Allah is the root to everything

Bismiallah-

"Allah is full of bounty to mankind but most of them are ungrateful” 2:43

Allah has given us life.

Allah has given us food.

Allah has given us shelter.

Allah has given us the ultimate mercy.

Allah has given us the most grace.

yet when the call to prayer is announced, we ignore it.

when it is time for salah, we delay it.

when it is time to eat, we forget "bismiallah"

it is a burden to read the book of Allah.

it is a burden to pray five times a day.

it is a burden to give charity

it is a burden to follow what is prescribed by our lord.

Allah has given us so much, so much.

I can not bear to even tip-toe on the amount of blessings we have been given.

look around us, would we have anything if it were not for the blessing of Allah.

anything?

Show your gratitude.

pray.

give charity.

follow the words of our lord.

this is the least of what we could do.

Allah has given us the world, not to worship its worldy things, but to worship him in thanks and praise. Dunya is the means to Allah, Allah is not the means to Dunya.

We must be thankful!

Today we are surrounded by the dunya, I mean come on, with our ipods, computers, unnatural light, cars, grocery stores, etc. I am not saying this is bad, alhumduiallah to advancing technologies, but as I said alhumduiallah-All praise is due to Allah. Do you think you would have that ipod, if allah has not created the hands which made it, or the mind which thought of it...no. This is the key which is being lost today. Back then, everything was "ground deep"; their food was from the earth rather than H-E-B (local food market), their enjoyment was outside rather than inside and their watch was the sun and the moon. The link between them and the bounties of allah were close rather than far fetched like the ipod. This is not a call for the ban of all technology but rather a call for praise of your lord. 

if you would rather listen to your ipod more than pray, listen to your ipod less.

if you would rather be on facebook than pray, limit your facebook time.

if you would rather so anything that takes you away from the praise of your lord, stay clear of it.

All praise is due to Allah.

solely.

Lets not get hooked in the dunya.

remember there will be a day,

when no praise will be accepted

and forgiveness will not be given.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU: 

We should not only take but thank :) :) This concept is important for muslims and nonmuslims; if you accept whoever you do as your lord, how do you repay him for all of the things that are provided for you? 

jazak :) 

-jazz 

O Muslim! Keep Striving!

Assalamalaikum!

Bismillah ir Rahman nir Raheem.

I ran into this story today on a forum and SubhanAllah it was so moving, that I had to share. It is a true story of a Brother's life and his suffering due to an illness. I read this and once again realized how blessed I am to be in tact, whole, and healthy. Alhmadullilah!  There are not enough praises, there are not enough words, there are not enough remembrances we can give to Allah for everything he continues to provide us with. 

"Since I was born I suffered from Exema on my hands and arms and now I am 22 years of age and still suffering from such disease. Alhamdulelah it goes for a while but it comes back infected and inflamed.

I always looked around me and saw other people's hands and arms in perfect condition and I would go back home and cry so much that my tears would feel a bucket. I was bullied so much in Secondary School because of my Exema and I was treated like dirt and abused because of my belief in Islam. One day in class I cried for over an hour my eyes stung because of the class saying abusive things to me and the teacher did NOTHING because he hated my faith which was apparent.

Since I was small I always held the Quran each night and begged Allah for my suffering to end. Even as I write this my eyes are full of tears.

As I grew up my passion to marry grew. I always wanted to have a child to raise for the mercy of Allah. But because of my suffering from Exema that always stopped me from marrying.

One day in College I saw a really beautiful Sister in Hijab from Lebanon (I think) and I wanted to marry her, but because of my Exema I thought she would not want to even look at me. By Allah, through Halal ways she rejected me which I feel in my heart was because of my hands.

I feel so alone sometimes. I suffer SO much that I cannot go outside unless my sleeves of my shirt cover most of my hands. I cannot make Salat in the Masjid without worrying that someone is going to look at my hands and not want to shake them or that they will give me a bad look. I cannot eat outside or be with my friends without feeling worried that they are going to see my hands.

When I do Wudu with water, my hands sting so much I cry. After Wudu I will make my Salat trying to blot out the pain that I am going through with my hands.

I feel no Muslim Sister will ever marry me but I try to keep strong about it. My only wife I want is a wife of Paradise. I wish I was with Prophet Ayub (AS) as he suffered alot and I would not feel alone as he would be with me worshiping Allah.

My only dream now is to work hard and to die only for Allah.

Please Brothers and Sisters of Islam make Du'a for me and for all Muslims suffering from illness's that they keep strong.

I take this as a blessing from Allah as Allah tests those whom he truly loves.

About three year ago I was sinking into severe depression. I was suffering so much and everything was just sinking deeper and deeper. I would stay up every night just worshipping Allah, begging him for mercy and help.

I really thought that Allah abandoned me and hated me.

Then one summer was a summer I would never forget. For six weeks in a row I had dreams that words would never be able to describe in 100% detail.

The dreams are too much to mention. But one of the first was when I was standing on a red land, and then two Muslim men with large dark beards approached me. They asked me do I want to see Hell? I said to them yes. They smiled and I then followed them.

In front of me was like a Hugh head with a wide open mouth. I can still picture this in my mind but I can never really describe it as it was so detailed. We went through its mouth and in it were all types of chambers of black fire. I saw people lying on their bellies on beds of spikes penetrating though their bodies while they were screaming.

Another chamber I saw people being crushed again and again in fire.

Another I saw their limbs being pulled off.

After a few more chambers we left and one of the Muslim's said to me, "Is your life worse than what you saw?" I said, "By Allah, no."

The best dream is of Prophet Muhammad (salla Allaahu 'alayhi wa salaam). In the dream I was sitting in a dark room crying. Suddenly a gold door appeared in front of me. The door said to me, "Don't cry and come inside."

When I went in, I was in such a beautiful garden. There were all sorts of flowers and different coloured streams of water and honey. I heard laughing and talking further on, so I walked through this garden, and each step I took the garden just got more beautiful and different in colour. I saw a really bright gold table with food I have never seen before on this table. There were sweets and different shapes of fruit on the table. There were also crystal cups with drinks with at least 100 different shades of colour.

Sitting around the table were all extremely handsome looking Muslims. I saw one Muslim holding a staff in his right hand so I was thinking that could be Musa ('AlyheeSalaam), and then another Muslim I saw with long wavy hair with pearls falling from his head, so I was thinking that was 'Isa ('AlyheeSalaam). There were at least 100 Muslims around this table. At the head of the table a Muslim turned around and faced me. Mashahallah I will never forget his face. His eyes were darker than black pearls and there was a beautiful light shining from his face. As he smiled at me I felt this warmth and this sweet smelling musk go over my body.

He said Salam to me and called me by my full name. I asked him who he was. He said, "I am the final Messenger of Allah and my name is Muhammad Ibn Abdullallah (salla Allaahu 'alayhi wa salaam). I want you to sit next to me."

A gold chair appeared next to him so I sat there facing him. He took my hand in his hand. It felt so warm and nice. He said something that even made me cry in my sleep. He said, "Dont cry because of the hardships of this life. Cry for the forgiveness of Allah. Don't cry and feel sad for Allah will never leave you alone to suffer. He is with the believer who calls his name. He smiles to the believer who repents. He loves the believer who runs to him in struggle. And on The Day that is coming, you will see how much love and comfort He gives to those Muslims who suffered for Him."

I closed my eyes and then I woke up with tears all down my face."

La Hawla wa la Quwatta illa Billah

"There is no transformation or strength except through Allah."

"There is neither progress nor might except through Allah."

"There is neither change nor power except by means of Allah."

-Razz :)

Mission Dawa: Quran Challenge

Assalamalaikum!
Bismillah ir Rahman nir Rahim

“If you want to talk to Allah, then pray salah. If you want Allah to talk to you, then read the Quran.”

Mission Dawa invites you to join our Quran Challenge, inshAllah!
Our goal is to complete the entire Quran, with understanding by the time that Ramadan ends, around September 1st, 2011.We will begin May 23rd, 2011 by reading 60 ayahs a day for the first seventy days and then increasing the number of ayahs during Ramadan to about 75, inshAllah! There is no excuse to not be able to read the Quran everyday-it is on the internet (Quran.com), there are many apps (Apple.com), and it can always be found as a hard copy.

On this page, we will track our feedback, interpretation, awesome verses, and any other valuable information you have learned while reading the book of Allah. The importance of learning, understanding, and implementing the Quran is crucial in Islam and to increase your Deen.

"Indeed this Qur'an guides to the path which is clearer and straighter than any other." [18:9]

"We have revealed to you the book which clarifies every matter." [16:89]

Our goal is to make the word of Allah apart of our daily lives and make it a habit to invest time in increasing our understanding of the Deen. Allah has blessed us with the Quran, a complete guide.

“And We send down from the Qur’aan that which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe…” [17:82]

InshAllah, please join us on this journey so together we can seek the reward of reciting and understanding Allah's word.

ps. PLEASE INVITE ANYONE & EVERYONE TO JOIN US.
pss. Check us out at missiondawa.tumblr.com  & www.youtube.com/missiondawa

The Quran- KitabAllah, Divine Speech, The Biggest Miracle sent to Mankind

Bismillah ir Rahman nir Raheem.

Assalamalaikum wa Rehmatullahi wa Barakatuh!

According to a word count done on the Quran:

• Surprisingly, the word "prayers", or "Salawat", is only mentioned 5 times which matches the number of times we have to pray.  
• The word dunya is mentioned 115 times and so is akhirah (the hereafter). 
• Angels are mentioned 99 times and so are devils. 
• Life and Death are mentioned in equal numbers, both 145 times.
• Messengers and People are mentioned an equal number of times, because the messengers came for the people.
• Iblees (Shaitan) and Seeking refuge from him are both mentioned 11 times.
• Zakah and Barakah are mentioned equal number of times.
• Prophet’s Muhammad's name, salla Allaahu ‘alayhi wa salaam, and Shari'a are mentioned equal number of times.
• Day and Night are mentioned an equal number of times.
• Man and Woman are mentioned an equal number of times, 24 times each. 
• Intellect and Light are mentioned an equal number of times. 

These related terms are mentioned an equal number of times in the Quran. SubhanAllah! 

Is this a coincidence? Absolutely not! 

"So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?" [55:18]

“Recite in the name of your Lord who created - Created man from a clinging substance.Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous - Who taught by the pen - Taught man that which he knew not.” [96:1-5]

“And We did not give Prophet Muhammad, knowledge of poetry, nor is it befitting for him. It is not but a message and a clear Qur'an, To warn whoever is alive and justify the word against the disbelievers.” [36:69-70]

Every Ayah in the Quran is a miracle. The word ayah, itself, means a "miraculous sign". 

The Quran transforms lives. But are we doing what it takes to let it transform us? 

May Allah give us the ability to study his miraculous speech. 

May Allah help us all understand the Arabic language.

May Allah help us become best friends with the Quran and open our hearts to its message!

InshAllah!

*From Nouman Ali Khan's, "Science and Quran" series.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ52fUaKMlo)

I would recommend everyone to take the time and watch this, inshAllah.

And more importantly, let us open up the Book of Allah and witness the divine speech, the divine miracles ourselves, inshAllah!

-Razz :)

What is a Kafir?

"It is the same to them Whether thou warn them Or do not warn them; They will not believe." 

Kafir, the unbeliever. 

A powerful, yet lightly used word. 

This word is thrown around a lot but do we know what it means? 

A kaffir is someone who completely rejects the faith of God or puts others in the position of God.  

Qualities of a Kaffir: 

1) A person who rejects the existence of God 

2) A person who rejects the teachings of God and the Prophet Muhammed (SWS) 

3) A person who covers the truth 

So are we allotted to call Christians and Jews Kaffir?

Allah actually has given us a name for them- The People of the Book.

We have to remember that as Muslims we believe in the Torah and the Bible and remember that the religion was not founded by Muhammed but emphasized; the religion of believing in Allah was also revealed by Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and all of Allah's prophets. 

Only Allah knows who is a unbeliever; and Allah knows best :) 

If you truly care about your brothers and sisters, give them truth rather than calling them kaffir. As Muslims, you want to call people towards Islam, and you can do this by your actions and your words. But it is not our duty to convert people, only Allah can do that, it is your job to inform people. 

Allah created us for a purpose, fulfill your purpose. 

We were not sent here to condemn every nonbeliever, we are here to spread the word of Islam which teaches peace, tranquility and equal rights amongst all human beings. 

"Waste no time debating what a good Muslim should be. Be one!"

May Allah guide us all. 

WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU? 

This means simply, be a good person, be steadfast in good deeds,  and worry about your fate with Allah rather than others. 

--->Jazz

Do Muslims believe in the Ten Commandments?

Salam!
This is a question that I got at a dawah table once, and seemed to really bother the individual when I said "no" which is partially correct.

Muslims don't believe in the ten commandments but DO believe in a majority of the principles prescribed in the ten commandments.

Let's explore the ten commandments in its relation to Islam:

1. You shall have no other gods before Me.

In order to revert to Islam you must say the shahada, "la-ilaha-illah", which means there is no God but Allah (God). Muslims say this multiple times a day in prayer and wudu. It is also mentioned in the Quran numerous times.

"Know therefore that there is no god but Allâh" (47:19) 

Another important saying in Islam is also "la-ilaha-ila-huwa", which means there is no God but he. This is also mentioned in the Quran.

"Allah, (there is) no god but He,
the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting by Whom all subsist" (3:2)

Lastly is "la-ilaha-illa-ana", which means there is no God but I or no God but me. This is pretty much a replica of the 10th commandment and is mentioned in the Quran. 

"Verily I am Allah: there is no god but I: 

so serve thou me (only) and establish regular 

prayer for celebrating My praise." (20:14)

2. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My Commandments"

As for the second commandment compared to the others, the relationship with Islam is more scarce; in the fact we do believe that you should not worship pictures/idols of things of this earth as God and Allah is most merciful but we do not believe that God holds any human characteristics including jealousy. 

Allah is considered most merciful. Everyday, multiple times (at least 18 times) a Muslim will say "bismiallah" which means:  

"In the name of Allah, most gracious, most merciful" 

Also as stated above idol worship and putting partners with Allah is forbidden. 

"Do not sent up any idol, besides Allah, idolatry is a gross injustice" (31:13) 

"Allah forgiveth not that partners should be set up with Him; but He forgiveth anything else, to whom He pleaseth; to set up partners with Allah is to devise a sin Most heinous indeed." (4:48)

3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain


 In Islam, swearing by Allah is not haram (forbidden) but should not be done frequently or in jest; But it is forbidden or a sin to lie in the name of Allah.

"Allah will not impose blame upon you for what is meaningless in your oaths, but He will impose blame upon you for [breaking] what you intended of oaths. So its expiation is the feeding of ten needy people from the average of that which you feed your [own] families or clothing them or the freeing of a slave. But whoever cannot find [or afford it] – then a fast of three days [is required]. That is the expiation for oaths when you have sworn. But guard your oaths. Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses [i.e., revealed law] that you may be grateful." (Quran 5:89)

4. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it"


Muslims do not celebrate in the sabbath but we do believe that Allah created the earth in six periods. As stated above, God has no human characteristics, so we do not believe that God rested in the seventh period or even requires rest. 

Your Guardian-Lord Is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then He 

established Himself on the Throne (of authority) " (7:54) 

5. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you 

Parents in Islam are also very important as witnessed in the verse below; A noble deed in Islam is to obey one's parents and treat them respectfully. 

"Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor." (17:23)

6.“You shall not murder" 

In Islam the value of the human life is grave which can be represented in the Quran verse below and murder is haram (forbidden) unless justified by another murder, war, and/or self-defense. This principle is also a common human characteristic, it has always been wrong to murder. 

"On that account We ordained for the Children of Isra`il that if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole humanity: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the whole humanity. Then although there came to them Our messengers with clear (guidance), yet, even after that, many of them continued to commit excesses in the land." (5:32)

7. “You shall not commit adultery.

Adultery or "zina" in Islam is strictly forbidden. 

"… nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and
whoever does this shall receive the punishment" (25: 68)

8.“You shall not steal."

Stealing in Islam is forbidden and like murder is common. When has is ever been okay to steal something?

"As to the thief, Male or female, cut off his or her hands: a punishment by way of example, from Allah, for their crime: and Allah is Exalted in power." (5:38)

9. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor

This is also forbidden in Islam.

"They do not bear false witness." (25:72)

10. “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's

This is also stated in the Quran: 

"And in no wise covet those things in which Allah Hath bestowed His gifts More freely on some of you than on others: To men is allotted what they earn, and to women what they earn: But ask Allah of His bounty. For Allah hath full knowledge of all things." (4:32) 

It is pretty obvious that Islam does not completely reject the ten commandments, which are the basic laws of the Christian religion. 

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU? 

This proves the point to all that we are not all that different; in fact, we are very alike. (: 

Do Muslims believe in the Ten Commandments?

Salam!
This is a question that I got at a dawah table once, and seemed to really bother the individual when I said "no" which is partially correct.

Muslims don't believe in the ten commandments but DO believe in a majority of the principles prescribed in the ten commandments.

Let's explore the ten commandments in its relation to Islam:

1. You shall have no other gods before Me.

In order to revert to Islam you must say the shahada, "la-ilaha-illah", which means there is no God but Allah (God). Muslims say this multiple times a day in prayer and wudu. It is also mentioned in the Quran numerous times.

"Know therefore that there is no god but Allâh" (47:19) 

Another important saying in Islam is also "la-ilaha-ila-huwa", which means there is no God but he. This is also mentioned in the Quran.

"Allah, (there is) no god but He,
the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting by Whom all subsist" (3:2)

Lastly is "la-ilaha-illa-ana", which means there is no God but I or no God but me. This is pretty much a replica of the 10th commandment and is mentioned in the Quran. 

"Verily I am Allah: there is no god but I: 

so serve thou me (only) and establish regular 

prayer for celebrating My praise." (20:14)

2. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My Commandments"

As for the second commandment compared to the others, the relationship with Islam is more scarce; in the fact we do believe that you should not worship pictures/idols of things of this earth as God and Allah is most merciful but we do not believe that God holds any human characteristics including jealousy. 

Allah is considered most merciful. Everyday, multiple times (at least 18 times) a Muslim will say "bismiallah" which means:  

"In the name of Allah, most gracious, most merciful" 

Also as stated above idol worship and putting partners with Allah is forbidden. 

"Do not sent up any idol, besides Allah, idolatry is a gross injustice" (31:13) 

"Allah forgiveth not that partners should be set up with Him; but He forgiveth anything else, to whom He pleaseth; to set up partners with Allah is to devise a sin Most heinous indeed." (4:48)

3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain


 In Islam, swearing by Allah is not haram (forbidden) but should not be done frequently or in jest; But it is forbidden or a sin to lie in the name of Allah.

"Allah will not impose blame upon you for what is meaningless in your oaths, but He will impose blame upon you for [breaking] what you intended of oaths. So its expiation is the feeding of ten needy people from the average of that which you feed your [own] families or clothing them or the freeing of a slave. But whoever cannot find [or afford it] – then a fast of three days [is required]. That is the expiation for oaths when you have sworn. But guard your oaths. Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses [i.e., revealed law] that you may be grateful." (Quran 5:89)

4. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it"


Muslims do not celebrate in the sabbath but we do believe that Allah created the earth in six periods. As stated above, God has no human characteristics, so we do not believe that God rested in the seventh period or even requires rest. 

Your Guardian-Lord Is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then He 

established Himself on the Throne (of authority) " (7:54) 

5. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you 

Parents in Islam are also very important as witnessed in the verse below; A noble deed in Islam is to obey one's parents and treat them respectfully. 

"Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor." (17:23)

6.“You shall not murder" 

In Islam the value of the human life is grave which can be represented in the Quran verse below and murder is haram (forbidden) unless justified by another murder, war, and/or self-defense. This principle is also a common human characteristic, it has always been wrong to murder. 

"On that account We ordained for the Children of Isra`il that if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole humanity: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the whole humanity. Then although there came to them Our messengers with clear (guidance), yet, even after that, many of them continued to commit excesses in the land." (5:32)

7. “You shall not commit adultery.

Adultery or "zina" in Islam is strictly forbidden. 

"… nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and
whoever does this shall receive the punishment" (25: 68)

8.“You shall not steal."

Stealing in Islam is forbidden and like murder is common. When has is ever been okay to steal something?

"As to the thief, Male or female, cut off his or her hands: a punishment by way of example, from Allah, for their crime: and Allah is Exalted in power." (5:38)

9. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor

This is also forbidden in Islam.

"They do not bear false witness." (25:72)

10. “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's

This is also stated in the Quran: 

"And in no wise covet those things in which Allah Hath bestowed His gifts More freely on some of you than on others: To men is allotted what they earn, and to women what they earn: But ask Allah of His bounty. For Allah hath full knowledge of all things." (4:32) 

It is pretty obvious that Islam does not completely reject the ten commandments, which are the basic laws of the Christian religion. 

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU? 

This proves the point to all that we are not all that different; in fact, we are very alike. (: 

Salam! thank you for reading, 

JAZZ (: