The Dawn The Newsletter of the Birmingham Mosque Trust Ltd. Rabi-ul-Awwal / Rabi-ul-Thani 1434 Issue No. 260 February 2013 Monthly True Islamic Virtues True Islamic Virtues True Islamic Virtues There is no better way to learn about Islam than to read the Holy Qur'an and to observe the practices of a devout Muslim. Unfortunately, the many stereotypes, misconceptions, and misrepresentations prevalent today serve as a great barrier that prevent non-Muslims from understanding the truth about Islam. Lack of access to an English translation of the Qur'an and, moreover, to a knowledgeable Muslim who represents Islam well may also be factors. Therefore, it is a hope that this article will assist those who desire to know exactly what the Qur'an teaches and how a practicing Muslim is supposed to act. The Holy Qur'an, the revelation given to Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, over 1400 years ago, is an instruction book for people of all times and all places as to how one can live their life correctly. It contains therein, among other things, the qualities that one should adopt in order to please the Creator and to obtain true peace on Earth. The ultimate result from a sincere striving towards such qualities would be the fulfillment of the human being's purpose in this life (submission to the One God) and the attainment of the reward in the next life (eternal Paradise!) This brief work is meant to convey the moral standard by which the conscious Muslim lives his or her life according to. These moral teachings have been extrapolated from the Holy Qur'an, a book which Muslims believe is the final revelation of the Creator to His creation. Muslims use this book as a standard for correct faith and action because they have a firm belief that the Creator knows what is best for His creation. In the Holy Qur'an, God says, "Verily this Qur'an doth guide to that which is most right" (17:9). Muslims believe that only when humanity believes in the One God and sincerely follows the teachings of this divine book, will all the problems of the world then be solved. Contentment "In no wise covet those things in which God hath bestowed His gifts more freely on some of you than on others: to men is allotted what they earn, and to women what they earn: but ask God of His bounty." (4:32) "Call on your Lord with humility and in private: for God loveth not those who trespass beyond bounds." (7:55) Humility "Celebrate the praises of thy Lord, and be of those who prostrate themselves in adoration." (15:98) "The servants of (God) Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say, 'Peace!'" (25:63) "Exult not, for God loveth not those who exult (in riches)." (28:76) "Swell not thy cheek (for pride) at men, nor walk in insolence through the earth; for God loveth not any arrogant boaster." (31:18) "God loveth those who are kind." (5:13) "Be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor. And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: 'My Lord! bestow on them Thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood.'" (17:23-24) "We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear him, and in years twain was his weaning." (31:14) "Treat not the orphan with harshness, nor repulse him who asks." (93:9-10) Kindness
Transcript
The Dawn
The Newsletter of the Birmingham Mosque Trust Ltd. Rabi-ul-Awwal / Rabi-ul-Thani 1434 Issue No. 260
There is no better way to learn about Islam than to read theHoly Qur'an and to observe the practices of a devoutMusl im. Unfortunately, the many stereotypes,misconceptions, and misrepresentations prevalent todayserve as a great barrier that prevent non-Muslims fromunderstanding the truth about Islam. Lack of access to anEnglish translation of the Qur'an and, moreover, to aknowledgeable Muslim who represents Islam well may alsobe factors. Therefore, it is a hope that this article will assistthose who desire to know exactly what the Qur'an teachesand how a practicing Muslim is supposed to act.
The Holy Qur'an, the revelation given to ProphetMuhammad peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,over 1400 years ago, is an instruction book for people of alltimes and all places as to how one can live their lifecorrectly. It contains therein, among other things, thequalities that one should adopt in order to please theCreator and to obtain true peace on Earth. The ultimateresult from a sincere striving towards such qualities wouldbe the fulfillment of the human being's purpose in this life(submission to the One God) and the attainment of thereward in the next life (eternal Paradise!)
This brief work is meant to convey the moral standard bywhich the conscious Muslim lives his or her life according to.These moral teachings have been extrapolated from theHoly Qur'an, a book which Muslims believe is the finalrevelation of the Creator to His creation. Muslims use thisbook as a standard for correct faith and action because theyhave a firm belief that the Creator knows what is best forHis creation. In the Holy Qur'an, God says, "Verily thisQur'an doth guide to that which is most right" (17:9).Muslims believe that only when humanity believes in theOne God and sincerely follows the teachings of this divinebook, will all the problems of the world then be solved.
Contentment"In no wise covet those things in which God hath bestowedHis gifts more freely on some of you than on others: to menis allotted what they earn, and to women what they earn:but ask God of His bounty." (4:32)
"Call on your Lord with humility and in private: for Godloveth not those who trespass beyond bounds." (7:55)
Humility
"Celebrate the praises of thy Lord, and be of those whoprostrate themselves in adoration." (15:98)
"The servants of (God) Most Gracious are those who walkon the earth in humility, and when the ignorant addressthem, they say, 'Peace!'" (25:63)
"Exult not, for God loveth not those who exult (in riches)."(28:76)
"Swell not thy cheek (for pride) at men, nor walk ininsolence through the earth; for God loveth not anyarrogant boaster." (31:18)
"God loveth those who are kind." (5:13)
"Be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain oldage in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, norrepel them, but address them in terms of honor. And, out ofkindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say:'My Lord! bestow on them Thy Mercy even as theycherished me in childhood.'" (17:23-24)
"We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents: intravail upon travail did his mother bear him, and in yearstwain was his weaning." (31:14)
"Treat not the orphan with harshness, nor repulse him whoasks." (93:9-10)
Kindness
Courtesy"When a (courteous) greeting is offered you, meet it with agreeting still more courteous, or (at least) of equal courtesy.God takes careful account of all things." (4:86)
"Let not some men among you laugh at others: it may bethat the (latter) are better than the (former): nor let somewomen laugh at others: it may be that the (latter) are betterthan the (former): nor defame nor be sarcastic to eachother, nor call each other by (offensive) nicknames."(49:11)
"Eat of what is on earth, lawful and good; and do not followthe footsteps of the Satan, for he is to you an avowedenemy." (2:168)
Purity
"[God] loves those who keep themselves pure and clean."(2:222)
"When ye prepare for prayer, wash your faces, and yourhands (and arms) to the elbows; Rub your heads(with water); and (wash) your feet to the ankles. If ye are ina state of ceremonial impurity, bathe your whole body...God doth not wish to place you in a difficulty, but to makeyou clean." (5:6)
"Say to My servants that they should (only) say those thingsthat are best: for Satan doth sow dissensions among them."(17:53)
"[The believers] have been guided... to the purest ofspeeches." (22:24)
"Woe to every (kind of) scandal-monger and backbiter."(104:1)
"Say to the People of the Book and to those who areunlearned: 'Do ye (also) submit yourselves?' If they do, theyare in right guidance, but if they turn back, thy duty is toconvey the Message." (3:20)
"Enter not houses other than your own, until ye have askedpermission and saluted those in them: that is best for you, inorder that ye may heed (what is seemly). If ye find no one inthe house, enter not until permission is given to you: if ye areasked to go back, go back: that makes for greater purity foryourselves." (24:27-28)
"Avoid suspicion as much (as possible): for suspicion insome cases is a sin: and spy not on each other, nor speak illof each other behind their backs. Would any of you like toeat the flesh of his dead brother?" (49:12)
Good Speech
Respect
"Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom andbeautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that arebest and most gracious." (16:125)
"Say: 'O People of the Book! come to common terms asbetween us and you: That we worship none but God; that weassociate no partners with Him; that we erect not, fromamong ourselves, lords and patrons other than God.' If thenthey turn back, say ye: 'Bear witness that we (at least) areMuslims (bowing to God's Will).'" (3:64)
"If it had been thy Lord's Will, they would all have believed,all who are on earth! Wilt thou then compel mankind,against their will, to believe!" (10:99)
"Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to God, even asagainst yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, andwhether it be (against) rich or poor: for God can bestprotect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest yeswerve." (4:135)
"God loveth those who judge in equity." (5:42)
"Take not life, which God hath made sacred, except by wayof justice and law." (6:15)
Wisdom
Tolerance
Justice
As we have learnt in the previous part, the creation of the
universe began with a huge explosion. From this point, the
universe has been expanding ever since. Scientists say that
when the mass of the universe has reached a sufficient
level, this expansion will come to an end because of gravity,
causing the universe to collapse in on itself.
It is also believed that the contracting universe will end in a
fierce heat and contraction known as the "Big Crunch."
This would lead to the end of all forms of life as we know
them. Renata Kallosh and Andrei Linde, professors of
physics from Stanford University, made the following
statements on the subject:
The universe may be doomed to collapse and disappear.
Everything we see now, and at a much larger distance that
we cannot see, will collapse into a point smaller than a
proton. Locally, it will be the same as if you were inside a
black hole... We have found that some of the best attempts
to describe dark energy predict that it will gradually become
negative, which will cause the universe to become unstable,
then collapse... Physicists have known that dark energy
could become negative and the universe could collapse
sometime in the very distant future... but now we see that we
might be, not in the beginning, but in the middle of the life
cycle of our universe.4
The End Of The UniverseAnd The Big Crunch
This is how this scientific hypothesis of the Big Crunch is
indicated in the Qur'an:
That Day We will fold up heaven like folding up the pages
of a book. As We originated the first creation so We will
regenerate it. It is a promise binding on Us. That is what
We will do. (Qur'an, 21:104)
In another verse, this state of the heavens is described thus:
They do not measure Allah with His true measure. The
whole Earth will be a mere handful for Him on the Day of
Resurrection the heavens folded up in His right hand. Glory
be to Him! He is exalted above the partners they ascribe!
(Qur'an, 39:67)
According to the Big Crunch theory, the universe will begin
to collapse slowly and will then increasingly pick up speed.
At the end of the process the universe will have infinite
density and be infinitely hot and small. This scientific
theory runs parallel to the Qur'anic explanation of this
particular scientific concept. (Allah knows best)
Allah's scientific miracles in theHoly Quran. by Harun Yahya
Character and ofBeautiful Qualities
Holy Prophet Muhammad
Part 2.Part 2.Part 2.
(may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him)
His Concern For The PeopleHadrat Abu Qatadah Haris Ibn Rib'i (may Allah be
pleased with him) relates that the Holy Prophet (may
Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) said, "I stand up
for Prayer [Salat] intending to prolong it. In the meantime
I hear the wailing of a baby and I have to shorten my
prayer, being apprehensive lest my recitation of a long verse
may tell upon the baby's mother." (Bukhari)
He (PBUH) EstablishedRights For AnimalsNarrated Hadrat Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased
with him), "The Prophet (may Allah's blessings and peace
be upon him) said, "One of the rights is that she camels
should be milked at places of water." (Bukhari)
His Tender HeartHazrat Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with
him) reports as follows, "Once the Holy Prophet (may
Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) asked me to recite
the Qur'an to him. I said: 'O Messenger of Allah! The Holy
Qur'an has been revealed to you and you ask me to recite it
to you!' 'It is my wish' he said, 'that I hear it from some
other person.' So I began to recite, beginning from
Sura an-Nisa, and when I reached this verse, 'But how (will
it be with them) when, We bring of every people a witness,
and We bring thee (O Muhammad) a witness against
these,' (4:41) I chanced to glance at his auspicious face and
saw that tears were rolling down from his eyes." (Tirmidhi)
He Was The Bravest Of MenHadrat Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him)
reported that Allah's Messenger (may Allah's blessings and
peace be upon him) was the sublimest among people (in
character) and the most generous amongst them and he
was the bravest of men. One night the people of Madina felt
disturbed and set forth in the direction of a sound when
Allah's Messenger (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon
him) met them on his way back as he had gone towards that
sound ahead of them. He was on the horse of Hadrat Abu
Talha (may Allah be pleased with him) which had no saddle
over it. A sword was slung round his neck and he was
saying, "There was nothing to be afraid
of." And he also said, "We found it (this horse) like a torrent
of water (indicating its swift footedness) whereas the horse
had been slow before that time." (Muslim)
His Generosity
Hadrat Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him)
reported that Allah's Messenger (may Allah's blessings and
peace be upon him) was the most generous of people in
charity, but he was generous to the utmost in the month of
Ramadan. Hazat Jibril (peace be upon him) would meet
him every year during the month of Ramadan until it ended,
and Allah's Messenger (may Allah's blessings and peace be
upon him) recited to him the Qur'an; and when Jibril
(peace be upon him) met him, Allah's Messenger (may
Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) was most
generous in giving charity like the blowing wind. (Muslim)
Hadrat Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him)
reported that a person requested Allah's Messenger (may
Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) to give him a ver y
large flock (of sheep) and he gave that to him. He came to
his tribe and said: O people, embrace Islam. By Allah,
Muhammad donates so much as if he did not fear want.
Hadrat Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the
person embraced Islam for the sake of the world but later
he became Muslim until Islam became dearer to him than
the world and what it contains. (Muslim)
He Did Not Take Sadaqah
Hadrat Buraidah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports
that when the Holy Prophet (may Allah's blessings and
peace be upon him) emigrated to Madina, Hadrat Salman
Farsi (may Allah be pleased with him) brought a tray full of
fresh dates and offered it to him. He asked, "What is this?"
Hadrat Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "It is
a sacrifice (sadaqah) for you and your Companions." He
said: "We do not eat sadaqah." On the second day Hadrat
Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) came with a tray
of dates and said, "These dates are a gift." Then the Holy
Prophet (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) and
the Companions ate of those dates. Thereafter Hadrat
Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) saw the Seal of
Prophethood (in between his shoulders) and embraced
Islam. (Tirmidhi)
His True NatureHadrat Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him)
reported that Allah's Messenger (may Allah's blessings and
peace be upon him) was presented two cups at
Bayt al-Maqdis on the night of the Heavenly Journey, one
containing wine and the other containing milk. He looked
at both of them, and he took the one containing milk,
whereupon Hadrat Jibril (peace be upon him) said: Praise
is due to Allah Who guided you to the true nature; had you
taken the one containing wine, your Ummah would have
gone astray. (Muslim)
He did not speak to please but always said the truth Hadrat
'Amr ibn al-Aas (may Allah be pleased with him) reports
that the Holy Prophet (may Allah's blessings and peace be
upon him) in his special talk, used to pay attention even to
the worst man in the community with a view to win his
heart. "Towards me also," states Hadrat 'Amr (may Allah be
pleased with him), "he used to pay much attention,
addressing me more than he did others, wherefore I began
to think that I was the best man in the community. So
under this impression, one day I asked him: "Am I superior
or Hadrat Umar?" He said, 'Umar'. Again I asked him
clearly, he told me correctly, without fear or favour, and
later on I thought I should not have asked him such things."
(Tirmidhi)
His MannersHadrat Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him)
said, "The Holy Prophet (may Allah's blessings and peace
be upon him) had the best manners among all the human
beings." (Bukhari and Muslim)
He Would Take Permission FromA Small BoyHadrat Sahl bin Sa'd Ansari (may Allah be pleased with
him) reported that milk was brought to the Prophet (may
Allah's blessings and peace be upon him). He drank it. On
his right was a boy and on the left elderly persons. He said
to the boy, "If you permit, I shall give first to these (on the
left). The boy said, "No! By the Lord! Messenger of Allah, I
do not want to let anyone have my share of what is left from
your lips." Allah's Messenger (may Allah's blessings and
peace be upon him) then gave it first to him. (Malik)
His Left Over Food A HealingHadrat Abu Omamah (may Allah be pleased with him)
reports that a woman used to rattle on ceaselessly and
unrestrained. She came to the Holy Prophet's (may Allah's
blessings and peace be upon him) presence. He was eating
mutton at that time and so he gave her a piece of it. The
woman asked him to give her that piece which was in his
His Saliva A HealingNarrated Yazid bin Abi 'Ubaid, "I saw the trace of a wound
in Hadrat Salama's (may Allah be pleased with him) leg. I
said to him, 'O Abu Muslim! What is this wound?' He said,
'This was inflicted on me on the day of Khaibar and the
people said, 'Salama has been wounded.' Then I went to the
Prophet (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him)
and he puffed his saliva in it (i.e. the wound) thrice, and
since then I have not had any pain in it till this hour.'"
(Bukhari)
Satan Cannot Imitate HimHadrat Abdallah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with
him) reports the Prophetic statement that, "He who saw me
in dream, he saw me really, for Satan cannot make his face
like mine." (Tirmidhi)
His Exalted PositionNarrated Hadrat Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with
him), "On the Day of Resurrection the people will fall on
their knees and every nation will follow their prophet and
they will say, "O so-and-so! Intercede (for us with Allah),'
till (the right) intercession is given to Prophet Muhammad
(may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) and that
will be the day when Allah will raise him to a station of
praise and glory (i.e. Al-Maqam -al-Mahmud)." (Bukhari)
The Merit Of His ZiyaraHadrat Abdullah Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with
him) relates that Rasulullah (may Allah's blessings and
peace be upon him) said, "Whoever visits my grave, my
intercession becomes obligatory for him." (Dar-Qutni)
auspicious mouth. So he took it out and gave it to her. She
ate it up, whereby she became calm, her tongue became
controllable and she ceased to run off at the mouth and
lather. (Tirmidhi)
There are seven people whom Allah will drawunder His own shadow, on the day when
there will be no other shadow; one ofthem a men who hath given aimand concealed it, so that his left
hand knew not what his righthand did
(Saying of Prophet Muhammadpease be upon Him)
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Sheikh Qari M. IsmailEvery Friday After Maghrib Prayers
Monthly Spiritual Gathering of
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nd7.00 – 10.00pm – i.e 22 Feb 2013.
Speeches in English and Urdu.Brothers, sisters and children are welcome.(segregated area for ladies)Food is served at the end.
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Managing Editorial BoardDr. M. Naseem, Ch. M. Sarwar, Ch. Abdul Rashid
Don’t Depend Too Much On Anyone
In This World Because Even Your
Own Shadow Leaves You When
You Are In Darkness
7222013
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