Hadhrat 'Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) and the Fear of Allah

Once Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) was going on his usual round towards Harrah (a suburb of Madinah) with his slave Aslam, when he saw a distant fire in the desert. He said: "There seems to be a camp. Perhaps, it is a caravan that could not enter the town due to night fall. Let's go and look after them and arrange for their protection during the night." When he reached there, he found a woman and some children. The children were crying. The woman had a pan of water over the fire. Hadhrat 'Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) greeted her with salaam and, with her permission, went near her.
Umar: "Why are these children crying?"
The Woman: "Because they are hungry."
Umar: "What is in the pan?"
The Woman: "Only water to soothe the children, so that they may go to sleep in the belief that food is being prepared for them. Ah! will judge between Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) and me, on the Day of Judgement, for neglecting me in my distress."
'Umar (weeping): "May Allah have mercy on you! How can Umar know of your distress?"
The Woman: "When he is our Amir, he must keep himself informed about us."
Hadhrat 'Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) returned to the town and straightway went to Baitul-Ma1 to fill a sack with flour, dates, fat and clothes, and also drew some money. When the sack was ready, he said to Aslam:"Now put this sack on my back, Aslam."
Aslam: "No please, Amir-ul-Mo'mineen! I shall carry this sack."
'Umar refused to listen to Aslam, even on his persistant requests to allow him to carry the sack, and remarked: "What! Will you carry my load on the Day of Judgement?
I must carry this bag, for it is I who would be questioned (in the hereafter) about this woman."
Aslam most reluctantly placed the bag on Umar's (Radhiyallaho anho) back, who carried it with a swift pace right to the woman's tent. Aslam followed at his heels. He put a little flour and some dates and fat in the pan and began to stir. He blew (with his mouth) into the fire to kindle it. Aslam says:"I saw the smoke passing through his thick beard."After some time, the pottage was ready. He himself served it to the family. When they had eaten to their fill, he made aver to them the little that was left for their next meal. The children were very happy after their meal and began to
play about merrily. The woman felt very grateful and re-marked: "May Allah reward you for your kindness! In fact you deserve to take the place of Khalifah instead of 'Umar."
'Umar consoled her and said: "When you come to see the Khalifah, you will find me
there."
He sat for a while at a place close by and kept on watching the children. He then returned to Madinah. On his way back, he said to Aslam:
"Do you know why I sat there, Aslam? I had seen them weeping in distress; I liked to, see them laughing and happy for some time."

FUNDS REQUIRED FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF MASJID-E-THAQWA HANAFI SUNNATH JAMATH

Assalamu'alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. An appeal to all our noble & generous Brother & Sisters. Please help the committe of MASJID-E-THAQWA HANAFI SUNNATH JAMATH located in Coimbatore, TamilNadu to complete Allah Taalah's Home. The Masjid Organisation Committe is in need of financial resources to complete the 2nd & 3rd Floor of the Construction. Please donate as much as you can referring to the contact details I have given below. May Allah Taalah help and guide us all.


MASJID-E-THAQWA HANAFI SUNNATH JAMATH
Ganapathy, Coimbatore - 641006, Tamil Nadu (India)

Contact:
Haji A.M. Shabudeen (Masjid Committe Organiser)
Mobile: +91-9944683085
E-mail:shabu2329@yahoo.com

What is True Jihad in Islam?

It is important that Non-Muslims understand the real concept of Jihad in Islam. First, Islam is not addicted to war, and jihad is not one of its "pillars," or essential practices. The primary meaning of the word jihad is not "holy war" but "struggle." It refers to the difficult effort that is needed to put God's will into practice at every level--personal and social as well as political. A very important and much quoted tradition has our Holy Prophet (phuh) telling his companions as they go home after a battle, "We are returning from the lesser jihad [the battle] to the greater jihad," the far more urgent and momentous task of extirpating wrongdoing from one's own society and one's own heart.

Islam did not impose itself by the sword. In a statement in which the Arabic is extremely emphatic, the holy Quaran emphasizes, "There must be no coercion in matters of faith!" (2: 256). Constantly Muslims are enjoined to respect Jews and Christians, the "People of the Book," who worship the same God (29: 46). In words quoted by our Holy Prophet (phuh) in one of his last public sermons, God tells all human beings, "O people! We have formed you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another" (49: 13)--not to conquer, convert, subjugate, revile or slaughter but to reach out toward others with intelligence and understanding".

The very word Islam, which means "surrender," is related to the Arabic salam, or peace. When our Holy Prophet (phuh) brought the Holy Quaran to the Arabs in the early 7th century A.D., a major part of his mission was devoted precisely to bringing an end to the kind of mass slaughter. Pre-Islamic Arabia was caught up in a vicious cycle of warfare, in which tribe fought tribe in a pattern of vendetta and countervendetta. Our Holy Prophet (phuh) himself survived several assassination attempts, and the early Muslim community narrowly escaped extermination by the powerful city of Mecca. The Holy Prophet (phuh) had to fight a deadly war in order to survive, but as soon as he felt his people were probably safe, he devoted his attention to building up a peaceful coalition of tribes and achieved victory by an ingenious and inspiring campaign of nonviolence. When he died in 632, he had almost single-handedly brought peace to war-torn Arabia.

Original Source: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,175987,00.html

OUR PROPHET'S (PBUH) MISSION OF LOVE & PEACE

Our Prophet (PBUH) life is full of stories of how he forgave his worst enemies. Time and again, he refrained from taking personal revenge against anyone who slighted him, attacked him or even tried to kill him. His own uncle, Abu Lahab, would follow the Prophet (PBUH) wherever he went and tell people, “Don’t listen to him! He is a madman.” The Prophet (PBUH) did not even try to stop him. And when he marched triumphantly in Makkah, he told the Quraish tribe — his most bitter and brutal of enemies — “Go now and be free, I forgive you.”

Where has that spirit of forgiveness and compassion gone? Where has that kindness and generosity gone in the land of the Prophet (PBUH)? Why this rush for blood and death?. If one really loves the Prophet, then he will react in the way the Prophet would react: with kindness and generosity. Listen to the word of God:

"But [since] good and evil cannot be equal, repel thou [evil] with something that is better and lo!, he between whom and thyself was enmity [may then become] as though he had [always] been close [unto thee], a true friend! (41:34)”

Our faith is all about love and compassion for all, to spread the light of God’s love to the rest of the world through our actions and thoughts. Why is it that, so many times, our people completely fail to see this?

ISLAM THE RELIGION OF MERCY, HOLY PROPHET (PBUH) - THE EPITOME OF LOVE & TOLERANCE

The Messenger of God was particularly compassionate toward children. Whenever he saw a child crying, he sat beside him or her and shared his or her feelings. He felt the pain of a mother for her child more than the mother herself. Once he said: I stand in prayer and wish to prolong it. However, I hear a child cry and shorten the prayer to lessen the mother's anxiety."[Bukhari, Adhan, 65; Muslim, Salat, 192]

He took children in his arms and hugged them. Once when he hugged and kissed his grandson Hasan, Aqrah ibn Habis told him: "I have 10 children, none of whom I have ever kissed." God's Messenger responded: "One without pity for others is not pitied."[Bukhari, Adab, 18] According to another version, he added: "What can I do for you if God has removed compassion from you?"[Ibid., Adab, 18; Muslim, Fada'il, 64]

A prostitute was guided to truth by God and ultimately went to Paradise because she gave water to a poor dog dying of thirst inside a well. Another woman was sent to Hell because she made a cat die of hunger.[Bukhari, Anbiya, 54; Muslim, Salam, 153]

Once while returning from a military campaign, a few Companions removed some young birds from their nest to caress them. The mother bird came back and, not being able to find its babies, began to fly around, calling out for them. When told of this, God's Messenger (PBUH) became angry and ordered the birds to be put back in the nest. [Abu Dawud, Adab, 164; Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, 1:404]

Once Abu Dharr got so angry with Bilal that he insulted him: "You son of a black woman!" Bilal came to the Messenger and reported the incident in tears. The Messenger reproached Abu Dharr: "Do you still have a sign of jahiliyah (ignorance)?" Full of repentance, Abu Dharr lay on the ground and said: "I will not raise my head (meaning that he would not get up) unless Bilal puts his foot on it." Bilal forgave him, and they were reconciled.[19 Bukhari, Iman, 22]

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

 بسم الله الرحمن الهر غير الرحم

Bismillah Hir Rahman Nir Rahim

With the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful