Showing posts with label Islam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Islam. Show all posts

Saturday, 2 May 2015

#Gems learnt from "The Fall of Satan and the Rise of Adam" by Nouman Ali Khan




Notes from Fallen - Story Night by Nouman Ali Khan. 
Parts of Surah Baqarah (In Sequential Order):
(Part 1) Believers, Non Believers & Munafiq(Hypocrites)  
(Part 2) Adam (عليه السلام) story
(Part 3) Bani Israel & their laws/commandments from Allah 
(Part 4) Ibrahim (عليه السلام) & his tests
(Part 5) Changing of Qiblah -To appreciate this . we have to read this section after reading all other sections (from 1-4 & 6-9).  
************************
Let's try to recall the incident that occurred between angels & Allah... (even before the mankind is produced):
-Angels told Allah that if mankind is going to be the Khalifa, Ruler, they would be causing (1)bloodshed & (2)corruption.
-Allah SWT replied to the angels "You don't know what I know."
Let's recall what angels mentioned to Allah when Allah told angels that mankind is going to be Khalifa, -Angels said "They would be causing blood shed & corruption" 
Let's recap the sequence of Surah Baqarah:  
(2) Adam AS 
(3) Bani Israel & laws
(4) Ibrahim AS 
(6) Trials (our ummah) 
The sequence goes like a father,nation & then father,nation.  
There is something interesting about this sequence: 
Bani Israel did both corruption & blood shed. - Just like Angels said. While, Allah said, "You don't know what I know"-which means Allah knows human beings are capable of following Allah’s order & to do things that are amazing when they are the KHALIFA of this world. -This implies that Allah is talking about us.  -And, we are the Khalifa.  Khalifa does not only mean a ruler. Khaliha means having freedom to make decisions & in control of the situation.
-A father is a Khalifa to his family, a boss is a Khalifa to his employees etc. 
- Hence, when we are starting to change ourselves and our surroundings(because we are Khalifa) , then the world will start to change. 

**We have this huge responsibility that Allah swt gave (We can derive this from the conversation between Allah and Angels).** 
Secondly, we need to realize that Bani Israel failed their tests(& they are continuing to fail) . While, our father failed one time and he turned back to Allah. And, Ibrahim(AS) passed all the tests. Now, it is our turn , and we are having tests now. 
Changing of Qiblah also means changing of.... - Responsibilities(we are having a huge responsibility on us as we are born in this Ummah) -

We are facing the tests. It is now our turn to pass tests, In Shaa Allah. 
***********************************
(Part 6) Trials (specifically to our Ummah) -We can make comparisons to Ibrahim(AS) Test (Refer to part 4) & analyse on how we can improve ourselves.  
(Part 7) Our Shariah/Laws/Commandments from Allah -And, can make comparison to Part 3. 
-So, that, we will not fall on the same trap as Bani Israel.  
(Part 8) Discusses about Earnings -Such as Good Transactions,  Bad Transactions , Business etc.  How is it related to (Part 2)?
-Adam (AS) and our mother,Hawwa ate from the tree due to their GREED (they wanted to be in Jannah forever & this is what Shaytan has promised)
Lessons Learnt: -Earning Money wrongly such as riba , it is due to GREED. -Hence , both ended up this way due to their GREED. -In fact, Allah swt mentions something that is very interesting 
"Shaytan mentions bankruptcy to do evil deeds"
(Part 9) Dua to take refuge from Allah so that we will not be in the group of ,Kaafir (Non-Believers) & Munafiq (Hyporcrite). 
- This is directly related to Part 1.
It is interesting to take note on how Quran is connected together perfectly, SubhanAllah :)
More Lessons learnt from this Surah:
1) Ibrahim AS asked Allah "how will you make a life from dead?"  -Allah replied "Don't you believe in my message" and after that he made a dead bird to a bird that is back to life.  -So, next time when we say our Ummah is dead, it is not capable of anything etc. Think Again! Allah is capable of bringing dead to life . And, the same concept applies for the revival of this Ummah. Our Ummah can be revived with the help of Allah.  
2) It is not wrong to ask questions but it is wrong to ask it in a wrong way.  -Best example is when the angels asked a question to Allah on why Allah has produced mankind as a Khalifah . However, they asked Allah in a dignified way. -While, Shaytan asked the question to Allah in an arrogant way "Why should I prostrate. ..... ". -Shaytan did this because he did not have a good opinion about Allah.  -We should have a proper etiquette when we are asking questions about Islam etc.  
3) We can make mistakes but we should never blame it to others. Take personal responsibility! -Adam AS and Shaytan, both made mistakes. -However, Adam AS and our mother after they have made a mistake, they repented and turn to Allah. They did not say to Allah like "You always wanted me to be the Khalifa of this world, so you made me to do this..". 
Adam(as) acknowledged Allah’s plan & wisdom, realized his own mistake. So, he was the chosen one.  While, Shaytan did exactly opposite. He said to Allah "Its your plan that I will make an error"... So, next time when you made a mistake. remind yourself on whose Sunnah that you are going to follow!
-You will be following either Adam's Sunnah or Shaytan's Sunnah!
Take personal responsibility for your own mistakes , turn to Allah & rectify it instead of blaming it on Allah, Qadr(predestiny). 

Monday, 23 March 2015

Bee Like The Bee -Nouman Ali Khan




Lessons from Bees:

Why do we need to know about Bees?
1) It is described in Quran.
2) Prophet Muhammad SAW has mentioned "I swear by him who owns my soul ,that mu'min (believers) are like bees"

*****************
1) Bees eat only from pure flowers, goes for the best ones.

Lessons:
-Look for halal rizq.
-Look for best job etc.

2) Bees seats well in the flower. Hence, it gives alot more (pollen grains) before it takes its nectar.

Lesson for us:
-It is indicating our relationship with people etc. We should take in little and give people more. .

3) Bees does not deteriorate the flower while taking the nectar as it seats well .
-Imagine, Bees are heavy creatures compared to flowers.  If, it puts its entire weight, it can break the petals of the flowers. So, it keeps on hovering so that it doesn't put its entire weight on it.

Lesson for us:
-If, we have relationship but we keep on demanding, there will come a time when the people who love you, can break.
-Take it easy when you are expecting something from people.

Time to think:
-Whether I am putting too much pressure/asking from my employees, children,parents, friends etc.

If you want something from people
★Give people more
★And, then demand (but it should be minimum)



Part 2| Lesson from Bees

4) The bees does not drink the nectar which was used previously by another bee . It senses that by smelling the flower or seeing another Bee drinking from it.

Lesson For Us:
*While, we do the opposite when it comes to business.  We will try to ruin the other people business by opening the same kind of shop , spoiling their customer etc. *

*We should understand that Allah’s rizq is so vast. We do not need to spoil other people rizq for our own rizq.*

5) Unity
-Allah has taught them a special dance, it is called Bee dance.
-The purpose of it is to share their rizq. They will call others so that they could share their food and build more food.
-And, from there, they will build a community together.

Lesson for us:
-We need to share our rizq to get recognised as a community.
-Don't be jealous over other people rizq as you are receiving benefits as well .
-Do not hide your rizq, share it with others.

6) It follows Allah's path humbly.
-Every turn that it takes, it is guided by Allah.
-Allah says that it moves humbly. 

Lesson for us:
-When we are starting to earn rizq, we should not be arrogant!
-Don't say things like "I don't have time" ,"I am so busy"

7) Be a productive community.
-The hive that all the bees build together has a cure for the whole of humanity.  .

-Honey is a Prophetic medicine.
-It doesn't cause any corruption to the environment.
-Instead, it benefits everybody.

Lesson for us:
-Let's became a community that heals the humanity just like the honey bees.
-And, do not be like people who are building factories, causing pollution etc.
-Don't make the future generations suffer because of your acts.
-Be like the bees- "Benefit yourself and benefit others more"

Something to think about:
-One of the greatest ayah of Allah is disappearing (Honey Bees) as we are destroying the environment.




Wednesday, 18 March 2015

Lecture 2 Life Of Prophet Muhammad SAW Mufti Menk

Life Of Prophet Muhammad SAW






Youtube link https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RNH7dIzKq_g



Lecture 2.1 ,Life Of Prophet Muhammad PBUH Mufti Menk:

Darkness surrounding the Arabian Penisula& the globe just before the birth of Prophet Muhammad SAW:

In India, we can see how the women used to be treated...
-If, a woman dies, there was no such of marrying again. Most of them will burn themselves to death. They were brainwashed to believe their system.

They believed in reincarnation(some of them believe it, up to day) ...
If a person dies, the person reappears in the form of a bird or snake etc, depending whether they had good / bad life.

Mufti's experience:
One of the sister from his community told him that they visited the death of their hindu relatives. And, when they were walking out, they saw a dove sitting on , one of the branches of a tree. When, they looked at the dove, they said "This must be the dead person".
-Mufti mentioned that if the dove was alive before the death of the person, but how can it be the dead person.
-Look , at how their mind is surrounded by darkness.

During the time of Prophet Muhammad SAW, if we look at Arabian Penisula...

-As, we have mentioned before, they used to worship idols. They did until they have made the idols out of stone. And, when they have found a better stone, they will throw away of what they used to worship for so many years.

-And, if they have a big problem , they will go to someone who had bigger stone and they will ask permission to borrow their stone( which they claim as god) to resolve their bigger issue.
- Imagine how they used to think...

Funny story:
-Omer Ibn Khattab( ra) says (as intelligent he was) , " We made God out of dates, so that we can shape it better than shaping stones. And, one day I was very hungry, I was asking for food from the God, but there was no food coming. Hence, I ate the God"

This was their mentality at that period of time.

To be continued, In Shaa Allah.

 Lectuee 2.2- Life of Prophet Muhammad SAW|Mufti Menk

As,× we have discussed previously , they believed in superstition. For example: if somebody is having hiccup/ if you sneeze once, they will believe that someone is remembering them.
All, these superstitious comes from that time and it has seeped through the globe. Some of us are guilty in doing  some of these superstitious things.

Look at one of their habits:
1) They will go to the fortune teller.They let him/her solve their matter.  These fortune tellers were powerful in terms of studying the lives of people.  And,they had contact with the spirits,Jinn. As, discussed earlier, having a contact with Jinns, spirits , it is not impossible.  However, it is prohibited.

May Allah swt grant us the ability to recite the verses of Quran that are relevant . They are
1) Ayatul Qursi
2) Verses of Surah Baqarah, the more powerful of them.
3)The last two Surahs of Quran.
*All of these are more powerful , it should be read every morning & evening with the intention of dua & protection.*

And, we can find that in one of their habits, they do not believe in a life after death...
They will say " who is going to give life to this bones which is decomposed completely,and that have became like a dust."

And , Allah says "Say, he will give those bones life who gave them life in the first place"
-If Allah swt is able to give men life . It will be much more  easier to resurrect them.
-If, you do not have BMW car and you have to make one, it will be far more genius than a person who is able to fix the BMW car.
-This is a simple logic. May Allah swt grant us the deeper understanding.

Lecture 2.3 , Life Of Prophet Muhammad SAW, Mufti Menk

Allah swt mentions that they will call as " May the one who created me, help me in this..."

They will call the one who has created them, and it is when?
-when, they have difficulties

When, they were on ship, it rocks a little bit, they will call out to Allah alone. As soon they have came back from sea, what will happen?
-They would immediately start to engage in  polytheism, worshipping other false deities.

As for politics,
At,that particular time, people were divided into 2 major groups.
1) People of desert , rural areas
2) The people of cities

Up till today, we may find people who live in smaller town, have greater hearts, & far better qualities than those are in  cities who do not have even time to greet each other.  They do not even have time to be hospitable.

However, they had something in common, they will divide themselves based on lineage, tribe. They literally stood up for one another. They would fight with other tribe because of a problem happened with one particular person.

Once a camel went missing, they doubt the other group or someone was caught from the group, and the war continued for 40 years. People died & the next generation did not even know why they were fighting, but they continued fighting.

They had tribalism within them. They stuck to their clans. Sometime, it is used for good things while sometime used for bad things.

So, Allah swt blessed them by sending the messenger.

But, if we take look at leadership of these clans, it will always be with certain person, family.  Usually, it fell from father to child, brother.  This is how it worked.  When, the chief has passed away, his son/relative took over.

However, but there was something could raise a person from nothing. What is that?

They can come with some poetry which was so powerful linguistically, full of meaning.  And, this will instantly raise the rank of individual to the point of leadership.

Why?

They were crazy about eloquence.  They were the most powerful when it comes to speech. In fact, bulk of them were unlettered, almost 100% of them could not ready & write.

However, linguistically, they were powerful & they hardly used slang. And, PBUH when he grew up, he never used slang.

* It was reported that PBUH never ever made any linguistic errors in his life. *

And, this was the gift given by Allah swt. And, this is why we can see how they look, listened & mesmerised by what PBUH said. They were completely astonished till that Arabic language began took it rules , correct itself through the Quran.

 Up to today, the kuffar , the Christian Arabs ,& the non-Muslims among Arabs, uses Quran when it comes to linguistics in order to correct their language, & to explain what is right & wrong.

Lecture-2.4 -Life-of-Prophet-Muhammad-PBUH-Mufti-Menk

If you take look at their wealth, economically, they had nothing much to offer.  It hardly rained, even if it is, it is no use as it is a desert.

However, at certain places, they had date palms, and few other things. Many of their trading is based  on livestock that they had , they had alot of camels,donkeys, goats & sheeps. We wiill not be able to count donkeys as livestock because it is not edible. However, they had alot goats & sheeps.

There was a difference between those who had camels & goats,sheeps.

Up to today, the ones who are having camels, they have noses high up in the air. They consider it as being wealthy if they had camels. It is like someone who driving latest motor vehicle. The red camels had more value than the BMW cars, today.
*Clarification*
*If, you have wealth , you can buy the most sophisticated, expensive vehicle, as long that it doesn't make you arrogant.  *

The ones who had camels, they had wrong pride while the ones who had goats,sheeps were much more humble. And, Subhan'Allah, Allah swt has kept in such as that every nabi, they started from early age looking after goats, sheeps. And, it was never mentioned that they look after camels, it was always goats, sheeps.
-Prophet Muhammad SAW said "There was no Prophet except that he started off by looking after sheep"

Hence, Allah swt gave them a gift by sending Prophet Muhammad SAW to remove them from darkness of arrogance & to spend in a good cause.

Another, aspect of their economic life, they had alot of caravans towards the north( during summer), & south ( during winter). The winter was too cold for them to handle , hence they will go down to South( Yemen). That is why Quran speaks about this journeys.

Quraish : 1

لِإِيلٰفِ قُرَيْشٍ

For the accustomed security of the Quraysh -

Quraish : 2

إِۦلٰفِهِمْ رِحْلَةَ الشِّتَآءِ وَالصَّيْفِ

Their accustomed security [in] the caravan of winter and summer -

Allah is speaking about their gift that was given to them during the winter & summer. There were hijackers who came to the Highlands in order to rob goods from them.  And, people used to have weapons with them in order to defend themselves.  And, most of their economic is based on how powerful they were as there were wars taking place. If, there were weak tribes, they will join with stronger tribe by signing treaty, so that they could look after weaker tribes. The reason is that the stronger tribe will keep on having goods if they do not have this system

We can see this even today, the stronger one will eat the money of the weaker ones. And, the weak ones are not able to do anything unless if you know someone (who is better than you).

Lesson:
-May Allah protect us from thinking that we are powerful. We should know that no matter , how powerful we are, Allah is more powerful than us

Lecture 2.5, Life Of Prophet Muhammad SAW, Mufti MENK

So, Allah swt says, that Quraysh were given a gift, they used to travel North & South, very calm without anyone harming them.
-This is an ayat to indicate that Quraysh is a chosen clan.

Allah swt indicates that they are able to travel in peace, nobody touched their caraven.

Allah swt gave them the gift to be in peace.

1) Dealing with interest:
However, they mixed with Jews, dealing with Jewish people who taught them how to do dealings with interest.  This is why , people of Quraysh started to charge interest. And, many Arabs started to do that.
Why is it wrong?
-It is considered right for them at that point of time.
-However, when Islam emerged, it banned the interest so that it can protect the poor.
-The reason is that interests make rich,richer & poor, poorer . This is what happens if you borrow money.

2)Haram Festivals & Hajj
They also had festivals.  They celebrated it after the month of Shawwal & other months.  They used to gather around Arafah for any festivals.

And, they used to fulfill Hajj. However, what kind of Hajj was that?
-Hajj came down from Ibrahim(as). However, the Quraish mixed it till they started to worship the idols. They worshipped the idols on morning & evening.

-They would remember Allah .However,they only do it in the times of need.
*We do this as well. We sin everyday . When, we have a big problem, we will raise our hand to make dua as though we are the most deserving of mercy from Allah.

But, where were you when Allah swt favoured you? When, you are in goodness, you turned away from Allah swt. And, when you are in difficulty, you want to turn to Allah swt. However, Allah swt still gives us.

*But, the winner is the one as mentioned in Hadith:
"If you are close to Allah swt in times of ease, Allah swt will be close to when you are at the times of difficulty.  "

So, this people used to have Hajj, festivals at specific times.

3) Social Life
When, you take a look at their social life, it was prevalent during the time of Quraish &  around the birth of  Prophet Muhammad SAW that they were used to be very proud of their lineage.  They were proud of their lineage based on their father.
-However, now we can see that father works so hard, & the son can be the laziest person in the world.  And, some of them will say "I am alright, my daddy has a shop". If, your father has a shop, Alhamdullilah.  He sweated daily to build it.

And, you with few actions , you can bring it to the ground just because you have haram habits.
-What does it mean?
-To be continued, In Shaa Allah.

Lecture 2.6, Life Of Prophet Muhammad PBUH -Mufti Menk.

When, the person is involved in haram habits, gambling, drinking & any other bad habits, the sustenance crashes.
-A man is blocked from sustenance due to his sins.
-You can never achieve sustenance by the displeasure of the owner of sustenance.

They were very eloquent.  If, a man comes with a poetry that is full of meaning, they will listen to it and be excited. Furthermore, they will raise his ranks & make him wealthy.

The treatment of women:

Women were treated like commodities.
-Nikkah or marriage was very absurd at that time.
-One category of people used to marry correctly.  They will go to the guardian of the bride, ask for permission.  And, this custom remains till now(after Islam).

However, some of them will marry in a strange way. A man would have owe money from someone & in return , he will pass his own wife & child to a stranger.  He will allow his wife to become pregnant with a stranger. And, he will name the child to the stranger's name.  Audhubillah, what kind of ignorance.
-It is even happening now with ignorant Muslims. They will swap their wives. And, this is exactly happening now & in pre-Islamic period.
-They are conning the women saying that this custom is interesting etc.

Another way of marriage
-A woman who needs wealth, she will place a flag at her house. It was like a prostitution.  If, she becomes pregnant, she will point someone as the father for her child, and nobody can say no to this. She will choose the most honoured man so that the child will be brought up in a guardianship of some strange man.

*Mentioning about these things is not relevant. However, some of us are returning back to the same Jahilliyah with different names.  And, we should understand that this Jahilliyah is darkest era . May Allah swt take us out from this darkness.*

Divorce:
-A man will just divorce a woman and then ,he will just take her again.
-Nobody was there to defend this women, as there were afraid even to bear female children.
-Whenever, a female child is born, their face will be blackened.  And, they will become angry, they will want to hide behind the wall due to the bad news that they have received.
-A Sahabah , he said that during his period of ignorance , he buried his own beautiful child. She was so beautiful that she asked her father "Daddy, what are you doing". The sand hit his face as she waa struggling & kicking the sand off. He then covered her completely with sand & let her die.
-And, then Prophet Muhammad SAW  said to him " Didn't you feel  in your heart a little bit of mercy".
-The heart would have felt mercy but it is due people pressure.
-Some of us  will even feel embrassed when our children shouts in public, and we want to stop them by beating them in public.  Why? We want to show the public that we are disciplining our child but that is not the time to admonish children
Lecture 2.7| Life Of Prophet Muhammad SAW

Admonishing a child in public:
-As, discussed earlier, it is wrong to admonish your child in public. It is like how you do not want to be admonished in public.  The children will feel embarrassed and it will make them lose their confidence.

They used to divorce their wives & take them back at any time.
-Hence, Allah swt revealed the ayat

"You can only divorce thrice"-The moment you have said talaq, the third time,you are not allowed to take back until
"She marries again".

Why is it like this?
-Most of us don't know why the divorce system works this way and we think by shouting 3 times, we can just walk away.
- We should never ever do/think like this. It is worse than hooligan and it is more like an animal.
-It is simple to shout.
-But , we need to be calm & relaxed.
-Some people will say, "I have divorced my wife in anger"-May Allah swt never make us foolish. Whenever, we are angry,we should watch our tongue, calm ourselves.
-If, you really want to divorce, you can just say it one time which is more than enough . Hence, from there if you want to get back, you can get back and you do not need to marry someone else.

Why is it the third time , that wife can't back to husband? -Wisdom behind it.
-Three whole times, you tried so hard, & he/she couldn't appreciate their spouse, which means that she could never live with the husband.
-Unless, she goes & live with someone else, & has opportunity to compare her husband with someone else & then she is not able to Iive with that person.
-So, she divorces the person, and get back to her husband.  Then, she will realise to appreciate & there is a chance for the marriage to work again.

Mufti's encounter with a man....

"I used to know a man from Britain who used to do halala. Do you know what is halala? It is actually haram.  Allah swt is cursed the one who has been done with halala & the one who is doing it.  They will marry their wives & the will divorce them. They will then ask their friend to marry for one night & to divorce the next day so that when she finished the iddah, she can come to them again. And , the British man said that he used to do this. Until, he saw one day such a princess & then he refused to divorce her. He, then said to me that she is my wife and I have so many children with her"

Subhan'Allah. May Allah protect us from this Jahilliyah.  And, Allah curses those who do that. Why can't we control our tongues? Why do we have to be so foolish & then later on run to Ulamah for help?. Why do, we have to use our own tongue to destroy ourselves?.
-Ignorance before Jahilliyah, they divorced their wives & took them back anytime.
-Hence, the woman was lost & she did not know what to do.
-And, Allah swt blessed & protected women folks by sending Prophet Muhammad SAW.

Lecture 2.8|Life Of Prophet Muhammad SAW|Mufti Menk

★Good Qualities of what Quraish had★
-They were very intelligent & their memories were very powerful.  They were able to tell the lineage of their camels.
-Nowdays, we don't even know the lineage of our own families.
-To fulfill your duties to your relatives is not possible unless we know how we are related.  Most of us, don't know how we are related.

◇They were honoring towards their guests
-They were very generous, and used to clear debt of ppl.
-One man used to be very poor and then because of Allah's help, he was able to become rich. He used this wealth to clear people's debts & help people financially.

If there were any guests coming to their house,
-They will slaughter their animals.
-They will even cut their riding camel if they don't have food for their guests.

While, nowdays,
-When, we call someone to be their guest, they don't even answer the phone.

◇They used to be very courageous.
-They would fight for the cause of their own tribes.
-If, their fathers, relatives died in a battle, they would be very proud because of their relatives died in protecting their tribe.
-May Allah swt give us some courage .
-We don't even have courage, to kill a fly.
-And, sometime, we tend to be silent, & ×watch the oppression . But remember, if we don't say anything to oppression for the first time, it will repeat itself.

Hadith Of Prophet Muhammad SAW:
-We should stop oppression when we see it. If, we don't, we will start to make dua and Allah swt will not respond to our dua.  Why? The reason is that we did not help the oppressing people.

◇They love to fulfill their promise:
-In most cases,  they will fulfill it. If, they don't, the whole community will team up against them.

◇They were content.
-They were happy with the little things that they had.
-They were happy even with the small amounts of food that they had.
-They were always excited and content but they worshipped idols

◇They were strong:
-They had strong bodies, & used to be muscular.  They used to compete with one another.  They used to protect one another as well.
-They only fight with other clans. Within, their own clans, they tried their best, not to allow disunity to take over them.

Lecture 2.9|Life Of Prophet Muhammad SAW

It is important to talk about 2 important incidents
occured just before the birth of Prophet Muhammad SAW

The story of zam-zam:

The grandfather of Prophet Muhammad SAW, his name is Abdul Muttalib. Abdullah Mutallib is one of the leaders of Quraysh and he is one of the top key personnel during that time.  He was strong, beautiful man , people look up to him & listen to him as well because he was eloquent in his sppech.  His place was right in the middle of shade of Kabbah.  They had a special place for him to sit. And, nobody dares to sit on that mat. He will sit and tell people of any instructions.  SubhanAllah, he also had 11 children, son.

Among, his sons, Abdullah , the father of Prophet Muhammad SAW.

One day,he says I waa sleeping in the Al-Hijr...

What is Hijr?
-It is a part of Kabbah.  Nowdays, we can find crescent sort of structure.  It used to be within Kabbah itself & when they did not halal funds to build in the same shape. , they left it like a cube.  And, that part used to be in Kabbah and now it is not, there. If you reading Salah there , it is like you are reading Salah in Kabbah.

So,the man was resting there, and he saw a dream, in his dream , he was to told to dig.
And, he ask, "what am I supposed to dig". But, the dream ended.

The next day, he was in the same place & he had the same dream and he was told to dig Barra. And, he ask again "what is Barrah?". And, the dream ended.

On, third day, he saw another dream. Historians says/always mentioned this, he was told to dig madhuluna.
And, he ask again "what is madhuluna" . And, the dream ended .

On, fourth day, he saw a dream and he was told to dig, Zam-Zam. He inquired what is it. He was told that it is a well that will never deplete & everyone can drink from it. He was told where it is situates and its history.

So, he got up in the morning and with one of his children. One of the narration says, the child that he brought along is Al-Harith.  And, two of them began to dig. And, the Quraish was watching this.

All the Quraysh were related to one another, somehow.  They just had different clans like how we related with different brothers.

And, then he shouted Allahu Akhbar
-They used to worship other false deities, but they still worshipped Allah during their difficult/need times.
-And, they used all these terminologies.
-It also happens in our times where we worship Allah& sometime we might be worshipping the graves, sticks etc.
-But, do remember, the purpose of Prophet Muhammad SAW risala is to remove people from worshipping the creations of Allah to the creator, Allah. . So, we should not lose focus on that.

Then, all of them saw the water. And, they started to debate on whom it belongs to....


Saturday, 14 March 2015

Part 3 | Life Of Prophet Muhammad SAW | Mufti Menk



Life Of Prophet Muhammad SAW

Click on the links to view the previous lectures/new lectures


Lecture 3.0| Life Of Prophet Muhammad SAW

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hKR6v4RjMXM

Continuation of the story of Zam-Zam...

Their forefather is Ismayl (as). And, thus Quraish told Abdul Muttalib that Zam Zam  belongs to everyone.  While, Abdul Muttalib claimed that the Zam-Zam belongs to him as it was he who dream about it.

So, in order to resolve the dispute, they went to someone who is in Bani Saad. Bani Saad is further away from them, it is close to Ash-Shams. However, it is very far from Arabian Peninsula.

And, group of leaders went there , bringing their food. Then, during their journey, they get to the point where they ran out of food & water.  And, all of them were preparing for death.

Abdul Muttalib and all his clans were actually planning to go to one fortune teller in Bani Saaad. But, they came to point in realising that they are going to die, so they thought of something noble to do before they die. They planned to dig their graves, and the one who dies first will be buried by others and so on.  In that way, everyone will be able to get buried except for one person. But, even that person, will be able to get to his own grave & prepare for his own death.  Allahu Akhbar, this was their plan..

So, when they were digging, Abdul Muttalib walked to his camel. And, suddenly water started to gush miraculously from the feet of the camel.  And, the camel belongs to Abdul Mutallib.

From, the distance that everyone were in , they were all immediately shocked. And, they said to Abdul Muttalib that he should be the owner of Zam-Zam.
-it is not like only Abdul Muttalib will be having Zam-Zam.
-Others, will quench their thirst from it as well.
-However, the leader/owner of Zam-Zam well will be Abdul Muttalib.

All of them acknowledged that Abdul Muttalib should be leader, they came to a conclusion to go back to Mecca without proceeding any further.

And, Abdul Muttalib was the owner, and he used to give Hajjis water. That Hajj was the pagant Hajj as mentioned before.

And, everyone is drinking from that water till today. And, most of us have Zam-Zam in our homes.

Prophet Muhammad SAW later said
"The water of Zam-Zam is whatever that intention that is drunk for"
-If, your intention is to be cured, you will be cured.
-If, your intention is to pass your exam, you will pass your exams.
-And, for all your intentions as long it is noble & Allah accepts that.

May Allah swt allow us to have Zam-Zam all the time as it even protect us from devil.
Levture 3.1| Life Of Prophet Muhammad SAW-Mufti Menk

This was the sign as Abdul Mutallib was already informed by the king of Yemen, one of the Jewish people, some of the fortune tellers that something big is going to happen from his lineage.

And, he was been informed that one of his grandchildren is going to be the top leader who will be changing everything.  Abdul Muttalib was constantly informed about this by various people.

This is a sign that he his a chosen man. Allah swt chose him to be the grandfather of Prophet Muhammad SAW.

Furthermore, Abdul Muttalib look after Prophet Muhammad SAW.

The next story that is worth mentioning:

It is the story of an Abysinnian man who became as a King in Yemen, and his name is Abraha. He was a Christian man who built a church in Yemen , & he wanted people to flock there. There are many reasons for that such as to worship in that place, business purpose.

However, he was told that there is a house in Mecca where everyone goes & he was told to deal with them if he wants people to come to his place. He informed them that he had one big elephant and he will walk with his armies to Mecca.
*Majority of the narration says that there was only one big,vast elephant. * And, the rest were camels &so on.  *However, some historians says that there were many elephants.
 *However, Quran states that there was only one elephant:

Al-Fil : 1

أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحٰبِ الْفِيلِ

Have you not considered, [O Muhammad], how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant?

★Al Fil الْفِيلِ
-Which means only one elephant
-So, it called as the people of the elephant
-It was a big huge elephant and armies came along wih it.

And, they were walking towards Makkah Al-Mukkaramah..
ِ
Lecture 3.3|Life Of Prophet Muhammad SAW

Abraha & his army came marching towards Kabbah.

The elephant refused to go any further.  It actually stopped moving. When, they beat it up & made it turn so that the elephant will move, it still didn't move. Subhan'Allah, Allah stopped the elephant from moving.

However, they still proceed to move towards Kabbah. Out of nowhere, birds flew above them . The birds has 3 pebbles , which is the size of a pea or even smaller.  The pebbles were made of clay. And, they released those pebbles from a very high altitude.

The pebbles came down with a huge force.
-We have learnt about gravity, Newton laws etc.
-If, we take a look at this example(Al-Fil) : Due to the altitude of this pebbles, when it is released from a great height, it went straight to the men & killed them on the spot.

People were watching all these. Didn't, Abdul Muttalib said that house has its lord who will protect it?

We should always remember that Kabbah is protected by Allah swt.

Lecture 3.4|Life Of Prophet Muhammad SAW| Mufti Menk

Al-Fil : 1

أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحٰبِ الْفِيلِ

Have you not considered, [O Muhammad], how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant?

Allah swt destroyed them.

For, some of them, the pebbles did not get through them. However,  they were injured & inflicted with disease.

And, Abraha himself, his fingers started to drop. And, as they were proceeding to their homes, Abraha's hands,leg fell off.  And, he eventually died.

This happened before the birth of Prophet Muhammad SAW.

Then, came the blessed birth of Prophet Muhammad SAW on which the whole world changed .

If, you look at us and when we look at Prophet Muhammad SAW life as mentioned we need to understand who was he in order to understand the revelation.

His name is
Mohamed ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul Muttalib ibn Hashim

Prophet Muhammad SAW was from the clan of Hashim . And, Hashim belongs to one of the clan from Quraysh.

His father's name was Abdullah and his grandfather's name is Abdul Muttalib.

Prophet Muhammad SAW was born in Mecca.

It was in the house of Abdul Muttalib that he was born. And, Prophet Muhammad SAW father passed away when Prophet Muhammad SAW was  in the womb of his mother(7 months).

Prophet Muhammad's SAW father was 25 years old.

The historians says that Allah swt took the father's life away as soon as his seed was planted on Prophet Muhammad's mother . And, his job in this dunya was over.

Lecture 3.5|Life Of Prophet Muhammad SAW|Mufti Menk

And, Prophet Muhammad's SAW mother was from similar clan of Prophet Muhammad's SAW father.

She stated,  "It was the easiest period( pregnancy)". She meant that she did not feel any pain during the childbirth. She further mentioned that "I felt my childbirth like I am never giving childbirth".

The most blessed soul was then born.

Allah swt caused the death of the father of Prophet Muhammad SAW in Medinah.  Prophet Muhammad's SAW father went to Al-Shams,then he visited his relatives in Al-Medinah.  And, on his way , he passed away in Medinah.  Prophet Muhammad SAW at later stage of his life,he went back there.

Prophet Muhammad SAW unlike all the children, the narration mentions that he came with his hands down & face was looking up at the sky. He was already circumcised & his umbilical cord was already seperated.

-This is being mentioned in most of the narration.

Some of them says that the circumcision was already done while some says Abdul Muttalib did it after 7 days , and he fed people due to happiness that a grandson  is born. Furthermore, Abdul Muttalib already knows that in his mind that this child is going to be great as many people told him about it. They did not know that he is going to be nabi but they knew that something great is going to happen due to Prophet Muhammad SAW.

Lecture 3.6 |Life Of Prophet Muhammad SAW|Mufti Menk

The mother of Prophet Muhammad SAW says :
"When, I am expecting Prophet Muhammad SAW to deliver, I saw a light that is coming out from my belly, that even palaces of Al-Shams lit and I knew that is something is going to happen"

And, it is reported that the fire worshipped by the Persians, in Iran was extinguished and they had to rekindle it.

And, it is further reported that the idols that were in Kabbah, dropped down on that day. The Palace of Kisra(Persia) , part of the structure,balcony was dropped on that day, and they had to re-build it.

These were all the signs which was then interpreted that Prophet Muhammad SAW message is going to spread everywhere.

We may have encountered, just before someone dies,they might have informed us that he/she is not going to see us again. And, they might have died after that.
★It is not his sixth sense that enabled him to say that.
★ It is Allah who enabled him to make such statements as a lesson for those who are coming later on.

However, we busy engross ourselves om pondering that how he knows about it or did he just guessed.
-it is not important to know whether he knows about his time of death or not.
-We are supposed to question ourselves on whether we are prepared to be in that condition.

Lecture 3.7-Life-of-Prophet-Muhammad-PBUH-Mufti-Menk

In a narration, it is stated that Prophet Muhammad SAW was born with his finger(the pointing finger, the finger of Shahadah) pointing upwards.
-This is to depict to worship Allah alone .

Prophet Muhammad's SAW mother says that
"Abdul Muttalib, his grandfather loved him so much. During the time of his( Propphet Muhammad(SAW)) birth, Abdul Muttalib was sitting in Kabbah. While, I covered him with utensil and sent for Abdul Muttalib to be called so that he would be first one to see him. When, Abdul Muttalib came back, the utensil that was covering him was broken into two pieces, while he was perfectly fine.  The grandfather was very delighted to see him"

Prophet Muhammad SAW was extremely close with Abdul Muttalib as his father has passed away.

************

Many people have fabricated miracles about Prophet Muhammad's SAW birth.  It is not use to fabricate narrations about him. In his Seerah, we can find the miracles & the true value of Prophet Muhammad SAW.  By, making fabrication, it only makes the Seerah to drop its value.

Some of the false narrations are:
1) During the time of Prophet Muhammad SAW birth, the minara of Haram made Sajda

2) The golden stand (Maqame Ibrahim) got up and made sajda

-But, we need to know there was no minar or golden stand during that time.


Saturday, 20 December 2014

Lecture 1: Life Of Prophet Muhammad PBUH, Mufti Menk

Life Of Prophet Muhammad SAW




More parts to be continued...





Lecture-1.-Life-of-Prophet-Muhammad PBUH-Mufti-Menk.


We need to first thank Allah for the gifts that he swt has provided us...
1) Being the Mu'min
2) Being the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad SAW

Importance of Learning the history of Prophet Muhammad SAW:

1) It increases the love for Prophet Muhammad SAW and his maker, Allah swt.

-We will learn on how Allah swt has chosen Prophet Muhammad SAW, and how he has chosen us to be his followers.

-Allah swt has favoured the believers by sending them a messenger from them. Allah swt further says "He (saw) did not utter anything from his desires , everything that he revealed is inspired by Allah swt. "

-We can also see that sometim
e Allah swt admonishes him. It is not because he(SAW) says something from his pocket. It is because Allah swt want us to learn from him so that if we make any error, we will know what to do.  Many of us will be feeling bad, if we receive any admonishment, and by learning from Prophet Muhammad SAW we will learn on how he reacted when he received the admonishment.

-Many of us harp on how Prophet Muhammad SAW is important to us. However, how can he be important to us if we do not learn about him,and his history?

-Hence, after learning the Seerah(history) of Prophet Muhammad & implementing his teachings , we will become better Muslims , to surrender ourself to our master, Allah.

2) Our love for his companions will increase.

-They were ready to give up their lives for Allah. And, in fact many of them did give up their lives for the sake of Allah.

-Allah says in Surah Ahzhab
"From amongs the men/believers, there are men who have fulfilled the promise to Allah/they have been truthful to Allah swt about their promises.

What is their promises?
-They were willing to give their lives for Allah, and some people have already done that,  while others were waiting to fulfill their promises.
-This ayat was revealed during the time of Prophet Muhammad SAW.

-May Allah swt help us at least sacrifice a bit of time , at least to fulfill our Salah.
-We read about people who passed away when  they are in their blessed positions, in their ruku, sujood , when they are in minbar.

However, do we even read our Salah? So, what chances do we have , to die in the position of sujood when we do not even make effort to do sajda. ?

By , learning the Seerah of Prophet Muhammad SAW , we will become regular with our duties to Allah swt. The reason is that we will be able to see how they achieve their success by following Prophet Muhammad SAW .




Allah swt has blessed us in so many ways-Ramadhan, Jumuah, with the Seerah Of Prophet Muhammad SAW.

Importance Of learning the names, places in Seerah of Prophet Muhammad SAW:

-We all know the names of the football players  And, our children may even know the names of  their girlfriends(Astaghfirullah). Or , they may know the history of the top golfer, and we know what has happened to him. Our children will wear the shirts which displays the names of their favourite sport players, and they will wear it even
if it has devil shape in it. Or, they will even cut their hair like a baboon just because their favourite player has the same hairstyle.

-All of these are the Muslim children. However, when you ask them about the names of companions of Prophet Muhammad SAW, they will hardly able to say about them.

-May Allah swt enable us , and our children to learn  about the companions of Prophet Muhammad SAW.

Role models:

"Indeed in the life of Prophet Muhammad SAW , there is a perfect example for those who are looking forward to meet Allah swt. And, those who are looking forward for last day"

How many of us are looking forward to meet Allah swt , Prophet Muhammad SAW and the others?
-Many of us are clinging to earth in a way that we surp the wealth of people, we are creating hatred to our own brothers and sisters just because of some dollars, cents. And, eventually it causes us to cut communication with them due to some monetary reason

We have Prophet Muhammad SAW has a Perfect...
1)  husband
2) father
3) Leader
-Even at times of war, he was being mentioned as just.
-He was merciful even at the times of war.
-Look at the time when he entered the Makkahtul mukharamah, the people of the Quraysh were shocked by the number of Muslims. And, Prophet Muhammad announced to them

"O the people of Quraish,  "O people who have killed my companions and my family, what do you think I am going to do with you all?"

Some of them were silent.  While, others said "You are a good man so we expect goodness from you" . The people became good to Prophet Muhammad SAW as they were in a state of mercy.

Mufti Menk example:
Mufti Menk mentioned when he was in the school, he had schoolmate who was thin, petite, and many people bullied him.  And, during the school holidays , the schoolmate went to gym and he became much more stronger. And, then people who used to bully him became scared of him , and they became nice to him. The reason is that they were in the state of mercy.

Then, Prophet Muhammad(saw) said "you are free & carry on with your work, I carry no retribution to you"- it is the exact thing Prophet Yusuf(Joseph) told his brothers .

How many of us are able to do the same thing to our own Muslim brothers & sisters?. We will find it difficult.  This is the reason that we should read Seerah of Prophet Muhammad SAW.  If read the Seerah of Prophet Muhammad SAW's seerah, it will soften our hearts .




Prophet Muhammad SAW was a judge & da'ee. How did he call people to Islam?
-He called people to goodness.

***Many of his companions memorised the Quran. How did he achieve that?***
-And, do take note that most of them were adults. 
-Nowdays, our children are memorizing the Quran(MashAllah). However, we have to beat them in order to memorize Quran. 
-And, many people think that hifdh(memorization of Quran) means a sheikh is sitting with a big, long stick.
-Where was the stick with Prophet Muhammad SAW ?, yet most of them memorised Quran, and they were adults. 
-It was adult literacy although they were not able to read-

Look at the love of Prophet Muhammad SAW with the people!

**Through Prophet Muhammad SAW seerah, we wil learn the beauty of Quran**.  
-The reasons for revelation as we all know that revelation came seperately and did not come down in a book form. It was revealed for 23 years.  
-As the incidents occur, verses came down. This is why we have to know the incidents in order to understand on why the ayats are being revealed. 
-IF, we know the reasons for it to be revealed,  we will smile while reading Quran as we know the names , places, on why it is revealed, and we will understand that it is a lesson for us. 

**We will learn how he was with his enemies***
- His own people pretend to be Muslims.
- An example: Abdullah Ibn Ubai.. And , Prophet Muhammad SAW dealt with him in a very professional way. 
-He(saw) put him in a corner and he was not able to move in any ways. 
-And, even the politicians will be able to learn from Prophet Muhammad SAW on how he dealt with the people.

*********

"It is Allah who has sent a man who is unlettered & a messenger from them"

-The people were unlettered so Allah(swt) sent a messenger from them.
- It was big deal to read & write at that time. And, Allah says he sent a messenger from them. 
-Imagine a man who is unlettered, in the desert, no phone, no Internet, no television and no fax and no means of communication, yet he change the globe in few years. 
-And, now they are more than 2 billion people who follow the message of Prophet Muhammad SAW. 

ASHADU AN LA ILAHA ILLALLAH WA ASHADU ANNA MUHAMMADAN RASULULLAH." I BEAR WITNESS THAT THERE IS NO GOD WORTHY OF WORSHIP EXCEPT ALLAH AND I BEAR WITNESS THAT MUHAMMAD IS HIS SERVANT AND MESSENGER." 

-Look at the powerful message. 
-Imagine the regulation, customs that he followed. And,.he (saw) went to taeef , and was presecuted. 

***"Whenever , we are in difficulty, pick up the pages of Seerah, and read what has happened to him" ***
-And ,you will learn that he has suffered much more than us.
-And,  this is why Allah swt tells us with the blessed lips of Prophet Muhammad SAW in a hadith that

"Those who are tested the most are the one who loved Allah more"

.And , the next narration says that the ambiyyah tested the most , and then, the ones who closer to them in the example.

So, when you have problems in your life,to ease the difficulties, read the Seerah of Prophet Muhammad SAW. 




It is important to create a thirst in learning the Seerah of Prophet Muhammad SAW ,In order to learn about his character,conducts,beliefs,acts of his worship.

Aisha(RA) asked Prophet Muhammad SAW a question 

"You stand in the night for Salah until your feet are swollen and yet you have no sins,you will be entering paradise.  So, can't you rest a little bit"

Then, Prophet Muhammad SAW replied her

" O, Ayisha, can I don't be a thankful slave to Allah? " 

Prophet Muhammad saw knows the rank, status of him in Jannah but he still wanted to be thankful to Allah. 

Let's be honest...
We do read our Salah, however, we are sometimes, lazy about it. Especially , if you are from a cold country, making wudhu in the cold water is a challenge. 

However, take a look at Prophet Muhammad SAW..

He already knew about his rank in Jannah.  Jibreel (as) used to come when he is praying Salah, and his feet will be swollen.  
-Our feet will be only swollen, when we take long journeys by air etc.
-As, our feet ever swollen before due to Salah? Yet, people complain about praying even for 5 minutes.  It is a test from Allah. 
-If,your feet can swallow even once in your lifetime. Then, you have followed the greatest example of existence.  

**His love ,purity of the heart, love for sacrifice**

Sahabah (ra) , 99 of them were ready to give their lives to build one of them.  
-During a battle, one of the Sahabah needed a water. And, one of the Sahabah had a cup of water and then he saw his brother was in need, so he passed it to him. And,then the brother passed someone in need, so he passed it to him.  And, they did it until they lost their lives in order to save the life of the other man. 

However, nowdays , 99 of us will gather to destroy one man. 

And, this is totally opposite.  May Allah swt bless us so that we will love each other. 

Allah swt praises the ansar,

"The companions of Prophet Muhammad SAW, give preferences over themselves even if they are in dire need"

-Even if they are in a dire need of a particular item, they would still give it to him..

-Nowdays, when we are calculating the zakaat, we will become little bit stingy. And, for sadaqah, we are only giving small figures. 
-It is better to give something other than nothing.  -However, open your heart, spend more. 
-The best dirham is to spend in the path of Allah swt & in which you are fearing poverty. When , you need it but you are still giving as you feel the other party need more. And, this is from you heart.
-We, sometime do not even want to share with our brothers & sisters. May Allah swt grant us understanding.  

How did Islamic nation developed?-It is a lesson for all of us.

Allah swt says when talking about power & authority ,

"Say,  follow Allah and his Messenger. If, they turn away, you are responsible for fulfilling your duty, they are responsible for fulfiling their duty. If, they follow Allah, they will be guided. "

Remember, that the Messenger's duty is only to deliver this message.  And, then , it is up to us on whether we are taking heed. This message is applicable till the end of days. 

"Allah promises those who believe & do good deeds from amongst you, he swt will be granting authority to rule the land like how he did to those before"

**Believe and do good deeds**

"And, then he(swt) will make it easy for you to do the duties of Allah , without any fear. "

Prophet Muhammad's SAW appearance:

Some of his companions, Hassan Ibn Harith (ra) who was a poet and it was reported that in one of his poems ,  

"Prophet Muhammad SAW is beautiful as how he (saw) wished to be created. "

Imagine today, we will be complaining about our appearances.  However , we should thank Allah for our appearance as everyone has a unique identity.  Sometime, when you try to change things, you actually mess things up. No one notices, the small things that is on you. If , you are very worried about your appearances, it means that you are looking at mirror often. Remove all your mirrors , and you will be a happy person :). And, remember, Allah swt has made all of us unique.   

By merely looking at Prophet Muhammad SAW , you will love him. 

Abdullah ibn Salam, ra who was a Jewish Rabbi mentioned that upon seeing Prophet Muhammad SAW , he knew that this is not the face of a liar , he is the truth and nabi. And, then he accepted Islam upon hearing the words of Prophet Muhammad SAW as he knew it was the words of Messenger of Allah.  

Ibn Kathir has mentioned in Tafseer 
"There are signs on their faces, forehead, which is the sign of sujood"
-And, you can see from their faces, whether they are pious. 

Ibn Kathir further mentioned that one of the  mufasiroon  said in one of the tafseer,
" Appearance is connected with Salah. Whomsoever's salah is beautiful at night, their face will become beautiful at the day" Allahu Akhbar. 

People will look at you, and they would be able to see the noor.



People will look at you & they can see the noor if you are pious. 

However, do not have a misconception that fair complexion as a noor. There can be a man who is as dark as charcoal, but he may have complete noor. One needs an ability to recognise the noor.

This is the beauty of Prophet Muhammad SAW ...  

" Your (Prophet Muhammad SAW) beauty is something no eyes have seen,  no woman has given birth to, you have been created against all the physical flaws as though you have been created like how you wanted to be created"

All the Prophets have been good looking, they had good features, all of them had proper health. If, anyone had some defects , for example:Musa's (as) tongue, it is part of test for people.  Musa's (as) hurt his tongue when he was young, he had little bit of stutter.  Even for that, Allah swt sent his brother along with him, and this was the excuse being used. 

What is the wisdom behind this?
Imagine if the ambiyyat were created whereby they are not good to look at, people will say I do not even want to see him( thus they will not listen to the message).

May Allah protect us from people disliking us to look at. For us , whether people like to us or not , it is based on the connection with Allah . 

The condition of the world before the birth of Prophet Muhammad SAW
-Roman empire.  Roman empire was stretched to Asia, Syria(what we know as Palestine today), Egypt, North Africa. And, it had its headquarters in the east, constantinople( what is known today as turkey, Istanbul). 
-The byzatine empire is part of roman empire. 

* Allah swt mention this in Surah Ar-rum. There is a whole surah named after the romans. Romans existed at that point of time. 

Who else were there?



Who else were there before Prophet Muhammad's SAW birth?

-There were Persians of what we know now as Iranians. 
-The bulk of them were fire worshippers.  
-They oppressed their women in a great degree. 

Whereas for Romans, what happened to them?
-When we look at story of Jesus , peace be upon him, we can see how did Roman persecuted him. And , how they were tyrants. And, how evil they were in their wars. They oppressed the working class in a great degree. There were alot of strife. They were dirty people who did not know how to clean themselves.  We can find in the history that the Kings , even in Europe ,were proud about taking a bath once a month in the public.  May Allah swt safeguard us. We thank Allah for sending Prophet Muhammad SAW to us. 
-It is important to mention this, as we will not be able to realise the gift that we have, until we have seen the darkness that the globe has gone through. 

What we see now, many of the times, it is the civilisation brought by Prophet Muhammad SAW-We do not know about this and why?
-They hijacked it , took it and they blame us as the hijackers. May Allah swt help us to open the doors.

The Persians used to worship fire, and many other things. And , some worshipped idols, people(hierarchy) and they were so many different types of confused people. 

If we look at the Romans, after a while when Christianity came down, you find that every king who came , he changed the bible. They will proudly say King James version of the bible. It means that this bible is the version of that king made and he brought it forth. And, then another version came when another man , Pope changed it. That is why, we can see that there is more than 36 versions of bible. The Christians themselves are not able to unite upon one, and we can say this with due respect , as this is the fact. 

So, when things were changing to suit the Kings of the time, they were chaos and confusion, people started to add and subract until they raised Isa(as), to the level of God and they made him part of the trinity.   

The romans or Christian denomination fought with each other , along with coptic Christians in Egypt .. For what reason?
-In order to know who is Jesus(pbuh)? Was he part of trinity ? What happened to him?
-Christians were fighting among themselves because the Kings , Popes were adding something to the bible- This is what we now know as biddah, innovation.  And, that is the cause for war to take place. May Allah protect us from innovations.  

-And, wars took place with Romans and Persians.  And, even this is talked about in Quran. All of these happened for a long time.
- Persians considered to be more powerful .However ,they feared each other. 
-Sometime, one group won while other time another group won. And, this took place for a very long time. 

And, you have Indian subcontinent, where the Hindus and Buddhist(who worships Budhha). Hindus worshipped people in terms of hierarchy, Raman at the top and while others come down. May Allah swt protect us from worshipping people. 

Allah swt has sent Prophet Muhammad SAW to remove people from worshipping people and to worship the Rabb of those people, who have created all of us. We are not supposed to worship the created , we have to worship the creator.  

When, we are putting our head on the ground. Who are we putting for? It is only for the one who made us. The one who made us, we owe him to put our head to the ground for him. May Allah swt accept it from us. 

And, there were other civilisationa around which was mentioned in Quran. 

The previous nation within Arabian Penisula,there is Saba in Yemen, Ad and Thamud who were in Arabian Penisula.  The people of Ad were in a place known as Ahkahf, more to south of Mecca or the south part of Arabian Penisula.  The people of Thamud were slightly to North. 

The Jews,Christians , fire worshippers , budhhist, hindus were present as mentioned previously. 

The people of the Mecca were present at the same time with all these groups of people. So, who were there?

From religious perspective...
-They worshipped idols. They believe in superstition.  Many of us are superstitious even now, we say things like:

Something will happen if ...
If black cat passes,or the owl sat on the roof etc. 
-We still have Jahilliyah within us and Allah says that they were those pagan Arabs who had alot of superstitious beliefs even for small things. 

For example, when women comb their hair, they placed their hair that was fallen off into a bowl.When the wind blows it to a corner,  women look at their hair, they will say things like "someone is doing black magic". This is a typical scenario which is indicating Jahilliyah within us.

Even those who think black magic has happened upon them (in rare cases), how can you help yourself?
-We can learn it from the life of Prophet Muhammad 
SAW as it has happened to him(SAW)

-They used to go to the fortune tellers, even for small things.  People want to tell the future even for small things.

******************
Funny story of a Muslim Man & fortune teller: 

A fortune teller told a Muslim man that he will be able to tell the future. The Muslim man told him that he doesn't want to listen but the fortune teller insisted.  Finally, he told the Muslim man that he will charge him a small amount , went on to say things like how long will the Muslim man live etc. The Muslim man was not interested.  And, at last, the fortune teller told him to pay him. The Muslim man came to Mufti Menk & told him what has happened.  Mufti Menk said to the fortune teller

 "Since, you claim that you know the future, you should know that I am not paying you "

*********
For, our difficulties , we are going to the fortune tellers, however , we do not realise that how do these witch doctors work.  They work with Jinns, they call it as spirit mediums, they know how to work, talk with them. 

However, all of these, is prohibited in Islam. And, we need to know this. 

In Shaa Allah, more will be discussed on the Jahilliyah of the people of Arabian Penisula,what they were involved, and why Allah swt chose this nabi to be raised among them. 

In Shaa Allah, we can now realise how gifted we are. Our women are being elevated to the highest level, they are not being conned by what is liberation calling today nor they are being oppressed. They are taught to fulfill the role as a Muslim woman, and this is what we failed to realise when we look at the both extremes.

Friday, 7 November 2014

Part 1: Tafseer of Surah Kahf |Sheikh Yasir Qadhi|




Surah Kahf Part 1, Sheikh Yasir Qadhi:

Click here to watch the video :http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IMPyCujPl_g
**********Introduction &Blessings ********

-Earliest Revelation
-Surah Kahf, Surah Maryam, Surah Taha are the earliest & primary revelation as told by Prophet Muhammad SAW.
The primary focus of Surah Kahf:
-Allah swt will protect us from all the trials .
-It is full of stories and it is teaching us on how Allah swt will protect us from different kinds of severity.
There are many stories discussed in the Surah.
However , 4 stories are the crux of the Surah.

There are...

1) The story of young men who seek shelter in the cave. And, that is where the Surah gets the name, Surah Kahf. This is teaching about fitnah of religion when people prosecute certain group of people due to religion,  The men believed in Allah but the king wanted to kill them because they were believers.  And, they seek protection by seeking shelter in cave. And, Allah swt protected them.

2) The story of the man with two gardens. This is teaching about the fitnah of money. It teaches you on what will happen if money gets into you head , causing you to be arrogant. The solution for it,it is to realise that this dunya is temporary and what you have earned in this dunya will be eventually taken away.

3)Musa & Khidr. This is discussing about false knowledge and how it can cause a person to be arrogant. It teaches us that even knowledge can be a fitnah. However, Musa (as) overcome and from his humility , he learns knowledge from someone who knows better than him-Due to this he rises, in terms of status.

4) Dhul Qarnain-This is the story of power, Mulkiyah, controlling people.Allah swt says that he tested him with power.

And, how did Dhul Qarnain overcome it?
-He will always remind himself about the real king, who is Allah swt.

Blessings of reciting Surah Kahf:

1) One of the companions(Al Barah Ibn Azim) of Prophet Muhammad SAW  , he noticed that his horses are getting agitated when reciting Surah Kahf . 

-When he looked up, he saw a chandelier of light coming down. When, he  recites, a chandelier of light will come down, and the horses will get agitated.  When, he stopped reciting, it will goes up again. When , the companion inquired about this to Prophet Muhammad SAW, he SAW replied 

"This is the Saqina that came down because you were reciting Surah Kahf"

What is Saqina?
-It means peace.
-It is referring to the angels.

Even, the angels wanted to come down to listen to this beautiful Surah.

.Part 1.2 Surah Kahf, Sheikh Yasir Qadhi

It is the earliest Revelation. Why?
-It fortifies the eeman, and gives you a hope that Allah swt will take care of you, even during your difficult times
-It was revealed during 1st or 2nd year of Dawah.

Other Blessings:
2)Abu Dharda narrated that Prophet Muhammad SAW mentioned that whomsoever memorised 10 ayats of Surah Kahf will be saved from fitnah of Dajjal.

3) In a another hadith , Nawwas (ra) mentioned that, one
Day, they were discussing about Dajjal, and they became so scared, that they were thinking that Dajjal might be hiding behind the tree in a masjid. When, Prophet Muhammad SAW saw them , he inquired from them , so they talked about Dajjal till they became terrified.  

-And,then Prophet Muhammad SAW explained about Dajjal in a very detailed way. And, this is  the reason for this hadith to be very long. 

- In that hadith , he has explained that if Dajjal comes when Prophet Muhammad SAW is present, Prophet Muhammad SAW will protect them.  

-And, he has further explained that if Dajjal comes when Prophet Muhammad SAW is not around, then every Muslim will be his/her own protector-This means that you have to protect yourself, and no one will be there to protect you. 

-And, then Prophet Muhammad SAW continued by saying "whoever wants to protect himseld from Dajjal, let him read the beginning of Surah Kahf". And, in another hadith, it is mentioned that it is first 10 ayats of Surah Kahf that will protect from Dajjal.

4) Prophet Muhammad SAW has said whoever recites Surah Kahf on Friday , there will be a light eminent from him till the next Friday.

5) And, in similar hadith it is mentioned it was narrated "whomsoever recites Surah Kahf like how it has been revealed( meaning with proper tajweed, kushoo, you do not read it like a cassette tape but read it with proper tilawat) , if he meets Dajjal, he will be protected and power will overcome him from Dajjal

6) In another hadith, "whomsoever recites Surah Kahf will have light shinning all the way to Mekkah" . And, this hadith indicates that the light will be so powerful that it will illuminate all the way to Mekkah.

7) In another a weak hadith(no harm knowing this hadith) , it is mentioned that "whomsoever recites Surah Kahf on Friday, all his minor sins are forgiven till the next Friday"
Hence, from all this, we can clearly conclude that Friday is linked with Surah Kahf

Part 1.3 Surah Kahf, Sheikh Yasir Qadhi

Short Summary of Fitnah of Dajjal:
-The fitnah of the Dajjal is the worst fitnah that any human being will encounter. 

-Prophet Muhammad SAW has explained that "From that day when Adam had been created till the day Judgement, there is no trials that is harmful to the mankind than Dajjal. " There is no fitnah that will cause more havoc, blood shed than the Dajjal.

-Dajjal will come on that day...
1) He will claim that he is the God

2) And, he will be given some miracles( by the permission of Allah such as stopping the rain. 

3) Whomsoever disbelieve the Dajjal, he will be perished by the Dajjal.  And, whomsoever believe in Dajjal, Dajjal will snap his fingers and the rain will fall, plants will flourish.  And,  this people will be able to eat. Hence, those people who disbelieve in Dajjal, will be tested with trials. While, others will be flourished in terms of food, wealth.

From, this we can conclude that there is no fitnah will be deterrent to the mankind as the fitnah of Dajjal. 

Why reciting Surah Kahf is linked with protection from Dajjal?
1) The first story that was discussed in Surah Kahf , it is about young men who believed in Allah swt. And, the king wanted to kill them. So, they fled to seek protection.  Allah gave them that protection. 

-And, during the Dajjal time, Dajjal will be the king. He will be the person who will kill anyone who believed in Allah swt. We should become like those young men to fled when we see Dajjal. 

And, our Prophet Muhammad SAW has literally said that "The time when Dajjal comes, the believers will run to the mountains, running away from Dajjal". 

-And,these young men fled and seek protection from the caves, and we should be doing exactly the same thing.

Part 1.4 Surah Kahf, Sheikh Yasir Qadhi

2) Dajjal will have the power to bring water & food . And, what will you do if you don't have the water & food?

-If you believe in Dajjal,you will get the food & water. If you don't believe in Dajjal, he will cause the rain to stop, the earth will become dry.

What does Surah Kahf says about this?
Al-Kahf : 8
And indeed, We will make that which is upon it [into] a barren ground.

-Allah swt says "we are the ones who make the earth barren & dry- So,if you want to be fed turn to me and not to Dajjal"

What we learn from here?
1) It is Allah who makes the Earth dry and barren
2) Those who sought refuge in Allah swt,he paved a way from them.
Look at how Allah swt completes the 10th ayat of Surah Kahf :
When ,these young men see the cave, they said

Al-Kahf : 10
[Mention] when the youths retreated to the cave and said, "Our Lord, grant us from Yourself mercy and prepare for us from our affair right guidance."

And, this is the optimistic ayat.

How about ayat 11? Why is it not included to be recited when we meet Dajjal.

Al-Kahf : 11
So We cast [a cover of sleep] over their ears within the cave for a number of years.

-Allah swt saved them by putting them into sleep.
-However,we will not be saved by sleeping. We will be saved when Isa (AS) comes and rescue us. And, that is the reason on why we do not recite when we meet Dajjal.
-This shows that they made dua to Allah & Allah swt answered their dua.
-And, this is the reason why we should recite this 10 ayats when we meet Dajjal.

Learning Point:
1)Start to memorize 10 ayats of Surah Kahf if you haven't.
2) Make a point to recite Surah Kahf every Friday.