Islam and Democracy - The Emerging Consensus

By Mumtaz Ahmad

Recent discourse on Islam in Western academic and media circles has raised serious doubts about the compatibility of Islam and democracy.(1)

In this regard, Islamic revivalist movements have been found especially lacking in their commitment to the ideals of democratic pluralism.(2)

Our purpose in this essay is to examine the relationship between Islam and democracy more closely by focusing our discussion on three pertinent questions: How do Islamists view democracy? What has been their actual conduct in relation to democratic institutions and processes? Finally, under what circumstances would Islamists find democratic political process acceptable, and under what conditions would they deem it uncongenial for their Islamic goals?

In view of the divergent theories and practices within Islamic movements and regimes in regard to the issues of Islam, democracy and the state, it is difficult to formulate a consensus Islamic position on the specifics of an Islamic polity. We will therefore focus our remarks primarily on the ideas of those Islamists who represent mainstream Islamic movements and are regarded as major theoreticians of contemporary Islamic resurgence. Included in this group are Abul Ala Maududi (d. 1979), the founder of the Jamaat-i-Islami Pakistan; Hasan al Bana (d. 1949), the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries; Abbasi Madani of the Islamic Salvation Front of Algeria; Rachid Ghannoushi of the al-Nahda Movement of Tunis; and Dr. Hasan al-Turabi of the Islamic National Front of Sudan.(3)

In the interest of brevity, what is presented here is a condensed and synthesized version of their views on the relationship between Islam and democratic practices.

The Islamist's view of politics and state rests on their fundamental premise that Islam is not a "religion" in the sense in which we speak of Christianity and Hinduism today, i.e., a code of religious beliefs and doctrines, a mode of spiritual orientation, or a set of some outward rituals. Islam is a complete way of life; it covers the entire spectrum of human activities. Islam means total commitment and subordination of all aspects of life - individual, social, economic, political, international - to God. Hence, Islam is both religion and politics, church and state, joined in a single goal of serving God and implementing His commandments.

Thus, unlike the 'ulama, who have accepted effective separation between religious authority and the secular power of the state, the Islamists reject this duality as un-Islamic and want to reinstate the pristine unity of religion and politics by reviving the Prophetic model of the Islamic state. They believe that Islam cannot be implemented in a comprehensive manner without the power of the state; the Qur'anic obligation for all Muslims to "promote good and eliminate evil" cannot be realized without the coercive resources of the state. Hence, according to Islamists, establishment of an Islamic state is not something recommendatory or optional; it is a fundamental obligation for all Muslims.(4)

There seems to have emerged a general agreement among mainstream Islamists that democracy is the spirit of the Islamic governmental system, even though they reject the philosophical assumption of Western democracy that sovereignty rests with the people. They maintain that the majority's voice can constitute the basis for legitimate exercise of political authority in an Islamic state only if it recognizes and remains within the perimeters of God's political and legal sovereignty. God's sovereignty is understood to have been represented in the Shari`ah, a systematic code of moral-legal imperatives derived from the Qur'an and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. Islamists also argue that since the Qur'an commands Muslims to conduct their collective affairs through mutual consultation (shura) and grants the privilege of God's vicegerency (khalifa) to the entire Muslim community rather than to a single individual or a specific group or class of people, the selection of a Muslim ruler must be based on the free will of the Muslim masses.(5)

Several conclusions can be drawn from this formulation of Islamists. First, in congruence with their concept of popular vicegerency, Islamists reject the institution of kingship and monarchy as un-Islamic. Maududi's Caliphate and Monarchy and Khomeini's Islamic Government constitute the most devastating critiques and condemnations of monarchic and absolutist rule from an Islamic perspective in modern Islam.(6)

Their rejection of the hereditary and absolutist rule has become more vocal and aggressive since the Iranian revolution. Their anti-monarchical position was further strengthened during the 1991 Gulf War when Muslim monarchs and emirs were seen collaborating with the Western powers to decimate a fellow Muslim country.(7)

Second, Islamists, and especially the mainstream Sunni Islamic movements, do not also approve theocracy or rule by the clergy, who would exercise political power on behalf of God. In Sunni Islam, no one can speak for God; it is the consensus of the community at large as reflected in freely expressed public opinion that will determine what the will of God is in a specific case. Maududi describes the Islamic government as "theodemocracy" and "nomocracy," or the rule of law, rather than as a rule of self-appointed spokesman of God. The Shi'ite political theory, on the other hand, can be considered closer to theocracy. According to Khomeini, Islamic leadership is crystallized and embodied in infallible apostles and imams (religiopolitical guides) who are appointed by God. He further maintains that during the occultation of the twelfth imam, religiopolitical leadership of the Muslim community will be exercised by qualified jurists. This he describes as Vilayat-Faqih (governance by Jurists). In both religious and sociopolitical affairs, the relations of the people with the jurists are defined by the concept of taqlid (imitation), that is, following the infallible imam appointed by God. It is on the basis of this formulation that in the post-Khomeini Islamic Republic of Iran a committee of five jurists who, collectively, represent the hidden imam, can overrule any government policy or law legislated by the elected parliament if they deem it un-Islamic.(8)

In Sunni Islam, on the other hand, it is the consensus of the community that is the final arbiter in public affairs, and the concept of a veto power exercised by the clergy has no theological and legal basis.(9)

Third, Islamists are also of the view that it is not the structure of an Islamic state that should constitute the focal point in constructing an Islamic polity; what really matters is the question of its functions, goals and objectives. The specific structural arrangements and institutional features of one Islamic state may differ from another due to differences in material conditions, but their guiding principles and values must reflect those enunciated in the Qur'an and the traditions of the Prophet.(10)

Hence, an Islamic state can be unitary or federal, parliamentary or presidential, unicameral or bicameral, depending on the specific needs and circumstances of a given Islamic society.

Fourth, although the Islamists' concept of an Islamic state remains all-encompassing - some would describe it as absolutist since the state seeks to govern and control all aspects of social life - they also emphasize that the methods of governance of the state should not be authoritarian and arbitrary. Islamists suggest several institutional and procedural mechanisms to ensure popular participation, accountability of rulers, protection of civil liberties and the rule of law. The head of the state and government would be elected for a fixed term through free elections based on universal adult franchise. Similarly, members of the Shura (parliament) would also be elected by the people. The Islamic state would be based on the principle of the distribution of power among the three branches of the state: the executive, legislature, and judiciary. The Islamic state would ensure the functioning of an independent judiciary and no one, including the head of the state, would be above law.(11)

The leaders of the Islamic movements in Pakistan, Malaysia, and North Africa (especially Rachid Ghannoushi of the Tunisian Al-Nahda Movement) define the governmental structure of an Islamic state in terms no different from a Westminster-type parliamentary democracy: universal adult franchise, periodic elections, guaranteed human rights, civil liberties, equal political and religious rights of minorities, an independent judiciary, the rule of law, procedural justice, and multiple political parties. This pluralistic and democratic vision of an Islamic polity has recently found an explicit and profound articulation in the writings and speeches of Rachid Ghannoushi of Tunisia, Professor Khurshid Ahmad of Pakistan Najmuddin Erbakan of Turkey, and Anwar Ibrahim, the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia.(12)

We have already mentioned a fundamental difference between the Western Islamist's concept of democracy: the sovereignty of the people vs. the sovereignty of God or the Shari`ah. Another philosophical difference relates to the question of the ends of politics. The predominant position in Western thought is that of liberal individualism, according to which politics is the prototype of a free market process - a kind of political version of the "economic man" model. As David Schuman has noted, the Western democratic model considers all outcomes of political struggles as equally legitimate; the definition of "good" keeps changing and whatever comes out of the free clash of competing interests and ideas is good and legitimate.

The Islamists obviously cannot and do not subscribe to this view of politics and political process. Since Islamists define their mission in terms of resacralization of polity, economy and society, politics for them is a means to establish a just social order as defined by the Qur'an and the traditions of the Prophet. Hence, all outcomes are not equally legitimate; only those outcomes are legitimate which conform to and are sanctioned by Shari`ah or are shown to serve the cause of the Shari`ah.

The Islamists have not only wrestled with the theoretical questions of the role and place of democracy within the framework of Shari`ah, they have also incorporated democratic practices and institutions in their policies, demands and praxis. The Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Turkish, Malaysian, Egyptian, Jordanian, Algerian, Tunisian and Moroccan Islamists have already accepted the Islamic legitimacy of popular elections, the electoral process, the multiplicity of political parties and even the authority of the popularly-elected parliament to legislate not only on socio-economic matters but also on Islamic doctrinal issues. Islamists in Egypt, Pakistan, Jordan, Turkey and Malaysia have been actively participating in the electoral processes of their respective countries and through their presence in legislative bodies have been pushing their Islamic agenda through coalition-building.(13)

Even on the issue of a woman holding political office in an Islamic government, Islamists seem to have revised their earlier position. The Jamaat-i-Islami in Pakistan endorsed the candidacy of Miss Fatima Jinnah in the 1964 presidential election and accepted Ms. Benazir Bhutto's Premiership in 1988 and 1993 "in good faith." The Jamaat-i-Islami of Bangladesh also endorsed the Prime Ministership of Begum Khalida Zia, thus accepting the Islamic legitimacy of a woman ruler of a Muslim state.

Despite the Islamist's acceptance of modern democratic practices and institutions, however, a crucial question remains: is their acceptance of democracy substantive or instrumental? If the establishment of an Islamic state or the enforcement of the Shari`ah is the ultimate and the only legitimate goal of their political activities, can we then say that democracy is only one way to achieve power and implement this ultimate goal and that other (non-democratic) ways and means are equally legitimate and acceptable? The answer of the Pakistani, Malaysian, Tunisian and Egyptian mainstream Islamists of today is an emphatic no. According to Maududi, whose writings have had great impact on the hearts and minds of Muslim youth in countries of South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, Islamic movements must operate within the legal and constitutional frameworks of their respective societies and should use only peaceful and democratic means to educate, mobilize and prepare people for an Islamic change. He denounced the change of political leadership through agitational politics, coups d'etat, revolutions and assassinations; he described these violent means not only as unjustifiable in Islamic terms but also as detrimental to the prospects for a lasting Islamic change. To quote Maududi: "Both the ends and means must be clean, commendable and based on majority consensus in order that a healthy, peaceful and harmonious Islamic order can take shape."(14)

A case in point is the Islamic movement of Turkey, the Refah Party of Najmuddin Erbakan which recently formed the first ever Islamic government since the end of the Caliphate. The Refah Party has been a target of state oppression since the 1970's. As a prime manifestation of "political Islam" in Turkey, Refah has changed its name many times during the past thirty years because of periodic bans on its activities. Established as the Milli Nizam Party in 1970 by Najmuddin Erbakan, it was banned in 1971 following the military intervention in March 1971 on the ground that it wanted to restore theocratic order in Turkey. In 1972, Erbakan revived it under the name of the National Salvation Party (Milli Selamat Party). It was banned once again following another military take-over in September 1980. Erbakan and other party leaders were tried in a military court for having conspired against the secular state and were given prison terms.

Before it was declared illegal in 1980, the Milli Selamat Party took part in 1973 and 1977 parliamentary elections and obtained 11.8 percent and 8.6 percent of the popular votes with 48 and 24 parliamentary seats, respectively. In 1973 elections, it emerged as the third largest parliamentary group. It is also important to note that because of the peculiar parliamentary arithmetic of the 1970’s, the Milli Selamat Party played a key role in all coalition governments during the decade.(15)

In 1991 elections, the Refah Party - the successor to the Milli Selamat Party - polled 17 percent of the popular vote and secured 62 seats in parliament. When the Refah Party won a plurality in 1995 elections with more than 21 percent of the popular vote, one could hear the alarm bells in Western capitals as if a new and totally unknown dark force had descended on Ankara. The Western media conveniently ignored the fact that Erbakan had been the Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey in the past and that his party had played an important role in earlier coalition governments ranging from center-left to center-right parties.

The Refah Party has accepted and operated within a secular constitutional framework and pluralist democratic process, trying at the same time to increase the influence of Islam in Turkish society and public policies.(16)

The Refah and its predecessors have been in the forefront of the struggle to "pressure the democratic consensus" and the competitive party system in Turkey. Even the harshest critics of Erbakan have acknowledged the fact that when Turkey was embroiled in vicious political violence and terrorist activities during the late 1970's, "it goes to the credit of NSP [National Salvation Party] that it did not take part in political violence." In fact, Najmuddin Erbakan "kept channels of communication and dialogue open with other parties when such dialogue between the two major parties was almost non-existent."(17)

The Refah Party of Turkey thus represents a prime example of an Islamic movement which has accepted and practiced democratic methods, demonstrated clearly its ability to govern in a pluralistic context, join coalitions with other parties, form political alliances, make compromises, accept defeat and act as a "loyal opposition," and act responsibly in victory.

In conclusion, it may also be pointed out that if democracy has to take roots in Muslim Societies, it will have to seek legitimacy from Islam, otherwise it will remain an alien idea. Democratic movements in Muslim societies that are based primarily on secular liberalism will have little, if any, prospects of reaching the Muslim masses. The West's fascination with secular elites in the Muslim world - perhaps as a counter force to check the Islamists - is based on two false assumptions: the popular support base of secular liberals, and their commitment to the ideals and practices of democracy and liberalism.

Developments in the Islamic world since the Iranian revolution of 1979 have clearly demonstrated that secularism has no future as far as the Muslim masses are concerned. As for the commitment of the Muslim secular elites to democracy, liberalism, and pluralism, one has only to look at the recent performance of the three most important segments of secular elites in the Muslim world: (1) the military and the higher bureaucracy, (2) the institutional intellectuals, and (3) the emerging Muslim bourgeoisie. We all know the military's commitment to democracy and liberalism from the experience of Egypt, Syria, Pakistan, Turkey, Indonesia, and more recently, of Algeria. Secondly, majority of the institutional intellectuals - the Pan-Arab secular nationalists of yesteryears - were the ones who were closely associated with, and apologists for, socialist dictators of various colors. Until very recently, these intellectuals were an integral part of the oppressive state apparatus in all its versions(18)- Arab nationalist, Nasserist, Ba'athist, socialist. They may have converted to the doctrine of free market and capitalist economy after the collapse of socialism in the Soviet Union but their political alternatives are far from liberalism, democracy and pluralism.

As for the emerging bourgeoisie and the MUMPS (Muslim Upwardly Mobile Professionals) - the product of infitah (openness) in Egypt and elsewhere - their modernism remains essentially what Marshall Hodgson once described as "technicalist"(19):

it is consumeristic - capitalist type of modernism with its fascination with modern technological gadgets and toys. As Professor Leonard Binder has suggested, without a "vigorous Isjavascript:void(0)lamic liberalism," political liberalism will not succeed in the Middle East, despite the emergence of bourgeois states.(20)

It is obvious, therefore, that Islamists are the only important segment of Muslim societies who are agitating for openness of their respective political systems, and for democratization.

Professor of Political Science at Hampton University, at Hampton, Virginia.

Read On......

Are Dialogues Between Muslims And Christians Possible?

July 16th 2008 was a historic day in Madrid. An interfaith conference was held bringing together followers of the world's leading faiths.

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz said,

"We all believe in one God... We are meeting here today to say that religions should be a means to iron out differences and not to lead to dispute. The meeting comes to shore up a constructive dialogue between the world religions. The participants should focus on what is common between the different faiths to help the dialogue succeed. Most of the dialogue (between religions)in the past has ended in failure. To succeed we must emphasize the common link between us that is a belief in God."

King Abdullah also stressed leaders from all religions' need to emphasize that "tragedies that have occurred in history" is not due to the differences between religions rather than the wrong and misleading interpretations of a few. Differences do not lead to conflict and confrontation.

Around 200 Muslim, Christian and Jewish scholars and other experts on inter-religious dialogue have attended the meeting.

Among the attendants were the secretary general of the World Jewish Congress, Michael Schneider, and Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, who is responsible for dialogue between the Vatican and Muslims.

Spanish King Juan Carlos also addressed the gathering at a ceremonial palace on the outskirts of Madrid, saying he hoped the meeting would be a step forward in interfaith engagement.

"We have always been interested in strengthening peace, dialogue and cooperation on the international stage," he said.

After the inaugural session, four closed-door round tables were held before a final communiqué. Discussions touched upon a number of hot issues including restrictions
on Hijab-wearing in some European countries to Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) lampooning cartoons and the unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The interfaith conference is seen as an unprecedented move by the Muslims. The Saudi king launched the dialogue plan after meeting Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican last November, in the first visit by a Saudi monarch to the Vatican.

President of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald Lauder, expressed a similar view.
"It is the duty of religious leaders to work together to restore respect for ethical values and to avoid a 'clash of civilizations,'"he said in a statement ahead of the event.

Prominent Muslim scholars and interfaith experts issued in February an open letter for the world's Jewish community calling for a dialogue to improve relations between Jews and Muslims who have common ground of shared beliefs.

Last October, at least 138 Muslim scholars and dignitaries from 43 countries addressed an open letter to the world's Christian clergy,including Pope Benedict XVI.

The letter, A Common Word Between Us and You, called for dialogue to declare the common ground between the two religions.

The conference in Madrid came as the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams issued a response to Muslim scholars' letter.

"We interpret your invitation as saying ‘let us find a way of recognizing that on some matters we are speaking enough of a common language for us to be able to pursue both exploratory dialogue and peaceful co-operation, it is a timely initiative given the growing awareness that peace throughout the world is deeply. entwined with
the ability of all people of faith everywhere to live together in peace, justice, mutual respect and love."Williams said in his 17-page letter, A Common Word for the Common Good.

Islam is unique in declaring the unity of humanity. The Muslim Bible is called The Holy Qur’an. It declares as follows: The reference numbers are given underneath.

And know that all mankind were once but ONE SINGLE community, and only later did they begin to hold divergent views. And had it not been for a decree that had already gone forth from thy Sustainer, all their differences would indeed have been settled.” Sura Yunus 10:19

This verse clearly indicates man’s homogeneity. Also man has the innate ability to realize God’s existence, oneness and omnipotence. Why did man then deviate from this basic perception? It is the consequence of the confusion brought about by man’s progressive separation from his inborn instincts towards the presence of God.

So, we have to have the dialogue to start with all those who believe in one true Almighty God and try to find common grounds. We should be ready to forget their mistakes and forgive them as God Almighty says in His Book.

“ Tell those who believe to forgive those who hope not for the days of Allah; in order that He may requite folk what they used to earn” Sura 45: Verse 14

Tolerance, coexistence, harmony and mutual respect are the basic qualities that are terribly lacking in the present day world but are important ingredients for the peaceful survival and progress of the entire humanity.

The following are some of the magnificent teachings (commands) of the Holy Qur’an.


1. There is no compulsion in the matter of religion. 2:256

2. Say: It is the truth from the Lord of you all. Then, whosoever will, let him believe, and whosoever will, let him disbelieve. SURA 18:29

3. You have your religion and I have mine 109:6

4. Remind them, as your (the Prophet’s) duty is only to remind, you can not behave as an overlord Sura 88:21,22

5. Say, O people, do what you have been doing, and I will what I wish, soon (in the Hereafter) you will come to know the truth 39:39

6. If they disbelieve in you, say : for me will be my effort, for you, your effort, you are not responsible for what I do and I am not responsible for what you do. 10:41

So we should never break the line of communication with other religions and cultures.
We should search hard for common principles and issues in order to ensure a harmonious life for one and all in the world.

It is possible and the most desirable if we are tolerant, give mutual respect and strive hard to co-exist in harmony.

Pam.Ameen

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QURAN THE ULTIMATE MIRACLE: IT IS INIMITABLE

Why did I decide to relearn to read the Quran in Arabic?

This is the short story of P.A.Mohamed Ameen. As a young boy of eight
or nine I went to a Madrasa in my native village (Ilayangudi, India)
to learn to read the Holy Quran and completed the entire Quran
probably when I was 14 years or so.

Then came the college days when my Islamic faith in monotheism still
remained rather unshakable but drastic change occurred in my view
about blindly reciting the Quran in Arabic again and again without
ever understanding the meaning of even the basic words.

Hence I gave up reciting the Quran in Arabic but concentrated in
reading the translations and interpretations in my mother tongue and
English until the age of thirty five or so.
As years rolled, I managed to recognise the Arabic script but could
not read the Quran fluently.

My folly and naivety was exposed only after my reading the FOLLOWING
QUOTATION about the unfathomable beauty of the Quran in Arabic. The
amazing thing was that author was a non-Muslim Professor of Arabic
language in an American University (John Alden Williams).

How immatured and stupid I had been at the age of thirty five?

Then at the age of 35 or so I sought the help of a Malaysian Ustaz in
Brunei to teach me to relearn to recite the Quran. Alhamdulillah
nowadays I read fairly regularly but still struggling a lot with
Tajwid and the pronunciation of a few glottal sounds such as ain,
ghain, ha, sad, zad etc.

I give below the Quotation for the benefit of the naïve; scatter
brained and spurious English educated youths, professionals and
intellectuals who are still living under the false illusion as I was
once due to my Jahiliah.

THE VERY QUOTATION THAT BROUGHT IN ME THE TRANSFORMATION

“The Quran was revealed in Arabic. It is a matter of faith in Islam
that it is of divine origin, it is inimitable and hence to translate
is always to betray. Muslims have always deprecated and at times
prohibited any attempt to render it in another language.

Anyone who has read it in the original is forced to admit that this
caution seems justified. No translation however faithful to the
meaning has ever been fully successful.

Arabic when expertly used is a remarkably tense, rich and forceful
language.
And the Arabic of the Quran is by turns, striking, soaring, vivid,
terrible, tender and breathtaking.

As Prof Gibb has put it “No man in 1500 years has ever played on that
deep toned instrument (Arabic Language) with such power, such boldness
and such range of emotional effect.”

It is meaningless to apply adjectives such as “beautiful” or
“persuasive” to the Quran, its flashing images and inexorable measure
go directly to the brain and intoxicate it. It is not surprising then,
that a skilled recitor of the Quran can reduce an Arabic speaking
audience to helpless tears.

QUOTATION TAKEN FROM THE BOOK:
TITLE: Islam
AUTHOR: John Alden Williams ( a non-Muslim University Professor on
Arabic Language)
PUBLISHER: Prentice Hall International, London.

The following Quotation taken from the foreword of Muhammad Marmaduke
Pickthall’s Glorious Quran reinforces the above views of Prof. Alden
equally effectively and forcefully.

“The Quran can not be translated. That is the belief of old- fashioned
sheykhs and the view of the present writer. The Book is here rendered
almost literally and every effort has been made to choose befitting
language.

But the result is not the Glorious Quran, that inimitable symphony,
the very sounds of which move men to tears and ecstasy.

It is only an attempt to present the meaning of the Quran: and
peradventure something of the charm: in English.

It can never take the place of the Quran in Arabic nor is it meant to
do so.

So, may I humbly appeal to Brunei Muslims who are still ignorant, who
still do not know to read the Quran, to please start learning to read
the Quran. There are many opportunities to learn to read and
understand the Quran in Brunei. There are a few countries in the world
like Brunei where a Muslim can get the chance to learn to read the
Quran without spending a cent. Walalhi, those, who do not use this
golden opportunity to learn to read the Quran are definitely losers as
Allah swt says forcefully in the Quran, quote,

"By the declining day, Lo! Man is in a state of Loss except those
who believe, and do good works, and exhort one another to truth and
exhort one another to endurance"

SURAH 103( AL ASR)

Please make a start. May Allah swt Show Guidance and Hidaya to those
who doubt.

Writer
pam.ameen.

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Sluggish Connection

Allah made many comparisons between humans and animals in the Qur’an. The All-Mighty said humans if they do not behave according to the policies made by Him, our rank can go lower than animals or even worse than animals.

We need to understand we are of His best creation of ALL of his creations. We are equipped with a brain which enables us to think. We think about different sorts of things all the time. We think about where should we eat for lunch; what kind of cap and what the color should you buy for your spouse; what time should you sleep tonight; will it be enough; will it be too early; what time should I leave the house; will the traffic be worse tomorrow; all sorts of questions and all sorts of doubts. And this is something that animals and insects don’t possess.

Ever wonder why they have mouse traps installed? Ever wonder why there are fresh dead cats on the road? And ever wonder why animals are doing it in public and why married couples do it behind locked doors? It’s because, animals cannot think but humans can. If mice have had brains, we can never outsmart them, not unless we try very hard. Unfortunately, most of us are too lazy to even brush their teeth before solah.

It would be a very scary situation if animals did have brains. Not so long ago, people in the west produced a movie entitled “planet of the apes”. I have never actually watched it but I’m sure it turned out great! I think the movie was about the devious plan set up by monkeys to take over the world and that humans will be their slaves. Sounds like that brilliant cartoon called “pinky and the brain”.

Cats, they are so curious to know what’s on the other side of the road that they just jumped into the thick traffic at broad daylight without looking left or right that they don’t even know what hit them. That’s what I called curiosity killed the cat. On the contrary, when we were kids, we were told by our parents and our teachers to always look left or right before crossing the road.

We can understand now that humans can think and won’t act foolish, like jumping off a bridge or doing drugs or openly accepts an invitation for a porn audition. That’s why you won’t be able to see “live shows” in public because every single human instinctively knows that its just not humane to do it in public except in a country that sees strip clubs as entertainment. And that’s why you won’t find any pornography on the Internet. Huh!?

That is exactly the point, humans CAN go lower than animals, they even had cameras, webcam and all sorts of imaging devices set up to record and celebrate their sincere (illegal) love to one another, paid or not paid. Just imagine a couple of years down the road; you would see countless single mothers bearing 2 to 4 children without a proper father. Without a stable job, how can this mother support her children? These unfortunate children will then be left hungry, confused, angry and feeling all sorts of emotions. In Indonesia, most of these children became prostitutes just because of the mother’s uncalled for mistakes. Not because they want to but because they have to get the day by. Whose fault is it?

Are we influenced by animals? ANIMALS!! What do they know, they can have all fun they want because they have no ability to think BUT they do have a motherly instinct. So does humans. If humans didn’t have motherly instinct, we would see child being thrown in disposal areas, buried alive and suffocated. Hang on!? Something is wrong about this post. Are animals better than humans? Because so far, animals sounded more thoughtful when compared to humans. No offence to animals. JUST in case they HAVE the ability to READ since obviously they ARE much more mindful than humans.

Are humans forming into some sort of “manimals”? Are we descending in that order? Are will really lower than animals? There are a couple of ways to find out and they are as below (not in any particular order):

1) You think that watching pornography is normal;
2) You think that gossiping is fun;
3) You think wearing revealing clothes are sexy;
4) You think not performing solah on time is not a sin;
5) You are cool with looking at other people’s aurat;
6) You think that kissing is second base (not married);
7) You think Palestinians are terrorists;
8) You think Qur’an is only for decoration;
9) You think that having intercourse from behind is halal;
10) You think that drinking alcohol beverages are is ok, just as long as, noone watching;
11) You see nothing wrong with killing a child;
12) You see nothing wrong with having a scandal;
13) You see saying nasty words are cool;
14) You think having “accidents” are normal;
15) You see nothing wrong with exchanging handshakes with the opposite sex (besides your family members);

Are humans not thinking enough? Is our brain not functioning as it should? When did we suddenly decide to become retards? Is time moving too fast for us or we’re just moving too slow? Do you feel like you are always running out of time? Do you feel like you are in a different time zone? Do you think you are going crazy? One thing is certain, muslims all over the world are labeled “lazy” by other religions (Islam is the only religion there is).

How can they say such false claim? We read the Qur’an, pray 5 times a day, wake up while everybody’s asleep for tahajjud, we practice what’s in the Qur’an, we show good examples to others, we help the poor, we give a hand to the needy, we invent wanted super cars which are exported all over the globe and replaced intel created by Zionist, we tell our family to do good, we don’t let our daughters go out with strangers, we smile at our neighbors, we don’t support public entertainment or contents, if it’s time to pray, its time to pray, we don’t waste time, we don’t try to magnifies other’s flaws, we never question the policies of Allah..? Didn’t we do all these? Do they have evidence?

If we did, then, why do certain people or body say awful things about muslims? Muslims top clerics even! Maybe, its time to reflect back how we were, how we are now and how we imagine ourselves will be in the future. Its important because, muslims all over the world needs to be brainwashed, needs to be aware of the threats that we are facing now. If we continue to behave like this, I fear that the future of our children, their children, their children’s children will be bleek. Who knows if we even make onto the next phase. But Allah does.

Read On......

Arsenal

Arsenal Football Club has just signed (26th February) a sponsorship deal to promote Israel as a tourist destination.

The £350,000 agreement makes Israel Arsenal's "official and exclusive travel destination." Israel will be featured on digital perimeter boards and 450 high-definition LCD screens at the stadium on game days.[1] The tourism ministry will also have access to the club's official website Arsenal.com, database and magazine to promote Israel as a holiday destination [2]

The televised ads will reach audiences of up to 700 million in an estimated 198 countries. The Israeli Tourism Ministry will also receive intellectual property rights, the use of the team logo and the right to use photos of the team and its players in ads. For an additional fee, Arsenal players will also appear in the ads.[3]

The deal doesn't stop with promoting Israel but actually grants Israel a physical presence in the stadium. The Israeli Tourism Ministry can use the stadium's banquet hall twice a year and can organize an exhibition at the end of the playing season.[3] The stadium will also feature permanent sales tables for t-shirts.[4]

The two-year sponsorship deal begins at the start of next football season in six months' time.

With the world boycotting Israel as a tourist destination Israeli tourism minister Abraham Hirchson admitted employing Ernst & Young financial advisers to help develop a new strategy to entice people to Israel. He estimated that the sponsorship deal will bring in an additional 2 million tourist to Israel annually.[3]

Arsenal's managing director, Keith Edelman at a press conference in Israel explained how Arsenal could help sell apartheid Israel: "We are the largest club in London and have 30 million fans around the world. We are in the forefront of the anti-racism campaign in England and have an excellent brand that can promote any product... we will assist Israel become a more popular destination". He also promised "when we find the time, club representatives and players will come to visit Israel,".[3]

The Jerusalem Post has hinted that Arsenal's chief shareholder, Danny Fiszman, vice chairman David Dein and managing director Edelman have used their Jewish backgrounds to steer the club towards Israeli causes including setting up football academies in Israel [3] at a time when when Palestinian children are routinely targeted by israeli snipers whilst they play football.[5]

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz confirmed this, quoting Uzi Gafni, a director of the Israeli Tourism ministry on the Arsenal deal as saying "I knew I needed someone with ties to Judaism, Edelman may not go to synagogue every Friday, but there are warm Jews at Arsenal who wanted to give something to Israel.".[6]
[source: http://inminds.co.uk/boycott-arsenal.html]

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What Just Happened?

In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Passionate. May Allah showers peace and blessings upon our beloved Prophet. May The Most Powerful grants us strength to defeat those who makes Islam a mockery delight. Only Allah can save one from threats and dangers around us. You can run and hide from all your obligatory duties as a muslim but once you are six feet under, then you will know the taste of true bitterness of your sins, worldly laughter and non-meaningful tears.

Its almost as if time just went unknown. During the whole 12 months, there may be hearts that has been broken, eyes have been drenched and old memories would just fade. A perfect story ending, just like how most movies end, there will always be tears, laughter, joy and sadness. Too typical. If we look closely of how our mind, body and soul is developed, we will learn a valuable lesson that will be useful for the future.

We've seen flash floods, landslides, forest fires, contagious deadly diseases, drought during 1428 hijrah, that caused countless deaths, damaged houses and left that's left scattered in temporary shelters and accommodation with only minimal food supplies. Crying babies, pregnant mothers, senior elders, all in distress, felt the extreme discomfort and uneasiness of the situation. Before, everybody was well-off and had everything they wanted. A new bentley, a complete real-life movie theatre set with a big fat 'lazy' leather chair and a brisk of wine on the side. Each restaurant had 'all-you-can' eat buffet for breakfast, brunch, lunch, high-tea and dinner which caused almost everyone to laze and sleep until the next morning. Mixing of boys and girls in an uncontrolled environment. Can they really control it?? Tits showing, wandering evil eyes and mind. Where will we be having the party tomorrow? Is there a concert tomorrow? It was just a perfect setting...

Meanwhile, the poor, the needy, single mothers, and the homeless never asked more than what they bargained for. They ask so little. A sip of tea or maybe a nickle to get the DAY by. Just so that they can feel how it feels like to be comfortable and not to be a beggar. Old folks home was never a home in the first place which later became a place for gambling. It was each and every man to look after their aging parents. 54" plasma tv BOX used as a shelter and used thrown papers as a blanket.

These situations invited Allah's wrath. Allah never liked those who take things for granted, never liked those who spends lavishly on unnecessary items and never liked those who acted like how satan is. Alcohol was already haram in the first place. Never liked the things above. Everyone acted on their dirty lust and their misaligned minds. They fed their full stomach with detestable foodstuff and made music as their god. Asian countries are feeling the 'heat wave' of the western phenomena where we are now witnessing the tragedies and natural occurrences experienced by people in the west. Even, the smallest country with the smallest population is also having similar affect.

Try reminiscing how situations were in the past. All were decent and kind, all were covered and mindful and everyone HAD respect for one another. It was also a perfect setting except that it was only practised by few and that few had somehow departed and left the last wondering. As true servants of Allah, the situations that are happening now should be seen as a warning from Allah. We need to be more aware and more stringent when seeing things which are not according not Islamic laws and regulations and NOT those laws and regulation MADE UP by humans!!

Our mind should be mindful. How? Know your boundaries and know your responsibilites as a muslim. If you are strong enough to stop immoral acts, then go ahead and make something stopped and don't just walk by and then feeling sorry for only observing. When you are able then, use your body as a tool to stop what is wrong. Once you have, your soul will be enriched and you will feel like this, "alhamdulillah...that felt good" [in your mind].

Look after your family and yourself from fire of hell (you will know HELL is real when you saw it with your own two eyes and only then you will regretfully say to yourself, "I should've done good deeds on earth.." but by then it will be ALL TOO LATE) and try not be walk on this earth proud and felt like you've accomplished something big coz YOU HAVEN'T!!

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Santa is NOT real

Kids (non-Moslems)! Santa is not real. He is just like superman, spiderman and the rest of the clan. They are make believe characters created by your parents, medias, animators, non-muslims and your ancestors to fool you. The only difference is that his pants are not as tight (baggy pants) and have really long beards.

Grow up and get back to your real roots (Islam). The true and only superhero there is and will ever be is Prophet Muhammad who saved us from being our ignorance towards believing that there is only ONE God and that is ALLAH and Muhammad is His Messenger.

Even non-muslim parents are having a hard time explaining to their kids about santa. Click here about what parents say to their children. May Allah direct us all to the right path.

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Such Waste

In the 'eyes' (view) of Allah, we are all similar but the one thing that differentiates us all is our 'taqwa' to Allah. Taqwa at its simplest can be defined as adhering to what Allah had instructed us to do and staying away from what has been forbade. Sounds like an easy job but most of us even have a hard time keeping up with their daily dosage of spiritual exercise, let alone keeping self away from talking about senseless things and keeping eyes, ear and hands away from sinful loathed acts. Allah said in the Qur'an:

Verily, (the ends) ye strive for are diverse. So he who gives (in charity) and fears (Allah), And (in all sincerity) testifies to the Best, We will indeed make smooth for him the path to Bliss. But he who is a greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient, And gives the lie to the Best, We will indeed make smooth for him the Path to Misery [92: 4-10]

Humans often see worldly materials and possessions as something that we used to judge others by. It can be seen, touched & used. Just like money. Everyone wants it because it has value, it can get us to places, it has a purchasing power and it is also to show how well-off a person is in a community.

The point of this is how our mind is led to believe that worldly materials are everything. Seeing is believing. That is how this world is shaping into. The unfortunate thing about this is, not only it has infected the minds of non-muslims but it has impacted the minds of muslims as well. Its like a contagious disease that will continue to spread until someone makes a stand.

As muslims, there are countless things that we can learn from the Qur’an and from the teachings of Prophet Muhammad. In the Qur’an, it tells us to act in moderation, not to be selfish, greedy and not to be bewildered with the rapid development of non-muslim nations. Allah tells us that even though they seemed successful, but know that they will be flattened and will enjoy the greatest of pain. We only trust the words of Allah…

Are humans really stupid enough to be played by satan and his weak men? History has shown that people were in fact stupid enough to fall for lucrative instant bounty. If they only waited and kept their trousers on (patience), perhaps Allah might have guided them into the right (correct) path and helped them. It is mentioned in the Qur’an that humans are naturally hasty. Having this kind of attitude will only lead humans into undesirable end.

Only few seemed to care about what’s in the next life. These few believe in life after death, believing in good and doing sinful acts will be equally punished. So, there are two kinds during hereafter, those who will burn in hell and those blessed ones who will be enjoying themselves in paradise. It was mentioned in the Qur’an that majority of people will only show remorse after they see the depths of hell and the fiery of hell when its already too late. Such waste.

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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to Everyone..??

The ever changing trend of fashion, music and level of eagerness towards being 'accepted' in a group, society and the world at large has become so profound that it resulted in an adverse affect in the nation we live in. In a community, you are either a leader or a follower and when you are the leader, you will have a bigger role to play. The follower would normally follow instructions..



There will always be that someone who will be "in charge" of something. You could be a member of a tribe, triad or just a hype. Whatever it is, this leader will be responsible for its member's actions whether it be good or bad. The more subordinates you have, the popular but riskier you will be. In Islam, we follow our beloved Prophet Muhammad's steps as much as we can as he is our leader that will lead us to jannah. But for those who does not see Islam as a systematic and a properly assembled vehicle of life, even though these people are muslims, will most likely search for other venues to satisfy their greed, needs and heeds.

These venues are religions besides Islam, i.e. christianity, buddhism, jew and so on. Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala had reminded His followers countless times NOT to follow things which are not prescribed within the teachings / laws of Islam because if you do, you will be doomed. In the Qur'an:

O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors; they are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily Allah guideth not a people unjust. [5: 51]

In another verse Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala mentioned in the Qur'an:

Never will the Jews or the Christians be satisfied with thee unless thou follow their form of religion. Say: "The Guidance of Allah, that is the (only) Guidance," wert thou to follow their desires after the knowledge which hath reached thee, then wouldst thou find neither Protector nor Helper against Allah. [2: 120]

Our Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam stated in one of his hadeeth about how muslims should act towards the things which are "celebrated" by christians, jews and so on.

The one who imitates people other than us (i.e., in faith) is not from us. Do not imitate the Jews or the Christians” (Tirmithi). He who imitates a people will be from among them (on the Day of Judgement).” (Abu Daawood)


Clearly, muslims are being pulled into believing that there is other religion besides Islam but very slowly and sneaky. Otherwise, we won't see any "trees" being planted here and there, we won't see fake rain dears and fake snows. And we won't see any muslim kids /family so eager to be taken to "snowland" and so on and so forth. [To reflect what was said in the beginning of this article]. Everyone is trying their 'best' to fit in and get into the 'thrills and frills'.

The irony about this is that we don't see any decoration for any Aidil Adha celebration. None. The day when prophet Ibrahim a.s showed his willingness and obedience towards Allah Ta'ala to sacrifice his son, Prophet Ismail a.s just did not seem to make any muslims impress or even show any sympathy, except for some.

Perhaps, not many muslims realize the well-thought out strategy being deviced by non-muslims. And they (non-muslims) will not be happy until they have us all deviated from Islam. They all seemed to be enjoying their moments looking at muslims falling into their traps. Being paranoid, no! This is the harsh truth outside your window pane.

The words used should be fairly understood by a normal human and it does not take a scientist or a theorist to discover the hidden meaning of what it is being conveyed here. Its not that we need to adhere to what Allah and The Apostle had reminded us but we HAVE to follow them. Allah knows best!!

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Bridge Crossing

All Greatness, Beauty, Perfection and Supremacy are only for Allah who has created the heavens and the earth in six days. He has created men and jinns for one purpose only that is to serve Him and not to betray His orders. Our sincerest appreciations to Allah for His blessings and for His remembrance towards all of us, for giving us piety, insha Allah and Islam as our religion, the religion He only accepts and the ONLY “ticket” that will get us to paradise.

Our beloved Prophet Muhammad sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam once said:

"Verily the creation of each one of you is brought together in his mother's belly for forty days in the form of seed, then he is a clot of blood for a like period, then a morsel of flesh for a like period, then there is sent to him the angel who blows the breath of life into him and who is commanded about four matters: to write down his means of livelihood, his life span, his actions, and whether happy or unhappy. By Allah, other than Whom there is no god, verily one of you behaves like the people of Paradise until there is but an arm's length between him and it, and that which has been written over takes him and so he behaves like the people of Hell-fire and thus he enters it; and one of you behaves like the people of Hell-fire until there is but an arm's length between him and it, and that which has been written over takes him and so he behaves like the people of Paradise and thus he enters it." [narrated by Bukhari & Muslim]

During Day of Judgement, after all our “performances” have been weighed and all questions have been asked by THE Al-Mighty. Each and every one of us must cross The “bridge” which is known as “Sirat”. It is mentioned that this bridge is thinner than A hair and sharper than a knife. The difficulty level of crossing this bridge will wholly based on the person's piousness towards Allah. It was also mentioned that the thinness of the bridge is as thin as one (1) hair being divided into 7 layers. This bridge will be crossed over by all including The Apostle. There will be those who will cross the bridge as fast as a lightning, there will be those will barely make it across, some would fall down but suddenly saved and so on. It will in definite vary. Its up to us now to decide how we want us to cross it

Not one of you but will pass over it: this is, with thy Lord, a Decree which must be accomplished. But We shall save those who guarded against evil, and We shall leave the wrong-doers therein, (humbled) to their knees. [19: 71-72]

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All I Want

I can't live without you
Nor I can pretend
to be without You
You are All I want

You were there for me
when I was weak
You picked me up
when I fell on my knees
You are All we want

So please, give me what I need
Forgiver of all our sins
Save me please
Don't let me go on like this

I seek for a full recovery
Far away from history
So rescue me
Don't let me be like this

I can't change the way I am
without Your consent
You are All I want

I need You more than ever
And I miss You Oh my Creator
You are All we want

So, guide me to the straight way,
Ways of those who You have blessed
Not those who have earned Your wrath
And those who have lost their ways


So, show me the right direction
That directs me to your presence
Not those who have earned Your wrath
And those who have lost their faith

Oh Lord
look where I am now
feeling almost giving up
But I won't. And we won't.

Inspiration: Surah Al Fatihah

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O You Grateful Slaves!

Allah, He is Our Creator. He is the source of all energy, He is The Mover of our spirit/mind/soul and our life is in His control. There is nothing above Him and we are dependent upon Him. He makes our life complete and without His Kindness, there won't be air, there won't be ground to walk on, there won't be rain and there won't be clouds hovering above our heads. We won't be live forever and we are all deemed to die one day. He does not need us but we are extremely in need of Him. Without Him, we all be useless, just like having a telephone without a line.

Nobody should be proud of his or her achievements or boast about how superior he or she is in front of everyone BECAUSE every single thing that we have here is given by Allah The All Giving. Those who have even the tiniest sentiment of proud will go to hell and WILL be tormented heavily and that's a guarantee! Humans are weak and often break down and cry BUT when Allah have given them what they wished for, they walk proud on this earth with their heads held up high and acted as if they never knew God. What is wrong with humans? Such ungrateful servants! We thank you Allah..

Life is something most people questioned about and non-muslims would come up with many "theories" about life. Some of them do not believe that God even exist and some would say that when we're dead, we're dead and there won't be any Q&A session. Unfortunately, there are also muslims who possess such ideas. They are mostly unsure of the content of the Qur'an and the sayings of our beloved Prophet Muhammad. They tend to ask a lot of questions about the correctness and the applicability of the contents of the two. Not only that they question about the truthfulness & in doubt of Islam but they also make a mockery of those who are actually practicing Islam. For those who does not know, life in fact IS about Islam.

A bird would fly in the early morning in search for food and would return back to its shelter with a full stomach. Who do you think helped that very bird? ALLAH. The world we live in has its on life and each second that passes by will never come back. The world is getting older each time one man makes ruin and every time we waste our time with the unnecessaries. The trick about living is to serve Allah, protect/know your rights and to know your limits. Allah dislikes those who are extreme. Islam is a religion of all that. Meaning, it is a perfect religion and it has no deficiencies. A person won't find any loopholes or an excuse so that he or she can be made as an exception for a certain obligatory duty as a muslim.

THE perfect example would be the daily worshiping (5 times a day). Some of us might think that Allah will let a sick man lying on his bed, a person who has no legs or without no arms, even to the worse case scenario, an old man without the strength to carry on are excluded from performing the daily prayer. Well, the truth that matters is, just as long as a person fulfilled the necessary conditions to perform salat, he or she is compelled to do so. The requirements for performing salat are as follows:

1) Islam (not for polytheists and the such)
2) Sane and Responsible
3) Reaching age of maturity [must be of age (puberty)]
4) Ritual Purity from major and minor Impurities
5) Body, garment and place of salat are clean from all impurities
5) Covering of the aurah
6) Knowledge that time has begun
7) Facing Qiblah (Kaa'bah)
8) Knowledge of rukn (pillar) and sunnah (recommended/optional)
9) Intention (niat)

For those who have met the conditions above MUST perform salat. In Islam, if a person is unable to perform salat standing, you are allowed to perform salat sitting. This is perhaps due to those who cannot bend their legs properly or suffered from a broken joint and generally physically unable. So, one would either sit on a chair or sit on the floor while performing salat. (This is also suitable for those who are following long haul journeys/flights). If a person is unable to stand or sit when performing salat, then he or she is allowed to perform salat laying and if he or she is still unable, he or she can pray by signaling using his or her head or the movement of the eye. If all of the mentioned still cannot be done by a person, he or she can perform salat by using one's heart just as long as the person's body and soul are still intact.

So, no matter what condition you are in, muslims are obligated to worship Allah even up to the point where when a muslim dies, the people attending the ceremony must perform salah al janazah for the deceased. This is to show to humans muslims and non-muslims how important actually is in the eyes of Allah The All Seer. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. uttered the word "salat" three times before his demise. Muslims need to understand how important it is to take care of salat in all circumstances because without performing a proper salat, we are doomed in the depths of hell. There are countless verses signifying the importance of salat in the Qur'an as well as respecting our mother and father.

Humans are forever in debt with their mother and no matter how much we think we have done for our mother, it will NEVER be enough. She cannot even begin to describe to pain she endured when delivering us into this world. A person who treats their mother in utmost special way will be loved by Allah because, if a mother is happy with her child, then, there will be no boundaries between him/her and God. What makes our mother happy will make Allah loves us more. In fact, the feeling of our mother towards us will reflect how we will be in the sight of Allah. If a son or daughter was to treat his/her mother with crudeness and such disrespect, then, it will be all over for him/her especially during Judgement Day.

During the days of The Prophet, there was a dying man who was confronted with death and was asked to say "shahadah" by those who were present. This dying man was a pious man; he prayed at the mosque; did almsgiving; did good deeds; performed sawn and avoided what was sinful/forbidden. The man was basically a very obedient muslim. Everyone started to wonder why he was unable to say "shadahah". One of them decided to go to the Prophet to ask for his help. Rasulullah then went to this man's house and asked him if he was in good terms with his mother. The man then said "no..". The Prophet then asked one of the people there to summon the man's mother. She was reluctant at first but after begging her, he decided to go and see her son. Prophet Muhammad then said to the mother if she was willing to forgive her son. She said NO! When she was asked why not. She said that his son was more respective to his wife than he was to herself. Meaning, the man would rather listen to what the wife says than the mother. Silent. The Prophet asked his men to gather wood to burn the man. The mother was in shock and asked why her son was being burn. The Prophet then said, "the pain he will endure here (on earth) will lessen the pain he will endure in hell". (roughly what Prophet Muhammad said). The mother then cried and finally forgave her son. Miraculously, the pious man was then able to say "shadahah" just before his death.

As muslims, we are not to do what our heart desire because if a mother's approval is not achieved then there will be no blessing in our undertakings. Whatever it is that we do, we try to make our mother happy with the decisions we make and this may be difficult for some and it takes a lot of courage to do so. To strong this article, there was man who was very eager to fight in the name of Allah (jihad) and asked Prophet Muhammad if he can join him to fight in the holy war. The Prophet then asked him if her mother was still alive. The man then said, "Yes". The Prophet then asked him not to join the war as taking care of her mother was more important.


"Serve Allah, and join not any partners with Him; and do good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbours who are near neighbours who are strangers, the companion by your side, the way-farer (ye meet) and what your right hands possess: for Allah loveth not the arrogant, the vainglorious." [An-Nisaa: 36]

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Pretty Disobedient

All glory and praises are due only for Allah, The Most Benevolent and The Most Considerate. Who created the heavens and the earth in six days. The solar system is under his governance. The sole owner of everything. We owe nothing in this world, in fact. We are owned and will be returned to Him one day. He is very close. So close than humans often don't even realize it. We dedicated this life only for Him. We perform good deeds only to attain His pleasure and not to gain worldly fortunes. We are at our weakest state when..we are far from Him. We give up so quickly on Him and often beaten at our own game but those who has a strong will power should be able to fight the evil inner voice in us, Allah's will.

One time, Prophet Muhammad, our beloved one, made this world peaceful that everyone , muslims and non-muslims were treated fairly, everyone was protected and there were equal treatments all over. There WAS equality and harmony. Something that is very difficult to attain in this day and age. Sometimes, it feels as if time is going back to the time of ignorance where people would just do and not think. People would drink, commit adultery, gamble and go to fortune tellers. Time is ticking and more and more people are still being fascinated with this world made up of rock, liquid and soil.

Satan is our biggest enemy and he WILL make sure that each and every muslim will turn apostate especially those who are weak, those who let false desires be their God. Satan will persuade humans to lose hope on Allah, to give in to false intentions and lusts, to do wrong and evil on earth. History has proven that those who followed the footsteps of satan will be "showered" with "gifts"as traces of ruins of the evildoers are still apparent even until today. Satan can be beaten if our heart is pure and if we stand together, satan will fear us.

Humans, they are the same in the eyes of God. What differentiates them is their obedience towards the All Mighty. A man with not a lot of money in his pocket might not look appealing to us but if the man had his time devoted to Allah, you would be very shocked to see where he stand one day. You would also think that a girl who say little may seemed boring and dull but if that girl only say good, does not tell lies and speak only when is necessary, then, you may begged to differ. Another example would be, a cleaner who scrubs toilets, sweep floors and take out garbage may sound like someone whom we would generally disgust but the fact that matter is, just as long as they perform their duties as a muslim, they are closer to Allah than we think they are because they are the ones who cleanse the filth humans made and picks up the cigarette butts we throw. Allah likes cleanliness and satan enjoys filth.

In this arena of fame and fortune, humans are often neglected with the items which has been given to them. Such as beauty, rank and wealth. Every single thing is a test for us. Unattractiveness, no status and poor can also prove the same. Just like a rat being lured to get into a trap with a fragment of cheese. So low how humans have become. Obviously, humans are bigger than a rat. Unfortunately, there are those who preferred to be marked lower than this. Why? Because of the beauty one has, they tend to be arrogant, proud and can do without Allah attitude. They let themselves be known by the world, they post pictures of them in the most seductive way, the tell the whole world how disobedient they are to Allah, they exposed themselves without knowing the consequences they will be facing during Judgement Day. If you look at the world of models, both in the eastern and western nations, those who are naive and ignorant would probably look up to them and fancy their lifestyle as they are glamorous, beautiful and rich. Empty how their heart is.

Often, those who are aware and told that they are beautiful will not wear hijab. But all praises are due to Allah, they are some who managed to not let satan control their desires. Its know way know how world we live in. If we let our friends control and deceive us, especially disobedient muslim friends, one day in the future you will reflect back of what your fiends have made you become, let alone non-muslim friends. This is not to say that having plenty of friends are bad, they are friends who inculcates good deeds and forbids what is forbidden in Islam.

Good real sincere friends are the jewels of the world. If one had a companion who is obedient, help those who are needy, kind to those who are pious, who had piety, harsh to those who are disobedient and practice the teachings of Islam, then insya Allah, that friend will not lead you to astray but will lead you the infinite bliss here and after this world has turned to dust. The trick to finding good friends are often difficult because undeniably there are humans who has hidden agendas and will do anything do be our friend. One of the hidden agendas would be a person would get close to us just so he or she can ruin us slowly, just like cancer.

Allah mentioned in the Qur'an that He will let go of His 'Hand' (help) if a muslim befriend with a non-believer when there are still muslims around. Basically, Allah is saying that it is better to find friends who are muslims because if one is close to a non-believer, he or she is indirectly supporting the ways of the non-believer even though we are not following them. Wallahu'alam. Are we going REALLY going to support the ways of unbelievers? Are we strong enough to withstand the fire of hell? Allah is The Most Fair and He will judge us one day. We just need to be extra picky when choosing a right friend and based our decision from the Islamic viewpoint and this can be gotten from The Qur'an and hadeeth.

"O ye who believe! take not for friends Unbelievers rather than Believers: do ye wish to offer Allah an open proof against yourselves?" [An-Nisaa: 144]

Muslims can be defined as those who are obedient to Allah and avoid what is sinful. Hypocrites are much worse, in fact, one time, one of the closest companion of our beloved Prophet Muhmmad had a dream that he was stabbed after he finished his fajr prayer (suboh). So when he went for the actual fajr prayer, he was actually stabbed and just before his said his syahadah, he asked one of his companion this question, "Was the person who killed me a muslim or a non-muslim?" The person then said, "a non-muslim". The thing we need understand here is, having a muslim friend who is a two-face (hypocrite) is much worse/fatal than having a non-muslim friend, just as long as they respect Islam as your religion and NOT make a mockery out of it. A muslim who is a hypocrite is like a cancer and you would not know until the symptoms are detected (such as not praying daily, not wearing hijab and so on) and when compared to a non-muslim, its obvious that they are not. Wallahu'alam.

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Beggars can never be choosers

Allah, the only God there is who created everything by His command. Everything has a purpose and nothing will lay useless. Every step and action that we take will be questioned, every single cent that we spend will be accounted and every sigh will be noted. There is nothing on earth that can escape from His watchful Eyes. He is The Most Kind and The Most Passionate. He hears those who begs for his forgiveness, He hears those who quietly whispers good or evil. You can never run and you can never hide. Those who dies believing that there is no God but Allah and Prophet Muhammad is His messenger, 'insya Allah will be rewarded abundantly and those who dies believing in something besides Allah will be "rewarded" in the most severest way.

Prophet Muhammad is His last and final messenger and he is guaranteed paradise by Allah. He mentioned not of what he had achieved during his lifetime nor did he announce his countless triumphs. During his last friday sermon, he asked his congregation if any of them had any complaint or in any way dissatisfied what he had brought to them. Everyone replied by saying that they are satisfied with his teachings. Everything action he had done, every word he had said and every battles he had fought are for us to learn by and there isn't a day that goes by that we cannot rely upon his teachings.

We miss him extremely. He set the best example to all humankind both to muslims and non-muslims. He fed food using his bare hand to a blind female jew even though the female jew uttered bad things about him. He was extremely passionate to cats that one time a cat was sleeping on his cloth and afraid that it would wake the cat, he cut his cloth around the cats body. He is the true perfectionist and those who have admitted that they are perfectionist then The Prophet is your perfect role model. As his follower, we should at least try to follow every single step that he took. Drastic change could lead to someone to a tragic end but changing slowly will shape you.

We are slaves and slaves are meant to abide the laws that have been prescribed by The All MIGHTY. We are never meant to question and although we are naturally hasty but we are to try not to act hastily. God works are mysterious and nobody has the knowledge of how things are intended to be. We are here only to serve him and fear for Him. Those who rejects Islam teachings will be dishonored by creatures on earth and the next world. No doubt that Allah has the power to destroy us all for all the sins we have committed but He is The Most Passionate and He will forgive those who are sincere towards it and never to repeat the same mistakes twice.

Subbhanallah. Human are naturally weak and we often taken aback from the hardship that Allah had tested on us. If the pressure was to great, a person with little or no iman, would even kill themselves. That is what most non-believers do and for muslims to act that manner will be thrown into hellfire mercilessly. We are to rely everything upon Allah and not to humans as we all will return to Him one day. One fine day it will be for some but Allah's wrath awaits for many. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad was a perfect helper, father, grandfather, companion, kind enemy to some, the most patience person that ever walked on earth and the most nicest husband anyone could ever imagined.

One time, he went to the mosque and returned instantly just so he could helped his loving wife in the kitchen. He even knitted his torn clothes and shoes. He only asked helped from others if he was desperate and won't ask if he is able. He was a "maksum" (sin free) but yet he was the most obedient amongst many and when he was asked by one of his closest companion why he acted that way? The Prophet said, "Is it wrong for me to become one of his grateful/thankful servant?". Think about how our beloved behaved in front of God? Will we ever be do the same?

Humans naturally complain a lot. There is always something to complain about. Not happy with your job, not happy with your 'latest' car, not happy with your spouse, not happy your food, dissatisfied with your weight, not happy with your skin complexion, not happy with your allowance and generally not happy with everything. What does this tell us? It tells us how unhappy we are with Allah's fate. If one has a strong iman, a person would not complain as much as a person who has a weak iman. For example, if working person who is paid $600.00 per month, the person would know how to manage the available money (budgeted) but if the person was the type to spend more than what he/she has, then this person is more likely to act that way for the rest of her/his life. There is that need to control the habits of satan (unnecessary wastage).

The concept is simple really. We appreciate and take what God had given to us. We thank him for that gift so that hopefully he will give a better present for us. There could be things which we may think we like when in fact, it is bad for us and there may be things we think we hate when in fact it is good for us. Allah mentioned this in the Qur'an:


"Fighting is prescribed upon you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not." [Al-Baqarah: 216]

So, the more we complain, the more ungrateful we sound & the less iman we have and vice versa. But complaining does not always necessarily mean its a negative thing but there are actual NEED to complain such as how the society generally is. We CANNOT act as if we are blind because we live in a community of brotherhood and sisterhood. We have families, siblings, love ones, relatives and so on. Even if we have something to complain about, it should be not about us personally. Therefore, a complain should be of societal/religion/cultural in nature. It should cover a wide range of people as this would indirectly mean we care for them and we are not to act upon our own self interest.

"Mankind was one single nation, and Allah sent Messengers with glad tidings and warnings; and with them He sent the Book in truth, to judge between people in matters wherein they differed; but the People of the Book, after the Clear Signs came to them, did not differ among themselves, except through selfish contumacy. Allah by His Grace guided the Believers to the Truth, concerning that wherein they differed. For Allah guides whom He will to a path that is straight." [Al-Baqarah: 213]

Read On......

Ashamed

It was her turn now. As she head towards Him, her feet were shaking in great motion. The person before her was someone she did not recognize. It was a man. That man did not have the guts to fight anymore. He had no excuse to give when asked the wrongs he had committed on earth. She saw him crying, not like a newborn baby but like a pathetic scoundrel grown man who lost his prized possession to some other guy. She did not feel sorry for him. From what she saw, this man had done so many terrible things during his life. He deserved it! But she did not what Lord had prepared for her. She was now feeling more weary after seeing the man fell while crossing the bridge. It was not a pretty sight. The depth of the hole was dark and deep and it was as far as the eye can see. There was a howling sound and it gave her goose bumps. The time was ticking although it looked as if the situation was timeless. She was feeling the warmth of hell. Its almost as if the flame had life of its own. It was terrifying for her to see as it was laughing. Most men and women had the ugliest and nastiest expressions on their faces. There were like monsters she had seen on television and movies. It was surreal. She did not really know what was going on. The only memory she had was the time when she was on her way to meet up with her friends for a cup of tea when a truck ran over her. Being ran over by a truck was not the worse part, the worser part was she skipped her asr' prayer just so she can meet her friends.

She stood there with her feet still trembling. She kept thinking to herself that the worse is yet to come. This kind of reminded her of the time when she waited for her exam results to be released. She thought that she could have done better during the exam and extra effort would not have hurt. When the result was out, she was a little upset because she was dissatisfied with the outcome. She kept telling herself quietly, "Ergh, this is not fair..I had put more effort compared to my colleagues!!" Why God? Why!!? Who was she blaming? Was she blaming Lord for her unfortunate fate? That thought bothered her for a quite some time. She later decided to cool it off.

She actually overheard some of the questions being asked to the man before. This man had the richest of the world, everyone knew him, he was a typical snob who likes to show off his belongings to humans. He had everything wrapped around his waist. He had power and he had the authority to change the world. He had the authority to stop what was wrong and what was sinful. Being arrogant that he was, he walked the grounds as if he owned it. Lord was definitely not polite to him, he was treated with anguish and such dismay. When Lord asked him why didn't he perform the daily prayer? He was dumbfounded. Sounded like a very straight forward question but he was unable to give answers at that instant. His answers were he was busy with making money and dealing with plenty of clients locally and internationally. He had his 3 mobile phones with him around the clock. He is so forever dead she thought. His excuse was not taken positively by Mighty God.

Lord then asked that man if he had helped the poor and the needy. He tried to come up with a lie by saying that he did help the poor but somehow his mouth just could not move. He then realizes that all his body parts was way beyond his control. He had no power anymore. On earth, he could get away with everything by lying and covering up the truth. This was totally different. This time it was Lord who had all the control and has always been like that ever since. Then, his mouth told against him. Eventually, ALL his body parts began to become his foe. He had nothing to protect him. He was alone. She was shocked to this as this did not seem logical to the human mind but after seeing what she saw, she had to approved. She must.

Before the man was "finished", his good deeds and sins were measured. Obviously, after listening the man's hearings, surely his sins would outweigh his good deeds. He was later taken away by two fearsome angels who dragged him mercilessly to hell. The questioning had begun. She was sure that she would end up just like the man. She started sobbing slowly..then her breath was becoming more and more heavy. Just as she would if she was being chased by a ghost. Tears started running on her cracked face. She did not understand why she was crying. Was she being resentful or was she being stubborn? Perhaps, the idea that she won't be able to get away from it all made her moaned. If only she had the character of an obedient person, she would not be in this mess, she thought.

She kept telling herself that she would change one day. She would change her ways. Cover up her negative past with all good deeds and leave her bad habits for what was more real. But she never came to achieve those things. She would swap worldly magazines instead of exchanging Islamic books. She often let her friends gets the best of her and would rather let The Lord's wrath strikes. She skipped so many of her Islamic duties just so she can make her friends happy. By the time she knew it. She was buried six feet under. How was she supposed to know if her time was up? Nobody does BUT the signs were there for everyone to take notice but somehow there were often overlooked. She blurry remembered taking her first baby steps and how she played on the sand with her parents. The images of her, her laughter, her tears, the boyfriends she had, the times she wasted, the useless talks and endless arguments were rolling in front of her.

She didn't quite catch the death signs. Her vision started to get blurry by the time she reached nineteen and thats when she knew she needed glasses. Sometimes, she would bumped into her childhood friends and most of the time, she would not know what their names but their faces were awfully familiar. She also kept rephrasing her sentences back to front and from front to the back. There were times when she fell sick. Her temperature would rise over the rooftop and she would not have the appetite to munch any crunch bars or take a sip of frosty freeze. She would lay in her bed tucked in with thick blankets and packets of ice over her head. She just never took the time to ponder of the "what ifs" as her mind were already preoccupied with what shoes, bags to buy next month and amongst many other things.

So many things she would do if a chance was given to her. But reminders from both The Qur'an and Allah's Apostle came knocking so many times but she never seemed to care. I promise to be good, I promise to be pious and I promise to be the most obedient servant that ever walked the earth. If only she had listened. Promises were something she used as a vehicle to achieve her hidden thoughts both to the Creator and to humans. When she was lying sick on her bed, she promised to Allah that if she recovered from the sickness she was suffering, she would visit the Holy City of Mecca (Umrah). As expected, when her doa' was answered, she acted as if she never had made promises to The All Magnificent and that she was never sick.

Humans, they made promises to Allah and with their kind but only few kept them. If it was a promise which would lead to hell then there is no use of keeping them but it was a promise that would lead her closer to him then by all means necessary, fulfill them. Lord mentioned so many times how promises (good ones) are meant to be kept and not broken but sometimes surroundings alter situations and could that be of a good excuse to leave those promises. Certainly not. These thoughts were playing inside her head. She felt like it was taking ages for her to reach Him. She was never that excited to see Him anyway...

Read On......

Newpapers and magazines

All praises and glory are only due to Allah who had given us night and day. He had given us time so that we can perform our duties and obligations towards Him and so that we all can enjoy the temporary teasing happiness the world has to offer. We are not to create ruins on earth, we are not to let evil control earth but we are to help each other for what its worth. We are only human, no is special in God's "Eye" except those who strives hard to get His Blessings and begs for His mercy. He is The Most Kind, He only wants good coming out from each and everyone of us. He dislikes those who does evil, wronged themselves and wronged others without any proper reasons. Nothing will ever be like Him and nothing is above Him.

Our beloved Prophet Muhammad is the final messenger and there is noone after him. Angel Gabriel was sent by Allah to Prophet Muhammad to convey the revelations of the Qur'an. Both the Qur'an and the hadeeths are the two final source muslims must hold on to. Those who wish not to go astray must use the Qur'an and the Prophet's hadeeth as the fundamental basis in their everyday life. Read it and practice it.

Allah, He is The Most Wise. Islam have taught its followers to be aware of the tactics of satan and his troops. Through out history, we have learned that satan had been trying to conjure up ways to change the righteous course. All humans were created by Allah, we are to serve our creator and obey His rules and not to be a disobedient ungrateful servant. This is how all of us were meant to behave initially. Due to the dirty tricks of satan, some have fallen into these traps without realizing that they are slowly descending into the pits of hell. It is important for each and every muslim to notice the obvious and hidden ways developed by satan allies to make us look like a fool during Resurrection day .Remember that satan comes in two forms; jinns and men. This was mentioned in the Qur'an:

Say: I seek refuge with the Lord and Cherisher of Mankind, The King (or Ruler) of Mankind, The God (or Judge) of Mankind, From the mischief of the Whisperer (of Evil), who withdraws (after his whisper), (The same) who whispers into the hearts of Mankind, Among Jinns and among Men. [An-Naas: 1-6]

Now that we know that satan comes in 2 forms. We then need to identify who and how they will ruin our lives on earth and after this world perishes. Obviously, there is no way we can detect satan in the form of jinn since we do not have the ability to "see" them but there are some who had been given this specialty. Our beloved Prophet was given such ability. He was able to communicate both with humans (as we all do) and jinns. Jinns were said to populate this world more than the humans. They would get married, have kids, eat and so on. It was also mentioned that if humans were able to see jinns, we would suffocate into the depth of jinss. Wallahu'alam.

Satan in the form of men can come in many forms. They are mostly disbelievers, hypocrites, infidels, wrongdoers, rebels and those who are disobedient to Allah. Its actually very hard to know who these people are as many of them can disguise themselves into something they are not. When its obvious its obvious. The old ways were just not that "effective" anymore. Muslims were used to be forced to convert to other religions and if not, they would threatened, killed or tortured. These were the obvious ways. But now, that won't work because as we are protected by specific laws and regulations.

Slowly, unfortunately and quietly, you would hear stories about how muslims are reverting to other religions (apostates). For those who does not know, apostates (murtad) will not be accepted by earth soil and their corpse will be damned until Resurrection Day. Muslims reverting to other religions are often caused by love, fame, and money. Just as the case of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (apostate). He WAS a muslim but due to false desires and intentions, he revoked the teachings of Islam. Changing adzan (call of prayer) from arabic language into turkish language was one of his "achievement". Long story short, he died in an ugliest possible way.

We need to understand that satan will try to make muslims "fill in" the vacancies in hell. There are now many ways being developed by the followers of satan. Understanding these methods will 'insya Allah (God's willing) increase our awareness level and avoid ability towards these false disobedient means. It was mentioned countless times by scholars that KNOWLEDGE is POWER and Allah also mentioned in the Qur'an:

"Nor should the Believers all go forth together: if a contingent from every expedition remained behind, they could devote themselves to studies in religion, and admonish the people when they return to them, that thus they (may learn) to guard themselves (against evil)." [At-Taubah: 122]

The Prophet also mentioned that seeking knowledge is a compulsion on every muslim and he also mentioned about the importance of having knowledge:

"Allah does not take away the knowledge, by taking it away from (the hearts of) the people, but takes it away by the death of the religious learned men until when none of the (religious learned men) remains, people will take as their leaders ignorant persons who when consulted will give their verdict without knowledge. So they go astray and they will lead the people astray." [Bukharee: Vol 1 No. 100].

"Those people endowed with knowledge are the inheritors of the prophets." [Hadeeth Hassan, Abu Dawood, ibn Majah, At-Tirmithi, ibn Habaan].

Where do we go to if we needed local and international news? where do we go to if we needed information about flight arrivals and departures? Where do we go to if we needed to find a job or trying to look for used cars? One of the source would be by going to the proper website or turning onto the news channels but perhaps the most massive medium to get our hands on the latest news and such would be newspapers! Its affordable, its available/reliable and its resourceful.

So, everyday a person would stop over a convenient store and grab that days' newspaper and read it at the office or at a coffee house or where ever. Again, for those nations which are still in the developing stage, it would be perhaps safe to say that newspapers are the common tool for humans to get news locally and internationally and this would be applicable to third world countries. For developed countries, the usage of newspapers are declining due to the exploding usage rates of the internet and wireless technology as they can always subscribe to rss feed to get the latest new on a website. Alas, if we are not careful, this would mean that there are more ways for satan to spoil our mind and soul.

Nonetheless, those nations which are still dependent on newspapers would still buy local newspapers especially senior citizens (those who are computer illiterate). True, it is good to be updated and to know the current on-goings of the world and which celebrity died that day? or how to lose your fat in 30 days program or where to find the latest lingerie in your town? Newspapers are not only for news and entertainment, it is also one of the ways for people to sell their products and services. They would place their tiny ads to get readers attentions.

Notice the deadly transition of newspapers now. Newspapers are now used as an object to portray sexy images (aurat) in hidden ways. Flip over and you will find before and after losing weight program which shows "transformed" image of a women in a very tight tone. It gets worse during the weekend newspapers, you will see pictures of models half naked wearing 'fashionable outfit', cleavage showing and with mini-skirts. As muslims that we are, we are FORBIDDEN to see others aurat and it is sinful. The things we see will influence our mind, just like after watching a hot action movie. A person would start talking and doing some moves from the movies and this is how we our mind is influenced unconsciously. Ever watched one of Bruce Lee's movies, what did you do after finished watching?

Besides newspapers, magazines (teen magazines and the such) are also used to give fashion news, whats hot & whats not and whats in and whats out. These kinds of magazines are targeted to the younger generations (teenages and youths) which is really the "best time" to ruin their minds since their minds are open to news ideas and fashions. During this stage, these flock will be in the stage of finding their ideal personality and with these handy magazines in hand, there would have no problem in deciding. WRONG!

It was mentioned in truthout.com, [begin quote] "sex is what sells, even to me, " another 18-year-old said. "If you buy a magazine and it says sex or has a sexy cover, it intrigues you and you buy it and whatever makes them sell more they'll use," she said, in an apparent reference to advertisers. "The sexy images DO have an effect on me even though I know it shouldn't because it is based on materialism and shallowness." [end quote]. Bear in mind, this comment was given by a typical teenager in the US (a well-developed nation), how about nations which are still in the developing stage? One teenager also commented that it is "normal" to see sexy images of women.

Its really unfortunate that even reading newspapers now can cause one to be sinful. Its really sad now to see how susceptible we are to this disease. Prophet Muhammad once mentioned that humans will commit at least 70 sins per day and that is why as muslims, we are advised to beg for Allah's forgiveness (istighfar) 70 or 100 times a day before we sleep. So, as a muslim, we need to strengthen our mind, body and soul and keep an eye out for the evil tactics of non-muslims. An obedient muslim will have no problem in fighting against the devil, God's willing. We are meant to save ourselves and our family from the evildoers.

O ye who believe! Save yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is Men and Stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who flinch not (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allah, but do (precisely) what they are commanded. [At-Tahrim: 6]

Read On......