…true Love!

Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him, said after the Prophet’s death:

“I never called to prayer again. My legs could not carry me up and even when Ali and Abu Dharr helped me I broke down after the first words. My grief prevented me. I stood on the roof trying for words, finding one word, then half the next.

I could not complete his name, ‘Muhammad’ and had to go back to the beginning four times stammering, sobbing, failing again.”

Of Malls and Mus’ab bin ‘Umair–

Of Malls and Mus’ab bin ‘Umair
Umm Rashid

Big city, bright lights. Cars flash in fast lanes. Young Muslims are getting ready to hit the “night scene”. Branded shoes and designer clothes in place, clutching the latest mobile gizmos and sporting the trendiest watches, their perfume smells — more than anything else – of money.

You can see them “hanging out” in groups, lolling in the bright lights of a megamall, lingering aimlessly in hypershops, buying a knick knack to drive away the boredom; even if it’s just for a second.

You can see them sipping cappucino at a Starbucks café …watching people go by, sharing a joke and laughing raucously; vacant eyes straying over to huge tv screens for the latest football score.

You can see them racing cars dangerously late into the night, music blasting from the stereos, startling passersby while they laugh in their faces. A standard sight.

Each time I see this all-too familiar scene, I find myself thinking of someone. Someone who lies buried in the blood-wet earth of ‘Uhud, feet covered by scented grass and his body covered only by a square woollen sheet that was not even sufficient to cover him completely. Someone who was his mother’s pampered son, he wore the best clothes his rich mother’s money could buy, his perfume scented the streets he walked through. The talk of Makkan matrons and maidens in their plush salons, the toast of his peers in the city’s clubs, the most flamboyant young man of the Quraysh, who left a life of pleasuring the Self to gain the pleasure of Allaah: Mus’ab bin Umair bin Hashim bin Abd Munaf who was also known as Mus’ab al Khair.

Mus’ab was only a youth when he heard of the new Prophet who had arisen among the Quraysh and his Message of monotheism; Makkah talked of very little else in those days. His curiosity piqued by all the talk, Mus’ab decided to approach the Prophet sall Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam on his own to determine the truth of his Message.

One night, instead of joining his friends in their customary revelry, Mus’ab made his way to the house of Al-Arqaam Ibn Al-Arqaam which came to be known as Daar al Arqaam among the Muslims. It was here that the Prophet met with the growing band of Muslims, away from the eyes of the Quraysh. It was here that the Companions talked over the future of their faith, heard and recited newly revealed portions of the Qur’aan and prayed behind the Prophet sall Allaahu ‘alayhi wassallam to Allaah.

That night, Mus’ab sat down among the gathering of the faithful and heard the Prophet sall Allaahu ‘alayhi wassallam recite verses of the Qur’aan. From that moment on he forgot for ever his life of luxury and indolence, in the ecstasy of discovering the key to eternal life.

Mus’ab’s path to the faith was not easy – his mother, Khunnas bint Maalik, a strong willed woman infamous for her sharp temper and sharper tongue – was his chief opponent. In order to avoid an unpleasant confrontation with his mother, Mus’ab initially avoided telling her about his new faith. However, people found him frequenting Daar Al-Arqaam more than his usual haunts and saw him coming under the influence of the Prophet sall Allaahu ‘alayhi wasallam. It wasn’t long before news of his conversion reached his mother.

Reacting with the imperiousness of her nature, her pride in her lineage and her age-old allegiance to the gods, she commanded Mus’ab to return and repent to the gods he had abandoned in his “foolishness”; and when he refused, she had him shackled and imprisoned in a corner of the house.

Somehow, news of the first emigration of some Muslims to Abyssinia reached Mus’ab in his incarceration and his heart longed to join his brothers in the faith. Using his ingenuity, he managed to delude his mother and his guards and escaped to Abyssinia with other emigrants. Later, he returned to Makkah with them for a short while and emigrated a second time, this time as the Prophet [SAW]’s chosen envoy to the new centre of faith: Yathrib.

When Mus’ab returned from Abyssinia, his mother sought to imprison him yet again. But this time he vowed that if she attempted that, he would kill all those who came to her aid to lock him up. She knew the intensity of his determination better than anyone else and so she bade him a final farewell, crying bitterly: Go away, I am no longer your mother.

At this, Mus’ab went close to her and said: O Mother, I am advising you and my heart is with you, please bear witness that there is no God but Allaah and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.

Enraged, she swore: By the stars, I will never enter your religion, to degrade my status and weaken my senses!

But Mus’ab entered Islaam in the spirit of the Qur’aan when it says: udkhuloo fi silme kaafah [enter into Islaam completely]. He forsook every semblance of satisfaction of the Self for the sake of Allaah – his dress was tattered, his food was simple, the bare earth was his bed.

One day he went out to meet some Muslims while they were sitting around the Prophet sall Allaahu alayhi wassallam, and when they saw him they lowered their heads and shed silent tears at the sight of the pampered youth of their memory , moving about in wornout patches held together by thorns, which barely covered him. After Mus’ab moved away from the gathering, the Prophet sall Allaahu alayhi wassallam recalled: I saw Mus’ab, and there was no youth in Makkah more petted by his parents than he. Then he abandoned all that for the love of Allaah and His Prophet.

Recognizing Mus’ab’s noble manners and patience, the Prophet [SAW] commissioned him to instruct the people of Yathrib who had pledged their allegiance to the Prophet at ‘Aqabah, to call others to Islaam and to prepare the city for the eventual migration of the Prophet [SAW].

At that time, there were among the Companions men of sterling character and nerves of steel, men who were older and more experienced in the ways of the world; yet he [SAW] chose Mus’ab as his representative. And Mus’ab proved worthy of the Prophet’s choice many times over, dealing with detractors with patience and sagacity.

Mus’ab entered Yathrib as a guest of Sa’ad ibn Zurarah of the Khazraj tribe. Together they went approached the citizens of Yathrib, explaining the message of Monotheism and reciting the Qur’aan. Once Musa’ab and Sa’ad were sitting near a well in an orchard of Banee Zafar, when they were approached by Usayd ibn Khudayr brandishing a spear in obvious rage. Sa’ad whispered to Mus’ab: This is a chieftain of his people. May Allaah place the truth in his heart.

Mus’ab replied calmly: If he sits down, I will speak to him.

Usayd was angry at the success of Mus’ab’s mission and shouted angrily: Why have you both come to us to corrupt the weak among us? Keep away from us if you want to stay alive. At this, Musa’ab smiled and said softly: Won’t you sit down and listen? If you are pleased and satisfied with our mission, accept it; and if you dislike it we will stop telling you what you dislike and leave. Sticking his spear into the ground, Usayd sat down to hear them out. As Musa’ab began telling him about Islaam and

reciting portions of the Qur’aan to Usayd’s expression changed. The first words he uttered were : How beautiful are these words and how true! What does a person do if he wants to enter this religion?

Mus’ab explained: Have a bath, purify yourself and your clothes. Then utter the testimony of Truth (shahadah), and perform prayers. Usayd testified that there is no god but Allaah and that Muhammad is His Messenger, prayed two rakaats of salaah and was followed by another influential man: Sa’ad ibn Muaadh.

By the time the Prophet [SAW] emigrated, there was not a single household in Yathrib in which Mus’ab had not endeared himself and the Message of Islaam. In the subsequent pilgrimage, he led a company of 70 people went from Yathrib to pledge allegiance to the Prophet.

In a famous incident after the victory at Badr, the Muslims captured some Makkans and sought to ransom them. Mus’ab was passing by the ranks of prisoners and stopped when saw his brother, Abu Azeez ibn Umayr among them. However, instead of interceding on his behalf, he instructed his brother’s captor to bind him securely and to extract a large ransom for the prisoner, because “his mother is a very rich woman” When the brother sought to remind Mus’ab of his relationship, Mus’ab replied: I only recognize brotherhood of the faith, this man is my brother, not you!

At ‘Uhud, the Prophet sall Allaahu alayhi wassallam chose Mus’ab to bear the battle standard. In the melee that followed the archers descent from the hill where they were stationed, in violation of the Prophet [SAW]’s orders, the Makkans fought back fiercely. Taken unawares by the cavalry of the Quraysh attacking from the rear, the Muslim ranks scattered. Intent on harming the Prophet [SAW], the Makkans searched for him while he was being guarded only by a handful of companions. Suddenly, someone shouted that the Prophet [SAW] was no more.

It was at this juncture that Mus’ab’s glorious life reached a fitting culmination: Ibrahim ibn Muhammad related from his father, who said: Mus’ab ibn ‘Umair carried the standard on the Day of Uhud. When the Muslims were scattered, he stood fast until he met Ibn Qaami’ah who was a knight. He struck him on his right hand and cut it off, but Mus’ab said:And Muhammad is but a Messenger. Messengers have passed away before him . He carried the standard with his left hand and leaned on it, when his left hand was cut off, he leaned on the standard and held it with his upper arms to his chest, all the while saying: And Muhammad is but a Messenger. Messengers have passed away before him. Then a third soldier struck Mus’ab with his spear, and the spear went through him.

After the battle, the Prophet and his companions came to the plain of ‘Uhud to bury the martyrs, some of whose bodies had been mutilated by the marauding women of the Qur’aysh. Pausing when he saw Mus’ab, the Prophet [SAW] recited: Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah. Then he [SAW] looked at the remains of his companions in the battlefield and said: The Prophet of Allaah witnesses that you are martyrs to Allaah on the Day of Resurrection.

There wasn’t enough material to serve as a shroud for Mus’ab. Khabbaab ibn Al-Arat narrated: We emigrated with the Prophet for Allaah’s cause, so our reward became due with Allaah. Some of us passed away without enjoying anything in this life of his reward, and of them was Mus’ab ibn ‘Umair, who was martyred on the Day of Uhud. He did not leave behind anything except a sheet of shredded woollen cloth. If we covered his feet with it, his head was uncovered, and if we covered his feet with it, his head was uncovered. The Prophet [SAW] said to us: Cover his head with it and put lemon grass over his feet.

It was this memory of Mus’ab in his martyr’s grave, that caused companions like Abdur Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf to cry in fear of having no share in the Hereafter, because they had been granted a life of plenty and ease right here in this world. Once his servant brought him a meal to break his fast and ibn ‘Awf burst into tears, remembering Mus’ab who had passed away without tasting the good of this world, to the certainty of eternal pleasure in the Hereafter.

As night falls, I think of the shadows lengthening across ‘Uhud where the martyrs lie buried, when visitors drive off leaving the plain quiet, dark and peaceful. I think of the graves of the shuhadaa, resplendent with the dazzling light of the truly fortunate: those who are pleasing to Allaah and are pleased with Him.

In the neon dazzle of malls, where countless young Muslims strive daily in the trivial pursuit of pleasure, we would do well to bear the memory of Mus’ab radiyy Allaahu anhu in mind. It may keep us from getting lost in the light.

Hearts, Minds and Dollars–

In an unseen front in the war on terrorism, America is spending millions to change the very face of Islam

Today, Washington is fighting back. After repeated missteps since the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. government has embarked on a campaign of political warfare unmatched since the height of the Cold War. From military psychological-operations teams and CIA covert operatives to openly funded media and think tanks, Washington is plowing tens of millions of dollars into a campaign to influence not only Muslim societies but Islam itself…….

The Full Article:-

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/050425/25roots.htm

Battle of The Hearts and Minds (Sunday 11 May 2008 )

This lecture was delivered to a South African audience via live phone link on Sunday 11 May 2008. It was part of a Conference held by PureIslam Da’wah and Publications themed: Holding on to Hot Coals – Surviving as a Muslim in the West. An important topic that is going unnoticed by the majority of people around the world. With the advancement of communications in the world, the enemies are not only plotting away with their weapons but also with their lies portrayed in the media spreading all sorts of lies to justify the slaughter of innocent human beings

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A man crying in Paradise…

Muhammad bin Waasi’ asked:

“If you see a man crying in Paradise, would you not be amazed at his crying?” He was answered in the affirmative.
So he asked them again, “What is more amazing is he who laughs in this life, while utterly unaware where his final destination will be!”

[Al-'Ihyaa]

-The Martyred Youth & The Reins Owner-

Excerpted & translated by Nida’ul Islam magazine from the book:

“The Roads of Desires to the Fate of the Admirers”

A man called Abū Qudāmah Ash-Shāmī, who lived in the Prophet’s Madinah, was known for his love for Jihād in Allāh’s cause and participating in expeditions to the land of the Romans. One day, while conversing with some of his companions in the Prophet’s Holy Mosque in Madinah, they said: “O Abū Qudāmah, tell us about the most amazing thing you have witnessed while in Jihād”. He replied:

I once arrived at the city of Riqqa (in Iraq) seeking to purchase a camel to carry my weapons. One day, a woman entered to where I was sitting and said: “O Abū Qudāmah, I was listening to what you mentioned about Jihād and your incitement for Muslims to join it. I have been blessed with more hair than many other women; I have cut it and made a horse’s rein out of, and I have covered it with dust so that no one can recognise it. I wish that you take it with you, so that when you arrive to the land of the disbelievers, and the horsemen engage in battle, the arrows are fired, the swords are drawn, and the spears are pulled out, either use it if you find the need for it, or hand it to whoever needs it, for I wish that my hair will witness the battle and will get the dust in the Way of Allāh. I am a widowed woman who had a husband and a number of relatives, who were all killed in Allāh’s Path; I would have joined Jihād had it been required of me.” She then handed over the rein to me.

She then said: “O Abū Qudāmah, know that my husband left me a son who is amongst the finest of youths: He has learnt the Qur’an, the art of swordsmanship, as well as archery; he prays at night and fasts during the day, and he is 15 years of age. He is currently away at a property which he has inherited from his father. Hopefully he will get back before your departure, for I wish to send him with you as a gift to Allāh the Exaltand most High. And I ask you by Allāh that you do not deprive me from gaining the rewards I seek.”

Abū Qudāmah said: I had departed from Riqqa with my companions, when I heard a horseman calling out from behind: “O Abū Qudāmah, wait for me

for a while, may Allāh have mercy on you.” I stopped and said to my companions: Go forth while I check who it is. The horseman then approached me, hugged me, and said: “Praised be Allāh who did not deny me from your company and did not turn me back disappointed”. I said: “My beloved, let me see your face, for, if it is imperative on someone of your age to fight, I would command you to join us, otherwise I would turn you back”. When he uncovered his face, I saw a young man who is like a full moon (in beauty), and who seems to have been living a wealthy life. I said: “My beloved, do you have a father?” He said: “No, in fact I am coming with you seeking revenge for my father who was martyred, perhaps Allāh will grant me martyrdom as he granted my father”. I said: “My beloved, do you have a mother?” “Yes”, he replied. I then said: “Then go and ask her permission, if she permits you to go then come back, otherwise stay back with her”.

The young man said: “O Abū Qudāmah! Don’t you recognise me?” “No”, I replied. He said: “I am the son of the woman who gave you the trust. How fast did you forget my mother’s request! I am -Insha’ Allāh- the martyr son of the martyr! I ask you by Allāh not to stop me from going forth with you in Allāh’s way, for I memorise Allāh’s Book, and have knowledge of the Prophet’s Sunnah, and I am experienced in horsemanship and shooting, and I have not left behind someone who is a better fighter than myself, so despise me not for my young age. My mother has taken an oath that I should not come back, and said: ‘O son! If you meet the disbelievers, turn not your back to them, and offer your soul to Allāh, and seek to be close to Allāh, and the company of your father and your righteous uncles in the Heaven; and if Allāh grants you martyrdom, then intercede on my behalf, for I was told that the martyr can plead on behalf of seventy of his relatives, and seventy of his neighbors’. She then hugged me, lifted her head to the heavens and said: ‘My Lord, Master and God, this is my son, the flower of my heart and the dearest to my soul, I present him to you, so draw him nearer to his father’.”

When I heard the youth’s words, I wept in grief over his good character and the beauty of his youth, and out of pity for his mother’s heart, and over my astonishment at her patience on being away from him.

We went on with our journey; we rested at nightfall, and took off in the morning. During that time the youth did not cease remembering Allāh and glorifying Him. I observed his movements, and found that he was better than us when riding, and our servant once we dismounted. As we got closer and closer to the enemy, he would strengthen our determination, his spirit would fortify, his heart would purify, and the signs of happiness would cover him.

We proceeded until we were close to the land of the Kuffar. It was near sunset when we alighted. The young man was cooking food for us to break our fast when he fell asleep. He slept for a long time, and I could see him smiling during his sleep. When he woke up, I said to him: “My beloved, I saw you smiling while asleep”. He said: “I saw a vision which I liked and made me laugh”. I said: “What was it you saw?” He said: “I saw myself in an elegant green garden. While wandering in it, I faced a silver castle which had balconies made of pearls and jewels. Its doors were made of gold, and its curtains were lowered. I then saw some maids, whose faces were like the moons (in beauty), lifting the curtains. Upon seeing me, they said: ‘Welcome’. I then heard some of them saying to the others: ‘This is the husband of the ‘Mardhiyyah’ (Blessed)’. They then said to me: ‘Come forth, may Allāh have mercy on you’. When I approached, I saw a room on the top of the castle, it was made of red gold, and had a green bed made of jewels, and its legs were made of white silver. There was a girl on the bed whose face was like the sun, and had it not been for Allāh’s help I would have lost my sight, and I would have lost my mind, because of the brilliance of the room, and the beauty of the girl. Upon seeing me, the girl greeted me saying: ‘Welcome, O Allāh’s servant and His beloved! You are mine and I am yours.’ I wanted to hug her, but she said: ‘Slow down, do not rush, you are not one of those who do wrong. However, we shall meet tomorrow at the time of Zuhur prayers, so rejoice!’.”

Abū Qudāmah said: I then told him: “My beloved, you saw but good, and good it shall be Insha’ Allāh.”

Amazed at the youth’s dream, we went to sleep. When we woke up, we rushed, mounted our horses, and the caller cried: “O Allāh’s horsemen! Mount, and rejoice with Paradise, ‘March forth, whether you are light or heavy’ [Qur’an, 9:41].” It was only an hour before the army of Kufur, may Allāh humiliate it, approached as if they were locusts spread abroad. The first of us to attack them was the youth, who scattered them, dispersed their lines, and plunged into their ranks; he killed many of their men, and knocked down their heroes. When I saw him doing this, I caught up with him, grabbed his horse’s rein, and said: My beloved, retreat! You are a young boy who is inexperienced in warfare. He replied: “O uncle! Did you not hear Allāh’s saying: ‘O you who believe! When you meet those who disbelieve, in battle a field, never turn your backs to them’, do you wish for me to enter the Fire of Hell?”

While talking, the Mushriks launched a great offensive, which caused us to separate, and each of us had to look after himself. When the two parties separated, the killed were countless. I rode around examining the killed, whose blood was flowing on the ground, and who could not be recognized due to the dust and blood which covered their faces.

While riding, I saw the youth between the horses’ hooves, covered with dust and blood; he was saying: “O Muslims! For Allāh’s Sake, get my uncle Abū Qudāmah to come to me!” Upon hearing his crying, I ran towards him. I could not recognise his face because of the blood, and the marks from the horses’ footsteps. I said: “Here I am, this is Abū Qudāmah”. He said: “O uncle, by the Lord of the Ka’bah, my dream has come true. I am the son of the rein’s owner!” Upon hearing this, I threw myself on him, kissed him between the eyes, wiped the dust and blood off his face, and said: O my beloved! Do not forget your uncle Abū Qudāmah, make him amongst those you intercede on their behalf on the Day of Judgement! He replied: “The likes of you cannot be forgotten! You wipe my face with your gown? My gown is worthier. O uncle, leave it, for I wish to meet Allāh in this state. O uncle! The Hoor (girl of Paradise) that I described to you, she’s at my head, waiting for my soul to depart from my body, and she is saying to me:

‘Hurry, I am longing for you.’ O uncle, for the Sake of Allāh, if He was to bring you back safely, take my blood-stained clothes to my poor, grieved and sad mother, present them to her, and tell her:

‘Allāh has accepted your gift’.” He then smiled and said: “I bear witness that there is no god but Allāh, no partner has He; He has kept His promise, and I bear witness that Muhammad is Allāh’s servant and Messenger; this is what Allāh and His Messenger has promised us, and Allāh and His Messenger were true to their promise.” His soul then left his body.

We then enshrouded him with his clothes, and buried him, may Allāh be pleased with him and us.

When we returned from our expedition and entered the Riqqa, I headed towards the house of the young man’s mother. She came out, and seemed very worried. I greeted her, she answered my Salam and said: “Did you come as a condoler or as a rejoicer?” Explain to me what is a condolence and what is a rejoice to you, may Allāh have mercy on you, I replied. She said: “If my son has come back safe, then you are indeed a condoler. Whereas if he has been killed in Allāh’s Path, then you are a rejoicer!” I said: Rejoice, for Allāh has accepted your gift!

Upon hearing this she wept and said: “Did He accept it?” I said: Yes. Thereupon she said: “Praise be to Allāh who spared him for me on the Day of Judgement.”.

May Allāh (SWT) give us the hikmah to take correct lesson from this and give us the iman and taqwa to act upon it.

Ameen

I have to add to this:

The boy said while he was covered in blood in addition to what was above “I also have a little sister and she almost died due to the news of my father’s death, so keep my matter hidden to her and take this cloth as a sign as my mother would not believe if you do not show this to her..”

Abū Qudāmah said “On my return to the city, people were coming and embracing their relatives, when I heard a little girl asking people “did you see so and so? (her brother’s name) and where is uncle Maqdesī?”, so Maqdesī (As Shāmī in the above narration), came to her and having knowing her told her “lead me to your mother” which she did.

So Maqdesī showed the cloth to the mother in secret and the mother praised (as above), but then he saw that the girl has overheard the conversation and saw her eyes in tears and she started to cry and fell short in breath! So Maqdesī took her tried to make her breath but after a while of this, the girl passed away…!

The mother praises Allāh and said “O Allāh I thank you for accepting from two gifts in one day” and after the burial, she ran and went in to her house and closed the door, Maqdesī went and asked that she will get a share of booty, to which she replied from inside “I gave this purely for Allāh’s sake and do not wish anything in return but Thawāb…”

Maqdesī in amazement and sadness, left the place.

A letter from Salahuddin-

This is a letter written by Salah El Din A Ayyubi when he started his Jihad against the crusaders more than 9 centuries ago:

“We hope in Allah most high, to whom be praise, who leads the hearts of Muslims to calm what torments them and ruins their prosperity.

“Where is the sense of honor of Muslims? The pride of Believers? The Zeal of the Faithful?

“We shall never cease to be amazed at how the disbelievers for their part have shown trusts, and it is the Muslims who have been lacking in zeal. Not one of them has responded to the call. Not one intervenes to straighten what is distorted; but observe how far the Franks have gone what unity they have achieved. What aims they pursue. What help they have given. What sums of money they have borrowed and spent. What wealth they have collected and distributed and divided amongst them. There is not a King left in their lands or islands, not a lord or a rich man who has not competed with his neighbors to produce more support and rival his peers in strenuous military efforts. In defense of their religion they consider it a small thing to spend life and soul; and they have kept their infidel brothers supplied with arms and champions of war; and all they have done and all their generosity has been purely out of zeal for him they worship in jealous defense of their faith.

” The Muslims on the other hand are weak and demoralized; they have become negligent and lazy, the victims of unproductive stupefaction and completely lacking in enthusiasm. If , Allah forbid, Islam should draw rein, obscure her splendor, blunt her sword, there would be no one, east or west, far or near who would blaze the zeal for Allah’s religion, or choose to come to the aid of truth against error.

“This is the moment to cast off laziness, to summon from far and near all those men who have blood in their veins; but we are confident ( he speaks about himself and the small party of believers who began with him and then became a large party); but we are confident, thanks to Allah-Alhamdulillah-in the Help that will come from him and entrust ourselves to him in sincerity of purpose and deepest devotion

” In sha Allah, the disbelievers shall perish and the faithful have a sure deliverance.”

-Mirrors-

It is related from Prophet Muhammad (Salallaahu’alahiwaslaam): A Mu’min (believer) is a mirror to a Mu’min.

The qualities of a mirror:
1. For it to show the actual image of a person, a mirror must be clean and clear itself. Thus a Mu’min/ah is required to purify his/her heart, thoughts and actions, to qualify to be a mirror of her/his brother/sister.
2. A mirror always shows you your actual image. It doesn’t hide your imperfections The mirror isn’t in a quest to make us happy or sad by showing us otherwise. It simply reflects how we are. It is that honest and truthful.
3. Once you move away from the mirror, on your return it doesn’t remind you of the situation it saw you before. If you had just woken up from sleep, and looked at it with disheveled looks, once well groomed, it will not tell you of your past. It is forgiving. It doesn’t hold grudges. It doesn’t remind you of your shameful past.
4. The mirror keeps secrets. Once you moved away from it, your image is gone with you. It will not display your image to the next person that comes along. No matter how much time you spent in front of it, and how many secrets you told it. It shall bury your secrets in itself, and never tell others.
5. Along with your faults, the mirror shows you your beauty and perfection. Thus it is fair and encouraging. When you smile at it, it tells you what a healthy habit you have.

May Allah (Subhanahu wata’ala) give us the wisdom to be a mirror to our brothers/sisters.
And may He surround us with those who want to be mirrors. Aameen.

People Are of Various Types….

[From a khutbah by Abdullah Azzam entitled 'an-Nas Asnaf' (People Are of Various Types), given on September 26, 1986]

“And the labels fill your pockets. Every pocket is labelled with a characteristic or title; this pocket is filled with labels that say ‘Disbeliever,’ and everytime you see someone that you don’t like, you hand him a label. Another pocket is filled with labels that say ‘Innovator,’ and a third pocket is filled the labels that say ‘Poor,’ and another says ‘Ignorant,’ etc. This way, you have given everyone a label from one of your labels…

There are families in Peshawar who cannot find enough Clorox bleach in the marketplaces, so, they send off to Islamabad to purchase this bleach, so that they can use it to clean their clothing and the clothing of their families. So, you are also in need of searching for bleach; you are in need of success in finding that which will clean your heart and purify your insides. If you are part of a particular Islamic group, then beware of assuming that all of the truth rests with that group, and that all falsehood rests with everyone else, as some of the earlier zealous people said: “All of our statements are correct, with a possibility of a mistake, while all the statements of others are mistaken, with a possibility of being correct.” This is the destructive type of allegiance! How many groups have been torn apart, and how many people who were close to each other became divided because of such a mindset?!

Pay attention to your heart, beware of raising yourself above others, and beware of belittling others. How many of these people have given for the sake of this Religion – but have kept it secret between them and the Lord of the Worlds – from he whose statement is belittled and his appearance mocked, and he might even have given more for this Religion than an Earthful of people like you ever would? So, pay attention to yourself, and may Allah have Mercy on a man who knows his limits and stays inside those limits. The virtuous people are those who acknowledge the virtue of the people of virtue, especially the scholars, and especially those who are old in age, and especially the parents…

So, my brother, it is enough for your good deeds to be annulled that you look to your actions as if they are great, as Allah Said:

{“Woe to al-Mutaffifin! Those who, when they have to receive by measure from men, demand full measure, and when they have to give by measure or weight to men, give less than their due.”} [al-Mutaffifin; 1-3]

So, if he mentions himself, he only mentions his good deeds, and if he mentions the others, he only mentions their mistakes, as the Prophet said: “One of you sees a small speck of dirt in the eye of his brother, but fails to see the large piece of dirt in his own eye.” ['at-Targhib wat-Tarhib'; 3/236]…

Just because you are part of a particular group doesn’t mean that you are better than the people. Just because you read a particular book doesn’t mean that you are better than the people. There is some good with the Ikhwan, and there is some good with the Tabligh, and there is some good with the Salafiyyah; every one of them has a portion of the good, so, try – if you are able – to collect all of the good from these groups. They used to study from a large group of the scholars, so, his Hadith instructor is different from his Tafsir instructor , and his instructor in spiritual nurturing is different from his Arabic language instructor. Take from the Tabligh their manners…and imagine if we were to follow their path in respecting the people, and their manners with the scholars… The Tabligh have very good speech, as they convey what they say and work magic on the hearts with their manners, and cause any envy one might have against them to vanish. Take from the Ikhwan their historical movements and revolutionary ideas, and take from the Salafiyyah their beliefs. Collect within yourself all that is good, become a student, and do not restrict the truth to your own shaykh… Take from this person, and take from that person; respect the people, and give them the credit they are due, and put them in their proper categories…”

- Sheikh Abdullah Azzam

Migration to Allah..

…….by Ibn al Qayyim (r.a)

Migration of the Heart

The caravan departs, and the traveller enters into a foreign land. He becomes separated from the habits and customs associated with his homeland. This allows him to ponder carefully over his situation. He seeks the most important thing that helps in his journey to Allah, and that deserves his life’s pursuance.
The One in whose Hand is the guidance guides him to this most important thing that he seeks: “Migration to Allah and His Messenger”. This migration is a fard (mandatory Islamic duty) on everyone at all times – it is the thing that Allah ta’ala requires from His ‘ibaad (slaves).
Migration is of two types:

1. The first is the migration of the body from one land to another. The legislation regarding this type of migration is well known, and it is not our intention to discuss them here.
2. The second type is the migration of the heart to Allah ta’ala and His Messenger sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. This is the only true hijrah; it must precede the bodily hijrah, which is its natural outcome.

Fleeing unto Allah
This hijrah requires an origin and a goal. A person migrates with his heart:
· From loving other than Allah > loving Him;
· From fearing and hoping and relying on other than Him > fearing and hoping and relying on Him;
· From calling upon, asking, surrendering to, and humbling oneself before other than Him > calling upon, asking, surrendering to, and humbling oneself before Him.
This is precisely the meaning of “fleeing unto Allah”, as He ta’ala says:

“…Flee unto Allah…” [Surah Ath-Thaariyaat 51:50]

And indeed, the tawhid required from a person is to flee from Allah unto Him! Under this heading of “from” and “to” falls a great reality of tawhid.
Fleeing unto Allah ta’ala includes turning to Him only for asking or worship or anything which proceeds from that. Thus, it includes the tawhid of Ilahiyyah which was the common point in the messages of all the messengers, may Allah bestows His praise and peace upon all of them.
On the other hand, fleeing from Allah (unto Him) includes the tawh id of Rububiyyah and the belief in the Qadar (Allah’s Divine Measure & Decree). It is the belief that whatever one hates or fears or flees from in the universe takes place by the Will of Allah alone. What He ta’ala wills will surely happen, and what He does not will never be and is impossible to happen.
Thus when a person flees unto Allah, he would be fleeing unto him from a thing that occurred by His Will. In other words, he would be fleeing from Him unto Him!
One who understands this well can then understand the meaning of the Messenger’s sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam words:

“…I seek refuge from You in You…”

And:

“…There is no shelter or escape from You except in You…”

There is nothing in the universe that one would flee or seek protection from but is created and originated by Allah ta’ala. Hence, one would flee from that which emanates from Allah’s decree, will, and creation, to that which emanates from His mercy, goodness, kindness, and bounty. One is, therefore, fleeing from Allah unto Him, and seeking refuge in Him from Him!
Understanding these two matters causes one’s heart to stop being attached to other than Allah in fear, hope or love. He would then know that all that he flees from exists by the Allah’s will, power and creation. This would not leave in his heart any fear of other than his Creator and Maker. This in turn causes him to turn to Allah alone in fear, love and hope.
Had it been that what one flees from were not under Allah’s Will and Power, one would then be excused to fear that thing instead of Allah. This would be like running away from a creature to a more powerful one, without being totally confident that the second creature is powerful enough to protect him from the first one.
This is quite different from the case of a person who knows that the One to whom he is running is the same as the One who decreed, willed, and created that from which he is fleeing. In the latter case, no interest in seeking other protectors should remain in the heart.
So, understand well this important meaning in the Prophet’s sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam words above. People have explained them in many different ways, yet very few have realized this meaning which is their core and moral. This facilitation [in understanding] is indeed from Allah.
Thus the whole matter resolves to fleeing from Allah unto Him. This is the meaning of the hijrah to Allah ta’ala. This further explains why the Messenger sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

“A true migrator is one who abandons what Allah has prohibited.”

This is also why Allah ta’ala mentions Imaan and hijrah together in several places [eg. al-Anfal 8:72,74,75 & at-Tauba 9:20] – the two being closely linked, and each of them requiring the other.

The Importance of Migrating to Allah
In conclusion, the hijrah to Allah includes abandoning what He hates and doing what He loves and accepts. The hijrah originates from feelings of love and hatred. The migrator from one place to another must have more love for the place to which he migrated than that from which he migrated, and these feelings are what led him to prefer one of the two places.
One’s nafs (self, soul), his whims and his devil keep calling him to that which is against what he loves and is satisfied with. One continues to be tested by these three things, calling him to avenues that displease his Lord.
At the same time, the call of Imaan will continue to direct him to what pleases his Lord. Thus one should keep migrating to Allah at all times, and should not abandon this hijrah until death.
This hijrah becomes strong or weak [in the heart] depending on the state of the Imaan. The stronger and more complete that the Imaan is, the more perfect the hijrah. And if the Imaan weakens, the hijrah weakens too, until one becomes unable to detect its presence or have the readiness to be moved by it.
What is surprising is that you might find a man talking at great length and going into very fine details regarding the [physical] hijrah from the land of disbelief (Dar-ul-Kufr) to the land of Islam (Dar-ul-Islam), and regarding the hijrah which ended with conquering Makkah, even though this type of hijrah is incidental, and he may never have to do a thing with it in his whole life.
But as for the hijrah of the heart, which continues to be required from him as long as he breathes, you find that he does not seek any knowledge regarding it, nor does he develop any intention to undertake it! Thus he turns away from that for which he has been created, and which – alone – can save him, and involves himself in that which, of itself, cannot save him. This is the situation of those whose vision has been blinded, and whose knowledge is weak regarding the priorities of knowledge and action.
Indeed, Allah is the One from Whom we seek help, and He alone does facilitate our matters. There is no god except Him and no Lord other than Him.

Description of a Migrator to the Messenger
Migration to the Messenger sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is a knowledge that has been [mostly] lost [from among people]; only its name continues to exist. It is a practice that has been abandoned; only its outline remains. It is a road whose milestones have been obliterated by wild animals, and whose water sources have been dried up by the enemies.
Thus the person who takes this road is a stranger among people, unique in his surroundings, distant [from others] despite his physical closeness, lonely despite numerous neighbours. He is unhappy with what pleases [the common] people, and [often] satisfied with what depresses them. He resides when they travel, and travels when they reside. He is alone in the Way that he chose for seeking his goal, feeling no satisfaction until he achieves it. He is with the people in his body, but away from them by virtue of his goal. Their eyes sleep indifferently, neglecting to seek the Guidance; but he spends his nights awake. They are too lazy for migration to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, while he is totally engrossed in its pursuit. They scorn his indifference to their ideas; and they blame him for criticizing their ignorance and inconsistencies. They cast their doubts on him, and they keep close watch over him.
They wait hopefully for death to rid them of him. He responds to them with what Allah says:

“Say [Muhammad]: “Do you await for us anything except one of the two best things (martyrdom or victory), while we await for you that Allah will afflict you with a punishment from Himself or at our hands. So wait, we too are waiting with you.” [at-Tawba 9:52]

And

“He (Muhammad) said: “My Lord! Judge You in truth! Our Lord is ar-Rahman (the Most Merciful), whose help is to be sought against that which you attribute unto Him [of falsehoods].” [al-Anbiya 21:112]

He further reminds them [with what an Arab poet once said]:
“Both we and you will die, And the true loser at the time of reckoning is he who will then feel sorry.”

Definition of Migration to the Messenger
Migration to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is a most important matter. It is a long and difficult way for those who are not prepared for it, as a poet once said:
“It is far for him who is lazy or who tires easily, But as for the one who has the longing, it is smooth and easy for him.”
By Allah’s Life, this migration is but a shining light to illuminate your darkness. It is a full moon lighting the earth from east to west and capable of lighting your gloom. It is a clear sweet stream of water capable of washing away the stains of your heart. It is the beginning of a great bounty of which you could be unaware.
Listen now to the importance of this migration and to the evidence pointing to it. Be a judge of yourself before Allah: Are you among those who run away from it or among those who run toward it?
The definition of this migration is: the soul’s journey, in all matters of belief, in all desires of the heart, and in all legislative matters, to the origin of Guidance and the source of Light. This Guidance and Light came from the mouth of the truthful and trustworthy, Muhammad sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, whom Allah ta’ala describes as:

“Your companion (Muhammad) is neither astray nor being misled. Nor does he speak of (his own) desire. It is only the Revelation with which he is inspired.” [an-Najm 53:2-4]

A matter is acceptable only if the light of his Message shone over it; otherwise, it deserves to be thrown into the seas of darkness. A witness is acceptable only if he is recommended by this praised one sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam; otherwise, you can consider him among the doubtful and accused.
How then could a man who is enslaved by his base instincts and worldly habits undertake this migration? A man who does not want to part with the place where he was born and raised? A man who says: “We only follow our fathers’ ways, hold to their traditions, and trace their footsteps.” How could he undertake it when his ancestors were incapable of doing so, and yet he relies totally on them to determine his way for success and salvation, claiming that their opinions should be better and sounder than his?
If you investigate the reason for saying this you find it a combination of laziness and indifference.

“Am I one of the oppressors…?”

When Ahmad bin Hambal was imprisoned, one of the prison guards came to him and asked him:

“O Abu ‘Abdillah! The hadith that is narrated regarding the oppressors and those that aid them – is it authentic?”

He said: “Yes.”

The prison guard then said: “So, I am considered to be an aide of the oppressors?”

Ahmad replied: “No. The aides of the oppressors are those that comb your hair, wash your clothes, prepare your meals, and buy and sell from you. As for you, you are one of the oppressors themselves.“

['Manaqib al-Imam Ahmad' by Ibn al-Jawzi; p. 397]