PUT THE GLASS DOWN!

A professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water in
it. He held it up for all to see and asked the students, ‘How much do
you think this glass weighs?’

‘50 gms!’…. ‘100 gms!’…… ‘125 gms’ …… the students answered.

‘I really don’t know unless I weigh it,’ said the professor, ‘but, my
question is: What would happen if I held it up like this for a few
minutes?’

‘Nothing’ the students said.

‘Ok! What would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?’ the
professor asked.

‘Your arm would begin to ache’, said one of the students.

‘You’re right, now what would happen if I held it for a day?’

‘Your arm could go numb, you might have severe muscle stress and
paralysis and have to go to hospital for sure!’ ventured another
student; and all the students laughed.

‘Very good. But during all this, did the weight of the glass change?’
asked the professor.

‘No’

‘Then what caused the arm ache and the muscle stress?‘ The students
were puzzled.

‘Put the glass down!’ said one of the students.

‘Exactly!’ said the professor. ‘Life’s problems are something like
this. Hold it for a few minutes in your head and they seem okay. Think
of them for a long time and they begin to ache. Hold it even longer
and they begin to paralyze you. You will not be able to do anything’.

‘It’s important to think of the challenges (problems) in your life,
but EVEN MORE IMPORTANT is to have trust in Allah (swt) and to ‘put
them down’ at the end of every day before you go to sleep. That way,
you are not stressed, you wake up every day fresh and strong and can
handle any issue, any challenge that comes your way!’

So, as it becomes time for you to leave office today, Remember friend
to ‘PUT THE GLASS DOWN TODAY’ and have tranquility by putting trust in
Almighty Allah (swt).

Holy Quran: “He it is who sent down tranquility into the hearts of the
believers that they might have more faith added to their faith”.
(48:4)

Tranquillity is sign of strong faith while worries and stress is
sign of weak faith.

Tell to your mind every day before you go to sleep: “YAA AYYATUHAN
NAFSUL MUTMAINNAH, IRJI’II ILAA RABBIKI RADHIYATAN MARDHIYYAH,
FADKHULII FII IBAADII WADKHULII JANNATII”. (Al-Fajr 89:27-30)

“O soul that is at rest satisfied. Return to your Lord well-pleased
(with Him), well-pleasing (Him). So, enter among My servants, and
enter into my Paradise”.

By worrying so much, do not turn your life to hell. Good luck.

——————————————————–

As Salam
AbdurRahman.org

Mark 9:1-50

“And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power. 2 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. 3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. 4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 6 For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid. 7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. 8 And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves. 9 And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. 10 And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean. 11 And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? 12 And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought. 13 But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.”  Mark 9:1-13 (KJV)

THE GLORY OF JESUS IS SEEN BY A FEW WHILE JESUS SPEAKS TO ELIJAH AND MOSES ABOUT HIS DEATH (Luke 9:31).

In verse 1 Jesus is most likely speaking of those who would see His “Transfiguration” which is about to happen, and it happened only before the three disciples – Peter, James, and John.  In Luke’s account of this glory the three disciples had fallen asleep.  There are times to sleep and times to fight going to sleep, and this seems like it was one of those times to fight sleep.  They almost missed it.

The two to whom Jesus was speaking were considered dead and gone.  Moses died and Elijah had just “gone” by the power of a “chariot of fire”.  Moses represents the “Law” of God, and Elijah represents the “Prophets” of God.  It is important for us to catch the message which the “Voice from Heaven” speaks.  “This is my beloved Son: hear Him.”  Those words tell us that the most important thing we can hear is Jesus.  The “Law” and the “Prophets” speak of Jesus.  John the apostle wrote in the Revelation of Jesus Christ, “…For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (REV. 19:10).

According to Luke 9:31 Jesus was speaking to Moses and Elijah of His coming death.  No other of the gospel writers mention this.  It tells us clearly that was the direction Jesus was headed – to Jerusalem to die, and make atonement for the sin of mankind.

In Matthew and Luke the text tells us it was “Moses and Elijah”.  Mark is the only one who writes “Elijah and Moses”.  It is important for us to remember the history of these two men.  Moses died and was buried by God, and no one knew where he was buried (DEUT. 34:5-6); and Elijah never died.  He was carried to Heaven by a fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:11), and Elisha, his pupil in the prophetic ministry, received a “double portion” of Elijah’s spirit.  There is quite a picture given here to us.  That is that at the future coming of Jesus Christ in His glory all that know Jesus, the living and the dead, will be raised to share in that eternal glory with Him.

“And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. 15 And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him. 16 And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? 17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; 18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. 19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. 20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. 21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. 22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. 23  Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. 25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. 26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. 27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. 28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? 29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”  Mark 9:14-29 (KJV)

ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE TO THEM THAT BELIEVE.

It is apparent by our text that the young man of whom it is speaking was afflicted by an “evil spirit”.  He has been afflicted for several years, even from early childhood.  We can see from this that children are not exempt from evil or even the devil or his demons.  Children can be susceptible to Satan from a very early age, but then, all are born into sin, and none are without sin.

This boy had often been thrown into the fire, and into the waters.  This demon hated this boy, and that is something we all need to remember that the devil and his hordes hates mankind, and will do whatever it takes to destroy the human race.

Notice, Jesus’ rebuke of the “Faithless generation”.  He is probably referring to “scribes” who are there in argument with the disciples, accusing and excusing their own actions and accusing the disciples of not having power to help this boy.

When Jesus calls for the boy and they bring him to Him the boys goes into a “fit”; falling on the ground and foaming at the mouth.  You will notice the father is not only asking Jesus to help his son, but also himself; he says, “Have compassion on us, and help us.”  The father later says, “I believe; help thou mine unbelief”.  This father new to whom to bring his son, but he had not witnessed the power of Jesus before, but he was about to.  He had the faith to bring his son to Jesus, and that was a good starting point.

There are many psychologists who probably would reckon this boy to have epilepsy, or some neurological disorder, but not demon possessed.  Notice though why it must be demon possession;  1) this personality recognized Jesus because he did not want to come before him, thus causing the boy to throw himself on the ground and foam at the mouth;  2) Jesus spoke to the spirit and commanded him to come out, and to stay out;  3) the spirit cried out through the boy and wreaked havoc on him one last time, evidently fighting for his “territory” but could not fight against his creator and win.

Note Jesus’ final words on this matter, “This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. Mark 9:29 (KJV)”.  The matter of this boy’s well being hinged on the battle of two worlds, and who was to overcome.  There is a spiritual warfare we must wage everyday.  It is not an easy fight.  We must commit ourselves to prayer, and at times we must give ourselves to it diligently even to the point of forsaking our food and nourishment for the day or a period of time.  We cannot win spiritual battles if we are weak in the Spirit of God.  That was the problem with the disciples, and why they could not help this man or his son.  It is a battle we wage to keep the souls of men from eternal torment.  We must pray for them to have opened eyes to see the death of Christ on the cross, his resurrection; and that they will have an open heart to receive the glorious salvation of God through Jesus Christ.

It is an imperative  that we remember the words of Jesus, “All things are possible to him/[her] that believeth”.  It is not just believing in the event as history, but in the person of Jesus Himself.

“And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and he would not that any man should know it. 31 For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. 32 But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him. 33 And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? 34 But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. 35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. 36 And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, 37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me. 38 And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. 39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. 40 For he that is not against us is on our part.”  Mark 9:30-40 (KJV)

A GRASPING FOR POWER BRINGS A REBUKE FROM JESUS, AND AN ANSWER TO THEIR PROBLEM.

Jesus is teaching a valuable lesson in these verses about service and “Greatness” or power and position.  He says He is going to die and then He will be glorified by resurrection.  He will die for our sins, and then by resurrection be given all that was His from the beginning.  By His death Jesus was serving the human race by providing our eternal salvation.

There are many people today looking for a longevity to life; they look for power and prestige, and position; but they look to themselves, when all that is needed is to bow at the feet of Jesus and call Him Lord, and wash the feet of our fellow man by service.  What great privilege it is to serve the Lord and bless our fellow man.

Jesus does enlist a small child as an illustration of humility and service.  A child will subject themselves to an older person, and most of the time trust in their care.  We are to come to Christ as little children, and we are to always receive our fellow man as if they were “little children”.  In receiving the “child” we receive Jesus and the One who sent Him.  And that is the Father.

When we see others working in the name of the Lord do we grow jealous, protective of our own work, or do we say, “Great!  Someone else is working in His vineyard.”  The latter should be our attitude and we should be an encouragement to all who are serving the Lord, and living for His glory.  This is not to be a blanket statement that approves of all who claim to be working in the name of Jesus, but to those who are Biblically sound, and those who are truly in Christ Jesus.

“For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. 42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. 43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: 48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. 50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.”  Mark 9:41-50 (KJV)

THE HORRENDOUS, ETERNAL CONSEQUENCES OF SIN.

What is the price of sin?  “Sin will take you farther than you want to go; slowly but wholly taking control;  sin will leave you longer than you want to stay;  sin will cost you far more than you can ever pay.”  ANON.  It is something that Jesus took quite serious.  He took it so seriously that He went all the way to the cross and died, taking all our sin on Himself, paying the price that was mine and yours to pay.

How seriously does Jesus take sin?  Let us look at these verses.  Do not offend a “little one” for it would be better that a millstone were tied around your neck and be thrown into the sea.  “If your hand offends you, cut it off”;  “If your eye offends you pluck it out”.  It seems to me like Jesus takes sin quite seriously.  He was willing to pay the price for our sin that we might have eternal life in His eternal presence.  Jesus is not advocating the torture, or destruction of our bodies, but He is showing us the degradation of sin and its costliness and the price we should pay.  Simply cutting off a hand will not keep you from sinning.  Plucking out an eye will not keep you from the sin of lusting.   We saw in chapter seven that it is in the heart of man where we must deal with sin.  How much are you willing to pay to rid your life of sin?  Jesus was willing to give His life.

Jesus uses here the illustration of Gehenna – the garbage, trash, waste dump of the city of Jerusalem – that burned continually and the fire was never out.  There is an eternal fire that burns, where no desires are ever met, and there is nothing but pain, sorrow, hatred, vileness, hostility, and war.  Is that the place you want to be?  Is that the place where you want your friends and neighbors to spend eternity?  It is the place Jesus described as “Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. Mark 9:46 (KJV)”.  He mentions this twice.  Is there a Heaven?  If Jesus said He was preparing a place for us, and that He was coming to take us to that place; then, yes there is a Heaven.  Is there a place called Hell?  Jesus mentions more about Hell than He does about Heaven.  He spent a whole story of a rich man and a poor man named Lazarus to tell us of the reality of Hell.  He describes it as a place of flames, torment, and a place you would not want to be.  This is in Luke chapter sixteen.

Hell is the place we all deserve to be.  We do not deserve Heaven, but because of the gift of Jesus’ death on the cross and by the power of His resurrection we can go to Heaven for all eternity, but not without Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior.

In the beginning of this chapter we see Jesus in His glory and speaking with Elijah and Moses.  In between this picture of the glory of Jesus and this warning of Hell we find a child being tormented by a demon, disciples arguing about who is the greatest will be the greatest among them, and one disciple wondering about a man who is doing the work of Jesus who is not a part of their group.  These are the things that happen between Heaven and Hell.  As a matter of fact when Jesus died on the cross His head was toward Heaven and His feet were toward Hell, and His arms were outstretched to the world in invitation to come to Him.

What a Servant.  What a Savior.  For His arms are still outstretched to all so we may come to Him.

-Tim A. Blankenship

MAKKAH: The Kaaba was dressed in its new kiswa (the black cloth cover) early Thursday during a ceremony attended by officials from the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques Affairs, the kiswa factory and a number of Saudi and foreign residents of the holy city.

The new cover was pulled up about three meters above the ground so that pilgrims cannot reach the fabric.

The dress, prepared in a special factory built in Makkah by King Abdulaziz more than 70 years ago, is made of pure silk which is dyed black and stitched with gold and silver threads at a cost of SR20 million ($5 million).

The Kaaba is dressed twice every year during the months of Shaaban (the month before Ramadan) and Dhul Hijja, the month of pilgrimage. It is also washed twice every year from inside by Zamzam water and perfumed with oud.

The dress is 658 square meters in size and consists of 47 pieces each 14 meters long and 95 centimeters wide, is made with 670 kilograms of silk and 150 kg of gold and silver used to engrave Qur’anic verses on the cloth.

It also includes a special dress for the Kaaba door known as the burqa (face cover) that is 6.5 meters long and three meters wide with verses of Qur’an engraved on.

Source: Arab News

The Sunnah in Performing “Ablution”

1.  Mentioning the name of Allah-In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful [saying: bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim]

2.  Washing the hands thrice.

3.  [Starting by] Rinsing the mouth and nose before washing the face.

4.  Rinsing the nose by one’s left hand. This is because it is mentioned in the hadith that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), “washed his hands thrice, then he rinsed his mouth and washed his nose with water by putting water in it and blowing it out, and he washed his face thrice…) [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim].

5.  Exaggerating in rinsing one’s mouth and nose if not fasting by moving water around the mouth and snuffing water to the end of one’s nose. This is because of the hadith, “…and snuff with water well except when you are fasting”. [Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawoud, ibn Maja and An-Nasa'i].

6.  Rinsing one’s mouth and nose with the same handful of water. This is because of the hadith, “He [the Prophet] put his hand [into the vessel containing water] rinsed his mouth and his nose”. [Bukhari and Muslim].

7.  Using tooth stick [Ar. Siwak] before rinsing one’s mouth. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him says, “Had I not thought it difficult for my Ummah, I would have commanded them to use the Siwak (tooth-stick) before every Prayer.”[Narrated by Ahmed and An-Nasa'i].

8.  Running one’s wet finger through the beard upon washing the face. It is mentioned in the hadith that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him used to run his wet finger through his beard while performing ablution. [Al-Thirmithi].

9.  Wiping over one’s head. This is performed as follows: passing one’s wet hands over the head from front to back and so forth. As for obligatory wiping over one’s head, it is to wipe over one’s head in any way. It is narrated that the Messenger of Allah used to pass his hands over his head [in ablution] from the front to the back. [Bukhari and Muslim].

10.     Running wet fingers between the fingers and toes. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Perform your ablution perfectly and let water to run between the fingers [and toes]“.

11.     Washing the right [limb] before the left. It is narrated in the hadith that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): “Used to start from the right side on wearing shoes, combing his hair, cleaning or washing himself and on doing anything else” [Bukhari and Muslim].

12.     Performing the actions thrice when washing the face, hands and foot.

13.     Saying the two testifications of faith [Ar.Shahadatan] after finishing ablution. Meaning, to says, “I testify that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger”. It is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ” If anyone amongst you performs the ablution perfectly and then says: I testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the servant of Allah and His Messenger, the eight gates of Paradise would be opened for him and he may enter by whichever of them he wishes”. [Muslim]

14.     Performing ablution in one’s house. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Whoever purifies in his house and walks to the mosque to perform obligatory prayer, his steps are counted as one expiates a sin and the other raises his rank” [Muslim]

15.       Passing one’s hand over the limb while or after washing.

16.     Using little amount of water. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to use little amount of water in ablution. [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim]

17.     Washing above the limits of the four limbs [hands and foot]. It is narrated that Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) performed ablution, he washed his arm up to the elbows and his feet up to the ankles and said: this is how the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ablution”. [Muslim]

18.     Performing two rak’ahs [Eng. Units of prayer] after ablution. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ” He who performs ablution like this of mine and then stood up (for prayer) and offered two rak’ahs of prayer without allowing his thoughts to be distracted, all his previous sins are expiated” [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim]

In a report by Muslim through ‘Uqba ibn ‘Amir: “He will be rewarded by nothing except Paradise”.

19.     Perfecting one’s ablution: washing each part perfectly. Muslims vary in times of performing ablution during the day, and everyone has to observe these Sunan in every time he performs ablution.

   Virtue of observing the above Sunan:

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “He who performed ablution perfectly, his sins would come out from his body, even coming out from under his nails.” [Muslim].

By Paul Salahuddin Armstrong

“When the boy was old enough to work with his father, Abraham said, ‘My son, I have seen myself sacrificing you in a dream. What do you think?’ He said, ‘Father, do as you are commanded and, God willing, you will find me steadfast.’ When they had both submitted to God, and he had laid his son down on the side of his face, We called out to him, ‘Abraham, you have fulfilled the dream.’ This is how We reward those who do good ― it was a test to prove [their true characters] ― We ransomed his son with a momentous sacrifice, and We let him be praised by succeeding generations: ‘Peace be upon Abraham!’ This is how We reward those who do good: truly he was one of our faithful servants.”
The Qur’an 37:102-111 (M.A.S. Abdul-Haleem)

“Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, Father? Yes, my son? Abraham replied. The fire and wood are here, Isaac said, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering? Abraham answered, God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son. And the two of them went on together. When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, Abraham! Abraham! Here I am, he replied. Do not lay a hand on the boy, he said. Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son. Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”
Genesis 22:7-14 (NIV)

The story is familiar to Jews, Christians and Muslims; the prophet Abraham, peace be upon him, was asked by God to make the ultimate sacrifice, his beloved son, though perhaps disagreeing on which son Abraham was asked to surrender, the meaning of this account doesn’t change. Who could make such a sacrifice, when we’d give everything for our children? Abraham dearly loved both his sons and their mothers, he surely would not have wanted to harm either of them in any way or form. To understand this account, we need to look beyond the worldly veils disguising it’s true meaning. Everything that manifests in the physical world begins with an intention, a beginning within a person’s heart.

To continue reading, click here…

Read in English

Σε Αυτον ανηκουν ολα οσα βρισκονται στον ουρανο και στη γη.  Κι Αυτος ειναι Ο Υψιστος, Ο Μεγας .(Σούρα, 42:4)

Το μεγαλειο του Αλλάχ  είναι σίγουρα πέρα  απο την κατανόηση της ανθρωπότητας. Ωστόσο, εντός των ορίων της νοημοσυνης  τους, οι άνθρωποι μπορούν να  βλέπουν και να αντιλαμβάνονται  το μεγαλειο Του. Πράγματι, ολόκληρο το σύμπαν είναι γεμάτο με αμέτρητα παραδείγματα που δείχνουν το μεγαλείο Του. Μια πιο προσεκτική ματιά στο δικό μας πλανήτη  θα κάνει τους ανθρώπους να αισθάνονθουν την αιθεριότητα Του.

Οι ουρανοί που μεταφέρουν σύννεφα που ζυγίζουν πολλούς τόνους, βουνά που το υψος τους ειναι  χιλιάδες μέτρα στην ατμόσφαιρα, τους ωκεανούς με εκατομμύρια έμβιων όντων, ενα φλας  και ο  θόρυβος της βροντής μετά από αυτο, και τα δισεκατομμύρια των έμβιων όντων που έχουν υποταχθειί στον  Αλλάχ-όλα αυτά τα και αμέτρητα άλλα στοιχεία αποτελούν σαφείς ενδείξεις για την ύπαρξη του Αλλάχ.

Για να έχουμε μια καλύτερη κατανόηση του μεγαλείου του Κυρίου μας, ας προχωρήσουμε πέρα από τα όρια του κόσμου μας και σκεφτητε: Ζούμε σε ενα  απεριόριστο χώρο, το σύμπαν, το οποίο περιέχει δισεκατομμύρια γαλαξίες με αμέτρητα δισεκατομμύρια αστέρια. Ζούμε σε ένα από αυτά γαλαξιών σε έναν πλανήτη που ονομάζεται Γη, η οποία περιστρέφεται γύρω από τον άξονα με ταχύτητα περίπου 1,670 χιλιόμετρα την ώρα. Η αναφορα  μόνο σε αυτά τα τεράστια ποσά , μας κάνει να συνειδητοποιήσουμε ότι η ύπαρξή μας στο σύμπαν είναι τόσο ασήμαντη, όπως η ύπαρξη ενός σωματιδίου σκόνης στη Γη.

Oπως αυτό το παράδειγμα, επίσης, αποκαλύπτει, άτομα που εχουν μια  ειλικρινηςκατανοηση, μπορούν να κατανοήσουν το μεγαλείο του Κυρίου, ο οποίος δημιουργείσαι τα δισεκατομμύρια των γαλαξιών και τα κραταει ολα στο χέρι Του. Σε ένα αλλο στίχο,ο  Αλλάχ μας πληροφορεί για  τα όμορφα ονόματα του:

Ο ΑΛΛΑΧ! Δεν υπαρχει κανενας αλλος θεος παρα μοναχα Αυτος. Εχει αιωνια ζωη, και προσεχει για παντα, ολο τον κοσμο. Η αδρανεια δεν μπορει να Τον κυριευσει, ουτε ο υπνος. Δικα Του ειναι ολα οσα υπαρχουν στους ουρανους και στη γη. Ποιος ειναι λοιπον εκεινος που μπορει να μεσολαβησει κοντα Του, εαν δεν του επιτρεψει, Γνωριζει ο,τι υπηρχε πριν και ο,τι θα υπαρξει μετα απο αυτους. Κι ουτε μπορουν να συλλαβουν τιποτα απο ο,τι γνωριζει Αυτος εκτος εκεινου που Αυτος θελησει. Ο Θρονος Του περιεχει τους ουρανους και την γη και δεν αισθανεται κοπο, φυλαγοντας τα και συντηρωντας τα. Γιατι ειναι ο Υψιστος, ο Μεγαλος. Ιερο Κορανιο 2:255

Διαβαστε στα Ελληνικα

AL- ‘ADHEEM- The All-Glorious

Everything in the heavens and everything in Earth belongs to Him. He is the Most High, the All-Glorious . ( Surat ash-Shura, 42:4)

Allah’s might and grandeur is surely beyond humanity’s grasp. Yet, within the limits of their wisdom, people can still see and grasp His might. Indeed, the entire universe abounds with countless examples that indicate His greatness. A closer look at our own planet will make people feel His sublimity.

The heavens carrying clouds that weigh many tons, mountains rising thousands of meters in the air, oceans harboring millions of living beings, a lightening flash and the noise of thunder following it, and billions of living beings that have submitted to Allah—all of these and countless other details are clear signs of Allah’s existence.

To have a better grasp of our Lord’s grandeur, let’s move beyond the limits of our world and think: We live in an unbounded space, the universe, which contains billions of galaxies with countless billions of stars. We live in one of these galaxies on a planet called Earth, which rotates about its axis at a velocity of about 1.670 kilometers an hour. Just thinking on these vast figures make us realize that our existence in the universe is as insignificant as the existence of a dust particle on Earth.

As this example also reveals, people given to sincere contemplation can grasp the majesty of their Lord, Who creates billions of galaxies and holds all of them in His hand. In one verse, Allah informs us about His beautiful names:

Allah, there is no deity but Him, the Living, the Self-Sustaining. He is not subject to drowsiness or sleep. Everything in the heavens and Earth belongs to Him. Who can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, but they cannot grasp any of His knowledge, except for what He wills. His Footstool encompasses the heavens and Earth, and their preservation does not tire Him. He is the Most High, the All-Glorious. ( Surat al-Baqara, 2:255)

Source: Names of Allah

The tenth of Dhul-Hijjah is `Eid ul- Ad-ha or the day of an-Nahr (slaughtering). It marks the conclusion of the major rites of Hajj, and commemorates Allah’s bounty on His Messenger Ibraheem, when He gave him a ram to sacrifice as ransom for his son Ismaa`eel, (peace be upon them both).“The day of al-Fitr [i.e. `Eid ul-Fitr], the day of an-Nahr, and the days of Tashreeq are `Eid days for us Muslims. They are days of eating and drinking.” [Ahmad, an-Nasaa’ee, Saheeh ul-Jaami` #8192]

On these days, the pilgrims complete their rites, Muslims continue with their `Eid celebrations, and are prohibited to fast. “The days of tashreeq are days of eating, drinking and mentioning Allah.” [Muslim]

The word Udhiyah means an animal of the ‘An’aam class (i.e., camel, cow, sheep or goat) that is slaughtered during the days of Eid al-Adha because of the Eid and as an act of worship, intending to draw closer to Allah thereby.

This is one of the rituals of Islam prescribed in the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and according to the consensus of the Muslims.

In the Quran:

Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice (to Him only)”

[Noble Quran 108:2]

Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say (O Muhammad): Verily, my Salah (prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the ‘Aalamin (mankind, jinn and all that exists). He has no partner. And of this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims”

[Noble Quran 6:162]

The word Nusuk means sacrifice; this is the view of Sa’eed ibn Jubayr. And it was said that it means all acts of worship, including sacrifice, which is more comprehensive.

Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And for every nation We have appointed religious ceremonies, that they may mention the Name of Allah over the beast of cattle that He has given them for food. And your Ilah (God) is One Ilah (God Allah), so you must submit to Him Alone (in Islam). And (O Muhammad) give glad tidings to the Mukhbitun [those who obey Allah with humility and are humble from among the true believers of Islamic Monotheism]”

[Noble Quran 22:34]

In the Sunnah:

It was narrated in

[Sahih al-Bukhari (5558) and Sahih Muslim (1966)]

that Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sacrificed two white rams speckled with black. He slaughtered them with his own hand, said ‘Allahu akbar’ and put his foot on their necks.”

It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stayed in Madinah for ten years, offering sacrifice (every year on Eid).”

[Narrated by Ahmad, 4935; al-Tirmithi, 1507; classed as hasan by al-Albani in Mishkat al-Masabih, 1475]

.

It was narrated from ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) shared out sacrificial animals amongst his companions, and ‘Uqbah got a sheep that was six months old. He said, “O Messenger of Allah, I got a sheep that is six months old.” He said, “Offer it as a sacrifice.”

[Narrated by al-Bukhari, 5547]

It was narrated from al-Bara’ ibn ‘Aazib (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever offers a sacrifice after the prayer has completed his rituals (of Eid) and has followed the way of the Muslims.”

[Narrated by al-Bukhari, 5545]

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) offered sacrifices, as did his companions (may Allah be pleased with them). And he said that sacrifice is the way of the Muslims.

Hence the Muslims are unanimously agreed that it is prescribed in Islam, as was narrated by more than one of the scholars.

But they differed as to whether it is Sunnah mu’akkadah (a confirmed Sunnah) or it is obligatory and it is not permissible to omit it.

The majority of scholars are of the view that it is Sunnah mu’akkadah. This is the view of al-Shafa’i, Malik and Ahmad according to his most well-known view.

Others were of the view that it is obligatory. This is the view of Abu Hanifah and one of the views narrated from Ahmad. This was also the view favored by Ibn Taymiyah who said: “This is one of the views narrated in the madhhab of Malik, or it appears to be the view of Malik.”

From Risalat Ahkam al-Udhiyah wa’l-Dhakah by Ibn ‘Uthaymin (may Allah have mercy on him).

Sheikh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymin (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Udhiyah is Sunnah mu’akkadah for the one who is able to do it, so a person should offer the sacrifice on behalf of himself and the members of his household.”

There are six conditions for the Udhiyah:

It should be one of the An’am class of animals, which are: camels, cattle, sheep and goats, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And for every nation We have appointed religious ceremonies, that they may mention the Name of Allah over the beast of cattle that He has given them for food”

[Noble Quran 22:34]

Bahimat al-An’am (translated here as “beast of cattle”) includes camels, cattle and sheep. This is what is well known among the Arabs, and this was the view of al-Hasan, Qatadah and others.

It should have reached the age stipulated in Shari’ah, which is six months for a sheep and the age at which the animal is considered to be an adult for any other animal, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Do not sacrifice anything but an adult animal, unless it is difficult for you, in which case you may slaughter a six-month old lamb (Jadh’ah).”

[Narrated by Muslim]

.A mature animal means one that is considered to be an adult.

In the case of camels it means one that is five years old.

For cattle, it means one that is two years old.

For sheep it means one that is a year old.

The Jadh’ah is that which is half a year old. So it is not correct to sacrifice a camel, cow or goat that has not yet reached maturity, or a sheep that is less than six months old.

It should be free of any faults that would render it unsuitable for sacrifice, of which there are four:

An obvious defect in one eye, such as when the eye
is sunken in its socket, or when it sticks out like a
button, or is white and obviously defective.
Obvious sickness, whose symptoms are clearly
apparent in the animal, such as fever that prevents
it from grazing and causes loss of appetite; mange
that obviously affects its flesh or its health; deep
wounds that affect its health, and so on.
Obvious lameness, which prevents the animal from
walking normally.
Emaciation that leaves no marrow in the bones, when
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) was asked about what should be avoided in
Udhiyah, he gestured with his hand and said: “Four: a
lame animal which is obviously lame, a one-eyed
animal whose defect is obvious, a sick animal whose
sickness is obvious, and an emaciated animal that no
one would choose.”

[Narrated by Malik in al-Muwatta’
from the Hadith of al-Bara’ ibn ‘Aazib]

. According to
a Hadith narrated from him in al-Sunan, he said:
“The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) stood up among us and said:
‘There are four which are not permissible for
sacrifice,’” and he mentioned something similar.

[Classed as Sahih by al-Albani in Irwa’ al-Ghalil, 1148]

.These four faults render an animal unsuitable for sacrifice, and they include similar faults or more severe faults. So the following animals are also unsuitable for sacrifice:

One that is blind in both eyes.
One that has eaten more than it can stand, until the
danger has passed.
One that has encountered difficulty in giving birth, until
all danger has passed.
One that has suffered something that could kill it, such
as strangulation or a fall from a high place, until
the danger has passed.
One that is unable to walk because of a defect.
One that has had one of its forelegs or hind legs cut
off.

If these are added to the four defects mentioned in the text, the number of those that cannot be offered as sacrifices reaches ten – these six and the four mentioned above.

The animal should belong to the person who is offering the sacrifice, or he should have permission for that either on the grounds of Shari’ah or from the owner. The sacrifice is not valid if the animal slaughtered does not belong to the person who is sacrificing it, such as one that has been taken by force, stolen, or taken on the basis of a false claim, etc, because it is not permissible to draw closer to Allah by means of sin. A sacrifice offered by the guardian of an orphan from the orphan’s property is valid if that is customary and if he feels sad about not offering a sacrifice.

A sacrifice offered by a guardian from the property of the person under his care is valid, if done with permission.

No one else should have any rights to the sacrificial animal; the sacrifice of an animal that is held in pledge is not valid.

It should be slaughtered at the time specified in Shari’ah, which is from after the Eid prayer on the Day of Sacrifice until sunset on the last of the days of al-Tashriq, which is the 13th of Dhu’l-Hijjah. So the days when the sacrificed may be offered are four: the day of Eid after the prayer, and the three days after that. Whoever slaughters it before the Eid prayer is over, or after sun sets on the 13th of Dhu’l-Hijjah, his sacrifice is not valid, because of the Hadith narrated by al-Bukhari from al-Bara’ ibn ‘Aazib (may Allah be pleased with him), according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever slaughters (his sacrifice) before the prayer, it is meat that he has brought to his family, but that is not the sacrifice.” And he narrated that Jundub ibn Sufyan al-Bajali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saying, ‘Whoever slaughters the sacrifice before he prays, let him replace it with another.’” And it was narrated that Nubayshah al-Hadhali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘The days of al-Tashriq are the days of eating, drinking and remembering Allah.’”

[Narrated by Muslim]

.But if he has an excuse for delaying it beyond the days of Tashriq, such as if the animal ran away, without there being any negligence on his part, and he could not find it until after the time was over, or he appointed someone else to slaughter it and that person forgot until the time was over, then there is nothing wrong with slaughtering it after the appointed time. This is by analogy with the one who sleeps and misses a prayer, or forgets it – he should pray it as soon as he wakes up or remember it.

It is permissible to slaughter the Udhiyah at any time, night or day, but it is better to slaughter it during the day, and it is better to slaughter on the day of Eid after the two khutbahs. Each day is better than the day that follows it, because that means that one is hastening to do good.

Sheikh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Baz (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

If anyone wants to offer a sacrifice, and the month of Dhu’l-Hijjah has begun, either because the new moon has been sighted or because thirty days of Dhu’l-Qa’dah have passed, then it is Haram for him to remove anything of his hair or nails or skin until he has slaughtered the sacrifice, because of the Hadith of Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “When you see the new moon of Dhu’l-Hijjah – according to another version, When the ten days (of Dhu’l-Hijjah) begin – and any one of you wants to offer a sacrifice, let him refrain (from cutting) his hair and nails.” Narrated by Ahmad and Muslim. According to another version, “Let him not remove anything from his hair and nails until he has offered the sacrifice.” And according to yet another version, “ He should not touch his hair or skin.”

If he forms the intention to offer the sacrifice during the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah, then he should refrain from that from the moment he forms that intention, and there is no sin on him for anything he may have done before forming the intention.

The reason for this prohibition is that when the person who wants to offer the sacrifice joins the pilgrims in some of the rituals of Hajj – namely drawing closer to Allah by slaughtering the sacrifice – he also joins him in some of the features of ihram, namely refraining from cutting his hair etc.

This ruling applies only to the one who is going to slaughter the sacrifice. It does not apply to the one on whose behalf a sacrifice is offered, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “If any one of you wants to offer a sacrifice.” He did not say, “… is going to have a sacrifice offered on his behalf.” And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to offer the sacrifice on behalf of the members of his household, and it is not narrated that he told them to refrain from that (cutting their hair and nails etc).

Based on this, it is permissible for the family of the person who is going to offer the sacrifice to remove things from their hair, nails and skin during the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah.

If the person who wants to offer the sacrifice does remove anything from his hair, nails or skin then he has to repent to Allah and not do it again, but he does not have to offer any expiation, and that does not prevent him from offering the sacrifice as some of the common people think. If he does any of those things out of forgetfulness or ignorance, or some hair falls unintentionally, then there is no sin on him. If he needs to remove it then he may do so, and there is no blame on him, such as if a nail breaks and it annoys him, so he cuts it, or if a hair gets in his eye and he removes it, or he needs to cut his hair in order to treat a wound and the like.”

The time for offering the sacrifice begins after the Eid prayer on Eid al-Adha and ends when the sun sets on the thirteenth of Dhu’l-Hijjah. So there are four days of sacrifice: the day of Eid al-Adha and the three days after it.

It is better to hasten to offer the sacrifice after the Eid prayer, as the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to do, then the first thing he would eat on the day of Eid would be meat from his sacrifice.

Ahmad (22475) narrated that Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not go out on the day of (Eid) al-Fitr until he had eaten, and he did not eat on the day of (Eid) al-Adha until he came back, then he would eat from his sacrifice.

[Al-Zayla’i narrated in Nasb al-Rayah (2/221) that Ibn al-Qattan classed it as Sahih]

.Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Zad al-Ma’ad (2/319):

‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “The days of sacrifice are the Day of Sacrifice (yawm al-nahr) and the three days after it.” This is the view of the imam of the people of Basra, al-Hasan; the imam of the people of Makkah, ‘Ata’ ibn Abi Rabah; the imam of the people of Syria, al-Awza’i; and the imam of the fuqaha’ of Hadith, al-Shafi`i (may Allah have mercy on him). It was also the view favored by Ibn al-Mundthir. The three days are specified because they are the days of Mina, the days of stoning (the Jamarat) and the day of al-Tashriq. It is forbidden to fast on these days. It was narrated via two isnads, one of which supports the other, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “All of Mina is the place of sacrifice, and all the days of al-Tashriq are days of sacrifice.” End quote.

[The Hadith was classed as Sahih by al-Albani in al-Silsilah al-Sahihah, 2476]

.Sheikh Ibn ‘Uthaymin said in Ahkam al-Udhiyah, concerning the time for offering the sacrifice:

It is from after the Eid prayer on the Day of Sacrifice until the sun sets on the last of the days of al-Tashriq, which is the thirteenth of Dhu’l-Hijjah. So there are four days of sacrifice: the day of Eid after the prayer, and three days after that. Whoever slaughters his sacrifice before the Eid prayer is over, or after the sun sets on the thirteenth, his sacrifice is not valid … but if he has an excuse for delaying it until after the days of al-Tashriq, such as if the animal ran away with no negligence on his part, and he did not find it until after the time was over, or if he delegated someone to do it on his behalf and his deputy forgot until the time was over, then there is nothing wrong with offering the sacrifice after the time has ended, because there is an excuse, by analogy with the fact that one who sleeps and misses a prayer or forgets it should offer the prayer as soon as he wakes up or remembers it.

It is permissible to offer the sacrifice during that time by night or by day, but it is better during the day, and the day of Eid after the two khutbahs is the best time. Each day is better than the following day, because that is hastening to do good. End quote.

It says in Fatawa al-Lajnah al-Da’imah (11/406):

The days of sacrifice for pilgrims performing qiran or tamattu’, and for offering the sacrifice (Udhiyah) are four: the day of Eid and the three days after that. The time for sacrifice ends when the sun sets on the fourth day, according to the soundest scholarly opinion. End quote.

The Sunnah for one who wants to slaughter the udhiyah is to say when slaughtering it:

Bismillah, wa Allahu akbar, Allahumma hadtha minka wa laka, hadtha ‘anni (or if it is being offered on behalf of someone else, hadtha ‘an [fulan]), Allahumma taqabbal min [fulan] wa aali [fulan].

(In the name of Allah, Allah is most great. O Allah, this is from You and to You. This is on my behalf (or if it is being offered on behalf of someone else, This is on behalf of [So and so]). O Allah, accept (this sacrifice) from [So and so] and the family of [So and so]) – here he should mention his name instead of [fulan] or [So and so].

What is obligatory here is to say Bismillah; the rest is favored but is not obligatory.

Al-Bukhari (5565) and Muslim (1966) narrated that Anas said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sacrificed two horned rams that were white speckled with black. He slaughtered them with his own hand, said Bismillah and Allahu akbar, and put his foot on their necks.

Muslim (1967) narrated from ‘A’ishah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ordered that a horned ram be brought to him so that he could sacrifice it. He said, “O ‘A’ishah, give me the knife.” Then he said, “Sharpen it on a stone.” So she did that, then he took it and took the ram, and he lay it down and prepared to slaughter it. He said, “In the name of Allah, O Allah accept (this sacrifice) from Muhammad and the family of Muhammad and the Ummah of Muhammad,” then he sacrificed it.

Al-Tirmithi (1521) narrated that Jabir ibn ‘Abd-Allah said: I was present with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) on the day of al-Adha at the prayer place. When he had finished his khutbah he came down from his minbar and a ram was brought which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) slaughtered with his own hand. He said, “In the name of Allah, Allah is Most Great. This is on behalf of myself and on behalf of those of my Ummah who have not offered a sacrifice.” Classed as Sahih by al-Albani in Sahih al-Tirmithi.

In some reports the words “O Allah, this is from You and to You” are added.

[See Irwa’ al-Ghalil, 1138, 1152]

.Allahumma minka (O Allah, from You) means this sacrifice is a gift and provision that has reached me from You. Laka (to You) means, it is sincerely for You alone.

Source: ShareIslam

I cannot stop writing and I do not know why. A friend asked me to write and all that was said to me were three words. I thought about these words and all that I could think of is, we do it to ourselves. We do it to ourselves. Today the world seems chaotic. Some say it always has been, but we are just more aware of it because we are bombarded by the media. We all see ourselves spiraling towards some future we do not know. Some of us can see the poor decisions our nation’s leaders may make. We see the infighting and we ask ourselves why they can’t behave better. They are like children. We see the wars and the hate between Muslims and Jews, between Muslims and Christians, and between Christians and Jews, and we ask ourselves why they can’t behave better. They are like children. We are quick to spot the errors in other people’s ways, and yet we fail to look at our own short comings.

We are in this together, you and I. We share this world. We may never meet. You may never even know my name, and yet we still share this world. You might think my words ramble or that I am a foolish person who has gone out of his mind. That may be so, but we still share more than most will ever realize. This life is much more than our actions. It is our thoughts. It is our feelings. It is our past and it is our future. Others may destroy this world, but they alone will not answer for their actions. We all will answer. We all will answer because we are in this together. Whether by choice or by fate, we are in this together.

Divide and Conquer.

The world is divided. We are divided based on the country we choose to pay homage. We are divided based on our language and our culture. We are divided based on our religion. We are divided by what we choose to call God/Allah. We are divided by the wants of our mind and our heart. We are divided and yet we have no one else to blame but ourselves.

We choose sides and yet we have no idea what side it is that we really play on. We say we follow God’s laws, and yet we would honor our country before we would honor God. We say we are good Christians, Muslims, or Jews, and yet we would hold our prophets above God Himself. We say we are obedient children and yet we squabble over the scraps of a world full of illusions. We claim that we are without want except for God’s love, and yet we pray to the mighty dollar. We say in God we trust, but only when times get rough. We are divided and yet we have no one else to blame but ourselves.

Because it has been written does not make something true.
Because it has been spoken does not make something true.
Because it has been conjured by the mind does not make something true.
Thoughts are what we make of them.

Whispered into the minds of the willing, a truth it does not make.
Whispered by the mouths of saints and scholars, a truth it does not make.
Whispered by the wise and the blessed, a truth it does not make.
Thoughts are what we make of them.

Trust not he who holds his word above all others, for he has lost his way.
Trust not he who condemns and scolds, for he will be judged.
Trust not he whose words would bite and degenerate, for his tongue is wicked.
Thoughts are what we make of them.

Some time ago, while I was prophesying to several of my partners, I received the following prophetic word: God will release 52 weeks of uncommon favor in the lives of those who have the courage to believe in the prophet. For a $52 donation (or any graduation starting with “52″), how many people do you think choose to believe in the word? The answer: many!

I could go on and on.. Rather, I invite you to read the testimonials on our Facebook Fan Page. Join the discussion – particularly if you have a story to tell!

If you’re unsure what the 52 Weeks of Uncommon Favor is, stay tuned to The Master Prophet Blog for full details – they’ll be posted soon!

God Bless.

INTRODUCTION

Praise be to Allah, Lord of All the Worlds. And may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and Companions.

The first pillar of Islam is our testimony that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. The first half of this testimony is our declaration of monotheism. The second half is our declaration that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him). We can only fully realize the meaning of the second half of the testimony by cultivating in our hearts the following:

1. Belief in everything the Prophet (peace be upon him) has told us. We must believe, first and foremost, that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah sent to all humanity to convey to them what Allah revealed to him of the Qur’ân and Sunnah. This is the religion of Islam, and Allah will accept from his servants no other religion.

2. Obedience to his commands with full acceptance and submission. We must adhere to his Sunnah and emulate his most excellent example and eschew everything to the contrary.

3. Love for the Prophet (peace be upon him). We must love our Prophet (peace be upon him) more than we love anyone else, even our own parents and children. In this way, we will show him the respect and deference that he deserves and we will be inspired to do what we must to support and defend him.

It is incumbent upon every one of us as Muslims to fully realize in our lives the meaning of our testimony “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”. We must truly inculcate this faith in our hearts. The hypocrites had said to the Prophet (peace be upon him): “We bear witness that indeed you are the Messenger of Allah.”In turn, Allah said: “Allah knows that you are indeed His Messenger, and Allah bears witness that the hypocrites are liars.” [Sûrah al-Munâfiqûn: 1]

There are a number of things that we can do to put our love for the Prophet (peace be upon him) into action and carry out our duty to him. Wemust confront the vicious attacks being waged against him and ransom him with our lives, our loved ones, and our wealth to the extent of our varying abilities. We must all carry out our responsibilities on whatever level we are able.

THINGS WE CAN DO AS INDIVIDUALS

1. We can contemplate the evidence which decisively demonstrates that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah. The first source for this evidence is none other than the Qur’ân.

2. We can learn the evidence from the Qur’ân, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the Muslims that it is obligatory to obey the Prophet (peace be upon him) and emulate his most excellent example.

3. We can acquaint ourselves with how Allah has protected the Prophet’s Sunnah. We should learn about the considerable efforts that were made by the scholars throughout the centuries to separate the genuine Sunnah from what was false and how they compiled the authentic Sunnah according to the most stringent conditions. No other civilization of the past had ever developed a more arduous and learned set of principles for authenticating historical evidence.

4. We can cultivate in our hearts our love for the Prophet (peace be upon him) by recalling his noble attributes. We can read about his good character and his noble deeds. We can learn how he embodied all the good qualities that can possibly be attained by a single human being.

5. We can bring to mind the great favor that he bestowed on all of us and how indebted we are to him. He is the one who conveyed to us the true religion. He carried out this duty in a most excellent manner. He fulfilled his trust to Allah perfectly and delivered to us his Lord’s Message.

6. We can give him due credit for all the good that we attain by Allah’s grace in this world and the Hereafter, since he is the one who showed us towards how to attain it and who brought us guidance. Allah has blessed him on our account with the greatest blessings ever bestowed upon a Prophet.

7. We can bring to mind how compassionate and merciful the Prophet (peace be upon him) was to his followers and how concerned he was for our guidance and welfare. Allah says: “The Prophet is closer to the believers than they are to their own selves.” [Sûrah al-Ahzâb: 6]

8. We can become acquainted with the verses of the Qur’ân and with the hadîth that discuss his lofty status with his Lord and the love that Allah has for him and the esteem in which Allah holds him.

9. We can carry out Allah’s command to love the Prophet (peace be upon him). We should love him more than we love ourselves. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “None of you truly believes until I become dearer to him than his own self, his children, his parents, and all of mankind.”

10. We can carry out Allah’s command to show respect for the Prophet (peace be upon him) and for his Sunnah. Allah says: “O you who believe, do not raise your voices above the Prophet’s voice and do not speak to him loudly as you might speak to one another, lest your deeds become vain while you perceive it not.” [Sûrah al-Hujurât: 2]

11. We can fulfill Allah’s command to come to the defense of our Prophet (peace be upon him) and protect him from those who wish to harm or defame him. Allah says: “To believe in Allah and His Messenger that you may assist and honor him.” [Sûrah al-Fath: 9]

12. We can cultivate in our hearts a sincere and constant resolve to defend the Prophet and promote his good name.

13. We can bear in mind the great blessings and rewards that in the Hereafter await those who genuinely put into practice their love for the Prophet (peace be upon him). They will be his close companions in Paradise, for the Prophet (peace be upon him) has promised: “You will be with whom you love.”

14. We can make it a habit to offer salutations of peace upon our Prophet (peace be upon him) whenever we remember to do so, especially after the call to prayer and on Fridays. This will increase our blessings from Allah.

15. We can read the biography of the Prophet (peace be upon him) from authentic sources and benefit from the many lessons that it contains. We can then try to apply those lessons to our lives today.

16. We can learn the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) by studying its authentic sources. We must study the hadîth and strive to understand them correctly. We need to derive from these hadîth the rulings and the lessons that they contain.

17. We can follow the Sunnah in its entirety, giving priority to what we are obligated to do.

18. We can strive to emulate the Prophet (peace be upon him) even in matters where we are under no obligation to do so. It is better even if we do something the Prophet (peace be upon him) did only once in our lives just so we can follow his example to the last detail.

19. We can be vigilant to avoid ever belittling any aspect of his Sunnah.

20. We can make sure that we feel joy every time we see people putting some aspect of his Sunnah into practice.

21. We can feel sorrow whenever we find that some aspect of his Sunnah is being neglected.

22. We can feel enmity towards anyone who defames the Prophet (peace be upon him) or disapproves of his Sunnah.

23. We can show love for the members of our Prophet’s family and for his wives and descendants. We can seek nearness to Allah by loving them for the sake of their nearness to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and for the sake of their commitment to Islam. If we find any of his descendants disobedient to Allah, we should be eager to guide them, since their guidance is something most dear to the Prophet (peace be upon him). `Umar the son of al-Khattâb said to the Prophet’s uncle: “O `Abbâs! The day that you accepted Islam was more beloved to me than the day when al-Khattâb accepted Islam. This is only because I know that your acceptance of Islam was dearer to Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) than that of al-Khattâb.”

24. We can act upon the direction of the Prophet (peace be upon him) with respect to his family when he thrice said: “I remind you of the rights of Allah with respect to my family.”

25. We can show love and respect for the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and recognize their honor and distinction with Allah and their superiority in knowledge and good works to those who come after them.

26. We can show love and respect for the scholars on account of their status and their knowledge of the Prophet’s legacy. The scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets. They deserve to be loved and honored. This is a right that our Prophet (peace be upon him) has over us.

THINGS WE CAN DO AS FAMILIES AND AS A SOCIETY

27. We can raise our children to love the Prophet (peace be upon him).

28. We can raise our children to emulate his excellent example.

29. We can make available in our homes books about the Prophet’s life.

30. We can make available in our homes recorded lectures about his life for our families to listen to.

31. We can show our children cartoons that have a clear and wholesome Islamic content.

32. We can set aside some family time every week for an Islamic study circle.

33. As husbands and wives, we can follow the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in how we deal with our families.

34. We can encourage our children to memorize and put into practice the words that the prophet (peace be upon him) used to remember Allah on all occasions.

35. We can encourage our children to spend a portion of their daily allowances on charitable deeds that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to encourage, like providing for an orphan, feeding a poor person, or helping the needy. This is an excellent practical application of the Sunnah.

36. We can make our children accustomed to using some of the Prophet’s good sayings in their everyday speech like: “A believer is clever and sage”; “A believer does not get stung from the same hole twice” and “Make things easy, not difficult”.

37. We can hold competitions at home where the children can be tested on their knowledge of the Prophet’s life.

38. We can teach our children about the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him) by holding little programs at home like: “A day at the Prophet’s house”.

THINGS WE CAN DO IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION

39. We can cultivate love for the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the hearts of our students by teaching them about the rights he has over us as his followers.

40. We can increase the amount of lectures given covering different aspects of his life and personality.

41. We can encourage educational authorities to add to the Islamic Studies syllabus a subject entitled The Life of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

42. We can make efforts to finance the appointment of professors of the Prophet’s biography in prominent Western universities.

43. We can encourage serious research into the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and encourage scholars to publish works about different aspects of the Sunnah.

44. We can hold exhibitions at schools and universities to inform people about the Prophet (peace be upon him) while focusing on the geographical spread of Islam.

45. We can devote prominent sections of our libraries to books about the Prophet (peace be upon him).

46. We can develop valuable encyclopedic reference works about the Prophet’s life.

47. We can host annual competitions where students can receive scholarships and prizes for writing the best original research papers about the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his life.

48. We can hold youth camps that cultivate love for the Prophet (peace be upon him) and teach the practical application of the Sunnah.

49. We can host training seminars for our future leaders that focus on how to emulate the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

THINGS WE CAN DO IN THE FIELD OF ISLAMIC WORK

50. We can explain the hallmarks of the message that the Prophet (peace be upon him) called towards, emphasizing that he came with the original, pure religion and that his concern was to guide all humanity to the sincere, monotheistic worship of their Lord.

51. We can step up our efforts in calling people of all nations and all walks of life to the guidance of Islam.

52. We can convey to the people the illustrious and noble character that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had even before he began to receive the revelation from Allah.

53. We can explain to the people the good qualities of our Prophet (peace be upon him) and the unique features of Islam in a manner that will hold their attention and capture their interests.

54. We can explain how the Prophet (peace be upon him) behaved toward his family, his neighbors, and his followers.

55. We can focus on how admirably and magnanimously he conducted himself with the Jews, Christians, pagans, and hypocrites who showed him enmity and hostility.

56. We can explain how nobly he carried out his most mundane, daily affairs.

57. We can set aside part of the Friday sermon for discussing certain aspects of the Prophet’s life and occasionally devote an entire sermon to this topic.

58. After the daily prayers, we can offer a few comments on how the verses we recited in our prayers relate to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his life.

59. We can hold study sessions for the memorization of the Sunnah just like we do for the memorization of the Qur’ân.

60. We can correct the misconceptions that the general public has about the Sunnah and emphasize the importance of following the Sunnah inour lives.

61. We can call the people’s attention to the Islamic rulings issued by scholars regarding those who defame the Prophet (peace be upon him) and emphasize that we have to disassociate ourselves from such people.

62. We can work to return the people to their religion by presenting to them the message of the prophet (peace be upon him) in the simplest terms.

63. We can use the media to warn people against going overboard in their reverence for the Prophet (peace be upon him) and explain to them the verses of the Qur’ân that prohibit excess and extravagance. Allah says: “Do not go to excesses in your religion.” We can also mention relevant hadîth like: “Do not venerate me in the way that the Christians venerated the son of Mary.” We must emphasize that true love for the prophet (peace be upon him) is expressed by following him faithfully.

64. We can encourage the people to read about the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him) from its authentic sources. We must clarify those sources and make them available.

65. We can refute and dispel the misconceptions and false claims that are circulating about the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his life.

THINGS WE CAN DO IN THE CULTURAL SPHERE AND IN THE MEDIA

66. We can use cultural and media events as opportunities to teach people about the illustrious character of the Prophet (peace be upon him)

67. We can refrain from publishing or broadcasting anything that is contrary to his Sunnah.

68. We can oppose the Western media and refute the misconceptions and false claims that they are propagating about our Prophet and our religion.

69. We can host press conferences and cultural events with moderate non-Muslim thinkers where we can openly discuss the Prophet (peace e upon him) and his message.

70. We can publish and disseminate what objective non-Muslim thinkers have said about the prophet (peace be upon him).

71. We can hold conventions and conferences to discuss the life and methodology of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and to demonstrate how that methodology is suitable for all places and times.

72. We can air televised competitions where contestants can earn prizes by demonstrating their knowledge of the Prophet’s life.

73. We can write and publish articles, stories, and pamphlets about the Prophet (peace be upon him).

74. We can petition the editorial boards of newspapers and magazines to provide a regular feature that highlights verses of the Qur’ân and hadîth of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and explains why Muslims love the Prophet (peace be upon him) and emulate his example.

75. We can petition the executive bodies of television networks to air programs about the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his life, highlighting his good qualities and the exemplary way that he conducted himself with his wives, his children, his followers, and his enemies.

76. We can encourage production studios to prepare professional quality video programs about the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his life.

77. We can encourage our local television stations and satellite channels to produce and air cartoon programs for children highlighting the good qualities of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and stories from his life.

WHAT WE CAN DO THROUGH OUR ISLAMIC ORGANIZATIONS AND CHARITIES

78. We can establish committees and departments within our organizations devoted to supporting our Prophet (peace be upon him).

79. We can reserve space for our organizations at local and international expositions and conventions and distribute literature and other media products about the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his message.

80. We can establish permanent distribution centers for distributing books, pamphlets, and audio recordings about the Prophet (peace be upon him).

81. We can establish a special award with preset standards to be presented to the person who best served the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his biography. The presentation of this award could be accompanied by a major ceremony to which many renowned personages would be invited.

82. We can print books about the Prophet’s life in various foreign languages to be distributed to public libraries, universities, and centers for Oriental studies around the globe.

83. We can publish a periodical journal that specializes in the Prophet (peace be upon him), his life, Islamic teachings, and the Muslims, emphasizing the good qualities of the religion that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) came with.

84. We can establish charitable funds to finance our program of supporting the Prophet (peace be upon him) and to pay for the writing and translation of books and articles.

WHAT WE CAN DO ON THE INTERNET

85. We can establish organizations devoted to propagating Islam and showing, among other things, how Islam teaches love and reverence for all of the Prophets (peace be upon them all).

86. We can establish websites and online newsgroups devoted to the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him). On a smaller scale, we can create dedicated web pages for existing websites that have a broader focus.

87. We can participate in live chats online with non-Muslims and invite them to study the personality of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the religion that he came with.

88. We can include at the bottom of our e-mails some appropriate hadîth and sayings of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

89. We can prepare an occasional online newsletter that discusses the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his message to be sent out on special occasions and whenever circumstances warrant it.

90. We can post on major search engines notices about relevant books and lectures.

THINGS WE CAN DO WITH OUR WEALTH AND THROUGH OUR ISLAMIC GOVERNMENTS

91. We can give financial support to Islamic activities that focus on the Prophet (peace be upon him)

92. We can print billboards and bumper stickers that quote the words of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

93. We can help to establish Islamic television and radio stations, as well as periodicals that are devoted to spreading the message of Islam in many languages around the world and especially in English.

94. We can pay for airtime on television and radio stations in various countries to get our message across.

95. We can establish centers devoted to research into the study of the Prophet’s biography and the publication of that research in many languages.

96. We can establish museums and libraries devoted to the Prophet’s life and his legacy.

97. We can fund the establishment of high quality professional websites on the Internet devoted to the prophet (peace be upon him) and his life.

98. We can pay for the production of high quality books, audio recordings, and television programs in various major languages, especiallyEnglish.

99. We can help to finance Islamic competitions about the Prophet (peace be upon him) and provide substantial prizes to encourage participation.

As for the 100th way, we leave that to you dear reader. We welcome your ideas and suggestions. Please send your input to our e-mail address: info@icsfp.com.

My dear Muslim reader, it is our collective and individual duty to do what we can to support our Prophet (peace be upon him). We are offering this list of suggestions so that no one will have any excuse to remain idle. Let us begin by working together to circulate these suggestions to as many people as we can. We should invite our families and friends to get involved. We should not feel shy to pick up the phone or to send out an SMS in support of our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him).

Source: Islamtoday

Read in English

ΑΛ AΣIM -Ο Προστάτης

Αυτός [ο γιος του Προφήτη Nωε] δήλωσε: “Θα αναζητήσω  καταφύγιο σε ένα βουνό που θα με προστατεύσει από το νερό.”  Ο Nωε  είπε: “Αυτη την ημερα κανενας δεν ειναι ασφαλισμενος απο την Διαταγη του ΑΛΛΑΧ εκτος απο εκεινους που τους εχει σπλαχνιστει …” (Surah Hud, 11: 43)

Οι άνθρωποι, ειναι  όλοι τους  εγγενώς αδύναμοι, και μπορουν  να συναντήσουν  όλα τα είδη  δυσκολιών  ανά πάσα στιγμή, όπως ένας σεισμός, πλημμύρα, τυφώνας, ή ηφαιστειακής έκρηξη. Επιπλέον, οι άνθρωποι είναι ευάλωτοι στην ψυχική δυσφορία. Απέναντι σε αυτά τα δυσμενή συμβάντα, θα πρέπει να εξετάσει κανεις  τα ακόλουθα: Ανεξάρτητα από την προσπάθεια ή την αντοχή τους, ποτέ δεν μπορουν να αποφύγουν  μια απειλή εαν δεν ειναι η θεληση του ΑΛΛΑΧ.

Ο Αλλάχ, ειναι ο πιο Συμπονετικός, είναι ο Μοναδικός Προστάτης, όπως το Κορανι αναφέρεται  στον εξής στίχο:

Πες: “Ποιος ειναι που θα σας σώσει από το σκοτάδι της γης και της θάλασσας οταν φανερα η κρυφα λετε: (Τον επικαλεισθε με ταπεινοφροσυνη και λετε) : ” Αν μοναχα ο Αλλάχ μας σωσει από αυτόυς τους κινδυνους, υποσχομαστε οτι θα δειχναμε πραγματικα την  ευγνωμοσυνη μας… ‘ “(Surat al-An’am, 6:63-64)

Οι άνθρωποι θυμούνται Αλλάχ όταν μένουν μόνοι τους, όταν συνειδητοποιούν ότι ουτε ο  υλικος πλούτος ουτε οι  ισχυροι άνθρωποι μπορούν να τους βοηθήσουν, ή όταν  άρρωστενουν.

Ωστόσο, αφού περάσουν αυτές τις καταστάσεις, ξεχνούν τι τους συνεβη και γινονται αχάριστοι προς τον Αλλάχ. Αυτοί οι άνθρωποι, οι οποίοι επιμένουν στην αχαριστία παρά την προστασία του Αλλάχ, θα δουν την αλήθεια, όταν θα  αντιμετωπίζουν άπειρες τιμωρία στην κόλαση.Η κατάστασή τους θα  είναι , ως εξής:

“Όσο για αυτούς που δείχνουν περιφρόνηση και αυξάνονται στην αλαζονια, Αυτός θα τους τιμωρήσει με μια οδυνηρή τιμωρία και  δεν θα βρουν κανένα  προστατη ή βοηθό εκτός από τον Αλλάχ. “(Surat an-Nisa ‘, 4:173)

Praise be to Allaah.

A beautiful lie!

The basic principle for the Muslim is to be honest and truthful, and he should not speak anything but the truth, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe! Fear Allaah, and be with those who are true (in words and deeds)”

[al-Tawbah 9:119]

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I urge you to be truthful, for “Truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise. A man will keep speaking the truth and striving to speak the truth until he will be recorded with Allaah as a siddeeq (speaker of the truth). Lying leads to immorality and immorality leads to Hellfire. A man will keep telling lies and striving to tell lies until he is recorded with Allaah as a liar.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5743; Muslim, 2607, from the hadeeth of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him).

Reconciling between people is an important issue in Islam, one which brings a great deal of reward. There is also a stern warning against sewing discord between people. Because of the importance of reconciling people in the Muslim society and the seriousness of discord and conflict, Allaah has permitted lying in order to reconcile between people and to remove discord and conflict which may have negative consequences for the religious commitment of individuals and communities.

It was narrated from Abu’l-Darda’ (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Shall I not tell you of something that is better than fasting, prayer and charity?” They said: Yes. He said: “Reconciling between two people, for discord between people is the shaver.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, who said: this is a hasan hadeeth. And it is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “It is the shaver, and I do not say that it shaves hair, rather that it shaves religious commitment.” End quote.

Whomsoever Allaah honours and enables him to reconcile between Muslims, if he needs to tell lies in order to reconcile between them, there is no sin on him for that, and it is not permissible to describe him as a liar, because the matter is serious; it is the matter of shar’i interests which means that in this case, lying is permissible, as it is narrated in al-Saheehayn from the hadeeth of Umm Kalthoom bint ‘Uqbah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that she heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “He is not a liar who reconciles between people, conveying good messages and saying good things.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2546; Muslim, 2605

As for swearing false oaths in order to reconcile between people, it seems that this is permissible.

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

What is prescribed for the believers is to use oaths sparingly, even if they are true, because swearing oaths a great deal may cause him to end up lying, and it is known that lying is haraam, and if a lie is accompanied by an oath, it is even more haraam. But if necessity or shar’i interests dictate that a false oath be sworn, there is no sin in that, because it is proven in the hadeeth of Umm Kalthoom bint ‘Uqbah ibn Abi Mu’eet (may Allaah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “He is not a liar who reconciles between people, conveying good messages and saying good things.” She said: I did not hear him grant any concession concerning anything that the people say of lies except in three cases: reconciling between people, war, and what a man says to his wife, or a woman says to her husband. Narrate by Muslim in al-Saheeh.

If a person says in order to reconcile between people, “By Allaah, your companions want to reconcile, they want to come to an agreement, they want such and such,” then he goes to the others and says something similar, with good intentions and aiming to bring about a reconciliation, there is no sin in that, because of the hadeeth quoted above.

Similarly, if he sees someone who wants to kill another person unlawfully, or to wrong him in some other way, and he says, “By Allaah he is my brother,” in order to rid him of this wrongdoer who wants to kill him unlawfully or beat him unlawfully, because he knows that if he says that he is his brother, he will leave him alone out of respect for him, then he has to say such a thing in the interests of saving his brother from injustice and wrongdoing.

To conclude: the basic principle concerning false oaths is that they are haraam, except in cases where they will serve a greater purpose than lying, as in the three cases mentioned in the hadeeth quoted above.

End quote.

Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 1/54.

Source: Islam qa

Related Article: Lies?

Can we lie?

Praise be to Allaah.

Lying is haraam in all cases, expect those which are exempted by the Lawgiver, and what is mentioned here is not one of those cases, because of the general meaning of the evidence, such as the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “O you who believe! Fear Allaah, and be with those who are true (in words and deeds)” [al-Tawbah 9:119].

In al-Saheehayn and elsewhere it is narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“I urge you to be truthful, for truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. A man will continue to be truthful and seek to speak the truth until he is recorded with Allaah as speaker of truth (siddeeq). And beware of lying, for lying leads to immorality and immorality leads to Hell; a man will continue to tell lies until he is recorded with Allaah as a liar.”

And it was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood also said: Lying is not appropriate whether in earnest or in jest. Recite if you wish (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe! Fear Allaah, and be with those who are true (in words and deeds)” [al-Tawbah 9:119].

Then he said: Do you find any concession allowing that to anyone?

And Allaah is the Source of strength. May Allaah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions. End quote.

Source: Islam qa

Related Article: Is it permissible to lie?

As small school-age children grow and learn about the world around them, they become keenly interested in strange words whose meanings are unfamiliar to them. They start asking more and more difficult and embarrassing questions, especially if they feel that the answers to those questions will open doors to new and unexplored worlds hitherto unknown to them.

One of the awkward questions commonly asked in Muslim societies is: Why do only married women have children?

We will be returning to this question later on, after discussing the various strategies that parents use to deal with such questions.

Bad strategies – what not to do:

The discomfort that mothers and fathers feel when confronted with such questions varies from parent to parent. Some parents resort to lies in order to avoid having to explain certain sensitive issues. However, such lies rarely satisfy the child’s curiosity. Indeed, they often cause the child to seek out the correct answer with greater enthusiasm – and from whatever sources they can find.

This zeal to know the answer can make the child vulnerable to bad influences among his peers, some of whom will be more than happy to provide him with answers to all of the questions that come into his head. It should be obvious to everyone how dangerous that is.

Other parents try a different strategy. They rebuke the child for asking about such things and try to intimidate the child into avoiding such questions in the future. This, of course, only makes the child more determined than ever to find out the answer. He will do whatever he can to learn this “forbidden knowledge”. This is human nature. We are all curious, and what is forbidden to us is often all the more intriguing because of it.

This strategy is very misguided. Obviously, the child will now simply hide his interest in the matter from his parents. Moreover, his parents’ treatment of him and his question will most probably injure his self-esteem. He will feel insufficient and unimportant. This will make it more likely for him to behave in an improper manner.

A good strategy:

The best strategy is to answer the child in the simplest and most tactful manner possible – but honestly and directly and without beating around the bush.

Applying this strategy:

Let us return to our example: “Why do only married women have children?”

Following our strategy of tactful honesty, we might give the following answer:

“My child. A woman by herself is not able to have children. A man is needed who will marry her and who will help her to have children. Allah has ordered this and we have to obey Allah. We have to listen to Allah even more than we have to listen to our parents. You know that when mommy and daddy tell you not to do something or tell you that you cannot lift something by yourself, you have to listen. Right? Well Allah has ordered men and women to get married if they want to have children and we must all listen to Allah.”

(Of course, the exact answer will vary depending on the child’s particular environment.)

In this way, a parent can give an honest answer that is at the same time tactful as well as satisfying to the child. The answer is honest and free of lies. The child is not scolded; rather his question is received with respect and consideration. The child feels he has learned something and has self-esteem. All of this will help the child in his future development.

Source: Islamtoday.com

Jeremiah 33:14-16

The first Sunday in Advent is one of the days on the Church calendar that I feel the most connection with, but the reason for this is also at the core of one of my recurring struggles.  I can identify with the feeling of longing for the Lord’s salvation.  I can imagine myself waiting with Israel for God’s promised deliverance.

The trouble is, as a Christian, I’m not sure what to think of this.  Yeah, I know all the scholarly rhetoric about the “already” and the “not yet” of Christian salvation, and it maps fantastically well to my experience of life.  Even so, it’s a thorn in the flesh of my faith (allusion to 2 Corinthians 12:7 intended).

So that’s where I come to the first reading for this Sunday, Jeremiah 33:14-16.

“The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.”

OK, so I have a pretty solid idea of what that must have meant to Jeremiah’s Jewish audience, and I have a firm grip on what it has traditionally meant to Christians.  But how do those to mix?  Are these days still to come, or have they already come?  The Branch has sprung up.  He executed justice and righteousness in the land.  Yet, we’re still waiting, and certainly Judah is still waiting.

And what about “the house of Israel and the house of Judah”?  I really can’t stomach the millennialist/tribulationist understanding of what God has in mind for Israel, mostly because it makes the last 2000 years of Israel’s spiritually journey irrelevant.  Frankly, I have the same objection to what Paul seems to be saying on this subject in Romans 11.  On the other hand, if traditional Christianity has another answer at all here, I don’t know what it is.

Earth IS staggering badly: News, Nature, Wars, Economy, H1N1, Recalls, Hate Crimes, Pope, Evang. Lindsey/Hagee, Goats Robbed, False Charges, FaceBook, Panic, Deaths

Prophecy’s Extra Oil Update 34: News of False Teachers, False Prophets

©copyright 2009 Bonita M Quesinberry

News 11/21-11/24: 3.5 days in “terrors of these end days;”
England, “many” missing in “worst storm floods ever recorded” ancient stone bridges collapse, 1000s homes flooded; UK opens investigation of soldier abuses at Abul Grae prison similar to US abuses; China, mine blast kills “scores” (104); India, train derail kills “at least” 29; Saudi Arabia, 4 pilgrims die H1N1; Indonesia, ferry sinks, “at least” 26 dead; Turkey floods, 4 dead; Pakistan, 20 Taliban killed; Philippines, kidnappers kill 21; Politically motivated massacre, 46 dead; Italy, plane crash kills 5; Afghan, Nov: US soldiers-15 killed; Iran, alliance talks with Russia/So. America; Canada, Stork Craft recalls 2.1-mil baby cribs due to deaths;

US, religion/sexual orientation hate crimes rising rapidly, “economy not as strong as believed,” people in deadly panic mode, 29 States’ job loss rates climbing, Senate debates Health bill; WA 5th storm, rivers flood, 3-ft snow, 7-in more due even lowlands, hail, wind damages, “at least” 11-k no power; OR bad weather, road rage shooting kills 1, wounds others/shooter kills self; Las Vegas, officer killed in his home by robber, military brother flies in from Iraq; FaceBook led to 12yo beating, Woman informed “stripped of Canadian disability due to F/B photos of her at Chippendale strip show”; (Uncle Sam also is watching and listening in on its people);

Mother and Daughters: POPE to meet Anglican leaders amidst rising tensions; Hal LINDSEY recently viewed, noticed distinct agitation in evangelist as he defined points of prophecy, albeit invalid, on his TBN show: formerly confident, the nervous fidgeting revealed his recognition of lies in God’s name. Hal Lindsey is not alone; many like him, i.e. Hagee, speak for harlot daughters despite knowing Truth;

TBN Sun 11/22, Rev. John HAGEE, fronting a poster labeled “Counterfeit Christianity,” urged Sunday attendance then robs audience of Truth by accusing all who obey God’s Doctrine as legalist cults, “counterfeits.” By sight/sound Hagee trains his goats to blame Christ’s sheep for causing global devastation— Revelation shows Apostle John shocked by a scene of what appeared to be Christ’s church persecuting Christ’s church.

Hagee’s sermon cited God’s wrath on US—economic crisis— then said “pray to return god to America and its demise can be stopped:” it is not the god whom Christ’s sheep follow, as Hagee later implied. It is too late to turn the tide, so he leads his flock to certain destruction: God said, “Satan slays his own.” Hagee’s end comments about the true sheep were to prepare his goats’ minds to fault the Elect: unbeknownst to them God views these acts as cursing God (Rev.). It is the same brainwashing methods used to create terrorists, some of whom will kill anyone they believe the Bible or Quran call “infidels,” unbelievers— God noted, “They think to do it for God.” NOT!

Sound like Muslim extremists? Hagee and others are urgently preparing their goats for exactly the same extreme behaviour as that of Islamic terrorists. Mark this word: their rage and indignation against Truth Speakers has been occurring for some time but only in verbal or written trickles; now their emotions are about to erupt in deadly rage. More frequently and more heatedly than any time in history, we are hearing these accusations from harlot daughters’ myriad denominational pulpits and televised evangelists: earth’s hourglass about to run out of sand. Increasing twists of God’s Word then heavily laced with lies and pointing fingers at the Elect, while speaking in angry tones, reveal Satan’s last effort to take down with him as many people who will allow his nasty power of them.

Be well-armoured, beloved sheep, that you may stand without fear of whatever attack they might bring against you; if it be verbal, say nothing or calmly respond as the Spirit leads, with a statement not for debate; or, if it be threat of a first death, face it as Jesus spoke of it— a blessing from God sparing you the worst to come: Christ will raise us up to join Him in the clouds. According to God, a “few” brethren must die as a sign of Christ’s quick return: those few join Christ’s martyrs killed long ago and who are crying out from beneath the altar, “Lord, when will you avenge us.” Do not expect mass slayings of Christ’s true sheep: rather, look for many to be beaten and/or falsely imprisoned with just a few deaths of God’s few 7th seal messengers known worldwide.

The sheep know the world is collapsing and will not recover, per God’s Holy Word; thus, a break from daily travesties is called for and prompts no indepth news for a while. We do suggest watching local news and CNN at least in the evening; be sure to notice CNN’s ticker tape at the bottom screen, which provides even more news in bits and bites.

TSaS will focus on recalls of vital Bible studies, respond to member questions, post prayer requests and comments members might have, or post summaries of documentaries answering to horrors we are witnessing around the globe during the most exciting time in man’s history. Pray— pray unceasing for the world and its leaders, for all who believe a lie and will die twice for their misguided ways.

Please WELCOME new member Jennie of Wisconsin! To all members, keep in mind that TSaS Post Archives and Files contain a wealth of God’s knowledge and wisdom: peruse them freely, print them out if you choose; most of all, share them with everyone you know, whether saved or not. You never know when you might “literally snatch one from God’s fiery wrath.” It only takes one for you to be “called great in heaven.”

Sister Debbie on Extra Oil Update 33— “I have watched a few of those survivalist programs. They are the in-thing lately. It truly saddens me how foolish and lost these people are. There will be no place to hide when Christ returns. All will know who has come and why. His saints will be leaving and the rest will find their shelters are not to be. All we can do is pray they come to Christ and soon. Time as we know it now will cease to exist . . . in just a twinkling of His eye.” 

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Identifying False Teachers and Prophets

Truth Gathering, ©copyright 1998-2003 annotations by Bonita M Quesinberry, the world’s only AKJV exhaustive Topical Bible, excerpts chapters 2 and 12: Many moons ago, TSaS member Albert asked, “How can we discern false preachers, pastors, prophets, theologians, and brethren from God’s true disciples?” See post archives for original post that includes member responses. Update ©copyright 2009—

There are two AKJV Bible passages that, in God’s considered opinion, clearly define God’s true from Satan’s false: Isaiah and Daniel’s description of false teachers and prophets who would appear on the scene after Jesus ascended to heaven, the same of which Paul warned the true sheep. The following are paraphrased for clarity:

Isaiah 8:16,20— Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. They speak God’s Law and His testimony, for there is light in them. If they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

Daniel 7:25— [False teachers and prophets] speak great words that are against the most High’s [Words], wearing out the saints of the most High, and they changed God’s times and Laws, [teaching their own for God's]. {recall Jesus chastising, “You teach man’s commandments for God.”}

See also Romans 1:1-6; Galatians 1:6-10. Jesus lived and taught the Doctrine of God; and, His Apostles preached the gospel of Christ, which was God’s. What was said in the New Testament was first said in the Old. There is nothing new, nothing changed; save and except the fact Jesus became the ultimate sacrificial lamb in place of a literal lamb of the temporary sacrificial ordinances.

All who truly believe must obey as a Jew, else be not grafted into the Jewish Tree of Life; and, all Jews who did not obey were cut from the Tree of Life. Paul admonished, “You heathens are grafted in but God can easily cut you out for the same reasons He cut out two of the tribes. Do not set their same examples of unbelief.” The two tribes cut out had turned deeply into pagan practices and rituals, just as Papal Rome and myriad Christian denominations did and continue to do today: which is to teach lies in God’s name.

Sadly, the vast majority of people foolishly believe their denomination of choice teaches all 12 of God’s Commandments, “as given in the beginning,” which Paul stated. “In the beginning” refers us back to Moses and the stone tablets, cited in both Exodus c.20 and Deuteronomy c.5: other Old Testament books state the two royal laws of love long before Jesus came reciting those same two “upon which depend the Ten.” The harlots teach that we really can’t obey all the Law— we are human after all— so we are not to worry about it: Jesus will forgive us each time we knowingly sin, thousands of times.

NOT TRUE! Once having repented of all known sins, and never repeating them again, Christ will forgive sins of which we are not aware or do not yet fully understand— UNTIL we understand. For instance, many today do not know they are violating all the Commandments by not obeying the fourth. When they have been given the truth of this matter, then continue to disobey that Law, they will not be forgiven nor bear the Seal of the One True Living God; effectively condemning themselves to eternal death.

Leviticus 19:18, Deuteronomy 6:5, 10:12-13, 11:1,13, 13:3-5, Joshua 22:5 and Nehemiah 1:5,9 clearly cite God saying, “Love the Lord thy God with all your heart and soul and with all your might; and, love your neighbor as yourself.” Deuteronomy 13:5 added, “IF YOU DO LOVE GOD, YOU WILL OBEY HIS COMMANDMENTS.” Then, of course, the Apostles said, “We know we love God because we obey His Commandments.” Does everyone understand that God’s Twelve Precepts ARE His Holy Doctrine, the same Jesus magnified by living it, the same Jesus made honorable by teaching others to obey?

Jesus came speaking no new commandments, albeit false teachers say He did give two new precepts; rather, He cited the same two royal laws God had given and added that upon them hang all the law and the prophets. To “hang upon” means to “depend upon.” Therefore, Christ was saying the same as what God had said: one cannot hope or even be motivated to obey the Ten Precepts unless they truly love God in order to obey the first four precepts, and truly love their neighbor thus obeying the last six laws. Jesus included the ancient prophets in His statement simply because they truly loved God thus both obeyed and spoke God’s testimony and Law just as Christ did. True love for God and neighbor compels a desire to obey God’s Law: written on the fleshy table of our heart.

Following Jesus’ ministry, the Apostles then taught the same message of obedience through faith: faith that obeying those Laws are in one’s own best interest and in the interest of those around them, and in faith that in doing so will prompt God to fulfill His promise of everlasting life. When Israel obeyed, it was because they feared God’s wrath instead of obeying His Law because they loved and trusted that God required it in their best interest; therefore acknowledging that God knows and understands more than they did or that we do.

This is exactly why God’s Ten Precepts also have alternate Biblical titles: Statutes of Life, Law of Righteousness, Law of Blessings, and Law of Liberty; for in our obedience by faith and love, we will be blessed many times over AND spared a second death: provided, of course, we also truly believe Jesus is God’s Son. The harlots teach that we are set free of THE Law; when, in fact, we are set free of only the condemnation in the Law: which condemnation comes into play only when Law is violated: i.e. man’s law says stealing is a crime punishable by imprisonment. If you do not steal, then you are not condemned to prison; thus, to avoid condemnation you must obey that law. See how we are “set free” of only condemnation within God’s Law? If Christ set us free of the whole Law, then why will that same Law “stand forever, even in the new earth and heavens?” 

In reality, false disciples teach almost exclusively the two royal laws— citing them as new commandments issued by Christ to replace the Ten, and the only ones that count in the end— “Love is Love and Love Is All That Matters.” Ironically, they do, from time to time, mention 12 precepts yet reduce one to third position to read simply, “Keep thou the Sabbath holy” while persuading their goats to be in church every Sunday. It would be difficult for them to urge Sunday attendance if they quoted the true fourth Precept: unless people have no concept of which are the first and last days in a week. Read the whole:

Exodus 20:8-11— Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger [heathen] that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it [made it holy].

Jesus then came adamantly stating, “I also am Lord of the Sabbath!” This should lend a hint of something quite special about this seventh day. If nothing else, it identifies God and His Christ as the ones whom true believers serve. And, by their observance of God’s Sabbath, in the manner He prescribed in Isaiah 58:6-8,10,13-14, they are identified as both God’s and Christ’s servants, sheep, the elect.

Additional scriptures state, “Blessed is the person who obeys God’s Sabbath, Jew or heathen, and cursed are those who do not.” To observe any other day as God’s Sabbath reveals a different god and identifies that god’s followers as goats, putting them in danger of being judged twice dead.

Therefore, the seventh day Sabbath is both God’s and Christ’s seal of authority to enforce God’s Laws over those who observe and keep holy the day as well as God’s remaining Statutes of Life. After all, within Exodus 20:8-11 appear all four criteria required for a valid seal of authority, whether corporeal or spiritual; and, in Ezekiel 20:12,20 God clearly tells us that the seventh day Sabbath is His SEAL— sign, seal, mark, and token being synonymous words— indicating that all who bear God’s seal have been sanctified by Him or by His Christ. Christ’s claim to the same seal makes perfect sense: He is the Son of God, thus He expects the same obedience to the day He shares with His Father. After all, Jesus said, “Do my Father’s Will, obey my Father’s Doctrine.”

It is an historical fact that the seventh day of the week is Saturday; always has been and always will be. Look to the Jewish faith for confirmation; of which Christianity is supposed to be a mere extension. Nonetheless, over the last 6000 years, calendars have undergone a number of changes: both the Jewish as well as those of pagans, changes which affected only the number of days in a year or in a month as well as the number of months in a year or which month would represent the first month of the year: Jewish and pagan finally settling on 12 months of 360-365 days in a year.

There have been several attempts to change the line up of week days— specifically to get people to accept Monday as the first day and Sunday as the seventh, making a blasphemous day appear to be God’s true Sabbath— but, each time it was met with strong opposition thus never accepted. This is no surprise, for our Lord stated, “I preserve My Truths.” Ironically, the United States federal government and its armed forces do use calendars showing Monday as the first day and Sunday as the last weekday. Sunday always has been the first day and Saturday the seventh. But, what about “times?”

Genesis shows God establishing a day as extending from evening to evening: because the world began in darkness; thus night came first, then He created light for the daytime hours. For example, Sabbath begins at sundown Friday and ends at sundown Saturday, the next day beginning at sundown and so forth. False speakers changed a day to begin at midnight, which comes straight out of paganism.

In the last decade or more, some denominations have begun holding services on Saturday evenings, due to some members’ concerns regarding God’s fourth Statute, erroneously leading people to believe they are observing God’s true Sabbath by attending church on Saturday nights; in fact, it’s already Sunday by God’s time standard. Obviously, these same people have no idea what God calls a day, short of reading Genesis for themselves.

The above move also is an effort to bring Sabbath keepers into their deadly synagogues: which is to walk right back into that which God said to “come out of.” Even daylight savings practices cannot affect God’s true Sabbath: the sun will rise and the sun will set according to His timing, regardless of mankind’s mechanical clock settings.

Further, false speakers interpret God’s prophecies to suit the desires of the world as well as altering timelines of each prophecy they’ve discerned by the world— as opposed to spiritually— therefore grossly leading their people astray and leaving them totally unprepared for Christ’s quick return. To be unprepared is to be left behind very “dead from one end of earth to the other end and the eagles are called to feast upon them,” while Christ’s sheep are “escorted to the sure, safe haven of heaven for 1000 years.”

False speakers teach some prophecies having been fulfilled in part, with the remainder to be fulfilled thousands of years later: setting God and His Word wholly out of character. This maliciously directs people to seek signs today that were long ago fulfilled— in essence, causing them to believe Christ won’t come until they see those signs. There are numerous ways in which false prophets have misinterpreted God’s prophecies, while at the same time earning billions of dollars through the promotion of their lies by the use of various medias: books, television and movies. Lies are about money, tons of it.

God, Christ, Holy Spirit, and the Apostles made it clear that even “one falsehood amidst God’s truth renders the whole a deception.” So let us suppose the only lie being taught among various denominations is that of God’s Sabbath: Sunday exchanged for Saturday. This being the case, how can anyone believe anything else they teach? If they will promote even one lie— let alone the greatest lie ever perpetuated— there is absolutely NO assurance people are getting any of God’s Truth! Besides which, this particular falsity renders the one who believes the lie without God’s Seal upon his or her forehead: instead, twice dead by Satan’s Mark.

The fact is, and for any number of reasons, there is not one denomination coming even close to fitting the Biblical description of Christ’s church; which clarifies exactly why Jesus said, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, so shall I be.” This also accounts for the description of His flocks as being “small” in number.

Our Saviour condemned all false preachers, pastors, theologians, and prophets of His time as well as in the generations to come; saying instead that those who are NOT schooled in man’s Bible seminaries— babes, as it were— would perfect praise and teach Truth. Despite His declaration, the vast majority of people continue to believe and blindly follow only ordained ministers and their trumped up prophets: the very ones “who slay their own people for lack of truth.” They reign by way of persuasive power strengthened by certificates of ordination from man’s schools of theology and, in exchange for your loyalty and money, they promise wealth, peace, and happiness now and in paradise they cannot guarantee.

Last, there are people who will believe only those preachers, pastors, theologians and prophets who are related to them: mother, father, brother, sister, uncle and so forth. Just because someone is a family member who just happens to be in a ministry does not guarantee he or she speaks God’s Truth. Nor can one be assured they are not false ministers and prophets. Else Christ would not have warned that those who will turn against His sheep are those of his or her own household, family as it were. Further, Paul revealed the deceit of Satan’s synagogues: “Why are you surprised Satan can manifest himself as an angel of light and that his ministers can do the same?”

God’s consistent complaint with Israel, as noted in Isaiah 30:8-9, was their habitual return to disobedience of His Commandments; Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 further advising us that the whole duty of mankind is to obey God’s Statutes. Then, in Romans 2:12-13,15,18, Paul states clearly that “those who sin without God’s Law will PERISH without His Law; and, those who sin aware of God’s Law shall be JUDGED by that law: therefore, the hearers of God’s Law are not justified; but, the DOERS OF GOD’S LAW SHALL BE JUSTIFIED. How much plainer must God’s requirements be stated in order that people turn to His total Law instead of mankind’s altered form of it? Revelation even confirms this same obligation three times— 12:17, 14:12, 22:14.

Yet, religious leaders say we are dead to the Law? The only aspect of God’s Law to which only the obedient are exempt is the condemnation built into the Law; this is to say, the penalty for violating God’s Law, which penalty is to be rendered twice dead. There is no scripture in existence saying we are dead to obeying His Precepts. After all, scripture tells us that to commit sin IS to violate the Law.

Isaiah 8, verses 16 and 20, make it abundantly clear who are false teachers versus who are Spirit anointed speakers: the latter speak the loving testimony of God and His Christ as well as teach only God’s Law, His Doctrine, because there is light in them. There was light in God’s various chosen ancient prophets, there was light in Jesus, there was light in His Apostles, save and except Judas, and there is light in the few truly anointed today: sadly, they go unheeded amidst the roaring flood of false teachers and prophets.

After all, false leaders can shout louder and have ample financial resources you’ve provided to surround the globe with their lies, masking truth speakers by their sheer strength and volume, accessibility to civil powers, as well as their exceeding numbers of supporting followers: these latter of whom are to be considered false brethren. False leaders and brethren alike are quick to denounce truth speakers as “legalists, blasphemers and doers of Satan’s work.” Their formal ordination causes people to believe them thus quickly denouncing truth speakers. As in Christ’s day, so it is today: only getting worse.

Do you still believe you are directed by God’s true disciples: the ones who lead your choice  of denomination? Or, has this article cast shadows on what you’ve believed, doubt of your leaders and those denominations Biblically known as Satan’s synagogues? There is much more light to be shed, for they know absolutely no boundaries for lies.

Therefore, the end-of-days’ instruction to Christ’s sheep is to be fully dressed in God’s Armor and keep your eyes on the clouds; for Jesus is even at the door and earth has been  “reeling to and fro like a drunkard” for almost 19 years now (Isaiah 24:19-22). Time is short; so, let this serve as a heads up to every professed Christian whom God deems cold or lukewarm (Revelation 3:14-22). Repent— repent— repent quickly, totally and today.

——Watch the clouds between mid-October to mid-November henceforth until no later than 2011. The book of Hebrews says Jesus will not be late. If not fully converted now, time is your enemy; total conversion must be instant, this day, TODAY: do not delay. Pray unceasing! Be watchful; stand fast even to death. WE HAVE GOD’S POWER. KEEP WALKING and TALKING, even when it seems useless: you might snatch one lost, lukewarm sheep from the flames and give the warmth of God’s Truth to a cold waiting for it. Saith the Lord, “Ye lukewarm await consuming fire.”

——TSaS post archives open to public; members access Bible Lesson FILES. TSaS ministry neither needs nor asks for money and never will: God provides our basic needs. We ask only for prayer and that you share God’s Truth with all who will hear/read and obey in “the instant.” Be good stewards of God’s Word: share Extra Oils, lead everyone to God’s Biblical Truth at — http://groups.yahoo.com/group/truthseekersandspeakers

Much Love in Christ, Sister BonnieQ

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http://www.naturesanswer.com to order Asafetida, also correctly spelled Asafoetida: produced by Natures Answer; if not in product list send email to NA to ask about getting it (my local health food store orders it for me) This is one of the strongest fighter’s of virus in God’s herbal kingdom: His medicine works perfectly and with no side effects!

Also, remember God’s words about these times, “My people shall walk among them and be not touched.”

Read in English

Translation by Xenia

Η 9η ημέρα του dhul-Hijjah είναι η ημέρα του Αραφάτ. Είναι αυτή η ημέρα, όταν οι προσκυνητές συγκεντρώνονται στο πεδιο του βουνόυ του Αραφάτ, προσεύχονται και παρακαλουν τον Κυριο τους. Η ημέρα του Αραφάτ έχει μεγάλη σημασία στο Ισλάμ επειδή αυτή είναι η ημέρα που Αλλάχ ολοκληρωσε την  αποκάλυψη Του στον  αγγελιοφόρο του (sAllâhu alaihe WA-Sallam).

Αναφέρεται στην Sahîhayn (δηλαδή Sahih al-Sahih Bukhari και Muslim), από τον Umar Ibn al-Khattab (Radhi Allahu anhu) ότι ένας Εβραιος είπε:

“Ω Αμίρ αλ-Muminîn (Ω επικεφαλής των μουσουλμάνων)! Υπάρχει ένας στίχος στο Κορανι, που αν ειχε αποκαλύφθει σε εμάς, τους Εβραίους, θα είχαμε λάβει εκείνη την ημέρα ως Eid (φεστιβάλ).

Ο Umar ρώτησε: «Ποιος στίχος;

Είπε:« Την σημερον ημέρα έχω τελειοποιήσει τη θρησκεία σας για σας, ολοκληρώθηκε χάρη μου σε σας, και Εχω επιλέξει για εσάς το Ισλάμ ως θρησκεία σας. “[Σούρα al-Maidah (5): 3]

Ο Umar (Radhi Allahu anhu) είπε: «Γνωρίζουμε ποια ηταν η  ημέρα και τον τόπο στον οποίο αποκαλύφτηκε αυτός ο στίχος στον αγγελιοφόρο του Αλλάχ (sAllâhu alaihe WA-Sallam). Ήταν όταν στεκόταν στο Αραφάτ μια  Παρασκευή. “

Η ημερα του Αραφάτ είναι η ημέρα κατά την οποία ο Αλλάχ πήρε το συμβόλαιο από τις απογόνους του Αδάμ (alaihis-Salam), αναφέρθηκε ότι  ο Ιμπν Αμπάς (Radhi Allahu anhu) αφήγηθηκε: Ο αγγελιοφόρος του Αλλάχ (sallAllâhu alaihi WA-Sallam) ειπε:

“(Όταν ο Αλλάχ δημιούργησε τον Aδαμ  (alaihis-Salam) , ο Αλλάχ πήρε συνθηκη  από αυτόν σε ένα χώρο, Na’mân την ημέρα του Αραφάτ. Μετα εξεγαγε όλους τους απογόνους που θα γεννηθουν  μέχρι το τέλος του κόσμου, από γενιά σε γενιά , και τους απλωσε μπροστά Του, προκειμένου να λάβει ένα συμβόλαιο και απο αυτους, επίσης.  Τους Μίλησε  πρόσωπο με πρόσωπο λέγοντας: «Δεν ειμαι ο Κυριος σας;”
και όλοι απάντησαν: «Ναι, μπορούμε να μαρτυρησουμε».  Ο Αλλάχ, στη συνέχεια Εξήγησε οτι  Είχε  ολη  την ανθρωπότητα  να καταμαρτυρησει οτι Ήταν Δημιουργός Τους και  Ο Μόνος Αξιος της λατρειας τους.

Είπε:

“Αυτό ειναι  σε  περίπτωση που ( η ανθρωπότητα) θα πει  την Ημέρα της Αναστάσεως,« Σίγουρα, εμείς αγνοούσαμε του παρόντος. Δεν είχαμε ιδέα ότι εσείς, Αλλάχ, ήσταν ο  Κυρίος μας. Κανείς δεν μας είπε ότι θα έπρεπε να λατρεύουμε μόνο Εσας. “

[(Sahîh by Shaikh al-Albanî in Silsilah al-Ahâdîth as-Sahîhah vol: 4, no: 1623]

Πραγματικα η ημερα του Αραφατ ειναι μια ευλογημενη ημερα και δεν υπαρχει μεγαλυτερη συνθηκη απο αυτην την συνθηκη.

Η ημερα του Αραφάτ είναι μια ημέρα συγχώρεσης από τις αμαρτίες, της ελευθερία από την φωτιά  της κολασης για τους ανθρώπους που βρίσκονται στο πεδιο του Αραφάτ. Η  A’ishah (Radhi Allahu anha) αφηγηθηκε οτι  ο  αγγελιοφόρος του Αλλάχ (sallAllâhu alaihi WA-Sallam) ειπε:

“Δεν υπάρχει ημέρα που ο Αλλάχ απελευθερώνει περισσότερα άτομα από την Φωτια εκτος από την ημέρα του Αραφάτ. Έρχεται κοντά και εκφράζει την υπερηφάνεια Του στους  τους αγγέλους λέει, «Τι  θέλουν αυτοί οι άνθρωποι (οι Hajis)’” [Sahih Muslim]

Aυτο  to  Hadith αναφέρει συγχώρεση για τους προσκυνητές. Εκτός από αυτό, η  νηστεία την ημέρα του  Αραφάτ είναι Sunnah και μια εξιλέωση των αμαρτιών για τους ανθρωπους.

Αναφέρεται στην Sahîhayn Μuslim,  ότι όταν ο αγγελιοφόρος του Αλλάχ (sallAllâhu alaihi WA-Sallam) ρωτήθηκε σχετικά με τη νηστεία της ημέρας του Αραφάτ, είπε:

“Εξιλεωνει τις αμαρτίες του προηγούμενου έτους και του επόμενου έτους.” [Sahih Muslim]

Αυτή η νηστεία είναι Mustahabb μόνο για την μη-προσκυνητές και δεν προορίζεται για την Hajis (οι προσκυνητές), διότι δεν ήταν η συνηθεια  του αγγελιοφόροu του Αλλάχ (sallAllâhu alaihi WA-Sallam) να νηστευει την ημέρα της Αραφάτ κατά τη διάρκεια του προσκυνήματος και σε μια αφήγηση που επίσης τους  απαγόρευσε να το κανουν.

Ο Ιμάμ σε-Tirmidhî (rahimahullah) (d 275H), δήλωσε:

“Οι άνθρωποι της γνώσης  to θεωρούν οτι  συνιστάται (Mustahabb) η νηστεια την ημέρα του  Αραφάτ, εκτός από αυτους στο Αραφάτ.” [Jâmi'ut-Tirmidhî (3 / 377)]

Please join us for the journey of a lifetime.

The life changing experience of being in Egypt and Israel:

I want to share with you our journey as we walk through this land of biblical history! I wish you could join us in person, but as our family of 32 ventures into this dramatic land, we want to share our encounters with you via blog postings. Please pray for our trip and seek the Lord in what He wants you to take away from it.

We invite you to join us vicariously in our adventure as we walk where the patriarchs, prophets, kings, priests, Israelites and most importantly, Jesus, also walked thousands of years ago. Our journey begins in Egypt on November 30, entering Israel December 2 and returning to California on December 10. I pray that you will experience a spiritual transformation as we share our divine encounters from the Holy Land.

Διαβαστε στα Ελληνικα

Yawm al-Arafat:

The 9th day of Dhul-Hijjah is the day of Arafat. It is this day when the pilgrims gather on the mountain plain of Arafat, praying and supplicating to their Lord. The day of Arafat holds great importance in Islam since this is the Day when Allâh completed his revelation on His Messenger (sAllâhu alaihe wa-sallam). It is reported in the Sahîhayn (i.e. Sahîh al-Bukharî and Sahîh Muslim), from Umar Ibn al-Khattab (radhi Allâhu anhu) that a Jewish man said to him:

Arafat is the day on which Allâh took the covenant from the progeny of Adam (alaihis-salâm), it was reported that Ibn Abbas (radhi Allâhu anhu) narrated: The Messenger of Allâh (sallAllâhu alaihi wa-sallam) related:

Indeed, the day of Arafat is a blessed day and there is no other covenant greater than this covenant! Arafat is a day of Forgiveness from sins, freedom from the Hell-Fire for the people who are present in the plain of Arafat. A’ishah (radhi Allâhu anha) narrated the Messenger of Allâh (sallAllâhu alaihi wa-sallam) saying:

This Hâdîth mentions forgiveness for the pilgrims. In addition to this, fasting on the day of Arafat is a Sunnah and an expiation of sins for the residents. Hunaydah ibn Khâlid reported from his wife that some of the wives of the Prophet (sallAllâhu alaihi wa-sallam) said:

It is reported in Sahîh Muslim that when the Messenger of Allâh (sallAllâhu alaihi wa-sallam) was asked about the fasting on the day of Arafat, he said:

This fasting is Mustahabb only for the non-pilgrims and not for the Hajis (the pilgrims) because it was not the practice of Allâh’s Messenger (sallAllâhu alaihi wa-sallam) to fast on the day of Arafat during pilgrimage and in a narration he also forbade doing so. Imâm at-Tirmidhî (rahimahullah) (d. 275H) said:

Some weeks ago, the sky over the boardwalk at Spring Lake was swept with colors before nightfall. Soon, the only light would come from a lamp that would shine through the night.

Augustine in today’s reading offers a beautiful commentary on the lamp burning in the dark, till the great Sun would shine again. It’s a prophetic light, he says, lit until the time when “lamps will no longer be needed. When that day is at hand, the prophet will not be read to us, the book of the Apostle will not be opened, we shall not require the testimony of John, we shall have no need of the Gospel itself. Therefore all Scriptures will be taken away from us, those Scriptures which in the night of this world burned like lamps so that we might not remain in darkness.”

Life’s darkness is temporary; we are meant for the light.

“I implore you to love with me and, by believing, to run with me; let us long for our heavenly country, let us sigh for our heavenly home, let us truly feel that here we are strangers. What shall we then see? Let the gospel tell us: In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. You will come to the fountain, with whose dew you have already been sprinkled.

Instead of the ray of light which was sent through slanting and winding ways into the heart of your darkness, you will see the light itself in all its purity and brightness. It is to see and experience this light that you are now being cleansed. Dearly beloved, John himself says, we are the sons of God, and it has not yet been disclosed what we shall be; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

I feel that your spirits are being raised up with mine to the heavens above; but the body which is corruptible weighs down the soul, and this earthly tent burdens the thoughtful mind. I am about to lay aside this book, and you are soon going away, each to his own business. It has been good for us to share the common light, good to have enjoyed ourselves, good to have been glad together. When we part from one another, let us not depart from him.”

Read in English

Μεταφραση Ξενια

“Kαι δεν ειναι δυνατο σε εναν ανθρωπο να του μιλησει ο ΑΛΛΑΧ εκτος εμπνεοντας τουτον, η πισω απο ενα παραπετασμα, η στελνοντας αγγελιοφορο για να εμπνευσει (αποκαλυπτοντας)- με την αδεια Tου- τα οσα θελει. Αυτος ειναι βεβαια ο Υψιστος , ο Πανσοφος.” Ιερο Κορανιο 42: 51

Ο ΑΛΛΑΧ μας συστηνεται. Ο Δημιουργος ολων των κοσμων και ο Μοναδικος Κυριαρχος του συμπαντος ειναι ο Υψιστος και ο Κατοχος του ουρανου της γης και των παντων μεταξυ.

Δεν υπάρχει καμία θεότητα εκτος απο Αυτόν. Υψιστος ειναι Αυτος και Δοξασμενος πάνω απ ‘όλα απο ότι συνδέουν (μαζί Του). Αυτός είναι ο Κυριαρχος, ο Παντοδύναμος, και ο Κύριος του Τρόπου Εξυψωσης. Ο Αλλάχ είναι Αυτάρκης, πάνω απο καθε αναγκη.

Όλα τα ωραία ονόματα ανήκουν Αλλάχ, γιατι Αυτός είναι ο Κατοχος απείρου κάλλους και άπειρης αιθεριότητας. Ένα άτομομπορεί να Τον ξέρει μόνο στο βαθμό που ο ίδιος επιτρεπει, και μπορεί να Τον εκτιμησει μέσα από τους στίχους του Κορανίου. Σε ένα στίχο, Αλλάχ περιγράφει αυτό το όνομα και λεει τα εξεις.

Ο ΑΛΛΑΧ! Δεν υπαρχει κανενας αλλος θεος παρα μοναχα Αυτος. Εχει αιωνια ζωη, και προσεχει για παντα, ολο τον κοσμο. Η αδρανεια δεν μπορει να Τον κυριευσει, ουτε ο υπνος. Δικα Του ειναι ολα οσα υπαρχουν στους ουρανους και στη γη. Ποιος ειναι λοιπον εκεινος που μπορει να μεσολαβησει κοντα Του, εαν δεν του επιτρεψει, Γνωριζει ο,τι υπηρχε πριν και ο,τι θα υπαρξει μετα απο αυτους. Κι ουτε μπορουν να συλλαβουν τιποτα απο ο,τι γνωριζει Αυτος εκτος εκεινου που Αυτος θελησει. Ο Θρονος Του περιεχει τους ουρανους και την γη και δεν αισθανεται κοπο, φυλαγοντας τα και συντηρωντας τα. Γιατι ειναι ο Υψιστος, ο Μεγαλος. (Ιερο Κορανιο 2:255)

Source: Names of ALLAH