DO YOU GOSSIP?

Rasoolullah (S.A.W) said, “A man might speak a word without thinking about its implications, but because of it, he will plunge into the Hell-Fire further than the distance between the east and west” (narrated by Bukhari and Muslim).

In Islam, we are prohibited from gossiping about someone behind their back if it is something disliked to that person.  You may ask, what if we are speaking the truth?  If one is speaking the truth about someone behind their back, then this is backbiting and it is dispicable.  If one is speaking falsehood about someone behind their back, then this is slander, something even worse. 

Kab al-Ahbar said: “Backbiting nullifies a person’s good deeds.”

Not only is backbiting considered a sin in Islam, but it is considered a major sin by the consensus of scholars considering the implications mentioned about in the Quran and Sunnah.  The Quranic verses dealing with backbiting include:

1. “O you who believe! Let not some men among you deride others who may be better than they (are), nor let women (deride) women who may be better than they are; neither defame one another, nor insult one another by nicknames. Evil is a bad name after faith.” (Surat Hujurat, 49:11)
2. “O you who believe! Shun much suspicion; for lo! some suspicion is a crime. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would abhor that. And keep your duty (to Allah). Lo! Allah is Relenting, Merciful.” (Surat Hujurat, 49:12)
3. “Neither obey thou each feeble oath-monger; detractor, going about with slander.” (Surat Qalam, 68:10-11)
4. “Woe to every sneering defamer.” (Surat Humaza, 104:1)

Sneering can be considered defamation by actions (instead of words).  Sneering can include actions as small as even rolling one’s eyes.  Furthermore, Surat Humaza (The Transducer) is dedicated to answering those that gossip about others.  Therefore, as Muslims, it is a duty incumbent upon us to safeguard our mouths from saying anything we would regret later on.

Muadh ibn Jabal (ra) asked Rasoolullah (SAW) to inform him of some good work that would admit him into

Paradise and distance him from the Hell-Fire. Rasoolullah (SAW) mentioned to him the virtues of many good deeds, then said: “Shall I inform you of the foundation of all of that?” 

Muadh said: “Certainly.” 

Rasoolullah (SAW) took hold of his own tongue and said: “Restrain yourself from this.” 

Muadh then asked: “O Rasoolullah! Are we held to task for the things that we say?” 

Rasoolullah (SAW) replied: “May your mother be bereaved of you, O Muadh! Does anything topple people headlong into the Hell-Fire save the harvests of their tongues?” (narrated by Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah)

Rasoolullah (SAW) said, “One of the greatest of the major sins is to stretch out one’s tongue without right against the honor of a Muslim” (narrated by Abu Dawud).

Aisha (ra) relates that she said to Rasoolullah (SAW), “It should tell you enough about Safiyyah that she is short.”

To this Rasoolullah (SAW) replied, “You have said a word that if it was to be mixed with the water of the sea, it would contaminate it” (narrated by Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud).  

The hadith above shows the seriousness of backbiting.  The one sentence Aisha mentioned about Safiyyah was serious enough to contaminate something as large as the ocean. Therefore, we should consider how much we have contaminated our small ponds of good deeds versus the oceans of good deeds the Sahaba had obtained.

Two Companions once criticized a man who had been punished for committing adultery.  

Rasoolullah (SAW) was traveling and he passed by the carcass of a donkey.  

Rasoolullah (SAW) said, “Where are those two people? Get down and eat from the flesh of this donkey!”

They said, “O Rasoolullah, who would eat this?”

Rasoolullah (SAW) said: “What the two of you have recently done by defaming the honor of your brother is far worse than eating from this” (narrated by Abu Dawud).

The punishment for backbiting includes repaying those who we backbite.

Rasoolullah (SAW) asked the Sahaba, “Do you know who is bankrupt?”

They responded, “The person among us who is bankrupt is the one who possesses neither money nor provision.”

Rasoolullah (SAW) answered, “The one who is bankrupt from among my followers is he who comes on the Day of Resurrection with prayer, charity, and fasting to his credit. However, he had insulted this person, struck that person, and seized the wealth of another, on account of which his good deeds will be taken from him. Then, if his good deeds are exhausted, the sins of those whom he wronged will be taken from them and foisted upon him and then he will be cast into the Fire” (narrated by Muslim).

How lightly we take it when talking poorly about our own Muslim brothers and sisters!  How many of us stay silent when someone else talks ill of our brothers and sisters in our presence?  How many of us thinking it nothing to even roll our eyes when a name is mentioned.  Saying something as simple as “may Allah guide him” with the wrong tone may be considered backbiting as it may be something that defames the honor of our Muslim brother or sister (however, it should be understood that this occurs only when a negative tone is used to make this statement).  We need to defend our brothers and sisters when they are not present to defend themselves.

The Prophet (SAW) said: “Whoever can guarantee to me what is between his two lips and what is between his two legs, I can guarantee for him paradise” (narrated by Bukhari).

Therefore, let’s all aim to not talk poorly about our fellow brothers and sisters and let’s be amongst those who will meet in paradise, insha’Allah.

Pasar Malam (night market) at Terengganu

          The sun gradually dropped below the horizon and the darkness crawled instead of evening’s soft light. The light fittings which lined up along both sides of the road leading us to Pasa Malam (night market) lightened in unison while our luxury bus was parking. On the left side of us, there was a little beautiful neat garden was decorated with the flowering trees and ornamental plants. Some was in charming colorful bloom and attracted us to take photos for awhile. On the right side, there were a lot of people all ages were flowing freely like water into this market in order to purchase the delicious food, utensil, clothes and accessory after finishing a hard long working day. The roaring sound of the crowded drifted along the wind and touched our ears while we were taking photos. More than that, the gray light smoke and rich smell in various kinds of food that was cooked by professional chef floated through air and motivated us to reach there as fast as we can.

 At the same time, we did not forget to keep the beautiful image of buildings and environment in time of twilight by our favorite camera while we were walking into the market. We fascinated and enjoyed and our nice teacher walked quite far ahead of us. Therefore, we all had to quicken up our steps to keep up with her because we were afraid to get lost. The first thing which touched our eyes when we arrived the market entrance was the dozens of shops and food stands arranged in a long row in a huge courtyard and it was nice pictures. Colorful and various Malaysian foods that were a bit different from our native food were sold here. Suddenly, our stomach and salivary glands began to work while we were walking passed those food stands. Even though our poor stomach was pleading us again and again, we could not respond because of the difference in language. We had to ask our lovely teacher for help to be the interpreter. We continued walking and noticed one food stand was offering tasty Malaysian fish crisp or called “Kre Pok”, small round shape and a bit long like our middle finger. We hastened towards that food stand with full desire to taste it. Oh, how could we explain its taste?  Its outside was crispy and soft inside, really yummy! Finally, we did not purchase any food there except that delicious fish crisp.

Having a good opinion of people

By Dr. Ali Al-Hammadi

        From leading principles to which the Muslim needs to pay attention before he raises any doubt and before he accepts and believes in any accusation is to give priority to having a good opinion over having a bad opinion of his Muslim brothers. He should look for excuses and justifications that will excuse them and clear them of blame, especially when the accusation is directed towards callers to Allah and the righteous.

        This is the practice of the righteous, people of understanding and wise men from among Muslims who fear their Lord and desire victory and predominance for Allah’s Deen.

        Had it been the other way around – had having a bad opinion of people been given a priority over having a good opinion, then no scholar would have been left without being maligned, no nobleman without faults found in him, and Muslims would be deprived from good examples. That is a methodology that is accepted neither by the Islamic Law nor by any logic.

        “The basic principle in this rule is the saying of Allah `azza wa jall: “O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin. And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Accepting of repentance and Merciful.” [Al-Hujurat 49:12] 

Allah `azza wa jall ordered avoiding much of the suspicion because some of it is sin, and He followed this order with the prohibition of spying, pointing out that spying in most cases does not occur except due to bad assumptions.

        The way of the Muslim – the general rule – is hiding others’ faults and having a good opinion of others. This is why Allah `azza wa jall ordered believers to have a good opinion of people when they hear slanders of their Muslim brothers.

        And in the story of ifk (the lie which hypocrites invented against A`isha, the Mother of the Believers, from which Allah declared her free and innocent in the Quran), when it was said what was said, Allah `azza wa jall clarified the true position which every Muslim must understand. He said subhanahu wa ta`ala:

“Why, when you heard it, did not the believing men and believing women think good of themselves [i.e. one another] and say, ‘This is an obvious falsehood’?” [An-Noor 24:12]” [Hisham Ismail As-Sini, Manhaj Ahl As-Sunnah wal Jama`ah fin Naqd wal Hukm `ala al Akhirin, Al Muntada, London, 1992, p. 21]

Dr. Mustafa as-Siba’i said, “Because having a good opinion and then regretting is better than having a bad opinion and then regretting.”

[as-Sibai, Hakadha `allamatni al Hayat, al Maktab al Islami, Beirut, 1984, vol. 1, p. 42]

From “Fi Qafas al-Ittiham”1420 Dar IbnHazmSource: www.islaam.com

NURSERY RHYME

Islamic Nursary Rhyme

Allaah is the One

Allaah is the One, is the One, is the One (x2)

If you ask me who is my Lord,

I’ll tell you without any thought

The one whose my Lord is Allaah

Allaah is the One, is the One, is the One (x2)

If you ask me who is my Creator,

I’ll tell you with million pleasures

My beloved Creator is Allaah

Allaah is the One, is the One, is the One (x2)

If you ask me who is my Guide,

I’ll tell you from my mind

Who guides me when I’m blind is Allaah

Allaah is the One, is the One, is the One (x2)

General Nursary Rhyme

My little child

Let close your eyes my little child

It is time to sleep, don’t be cries

Let close your eyes my little child

Dreaming the twinkle stars on the sky

I won’t go anywhere, please don't cries
Let cloes your eyes my little child

 

General Nursery Rhyme change into Islamic Nursery Rhyme

An apple a day keeps the Doctor away

An apple a day keeps the doctor away
Apple in the morning - Doctor's warning
Roast apple at night - starves the doctor outright
Eat an apple going to bed - knock the doctor on the head
Three each day, seven days a week - ruddy apple, ruddy cheek

Praying every day keeps Satan go away

Praying everyday keeps Satan go away
Praying in the morning – makes you awakening
And praying at noon – closes up Allaah merciful
Prays everyday before to bed - knock Satan on the big head
five a day, seven days a week – Angels with you, don’t let you weak

By >> I Love Quran =)

♥ Allah says ♥
•Try to walk on My way, I'll make all the ways easy for YOU.
•Try to spend your wealth on My way, I'll open oceans of treasure for YOU.
•Try to leave your ills for Me, I'll make your desired destiny for YOU.
•Try to bear pain on My way, I'll open the doors of My care for YOU.
.•Try to believe in Me, I'll make sincere friends for YOU.
•Try to be Mine, I'll make everyone yours.

♥ Thank You Allah ♥
• Oh ALLAH, I have no money, but I have You. I am rich.
• Oh ALLAH, my heart breaks, but I imagine meeting You. My heart finds rest.
• Oh ALLAH, nobody listens, but You never turn your back on me. I am grateful.
• Oh ALLAH, I cry every night, but I make Wudu. I wash away my tears.
.• Oh ALLAH, I have no patience, but I read Your Quran. I am calm.
• Oh ALLAH, I get no respect, but You listen to my Prayers. I am proud.
• Oh ALLAH, I feel so weak, but I fast Ramadan. I am strong.
• Oh ALLAH, I feel so depressed, but I remember you. I am at peace.

• There is no word as beautiful as Allah.
• No example as beautiful as Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم
• No lesson as beautiful as Islam
• No song as melodious as Azan.
...• No charity as meaningful as Zakat.
• No encyclopaedia as perfect as Al-Quran.
• No prayer as perfect as Namaz (Salah).
• No diet as perfect as fasting.
• No journey as perfect as Hajj...

DESCRIBING PORTRAIT

 

          There is an old Indian man who is waiting for the passengers to get on his car. We may call this car as “taxi”. It is rather convenience taxi with four doors and large seats. But there are a few defects, it is quite old-fashioned car and does not has air-conditioner. This old man stands near by a front part of his taxi. While he is waiting for the passengers, he read a local newspaper which is on his rough and hard hands that makes he looks quite intellectual. He is a hard working and diligent person because he always waits for the passengers during a humid hot day. More than that, he also stays amid the burning sun for a long time without head covering. So, this makes him has a dark black and rough skin. But it does not matter because he loves and he is happy with this career so much.  

 

          He has receding hair and it is gone gray. He also has a round face with whitish beard and moustache. If you notice, he carries the newspaper rather far away from his eyes sighted. It means he is long eyes-sighted and wears a big oval glasses to help him read every words in the newspaper clearly. He has white thick eyebrows, almond eyes and long big ears. Moreover, he has a beautiful sharp nose and thin lips. 

 
          He is of about medium height and average build. He is in his late sixties but he is still strong and agile. He wears a white shirt and pants. He also folds over his sleeves up to his elbow to ease his driving. From his well-dressed style, it helps him more pleasant and trust-worthy. Certainly, there are a lot of Indian passengers or even the foreigners would like to use his service.

TAMAN TAMADUN ISLAAM

          
          Amidst the sprinkle rainy day, my friends and I hurried up to get out of the hotel and ran quickly got on the luxury air-conditioned bus because we were afraid to be late. It was the second day I stayed in Terengganu. That day we were going to a famous tourist attraction which was named Taman Tamadun Islaam (TTI). It is the first Islamic edutainment theme park in the world. As soon as everybody was in the bus, the driver gradually moved the bus towards there. He drove slowly so that I could touch the atmosphere along both sides the rode while the lovely guide was explaining the interesting places of Terengganu. I observed everything here was not different from my town much except Malaysian houses and buildings that were quite more colourful than Thai houses. 

          Erelong, the bus arrived at the destination, TTI. At that time, I was very excited to see 21 replicas of famous mosques and Islamic monuments in the world. The guide led me to the entrance of Taman monument during the continued sprinkle rain. Inside here was very beautiful place that decorated with the flowering trees and ornamental plants. More than that, charming colourful 21 mosques attracted me to take the photos. Here also, there was an electric small train served the tourists who was lazy to walk because the area was very large. My friends and I walked around this area and searched which mosque and monument were the most beautiful one. 

          In my thought, Taj Mahal was the most exquisite and marvelous building which had the mausoleum inside. It was the monument of eternal love that constructed with Persian and Indian architectural style. All structure of Taj Mahal was made from white marble. There was a main white marble dome at the top which flanked by four small domes and stood on the large white marble terrace. While I was gazing this fantastic replica monument through the million of small raindrops, I thought how much it was beautiful in real. Definitely it was beautiful and gorgeous!. Moreover, I forgot that I was standing amid the spitting rain because of its exquisite. After I absorbed the gorgeous Taj Mahal for awhile, I picked up my favourite camera again so that I could freeze this charming image in my memory.

AYUTTHAYA, THE GREAT ANCIENT CITY

          The wheel gradually crawled from my house in the early morning towards Ayutthaya Province, the destination of this trip. The distance from Bangkok to Ayutthaya was not too far. It took time around half an hour to get there. On the way, my comfortable car passed through the town where was full of many kinds of vehicle. I looked at a crowed road through my small car’s window. The picture at that time was really turmoil; people beside the road were absorbed in their activities, some of them were waiting for the bus and some were crossing the road. Also, there were many food stands and stalls placed along both sides of the road with a lot of customers. My car slowly drove away from the town centre around ten minutes to highway. The confused picture I had seen before was melt little by little into a beautiful peace scenery. Along both sides of highway, there was the rush rice field like a green carpet that contrast with the blue horizon laid down endlessly during beaming sun. At that moment, I opened the car’s window so that I could inhale a fresh air and felt a gentle breeze was touching my face. 

I arrived at Ayutthaya city about 9am. Then, I went directly to Chaiwatthanaram temple, the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The monastery was located on the bank of the Chao Phraya River with Khmer style which was popular at that time. The first scene I saw after I got off the car, there was a main intact stupa which surrounded by many pagodas stood on a rectangular platform during a huge green lawn. It was really very fascinated and attracted me to take a lot of photos. All were made from laterite and turned into black because it was burned by Burmese soldiers since Ayutthaya fought with Burma. Nevertheless, it was still in good shape except Buddha statues that were beheaded. I noticed the main stupa, there was a steep stairs which lead to the top. I hurriedly stepped my feet to the base of stupa and started to climb up to its top. At that moment, a nice view of this area became visible to my eyes. Oh! It was very photogenic. This impressive trip remained in my mind until now

Do u Smile?

by ♥ I Need Allah In My Life ♥ 

on Monday, 07 February 2011 at 01:23

 

     I used to visit a specific masjid and for a bit of time I did not look forward to attending that masjid.  I didn’t know anyone there and very few people there made an effort to reach out.  I would see brothers that I would see every day and they wouldn’t smile at me and so I didn’t feel as welcome as I should have.  Maybe it was because they were stingy with their smiles or maybe I wasn’t a member of their click (maybe I wasn’t tablighi enough for the Pakistanis or salafi enough for the Saudis or Arab enough for the Palestinians or convert enough for the blacks (bad generalizations on purpose) etc etc).  In reality, if I wasn’t stubborn enough, there is a good chance I would have stopped going to that masjid because of the uncomfortable environment. 

     Muslims are supposed to be welcoming, cheerful people, especially around other Muslims.  We know from the hadith that smiling for your brother is a charity, yet many of us decide we don’t have enough smiles to give out or we decide we only want to smile to those we know.  For those that cannot smile for their fellow Muslim brother, this is a completely moronic and idiotic train of thought that comes from nationalism, miserliness or ignorance.

     If you look at the non-Muslim and the environment they’ve produced around us here in the West, you will notice that these people will make an effort.  They will make eye contact with you.  They will smile in your face and ask you how your day is going.  They will make small talk.  What is wrong with us (the Muslims) when we cannot do this amongst ourselves?

     For those that want the scientific benefits of smiling (though the Sunnah should be enough for us), Dr. Mark Stibich (via about.com) notes ten reasons to smile:

1. Smiling Makes Us Attractive:

We are drawn to people who smile. There is an attraction factor. We want to know a smiling person and figure out what is so good. Frowns, scowls and grimaces all push people away — but a smile draws them in.

2. Smiling Changes Our Mood:

Next time you are feeling down, try putting on a smile. There’s a good chance you mood will change for the better. Smiling can trick the body into helping you change your mood.

3. Smiling Is Contagious:

When someone is smiling they lighten up the room, change the moods of others, and make things happier. A smiling person brings happiness with them. Smile lots and you will draw people to you.

4. Smiling Relieves Stress:

Stress can really show up in our faces. Smiling helps to prevent us from looking tired, worn down, and overwhelmed. When you are stressed, take time to put on a smile. The stress should be reduced and you’ll be better able to take action.

5. Smiling Boosts Your Immune System:

Smiling helps the immune system to work better. When you smile, immune function improves possibly because you are more relaxed. Prevent the flu and colds by smiling.

6. Smiling Lowers Your Blood Pressure:

When you smile, there is a measurable reduction in your blood pressure. Give it a try if you have a blood pressure monitor at home. Sit for a few minutes, take a reading. Then smile for a minute and take another reading while still smiling. Do you notice a difference?

7. Smiling Releases Endorphins, Natural Pain Killers and Serotonin:

Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins, natural pain killers, and serotonin. Together these three make us feel good. Smiling is a natural drug.

8. Smiling Lifts the Face and Makes You Look Younger:

The muscles we use to smile lift the face, making a person appear younger. Don’t go for a face lift, just try smiling your way through the day — you’ll look younger and feel better.

9. Smiling Makes You Seem Successful:

Smiling people appear more confident, are more likely to be promoted, and more likely to be approached. Put on a smile at meetings and appointments and people will react to you differently.

10. Smiling Helps You Stay Positive:

Try this test: Smile. Now try to think of something negative without losing the smile. It’s hard. When we smile our body is sending the rest of us a message that “Life is Good!” Stay away from depression, stress and worry by smiling.

Therefore, O Muslim, smile, it’s the sunnah!  So I ask you, do you smile?

RAINY DAY

         

   
   I woke up in early morning amidst the dazzling rain that had been pouring down last night. The coldness of rain mist spread  through my room and pierced me to the skin liked I was living in the north pole as I would like to return to my bed and rolled myself in a warm blanket. I gradually crept through this coldness to look at the rain through the small-opened window. At that time, there was a gray block of clouds in the sky and the air got all dark and gloomy. The tender droplets of rain fell from the sky into my house’s roof that made me heard a pitter-patter liked someone was tapping the rhythm of song. More than that, the smell of withered from the last summer stirred in a wet air was as scented as aromatic perfume. I stopped moving and closed my eyes for awhile to touch this pretty atmosphere as much as I could before I started my busy day.

My ChArMiNg WaTeRFaLL

 

During the stifling hot day, I went to a waterfall nearby my house. This waterfall was a small size and not much high. When I arrived there, I could hear the rhythmic pounding of the stream passed through a big gray slate granite stone into the large pool below the waterfall. The more I got closer, the more I could feel the change of temperature because the spray of waterfall splashed everywhere. More than that, the sun was shining down through the branches of the trees into the water that made it looked like a thousand of diamonds placed upon the surface of the emerald water. In addition, there were a lot of butterflies came to enjoy this cool fresh water and perched on the stones which were covered by fern and moss. At the same time, the smell of withered leaves and soil floated on the air around this area and made this atmosphere fresher. This charming scene was more beautiful than I could say.