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Friday, August 31, 2012

What Satan is and Why He Was Created?

Satan was created from fire, like the jinn with whom he mostly kept company. Before his obedience and sincerity was tested through Adam, he had been in the company of angels, acting and worshipping as they did. Unlike angels who follow orders and never rebel against God (66:6), Satan can choose his own path of conduct. [1] When God tested him together with the angels by commanding them to prostrate before Adam (i.e., humanity), the seeds of self-conceit and disobedience in his nature burst open and swallowed him: I am better than him. You created me from fire, whilst him you did create of clay (38.76).

Satan was created for important purposes. First of all, if Satan did try continually to seduce humanity, our creation would have been meaningless and futile. God has innumerable servants who cannot rebel and therefore do whatever they are commanded. In fact, the existence of an absolute Divine Being Who has many beautiful Names and Attributes requires, not by way of external necessity but due to the essential nature of His Names, that His Names be manifest. [2] He manifests all of His Names only through humanity.
Since He has free will, He gave us free will, by which is meant the ability to choose between alternatives. In addition, God endowed us with great potentials. The purpose of the constant inner and outer struggles that we face is the direct result of our ability to choose and to develop those potentials. Just as God sends hawks upon sparrows so that the latter can develop their potential to escape, He created Satan and allowed him to tempt us so that we can rise to higher spiritual ranks and strengthen our willpower by resisting temptation. As hunger stimulates people and animals to further exertion and discovery of new ways to be satisfied, and fear inspires new ways of defence, Satan's temptations cause us to develop our potentials and to be alert against sin.
Angels do not rise to the higher spiritual ranks, for Satan cannot tempt them or lead them astray. Animals have fixed stations, meaning that they can neither ascend or descend. Only humanity is faced with an infinite number of ranks or stations, and only we can rise or fall accordingly. There is an infinitely long line of spiritual evolution between the ranks of the greatest Prophets and saints down to such people as Pharaoh and Nimrod.
Given this, we cannot claimed that the creation of Satan is an evil. Although Satan is an evil creature, God's creation involves the whole universe and should be understood in relation to the results, not only with respect to the acts themselves. Whatever God does or creates is good and beautiful either in itself or in its effects. For example, rain and fire produce many effects, almost all of which are useful. If some people are harmed by water and fire through their own abuse of them, we cannot claim that their creation is not wholly good. Similarly, the main purpose for creating Satan is to enable us to develop our potentials, strengthen our willpower by resisting temptation, and to rise to higher spiritual ranks.
Some argue that many people fall into unbelief and so enter Hell because of Satan's temptations. To such people, I respond: Although Satan was created for many good and universal purposes, people can be deceived by him. However, Satan cannot compel us to commit a wrong or a sin; his power is limited to that of suggestion and encouragement. If we are so weak that we allow Satan to deceive us and thus follow him, it is our own fault that we end up in Hell. This is a suitable punishment for our misuse of an important faculty on which God conferred existence so that we can develop our potentials and achieve high spiritual ranks. Our task is to use our free will, which largely makes us human and allows us to have the highest position in creation, in the cause of intellectual and spiritual evolution. If we do not do so, it means that we complain of being honored with free will and of our own humanity.
Second, quality is far more important than quantity. Given this, we should consider qualitative (instead of quantitative) values when judging. For example, 100 date pits are worth only 100 cents as long as they remain as seeds. Their value can increase only if they are planted and grow into palm trees. But if only 20 actually grow into palm trees, can we say that it is "evil" to plant and water them? Clearly, it is wholly good to have 20 trees in exchange for 20 puts, since 20 trees will give 20,000 pits.
Again, say that 100 peahen eggs are worth 500 cents. But if only 20 eggs produce chicks, who would consider it an evil to risk producing 20 chicks at the expense of the other 80 eggs? On the contrary, it is wholly good to have 20 birds at the expense of 80 eggs, worth 400 cents, because those 20 chicks will be worth far more money, and some will even lay eggs.
The same is true with humanity. By resisting Satan and our evil-commanding selves, humanity has gained thousands of Prophets, countless saints and people of wisdom, knowledge, sincerity, and good morals. All of these people are the sun, moon, and stars of the human world. In exchange for such people, far more lower-quality pepole were lost.
[1] Known as Iblis before refusing God's command to prostrate before Adam, he has limited free will.
[2] Such as the Creator, the All-Merciful, the All-Providing, the All-Living and Giver of Life, the All-Beautiful, and the All-Powerful, among others.
 

How Should People Avoid Sins, Distractions, and Temptations?

The question refers to one of the greatest difficulties of modern life. Even the not-so-young, but of course especially the young live in a social environment that exaggerates the natural pressures of youth to an extreme; ever-present temptations and passing desires scatter one's nobler sentiments and higher aspirations. It is difficult indeed in this environment to represent the sublime qualities of person and character that the Messenger of God exemplified and willed his followers to emulate; but, to live at such a time and to struggle against the desires and temptations has its own particular advantages. This is because the reward of all effort is proportionate to the hardship of the conditions endured.
Is it not the hardship of the struggle he endured which earned Hamza the titles"the master of the martyrs"and"the lion of God"? His battle-cry to his men—"The enemies are many, but we have faith," and charging the enemy front-line with self-sacrificing disregard for death—these are the qualities that raised him to such a high rank.
When Islam was first preached, the women among the idolaters used to circumambulate the Ka'ba naked; adultery, fornication, usury, profiteering, exploitation, bribery, drinking and gambling were deeply embedded in the manners of the society. And yet, the Companions turned their backs on such practices and embraced Islam. They were all normal human beings with feelings and appetites like all others. But their giving up and leaving aside carnal desires and immoral practices in that environment, their preferring a pure and honest way of life, and their support of the revived, true religion and the Messenger who preached it—and their doing so, despite all dangers, threats and persecutions, made them nobler than the rest and greater than all the greats. By doing so, they gained such merits and virtues that they have become the light and, like the stars in the heavens, guide those who come after them.
The kinds of obstacles, disasters and destructions they faced exist also today. In a spiritual assembly, Bediüzzaman Said Nursi was named as the man of the age of disasters and destruction.[1] If the Prophet called the people who try to live and serve Islam sincerely in this age, he would definitely name them as the generation of the age of disasters and destruction. For, if the streets and market-places, city centers, social and commercial business, individual and family life, schools (which nurture the rest) and all other societal entities and institutions which together make up collective life and its norms—if these were assessed one by one, the verdict on each of them would be "bad, spoiled or ruined."
Wherever you go, you cannot avoid some or other sort of foulness or sin staining your senses; the atmosphere is invasive, aggressive. To do or finish a job in the community, you cannot pass from one side to the other without your soul and heart being assaulted and your spiritual life shaken. To live Islam is as hard as walking on a road of fire or going across a river of foul blood. We are creatures of such a time of disasters and destruction. The sensuality, carnality, corporeality hidden in the self is like the tail of a scorpion lifted and ready to strike. Those appetites and lusts always feed upon and grow in the conditions prevalent (and systematically encouraged) in this modern society. It is possible to be poisoned at any instant by the scorpions within and around us. We must be aware of the conditions and evaluate them in the light of "the reward is proportionate to the hardship endured," and so feel somewhat lightened and encouraged by the hope of a recompense whose magnitude will reflect the hardship and affliction we have overcome. The more successful we are in defeating the enemies, the more we will be rewarded. If the Companions acquired their high rank by overcoming the hardships and afflictions they faced, then people today could do and achieve almost as much in a similar way—which is what we expect from the Divine Mercy. Today, when the conditions for committing sins are so easy, of course there must have been some errors and sins of ours that we committed unintentionally; but it behooves us, and we need, not to leave the gate of Divine Mercy; rather, we must be persistent there. Let me tell you one of my childhood memories, which reflects how I think and feel. When I was a child we had a very faithful dog which guarded our flocks of sheep. I so admired its loyalty that I fed it frequently and even sometimes played with it. When I raised my little hands in prayer, I remembered the significance of its loyalty to us and put it next to my hopes and prayed to God: "O my Lord, just as I treated that dog as a friend on account of its loyalty to us, so forgive me, such a slave of Yours, who has never left You and the gates of Your Divine Mercy and who has never prayed and bowed before anyone else but You."
The same is true for Muslims (who have never left Him and the gates of His Divine Mercy and who have never prayed and bowed before anyone else but He). In spite of some slips, mistakes and sins, there are such Muslims who serve in the way of God so sincerely and faithfully that God, the Most Merciful, will not drive them from the gates of His Mercy. We accept and admit our faults. Such admissions, confessions, are a part of journeying through regrets, remorse and repentance. We ask Him again and again to forgive our wrong-doings out of His Mercy, in accordance with His Grace. And God accepts and answers such prayers done wholeheartedly, with faith and sincerity.
What we have said so far was by way of reporting the situation we are in. Let us now look briefly at some points about what to do and how to act.
- I -
On slippery, dangerous roads, one walks very carefully, as if through a mine field or dangerous enemy territory. A comparable caution and alertness are necessary while one goes out in the streets and market-places, because it is always possible that the forbidden things will present themselves to our eyes. One should avoid looking at and seeing the forbidden by casting down the eyes or turning the face away. One who shuts his eyes to the forbidden does not lose anything materially and spiritually, and he does not give any harm to anybody. One who works efficiently, honestly and sincerely and serves in the way of God, can never be a passive victim of evil and vice. On the other hand, those who stare at others or let others stare at them do not gain anything thereby except danger. Hospitals, courts, prisons and the reports in the dailies are clear testimony of what such persons themselves, who court danger, and their partners, families, societies and countries, have lost by doing so. You cannot expect much from those who paralyzed their hearts and wills by wandering glances.
In one hadith the Prophet said: "A time will come when to preserve faith will be like holding a red hot cinder in one's palms. If you throw it away, you will lose your faith, if you keep it, you will get burnt."[2]
In another hadith he said: "Nazar (glancing at the forbidden) is one of the poisonous arrows of Satan."[3] When it hits the heart or penetrates it through the channel of the eyes, one perishes. And the Prophet expressed the Divine Will in his words and added that: "If anyone leaves it out of fear of Me, I will give his heart such an exhilaration of faith that he feels it thoroughly in the very depths of his heart."[4]
The Prophet expressed his attitude toward the poisonous arrows of Satan in speech and also demonstrated it in his dealings with his close relatives. While they were descending from Mount Arafat during the pilgrimage, he let his cousin, Fadl, son of 'Abbas, ride on his camel. In order to prevent his cousin's gaze being caught by the women who were passing by them, the Prophet with his hand pushed his cousin's head from one side to the other.[5] Recall that this happened during pilgrimage, when any intention to look at women for pleasure is impossible, and when, in the words of 'Aisha, mother of believers, women used to cover even their faces, at a time when everyone felt the sublime atmosphere of the Archangel Gabriel's Revelations, the nearness of the Hereafter, and the miracles, the Age of Happiness. Even as we seek to control our hearts in the mosques and in the company of other sincere Muslims, how should we evaluate the Prophet's turning his cousin's face from one side to another during a Hajj in that epoch? The Prophet did so because he did not want his cousin to be distracted, to be hit by a poisonous arrow which might sow the seeds of evil and vice in his heart and mind, even at a time when Fadl was far from dreaming of such a thing.
The meaning of this event is to cut off evil at its root. It is like not allowing a box of matches into the forest so as to protect it from being burnt down; or, even when there is no threat of war, to maintain the practice of guarding the frontiers and headquarters with many sentries; or to stuff all the holes and crevices so that snakes and scorpions have no dwelling-places in which to breed. That is, to set barriers before vice and evil so as to prevent many individuals from being led astray and families broken; to eliminate all the ways and means leading to rape, adultery, murder, all sorts of immorality, perversions and corruptions; and to deter all sins by prevention. That is the way defined by God.
The Prophet said to 'Ali, who became a Muslim at the age of seven, who grew up within the atmosphere of the Prophet, was his cousin and was to be the father of the generations that would come from the Prophet's lineage: "O 'Ali, the first glance is in your favor, but the second is against you." That is, when your eye lights on something forbidden, you will not be responsible for that glance because it is unintentional and accidental. Your will is not in that first look. But, if you do not turn your eyes from it and keep on looking, your carnal self and will are in it, and you will be questioned and punished for it; because this is the first ring of a chain that will drag you into deviation, into the forbidden. So the Prophet would have us close the gates to the forbidden, to prevent it in advance, before it can happen.
- II -
One should not go out simply when one is bored. Going out just out of boredom is a weakness and error of attitude. For, one exposes oneself thereby to more negatives, a sort of "falling out of the frying pan into the fire."
Boredom arises from the dissatisfaction of the heart, lack of closeness and relation to the Prophet and God, being unable to do the religious duties and prayers properly or adequately, being free or idle due to not reading and contemplating enough, having few good friends and having no duty or responsibility on one's shoulders to fulfill or not serving in the way of God as one is supposed to. In such a person, there are many openings for Satan to get into. This is like walking again through the trenches where one was wounded by Satan, or like drinking sea-water to quench a thirst aroused by drinking sea-water.
There is another way to look at this situation. God, in virtue of His name Qabdh, grips man's heart and puts him into a state of qabdh (literally, "contraction," "gripping"); a state of spiritual desolation, which is a test for man to see his level of determination and loyalty. That is, the man is tested to see whether he will turn to God and do prayers and supplications—or turn away. Let me point out here that prayers, supplications, duties and services done in such a state are far more rewarding than those done at bast (literally, "expansion," "extension"), in a joyful and happy state, or than those done with ease, amid other Muslims at normal times of congregation. And later on, as the sun shines after a short burst of cloudy weather, God, in virtue of His name Basit, expands the man's heart and returns him to comfort and eagerness. Thus, God gives man the reward proportionately to the hardship he endures.
In sum, one should not go out unnecessarily and, when he does so, he should try to accomplish not a single but a couple of tasks on one occasion. He should keep away from the places and districts where sins are committed and where there is no service in the way of God.
When one goes out, one should give the time and place the attention that is their due. The Companions of the Prophet, like Abu Bakr, 'Umar and Abu Dhar, often went out to teach the truths of Islam. Those who go out onto the public streets with such aims in mind give the streets their due right and thus are protected from committing sins. When the Prophet forbade his Companions to sit alongside the roadway, they said they had some business or good reason for doing so. Then the Prophet said: "Then give the roadway its due," that is, clean it of all stones, thorns or obstacles, receive and respond to the greetings of passers-by, enjoin the good and forbid the bad and tell them the truths. Only with this pure intention, one's sins and wrong-doings can be replaced and turn to good deeds.
- III -
One should refer to, read, listen to, or have to do with works that encourage knowledge, awe and fearful reverence (makhafa), purify the senses and feelings, direct one's attention to the higher purpose of living in this world, and keep one's thoughts and feelings under the influence of that purpose while one is going out to school, or work, or is engaged in service. One should review one's purpose before going out, take a deep look at the self's accounts and balance-sheet, do self-supervision, and be equipped with some spiritual tension so that it may serve as a cover, or shield, between oneself and vice. In that way one may be protected by God from Satan and sins.
- IV -
One should not go out, as it were, unattended. One should have the company of one or more good friends who can always help guide one's attention and who are accessible for consultation and who can keep one's spiritual resources alert through guidance and counseling. For, often one's inner control may not suffice to brake and hold oneself safe against temptations. One's level of faith may not be of the strength and quality to feel that one is always under the watchful supervision of God. One may sometimes suffer such weak moments that self-control fails, one's gaze slips to the forbidden, and thus one receives a wound in the soul, the seed of bad ideas may spread in the mind and a sin begin to ferment in the soul. However, when one has good friends around, each watching out for the others, conversation can always turn to good things and one can be more careful about what enters the eyes and ears. There are moments when one will forget that the watchful supervision of God is constant; in such moments, the desire and need not to embarrass and disgrace one's friends may serve to prevent acts or manners that constitute or lead to wrong-doing. This may be considered a lack of sincerity, to some extent even a sort of hypocrisy, a mere pretending to be good; but, whereas hypocrisy ruins the essence of the positive deeds, like salat (prescribed daily prayers), it does not ruin the negative deeds, the not-doing of what is bad. For example, if a man does not commit adultery while only pretending to be good, still he did not commit that sin, or if he does not steal something only because people are watching him, even so he did not steal. When the adultery of the hand or foot, eye or ear, or mind, or whatever else will draw man's imagination toward sin is renounced, even to seem good to others, one is considered to be safe from that sin unless and until it takes control of the soul and one commits the sin, as it were, in the heart though not daring to do it in fact. Furthermore, there is some reward in not committing and renouncing the forbidden. For instance, each closing of the eyes to the forbidden earns man the reward of a wajib (necessary) act.
- V -
While coming, going or staying somewhere else one should, to the extent practicable, carry with him the works and materials related to our world of faith and religion. These will serve to protect him, like guarding angels. These materials, which act as a shield against sins, will be the means for inward contemplation, for watchful supervision. A person who is accompanied or surrounded by such materials can commit sins only with difficulty.
- VI -
As soon as one has done something wrong, one should repent and turn to the Divine forgiveness. Sin is going out of the atmosphere of God's favor, Grace, and denial of His security. In each sin, there is always a way leading to new sins. One who has committed a sin already becomes an easier target for Satan, more likely to be targeted again and commit that sin again. As one's sins increase, God's security and protection against them decrease.
The place where a sin is least able to dwell is the believer's heart. The wrongs should be transient there, like passing clouds on a sunny day, and should fade quickly. Sin is foulness, a stain, rust. As it is expressed in a hadith, when foulness and rust pile up because not cleaned off immediately, they come in between the heart and God, cut off the manifestations coming from Him, hinder the winds of His Mercy and deprive one of His Grace. Could there be an easier target for Satan to hit than such a heart?
No matter what the nature of the sin, one should never permit such a negative effect to build up in the heart and soul. Therefore, turn to God, express remorse, repent, ask for His forgiveness, take refuge in His infinite Grace and Mercy. One of the Companions came to the Prophet very upset, and said that he was utterly perished. He explained that on the way he had looked at a woman or touched her. He was so remorseful, indeed devastated, on account of his sin that God sent Gabriel with the following verse:
And establish regular prayers at the two ends of the day [fajr, zuhr, 'asr] and at the approaches of the night [magrib, isha]. For those things that are good remove those that are evil. That is a reminder for the mindful. (Hud 11:114)
It is by the prayers that we keep away from evil, and God forgives the sins and replaces them with good. In particular, waking up for the tahajjud (a very rewarding supererogatory prayer observed in the night), which is the light of the intermediate world, leaving the comfort of bed and sleep during the latter hours of the night, and turning to God in prayer—is a sure means of undoing mistakes and cleansing the stain of sins quickly.[6]
Prayers and supplications in the late hours of the night done by a heart full of fear and hope will certainly be accepted by God, provided that they are from the heart with sincerity. To do the five daily prayers at the appointed times of worship, each of which signifies the milestones of a day in humanity's life, are a means for any wrong-doings and sins committed between two times of prayer to be forgiven.[7] More than that, we should also try to earn God's pleasure by supererogatory prayers, especially the tahajjud.[8]
A separate but important issue is that one who has committed a crime that embarrasses him will not want anyone to become aware of it. However, he is totally aware that God and His Angels saw and know what he did. Satan lies in wait for just such an eventuality and will seek to make the sinner say: "I wish there were none who saw and knew about my sin," or even "I wish it were not a sin"—Remember that not accepting as a sin what God has forbidden leads to unbelief.
Insistence on committing a sin and considering it trivial may also lead one to unbelief. Some people may be so habituated to sins they cannot extricate themselves. It can happen that we unintentionally push such people into far worse situations in an effort to rescue them. For example, if we say to a weak Muslim, "Don't drink. It is forbidden," he may respond: "A little or a cupful cannot be forbidden," or "I find the rule too strict." Likewise, in response to insistent words calling to salat, a weak individual may respond with: "I'm not coming." Such responses belong to unbelief, so the individual may be led astray.
Essentially, sin is sin when it is insisted on, considered trivial, not feared for its harm, not repented, and for which forgiveness is not asked. Otherwise, if one is not persisting in a sin, knows the harm and damage of it, tries to shun it, repents the doing of it, and seeks forgiveness, by the grace of God, as the Qur'an states, one will be granted forgiveness and mercy. Though the sin be the size of a mountain, one should not despair, for there is no sin that God will not forgive, except the sin of shirk (associating partners with God)—and one who commits that will not turn to God for forgiveness; he will seek solace (if at all) at the court of some false or non-existent power.
- VII -
One should not be free or idle, and should take on some duties, responsibilities and services on him. Satan makes use of idleness and inactivity, and does not like one's being enlightened intellectually and spiritually so as to live and serve in the way of God. If one is empty of responsibility, then Satan preoccupies the mind and heart with fantasies, sins, and forbidden things. One can block up all the holes through which Satan leaks into the mind and heart by energetic activity and tries to prevent serving in the way of God. One who runs to spread the message of God to others without stopping to rest and congratulate himself will feel energy, vitality, and joy in both body and soul. As is stated in a hadith, since one enjoins the good and forbids the wrong, he will feel the blessings and inspirations of the Divine Revelations in his life, his food and necessities of life will be blessed and abundant, and his home (family) will be one of the abodes of Paradise. As is further pointed out in the hadith, if such duty and service in the way of God, is forsaken, this blessings of the Revelations will be cut off, and those who are deprived of such blessings will be doomed and perish in darkness and afflictions.
- VIII -
God will help and protect those who dedicate themselves to God, Islam, the Prophet, the communicating the Truth and the awakening or the enlightenment of people. God Himself makes a covenant with such people:
O You who believe, if you help [the cause of] God, He will help you, and plant your feet firmly. (Muhammad 47:7)
So it is obvious that God will not let those people be deviated, corrupted and caused to perish by any sort of evil or vice, or Satanic selfhood. The Prophet said that if someone draws near to God, God will draw near to him tenfold, if someone walks to God, God will run to him. So if one acts upon Islam, performs the prayers and obligations, and helps the Cause of God, he will be rewarded manifold, and God will not let him be distracted, deceived, or led astray by desires and temptations, his sins will be replaced by good and righteous deeds, and he will be recompensed with unknown, unforeseen rewards and eternal bliss.
On the one hand, we are in a terrible situation, surrounded by sins. On the other, we are in a situation that offers advantages that make up for its terrible side. With this attitude, to some extent comparable to that of the Companions, we have the opportunity of getting closer to the Companions. They could feel the breath of the Revelation on their faces, whereas we live ages apart from them. Yet, if we are able to take our place behind them with a Muhammadi spirit, we will, in one respect have assured our salvation by the grace of God.
May God not disappoint us in that hope! Amin.

 

Since God Knows What We Will Do, Why Does He Send Us Here?

In short, we are sent here to improve our abilities and skills through the responsibilities He ordains for us. Not all people are created with the same ability and the same disposition; rather, they are like rough minerals waiting to be purified and refined.

For example, artists want to express their talents, and so are known by the resulting works of art. In the same way, creation's majesty, splendor, and artistry present and reflect His sacred Names and Attributes. To show us His art,  He created the universe and exhibited aspects of His mysterious, hidden treasures within it. To show us how His Names, Attributes, and Divine Art become manifest, He created the universe step by step. He grants us countless opportunities to know Him better and to acquire sound knowledge about Him. He is the absolute Creator who makes everything from one, and adds thousands of benefits to whatever He wills.
Humanity is placed in creation to be tested, purified, and prepared for eternal bliss in Paradise. In one hadith, Prophet Muhammad said: "Human beings are like minerals. One who is good in jahiliyya (pre-Islamic Arabia) is also good in Islam."  For example, 'Umar enjoyed dignity, glory, and honor before Islam, but acquired even more when he became a Muslim. He gained a calmer dignity, more tenderheartedness, and the grandeur of faith. Before his conversion, he might have been tough, quick-tempered, and haughty, one who thought he had everything; afterward, he was a most modest and humble person. Therefore, when we see well-mannered, dynamic, energetic, audacious, and spirited people, we hope that they will become Muslim.
Islam deals with the most precious and valuable mineral—humanity. It kneads, improves, and matures each individual so that all impurities are expelled. The Companions were 100 percent pure. Muslims gradually began to decline in purity, to such an extent that in our own time some people retain hardly any purity. As a result, we have experienced great troubles and problems.
God knows the final result of this test, as He is not bound by time. Therefore, He tests us so that we may become aware of what we really are by testing ourselves against ourselves and against others. This testing is a process to determine our value, to learn if we are iron or gold. We are tested in what we strive for and in what we do. One day, we shall enter God's presence and give account of ourselves: But their hands will speak to us, and their feet bear witness to all that they did(36:65).

Yusuf Estes

Dr. Israr Ahmed



        Dr Israr Ahned - Life Line


       }-  Lectures                                                                                        

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Interesting Conversation


Faisal : Oh my GOD , Abdullah is that you man!!! whats wrong ?
you've become mullah and why have you grown a beard ?
Abdulllah : bother it is just that our prophet (pbuh) commanded us to grow a beard.

Faisal : you are brainwashed , tell me where in the quran does it say ?
Abdullah : It says many times in quran "Obey Allah and Obey his messenger"

Faisal : I fear you are becoming extremist
Abdullah : islam means to submit your will to GOD, if practicing it 100% is extremism then thats what our beloved prophet (pbuh) did.

Faisal : I mean there should be a balance between deen and dunya, you should get education which islam commands to do.
Abdullah :I agree but i have completed 16 years of worldly education but i don't even have one year of religious education.

Faisal : Most of the madressa's and religious schools teach extremism and develop terrorist
Abdullah :Can you name any 5 madressa or religious schools ?


Faisal : I really don't know , but why are you asking ?
Abdullah : You don't even know the names then how can you comment on them so confidently ?

Faisal : Recently i heard news of violence in one madressa, rest are same.
Abdullah : You mean due to the firing incident in virginia tech is it fair to say that all western universities are the same ?

Faisal : There is no compulsion in religion then why you people preach others ?
Abdullah : This verse of quran in only for non-muslims, its another misconception.

Faisal :Every one is responsible for own deeds ok
Abdullah :its mentioned 9 times in quran to "enjoin what is good and forbid what is wrong"

Faisal : Stop doing dawah to me now
Abdullah : Quran says "The most successful group of people are those who invite others to right and stop them from wrong"

Faisal : but you cant use force.
Abdullah : A hadith says "If you have authority stop evil with your hand, if not then use your tongue & if you cant do that then at least consider it bad in your heart"

Faisal : Please try not to teach me islam, i know very well and can solve my problems.
Abdullah : Why then do you go to a doctor when your child is seriously ill and take multiple opinions ? why cant you solve that as well ?

Faisal : We are living in 21st century , you are thinking backwards,
my wife is a working women and has done MBA
Abdullah : Women are used as marketing tools in organizations to trap customers and increase sales.

Faisal : What non-sense they are equal opportunity employers
Abdullah : But why then all receptionists are females ?

Faisal :Look at USA they have given freedom to women not us
Abdullah : 90% of females in USA have lost virginity before even passing school, is this freedom or degradation ?

Faisal : Why do we oppress women by keeping them behind bars of hijab ?
Abdullah : Do you mean our beloved prophet (pbuh) wives were oppressed because they covered as commanded in surah-ahzab ?

Faisal : That was a different time 1400 years back
Abdullah : Quran is for entire humanity and science is proving the verses today. its the most modern book dear.

Faisal : I am going ,i fear you will blow me up. take care
Abdullah : You are hiding your secularism by mixing me with those who are a small *misguided minority.*

NOTE: The conversation is not a REAL story but the aforementioned exchange of arguments are very common.

Should We Fear Death..?

Those who believe and do righteous deeds have no reason to fear death. Although it appears to us as decomposition and the extinction of life and its pleasures, in fact it is no more than a discharge from the heavy duties of worldly life, a change of residence, and a transferral of the body. It is an invitation to and the beginning of everlasting life.

As the world is continually enlivened through acts of creation and predetermination, so is it continually stripped of life through other cycles of creation, determination, and wisdom. The death of plants, the simplest level of life, is a work of Divine artistry, like their life—in fact, it is more perfect and better designed. When a fruit pit dies underground, it seems to decompose and rot away. But in fact, it undergoes a perfect chemical process, passes through predetermined states of re-formation, and ultimately grows again into an elaborate, new tree. This shows clearly that death is the beginning of a new and more elaborate life.

The "death" of fruits, vegetables, and animal flesh in a person's stomach causes them to rise to the degree of human life. Thus, their death can be regarded as more perfect than their lives. Since the death of plants is so perfect and serves such a great purpose, our own deaths must be even more perfect and serve a still greater purpose. After all, we occupy the highest level of life. Given this, we certainly will be brought into eternal life.

Death discharges us from the hardships of worldly life. This turbulent, suffocating, and narrow dungeon, which becomes more difficult to endure with the onset of old age and illness, admit us into the Eternal, Beloved One's infinitely wide circle of the mercy. There, we will enjoy the everlasting company of our loved ones and the consolation of a happy, eternal life.
 

AHMED DEEDAT


          Ahmed Deedat - Life Line               

         }-  Lectures                                                          
         }-  Debates

Dr Zakir Naik - Life Line

Zakir Abdul Karim Naik (Urdu: ذاکر عبدالکریم نائیک; born 18 October 1965) is an Indian public speaker on the subject of Islam and comparative Religion. He is the founder and president of the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), a non-profit organisation that owns the Peace TV channel based in Dubai, UAE. He is sometimes referred to as a televangelist.
Before becoming a public speaker, he trained as a doctor. He attended St. Peter's High School in Mumbai. Later he enrolled at Kishinchan Chellaram College, before studying medicine at Topiwla National Medical College & Nair Hospital and later the University of Mumbai, where he obtained a Bachelar of Medicine & Surgery (MBBS).
In 1991 he started working in the field of Dawah, and founded the IRF. Naik says he was inspired by Ahmed Deedat, an Islamic preacher, having met him in 1987,(Naik is sometimes referred to as "Deedat plus", a label given to him by Deedat himself.). Naik says that his goal is to "concentrate on the educated Muslim youth who have become apologetic about their own religion and have started to feel the religion is outdated."He considers it a duty of every Muslim to remove perceived misconceptions about Islam and to counter what he views as the Western media's anti-Islamic bias in the aftermath of the September 11,2001 (also known as 9/11) in the United States.
Naik has held many debates and lectures around the world,and still is on it.
 

Lectures

What are the three questions that you are going to be asked when you die

Basic Tenets of Islam - What is Islam Who are Muslims Who is Allah What is the Quran

Comparative Religion - How history repeats itself

Dawah

Dawah with No Mistakes

Evolution and Creation - 1
Evolution and Creation - 2

The etiquette of asking questions, giving answers, and who to ask

The reward of praying Fajr in the Mosque and the reward of remembrance of Allah

Focus on Ourselves - Dawah is our responsibility as Muslims

Future of Islam in America -Actions speak louder than words

Generosity

Heart Purification - How our hearts are affected by our actions

How Close We Came - The Muslim side of history in America.

How do You get Close to Allah

How I came to Islam The five pillars of Islam

How to Bring People to Islam After 911 - Part 1 - want to say something about Islam - but I don’t know what to say There are 99 wrong ways to invite others to Islam.
How to Bring People to Islam After 911 - Part 2 - How to get non-Muslims’ attention in calling them to Islam Do’s and Don’ts of dawah What is the purpose of Life
How to Bring People to Islam After 911 - Part 3 Steps in making dawah to othersWhen people accept that there is a GOD, then what Concept of God in Islam
How to Bring People to Islam After 911 - Part 4 - Explains the meaning and purpose of salat (prayer) in Islam
How to Bring People to Islam After 911 - Part 5 - KISS “Keep it super simple” in making dawah to others Separating un-Islamic actions done by Muslims from the message

How to Make Dawah to Others - How to get organized about Dawah - How to defend Islam

Intentions

Intentions - What are intentions, which intentions are acceptable, and what intentions are not acceptable

Introduction to Islam Today

Islaam Exposed

Islam and Terrorism

Everything in Islam is based upon truth

It’s a Great Time to be a Muslim! - The life of this world is a prison for a believer and paradise for a non-believer

Just a Sunnah

Just a Sunnah - Explains the definition of Sunnah and the importance of it in Islam

Most Precious Gems (Women)

Muslims in Prisons Today

Muslims in the Modern Age - When Muslims follow the true teachings of Islam they will have the best society

My Journey to Islam - Yusuf Estes before & after Islam

No Brainer! - Science Proves - Purpose of life Where did we come from Where are we going

Only Purpose of Humans is to Worship Allah

Proofs of Islam-Part 1 - The role of the prophets And their followers
Proofs of Islam-Part 2 - America What’s our history
Proofs of Islam-part 3 - Truth is everything Question and Answer

Purpose of Life - All children are born as Muslims and God can guide who ever he wants.

Question and Answer Session - subjects such as the difference between nabi and rasul, will priests and preachers be saved, the origin of the Trinity doctrine and more

Questions from Listeners

Rights of Women After Marriage

Seize the Day to Become Better Muslims - How we can seize opportunities to serve and worship Allah today

September 11th

Sunnah

Taqwa - Explains the true meaning of Taqwa and how Muslims need to truly follow the Quran and Sunnah

The Beauty of Islam - Understanding why bad things happen to good people.

The Effects of Globalization - The effects of globalization on the future of dawah and the Muslim youth

What do you think about Islam and Muslims in America The effects of events of 9/11

What is Islam - Explains the true meaning and teachings of Islam

What is Islam Who is Allah What is the Quran

What is the Hardest Part of Being a Muslim

What is the message - Meaning of La ilaha ill Allah and who is the messenger

What Muslims Believe About God

What to do After the Shahadah`

What’s Next (For New Muslims) - What new Muslims need to do to be true followers of Islam

Who is Going to Paradise - Who is a Muslim and who is not

Why Priests and Preachers are Coming to Islam - Why Priests and Preachers are Coming to Islam

Why the Sunnah is so Important - The relevance of the Sunnah and a brief history on the compilation process of the Sunnah

Wings of the Butterfly

Women in Islam Part-1 - Most common questions concerning women in Islam How does Christianity view women
Women in Islam Part-2 - Why can men marry more than one wife Terms, conditions, and rights of women in Islam
Women in Islam Part-3 - What are the differences between men and women Women’s rights in Islam
Women in Islam Part-4 - Having patience with your spouse

Worship Working - Explains the basic beliefs of Islam
































































 

Yusuf Estes - Life Line

Yusuf Estes (born in 1944) is an American Muslim preacher and teacher who converted from Christianity to Islam in 1991.Active in Islamic missionary work in the United States, Estes is often featured as guest presenter and keynote speaker at various Islamic events as well as frequently appearing on various Islamic satellite TV channels. Estes was named as the #1 Islamic Personality of the Year at the Dubai International Holy Quran Award ceremony on 8 August 2012.Estes takes a dim view of today's public school system in the United States for any children, and highly recommends schools where they might receive a religious education combined with more advanced scholastic education.
Yusuf Estes was born in Ohio, and was raised in Houston, Texas in a Anglo-Saxon Protestant family From 1962 to 1990, his career was in the music, entertainment and marketing fields. He also taught music and served as a music minister. He owned several musical instrument companies including the Estes Piano and Organ Company. He produced and directed live entertainment programs in the United States from the mid 1960s until his last endeavor for cable TV in Florida, entitled 'Estes Music Jamboree'.
Yusuf Estes became a Muslim in 1991 after meeting an Egyptian named Mohamed. Following his conversion, Estes entered the field of Dawah, or evangelizing the Islamic faith. Estes denies the theory of Darwinian evolution and instead professes creationism as described by Islamic scriptures.

After embracing Islam, Estes pursued Arabic language and Quranic studies in Egypt, Morocco and Turkey. From 2004, Estes regularly appeared on the Islam Channel, as well as Peace TV and on Huda TV which are 24/7 Islamic channels broadcasting in many countries around the globe, via satellite and via the website WatchIslam.
Estes has started a free-to-air Internet and satellite TV channel called GuideUS TV which currently broadcasts commercial-free programming on Islam 24/7. He has also set up various websites directed toward English speaking Muslims which include TubeIslam (a Muslim video sharing site), ChatIslam (a Muslim chat room), and WorldPreschool (a defunct preschool learning site for young children).
Estes produced a video presentation series called Arabic in English, designed to help English speakers learn the Arabic language easily using his proprietary teaching method.He sells the series online, and also provides a set of free chatroom-based courses with volunteer teachers. He also produced a television series entitled Qisas Al Anbiyah (Stories of the Prophets), aimed toward English speaking children of Muslim parents.
                                               

 Websites

                            
  YusufEstes.com
GuideUS TV
Share Islam

Lectures

Dr Israr Ahned - Life Line

Israr Ahmed (Urdu: اسرار احمد; April 26, 1932 – April 14, 2010) was a Pakistani Islamic theologian followed particularly in South Asia and also among the South Asian diaspora in the Middle East, Western Europe, and North America.He is the founder of the Tanzeem-e-islami, an off-shoot of the Jamaat-e-Islami. He spent more than 50 years teaching Quraan and preaching Islam.He hosted a daily show on Peace TV, a 24 hours Islamic channel broadcast internationally, and until recently on ARY Qtv.
Israr Ahmad was born on April 26, 1932 in Hisar (a district of East Punjab, now a part of Haryana) in India, the second son of a government servant. He graduated from  lahor in 1954 and later received his Master's degree in Islamic Studies from the University of Karachi in 1965. He came under the influence of  'Abul Ala Maududi' as a young student, worked briefly for Muslim Student's Federation in the Independence Movement and, following the creation of Pakistan in 1947, for the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba and then for the Jamaat-e-Islami. Ahmad resigned from the Jama`at in April 1957 because of its involvement in the electoral politics, which he believed was irreconcilable with the revolutionary methodology adopted by the Jama'at in the pre-1947 period.

While still a student and an activist of the Islami Jami`yat-e-Talaba, Ahmad became a Mudarris (or teacher) of the Qur'an. Even after resigning from Jama`at, he continued to give Quranic lectures in different cities of Pakistan, and especially after 1965 spent a great deal of time studying the Quran.He also worked with the tablighi jamaat but then left the organization due to some methodological differences.

In 1967 Ahmad wrote “Islamic Renaissance: The Real Task Ahead”, a tract explaining his basic belief. This was that a rebirth of Islam would be possible only by revitalizing iman (faith) among the Muslims – particularly educated Muslims – and the propagation of the Qur'anic teachings in contemporary idiom and at the highest level of scholarship is necessary to revitalize iman. This undertaking would remove the existing dichotomy between modern physical and social sciences on the one hand, and Islamic revealed knowledge on the other.

In 1971 Ahmad gave up his medical practice to devote himself full time to the Islamic revival. In 1972 he established or helped establish the Markazi Anjuman Khuddam-ul-Qur'an Lahore, Tanzeem-e-Islami was founded in 1975, and Tahreek-e-Khilafat Pakistan was launched in 1991.
Ahmad first appeared on Pakistan Television in 1978 in a program called Al-Kitab; this was followed by other programs, known as Alif Lam Meem, Rasool-e-Kamil, Umm-ul-Kitab and the most popular of all religious programs in the history of Pakistan Television, the Al-Huda, which made him a household name throughout the country. His television lectures generally focused on the revitalization of the Islamic faith through studies of the Quran. Ahmad also criticized modern democracy and the electoral system and argued that the head of an Islamic state can reject the majority decisions of an elected assembly. Although he did not like to receive it personally, Ahmad was awarded Sitara-i-Imtiaz in 1981. He has to his credit over 60 Urdu books on topics related to Islam and Pakistan, 9 of which have been translated into English and other languages. in 21st century Ahmad came on peace TV and taught Islam to people so they could understand Islam.

Dr Israr Ahmed died of a cardiac arrest at his home in Lahore on the morning of 14 April 2010 between 3:00 and 3:30 a.m. According to his son, his health deteriorated at around 1:30 a.m. with pain in the back. He was a long time heart patient.
His funeral (Namaz-e-Janazah) was held after the Asr (afternoon) prayers at Central Model-town Park (near Barkat Market) in the city of Lahore. It is reported that around twenty thousand people attended his funeral

Lectures

Christ In Islam - 1
Christ In Islam - 2
Christ In Islam - 3
Christ In Islam - 4
Christ In Islam - 5

Crucifixion Or Crucifiction - 1
Crucifixion Or Crucifiction - 2
Crucifixion Or Crucifiction - 3
Crucifixion Or Crucifiction - 4
Crucifixion Or Crucifiction - 5

Muhammed(Pbuh) The Natural Successor To Christ - 1
Muhammed(Pbuh) The Natural Successor To Christ - 2
Muhammed(Pbuh) The Natural Successor To Christ - 3
Muhammed(Pbuh) The Natural Successor To Christ - 4
Muhammed(Pbuh) The Natural Successor To Christ - 5
Muhammed(Pbuh) The Natural Successor To Christ - 6

Questions And Answers (From Various Lectures) - 1
Questions And Answers (From Various Lectures) - 2

What The Bible Says About Muhammed (Pbuh) - 1
What The Bible Says About Muhammed (Pbuh) - 2
What The Bible Says About Muhammed (Pbuh) - 3
What The Bible Says About Muhammed (Pbuh) - 4
What The Bible Says About Muhammed (Pbuh) - 5
What The Bible Says About Muhammed (Pbuh) - 6

Hinduism To Islam - 1
Hinduism To Islam - 2
Hinduism To Islam - 3
Hinduism To Islam - 4
Hinduism To Islam - 5



























 

Debates

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Ahmed Deedat - Life Line

                                                                                             
Ahmed Hoosen Deedat (Arabic: احمد حسين ديدات‎ )July 1918 – 8 August 2005 was a South African writer and public speaker of Indian descent. He was best known as a Muslim missionary who held numerous inter-religious public debates with evangelical Christians, as well as video lectures, most of which centred around Islam, Christianity and the Bible. He also established the IPCI, an international Islamic missionary organisation, and wrote several booklets on Islam and Christianity which were widely distributed by the organisation. He was awarded the prestigious King Faisal International Prize in 1986 for his 50 years of missionary work. One focus of his work was providing Muslims with theological tools for defending themselves against active proselytising by Christian missionaries. He used English to get his message across to Muslims and non-Muslims in the western world.

Deedat was born in the town of Tadkeshwar, Surat, Bombay Presidency, British India in 1918. His father had emigrated to South Africa shortly after the birth of Ahmed Deedat. At the age of 9, Deedat left India to join his father in what is now known as Kwazulu-Natal. Arriving in South Africa, Deedat applied himself with diligence to his studies, overcoming the language barrier and excelling in school, even getting promoted until he completed standard 6. However, due to financial circumstances, he had to quit school and start working by the time he was the age of 16.
In 1936, while working as a furniture salesman, he met a group of missionaries at a Christian seminary on the Natal South Coast who, during their efforts to convert people of Muslim faith, often accused the Islamic Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) of having "used the sword" to bring people to Islam. Such accusations offended Deedat and created his interest in comparative religion.
Deedat took a more active interest in religious debate after he came across a book entitled "Izhar ul-Huqq" (Truth Revealed), written by Rahmatullah Kairanawi, while Deedat was rummaging for reading material in his employer's basement. This book chronicled the efforts of Christian missionaries in India a century earlier. The book had a profound effect on Deedat, who bought a Bible and held debates and discussions with trainee missionaries, whose questions he had previously been unable to answer.
He started attending Islamic study classes held by a local Muslim convert named Mr. Fairfax. Seeing the popularity of the classes, Mr. Fairfax offered to teach an extra session on the Bible and how to preach to Christians about Islam. Deedat and a few others were delighted at the opportunity. Shortly thereafter, Fairfax had to pull out and Deedat, by this point quite knowledgeable about the Bible, took over teaching the class, which he did for three years. He later credited this experience for expanding his horizons significantly towards missionary work.Deedat's first lecture, entitled "Muhammad: Messenger of Peace", was delivered in 1942 to an audience of fifteen people at a Durban cinema named Avalon Cinema.Over time Deedat's popularity as a public speaker grew in Durban, to the point that he was invited to speak in other cities in South Africa. A decade later he was filling City halls with audiences numbering in the thousands in cities such as Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Deedat published and mass-produced over one dozen palm-sized booklets focusing on the following major themes. Most of Deedat's numerous lectures, as well as most of his debates in fact, focus on and around these same themes. Often the same theme has several video lectures to its credit, having been delivered at different times and different places.
  • Is the Bible God's Word?
  • What The Bible Says About Muhammad
  • Crucifixion or Cruci-Fiction?
    • several smaller spin-off titles on specific aspects of Crucifixion
  • Muhammad: The Natural Successor to Christ
  • Christ in Islam
  • Muhammad The Greatest
  • Al-Qur'an the Miracle of Miracles
Deedat's first well-known debate took place in August 1981, when he debated well-known Christian preacher Josh McDowell in Durban, South Africa. Many of his debates have later been broadcast online on Youtube, among other sites.

On 3 May 1996, Ahmed Deedat suffered a stroke which left him paralysed from the neck down because of a cerebral vascular accident affecting the brain stem, leaving him unable to speak or swallow. He was flown to King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, where he was reported to be fully alert. He learned to communicate through a series of eye-movements via a chart whereby he would form words and sentences by acknowledging letters read to him.
He spent the last nine years of his life in a bed in his home in South Africa, looked after by his wife, Hawa Deedat, encouraging people to engage in Da'wah (Islam propagation). He received hundreds of letters of support from around the world, and local and international visitors continued to visit him and thank him for his work.
On  8 August 2005, Ahmed Deedat died at his home on Trevennen Road in Verulam in the province of  KwaZulu-Natal. He is buried at the Verulam cemetery. Hawa Deedat died on Monday 28 August 2006 at the age of 85, one year after her husband, at Deedat’s home.