Taraweeh Salaah – Night 10

By Sheikh Abdul Hamid Lachporia – Canada

In the Name of Almighty Allah Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Tonight’s Tarawee consists of the balance [three quarters] of Wa ma min Dhab’bateen (JUZ 12) and half of Wa’ma Ubarri -u-nafsee (JUZ 13). The Surahs that will be covered are the remaining half of Surah Hud, Yusuf and a third of Surah Ar-Ra’d.

SURAH HUD:
Awful were the fates of the ‘Ad and Thamud, two mighty people of ancient Arabia. They rejected Almighty Allah and His Message and carried on in their evil ways. The ‘Ad in their superstitions and arrogance, and the Thamud in their entrenched selfishness, denying to others the gifts of Almighty Allah’s spacious earth! When the Mala’eeka, on a mission to Sodom and Gomorrah, Cities of the Plain, passed by Nabee Ebrahim Alayhis Salaam, he entertained them and received the Good News from them of the line of prophets to spring from his loins, he tried to intercede for the two wicked cities of sin and evil. These cities were steeped in sin and had past all hopes of repentance. Hazrat Lut Alayhis Salaam preached to them but they flouted him and went to their fate, as did Midian, the people of Nabee Shu’ayb Alayhis Salaam who destroyed their commerce by fraudulent dealings and love of brute force. Marvellous are Allah’s Mercies, and strange are the ways of ungrateful men. How the arrogant Fir’aun (Pharaoh) misled his people in resisting Almighty Allah’s Message through Nabee Moosa Alayhis Salaam. Thus did they ruin themselves! It was they who wronged themselves: for Allah and His punishment are just: All men will be brought to the Seat of His Judgement.

SURAH YUSUF:
This Surah deals with the story of Nabee Yusuf Alayhis Salaam – and the 12 sons of Nabee Yaqoob Alayhis Salaam. This story is called one of “the most beautiful of stories” for three reasons: (1) It is the most detailed story in the Most Glorious Qur’an (2) It covers the trials and tribulations – the peaks and valleys, the ups and downs in human fortunes (3) it describes in detail with moral meanings, the attitudes and behaviour of people i.e. the great love of a father for his young son, the jealousy of the older half brothers, their plots, their aged father’s sorrow, the sale of their young brother into slavery to a merchant for a “miserable price”, sexual love, contrasted with purity, honesty, modesty, false charges, prison and interpretation of dreams, innocence raised to honour, the “sweet revenge of forgiveness and kindness, high matters dealing with the ruling of a country, constant remembrance of Allah combined with the beauty of piety and truth. The merchant took him to Egypt, where a high court official (‘Aziz) bought and adopted him. ‘Aziz’s wife tried without success to seduce Nabee Yusuf Alayhis Salaam. For refusing to succumb to her sexual advances she laid false charges against him and he was jailed.

The King had a dream, which Nabee Yusuf Alayhis Salaam successfully interpreted. The King was going to release him but he insisted that all Fithnah and false charges against him should be cleared. The King was impressed and made him his Chief Minister. His half brothers came to Egypt to buy corn because of the draught in Canaan. He treated them kindly without revealing his identity to them. He requested them to bring him his full brother Binyamin the youngest son. He detained Binyamin and then accused his half-brothers of their hatred and crime against him. He revealed his identity to them and forgave them all. He asked them to bring their father to Egypt where the entire settled down. Allah’s Name was glorified for Allah’s Truth lasts forever and His purpose will be fully revealed in the Aghirah.

SURAH AL RA’D:
This Surah deals with how Almighty Allah shows Himself to mankind. Despite all the wonderful Signs around us, why does man continue to disbelieve? Firstly, Allah reveals His Message through His creation and the laws ruling nature; He also reveals His Message by revelation. We witness life and death all around us. We are witness to the the trees and all vegetation dying in winter and coming back to life through Divine Providence in Spring. But the unbelievers ask: “When we are dust, shall we actually then be in a new creation?” They mock at the idea that Allah will punish them because they have not been punished for their evil deeds. They want to see the signs of His Power rather than His Mercy but they are too dumb and ignorant to know that Allah’s Power, Glory and Mercy can be seen in thunder and lightning. Allah is All-Knowing. Good will triumph and evil will be defeated.

Courtesy: www.everymuslim.net

Related posts:

1. Taraweeh Salaah – Night 7
2. Taraweeh Salaah – Night 6
3. Taraweeh Salaah – Night 9
4. Taraweeh Salaah – Night 2
5. Taraweeh Salaah – Night 3

Denmark: Help for immigrant girls suffering from eating-disorders

‘New Danish’ young women also get anorexia and bulimia and starve themselves to death. But the counselors who offer help never hear from those girls, who secretly turn matchstick-thin.

Eating disorders don’t affect just teenagers named Mette and Caroline. Girls named Fadma and Aisha also starve themselves and dream of a perfect body.

Mette Fløjborg, counseling coordinator for the National Association of Eating Disorders and Self-Mutilation, says that there’s a lot of evidence that New Danish women are at greater risk of developing eating disorders than Danish women.

And yet, New Danes rarely turn to advice centers and helplines, and only New-Danish girls who have already starved themselves almost to death, show up for treatment.

Mette Fløjborg says they get around 25 queries a day, but they almost never hear from immigrants. “We know they have eating disorders, but not how we can help them.”

Therefore the Association fro Young New Danish Women (Foreningen for Unge Nydanske Kvinder) started off a new counseling initiative in Cooperation with the National Association of Eating Disorders and Self-Mutilation.

Rbia Afzal (25) is project leaders for counseling for young New Danes which from now on will be available every Wednesday via chat or telephone.

“New Danish girls are expected to be the perfect daughter, the perfect sister, have perfect education, look perfect, find the perfect husband, and at the same time balance between Danish culture and their homeland culture. There are many expectations from all sides, and it’s things like that which can give rise to an eating disorder,” says Rbia Afzal, who says she knows many immigrant girls who starved themselves.

She certain that counselors of immigrant background will be able to draw out more New-Danish girls, because the girls will have more trust in another New-Dane.

“A Danish counselor won’t be able to understand the girl’s circumstances as well as a New-Dane. An eating disorder is the same, regardless of whether you’re called Anja or Aisha. But the circumstances are very different. Many New-Danish families don’t suspect what eating disorders are, and there’s a big taboo on mental problems. In the worst case, it can bring shame to the entire family, so for many girls it’s very important to hide their problems,” says Rbia Afzal.

Source: Berlingske Tidende (Danish)

Denmark: The cost of a non-Western immigrant

It’s difficult to compare the numbers, but it seems a non-Western immigrant in Denmark costs much more than a non-Western immigrant in the Netherlands.

———-

Immigrants from Western countries contribute the most to Danish society, even more than ethnic Danes do, according to figures from the liberal think-tank CEPOS and the independent institute DREAM.

While an immigrant from a non-Western country costs 29,598 kroner (~ 4,000 EUR) a year, an ethnic Dane costs 5,470 kroner. Immigrants from Western countries are, on the other hand, a good investment. They contribute 13,522 kroner (~1,800 EUR) a year to the state coffers.

The figures are calculated as the expected impact of a child born in 2008 and the latest available figures for expenses on immigrants vs. Danes. The contribution of immigrants – taxes and fees – are compared to the expenses for Danish society – for example, subsistence allowances, welfare, students loans, pensions and other public benefits.

Deputy manager Mads Lundby Hansen of CEPOS says that there’s a lack of initiatives to get more non-Western immigrants to contribute more to Danish society, by getting immigrants into the labor market.

The think-tank proposes immigrants start off with a salary below the minimum wage, raising it later to the minimum wage.

Source: Berlingske Tidende (Danish)

See also:

* Netherlands: Non-Western immigration costs 7.2 billion euro a year

* Denmark: DPP wants non-Western immigration stop

* Denmark: DPP want to know cost of non-Western immigration

Odense: “We are only Danish on paper”

Information’s journalist Hana Al-Khamri, who is from Yemen and had lived most of her life in Saudi-ARabia, visited Vollsmose and met the neighborhood’s residents. She recounts her meetings with the neighborhood in this series.

“I am back in the Arab World. That is my first impression of the meeting with the Odense neighborhood of Vollsmose. However the place doesn’t remind me of any other Arab country I know. It’s as if Arab Vollsmose is stuck in the way of life that the first immigrants brought with them to Denmark, while the Arab counties continued to develop.”

———

School principal Olav Nielsen made the news last year when he said he would advise Jewish parents not to enroll their children at his school. At the time, blogger Uriasposten pointed out that Nielsen supported the Boycott Israel campaign. In this article, it seems he also has a Palestinian flag in his office. It’s unclear whether his theoretical advise to Jewish parents is due to his students’ antisemitism, or his own.

Going down the hall at Humlehaveskolen (Humlehave school) in Vollsmose, I meet a girl of at most eight. She’s wearing a headscarf. This is the first time in my life that I’ve such a little girl wearing a headscarf. Even in Saudi-Arabia, where I grew up, I’ve never seen such a thing. A teacher tells me that the girl’s parents are doing everything they can to protect their children from the influences of Danish society.

In Humlehaveskolen, around 90% of the students have an immigrant background. And the girl with the headscarf is a very good example of the battle which is constantly going on in the school and the children’s heads. The boys and girls I meet at the school all recount how complicated and bewildering it is for them to live up to the expectations, norms and demands their families make, and at the same time honor the demand of Danish society to integrate and get an education.

The school’s principal, Olav Nielsen, is a familiar figure in Vollsmose. Besides his job as a school principal, he also works with young prisoners – several of which were previously students at the school.

“The children from many of our immigrant families come from rough situations. Several have seen their fathers killed before their eyes. Others have parents who were tortured or traumatized by war experiences,” he says.

On the wall behind him hangs a Palestinian flag and pictures of his former students. There’s also a bird cage with a parrot in the office. Olav points at it with a finger and says:

“This parrot belongs to one of my students. He’s serving a prison sentence and I promised him to take care of his bird until he comes out again.”

Olav explains that the student’s background makes them vulnerable:

“The mothers rarely have any educations, since they were married off at a young age. Most of the families who live here in Vollsmose, suffer from some form of injury: physical, psychological or mental. We even have some young people and older children who fled alone or with their siblings to Denmark.”

Olav takes me into a 9th grade class. There are 18 students, not one of them has an ethnic Danish background.

They can all tell similar stories of how they ended up in Denmark. Most came here very young.

I ask why so many of the older boys become troublemakers.

“I think they cause crime and problems because these boys have a difficult situation in their families,” says Khaled and adds that he feels he only does what his family wants of him.

His voice is sad. Khaled’s teacher says that Khaled has good parents who are interested in their son’s future.

Amojgar, who comes from Iraqi Kurdistan raises his hand and says:

“Some have lost their fathers in war. Other comes from divorced families. They cause so much trouble to show that they are strong and can handle what goes on in the streets.”

But Khaled interrupts him and says that he thinks that the teenage boys who are causing trouble are reacting mostly against their strict families, which always tell them what they must and should do, who they should hang out with etc.

“All the time they’re told no. They always decide for us and therefore there are many young boys who become defiant and disobedient. As a form of protest against their families,” he says.

Khaled’s family doesn’t want him to have Danish friends. He doesn’t know why.

“They don’t listen to me. They just want to do what they think is best for me.”

Several of the boys in the 9th grade wear hip-hop clothes. The pants hang so low that you can see their underwear, and when they go down the corridor, they make hand-signs to each other all the time. I ask them what they want to be in the future.

Five boys immediately say: “I don’t know,” while three answer that they want to be businessmen or lawyers. Khaled says that he wants to go to university, since then he can realize his parents’ dream.

I note that the boys are the ones who answer most of my questions. The girls rarely speak, but I want to know what they think. Even when I directly ask the girls a question, nobody answers. Olav Nielsen, school principal, suggests that the boys leave the classroom.

When I’m alone with the girls, I ask why they didn’t want to say anything next to the boys.

“We are shy, and some times we get comments from the boys if they don’t like our opinions,and we don’t want that,” says Asia, a Somali girl with a little headscarf on her head. Six of the girls are veiled, three aren’t.

I ask if their families treat them differently than their brothers, but before any of them has a chance to answer, Olav interrupts. He says that his daughter, the same age as the 9th grade girls, asked him one day if she could sleep with her boyfriend. Some of the girls smile, others look surprised and uncomfortable, as if they don’t approve that Olav gave his daughter permission to go to bed with her boyfriend.

“It’s Danish culture. Parents should say their honest opinion, but we should respect our children’s individual choice, and I will respect my daughter’s,” he tells the girls in the class.

“Maybe your parents will now tell you that my daughter is a whore, and at I’m a bad father, but that’s the way we respect our children and raise them as equals in the eyes of the law.”

Olva leaves the class and leaves me alone with the girls.

“I’ll never be able to say that Olav’s daughter is a whore. But Danes are from another culture than ours,” answers Asia, when I ask what she they think of Olav’s story. “It’s true that the boys are treated differently in our families, but if girls got the same freedoms as boys, they could be a few problems, for example, if they get pregnant. We have a lot to lose, that the boys don’t,” she adds.

But Najah, who is Palestinian, says that “The boys’ problems are because they have so much more freedom than we.”

Hafsa, a Somali girl, disagrees.

“It’s because the family’s control gets on the boys’ nerves, that they cause all the trouble.”

Hafsa presents herself: “I’m from Denmark”. But then changes her opinion: “No, that was wrong. I’m from Somalia.”

Her friends begin to laugh, especially when she emphasizes again that she’s not Danish.

The girls in the class come from Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Somalia.

“We are only Danish on paper,” says Hafsa. “Not in reality.”

Source: Information (Danish), h/t Hodja

Denmark: Can I fight for a Christian country?

A recent Q&A on Danish newspaper Kristeligt Dagblad’s religion portal led to a storm of opinions.

The question:

Salaam alakayium, I’m a boy of 18 who wants to ask a question: I’ve been to the army’s [recruiting] day in Slagelse, and I was born and raised in Denmark. When I’m thinking about it now, my parents are from Pakistan and I’m from Denmark.

So my question is: is military service permitted by Islam, and what now, if I’m considering being a soldier for Denmark or doing some form of training in defense of the country where I will live my whole life?

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

Is it permitted to be a soldier and fight for a Christian country which has so many Muslims? And if it’s not allowed, in which way, and if it’s allowed, in which way? I’m really confused on this issue.

Mohammad

Answer:

Wa aleikum al salam,

It’s allowed to do military training in a non-Muslim country, if during the training you can still practice Islam and at the same time, it’s not required that you carry out acts which are not permitted in Islam, including serving as a silent and obedient slave-soldier for oppressive governments, which unfortunately wage wars for their own interest above the people’s welfare.

For example, I can’t see who a Muslim can be stationed in Afghanistan, without at the same time helping to support oppression, which unfortunately is taking place.

I can see possibilities elsewhere though. Some of the military training can be done while at the same time keeping away from the wars, our government has gotten involved in. You’re not forced to be stationed abroad. You can easily serve as a soldier at home. This depends though on the training you’re taking.

With my limited knowledge in this area, I think that combat troops are forced to be stationed abroad when you’re finished training, while people in the Royal Guard have the option of serving in Denmark and not getting involved in the government’s foreign affairs.

I therefore advise to explore your options and choose those that suit you best.

I myself have great interest in the military and strongly considered after finishing high-school (HF) to start military training, but dropped the idea and put other priorities ahead of it. If you are passionate about it, I again advise you to explore your options.

You can inquires by the army and explain to them your situation or go through their website: forsvaret.dk.

Sincerely,
Mohammad Al-Jizani
Shia Muslim and student

Mohammad Al-Jizani is the editor of the Shia debate forum www.shiaonline.dk.

This led to quite a few opinion pieces in response.

Theologist Bo Grünberger:

“.. a democratic government’s attempt to defeat a barbaric regime, which publicly beheads people, bans music and forces women and men into a fanciful hell of a prophet’s dream, can’t be called oppressive, unless there is something very wrong with one’s perception of reality,” wrote Bo Grünberger, who also criticized Kristeligt Dagblad for using Mohammad Al-Jizani as a responder.

As did Johan Aa, who thinks Mohammad Al-Jizani’s answer is an expression of a different form of oppression.

“Is this the image that Al-Jizani himself – in a distorted understanding of religion – wants to serve as a silent and obedient slave-solder for an oppressive Islam?”

Other Muslims also joined in the debate, including Safia Aoude, a jurist and teacher at a Muslim school.

“Muslims are obligated to defend their homes, both by the Koran and the Prophet’s example, and therefore also the country where you and your family live in. Therefore it’s not only permitted, but also laudable and benefits the community, if you get military training, for example, the Danish army,” says Safia Aoude, who stresses that the Danish army allows you to opt out of participating directly in war.

“If you don’t want to fight for Denmark, for example, in other parts of the world, the Danish military system leaves you plenty of opportunities to do civil service. In recent years the military in Denmark did a lot to give a place to the religious needs of Muslim soldiers during training and service, although it hasn’t yet introduced a hijab uniform, but I’m certain that will also come sooner or later,” wrote Safia Aoude.

Aminah Tønnsen, a Muslim lecturer and author of several books about Islam, criticized the war in Afghanistan.

“In my view there’s nothing to prevent a Muslim from training for the Danish army. However, it’s problematic if he’s then stationed in war-like conditions, as the Koran only permits defensive war,” wrote Aminah Tønnsen, who generally rejects the belief that war is a solution.

“I don’t think that you can establish people, freedom and democracy by force of arms, death and destruction,” writes Aminah Tønnsen.

The fierce debate led Mohammad Al-Jizani to respond:

“Overall, I’m very much aware how oppressive and barbaric is the Taliban. I myself am a strong opponent of theirs. Therefore I think that such tyrants should be removed from power. I don’t support, though, anybody who wants them removed. A superpower like the USA have their own interests in the country, and I don’t think that moral people should support them,” wrote Mohammad Al-Jizani and added that his answer shouldn’t be seen as a criticism of Danish soldiers.

“I have a lot of respect for our soldiers and veterans, and I’m convinced that they do it in good faith and really want to help the Afghans and make a difference down there, which is a noble idea. Additionally, I have friends who’ve been stationed in Afghanistan and I’ve talked a lot with them about the war. This doesn’t mean though that I exclude other opinions and don’t look at the war objectively. The war is unjustified and I prefer that people don’t get involved in it, but instead serve in Denmark. It’s much more noble to defend and serve one’s country than to wage war against others,” wrote Mohammad Al-Jizani.

Source: Kristeligt Dagblad (Danish)

Ka’ab relates, once at the time of Prophet Musa (AS), there was a drought. The Bani Israeel aked him to pray for rain. Prophet Musa told them to come with him to the mountain. When they climbed the mountain he said to his People, “Whoever has committe a sin, then do not follow me ” They all turned and walked back down the mountain except one man. He was blind from one eye and known to the people as Barkh.

Prophet Musa asked him, “Did you not hear what I said?” “Yes” he replied. Prophet Musa again asked, “Have you never committed a sin?” Barkh paused and then replied, I cannot remember committing a sin except for one, but I do not know whether it is regarded a sin. I will mention it to you and if it is a sin I shall return.”

Prophet Musa enquired, “What is it?” Barkh replied, “Once I happened to pass the door of a house which was open. I glanced in and saw somebody, but I was not able to tell whether it was a man or woman. I said to my eye, ‘Out of my whole body you hurried to commit a sin, you cannot remain with me anymore’, so I plucked out my eye. If this is a sin I will return.” Prophet Musa assured him that he had not sinned and then told him to pray for rain.

They prayed to Allah, “Oh Almighty, whatever You have does not finish. There is no end to your treasures you cannot be accused of being miserly. Oh Allah show us your mercy and send forth rain.” The narrator states that they both walked home in the mud.

Related posts:

1. The Ultimate Test
2. The Shepherd and Ibraheem Adham
3. Dreams

Germany: Football squad revitalised with multicultural approach

When Sami Khedira and his Under-21 team‑mates held aloft the European Championship trophy last summer, after humbling England 4–0 in the final, they dreamed of changing the face of German football. Little did they know that their opportunity would come so quickly.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

After Euro 2008, Joachim Löw, the Germany manager, accepted the need to “rejuvenate” a squad that had become too heavily seasoned in parts. He has done so in spectacular fashion. Germany have only nine survivors from that tournament here. (It is worth remembering that they were runners-up in Austria and Switzerland.) And once Löw had done with filleting his squad, the players he turned to were almost all from the next generation.

Khedira, the U-21 captain during that heady campaign in Sweden, and five of his team‑mates, including Mesut Ozil, who had orchestrated the destruction of Stuart Pearce’s England, were given the call and so were four other youngsters who were eligible for the U-21 finals. Two of those, Thomas Müller and Holger Badstuber, were not selected for Sweden simply because they had not yet emerged from Bayern Munich’s reserves. Their progress over this past season has been startling.

(…)

The youth of this new Germany, however, is only part of the story. The country has changed greatly over the past decade or so, with its society becoming more integrated, and Löw’s squad reflects what the tabloids like to call German “multi-culti”. Of the six players promoted from Horst Hrubesch’s U-21 champions, five are of immigrant backgrounds. The exception is the goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. Khedira’s father is Tunisian and Ozil is of Turkish descent. Jerome Boateng’s father is Ghanaian, Dennis Aogo’s is Nigerian while Marko Marin was born in Bosnia. In addition, Serdar Tasci, one of the group that was eligible for Sweden but did not play, has Turkish parents.

The German government oversaw a liberalisation of its eligibility laws in 1999, which made it easier for foreigners and the children of immigrants to gain citizenship. The stand-out case in Löw’s squad is the striker Cacau, who came on as a substitute against Australia to score the fourth goal. The 29-year-old was born and raised in Brazil and came to Germany, initially, to play lower-league football. But as he has worked his way to the top, so he has passed the requisite tests to become a German national. One of his examination questions concerned the names of former German chancellors; Cacau has consequently earned the nickname of “Helmut” from his team‑mates.

The challenge that faced the German Football Association (DFB), though, was to make sure the likes of Khedira, Ozil and Boateng did not declare for the other countries for which that they were eligible. Boateng’s brother, Kevin-Prince, the Portsmouth forward, has pledged himself to Ghana – in a quirk of fate, Germany face Ghana in the final group game, pitting the brothers against one and other.

Driven perhaps by their lack of young talent, the DFB made a conscious effort to court and groom players from the immigrant community, even employing a dedicated integration officer. They can now enjoy the fruits of those labours.

“We are aware that it’s something new to have German national players with Turkish, Ghanaian, Nigerian or Tunisian roots but for our generation, it’s very normal,” said Khedira, who is the DFB’s poster boy for the liberation generation. “We have some players called Khedira and some called Müller. We don’t know any differently.”

Ozil’s case is considered as being particularly significant. Turkish-Germans represent by far the largest ethnic minority in the country and, in the past, many of them, like the Altintop brothers, have opted to play for the country of their parents. Ozil, a third generation immigrant, could inspire the community to follow in his footsteps.

(more)

Source: Guardian h/t Islamophobia Watch

by Maryam Amir-Ebrahimi

Before I got married, I was given unsolicited advice on how to change in order to make myself “more appealing” to brothers. Sisters would voluntarily tell me I should be more outgoing when with men, dress more attractively to get their attention and stop being as involved with Islamic activism so I would not scare them away.

Since when is our purpose in life marriage? Where in the Qur’an does Allah ask us to change our personalities, dress style and tone down our activism in hopes of getting hitched? Nevertheless, with marriage being such a huge concern in our community, many face the temptation to change their values to find a spouse.

Here’s an idea: Instead of working to please a potential suitor, perhaps we should first seek to please Allah, the One who sows the seed of love in our hearts and can bless us with our dream husband or dream wife.

Instead of looking for marriage at every event, let’s look for marriage in our relationship with al-Wahhab, the Giver of All. Let’s be honest. We are talking about al-Mujeeb, the Responder to Prayer. Those are amongst the Names of Allah! Allah gives and He answers!

If you are an individual who struggles to lower your gaze and protect your eyes, heart, tongue and body from falling into the haram, don’t you know that Allah will indeed reward you?

Every time you glance up and see someone you wish you could be with, turn away and in that moment ask Allah to bless you with a spouse who will be the sweetness of your eyes. Would not Allah listen to and accept your supplication to Him? How could Allah possibly not accept the supplication of His adamant worshipper who is painfully struggling to maintain his or her modesty and guard his or her chastity? The Prophet ﷺ has encouraged us to “Ask and you will be given…” (at-Tirmithi) Allah will give you! How could He not when you are striving only for His Sake?

In those moments in the last third of the night, in those two rakahs which you make out of pure frustration of your situation, weeping, asking Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala – exalted is He) to answer you –  do you not think Allah the Rabb al-`alameen (Lord of the Worlds) will not respond to you? Allahu Akbar (God is the Greatest), this is Allah! Without doubt Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) is going to answer you!

The Prophet ﷺ relates from Allah in a hadith Qudsi:

“Our Lord (glorified and exalted be He) descends each night to the earth’s sky when there remains the final third of the night, and He says: ‘Who is saying a prayer to Me that I may answer it? Who is asking something of Me that I may give it him? Who is asking forgiveness of Me that I may forgive him?’” (Bukhari)

What is hooking up with a brother or sister on gchat or facebook worth in comparison to hooking up with the One who can hook you up?

As Shaykh Muhammad Faqih once said, “Hook up with Allah, Allah will hook you up!”

Let’s hook up with salah! Hook up with the Qur’an! Hook up with community work for Allah’s Sake! And have certainty that when we struggle to please Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), Ash-Shakoor is the Most Appreciative of our work and will undoubtedly reward us.

Will that reward be in the form of an amazing spouse and an amazing marriage? Allah knows best. But the best part is that Allah knows what is BEST for us and that His bounties are limitless.

The Prophet ﷺ has told us, “Any Muslim who supplicates to Allah in a du`a’ which contains no sin [of] breaking of kinship, Allah will give him one of three things: either hisdu`a’ will be immediately answered, it will be saved for him in the hereafter, or it will turn away an equivalent amount of evil (from him)…” (Ahmad).

Thus, we must know that if we connect with Allah, we can trust that Allah will grant us whatever is best, whether it be an answer to exactly what we are asking for or something better. Allah has got our backs! Who better to trust our future with than the One who already knows it?

Easier said than done? Maybe. But what have you got to lose? If at the end of the day you are only increasing in closeness to Allah, increasing in reading the Qur’an, tasting the sweetness of your salah, and making more sincere du`a’ then insha’Allah (if Allah wills) you will have gained more than simply “a spouse” if you get married and you would have gained much more than facebook “cruising for a spouse” time while you’re attempting to find your better half…Insha’Allah you will gain more in this life and the next, and an unwavering relationship with Allah!

Here are some short, quick and amazing ways we can increase our relationship with Allah through good deeds massively rewarded inshaAllah:

–> Get what you really want: “Allah will grant whoever recites this seven times in the morning or evening whatever he desires from this world or the next” (Ibn As Sunni, Abu Dawood – both reports are directly linked to the Prophet ﷺ):

HasbiaAllahu la ilaha ila huwa `alayhi tawakaltu wa huwa Rabbu’l`arshi’l`atheem.

“Allah is Sufficient for me, none has the right to be worshipped except Him, upon Him I rely and He is Lord of the exalted throne.”

To be recited seven times in the morning (after Fajr) and seven times in the evening (between `Asr and Maghrib).

–> Say “Subhan’Allah” (glory be to Allah) 100 times. For a person who does this, “a thousand good deeds are recorded for him and a thousand bad deeds are wiped away.” [Muslim]

–> Ask Allah to forgive your brothers and sisters: “Whoever seeks forgiveness for believing men and believing woman, Allah will write for him a good deed for each believing man and believing woman.” [at-Tabarani, classed as hasan by al-Albani]

–> Work to protect yourself from the Hellfire: “Allah will spare whoever says this four times in the morning or evening from the fire of Hell” (Abu Dawood, was also reported in Bukhari).

Allahumma inni asbahtu ush-hiduka, wa ushidu hamalata `arshika, wa mala’ikataka, wa jamee`a khalqik, annaka Ant Allah, la ilaha illa Ant, wahdaka la shareeka lak, wa anna Muhammadan `abduka wa rasuluka (when saying this in the evening, say “Allahuma inniamsaytu” instead of “asbahtu.”

“O Allah, verily I have reached the morning and call on You, the bearers of Your throne, Your angels, and all of Your creation to witness that You are Allah, none has the right to be worshipped except You, alone, without partner and that Muhammad is Your Servant and Messenger.”

To be recited four times in the morning (after Fajr) and evening (between `Asr and Maghrib).

The Lord of the Worlds speaks to us and tells us, “And when My slaves ask you concerning Me, then I am indeed near. I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me. So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright” (Quran, 2:186).

You are coming to Allah with rajaa (hope), with a powerful combination of seeking Allah’s pleasure, striving to leave anything which may gain His displeasure and making a consistent effort to ask Him to open the best of ways for you and then putting your trust in Him that He will give you whatever is best. Of course Allah is going to answer you.

As was once stated, “A person has never held certainty in Allah only for Allah to disappoint him/her.’ Never will Allah disappoint those with yaqeen (certainty), tawakkul(reliance) and husn al-dhann (good opinion) of Him.” Hook up with Allah and know that without a doubt, Allah ‘azza wa Jall will hook you up in the best of ways.

Source: www.suhaibwebb.com

Opinion: Does Turkey want to be an empire?

Over the past few months, reporting on Turkish PM announcements in Europe, I’ve noticed a certain trend, which led to a nagging question: Does Turkey dream of being an empire again?

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

Turkey’s Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been urging European Turks to ‘integrate, not assimilate’ for quite a while. On official visits to Germany, Belgium and France, he’s repeated this call. It wasn’t that surprising. Countries want their expats to keep in touch.

Erdogan has gone further, and called assimilation a ‘crime against humanity’. It sounded hypocritical coming from a guy whose country has an official policy to forcibly assimilate its Kurds and force them to be Turks, but besides that: it just sounded wrong.

Forcible assimilation might be a crime against humanity. Voluntary assimilation might be sad, but it’s actually a human right.

What does assimilation mean? It means you decide (voluntarily) to give up on your current group identity, the one you were born to and raised in, and join a different group. It means the right to marry whomever you want; the right to choose your own path in life, regardless of your parents’ customs; the right to choose your own name; the right to live anywhere you want; the
right to choose your own religion and whether you have any; the right to decide how you dress; the right to decide how you raise your children; the right to decide which language you speak.

Calling assimilation a ‘crime against humanity’ means that all of those ‘rights’ are suddenly ‘crimes’.

A weird statement, then, but still, I thought it understandable that Turkey would want its expats to keep in touch with their former home-country.

But in his last trip to Paris, Erdogan went even further. He told his audience of European Turks that they should “integrate” in the countries where they live in order to increase [the quantity of] Turkish first names in Europe.

That didn’t sound like just ‘wanting to keep in touch’.

Turkey recently invited Turkish-European leaders for a conference in Turkey. And there, according to a German Alevi leader, one speaker said that “We need to inoculate European culture with Turkish culture“.

I do not know how this word made its way in translation from Turkish to German to English. But ‘inoculate’ means to introduce an organism (in this case, Turkish culture) into something else (in this case European culture), so that it will grow and reproduce.

Putting those two together it sounds like Turkey wants a lot of little Mehmets around in order to make Europe more Turkish.

Doesn’t that sound imperialistic?

I’ve been thinking that over for quite a while now. And so, I found Asli Aydintasbas’ piece at the Daily Beast (h/t Hot Air) to be quite interesting:

A bit of history would help here. Born out of the ashes of the Ottoman Empire, modern Turkey has traditionally looked west, happy to rid itself of the legacy of a declining empire and the troubles in the Arab lands. Its founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, declared “contemporary civilization” as the nation’s ultimate destiny, creating a staunchly secular republic and ultimately becoming NATO’s only Muslim member.

We shed our imperial identity, banned the fez and wore hats, dropped the Arabic alphabet for Latin script, and even got rid of the Caliphate—the papacy for Muslims—early in the establishment of the republic in 1923, hoping to join a club that would not accept us so easily.

But the tide has been going in the other direction for some time now. With the rise of a political Islam in the 1990s and the return to power of the conservative Justice and Development Party (known as AKP) in 2003, Turkey has taken a new interest in its Ottoman past and in the Ottoman lands. The AKP has popularized the notion that Turkey should not solely look to the West but also expand its influence eastward, creating alliances with the Muslim world and Russia to complement its friendship with Europe and the United States.

(…)

But there is something in this neo-imperial, neo-Ottoman spirit that has taken over the country since the flotilla episode that is addictive, even for a secular Turk like me.

Does Turkey want to be an empire?

It’s quite probable that Turkey has no plans to conquer other countries. But that addictive neo-imperial, neo-Ottoman spirit is leading it to stake a cultural-imperialist claim. Much like the golden arches of McDonald’s are a sign of American cultural-imperialism around the globe, it might be that Turkey is looking to put up its own arches, and the first branches are going up in Europe.

Sand and only sand for thousands of kilometers extending over four nations, Rub al-Khali or the Empty Quarter is the world’s largest sand desert. Uninhabited one may think but the Bedu tribes have survived on the edge since before recorded time.

Sand dunes reach as high as 250 meters, while billions of glittering stars light up its night sky – a feat hikers and campers, locals and expats, don’t like to miss. Formidable conditions – extremely high temperature and dry as a bone – have kept travelers and settlers far away.

To say this place was once luscious green, with lakes and ponds and springs, chirping birds, grazing deer, sleeping water buffaloes, and of course devouring humans would be an unaccepted blasphemy, a madman’s dream, and a creative myth. Yet it’s all true – facts are stranger than fiction.

Much has been written about this Quarter by experts (references at the bottom). Archeologists and geologists have found remains of thousands of lakes (in two periods: between 37,000 and 17,000 years ago and between 10,000 and 5,000 years ago), fossils of cattle and hippos, and of flint tools including knives, scrapers, borers and arrowheads. The mission, the hard work, and the use of technology by scientists to uncover details have all been documented in chronology.

This piece is about the people who inhabited a part of the area. Who were they and what happened to them?

National Geographic reports: “In 1932 Bertram Thomas recorded Bedouin tales of a fabled trading city that disappeared beneath the sands of the Empty Quarter, beginning a love affair between Western explorers and the ancient city of Ubar. According to myth, Ubar was a sumptuously rich city, grown fat from the frankincense trade. Said to have been destroyed as punishment for its inhabitants’ impiety, the city remained elusive for centuries.”[1]

How much of a myth are these stories of Muslim Bedus?

Did you not see how your Lord dealt with Aad? Iram (the city) of the pillars, The like of which were not created in the land? (Qur’an, 89:6-8)

The people of Aad lived in an area between Yemen and Oman.[2] Iram “refers to the House of the kingdom of Aad” as mentioned by early scholars like Qatadah and As-Suddi. [3]

The Qur’an additionally says “of the pillars” because they lived in trellised houses that were raised with firm pillars.[4]

“Do you build high palaces on every high place, while you do not live in them? And do you get for yourselves palaces (fine buildings) as if you will live therein forever?” (Qur’an, 26:128-129)

The National Geographic article continues: “It wasn’t until 1992, after decades of fruitless exploration, that scientists finally made headway. Using space-based radar imagery, they detected ancient caravan tracks that converged near modern-day Shisr in southwest Oman. Their excavations uncovered a large octagonal fortress with thick walls standing ten feet (three meters) high, along with eight towers at its corners. Greek, Roman, and Syrian pottery shards discovered in the ruins – the oldest dating from 4,000 years ago – suggested the site was indeed an important trading center. The fact that the city seemed to have met with a rather cataclysmic end – much of it fell into a sinkhole created by the collapse of an underground limestone cavern – was compelling evidence to suggest that this was indeed the fabled city of Ubar.” [5]

The myth busted! The Qur’an is the most truthful and protected book known to mankind.

More evidence of Iram is found in the December 1978 edition of National Geographic magazine. In 1973, the city of Ebla was excavated in Syria. The city was discovered to be 4,300 years old. Researchers found in the library of Ebla a record of all of the cities with which Ebla had business ties. On the list was the specific name of the city of “Iram.” The people of Ebla had apparently conducted business with the people of “Iram.”

These fascinating details hint at yet another (among the infinite) proof of the divinity of the Qur’an. Presenting such historic, precise details of a people who lived thousands of years before the advent of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) during a time void of academic research and technological advancement is not humanly possible.

Leaving aside these intriguing details, let’s come back to our original question: Who were these people? We must know that the Qur’an is not a book of history or science. It does have many signs for people to believe in it – historic, scientific, literary, etc – but its primary purpose is to guide humanity.

The story of Aad is one for our guidance. Aad were the strongest people of their time in their physical stature, and were the mightiest in power. But they were rebellious, arrogant, and disobedient tyrants. They worshiped false gods besides Allah. They abused the blessings and power they had, and they spread corruption on earth.

As for Aad, they were arrogant in the land without right, and they said: “Who is mightier than us in strength?” See they not that Allah Who created them was mightier in strength than them. And they used to deny Our verses! (Qur’an, 41:15)

As with every disbelieving nation in the past, Allah first sent a prophet to the people to remind them and call them back towards righteousness.

Aad denied the Messengers. When their brother Hud said to them: “Will you not fear Allâh and obey Him? Verily, I am a trustworthy Messenger to you. So fear Allâh, keep your duty to Him, and obey me. No reward do I ask of you for it; my reward is only from the Lord of the Universe. “Do you build high palaces on every high place, while you do not live in them? And do you get for yourselves palaces (fine buildings) as if you will live therein forever? “And when you seize (somebody), seize you (him) as tyrants? “So fear Allâh, keep your duty to Him, and obey me. And keep your duty to Him, fear Him Who has aided you with all (good things) that you know. He has aided you with cattle and children. And gardens and springs. Verily, I fear for you the torment of a Great Day.” They said: “It is the same to us whether you preach or be not of those who preach. This is no other than the false tales and religion of the ancients. And we are not going to be punished.” So they denied him, and We destroyed them. Verily, in this is indeed a sign, yet most of them are not believers. (Qur’an, 26:123-139)

How were they destroyed?

And as for Aad, – they were destroyed by a furious violent wind! Which Allâh imposed on them for seven nights and eight days in succession, so that you could see men lying overthrown (destroyed), as if they were hollow trunks of date palms! Do you see any remnants of them? (Qur’an, 69:6-8)

For seven nights and eight days continuously they were battered with a cold, violent wind. Was it a massive cyclone or a turbulent wind carrying tons of sand? We don’t know. Its magnitude and nature may not be known to us, but we know it was severe and it rooted out these people. Only Prophet Hud and the people of Aad who believed in him were saved. They migrated to Hadramout in Yemen and settled there.

The last verse is quite interesting: “Do you see any remnants of them?” Which means, as Ibn Kathir said, “Do you find any one of them left or anyone who even attributes himself to being from them?” This is the obvious meaning.

However, there’s one remarkable fact. Retired Aramco geologist Hal McClure, who in his 1984 doctoral thesis at London University reported in detail on the lakes, says there are no fossil remains of humans there. “Absolutely none” have been found at the lake, he said, though explorers have found flint tools, including knives, scrapers, borers and arrowheads.[6]

“Do you see any remnants of them?” The verse is absolutely right even if there were fossils because there are no people of Aad living today. But could it also mean they were destroyed without a trace left behind?

So next time when we’re out in the Empty Quarter, enjoying the sand dunes and the glittering night sky, let’s remember how it was once a trading center, with gardens and gushing springs, inhabited by a powerful and rich civilization, but who made life hell on earth and rebelled against God.

Let’s remember how an entire city lies buried beneath the sand we’re camping upon.