Tawakkul

This a story with a really cute message- subhanAllah.

A young man had been to Wednesday Night Class of Quranic Studies. The teacher had shared about listening to Allah and obeying Allah through intuition.

The young man couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Does Allah still speak to people through intuition?’ After Lessons, he went out with some friends for coffee and pie and they discussed the message.

Several different ones talked about how Allah had led them in different ways and that at the end you’ll know it was Allah(SWT) Who has directed you.

It was about ten o’clock when the young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, ‘Allah…If you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey.’

As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook his head and said out loud, ‘Allah is that you?’ He didn’t get a reply and started on toward home.

But again, the thought, buy a gallon of milk came into his head. ‘Okay, Allah, in case that is you, I will buy the milk.’ It didn’t seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off toward home.

As he passed Seventh Street , he again felt the urge, ‘Turn Down that street.’ This is crazy he thought, and drove on past the intersection. Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street ..

At the next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh. Half jokingly, he said out loud, ‘Okay, Allah, I will.’ He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop.

He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in a semi-commercial area of town. It wasn’t the best but it wasn’t the worst of neighborhoods either. The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark like the people were already in bed.

Again, he sensed something, ‘Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street.’ The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked like the people were either gone or they were already asleep. He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat. Allah, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid.’

Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk. Finally, he opened the door, ‘Okay Allah(SWT), if this is you, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk. If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something, but if they don’t answer right away, I am out of here.’ He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside. A man’s voice yelled out, ‘Who is it? What do you want?’ Then the door opened before the young man could get away.

The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn’t seem too happy to have some stranger standing on his doorstep. ‘What is it?’ The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, ‘Here, I brought this to you.’

The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway. Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face. The man began speaking and half crying, ‘We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn’t have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking Allah(SWT) to show me how to get some milk.’

His wife in the kitchen yelled out, ‘I ask him to send an Angel with some. Are you an Angel?’

The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put in the man’s hand. He turned and walked back toward his car and the tears were streaming down his face.

He knew that Allah (SWT) still answers prayers.

Interesting stuff about humans..

I’m OK, You’re Biased

This article explains how objectivity is in the eyes of the beholder. A study was done about human behavior and how even when we think we’re unbiased, we usually are biased.

“Doctors scoff at the notion that gifts from a pharmaceutical company could motivate them to prescribe that company’s drugs, and Supreme Court justices are confident that their legal opinions are not influenced by their financial stake in a defendant’s business, or by their child’s employment at a petitioner’s firm. Vice President Dick Cheney is famously contemptuous of those who suggest that his former company received special consideration for government contracts.”

“Research suggests that decision-makers don’t realize just how easily and often their objectivity is compromised. The human brain knows many tricks that allow it to consider evidence, weigh facts and still reach precisely the conclusion it favors.

When our bathroom scale delivers bad news, we hop off and then on again, just to make sure we didn’t misread the display or put too much pressure on one foot. When our scale delivers good news, we smile and head for the shower. By uncritically accepting evidence when it pleases us, and insisting on more when it doesn’t, we subtly tip the scales in our favor.”

“And yet, if decision-makers are more biased than they realize, they are less biased than the rest of us suspect. Research shows that while people underestimate the influence of self-interest on their own judgments and decisions, they overestimate its influence on others.”

And in other news, movies such as Gattaca explain how terrifying it can be when our knowledge and technology come before natural biology. We may know so much about ourselves that we can screen out genetic diseases and other complications at birth. We all thought such a future was too advanced for our present state. But do we know about the research that’s being done that involved our own cells and tissues?

“When you go to the doctor for a routine blood test or mole removal, when you have an appendectomy, tonsillectomy or any other kind of ectomy, the stuff you leave behind doesn’t always get thrown out. Doctors, hospitals and laboratories keep them. Often indefinitely. Some get consent with admission forms that say something like, I give my doctor permission to dispose of my tissues or use them in research. Others don’t. Today most Americans have their tissue on file somewhere.”

“How you should feel about all this isn’t obvious. Scientists aren’t stealing your arm or some vital organ. They’re just using tissue scraps you parted with voluntarily. But still, someone is taking part of you. And people often have a strong sense of ownership when it comes to their bodies. Even tiny scraps of it. Especially when they hear that someone else might be making money off those scraps. Or using them to uncover potentially damaging information about their genes and medical histories.

But a feeling of ownership doesn’t hold up in court. And at this point, the law isn’t clear on whether you have the right to own and control your tissues. When they’re part of your body, they’re clearly yours. Once they’re excised, things get murky.”

“At this point, scientists largely have the access they want. And they hope to keep it that way for fear that restrictions might slow research. But a growing number of activists — ethicists, lawyers, doctors and patients — are arguing cases and pushing for federal regulations that would change the status quo by granting people rights to control their tissues.”

For full text visit: Taking the Least of You

SubhanAllah.

Amazing that I got this article e-mailed to me a few hours after I posted my last post. It’s so great and touching!! : )

I’m not belittling the sadness of this article, but the way the family responded is so touching.

‘A Gesture Of Love’

Updated: 15:02, Monday November 07, 2005

The parents of a Palestinian boy killed by Israeli soldiers have donated his organs to three Israeli children.

Ahmad Khatib, 12, was carrying a toy rifle when he was gunned down on Thursday in the West Bank town of Jenin.

The soldiers, who were conducting a raid, had mistaken him for a militant.

The boy died on Sunday but three Israeli girls underwent surgery to receive his lungs, heart and liver.

Ahmad’s father Ismail Khatib said the decision to donate the organs was influenced by the fact his 24-year-old brother died while waiting for a liver transplant.

Mr Khatib hoped the gesture would send a message of peace to Israelis and Palestinians.

He said: “In our religion, God allows us to give organs to another person and it doesn’t matter who the person is.”

The father of 12-year-old Samah Gadban, who had been waiting five years for a heart, called the donation a “gesture of love.”

Riad Gadban said: “I want to thank him (Mr Khatib) and his family. With their gift, I would like for them to think that my daughter is their daughter.”

The Schneider Children’s Medical Centre in Israel reported that a 14-year-old Jewish girl has received Ahmad’s lungs and a seven-month-old girl was given his liver.

Israel has a chronic shortage of donor organs that many medical officials attribute to Jewish religious taboos against such donations.

How amazing! It’s wonderful that people can be so giving. MashAllah. May Allah reward these people. We’re all human. We all have hearts and brains, why don’t we use them properly

I’m gushing with happiness!

Stop the Bloodshed

How frightening it is to think some people enjoy killing. How terrifying it is to know that we, as humans, cannot compromise, cannot stop the bloodshed.

Since the beginning of the Second Intifada in September 2000…
	Children Killed	Total Killed	Total Injured
Palestinians	719	3,858	29,691
Israelis	82	1,084	7,633
Isn’t it time to make peace?

How many people must die?

Sorry!

Okay, so I’ve had this up on my profile, but I think it’s time for me to post it. It’s kind of a Rumi style poem. Read it with the spiritual context in mind.

The love of the Beloved
must be unconditionally returned.

If you claim love
yet oppose the Beloved,
then your love is but a pretence.
You love the enemies of your Beloved
and still seek love in return.

You fight the beloved of your Beloved.

Is this Love or the following of shaytaan?

True devotion is nothing
but total submission
of body and soul
to One Love.

We have seen humans claim to submit,
yet their loyalties are many.

They put their trust here, and their hope there,
and their love is without consequence.

Taken from Imam al Jawziyyah

Virtues of Knowledge: Educating Ourselves as Muslims

“Whoever seeks a way to acquire knowledge, Allah will make easy his way to Paradise.” (Sahih Muslim)
“Verily the men of knowledge are the inheritors of prophets.” (Abu Dawud)

Speakers: Nouman Ali Khan, Mohamed Magid, and Zainab Alwani

Nouman Ali Khan:

Knowledge is disappearing. Each generation learns less and passes on less. If you are a seeker of knowledge then become a student or a teacher. That is what the Prophet* commanded.

• memorization

The first step is memorization. Start memorizing ayat of the Qur’aan and different Hadiths. Today, we put our Islam in the hands of others. Study Arabic because things are lost in translation and therefore we are not using a primary source, we are using a secondary source. ALL of the Islamic sciences rely on Arabic.
Listening to speeches is not serious study. Lecturs are fun for many. Whenever the fun stops, we stop. This should not be the case. Imam Shafi said that it is incumbent upon Muslims to study Arabic. Umar* said that we should learn Arabic because it is from our deen. He also said that no one should teach Qur’aan unless they know Arabic.

• Qur’aan
  1) academic pre-requisite: usul-al-tafseer
  2) internal pre-requisite:
  a) intention- must be for guidance
  b) commitment of making decisions according to the Qur’aan.
  c) it should be our highest priority
  d) the Qur’aan is beyond criticism (in the sense that you shouldn’t be reading it to criticize it, but rather to learn it… ties into point a)
  3) resolve to change according to the Qur’aan- struggle against the inner self (jihad-an-nafs) is considered the greatest struggle

  Blessings are a secondary benefit of the Qur’aan. The primary function is guidance.

Internally reflect upon the Qur’aan. The Sahabah studied for many years because they’d study 10 ayat, implement what was learned until the act became second nature and then move on. We should try our hardest to implement the Qur’aan into our lives. It is our map.

This was my last bit of notes on EZ… Sorry this last post is more incoherent than the others.

Every Soul Shall Taste Death

Speaker: Nouman Ali Khan

One of the problems with making analogies to the hellfire today is that we’re overexposed to the media. We’ve been desensitized so the images aren’t as terrifying to us and we’re not touched. A way to cure this is to cut down our media intake and benefit from dhikr.

In today’s society, humility is frowned upon. A humble person seems to indicate a lack of self-confidence. Yet, we need to constantly humble ourselves and remember Allah.

We should take small steps. For instance, the Qur’aan was revealed first by describing heaven, then hell, then halal and haram. There was a easing into the deen. Sometimes we are overzealous, take our deen too fast and then fall out of it.

If we are already indulged in material desires, then our dhikr is superficial and not touching our hearts. Often we’ll do things and say well, it is halal. That term seems to be our scapegoat. Just because something is halal does NOT mean it is recommended. There is a difference between utlizing the dunya and loving it.

Out energy comes from our salat. It is a necessity for us to have khushoo in our prayer. If it is superficial that what is learned is lost and not reinforced. We should use salat as a reminder, not simply a ritual. We must also constantly remind ourselves of the aakhirah. The thought in our minds should be ubiquitous so that we may focus on our goals.

Cartoons

Sad, inshAllah one day there WILL be peace in the Middle East. Arabs and Israelis are both Semites and have sooo many other similarities. Above all, neither’s religion teaches hate. So get along (if only it were that easy).

I thought this was particularly important. We as a community need to speak out against these crazies who get media attention.

Reviving the Forgotten Sunnah: Awakening the Soul

“And Muhammad* is no more than an apostle; the apostles have already passed away before him; if then he dies or is killed will you turn back upon your heels? And whoever turns back upon his heels, he will by no means do harm to Allah in the least and Allah will reward the grateful.” (3:144) Speakers: Nouman Ali Khan, Hisham Mahmoud and Altaf Hussain

Nouman Ali Khan:

Topic: Consistency

One extreme loves the personality too much, and the other says to go to books, not the Sunnah. At the end of the day, taqlid is done with wisdom. Allah does say to ask those of knowledge if you know not. Especially because the ones against taqlid and listening to the rulings of scholars are doing taqlid themselves. Books are by people( scholarly works, Hadith books, Qur’aan tafseers). Yes, no one is free of flaws, but we tend to look at the flaws more than the good that the people are doing (There can be a mountain of good someone does, but we’ll ingore it for the one bad thing they did). We can disagree with these people, but we must do so with respect. Only the Qur’aan (and no not the translations of it) is protected from error, but we have to rely on scholars as well. We’ve lowered the bar because we’re not the Sahabah (we can’t do all the things they did), but this should strengthen us. They should be our examples because the Prophet* was their example. Nothing is as devastating and will hurt more than death, we need to be prepared and be consistent in our works.

Hisham Mahmoud:

Topic: Character

Before talking about Hadith, Imam Malik would shower, burn incense, wear nice clothes, etc. etc. He revered the Prophet* to that extent (He also walked barefoot in Medina because he didn’t want to put his shoes where at one time the Prophet* might have walked). The Prophet’s* example should heal us and our heart’s diseases. Can we love the Prophet* without knowing him? Of course not. We can summarize his life like an encyclopedia article, but that does not mean we know him. It doesn’t mean we have learned ANYTHING meaningful. We should read the Seerah of the Prophet*. Did Allah only love the Prophet* because he ate with his right hand (or some other small Sunnah)? No, it was because of the Prophet’s* character. Everything else came later. If someone cursed the Prophet*, he* would turn it into a prayer for him. Do we do that? Of course not. Isa* (Jesus) once said that a man can only spend from what he owns. If goodness is all you have, that’s all you can give. Just because we do the small Sunnahs doesn’t mean we’ve reached our goal. The Prophet* was protected from sin, yet EVERYDAY he would say istigfaar (repentance) SEVENTY times a day! He* is a mirror for us.

Altaf Hussain:

Topic: Concern

We should love the Prophet*, but not as much as to raise him to the status of God. That would be committing shirk. The Prophet* is not the one who guides, God guides.

We take for granted everyday that we will be here, but we have no guarantee. We don’t have a contract with God telling us when we will die. We should try and save ourselves and our families from hellfire. Once the Prophet* said “If you knew what I know, you would laugh less and cry more.” Look at the situation we’re in! Allah does not raise a people unless they change themselves. Open any newspaper and you’ll see headlines of Muslims doing x, y and z. Things that would have been inconceivable at the time of the Prophet*. This is the man that united the whole Arabian peninsula without the means we have. And we’ve tarnished the name of Islam. We’ve let extremists show the world who the Muslims are when they are not representative of us. The port deal wasn’t pushed because of the fear of Muslims. But SIXTY PERCENT of ports are ALREADY owned by foreigners and there was no objection. The company that was actually an originally British company was turned down even though it meant immense financial gain for the U.S. We need to work to preserve the name of Islam.

We should not go home unchanged because we are accountable for what we learn. Why are we so concerned if the imam goes on a bit too long for the khutbah?? We should learn from the khutbah and not be impatient.
We should show concern for humanity. The Prophet* was not a guide for Muslims, he was sent as a mercy to mankind. How many lives have we touched or reached out to? Things like this will count of the Day of Judgment, not our material desires. We should be charitable to society, not just Muslims because this is our duty and the reward comes back to us. Aisha* used to perfume the charity she gave so that when it reached Allah, it would smell sweet. We are the Ummah of the Prophet* and we need to start acting like it in our actions.

The Guiding Light: The Prophet* and His Companions

Abu Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah* said, “The supplication of a Muslim for his (Muslim) brother in his absence will certainly be answered. Every time he makes a supplication for good for hid brother, the angel for this particular task says: ‘Ameen! May it be for you, too.’” (Sahih Muslim).

Speaker: Nouman Ali Khan

The relationship between the Prophet* and the Sahabah is a very different and special kind of relationship…

When the Prophet* brought his message of one God, the Arabs opposed his message. Having only one God was acceptable (since they pretty much focused on only praying to one idol), but actually having to obey this God? That was a preposterous idea! It is very hard to break traditions and habits. Even today, there are traditions some Muslims follow that are unIslamic. To embrace Islam and the oneness of God, you whole world changes. Islam is not simply a religion, it is a way of life.

When one embraces Islam with enthusiasm, Shaytan hits that person harder. He wants to cause fitna between the groups you join for good reasons. He wants to break your spirit and bring you back to disobedience.

Amongst the believers, there are also hypocrites. Even in the time of the Prophet*, when the people were so effected by the message that they were purer, there were hypocrites. The best way to deal with people like this is not to call them out. They are analogous to the rotten kids in a classroom that sit in the back. The teacher will come and separate the “bad” kids and seat them next to the “good” ones. We should also spread out so the “troublemakers” won’t be alone and so that maybe Allah will soften their hearts when they are surrounded with people aware of Him.

Also, if you’re going to get involved in things, don’t be half-hearted. Be serious! It is a sign of the hypocrites that they wouldn’t commit themselves fully.

If the president of the MSA comes to you and is disappointed and may come off as harsh remember that the harshness of a leader comes out of frustration. But it works two ways, the leader must also be loving and forgiving. Anyhow, if you are hurt by the president or ANY OTHER PERSON, the Prophet* commanded that you:
1. First, forgive them in your heart.
2. Second, make duaa for them in front of and to Allah.
3. Then consult them in matters of decision so that they’ll know that there is no more tension.

The Prophet* would receive ayat from Allah, when a companion felt that the Prophet* might be harboring an ill feeling towards him. Once, the Prophet* frowned, and ayat came down telling the Prophet* to be better (even though he was never harsh). Today, we go much much farther than a frown in our relationships. That’s why we should be good in all of our relationships.

The Companions of the Prophet* are his vehicle with which he spread Islam. If you think about it, we are all Muslim today because of the Sahabah (and ultimately, Allah’s will).

We should also immerse ourselves in the study of our deen. The people who dedicate their lives in deen are the ones who enlighten people and make change. Our relationships amongst each other must and should be strong or else we fail as an Ummah.