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Striving in Ramadan to Become a Pious Person

By Mansoor Alam

Striving in Ramadan to Become a Pious Person

“O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint” (Al-Baqarah 2:183)

What is Taqwaa?

In the above verse “Taqwaa” has been translated as “self-restraint”. Other translations include: God-fearing [Arberry] or God-conscious [Asad].

The root of Taqwaa (w-q-y) means to steadfastly remain vigilant in practicing Allah’s commands and, because of this, to be protected from all kinds of evil, corruption, and destructive forces. In other words, the cornerstone of Taqwaa is developing a strong character by following the principles laid down by Allah in the Quran for attaining Taqwaa.  A person who has developed such a character and which is reflected in his/her actions, is a Muttaqi (pious) in the eyes of Allah.

Qur’anic Definition of Muttaqoon

A very comprehensive definition of Muttaqoon is given in the following verse:

“True piety does not consist in turning your faces towards the east or the west – but truly pious is he who believes in God, and the Last Day; and the angels, and revelation, and the prophets; and spends his substance – however much he himself may cherish – it – upon his near of kin, and the orphans, and the needy, and the wayfarer, and the beggars, and for the freeing of human beings from bondage; and is constant in prayer, and renders the purifying dues; and [truly pious are] they who keep their promises whenever they promise, and are patient in misfortune and hardship and in time of peril: it is they that have proved themselves true, and it is they, they who are conscious of God.” (Al-Baqarah 2:177).

According to this verse, the essential purpose of Islam is not fulfilled by a mechanical performance of rituals, e.g., turning eastward or westward during prayer, but requires instead:

100% conviction, Iman, in Allah; in the law of requital; in the life Hereafter; in the forces created by Allah for our benefit, Malaa-ikaa; in all the Prophets (PBUT); and in all the Books revealed to them; and

The establishment of a system in which resources are made available to help those who (a) are left without protection or support in society; (b) lose their means of livelihood or are incapacitated to work; and (c) cannot earn enough to meet their needs. This system will also provide assistance to those outsiders, who, while passing through its territory, become indigent, as well as arrange for the liberation of oppressed people from oppression.

According to this verse, Muslims are required to establish a system wherein members of the society adhere to the Divine code of life voluntarily – this is a requirement of Iman; and to make sure that means of development are provided to all who need them. Muslims must honor their promises and commitments (23:8). If hostile forces confront them, they must face them with steadfastness and fortitude, and must not let fear and despair weaken them.

Only those who follow this path without swerve, can claim to be true believers (Momineen) and they only can rightfully claim to be Muttaqoon.

The following verses further highlight the character of the Muttaqoon.

“Nay, but [God is aware of] those who keep their bond with Him, and are conscious of Him: and, verily, God loves those who are conscious of Him.” (Aal `Imran 3:76)

They are those with whom thou didst make a covenant, but they break their covenant every time, and they have not the fear (of God) (8:56). [Yusuf Ali] [Meaning these people are NOT Muttaqoon].

“And whoso bringeth the truth and believeth therein – Such are the dutiful” (Az-Zumar 39:33).

“O YOU who have attained to faith! Be ever steadfast in your devotion to God, bearing witness to the truth in all equity; and never let hatred of any-one lead you into the sin of deviating from justice. Be just: this is closest to being God-conscious. And remain conscious of God: verily, God is aware of all that you do” (Al-Ma’idah 5:8).

“Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a Garden whose width is that (of the whole) of the heavens and of the earth, prepared for the righteous” (Aal `Imran 3:133).

Fasting is a means to becoming Muttaqi. No doubt, fasting has health and spiritual benefits, but we must never lose sight of the main goal of fasting.  Ramadan provides an environment for our collective training and character development.

Muslims are required to emulate and display, yearlong, the qualities laid down by the above verses as a result of fasting in the month of Ramadan.

Since character building is a hard, long, continuous process, Ramadan is repeated every year as a reminder and re-enforcer. We must judge our accomplishments by the standards laid down by the Quran. We should not be under the false impression that our spiritual development is taking place while our life goes on as usual. We have to keep the life and works of the Prophet (PBUH) and Sahaba (R) before us to know whether or not we are among the Muttaqoon.

That is why Ramadan was meant to be a month of fasting and introspection and soul searching and remembering Allah with passion and intensity reminiscent of the companions of the Prophet (PBUH).

It was supposed to be an occasion for believers to go through a yearly month long intensive training exercise of hardship and self-restraint and of spiritual purification and commitment to Allah and to learn physical and mental discipline and patience essential to Islam so that they would be able not only to proclaim, but also to establish the greatness and sovereignty of Allah in the world by facing bravely any challenges that might come their way.

That is how the Prophet (PBUH) and his companions and the rightly guided Khalifas practiced Ramadan. And the results speak for themselves. Ramadan was never meant to be a ritual and a short cut to heaven.

Seeing the hopeless condition of Muslims in general, some aching souls cry during Ramadan prayers—and everyone whose heart is touched by the plight of Muslims should too. So the question remains, what should we do? Should we all cry and go home and carry on with our daily routine until next Ramadan? Or, should we go back to the Prophet (PBUH) and Sahaaba (R) and get inspired by their example of what they were able to accomplish during Ramadan, and following in their footsteps, try to root out the true cause of suffering of Muslims worldwide?

Why is it so difficult to follow the example of the Prophet (PBUH) in doing what he actually did to change the world, and why so easy to praise him? Does he need our empty praises or does he need our solid actions? Does Allah need our empty words of Takbir or does He need our actions to establish His Takbir in the world?

Ramadan, in fact, was meant for Muslims to go through a program of training and exercise to be able to do just that and not “finish” it as a ritual for earning rewards in the Hereafter and to recite a few extra Takbirs during Eid prayer and carry on business as usual for the rest of the year.

———–

New Post has been published on https://www.truth-seeker.info/oasis-of-faith/fasting-should-increase-philanthropy/

Fasting Should Increase Philanthropy

By Sadullah Khan

Fasting & Philanthropy

Sawm or Fasting in the Islamic tradition requires dawn until dusk abstention from food, drink and intimacy. It is, however far more than mere refraining from these necessities of daily living.

Spirituality and Social Consciousness

Fasting in Islam is a mode of enhancing self-discipline, an opportunity for regulating attitude and conduct; for developing a better self that focuses on the larger purpose of existence. The month of Ramadan is thus an opportunity for spiritual rejuvenation and increased philanthropy; a means of attaining taqwa (piety), which the Qur’an considers the pinnacle of human development.

While fasting, we are far more aware of the hunger of the poor and the suffering of the oppressed and are therefore instructed to be more generous in this month. As a matter of fact, the feast of Eid-ul-Fitr, marking the end of the fast of Ramadan, cannot be celebrated unless those affording ones have disbursed the sadaqa-tul-fitr (natural charity or sincere bounteousness) to the impoverished. This promotes attentiveness to social responsibility, interest in the welfare of society and inspires a continued spirit of generosity.

Dimensions of Generosity

Whatever one can do to enhance the situation of others is considered charity or an act of generosity. Prophet said; “There is charity due on every part of the body every day.” He went on to say: ” to bring justice between people is charity, to help a person with transport and helping with baggage is charity, a kind word is charity, every step towards prayer is charity, removing harmful things from the way is charity …. giving water to the thirsty is charity. A person’s true wealth lies in the good they accrue for the Hereafter through good deeds in this world. When a person dies people ask ‘what has he left behind?’ while angels ask ‘what has he sent forth?’ ”

Honestly answering the question; “What am I doing for others?” is in a way a good measure of our spirit of generosity.

Heart over Wallet

Charity enhances the giver rather than devaluing his worth; as Prophet Muhammad said; “Charity does not decrease wealth”. Real generosity is not dependent so much on income as it is on the capacity of the heart. There are many who have the means to give, but not the heart to give. And there are many, who, the more they have the less they give. Thus, when giving of material wealth, ensure that you do not give merely from the top of your wallet, but rather give from the bottom of your heart.

Greater Living through Benevolence

Life should not really be about how much wealth we accrue, but rather how many people we serve; because the greater our giving, the greater our living Prophet Muhammad said: “Surely, Allah created humanity to be of benefit to creation.”

Remember, we are here to enrich the world. We become enriched by enriching the lives of others and if we ever forget that, we impoverish ourselves.

Ramadan Mubarak – A blessed Ramadan to all.

———-

New Post has been published on https://www.truth-seeker.info/jewels-of-islam/story-of-the-prisoners-of-the-battle-of-badr/

Story of the Prisoners of the Battle of Badr

By Safi Ur-Rahman Mubarakpuri

Story of the Prisoners of the Battle of Badr

On their way back to Madinah, at a large sand hill, the Prophet (PBUH) divided the spoils equally among the fighters after he had taken al-khums (one-fifth). When they reached as-Safra’, he ordered that two of the prisoners should be killed. They were an-Nadr ibn al-Harith and ‘Uqbah ibn Abi Mu’ayt, because they had persecuted the Muslims in Makkah, and harboured deep hatred towards Allah and His Messenger (PBUH).

In a nutshell, they were criminals of war in modern terminology, and their execution was an awesome lesson to oppressors. ‘Uqbah forgot his pride and cried out, “Who will look after my children O Messenger of Allah?” The Prophet (PBUH) answered, “The Fire (of Hell).” Did ‘Uqbah not remember the day when he had thrown the entrails of a sheep onto the head of the Prophet (PBUH) while he was prostrating himself in prayer, and Fatimah had come and washed it off him? He had also strangled the Prophet (PBUH) with his cloak if it had not been for Abu Bakr to intervene and release the Prophet (PBUH). The heads of both criminals were struck off by ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib.

The Prophet (PBUH) exhorted the Muslims to treat the prisoners so well to such an extent that the captors used to give the captives their bread (the more valued part of the meal) and keep the dates for themselves.

Prisoners of war constituted a problem awaiting resolution because it was a new phenomenon in the history of Islam. The Prophet (PBUH) consulted Abu Bakr and ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab as to what he should do with the prisoners. Abu Bakr suggested that he should ransom them, explaining this by saying: “They are after all our relatives, and this money would give us strength against the disbelievers, moreover, Allah could guide them to Islam.”

‘Umar advised killing them, saying, “They are the leaders of kufr (disbelief).” The Prophet (PBUH) preferred Abu Bakr’s suggestion to that of ‘Umar’s. The following day, ‘Umar called on the Prophet (PBUH) and Abu Bakr to see them weeping. He showed extreme astonishment and inquired about the situation so that he might weep if it was worth weeping for, or else he would feign weeping.

“It is not for a Prophet that he should have prisoners of war (and free them with ransom) until he had made a great slaughter (among his enemies) in the land. You desire the good of this world (i.e. the money of ransom for freeing the captives), but Allah desires (for you) the Hereafter. And Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise. Were it not a previous ordainment from Allah, a severe torment would have touched you for what you took.” (Al-Anfal 8:67-68)

The previous Divine ordainment went as follows:

“Thereafter (is the time) either for generosity (i.e. free them without ransom) or ransom.” (Muhammad 47:4)

Which included an area providing permission to take ransom, that is why no penalty was imposed. They were rebuked only for taking prisoners before subduing all the land of disbelief. Apart from this, the polytheists taken to Madinah were not only prisoners of war but rather arch-criminals of war whom modern war penal law brings to justice to receive their due sentence of death or prison for life.

The ransom for the prisoners ranged between 4000 and 1000 dirhams in accordance with the captive’s financial situation. Another form of ransom assumed an educational dimension; most of the Makkans, unlike the Madinese, were literate and so each prisoner who could not afford the ransom was entrusted with ten children to teach them the art of writing and reading. Once the child had been proficient enough, the instructor would be set free.

Another clan of prisoners were released unransomed on grounds of being hard up. Zaynab, the daughter of the Prophet (PBUH), paid the ransom of her husband Abul-‘As with a necklace. The Muslims released her prisoner and returned the necklace in deference to the Prophet (PBUH) but on condition that Abul-‘As allow Zaynab to migrate to Madinah, which he actually did.

In captivity, there was also an eloquent orator called Suhayl ibn ‘Amr. ‘Umar suggested that they pull out his front teeth to disable him from speaking, but the Prophet (PBUH) turned down his suggestion for fear Quraysh should retaliate in the same manner on one hand, and on the other for fear of Allah’s Wrath on the Day of Resurrection.

Sa’d ibn an-Nu’man, a lesser pilgrim detained in Makkah, was released in return for setting Abu Sufyan’s son, a captive, free.

———–

New Post has been published on https://www.truth-seeker.info/jewels-of-islam/the-companions-sense-of-humor/

The Companions’ Sense of Humor

By Truth Seeker Staff

The Companions’ Sense of Humor

Qarrah said: That he asked the Ibn Sirin if the companions of the Prophet (PBUH) played jokes on one another. At this, he said, “They too were human beings and nothing else.” [Al-Haythami vol. VIII, p. 89]

Awf ibn Malik Ashjai said that at the time of the battle of Tabuk he went to see the Prophet (PBUH). At that time, the Prophet was sitting in a small round shaped tent of leather. Awf saluted the Prophet and he returned the salutation. He further asked him to come into the tent. At this Awf said, “Should I come in, the whole of me?” The Prophet said, “Yes, come in the whole of you.” Then he entered the tent. [Abu Dawud, Al-Bidayah vol. VI, p. 46]

[Walid ibn ‘Uthman ibn Abu’l-Aliyah says that Awf had said this because of the smallness of the tent (op cit)]

Abu Malikah said that once ‘A’ishah uttered some humorous words before the Prophet (PBUH). At this, ‘A’ishah’s mother said to the Prophet, “O Messenger of Allah! Some of the pleasantries of this tribe trace their origin in the tribe of Kinanah.” At this, the Prophet said, “This tribe itself depends on our humour.” [Al-Bukhari, Chapter of Adab (Manners) p. 41]

Bakr ibn ‘Abdullah related that the Companions m of the Prophet (PBUH) used to throw melons on one another by way of a joke. But they became valiant when faced with the realities of life or its hardships. [Al-Bukhari, Chapter of Adab p. 41]

Rabiah ibn ‘Uthman said that a certain Bedouin came to the Prophet (PBUH). He seated his she-camel outside the Holy Mosque and himself went inside to meet the Holy Prophet. Some of the companions of the Prophet said to Nuyman ibn ‘Amr al-Ansari, “If you slaughter this she-camel and satisfy your hunger, the holy Prophet will pay its penalty.”

The narrator says that very soon Nuyman slaughtered the she-camel. When the Bedouin came out of the Mosque and saw all this, he began crying out, “O Muhammad! Someone has slaughtered her.” The Holy Prophet came out and asked the people who had done that.

The people told him that Nuyman had done that. Now the Prophet went out in search of him. He found Nuyman in the house of Dabah daughter of Zubayr ibn ‘Abdul-Muttalib. He had hidden himself in a cell and had put branches and dry barks and leaves of the date tree over his body.

Someone cried out that he had not seen him. But this very man pointed to the place where Nuyman was hiding. The Prophet took him out from there and his face was covered with dust and leaves of the date tree. The Prophet asked him who had asked him to do that. He said, “O Messenger of Allah! These very men who had told you about my whereabouts had asked me to do that.”

The Holy Prophet began removing the leaves and barks from his head and face and remained laughing. The narrator says that later on, the Prophet paid the price of the she-camel to that Bedouin. [Al-Istiab, vol. III, p. 575 and Al-Isabah vol. III, p. 570]

Umm Salamah said that Abu Bakr went to the city of Busra on a trade mission. With him were Nuyman and Suwaybit ibn Harmalah, and both were the two who had fought in the battle of Badr. Suwaybit was in charge of the provisions of the caravan. Nuyman asked him to give him food. At this Suwaybit said, “Wait a little and let Abu Bakr come.” Nuyman was a witty and humorous fellow. He went to a group of men who had brought beasts of burden. He said to them, “Will any of you purchase a slave?” They replied in the affirmative.

Nuyman said, “That Arab slave is a plausible fellow and it is just possible that he might say that he is not a slave. If you leave him because of his words then blame me not, and break not the deal.” Those traders agreed to this. These men purchased him for ten she-camels. Nuyman brought the she-camels and pointing towards Suwaybit, he told them that that was the slave. The traders said, “We already know that you will say this,” (i.e. that he was not a slave). Now the traders tied Suwaybit by his neck and wanted to take him to their place.

In the meantime, Abu Bakr came there, and he was informed about all of this. Abu Bakr and his companions went to those merchants and returned them to their she-camels. Thus they bought back Suwaybit. Later on when the Prophet was informed about this incident, he laughed. The Prophet and his Companions continued laughing over this incident for the whole year. [Ahmad, Abu Dawud, at-Tayalsi, Al-Isabah, vol. II, p. 98, Al-Istiab, vol. II, p. 126 and vol. III, p. 576]

———

New Post has been published on https://www.truth-seeker.info/featured/covid-19-ramadan-compassion/

Covid-19: Ramadan & Compassion

By Sadullah Khan

Covid-19: Ramadan & Compassion

This Ramadan is perhaps the most extraordinary Ramadan we will ever experience in our lives. We are in the grip of a global pandemic, COVID-19 has grabbed the world’s attention and all human beings are its hostage. Somehow, a feeling of uncertainty binds us all, with a desire for relief and the need for compassion, writes Sadullah Khan:

Colossal Effect of Virus

For the first time in human history, over two billion people worldwide; almost half the world’s population, is in lockdown. All this, due to a pandemic triggered by microscopic virus that has caused titanic devastation. It has collapsed oil prices, crashed stock markets, caused economic meltdown; has closed trade, travel, sports, schools, places of worship in virtually every country on earth. It has infected over 2.8 million people in 210 countries/territories and resulted in over 197,000 deaths (at time of writing). If ever the world felt on the same page, this is the time. If ever there was a need for compassion, it is now.

Living the Empathy

Ramadan is a month of heightened consciousness, a month of fasting, of increased worship, spiritual reflection, of philanthropy and compassion. Ramadan encourages the promotion of the spirit of ubuntu, of humanity to others. It is about consciously caring and sharing, about being compassionate; about deepening our understanding of our world while simultaneously empathizing with the challenges faced by the world around us. The current pandemic is forcing us to acknowledge that we are a world of common problems and solutions, we are all in this together, one humanity; what harms one harms the other.

The pandemic has raised our consciousness beyond the level of sympathy (where we acknowledge the suffering of others) to that of empathy (where we feel the suffering of others as our own). With the current state of affairs, many are living embodiments of empathy. In this ailing world, at this monumental period in our history, we need a lasting sense of compassion.

It is not Compassion

Compassion engenders a sense of responsibility. It is not compassionate to circulate unverified information about the Coronavirus or the pandemic.  It is not compassion to ignore the calls for social distancing and to defy logic by insisting on the desire to congregate. It is unfortunate that the only thing currently more viral than the virus is fake news about the pandemic; and the one thing more diabolical than the disease is the irresponsibility of leaders who tell people to ignore the threat of this infection.

Compassion is definitely not reflected in the prejudicial way some inconsiderate people view the impoverished with contempt; saying that “the ghettos will be the cause of our destruction”. They do so without reflecting on the fact that most of the underprivileged are forced to live in cramped conditions without having the luxury of space for social distancing, without running water for sanitizing, without electricity for comforts and who are forced to share communal commodes.

Reflections of Compassion

Compassion is reflected in our concern for hundreds of thousands of people, mostly children, who may not have enough food to eat at home in the coming weeks and months? Those learners who cannot go to school, where many of them get their only daily meal; whose parents may not have sufficient means to survive the lockdown.

Compassion is demonstrated in our volunteering to assist in combating this pandemic, in alleviating the suffering of those in distress, in keeping an eye on the well-being of our household and our neighbours; remaining telephonically in touch with the elderly, the sick, the orphans and the abused.

Compassion is manifested when we actively engage in feeding the poverty-stricken, providing basic necessities; supporting institutions which volunteer to provide essential services to assist the most vulnerable. We exhibit our compassion through appreciation of those heroic doctors, nurses and health workers who treat the infected at the risk of their own lives; those drivers who deliver food, medicine and necessary supplies; and those religious leaders who bury the dead; all at their own peril.

Agents of Compassion

As we pray and fast during this unprecedented Ramadan, beseeching Allah for His forgiveness and mercy; let us ensure we come out of this trial better than we were before; better human beings, more aware, more considerate, more caring, more loving and more compassionate. When we are compassionate, positive energy pours from our souls into the world; positive energy emanates from the primordial breath of the Divine, channelling the mercy of the Most Merciful through us, causing healing and restoring balance. Besides our faith; compassion, human empathy and social solidarity are keys to surviving the catastrophic consequences of this global pandemic.

May the Most Compassionate make us agents of His compassion in these trying times, throughout this sacred month of Ramadan … and beyond.

———-

New Post has been published on https://www.truth-seeker.info/quran-science-2/the-pandemic-punishment-or-blessing/

The Pandemic: Punishment or Blessing?

By T. O. Shanavas

The Pandemic: Punishment or Blessing?

All Muslims accept that God is al-Kareem (The Most Generous). Muslims learned in madrasa that the Omni-Benevolent God is the source of all generosity.

But I never had an internally consistent satisfactory answer to my impasse over theodicy (the vindication of divine goodness and providence in view of the existence of evil), as well as the existence of the free will within Qadr of Allah (God knows everything and has already decided everything that will happen).

Muslim scholars have tried to circumvent the quandary as follows: Allah exists outside of time and space, beyond the cosmic veil in the Unseen. By contrast, we human beings can only conceive of realities within the framework of time and space.

Divine providence, or predestination, is a reality that exists beyond time and space, which means we are simply incapable of conceiving it with our limited rational faculties. Then, how do we, Muslims, respond to someone or a Muslim college student using same logic to vindicate polytheism and denies Tawhid (The Unification of oneness of God)? Coronavirus and social isolation gave me time to reflect on the topic and the coronavirus experience gave me the answer.

Allah created the earth and the universe. God offered Heavens and Mountains to take the responsibility of its care. But they refused, but later mankind accepted it. The dialogue between God and heavens, mountains and the plenum of gases enlightens us that as in the case of the animal kingdom these inanimate creatures also have self, consciousness, and subjectivity. The inanimate creations communicate with God in their own language that human does not understand.

God directed Himself to the heaven while it was smoke and said to it and to the earth, “Come [into being], willingly or by compulsion.” They said, “We have come willingly.” (Qur’an 41:11) The seven heavens and the earth and whatever is in them exalt Him. And there is not a thing except that it exalts [Allah] by His praise, but you do not understand their [way of] exalting. Indeed, He is ever Forbearing and Forgiving” (Qur’an 17:34).

“We did indeed offer the Trust to the Heavens and the Earth and the Mountains; but they refused to undertake it, being afraid thereof: but man undertook it;- He was indeed unjust and foolish;” (Qur’an 33:72). God instructed man also : “And do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption.” (Qur’an, 2:60), and elsewhere: “And do not desire corruption in the land. Indeed, God does not like corruptors.” (Qur’an 28:77)

The world has changed since then. Arrogant man self-glorified himself as the invincible lord of the world and assumes that everything on the earth is his personal property that can be used, abused, or wasted. All knowing God notices man’s dereliction of his duties by polluting the earth, the air, oceans, cutting down forests, and destroying the habitat of other communities of His creatures to satisfy man’s greed. The consequences of human ravages on the earth many?

For example:

100,000 citizens die every year in America alone from air pollution. Then, add up all the life lost in the rest of world (https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2019-04-08/100-000-americans-die-from-air-pollution-study-finds).

Climate change and pollution resulted from the self-indulgent human exploitation of the natural wealth apportioned for the entire divine creatures are responsible for a staggering extinctions 318 animal species to date that we know of (https://theecologist.org/2019/oct/04/rising-pollution-endangering-species).

Globally, 100,000 marine mammals die every year as a result of plastic pollution (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/Ocean_Factsheet_Pollution.pdf).

Bees are the foundation for many sources of food, fruits, nuts, coffee, vegetable, etc., Honeybees are already under siege. Colony Collapse Disorder kills an alarming number of bees each year linked to some pesticides. If bee goes into extinction, the fruits, vegetable and grains will disappear from markets (https://www.calacademy.org/explore-science/pollution-and-honeybees).

There are many more human inflicted mayhem on the ecosystem to list here. Muslims accept and speak frequently of the universe as a classroom and a testing ground for the adjudication of the sincerity of our faith in God. But few Muslims ever talk about God’s amazing immaculate organization of the universe. I believe that an understanding of the flawless configuration of the universe is extremely important to make a spiritual sense out of the coronavirus pandemic, the human ravage on the environment, the mass migration of refugees, etc. under the watch of Omni-Benevolent God.

God created the universe as a testing ground for his creatures while saving the Jannah for the righteous: ”And We shall assuredly try you until We know those of you who struggle and are steadfast, and try your tidings” (Qur’an 47:31). Allah is flawless in His process of creation and its products so that whatever He created have the potentiality to do what He indented them to execute.

A perfect machine functions by itself without its inventor’s constant intervention. Then only it is perfect and so says God: “Thou seest the mountains and thinkest them firmly fixed: but they shall pass away as the clouds pass away: (such is) the artistry of Allah, who disposes of all things in perfect order: for he is well acquainted with all that ye do.” (Qur’an 27:88).

At the inception of the creation, God built a self-regulating system that we call the universe. He created it with paradisaical precision so that it would do all its duties and function. As revealed in the Quran, the universe and its animate as well as inanimate components, whether it is micro or macro, are living beings that have assigned duties and responsibilities (Qur’an 41:12}

“…He assigned to each heaven its duty and command..”). God endowed the universe with a faculty to monitor its components. This incredible machine acts and reacts, gives and takes, rewards and retributes etc. It knows what God wants to happen in every micro and macro situation as well as in every nook and corner. It executes what God programmed to happen in every situation without God’s constant attention. It is a perfect laboratory machine to evaluate and finally judge man, as Khalifa on the earth.

There is another marvelous wisdom behind the creation of this self-regulating universe. By the genesis of this incredible self-regulating universe, God took Himself off the equation to become “the best judge of all judges” (“Is not Allah the most just of judges?” Qur’an 95:8) so that no creatures including man can implicate Allah for their sin as predestination. Such an understanding of the universe as a flawless machine or computer perfectly merges with the Qur’anic concept of Omniscient Omni-Benevolent Compassionate God in a world with mankind with free will.

This video demonstrates God’s immaculate creation better.

The video illustrates a very small sampling of “الْحَكِيمُ (All Wise) in Action.” We named its activities as the Economy of Nature.

So, God, being the programmer of universe, knows everything and what will happen for every action and its reaction. This is what’s meant by Qadr of Allah . Still in the same universe, God can respond to our prayers without violating His established laws of the universe:

“Your Lord has said, ‘Call upon Me and I will answer you. Surely those who wax too proud to do Me service shall enter Gehenna utterly abject.’” (Quran 40:60).

Another characteristic of the world, that we live in, is the amazing harmony of our free will with the omniscience of the Almighty. Human experiences are linked to time and space. In order to integrate God’s Omniscience with man’s experience of the past, the present, and the future, God created time with an elastic property. God enlightened us on this relative characteristic of time long time before Albert Einstein did (“…but lo! A day is like one thousand years of what you reckon.” Qur’an 22:47).

So, time can shrink even to a freezing halt as in the case of God or expand for the rest of creations depending on its space, speed of motion, gravity, etc. So, our experiences of the past, the present, the future are only a present event happening concurrently for God who is outside time and space. Thereby, in this self-regulating world there is freedom, free will, randomness for mankind without the infringement of God’s omniscience.

We, the human species, take extraordinary measures in extraordinary situations. For example, for the greater good, we, as a nation, lockdown our nation leaving millions of our compatriots, living on paycheck to paycheck, without a source of income for daily living and lifesaving medicines. So, I am thinking aloud here whether coronavirus is an extraordinary response to an extraordinary event by the internally programmed corrective action against greedy heedless mankind polluting the earth, air, and water (“…when some evil afflicts them because of what their (own) hands have sent forth, behold they are in despair!..” Quran 36:37 & “Indeed, Allah does not wrong the people at all, but it is the people who are wronging themselves.” Quran 10:44).

What happens when the universe deploys coronavirus? The earth is showing signs of returning to its original pristine state in a short 4-6 weeks’ time.

Satellite animation shows air pollution in China and Italy clearing amid coronavirus lockdowns (https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/23/health/us-pollution-satellite-coronavirus-scn-trnd/index.html).

A few Muslims, Christians, and Jews called out the pandemic as a divine punishment against those who differ with them in faith. But I see a God acting as the God of the entire universe not as a God of man only. Is the pandemic a divine blessing for the entire ecosystem of the earth along with lessons as well as a warning to the greedy extravagant heedless humankind for their dereliction of duties as Khalifa?

The laws of the economy of nature are working as it is programmed by God for the welfare of entire creations, not just for man alone. Coronavirus brought tragedy for humankind. Even hugging and kissing became a weapon. But coronavirus delivered also the signs of the abatement of pollution as a result of national lockdowns and the return of life such as dolphins in Italian waterfront, etc. The current pandemic made the earth little more habitable for all other forms of life as a result of abatement of the pollution. Hedonistic hunters are not killing freely roaming wild animals for their selfish fun and joy.

Within the natural economy of the earth, if the current lockdown continues nature will save many millions from the premature deaths around the world with the abatement of pollution. Many species of animals will have a rebirth as a result of the decreasing environmental pollution. The lockdowns cut down the violent deaths. 313 people die from gun violence every day in the US. Marked decrease in travel in lockdown is saving life. 1,000 people die per day from automobile accidents in the US. That does not include the people crippled from accidents. Future generations can breathe and drink untainted air and water if man if mankind learns from it. In the big picture more life saved, more habitat reinstated, a little less global warming and pollution of the earth, air, and water.

Bill Gates pointed out few other blessings that coronavirus brought us. Nothing with standing of the cultural, financial, religious difference the pandemic taught us that humanity is one. The affliction in one is an affliction on the entire humanity. It brought families back together and taught the importance family in our life.

It reminds us that we can be patient. It showed us that “and man is created weak.” (Quran 4:28)

Now read the following verses in the background of the divinely programmed self-regulating system of the universe. Then we can discern the harmony of the presence of evil in the Omni-Benevolent God created world, and motivate all of us to act dutifully, justly, ethically and empathically to the rest of God’s creatures. We are being tested and simultaneously are being warned by coronavirus calamity that we are not necessary for the purity of air, water, the earth and sky.

God demands from us to cease our abuse and wasting of worldly resources and the “corruption of the earth.”

“Verily, We shall put you to test with some fear, and hunger, and with some loss of wealth, lives, and offspring. And (O Muhammad) convey good tidings to those who are patient, who say, when inflicted by hardship, “Verily we are of God and verily to Him shall we return;” upon them is the blessings of Allah and His mercy.” (Qur’an 2:155)

Yes, men and women around the world including me hate and fear coronavirus. It is a tragedy for human species. While coronavirus snatches away thousands of beautiful lives, the decline in pollution, the restoration of natural habitats like dolphins returning to Italian coastline, millions of lives saved from the decrease of pollution, etc. are the good things.

The contradictory concurrent happenings are referred in this verse “…perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not”; (Qur’an 2:216).

In the big picture Allah is the Omni-Benevolent Lord of the Worlds where man is one among many zillions of creatures. The existence of evil in our amazing self-regulating universe is not incompatible with Omni-Benevolent Lord. The emergence of evil and calamities are the end results of the interactions among the animate and inanimate components of the universe.

The prospect of the emergence of evil is built into the structure of the universe in order to make the universe a testing ground. The emergence of an evil rests with the creatures and the application of their free will as we have seen in the case of human selfish squandering the natural resources by deforesting and polluting natural habitats of flora and fauna. Another example of the emergence of pandemic tragedy in US from human activity is Trump’s downplay of impending threat of coronavirus for his political expediency.

So, evil is not from God as He stated in verses 10:44 & 36:37. Let me quote the verse again here:

(“…when some evil afflicts them because of what their (own) hands have sent forth, behold they are in despair!” Qur’an 36:37 & “Indeed, Allah does not wrong the people at all, but it is the people who are wronging themselves.” (Qur’an 10:44).

God’s self-regulating system of the universe looks for the most goodness for the most creations. Man, God’s Khalifa, can join in this struggle or be the victim.

It is not too late for man to repent and rectify his greedy mindset. And seek God’s forgiveness and mercy: Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.” (Qur’an 39:53)”

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New Post has been published on https://www.truth-seeker.info/quran-science-2/the-future-impact-of-the-pandemic/

The Future Impact of the Pandemic

By James Zogby

The Future Impact of the Pandemic

“Once we OPEN UP OUR GREAT COUNTRY, and it will be sooner than later, the horror of the Invisible Enemy, except for those who lost a family member or friend, must be quickly forgotten. Our Economy will BOOM, perhaps like never before.”

–Tweet from @realDonaldTrump, April, 8, 2020

Along with the childish exaggeration and capitalization and the gross insensitivity to those who have lost loved ones, this tweet is dangerously naïve in its assumption that after the coronavirus runs its deadly course we’ll all just get back to our “normal lives.” In addition to the profound structural changes that this pandemic is already producing in our social, economic, and political spheres, equally concerning will be the psychological impact of the trauma and general unsettledness resulting from all these changes. It is our reaction to this shock that will ultimately shape how we view our lives, understand our world, and deal with challenges in the post-pandemic order.

We have seen this repeatedly play out in human history, including here in the United States. During the last century, the impact of two World Wars and the Great Depression resulted in severe social and economic dislocation – which only later spawned profoundly transformative movements. Both World Wars, for example, fueled intense xenophobia and nativist movements that caused enormous suffering for millions of immigrants and their descendants. As massive numbers of young men went off to fight in these cataclysmic conflicts, women entered the workplace to fill the jobs left vacant. At the same time, Black Americans migrated north in search of employment. New industries and cities grew as the wartime economy flourished to meet the needs of a burgeoning military.

When the wars ended and “Johnny came home,” many were shaken by trauma, lost, and unable to return to normalcy. Those who were able to go back to work ended up displacing the women and Black Americans who had filled those jobs – thus planting seeds that would later grow into the women’s movement and the northern civil rights movement. At the same time, the dislocation brought on by rapid urbanization, especially in the South, gave rise to a uniquely American form of religious fundamentalism.

The trauma brought on by the Vietnam War also had a severe impact. The pain of loss in that war still haunts the lives of survivors and their families and, for a time, psychologically damaged returning veterans swelled the ranks of the urban homeless and addicted. In addition, the controversy fomented by this unpopular war created a deep divide in American society. On one side stood flag-waving “patriots,” while on the other we saw the emergence of a counter cultural movement that challenged and transformed American cultural mores. These divisions have continued to haunt the “Vietnam generation” until the present day.

We need not, however, go back to last century’s World Wars, the Great Depression, or the War in Vietnam and the transformations brought on by these unsettling “shocks to the system.” Instead, we can look to the impact of the more recent Great Recession of 2008-2009 as a case in point.

In late 2008, a sudden financial collapse wreaked havoc on the American economy. Banks were closing, major industries were in danger of collapse, and the financial markets were plummeting and in disarray. In a matter of just a few months middle class Americans saw their pension funds depleted, unemployment doubling, and one-in-five homeowners threatened with foreclosure. The immediate impact was in evidence in our polling. Up until that time, when asked what we call the “American Dream” question – “Will your children be better off than you are right now?” respondents would answer “Yes” by a margin of two-to-one. Now, the tables had turned and by the same two-to-one margin, Americans were answering “No.”

What was fascinating was that in the November 2008 election, voters responded not by recoiling in fear but with hope for the future by electing Barack Obama as president. Republicans, however, sensing an opportunity, preyed on the vulnerabilities of the traumatized middle class. They launched, funded, and organized the “Birther Movement” and the “Tea Party” exploiting racial resentment (their “go to” tactic since the days of Richard Nixon’s “Southern Strategy”) and fear of immigrants and minorities, especially Arabs and Muslims (which they had cultivated in the wake of 9/11), and the mistrust of government (that ironically grew as a result of the dishonest and failed wars led by the Bush Administration as well as its disastrous bungling of Hurricane Katrina). It might very well be said that the seeds of “Trumpism” were planted in this period. But what is important to remember is that while the GOP planted the seeds, it was the traumas from 9/11 through the Recession of 2008/9 that created the fertile ground enabling them to grow and bear their bitter fruit.

In the midst of this current crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, we are witnessing yet another traumatic shock to the system. Signs of unsettling dislocation are everywhere: unemployment is skyrocketing; schools, businesses, and churches are closed; many small businesses are shuttered, never to reopen; a “wartime gig economy” of individuals providing needed services is flourishing; candidates for elective office have been forced withdraw or alter how they reach voters, elections are being postponed, and political conventions cancelled; city centers have become ghost towns with many workers, obeying lockdown orders, now teleworking from home; essential services are strained to the breaking point; and the government is taking on massive new debt in an effort to forestall economic collapse. Millions are living in forced isolation and the strains and fears of the illness and economic uncertainty are taking a toll.

One day we may discover an effective way of treating this virus and/or a vaccine to protect us from it. At that point, the lockdowns will end, and we may return to work. Nevertheless, will we, as some naively predict, go back to living as we did before? Alternatively, will the changes we are now experiencing, transform the way we conduct our lives?

There have been a number of thoughtful essays about what the future will hold for our economy and our social and political institutions. They are fascinating and the discussion they are prompting us to have is an important one. However, aside from the structural changes that may occur, what concerns me here is the impact that this trauma will have on our collective psyche.

While we cannot predict where this will lead us, we can be certain that the shock and fear created by the pandemic are once again plowing fertile ground for future social and political movements. How long it will take for them to ferment; how many of them will emerge; what their messages may be; who will lead them; and how effective or long-lasting their impact will be – this we cannot predict. Nevertheless, what we should know is that we will not just go back to where and how we were before the pandemic.

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New Post has been published on https://www.truth-seeker.info/oasis-of-faith/tarawih-eid-prayers-to-be-performed-at-home-as-coronavirus-precaution/

Tarawih, Eid Prayers to Be Performed at Home as Coronavirus Precaution

By Truth Seeker Staff

People will have to perform Tarawih and Eid prayers at home to prevent spreading coronavirus, Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti said Friday.

Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah Al Al-Sheikh was responding to people’s queries ahead of Ramadan, which starts next week.

“As it will not be possible to hold Tarawih prayers at mosques this year due to the preventive measures taken by authorities to fight the novel coronavirus, people will have to perform them at home to obtain the virtue of praying during the blessed nights of Ramadan,” said Al Al-Sheikh.

“It has been established that Prophet Mohammed performed these prayers at home, and it is known that Tarawih is Sunnah and not obligatory. If the status quo persists, making it impossible to hold Eid Prayer at mosques, people will have to pray at home and no sermon will follow the Eid prayer.”

He said that the Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta had issued a fatwa that it was desirable for whoever missed congregational Eid Prayers to perform it without a sermon following it.

“If making up the prayer for those who missed it with the imam is desirable, this gives us all the more reason to perform the prayer in countries where the congregation is not held because this includes performing the ritual however possible.”

He added that the last date for people to pay Zakat Al-Fitr was before the sunrise of Eid Al-Fitr.

Meanwhile, the secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr. Yousef A. Al-Othaimeen, said that one of the five imperatives of Shari`ah was saving lives, especially in the face of “an invisible enemy,” where all components of society had the duty to fight it.

He was speaking during a video call held by the OIC International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA) about the global health emergency.

Al-Othaimeen added:

“The participants in the symposium have a great legal and humanitarian responsibility to explain Shari`ah provisions about dealing with this pandemic, raising awareness of its seriousness, and highlighting the licenses and necessities called for in studies of Fiqh of calamities. We also need to urge everyone to adhere to the necessary preventive measures taken by governments to confront this pandemic.”

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New Post has been published on https://www.truth-seeker.info/oasis-of-faith/interfaith-spiritual-power-to-counter-pandemic/

Interfaith: Spiritual Power to Counter Pandemic

By Victor Ghalib Begg

Interfaith: Spiritual Power to Counter Pandemic

Detroit’s multi-faith community is uniquely prepared in countering the scourge of the coronavirus.

So, how are some of them responding to this pandemic?

I looked for a few examples. I wanted to ask the leaders what each’s aith community is doing in these challenging times. I found a common goal that motivates those connected to the houses of worship in serving others in need, irrespective of the recipient’s beliefs. No matter who their congregations worship to, I noticed unanimity — they bring their respective community resources to meet this challenge.

COVID-19 targets us as a single vulnerable people. Creed, color or status means nothing to it. Whether be Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and none, we’re confronting one enemy.

In polling the interfaith community leaders I had worked with, as interfaith partners in service, I learned: believers, facing an adversary like this one, lean upon the universal power of love, mercy, service and care for their neighbors — giving real meaning to One Nation under God, and In God we Trust.

I especially wanted to hear from the diverse minority faith groups.

► Rabbi Asher Lopatin, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council/AJC, told me the stories of his community work that matters in these difficult time — he highlighted one of their several initiatives: Food to the Front Lines Meals on Wheels program in providing daily meal deliveries to those in need.

► Mahmoud Al-Hadidi, chair of the Michigan Muslim Community Council, briefed me: Their members too are helping with food distribution. He pointed out the Muslim Council’s collaborative efforts with Muslim Jewish Advocacy Council of Michigan to provide hundreds of kosher and halal meals to front line healthcare providers of all backgrounds, in appreciation of their heroic sacrifices.

► Sam Yono, a Chaldean community leader and businessman, spoke of the contributions of his Catholic community: “Our grocery stores and gas stations stay open, well stocked to provide essentials — many offering free food and other necessities to the poor.” He added, “Our volunteers collect supplies and protective gear for medical professionals.”

► Raman Singh, president of the Interfaith Leadership Council, and a trustee of Mata Tripta Ji Gurdwara Sahib in Plymouth, provided me with pictures of Sikh volunteers unloading bags of food for distribution to the needy.

Churches, synagogue, mosques and temples may shut their doors to keep this invader out, but it can’t lock God out, who inspires goodness into the hearts of the believers — giving them the strength and a will to serve even under attack. This foe may subdue a human body, but their human spirit of giving and sacrifice remains undefeated — a reason why hospitals offer spiritual spaces and hospital chaplains of all faiths comfort patients in trying times.

From Vatican to Mecca, the coronavirus is aiming to separate congregants from their houses of worship — church bells temporarily stopped welcoming, a prominent rabbi urging worshipers not to kiss the western wall, mosques replacing the call to prayer with al-salatu fi buyutikum or “pray in your homes” instead of the usual hayya alas-salah or “come to prayer.”

Undaunted faithful, however, continue by livestreaming services; never abandoning the strong and healing hand of God. Zoom video technology brings faith groups face to face to plan and promote service to humanity. As one who welcomes interfaith engagement, dialogue and unity, I’m proud to know interfaith partners of Metro Detroit are stepping up to the challenge.

As the governments, scientists and the front-line medical professionals battle the coronavirus, the faith communities offer spiritual power to counter this invisible force.

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New Post has been published on https://www.truth-seeker.info/quran-science-2/quarantine-a-palestinian-guide-to-survival/

Quarantine: A Palestinian Guide to Survival

By Ramzy Baroud

Quarantine: A Palestinian Guide to Survival

Call it a ‘quarantine’, a ‘shelter-in-place’, a ‘lockdown’ or a ‘curfew’, we Palestinians have experienced them all, though not at all voluntarily.

Personally, the first 23 years of my life were lived in virtual ‘lockdown’. My father’s ‘quarantine’ was experienced much earlier, as did his father’s ‘shelter-in-place’ before him. They both died and were buried in Gaza’s cemeteries without ever experiencing true freedom outside of their refugee camp in Gaza.

Currently in Gaza, the quarantine has a different name. We call it ‘siege’, also known as ‘blockade’.

In fact, all of Palestine has been in a state of ‘lockdown’ since the late 1940s when Israel became a state and the Palestinian homeland was erased by Zionist colonialists with the support of their Western benefactors.

That lockdown intensified in 1967 when Israel, now a powerful state with a large army and strong allies, occupied the remaining parts of Palestine – East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Under this lockdown, the Palestinian freedom of movement was curtailed to the extent that Palestinians required permits from the Israeli military to leave the Occupied Territories or to return home, to move about from one town to the other, and, at times, to cross a single Israeli military checkpoint or a fortified wall.

In Palestine, we don’t call our imprisonment a lockdown, but a ‘military occupation’ and ‘apartheid’.

As for ‘shelter-in-place’, in Palestine, we have a different name for it. We call it a ‘military curfew’.

Since I was a child, I learned to listen intently to orders barked out by Israeli military officers as they swept through our refugee camp in Gaza declaring or easing military curfews. This ritual often happened late at night.

“People of Nuseirat, per orders of the Israeli military you are now under curfew. Anyone who violates orders will be shot immediately,” the terrifying words, always communicated through a loudspeaker in broken Arabic, were a staple during the First Palestinian Uprising (Intifada) of 1987.

The period between 1987 to 1993 was a virtual ‘lockdown’. Thousands of people, mostly children, were killed for failing to respect the rules of their collective imprisonment.

In Gaza, even when a full military curfew was not in place, we rarely left our small and crowded neighborhoods, let alone our refugee camps. We were all haunted by the fear that we may not be able to make it home by 8p.m., the time designated by the Israeli military for all of us to return home.

Every day, ten or fifteen minutes after the nightly curfew set in, we would hear the crackling and hissing of bullets as they whistled through the air from various distances. Automatically, we would conclude that some poor soul – a worker, a teacher, or a rowdy teenager – missed his chance by a few minutes, and paid a price for it.

Now that nearly half of the population of planet Earth are experiencing some form of ‘curfew’ or another, I would like to share a few suggestions on how to survive the prolonged confinement, the Palestinian way.

Think Ahead

Since we knew that a complete lockdown, or a military curfew, was always pending, we tried to anticipate the intensity and duration of it and prepare accordingly.

For example, when the Israeli army killed one or more refugees, we knew in advance that mass protests would follow, thus more killings. In these situations, a curfew was imminent.

Number one priority was to ensure that all family members congregated at home or stayed within close proximity so that they could rush in as fast as possible when the caravan of Israeli military jeeps and tanks came thundering, opening fire at anyone or anything within sight.

Lesson number one: Always think ahead and prepare for a longer lockdown than the initial one declared by your city or state.

Stay Calm

My father had a bad temper, although a very kind heart. When curfews were about to start, he would enter into a near-panic state. A chain smoker with obsessive, although rational fear that one of his five boys would eventually be killed, he would walk around the house in a useless rush, not knowing what to do next.

Typically, my mother would come in, rational and calculating. She would storm the kitchen to assess what basic supplies were missing, starting with the flour, sugar and olive oil.

Knowing that the first crackdown by the Israelis would be on water supplies and electricity, she would fill several plastic containers of water, designating some for tea, coffee and cooking, and others for dishes and washing clothes.

Per her orders, we would rush to the nearby stores to make small but necessary purchases – batteries for the flashlight and the transistor radio, cigarettes for my dad, and a few VHS videotapes which we would watch over and again, whether the curfew lasted for a few days or a few weeks.

Lesson number two: Take control of the situation – do not panic – and assign specific responsibilities to every family member. This strengthens the family unit and sets the stage for collective solidarity desperately required under these circumstances.

Preserve Your Water

I cannot emphasize this enough. Even if you think that a water crisis is not impending, do not take chances.

It is easy to feel invincible and fully prepared on the first day of quarantine – or military curfew. Many times, we lived to regret that false sense of readiness, as we drank too much tea or squandered our dishwashing water supplies too quickly.

In this case, you have a serious problem, especially during the summer months when you cannot count on rainwater to make up for the deficit.

Years after the end of the Intifada, my father revealed to us that many a time, him and mom used the rainwater they collected in buckets throughout the house, including the leaked roofs for our drinking supplies, even when there was no electricity or gas to boil the water beforehand.

In retrospect, this explains the many bouts of diarrhea we experienced, despite his assurances that they had painstakingly removed all bird droppings from the salvaged water.

Lesson number three: Cautiously use your water supplies during a quarantine, and never, under any circumstance, drink rainwater or, at least, keep diarrhea pills handy.

Ration Your Food

The same logic that applies to water applies to food. It goes without saying that any acquired food would have to cover the basics first. For example, flour, which we used to make bread, comes before bananas, and sugar, which we consumed abundantly with tea, comes before Dutch candy.

I made that mistake more than once, not because of my love for the imported Dutch candy which we purchased from Abu Sa’dad’s store, located in the center of the camp. The truth is, my brothers and I played a strange form of candy poker which kept us entertained for many hours. I dreaded running out of my precious supplies before the curfew was over, thus subjugating myself to potential humiliation of having to auction everything else I owned – including my small radio – to stay in the game.

My poor mother was devastated numerous times by the horrible choices we made when we rushed to buy ‘essentials’.

Lesson number four: Agree in advance on what classifies as ‘essential food’, and consume your food in a rational way. Also, if you are lucky enough to locate Dutch candy in whatever version of the Abu Sa’dad’s store, in your town, do not gamble it all in one day.

Find Sources of Entertainment

If electricity is still available, then you still have the option of watching television. For us, Indian movies, especially those starring Amitabh Bachchan, were the number one option. Imagine my disappointment when our beloved movie star, who helped us through numerous military curfews in Gaza, was photographed grinning with right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the latter’s visit to India in 2018.

If electricity is cut off, be ready with alternative options: books, free wrestling, living-room soccer (with the ball preferably made from stuffed-up socks contributed by all family members), and, of course, candy poker.

Lesson number five: The key is to have more than one form of entertainment and to be prepared for every eventuality, including power outages as a form of collective punishment.

Find the Humor in Grim Situations

Don’t focus on the negatives; there is no point or wisdom in that. Emphasizing the grimness of a situation can only contribute to the feeling of defeat and powerlessness that are already generated by the lockdown. There will be plenty of time in which you can look back, reflect, and even bemoan your unfortunate circumstance.

But, during the curfew itself is when you actually need your sense of humor most. Take things lightly – laugh at your miserable situation, if you must. Forgive yourself for not being perfect, for panicking when you should have been composed, or for forcing your younger brother to gamble his underwear when he runs out of Dutch candy.

Difficult situations can offer the kind of scenarios that can be interpreted in two extreme ways: either extremely tragic or extremely funny; opt for the latter whenever you can, because as long as you laugh, as long as your spirit remains unbroken, your humanity remains intact.

Lesson number six: Be funny, don’t take life too seriously, share a laugh with others, and let humor inject hope in every hour and every day of your quarantine.

Hold Tighter to Your Faith

Whether you are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, or any other faith; whether you are an atheist, agnostic, or practice any form of spirituality, philosophy or belief system, find comfort in your faith and beliefs.

Since all mosques in our refugee camp were shut down, if not raided during a military curfew, the call for prayer, which we heard five times during each day, was permanently silenced.

To keep the call for prayer going, we would sneak to the roof of our houses, carefully scan the area for any Israeli soldiers, and collectively make the call for prayer whenever it was required. Volunteers included my English teacher, who was communist and claimed that he did not believe in God, myself, and Nabil, the neighbor boy with the massive head and the most unpleasant voice.

In curfews, we developed a different relationship with God: He became a personal and more intimate companion, as we often prayed in total darkness, whispered our verses so very cautiously as not to be heard by pesky soldiers. And, even those who hardly prayed before the curfew kept up with all five prayers during the lockdown.

Lesson number seven: Let your values guide you during your hours of loneliness. And if you volunteer to make a call for prayer (or recite your religious hymns) please be honest with yourself: if you have no sense of rhythm or if your voice has the pitch of an angry alley cat, for God’s sake, leave the job to someone else.

In Conclusion

I hope that under no circumstances you will ever hear these ominous words: “You are now under curfew. Anyone who violates orders will be shot immediately.” I also hope that this COVID-19 quarantine will make us kinder to each other and will make us emerge from our homes better people, ready to take on global challenges while united in our common faith, collective pain and a renewed sense of love for our environment.

And when it’s all over, think of Palestine, for her people have been ‘quarantined’ for 71 years and counting.

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Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of five books. His latest is “These Chains Will Be Broken: Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons” (Clarity Press, Atlanta). Dr. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA), Istanbul Zaim University (IZU).

New Post has been published on https://www.truth-seeker.info/quran-science-2/global-unpreparedness-in-tackling-coronavirus/

Global Unpreparedness in Tackling Coronavirus

By Habib Siddiqui

Global Unpreparedness in Tackling Coronavirus

As of early afternoon time EST (USA), April 10, more than 1.6 million people are confirmed to have been infected by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) worldwide. More than 100 thousand people have reportedly died of this virus.

The USA tops the list with more than 502 thousand confirmed cases and eighteen thousand deaths (accounting for more than 18% of the total death toll and more than 30% of the infected people in the world). Italy has the highest number of deaths at over 19 thousand followed by Spain approaching 16 thousand (all these figures are increasing by the minutes).

In recent weeks, most governments around the globe have declared the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency. Sadly though, many heads of the state lied and continue to do so about this once-in-a-generation crisis. Some of the heads of the state are still in denial of this deadly virus.

As of now, 6761 patients are confirmed to have the COVID in India; 206 people have died. While the first case of COVID-19 was reported on January 30 inside India, the Modi government paid little attention to it. On February 1, Modi was busy preparing for Trump’s visit to India: Namaste Trump. On Feb. 23, Delhi pogroms were triggered against Muslims by his fascist party members. On Feb. 24, the Namaste Trump event was held. On March 4, the first government meeting was held to discuss the Coronavirus issue. On March 9, for the first time, screening tests began at the airports in India.

While the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a ‘pandemic’ on March 11, the BJP MLA (members of the legislative assembly) were taken to resorts in a bus on March 11-12. The BJP government declared on March 13 that it is not a health emergency and in the following days it was busy in toppling the Madhya Pradesh (MP) government. On March 16, Modi convened a SAARC meeting to discuss the pandemic.

On March 19, he addressed Indian people for the first time and announced a 1-day Janata (public) curfew. On March 20-21 BJP formed government in MP after BJP legislators in that state celebrated the fall of the Kamal Nath government on Friday with sweets and bursting of firecrackers at the party headquarters in Bhopal. As the virus problem spread, Modi extended the Janata curfew on March 22 and banned all flights on March 25. The next day, March 26, India was put on a lockdown until April 14.

In the USA, President Trump, too, was busy campaigning and visiting India, and then haughtily stating that the infection was not a danger, the risk being very little to Americans and could well be managed, even touting the idea that the US doctors could help China combat the pandemic, if asked. On Feb. 7, he claimed that the coronavirus would weaken “when we get into April, in the warmer weather—that has a very negative effect on that, and that type of a virus.”

On Feb. 27, he falsely claimed that the outbreak would be temporary: “It’s going to disappear. One day it’s like a miracle—it will disappear.” When the country’s testing capabilities are severely limited, he claimed on March 6, “Anybody that needs a test, gets a test. We—they are there. They have the tests. And the tests are beautiful.”

Now, Trump knows better and sounds alarming. My statistical analysis of the data suggests that the number of infected persons has been doubling every three days. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that, in a worst-case scenario, 200,000 to 1.7 million Americans could die from COVID-19, The New York Times reports. Other estimates place the number of possible deaths at 1.1 million to 1.2 million.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that lives might have been saved had Trump not spent weeks denying the severity of the approaching pandemic and adopted more aggressive actions to prepare.

President Donald Trump finally leveled with America about the desperate reality of the coronavirus pandemic, warning of cruel weeks to come in one of the most chilling White House moments in modern history. Even with blanket nationwide adoption of stringent mitigation efforts, between 100,000 and 240,000 Americans could face death in the coming weeks in a cascading nationwide ordeal, according to modeling explained by senior members of the President’s emergency task force Tuesday.

In times of national crisis, the US presidents have delivered grave news to the nation. George W. Bush had to narrate the horror of the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Ronald Reagan movingly eulogized shuttle astronauts after a 1986 disaster. And John F. Kennedy kept his nerve to address the nation during a showdown with the Soviet Union over Cuba that threatened to erupt in nuclear war.

According to CNN, no president for many decades has had to level with his country over such a sudden impending loss of American life in a medical emergency as Trump is now being forced to do — after apparently coming to terms about the extent of the crisis himself.

Like his ally and US President Donald Trump, Brazil’s President Bolsonaro has repeatedly sought to minimize the pandemic, first dismissing it as “fantasy” and then just “a little flu.” “A Brazilian dives in the sewer and he doesn’t catch anything,” Bolsonaro told viewers of his weekly Facebook Live program last Thursday. This Sunday, he toured the capital Brasilia, defying social distancing recommendations, visiting markets, and shaking hands with supporters while encouraging them to continue working to keep the economy going.

In Bangladesh, the first three cases of Covid-19 were confirmed on March 8th. Within the next ten days five more patients were diagnosed with the virus with one of them (a 70-year old man) dying on March 18. On March 14, Awami League general secretary and road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader said that no situation had emerged to close down educational institutions of the country due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The opposition parties have claimed that the government was too busy with the preparation for centennial celebration of Bangabandhu, Sheikh Mujib; only when the event had to be cancelled since the guest of honor, Modi, declined to visit Dhaka to tackle the in-house virus problem in India did the government shift its attention to combating the virus. It was a late initiative but a necessary one to limit its spread.

Almost all the international flights to and from Bangladeshi airports, except mostly a few chartered flights, were stopped. But those who flew into Bangladesh were either not checked for the virus or were able to buy in their no-virus stamp (negative) through bribe when checked!

Corruption remains endemic in Bangladesh and thus, it is no accident that government measures on Covid-19 led a section of corrupt government officers and agencies to make money through illicit means. Since mid-March 2020, according to Human Rights Watch, government authorities have apparently arrested at least a dozen people, including a doctor, opposition activists, and students, for their comments about coronavirus, most of them under the draconian Digital Security Act.

Meanwhile, a leaked inter agency United Nations memo on Bangladesh’s Country Preparedness and Response Plan for COVID-19 estimates that up to two million people could die from the disease in Bangladesh if immediate steps are not taken to contain the spread of the virus. So far, fortunately, there appears to be – if the Bangladesh government report can be trusted – only 51 virus patients and 5 deaths. The government has extended the house lockdown to April 11.

Now with all the economic activities coming to a hard stop, millions of people are without any job and access to the basic means of survival.

Alarm caused by the Covid-19 pandemic is creating security problems in many countries. In Mexico a gang of over 70 people looted a grocery store in the municipality of Tecamac on the night of March 23. Outnumbering employees and security personnel, the looters took food, alcohol, and even money. Some employees were reported to have made off with some of the products not taken by looters.

Inside the USA, while most families have been stocking up on grocery items, many Americans have also been stocking up guns and ammunitions. The fear is: if martial law or curfew is imposed and people don’t have the access to food, esp. with millions of lost jobs, they may break into others’ homes and stores to grab what is necessary. In the past, there had been cases in which people walked out of grocery stores without paying while the store security guards were either inadequate or afraid to stop the gun-carrying customers. So, such fears are not too far-fetched in this land of Second Amendment!

Dr. Crystal Reeck, a professor at Temple University in Philadelphia, says all this uncertainty with the coronavirus is causing a lot of anxiety and fear. “And I think one of the ways people cope with anxiety and fear is trying to control what they can and trying to seek to sort of protect themselves and try to maintain as much security as they can for themselves,” said Dr. Reeck.

It goes without saying that all the governments have been dumbfounded and caught flat-footed by this nasty unseen enemy, sobering their arrogance. They saw it coming last year but ignored it until it started killing large scale in China.

Expectedly, outside those working in the health care sector, one class of notable people appear to have been affected more than others — politicians – because of their social interactions. The infected notables include Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the UK, Iraj Harirchi – the head of the Iranian counter-coronavirus task force, Franck Riester – French Culture Minister,  Nadine Dorries, UK Health Minister, and Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau isolated himself for two weeks after his wife, Sophie, tested positive on March 12, following her return from the UK.

Of late, most governments have imposed ‘social distancing’ as one of the measures to curtail the spread of the virus. They may also like to learn the lessons from Germany, which probably has the lowest percentage of death, 1.11 percent. According to experts, Germany’s case fatality rate is so low due to its widespread testing. Unburdened by a restrictive central regulatory body, since healthcare is administered at the state level in Germany, private companies moved quickly to mass-produce those tests, meaning they could be rolled out rapidly to the population.

The governments around the globe need to plan and must develop contingent plan in dealing with not only the virus pandemic issue but also its on time and after-effects. How are they going to ensure that people do not die or lose hope? What happens if the policy makers themselves are infected?

Only the statistics of the coming days will show how effective various governments have been to combat this terrible pandemic!

May God help us all!

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New Post has been published on https://www.truth-seeker.info/uncategorized/prophet-muhammad-is-not-god/

Prophet Muhammad Is Not God

By Dr. Ali Al-Halawani

Prophet Muhammad Is Not God

He was a man with a noble mission.

He always described himself as “A servant and Messenger of Allah (the One and Only God)“.

His mission was to unite mankind for the worship of One God on the codes of moral excellence.

The life and teachings of Muhammad have survived without the slightest loss, alteration or interpolation.

Offering the same undying hope for treating mankind’s many ills, which they did when he was alive.

Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Do not over-praise me as the Christians over-praised Jesus, the son of Mary. I am His slave, so refer to me as ‘God’s slave and Messenger.’”

Every detail of his private life & public utterances has been accurately documented & faithfully preserved to our day.

The Prophet’s wife, ‘A’ishah, was once asked to describe the Prophet, and she replied that “his character was a reflection of the Qur’an” (Sahih Muslim, 40).

Watch this 5-minute video to learn more…

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New Post has been published on https://www.truth-seeker.info/oasis-of-faith/merits-of-the-15th-night-of-shaban/

Merits of the 15th Night of Shaban

By Truth Seeker Staff

Merits of the 15th Night of Shaban

Shaban is the 8th month in the Islamic calendar and is considered one of the meritorious months for which we find particular instructions in the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad. It is reported that Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) used to fast most of the month in Shaban except for the last few days of the month.

These fasts are supererogatory (nafl). Shaban is the month immediately preceding the month of Ramadan. The Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned in a hadith, “Rajab is the month of Allah, Shaban is my month and Ramadan is the month of the Nation“.

The blessed companion Usama ibn Zaid, reports that he asked Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him): “Messenger of Allah, I have seen you fasting in the month of Shaban so frequently that I have never seen you fasting in any other month.” Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) replied: “That (Shaban) is a month between Rajab and Ramadan, which is neglected by many people. And it is a month in which an account of the deeds (of human beings) is presented before the Lord of the universe, so, I wish that my deeds be presented at a time when I am in a state of fasting.”

Ummul Mu’mineen ‘Aishah (r), says, “Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him), used to fast for most of Shaban. I said to him, ‘Messenger of Allah, is Shaban your favorite month for fasting?’ He said, ‘In this month Allah prescribes the list of the persons dying this year. Therefore, I like that my death comes when I am in a state of fasting.‘ ”

These reports indicate that fasting in the month of Shaban, though not obligatory but are very deserving and that Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) did not like to miss it.

The Night of nisf (mid) Shaban

Various Islamic scholars have recommended special worship during the night of the 15th of Shaban. This is based on the saying (Hadith) of Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) the meaning of which is that during the night of 15th of Shaban, Allah will say “is there any person repenting so that I forgive him, and any person seeking provision so that I provide for him, and any person with distress so that I relieve him, and so on until dawn.” reported by Ibn Majah.

This is the night occurring between the 14th and 15th days of Shaban. Traditions of Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) show that it is a prominent night in which the people of the earth are attended by special Divine Mercy.

On the Night of 15th Shaban, after Maghrib or Isha prayer, it is traditional practice to read Surah Yasin and make special supplications for good health, protection from calamities and increased Iman.

According to tradition, this night has special blessings that are directed towards the faithful. Therefore, as much as possible, this night should be spent in worship and total submission to Allah Almighty. Also, fasting is recommended on the day immediately following this Night, i.e. the 15th day of Shaban.

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New Post has been published on https://www.truth-seeker.info/featured/saudi-urges-muslims-to-hold-off-on-hajj-plans/

Saudi Urges Muslims to Hold off on Hajj Plans

By Omar Shariff

Saudi Haj and Umrah Minister Mohammed Saleh Bin Taher Banten has requested Muslims around the world to wait till a clearer picture emerges before making Haj plans, given the coronavirus pandemic that is ravaging the globe right now. “The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is prepared to secure the safety of all Muslims and nationals,” Banten told state television. “That’s why we have requested from all Muslims around the world to hold onto signing any agreements until we have a clear vision.”

Banten’s statement constitutes the first official comment from the kingdom on the Haj so far.

Banten’s comments at a time when the kingdom has reported 10 deaths an almost 1,600 cases of COVID-19 infections. Saudi Arabia has barred people from entering or exiting three major cities, including Mecca and Medina, and imposed a nighttime curfew across the country.

Each year, up to 2 million Muslims perform the Haj, which all able-bodied Muslims with the means are required to perform once in their lifetime. For many, the Haj takes years of planning and savings, and among the faithful, it is seen as a journey of faith, a journey of a lifetime.

Standing in Mecca in front of the Kaaba that Muslims pray towards five times daily, Banten also said the kingdom was already providing care for 1,200 pilgrims stuck in the holy city due to global travel restrictions. A number of them are being quarantined in hotels in Mecca, he said.

The state-run Saudi Press Agency cited Banten’s remarks in stories early Wednesday, saying that Muslims should “be patient” in making their plans for the Haj. The pilgrimage was expected to begin in late July this year.

Like other countries around the world and in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has suspended all inbound and outbound commercial flights. The Middle East has more than 71,000 confirmed cases of the virus, most of those in Iran, and over 3,300 deaths. More than 851,000 people have been infected by the novel coronavirus across the world and 42,053 have died.

In February 2020, the kingdom took the extraordinary decision to close off the holy cities of Mecca and Medina to foreigners over the virus, a step which wasn’t taken even during the 1918 flu epidemic that killed tens of millions worldwide. Cancelling the Haj would be unprecedented in modern times, but curbing attendance from high-risk areas has happened before, including in recent years during the Ebola outbreak.

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New Post has been published on https://www.truth-seeker.info/oasis-of-faith/the-support-that-comes-with-patience-and-prayer/

The Support that Comes with Patience and Prayer

By Truth Seeker Staff

The Support that Comes with Patience and Prayer

“And seek help in patience and as-salat (the prayer) and truly, it is extremely heavy and hard except for al-khashi’un. (They are those) who are certain that they are going to meet their Lord, and that unto Him they are going to return.” [Al-Baqarah 2:45-46]

Allah commanded His servants to use patience and prayer to acquire the good of this life and the Hereafter. Muqatil ibn Hayan said that this ayah means, “Utilize patience and the obligatory prayer in seeking the Hereafter. As for patience (here), they say that it means fasting.”

There are similar texts reported from Mujahid. Al-Qurtubi and other scholars commented, “This is why Ramadan is called the month of patience,” as is mentioned in the hadith literature. It was also said that patience in the ayah means, refraining from evil, and this is why patience was mentioned along with practicing acts of worship, especially and foremost, the prayer.

Also, Ibn Abi Hatim narrated that ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab said, “There are two types of patience: good patience when the disaster strikes, and a better patience while avoiding the prohibitions of Allah.” Ibn Abi Hatim said that Al-Hasan al-Basri was reported to have said similarly.

Allah then said, “And as-salat … ”

The prayer is one of the best means of assistance for firmly adhering to Allah’s orders, just as Allah said:

“Recite (O Muhammad) what has been revealed to you of the Book (the Qur’an), and perform as-salah. Verily, as-salah (the prayer) prevents al-fahsha’ (i.e. great sins of every kind), and al-munkar and the remembrance of (praising) of (you by) Allah is greater indeed.” [Al-`Ankabut 29:45]

The personal pronoun in the ayah, ” … and truly, it is extremely heavy and hard … ” refers to prayer, as Mujahid is reported to have said, and it was also the choice of Ibn Jarir. It is possible that the pronoun might be referring to the advice – to observe patience and the prayer – mentioned in the same ayah. Similarly, Allah said about Qarun (Korah):

“But those who had been given (religious) knowledge said: ‘Woe to you! The reward of Allah (in the Hereafter) is better for those who believe and do righteous good deeds, and this, none shall attain except as-sabirun(the patient).’” [Al-Qasas 28:80]

Also, Allah said:

“The good deed and the evil deed cannot be equal. Repel (the evil) with one which is better then verily he, between whom and you there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a close friend. But none is granted it (the above quality) except those who are patient ـ and none is granted it except the owner of the great portion (of happiness in the Hereafter and) in this world.” [Fussilat 41:34-35]

Meaning, this advice is only implemented by those who are patient and the fortunate. In any case, Allah’s statement here means, prayer is ‘heavy and burdensome’.

Allah then said, “ … except for al-khashi’in.”

Ibn Abi Talhah reported that Ibn ‘Abbas commented on this ayah, “They (al-khashi’in) are those who believe in what Allah has revealed.”

Allah’s statement:

“They are those who are certain that they are going to meet their Lord, and that unto Him they are going to return.”

… continues the subject that was started in the previous ayah. Therefore, the prayer, or the advice to observe it is heavy, “ … except for al-khashi’in. (They are those) who are certain (yazunnuna) that they are going to meet their Lord … “, meaning, they know that they will be gathered and face their Lord on the Day of Resurrection, “ … and that unto Him they are going to return“, meaning, their affairs are all subject to His will and He justly decides what He wills.

Since they are certain that they will be returned to Allah and be reckoned, it is easy for them to perform the acts of obedience and refrain from the prohibitions. Ibn Jarir commented on Allah’s statement:

“Yazunnuna that they are going to meet their Lord … ”

Ibn Jarir said, “The Arabs call certainty as well as doubt, dhann. There are similar instances in the Arabic language where a subject, as well as its opposite, share the same name.

For instance, Allah said, ‘And the mujrimun (criminals, polytheists, sinners), shall see the Fire and dhannu (apprehend) that they have to fall therein.‘ [Al-Kahf 18:53].

It is recorded in the Sahih that on the Day of Resurrection, Allah will say to a servant, ‘Have I not allowed you to marry, honoured you, made the horses and camels subservient to you and allowed you to become a chief and a master,’ He will say, ‘Yes.’ Allah will say, ‘Did you have dhann (think) that you will meet Me,’ He will say, ‘No.’ Allah will say, ‘This Day, I will forget you, just as you forgot Me.'”

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New Post has been published on https://www.truth-seeker.info/jewels-of-islam/9-muslim-teen-leaders/

9 Muslim Teen Leaders

By Dr. Ali Al-Halawani

9 Muslim Teen Leaders

A few days ago, while waiting for a bus to take me downtown, I met an elderly Canadian lady. She wore a red poppy as a sign to remember the members of the armed forces who died in the line of duty during the past world wars.

Spontaneously, I said, “This is a great thing about you, Canadians!”

Enthusiastically she asked, “What is it? What do you mean?”

I said, “You, unlike many other people, never forget your heroes; those who have sacrificed themselves for the sake of their country! That is why, when your soldiers go to battle, they do their best as they know they would always be remembered!”

While on the bus, I thought of the many heroes who have been exceptional examples in terms of bravery and self-sacrifice throughout our Islamic history. But almost no one remembers them or cares about commemorating them in any way.

I decided I would write a brief account of some of the heroes who were young but influential.

Let me introduce you to 9 of the youngest leaders in Islamic history, many of whom are unknown to many.

Al-Arqam ibn Abi Al-Arqam (16 years old)

Though very young, Al-Arqam ibn Abi Al-Arqam turned his home into the Prophet’s headquarters for 13 consecutive years.

In doing so, he helped raise the first Muslim generation who protected the Prophet, defended the faith, and spread the Word of Allah across the globe.

Talha ibn Ubaid Allah (16 years old)

He embraced Islam in his teenage years and was one of the very first to believe in the new faith. Talha was also one of the most generous people amongst the early Muslims.

In the battle of Uhud, he made a pledge to the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he would die in the cause of Allah and, thus, protect the Prophet from the disbelievers.

He shielded the Prophet from flying daggers and arrows with his own body until one of his fingers was paralyzed. However, he managed to save the Prophet’s life. He was also one of the six people Umar Ibn Al-Khattab nominated to decide who’ll be the next Caliph.

Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas (17 years old)

At the age of 17, Sa`d was one of the very first people to believe in the Prophet and accept Islam.

He was also the first to shoot an arrow for the defense of Islam. He was one of the ten people who received the glad tidings from the Prophet as to enter Paradise.

Also, he was one of the six nominated by Caliph Umar ibn Al-Khattab to choose amongst themselves as his successor after his death.

One day, the Prophet (peace be upon him) referred to him as saying, “This is my maternal uncle Sa`d. Is there anyone who has an uncle like him?”

Az-Zubair ibn Al-Awwam (15 years old)

Az-Zubair ibn Al-Awwam was the first Muslim to unsheathe his sword in the cause of Allah.

He was one of the close disciples of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Besides that, he was among the six people that Umar Ibn Al-Khattab nominated to succeed him as Caliph.

Osama ibn Zayd (18 years old)

Although he was only 18, he was qualified enough to be appointed by the Prophet as the leader of the last army he dispatched before he passed away.

The army was comprised of prominent Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) such as Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq and Umar ibn Al-Khattab and many others.

The army was to confront the Roman army, one of the mightiest armies on earth at that time.

Zayd ibn Thabit (13 years old)

Zayd was one of the scribes of the Divine Revelation. He reportedly learned Syriac and Hebrew in 17 days and became the Prophet’s interpreter.

Practicing until he perfected it, Zayd committed the Noble Qur’an to his heart.

He contributed to the compilation of the Sacred Word of Allah during Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq’s Caliphate.

Mu`adh ibn Amr ibn Al-Jamuh (13 years old) and Mu`awwadh ibn Afraa’ (14 years old)

In modern-day terms, these two were only kids! However, more than 1400 years ago, they managed to put an end to the life of one of the biggest enemies of Islam, who spared no effort to harass the Prophet companions. They killed Abu Jahl (Amr ibn Hisham) in the battle of Badr while he was commander of the polytheists.

Muhammad ibn Qasim Al-Thaqafi (17 years old)

Muhammad ibn Qasim Al-Thaqafi was a prominent leader. During the Umayyad era, he brought Islam to the Sindh and Multan regions along the Indus River, which is now a part of Pakistan.

He was one of the greatest military leaders of his time. Bin Qasim Town in Karachi is named after Muhammad ibn Qasim.

A final word

How are our youth today? What sort of role models do they have to cherish? What do they aspire to do or achieve?

I have heard some of the youth today speak of a few of these prominent figures with admiration, but sadly, many others have never even heard of them.

Our heroes can be a wonderful source of inspiration; let us read about them and learn from their courage and sacrifice!

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New Post has been published on https://www.truth-seeker.info/jewels-of-islam/thirty-prophetic-hadiths-on-mercy/

Thirty Prophetic Hadiths on Mercy

By Truth Seeker Staff

Thirty Hadiths on Mercy

“Despair not of the Mercy of God, for God forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Az-Zumar 39:53)

One aspect of the Mercy of Allah of His slaves is that He sent the Messengers and revealed the Books and laws to organize their lives according to the ways of wisdom, far removed from hardship and difficulty. Allah says:

“And We have sent you (O Muhammad) not but as a mercy for the ‘alamin (mankind, jinn and all that exists).” (Al-Anbiya’ 21:107)

It is by the Mercy of Allah that He will admin His believing slaves to Paradise on the Day of Resurrection. No-one will ever enter Paradise because of his deeds along as the Prophet, upon whom be peace, said, “No-one’s deeds will ever admit him to Paradise.” They said, “Not even you, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “No, not even me, unless Allah showers me with His Mercy. So try to be near to perfection. An no-one should wish for death; he is either doing good so he will do more of that, or he is doing wrong so he may repent.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

We hope and pray that this booklet will bring the reader closer to Allah by inspiring you to reflect on the meaning of these ahadith and to increase you in acts of mercy in the blessed month [of Ramadan] and beyond.

“Ramadan has come to you – a month of blessing in which Allah covers you with blessing, for He sends down Mercy, decreases sins and answers prayers. In it Allah looks at your competition (in good deeds) and boasts about you to His angels. So show Allah goodness from yourselves for the unfortunate one is he who is deprived herein of the Mercy of Allah, the Mighty, the Exalted.” (At-Tabarani)

“Where there comes the month of Ramadan, the gates of mercy are opened and the gates of Hell are locked and the devils are chained.” (Muslim)

“Allah has made mercy into one hundred parts. He kept with Himself ninety-nine parts and sent down one part to the Earth so because of that part the creation is merciful such that a horse raises a hoof over its child for fear of hurting it.” (Al-Bukhari)

“When Allah decreed the creation He wrote in His Book which is with Him on His Throne: My Mercy prevails over My Wrath.” (Al-Bukhari)

The Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, was asked, “O Messenger of Allah pray against the idolators!” So the Prophet said, “Verily, I was not sent to invoke curses but rather I was only sent as a mercy.” (Muslim)

“I am the Prophet of repentance and I am the Prophet of mercy.” (Muslim)

“Those who are merciful will be shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Be merciful to those on the earth and the One above the heavens will have mercy upon you.” (At-Tirmidhi)

“Be merciful to other you will receive mercy. Forgive others and Allah will forgive you.” (Ahmad)

A man saw the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, kiss his grandson Hasan. The man said, “I have ten children and I do not kiss any of them.” The Prophet, upon whom be peace, said, “Verily whoever does not show mercy will not be shown mercy.” (At-Tirmidhi)

“He who does not show mercy to our little ones or recognize the rights of our elders if not one of us.” (Ahmad)

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