we can earn a whole lot of reward in a small amount of time. There is good news and bad news.

The good news is that the month of Ramadan, the season of a great business opportunity (with Allah (swt) ), is upon us. And the bad news is that this month is almost over.

Just last night in taraweeh, the imam was reciting the last few surahs of the Holy Quran. As I stood there listening, my eyes began to tear almost as if a family member had passed away. Each little surah reminded me of the sand slipping through my fingers. Driving home, I thought about the topic for my khutbah: Self-evaluation: Did we make the most of Ramadan?

Brothers and sisters, soon you will see these stores begin preparations for their big season. These preparations will determine their success. Some will suffer losses and others will thrive, depending on their preparations. Similarly, the results for our month of great virtue are dependent upon the preparations we made as Ramadan was approaching. Now that we are more than half way through, what does our grade report look like?

I'm sure we've memorized the often-recited verses from Surah al-Baqara in which Allah (swt) mentions the sole purpose of fasting. He says "Oh you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed to those before you, so that you may attain taqwa..." God-consciousness, piety, righteousness are amongst some of the definitions that we've heard for taqwa. If this was the reason why Allah (swt) ordered us to fast, then it is imperative that we look to see if we have achieved this goal.

The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam, said, "Taqwa is here" and he pointed to his chest. Notice, brothers and sisters, that the Messesnger of Allah (pbuh) did not point to the stomach, which cried for food all day long. He didn't point to the tongue which was deprived the wetness of any kind of liquid. He didn't point to the legs, which stood all night in prayer before the Creator of the worlds. He didn't point to the hands, which were raised in front of his Lord, begging for His mercy. He didn't point to the eyes, which read the Quran or the lips that recited it so beautifully. But he pointed to the chest. This is where taqwa is brothers and sisters.

The service of all these other body parts is solely for purifying the soul and cleansing the heart. As the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said : "For everything there is a purification and the purification of the body is to fast; and fasting is half of endurance." So the question today, brothers and sisters, is "has this month of fasting purified our bodies?"

Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "Let it not be that the day that you fast and the day that you break fast (meaning, not fast) be equal." Meaning, one's behavior, attitude and outlook are the same whether one fasts or not, i.e. fasting has no effect upon that person. He also said in another Hadith: "It may be that a fasting person attains nothing but hunger and thirst from his fasting" due to vain speech and actions, and faulty intentions.

We should think about how we spent our fasts over the past few weeks. Were we rude to the students in our classes and to the people on the road while driving home from school? Did we say any bad words to our friends or neighbors? Did we lie or cheat in any of our affairs? Did we draw nearer to Allah (swt), or were we too busy talking on the phone or chatting online with our friends? Was the quran our companion, or was it the TV?

A great mujaddid of Islam, `Umar ibn `Abdul `Azeez, rahimahullaah, shed some light on taqwaa and explained in his own words how it can be achieved. He said, "None can reach the station of taqwaa until he possesses neither action nor words that can be exposed to his embarrassment either in this world or the Hereafter." He was once asked, "When does the worshipper reach the peak of tawqa?" He replied, "If he put all his thoughts and desires in his heart on a plate and then wandered around in the market, he should not feel ashamed of anything there."

We have committed many grave sins, brothers and sisters, and we should have hope in Allah's mercy and pray for our forgiveness. After all, we are reminded with the story of Musa (as) when he and his people were suffering from an intense drought, they turned to Allah (swt) for help, making dua to His Majesty. Allah (swt) responded that there was one sinner amongst them and this sinner must leave the group. When Musa (as) announced this to his people, the man knew who he was, and now had a choice to make. Either he can face humiliation by leaving or he can watch the whole group suffer, by remaining with them. In this time of desperation, the man turned to Allah (swt), in secret, and repented. As the rain of mercy sprinkled down, Musa (as) asked Allah (swt) why He sent rain when none of the men had left the group. Allah (swt) told him that the man had repented to Him and his repentance was accepted. Hearing this, Musa (as) asked Allah to reveal the identity of this man. Allah the Most-Wise responded by saying "O Musa, I hid his sins for forty years, do you think that after his repentance I shall expose him?"

This sinner is in all of us, brothers and sisters. We must turn to Allah (swt) in repentance in this month of mercy, forgiveness, and freedom from hellfire.

Part II

The month of Ramadan is a blessing from Allah (swt). We are grateful that He blessed the ummah of Muhammad (pbuh) with such an event. This month is so virtuous that just one night in this month equals 1000 months. Allah (swt) blessed us with so many incentives to fast for this month.
Amongst His rewards is that
-He'll forgive the person who fasted the whole month of all his past sins.
-You will be forgiven if you offered qiyam during the month of Ramadan.
-You are promised the reward of a thousand months for obersving the night of laylatul qadr.
-We are told that the shaytan will be chained up for a whole month, and the gates of paradise will be open.
-We've been told that Allah will free from punishment a number of worshippers every night of Ramadan.
-Allah (swt) answers the dua of a fasting person when he breaks his fast.
-Allah (swt) multiplies the rewards of fasting beyond limits of imagination.

These are all rewards that Lord of the worlds has offered us. But how many of these did we earn during this month of ramdan? Did we really fast the whole month wholeheartedly and sincerely? Were our days of fasting different from the days we didn't fast? How long were we up at night praying qiyam? How hard did we try to search out laylatul qadr? Did we take advantage of the fact that shaytan was chained up for this whole month? Did we try to break our bad habits without his whispers? Did we take the time to make dua at iftar for ourselves, our families, and the ummah of Muhammad (pbuh)? Did we take advantage of the fact that our rewards will be multiplied many times over? If we are all college students here, then we have at least fasted for the past 5 to 7 Ramadans. So the question now is "are you 5 to 7 times better now than you were before?" If the answer is 'no' then you must step back and evaluate yourself. Have you made the most of Ramadan?

Tell me brothers and sisters, is it us that need Allah's mercy or the Prophet (pbuh) to enter paradise? No doubt you would all say that it is we. Then perhaps we can learn from the narrations of the companions who used to count for the Prophet (pbuh) in each congregation his saying one hundred times: "My Lord, forgive me and accept my repentance, for You are At-Tawwab (the One who accept repentance), Al-Ghafoor (The Oft Forgiving)." If the Prophet (pbuh) said this dua 100 times, then how many times must we say it to be forgiven for our sins?

The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, is also reported to have said: "No one will be rescued (on the Day of Judgment) by his deeds." They (his companions) asked "even you Messenger of Allah?" He said, "even me, unless Allah would grant me His mercy and Grace." If the Messenger of Allah needs mercy to be saved on the day of judgment, then do you think that we will enter paradise according to our deeds?

Did we use this month to seek forgiveness and beg for His mercy? Or are we better than the companions of the prophet (pbuh) who said "I will not feel quite safe even if I see that one of my feet is already in Jannah - not until both of them are in there." Brothers and sisters, did they not fast the month of Ramadan, did they not stand in prayer all night, did they not try their hardest to search-out laylatul qadr? Then what is it that makes them more pious and worthy of paradise? It is taqw-Allah.

Have we achieved our goal for this Ramadan?

In conclusion:
unfortunately Ramadan comes only once a year, therefore, we should host it in the best possible way. However, contrary to what many of us think, Ramadan is not a month of tables full of dishes and useless parties and gatherings but rather it is the month of recital of the Qur'an, the remembrance of Allah, the prayer at night, the Suhour, the du`a at the Iftar, the charity ...amongst other things. It is only by doing these actions will one attain taqwa of Allah in this world, and Jannatul Firdows in the next.

Suhaib radhiya Allahu `anh relates that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: When the inmates of the Paradise will have entered Paradise, Allah, the Master of Honor and Glory, will ask them: "Do you want anything more that I should give you?" They will submit: "(O Allah)! Have you not made our faces shining? Have you not admitted us to the Paradise and saved us from the Hell? (What else is left to be desired?)" Thereupon, the veil will be withdrawn, and the inmates of the Paradise will not have known anything dearer to them than looking at their Lord. [Muslim].

May Allah make us amongst those inmates of paradise. Ameen.

written by: Umer Akbar
Last khutbah of Ramadan 1424/December 2003

Syed Qutb on Juz 'Amma

2005-04-27T11:15:00.000-04:00

They (surahs of Juz 'Amma) are, indeed, like a persistent and strong knocking on a door, or loud shouts seeking to awaken some people who are fast asleep, or some drunken men who have lost consciousness, or are in a night club, completely absorbed with their dancing or entertainment.

The knocks and the shouts come one after the other: Wake up! Look around you! Think! Reflect! There is a God! There is planning, trial, liability, reckoning, reward, severe punishment and lasting bliss. The same warning is repeated time after time. A strong hand shakes them violently. They seem to open their eyes, look around for a second and return to unconsciousness. The strong hand shakes them again, the shouts and knocks are repeated even more loudly. They may wake up once or twice to say obstinately, "No!" They may stone the person warning them or insult him and then resume their position of inattention. He shakes them anew.

This is how I feel when I read this part of the Qur'an. It puts strong emphasis on a small number of highly important facts and strikes certain notes which touch men's hearts. It concentrates on certain scenes in the universe and in the world of the human soul, as well as certain events which take place on the Day of Decision. I note how they are repeated in different ways, which suggests that the repetition is intended.