MUHARRAM

Prophet Muhammad had two grandsons,

One was Hussain and the other Hassan.

The boys’ mother was Fatima,

She was the Prophet’s beloved daughter.

After the Prophet passed away,

Some Muslims refused to obey,

And so they began to fight,

Each group believed it was right.

Hussain tried to stop the war,

And to have peace as before’

But on the tenth of Muharram

The angry people knocked him down.

Tenth of Muharram is a special day,

When Muslims keep fast and pray,

Allah forgives the past year sins

A great blessing for all Muslims

ONE LIFE

Life is indeed a great struggle,

As it passes us each day.

We’re to try and avoid evil

And bow down and pray.

We’re to uphold all that’s good

As we go along the way.

This is to be clearly understood

And be careful of what we say.

As we’ve only one life to live

Choose the right pathway.

Know that the lord can forgive

If you had gone astray.

THE FIRST SON OF ABRAHAM

THE FIRST SON OF

ABRAHAM

By Maulana Dr. Waffie Mohammed

From the historical and theological points of view Abraham is acknowledged as the Father of the three accepted revealed religions, i.e. Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Judaism and Christianity came through the lineage of Isaac and Islam through Ishmael.

There is no doubt of the fact that Father Abraham was a righteous person. In the Bible his righteousness is recognized, as it says that he is at present, dwelling in Paradise. An example of where he is, can be found in the incident involving the poor pious man. The Bible records this as follows:

And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom. (Lk.16:22)

Father Abraham was a wealthy missionary. He travelled extensively as far as Egypt preaching and teaching the people that there is only One Creator of the universe and no creature can be compared with Him.

As he carried on his mission he was all the time concerned about the important fact that there should be someone to carry on his mission when he will no longer be able to do so. He used to pray all the time to the Lord to bless him with a righteous son. This prayer of his is recorded in the Holy Qur’an in the following verse:

O my Lord; kindly bestow on me a righteous son. So We gave him the good news of a boy ready to suffer and forbear. (37:100-101)

This good news is also recorded in the Bible as follows:

What aileth thee, Hagar? Fear not, for God hath heard the voice of the lad, and hold him in thine hand, for I will make him a great nation. (Gen.21:17-18)

According to what is recorded in the Bible, Ishmael is the first legitimate son of Abraham. Ishmael was born when Sarah, his wife requested him to have her slave Hagar, as, it can be possible that they can have children through her. This request was made, and permission given to her husband, after it was established that she could not have children.

The Bible records about this in the following verses:

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife bare him no children; and she had a hand-maid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai  said unto Abram; Behold now, the Lord restrained me from bearing; I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband to be his wife. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived……………And Hagar bare Abram a son; and Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael. (Gen.16:1-16)

Abraham lived with Sarah and Hagar for ten years in Canaan, and he never had anything to do with the hand-maid of his wife. It was only when she gave him permission to take her as a wife, that he agreed with the request.

Both the Bible and the Qur’an recognize Ishmael as the first son of Abraham. In the Qur’an, Allah says:

Tell them about the guests of Abraham; when they entered his presence, and said; Peace. He said; We feel afraid of you. They said: Fear not. We give you the glad tidings of a son endowed with wisdom. (15:51-53)

From what is contained in the two Holy Books, the first son of Abraham is Ishmael. He was the answer to the old man’s prayer, as, he used to beg the Lord daily to bless him with a son that will be able to persevere with patience.

It is unfortunate that Christianity does not recognize him, as he is not connected to the Israelites in any way. It is also unfortunate that they accuse that pious, old man who was taken to Paradise, after his death, of being a victim of lust, while he lived on earth.

REMINDERS

 In the name of Allah the Beneficent the Merciful

REMINDERS

By Maulana Dr. Waffie Mohammed

In addition to making available guidance in both written and practical ways, in the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (pboh); Allah made it known to Believers that He continues to be connected with them; and continues to bless the righteous in special ways. He says in the Holy Qur’an the following:

O you who believe; be mindful of your duty to Allah, and put faith in His Messenger. He will give you two fold of His Mercy; and will appoint for you a light wherein you shall walk; and will forgive you. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. (57:28)

If one is blessed to walk in a light given to him by his Lord, it will become easier and more pleasant for him to meet his Master on the Day of Judgment.

In contrast to the receipt of blessings from the Lord, there are those who neglect their duties towards Him. They are negligent, careless and arrogant. For such people Allah says that He appoints a Satan to be a companion for each one of them. This Satan will make the evil look beautiful and attractive to the person; he will be so deceived that he will believe that his actions are actions of piety. Allah says:

And he whose sight is dim to remembrance of the Beneficent; We assign unto him a devil, who becomes his friend. (43:36)

Such deceived persons believe that they are very pious and are better than others.

We all need the Mercy and Love from our Lord. This we can have if we show humility and sincere submission. Remember the Prophet (pboh), the beloved of Allah, never said or did anything of his own desire, but demonstrated the way of a true slave.

May Allah bless all of us with true guidance and a light with which we will walk through the earth for the rest of the journey.

--

This message was sent to mwl1.articles@blogger.com by drwaffiem@gmail.com

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THE TRUE REPRESENTATIVE OF ALLAH

In the name of Allah the Beneficent the Merciful

THE TRUE REPRESENTATIVE

OF ALLAH

When Allah announced to the angels that He will be sending a representative on the earth, they did not know what His plan was. They taught that Adam would not be able to shoulder such a sacred responsibility, due to human weaknesses. They said:

Will You place therein one who will make mischief and shed blood? (2:30)

The angels did not know that from Adam's progeny there was to come one who was to reflect the Light of the Lord so perfectly, that he would be called the full moon. And as we know that the light of the full moon is reflected light from the sun.

Because Prophet Muhammad (pboh) was to come from the progeny of Adam, Allah forgave Adam the sin he committed out of forgetfulness. In a Tradition it is recorded that Allah said:

Adam, I have pardoned you and your wife for Muhammad's sake.

No creature has the capacity to comprehend the extent of knowledge and wisdom of the Lord. He made this known to the Angels when they became confused and amazed that the representative of the Lord on the earth was to be a creature called man who is made from clay. So Allah said to them:

Verily, I know that which you do not know. (2:30)

What the angels did not know was that Allah was making man a unique and special creature; as He was putting in man a special creation of light with the capacity to penetrate the cells of the physical body and making it possible for man to reflect the Light of the Lord here on the earth.

Every divinely appointed Messenger was given knowledge of the one who was to be the best representative of the Lord on the earth long before they were sent down to their respective people. Allah took a covenant from them that they believe in his coming and that they will help his mission. This incident is recorded in the Holy Qur'an in the following verse:

Behold, Allah took a Covenant of the Prophets, saying: I gave you a Book and Wisdom, then comes to you a Messenger confirming what is with you. Do you believe in him and render him help? Allah said: Do you agree and take this My Covenant as binding on you? They said: We agree. He said: then bear witness; and I am with you among the witnesses. (3:81)

The question that may come to one's mind is: What makes Prophet Muhammad (pboh) special?

In order to understand the status of his personality in the entire universe, one must know three important things about him. These are:

1.      Allah says about Himself that He loves purity. Because of this He says:

Allah loves those who make themselves pure. (9:108)

Wrongdoing is a form of impurity. As a result, Allah does not love any form of it. Wrongdoers are removed from near to the Lord, e.g. Satan was expelled from the Garden.

Also shirk is a form of impurity. Allah says that the mushriqs are impure. As a result they are prohibited from entering Makkah. Even believers are required to purify themselves when they are to read the Words of Allah.

Prophet Muhammad (pboh) never committed any wrong. He allowed himself to be guided by the Lord in every matter. Allah says about him:

He (Prophet Muhammad) never said or did anything on the basis of his lust or desire. (53:3)

Because he was pure and clean morally and spiritually he was invited to meet with the Lord in the night of the Miraj. There was no impure barrier between him and his Lord.

As he is our model, we need to make every effort to cleanse ourselves by seeking repentance and doing good. That is the Straight Way.

1.     The soul of the Prophet (pboh) was very bright and shining. This was because of his righteousness. Allah says about the righteous the following:

Those who believe and do not clothe their belief with wrongdoing.(6:82)

Because of the brightness of his body and soul, he is given the title in the Holy Qur'an as the "lamp that gives light". Allah says:

As the one who invites to Allah by His leave; and as a Lamp spreading light. (33:46)

He was called the full moon by the people of Madinah when he was entering the City, and he did not object to being called by that name.

Because he was the only human being that is the beloved of Allah, if we should follow him Allah will love us. Allah says:

Say (O Muhammad), if you want to love Allah, follow me and Allah will love you. (3:31)

Allah tells us that He has conferred a great favor on the believers by sending to them a Messenger who is Prophet Muhammad (pboh). He says:

Allah has conferred a great favor on the believers by sending to them a Messenger from among themselves. (3:164)

1. Prophet Muhammad (pboh) has been the best representative of Allah on the earth. He practiced all the Sunnah of Allah. Man as the Lord's representative is also required to.  Allah says:

The practice (Sunnah) of Allah which He did in the past (remains constant). No change will you find in the practice of Allah (48:23)

Because the Prophet (pboh) did everything on the basis of Divine Guidance, Allah says that His (Allah's) hands are on the hands of the Prophet's hands. The Qur'an tells us about this as follows:

It is not you who slew them; it was Allah . When you threw (a handful of dust)it was not your act but Allah's; in order that He might confer on the Believers a gracious benefit from Himself; for Allah is He Who hears and knows all things. (8:17)

Allah gave to the human beings the capacity to represent Him in the physical world by cultivating and culturing His Divine Attributes in their lives, and by keeping their souls free from all forms of stains, so that it can be like a clean mirror reflecting the Lord’s Light as the Prophet (pboh) did.