07.29.07
Posted in Pearls of Wisdom at 11:53 pm by Shhh....
Do you hate someone? Do you really hate someone? You haven’t spoken to him for a while? You’ve been blaming him?
You’re not the only one; the Muslim Ummah today is diseased with this to the extent that almost every Muslim knows another Muslim who he hates.
The Ummah is like a building with the Muslims as it’s bricks, brotherhood is the cement. Without forgiveness you cannot have brotherhood.
OK then, he wronged you. He deceived you. He backbited you. He lied to you. But even in these extreme situations the Qur’an and the Hadith teach us that we have to forgive others (especially those who hurt us the most) if we wish to earn the forgiveness of Allah on the day of judgment.
We have all committed many sins, made many mistakes and no doubt we have wronged others, we have deceived others, we have backbited others and no doubt we have lied to others.
So what makes us focus onto brothers’ and sisters’ errors while we remain unconscious of our own. Not to forgive is like to live in arrogance, and ignorance of our own shortcomings.
Forgiveness is linked with piety and God-consciousness, is there anybody who is not without sin? Is there anybody who can be arrogant enough to say that he does not need to forgive?
Do we not know that Allah forgives those who forgive others? Therefore, we should realise the difficulties of others and forgive them. Allah says in the Qur’an:
“Be quick in the forgiveness from your Lord, and pardon (all) men - for Allah loves those who do good.”
[Surah ali Imran; 3:133-134]
And we know that Allah Himself is Ar-Rahmaan (the Most Compassionate) and Ar-Raheem (the Most Merciful) and that His Mercy is infinite, and that no matter the sin (except shirk)
Allah is always willing to answer the person’s call for forgiveness. In fact Allah loves the tear drop that falls from the eye of one who sincerely seeks the forgiveness of his Lord.
And Allah loves us to have hearts that are ready to forgive.
The Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) once asked his companions;
“Do you know what will cause you to have high walled palaces in Paradise (as a symbol of great reward) and will cause you to be raised by God?”
When they replied in the negative, he said,
“To be forgiving and to control yourself in the face of provocation, to give justice to the person who was unfair and unjust to you, to give to someone even though he did not give to you when you were in need and to keep connection with someone who may not have reciprocated your concern.”
Similarly the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said that:
“the best of people are those who are slow to get angry and quick to forgive. On the other hand the worst of people are those, he said who get angry quickly but are slow to forgive”.
The characteristic that makes a person most likely to forgive is the purity of his or her heart. Apologies must be accepted,
The Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said that:
“Whoever apologises to his brother and that apology is not accepted, then the person who refuses to accept the apology bears the sin of one who takes the property of another unjustly.”
And the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) also said that:
“The doors of the Garden are open on Monday and Thursday. Every Muslim slave who does not associate anything with Allah is forgiven except for the man who has enmity between him and his brother.
It is said, ‘Leave those two until they have made a reconciliation. Leave those two until they have made a reconciliation” .
If we look at the example and the character of the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) we can see that he was always forgiving and never showed enmity to anyone except those who waged war against him.
There was an old lady who used to throw rubbish in his way every day, on one occasion she did not throw rubbish in the street, so he decided to go and see what was the matter.
She was ill in bed, to her amazement, the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) came to see her and find out about her.
She accepted Islam.
This is the example of the man whom we claim to follow. Thumamah, as the chief of his tribe had killed many Muslims. On his travels, he was caught by the Muslim soldiers and was taken to the Prophet’s masjid and tied to one of the pillars.
The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) commanded his companions to untie him and give him the best food. The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was indeed a mercy for the worlds.
We should similarly be merciful with each other. First of all, we ourselves should not do anything to upset our brothers and sisters (because this is in itself a part of mercy) and then we should forgive those who have upset us or made us angry. We will never be a strong ummah if we are not able to forgive.
Some might say that to forgive is a sign of weakness and humiliation, and for them it is better to be strong and preserve their honor. But honor in the eyes of Allah lies in forgiveness.
“But indeed if any shows patience and forgives that would truly be an exercise of courageous will and resolution in the conduct of affairs.”
[surah 42:43]
If we are to be really strong then we have to be strong against Shaytaan and forgive our brothers and sisters, and in this way maybe Allah will decide inshaallah to forgive ourselves for our many mistakes.
” …honour in the eyes of Allah lies in forgiveness. ….”
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07.27.07
Posted in Miscellaneous, Events, Do Something...Get Active! at 6:01 pm by Shhh....
The Muslim Foundation of America is inviting people between the ages of 9-23 to participate in an essay contest. Participants will be asked to submit an entry centered on a certain theme according to their age group. Topics include the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as the best role model, man as the best creation of Allah (SWT), and more. Cash prizes are awarded for first, second, and third place winners.
The deadline to submit an essay is August 2, 2007. For more information, please visit www.muslimdayparade.com or call Brother Jabir Choudhry at 800.334.7999.
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07.22.07
Posted in Miscellaneous at 4:58 pm by Shhh....
We’ve all had them in our lives at one time or another. Perhaps you have some in your life right now. Who are these people?
These are the people that rub you the wrong way. The people that drain your energy. The people that you have to “prepare yourself” to interact with. The people that are basically plucking that last nerve. They are the difficult people in your life.
If you can think of a few people that fall into this category, it’s time to consider dealing with the situation once and for all. Whether they are friends, family members, co-workers, or your boss, you can follow the steps below and take control of the situation.
Decide if this person has to be in your life. Many times we allow people to continue to drain our energy, steal our joy, and stress us out when we have the power to decide if we want to interact with them. Eliminating a relationship is never easy - but eliminating a toxic relationship is necessary. If you decide to end the relationship, be firm in your decision. Depending on the relationship, you may be able to just fade away. For those that require a conversation, be as honest as you feel is appropriate when ending the relationship.
If the person has to be in your life, establish boundaries. You might not be able to cut off your mother-in-law, a coworker, or your boss, but you can decide the boundaries that will dictate the nature of the relationship. Write down what you will tolerate and what you will not tolerate. Perhaps you won’t tolerate being spoken to rudely. Maybe you won’t be made to feel guilty when you don’t do what they want you to do. Or maybe you will no longer put their needs before your needs. Whatever the boundaries are, be clear about them and again, write them down.
Communicate those boundaries to the difficult person. This is where it usually falls apart for people. Having difficult conversations is almost as worse as dealing with the difficult person. But it has to be done. You have to take your list and let that person know that the dynamics of the relationship must change. If they are truly interested in you and care about you, they will listen and work to adjust themselves to make the relationship better. If not, then you must let them know that while you can’t be completely out of their life, your interactions with them will be as limited as possible. Your peace, sanity, and joy will take precedent over being in their presence from this point forward.
Stand your ground. Now that you’ve cut some people out of your life and/or set boundaries, stand strong in your decision. It will be difficult for you at first, but continue to remind yourself of the reasons for your decision.
Dealing with conflict and confrontation is one of the most difficult things for people to do. Fortunately, I’ve been able to help many people effectively manage conflict and have difficult conversations. I encourage you to follow the steps above and take on the difficult people in your life.
Sincerely,
Doreen Rainey
Life Coach
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07.20.07
Posted in Pearls of Wisdom at 4:19 pm by Shhh....
By Yasmin Mogahed, Staff Writer
To some, a Monet is only a collection of dots. To others, it is a perfect masterpiece. And to some, Islam is nothing but a code of rules and regulations.
But, to those who understand, it is a perfect vision of life.
As Muslims, we often focus so much on Islam’s do’s and don’ts that we miss the bigger picture.
Islam came to perfect our manners, and yet we are willing to scream and shout to win an argument about zabiha meat.
Islam came to build our bond with our Creator, and while we wear our hijabs and kufis, we delay our prayers.
Islam came to establish a community of believers, and while we decorate our masjids with gold and silver, our prayer rows remain empty.
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Tags: dawah, Islam, Muslims
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Posted in Miscellaneous at 1:32 pm by Shhh....
With eyes closed and deep breaths, students are learning a new method to reduce anxiety, conflict, and attention disorders. But don’t call it meditation.
At Toluca Lake elementary school in Los Angeles, a cyclone fence encloses the asphalt blacktop, which is teeming with kids. It’s recess time and the kids, who are mostly Latino, are playing tag, yelling, throwing balls, and jumping rope. When the bell rings, they reluctantly stop and head back to their classrooms—except for Daniel Murphy’s second grade class.
Murphy’s students file into the school auditorium, each carrying a round blue pillow decorated with white stars. They enter giggling and chatting, but soon they are seated in a circle on their cushions, eyes closed, quiet and concentrating. Two teachers give the children instructions on how to pay attention to their breathing, telling them to notice the rise and fall of their bellies and chests, the passage of air in and out of their noses. Though the room is chilly—the heating system broke down earlier that day—the children appear comfortable, many with Mona Lisa smiles on their faces.
“What did you notice about your breath this morning?” one teacher asks.
“Mine was like a dragon,” says Michael, a child to the teacher’s right. Albert, another child, adds, “Yeah, I could see mine. It was like smoke.”
The teachers lead the children through 45 minutes of exercises focused on breathing, listening, movement, and reflection. At different points, the kids are asked to gauge their feelings—calm, neutral, or restless. There are no right or wrong answers, just observation. The session ends with the children lying quietly on their backs, stuffed animals rising and falling on their stomachs, as they contemplate peace within themselves and in their community. Later, seven-year-old Emily sums up her experience. “I like the class because it makes me calm and soft inside. It makes me feel good.”
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Tags: Education, peace, Youth
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