Lying is bad because it's a basic moral wrong

................................................ Telling the Truth.......................
Telling the truth is a very good habit. If you always speak the truth, you can save yourself from a lot of trouble! Here is a story of a man who did a lot of bad things, but his promise to tell the truth saved him.

Once a man came to the prophet Muhammad (S) and said, "Oh prophet of Allah, I have many bad habits. Which one of them should I give up first?" The prophet said, "Give up telling lies first and always speak the truth." The man promised to do so and went home.

At night the man was about to go out to steal. Before setting out, he thought for a moment about the promise he made with the prophet. "If tomorrow the prophet asks me where have I been, what shall I say? Shall I say that I went out stealing? No, I cannot say that. But nor can I lie. If I tell the truth, everyone will start hating me and call me a thief. I would be punished for stealing."
So the man decided not to steal that night, and gave up this bad habit.
Next day, he felt like drinking wine, when he was about to do so, he said to himself, "What shall I say to the prophet if he asks me what did I do during the day? I cannot tell a lie, and if I speak the truth people will hate me, because a Muslim is not allowed to drink wine." And so he gave up the idea of drinking wine.
In this way, whenever the man thought of doing something bad, he remembered his promise to tell the truth at all times. One by one, he gave up all his bad habits and became a good Muslim and a very good person.

If you always speak the truth, you can be a good person, a good Muslim whom Allah likes and favors. If Allah - our Creator - is pleased with us we will find peace with all.

.............................................................Why is lying wrong?.......................................................................

There are many reasons why people think lying is wrong; which ones resonate best with you will depend on the way you think about ethics.

* Lying is bad because a generally truthful world is a good thing: lying diminishes trust between human beings:
if people generally didn't tell the truth, life would become very difficult, as nobody could be trusted and nothing you heard or read could be trusted - you would have to find everything out for yourself
an untrusting world is also bad for liars - lying isn't much use if everyone is doing it
* Lying is bad because it treats those who are lied to as a means to achieve the liar's purpose, rather than as a valuable end in themselves
Many people think that it is wrong to treat people as means not ends
* Lying is bad because it makes it difficult for the person being lied to make a free and informed decision about the matter concerned
Lies lead people to base their decisions on false information
* Lying is bad because it cannot sensibly be made into a universal principle
Many people think that something should only be accepted as an ethical rule if it can be applied in every case
* Lying is bad because it's a basic moral wrong
Some things are fundamentally bad - lying is one of them
* Lying is bad because it's something that Good People don't do
Good behaviour displays the virtues found in Good People
* Lying is bad because it corrupts the liar
Telling lies may become a habit and if a person regularly indulges in one form of wrong-doing they may well become more comfortable with wrong-doing in general
* Some religious people argue Lying is bad because it misuses the God-given gift of human communication
God gave humanity speech so that they could accurately share their thoughts - lying does the opposite
* Some philosophers say lying is bad because language is essential to human societies and carries the obligation to use it truthfully

When people use language they effectively 'make a contract' to use it in a particular way - one of the clauses of this contract is not to use language deceitfully

Month of Safar

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
1) MuHarram
(2) Safar._*-----------we are here now
(3) Raby` al-awal
(4) Raby` al-THaany
(5) Jumaada al-awal
(6) Jumaada al-THaany
(7) Rajab
(8) SHa`baan
(9) RamaDHaan
(10) SHawwal
(11) Thul Qa`dah
(12) Thul Hijjah

"Say. We believe in God and that which was revealed to us and that which was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes and that which was given to Moses and Jesus and to the Prophets from their Lord: we make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we submit. (The Holy Quran).
The month of Safar is one of the twelve Hijri months, and it is the month which comes after Muharram. Some say that it is so named because of the emptying of Makkah when they traveled during this month.Safar, meaning travel in Arabic.
Is there any thing special in month of Safar?
Allah commands Muslims to refer to people of knowledge to get themselves well-acquainted with the teachings of Islam as well as all aspects of life.
All the months are created by Allah the Almighty and they belong to Him. Muslims should not be superstitious or be pessimistic about any month, day, or time. There is nothing in the sources of Shari`ah that prohibit getting married in the month of Safar, Muharram or any other month of the year.
We supplicate Allah to bless us to follow the right Sunnah. Know that a Muslim must safeguard his faith and keep it away from myths and superstitions. Allah says (interpretation of meaning):

{Say: "Nothing shall ever happen to us except what Allâh has ordained for us. He is our Maulâ (Lord, Helper and Protector)." And in Allâh let the believers put their trust.}[9: 51]

He also says (interpretation of meaning):

{… And whosoever puts his trust in Allâh, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allâh will accomplish his purpose. …}[65: 3]

The month of Safar is like all other months. The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) condemned what is said about this month. Abu Hurairah (Radiya Allahu Anhu) reported from the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) that he said:

"No 'Adwa (i.e. no contagious disease is conveyed to others without Allah's permission); nor (any evil omen in the month of) Safar; nor Hama." A bedouin said, "O Allah's Apostle! What about the camels which, when on the sand (desert) look like deers, but when a mangy camel mixes with them they all get infected with mange?" On that Allah's Apostle said, "Then who conveyed the (mange) disease to the first (mangy) camel?"

It is narrated from Ibn Masoud that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said:

"No 'Adwa nor Safar, Allah created every soul and wrote its life, livelihood and trials." [At-Tirmithi]

The above Ahadith clearly prove that the month of Safar does not have any special characteristics.

Know that performing special prayers in this month to safeguard oneself from evil or abstaining from marrying or from any other happy occasion is nothing but myths.

A Muslim should give up such fairy tales and should follow the Qur'an, sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) and the way of the Sahabah (Prophet's companions) and their followers.
To believe in GOD also provide us mental happiness. I observed that people attached with their religion seems to be more happy than others as religion makes our life purposeful. The way you think also effects your happiness level. Positive thinking always produces hope and satisfaction which enhance happiness in us.
Significant events during the Month of Safar

* The Start of the Hijra from Makkah to Madinah was in Safar in the 13th Year of Prophethood
* The Prophet (S)] went on the military campaign of al-Abwaa’, also known as Waddaan. This was the first military campaign in which he took part himself. It happened in Safar, twelve months after the Hijrah. The banner, which was white, was carried by Hamzah ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib. He appointed Sa’d ibn ‘Ubaadah in charge of Madeenah (in his absence), and he went out with the Muhaajireen only, to intercept a caravan of Quraysh, but there was no fighting.
* The Prophet (S) Conquered Khaybar in Safar in the Year 7 Hijri
* In the same month of Safar, in 4 AH, there was the battle of Bi’r Ma’oonah (the well of Ma’oonah
* Towards the End of Safar of 11th Year Hijri the Prophet (S) Ordered the last military army - Start of Usamah's Army
* Beginning of the Prophet's fatal disease


Allah knows best.

Treating Sins too Lightly...

...........Risks involved in treating sins too lightly...
You should know, may Allah (Azzawajal) have mercy upon you and me, that Allah (Azzawajal), glorified be He, has made repentance obligatory saying: "O you that have believed, turn to your Lord in a goodly way." (Al-Tahrim:8), and has granted us time to repent until the Scribes register the sin in our names. The prophet has said: "The Scribe on the left hand delays registering the sin of a Muslim for six hours. If he repents (within these six hours), and seeks Allah's forgiveness, they drop if off. If he doesn't, they write is down as a single sin." That is the first respite.
The second respite, even if it is registered, is until the appearance of death before our eyes. (If a man repents sincerely before that hour, it is taken off the records then).
But the problem with most people, is that they estimate not the Majesty of the Lord as they should. They disobey Him in multiple ways - day and night. To make things worse, there are some that are misled by the notion of what they call "minor sins", so that you will see them treating certain sins as inconsequential saying, for instance: "Of what harm will be a look (at that woman), or of what consequence a hand-shake with her?" In consequence, they stare freely at pictures of women in the magazines, or those appearing in the television. Some of them, when told about the sin in it, go a step further and inquire amusingly: "O.K. What's the magnitude of the sin involved? Is it a major one or minor?"
Compare this attitude with that of the Companions of the Prophet , on whom be peace, as recorded by Bukhari in his Sahih: 1. Said Anas, may Allah be pleased with him (to one of the followers): "You imagine certain sins to be more insignificant than a straw. But, at the time of the Prophet we used to count them among those that can destroy a man." 2. Ibn Mas'ud says: "A believer treats a sin as if it is a mountain over his head that may fall on him any moment. Whereas a regular violator looks at them as a fly that perked on his nose and he waived it away with his hand."
Will these people then learn something from the above, and from the hadith of the Prophet who said: "Beware of the minor sins. For the example of the minor sins is like that of a group of travelers who broke their journey in a valley. Then one of them brought in a straw. Another came up with another (and a third with one more) until with their collection they were able to gather enough t o cook their food. Remember! If a man is held for questioning (on the day of Judgment)for his minor sins, surely they will destroy him." In another version he is reported to have said: "Beware of minor sins. For they add on until they destroy the man."
The scholars say therefore that when minor sins are committed without any remorse, without the fear of Allah, and accompanied by contempt then they there is all the fear they will be counted as major sins. Hence the saying: "There isn't a minor with persistence, and there isn't a major with repentance." Hence we say to him who commits minor sins: 'Do not look at the sins if they are small or big. Look at Him in whose defiance you are committing them.'
It is hoped that these words about taking sins lightly will benefit those who are true in their faith, are not seduced by their delinquencies, nor are of those that insist upon their wrongs. These words will in fact benefit those who believe in the following words of Allah: "Tell My slaves: that I am very Forgiving, very Kind," (Al-Hijr: 49), and those who believe in: "But My chastisement is a severe chastisement indeed." (Al-Hijr: 50)

Good and evil, alike it was ours.

There was a pious man among the Banu Israel who always remained busy in the worship of Allah. A group of people came to him and told him that a tribe living nearby worshiped a tree. The news upset him, and with an axe on his shoulder he went to cut down that tree. On the way, Satan met him in the form of an old man and asked him where he was going. He said he was going to cut a particular tree. Satan said, "You have nothing to be concerned with this tree, you better mind your worship and do not give it up for the sake of something that does not concern you." "This is also worship," retorted the worshiper. Then Satan tried to prevent him from cutting the tree, and there followed a fight between the two, in which the worshiper overpowered the Satan. Finding himself completely helpless, Satan begged to be excused, and when the worshiper released him, he again said, "Allah has not made the cutting of this tree obligatory on you. You do not lose anything if you do not cut it. If its cutting were necessary, Allah could have got it done through one of his many Prophets." The worshiper insisted on cutting the tree. There was again a fight between the two and again the worshiper overpowered the Satan. "Well listen," said Satan, "I propose a settlement that will be to your advantage." The worshiper agreed, and Satan said, "You are a poor man, a mere burden on this earth. If you stay away from this act, I will pay you three gold coins everyday. You will daily find them lying under your pillow. By this money you can fulfill your own needs, can oblige your relative, help the needy, and do so many other virtuous things. Cutting the tree will be only one virtue, which will ultimately be of no use because the people will grow another tree." This proposal appealed to the worshiper, and he accepted it. He found the money on two successive days, but on the third day there was nothing. He got enraged, picked up his axe and went to cut the tree. Satan as an old man again met him on the way and asked him where he was going. "To cut the tree," shouted the worshiper. "I will not let you do it," said Satan. A fight took place between the two again but this time Satan had the upper hand and overpowered the worshiper. The latter was surprised at his own defeat, and asked the former the cause of his success. Satan replied, "At first, your anger was purely for earning the pleasure of Allah, and therefore Almighty Allah helped you to overpower me, but now it has been partly for the sake of the gold coins and therefore you lost." (ra).

Source: From the book "Ihyaa-ul Uloom Ud Deen" by Imam Ghazzali.
Imam Ghazali woke up one early morning and as usual offered his prayers and then inquired what day it was, his younger brother, Ahmad Ghazali replied,"Monday." He asked him to bring his white shroud, kissed it, stretched himself full length and saying "Lord, I obey willingly," breathed his last.

And underneath his head rest they found the following verses; composed by him, probably, during the night.

"Say to my friends, when they look upon me, dead
Weeping for me and mourning me in sorrow
Do not believe that this corpse you see is myself
In the name of God, I tell you, it is not I,
I am a spirit, and this is naught but flesh
It was my abode and my garment for a time.
I am a treasure, by a talisman kept hid,
Fashioned of dust, which served me as a shrine,
I am a pearl, which has left it's shell deserted,
I am a bird, and this body was my cage
Whence I have now florin forth and it is left as a token
Praise to God, who hath now set me free
And prepared for me my place in the highest of the heaven,
Until today I was dead, though alive in your midst.
Now I live in truth, with the grave - clothes discarded.
Today I hold converse with the saints above,
With no veil between, I see God face to face.
I look upon "Loh-i-Mahfuz" and there in I read
Whatever was and is and all that is to be.
Let my house fall in ruins, lay my cage in the ground,
Cast away the talisman, it is a token, no more
Lay aside my cloak, it was but my outer garment.
Place them all in the grave, let them be forgotten,
I have passed on my way and you are left behind
Your place of abode was no doweling place for me.
Think not that death is death, nay, it is life,
A life that surpasses all we could dream of here,
While in this world, here we are granted sleep,
Death is but sleep, sleep that shall be prolonged
Be not frightened when death draweth night,
It is but the departure for this blessed home
Think of the mercy and love of your Lord,
Give thanks for His Grace and come without fear.
What I am now, even so shall you be
For I know that you are even as I am
The souls of all men come forth from God
The bodies of all are compounded alike
Good and evil, alike it was ours
I give you now a message of good cheer
May God's peace and joy for evermore be yours."

One true God.

Brothers and sisters born in this world, please listen to this wonder! The heavens and earth have always existed in peace. The sun, the moon, the stars, and the wind all perform their duty in harmony. Only man, who lives on this earth, has lost that peace. He only talks about it. He gives speeches about establishing peace, but then he disrupts the unity and sets out to rule the world. Is this not a wonder? Such is the speech of man.

In this present century, man has discarded God, truth, peacefulness, conscience, honesty, justice, and compassion. Man has changed so much! Instead of searching to discover the three thousand gracious qualities of God, he has lost all those qualities and opened the way to destruction

The Cave of Safety.
Once there was a ruler who was very cruel. His name was Decius the Emperor and he ruled the vast Roman Empire which stretched from Spain to the Persian Gulf. The people who lived in this empire were forced to believe in many gods and goddesses. There was the god of war, the goddess of love, the sun-god, the god of the oceans, and many others. Some of these gods were symbolized by statues and the people were forced to pay special tribute to them or face the possibility of losing their lives.

Within the Roman Empire there was a city called Ephesus located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It was a bustling city with a great seaport where merchants from all over the Empire came to buy and sell their goods. In the heart of this city lived a few youths that believed in the one true God, Allah. They formed a small group and prayed to Allah for guidance in this land of oppression and injustice. Allah heard their prayers and gave strength to their hearts so that they would not be afraid to proclaim their belief to the people of Ephesus.

One day these youths went to the bazaar where many people gathered to do their shopping. The youths stood up on a platform so that all the people in the bazaar could see and hear them. They said, "Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. We shall never call upon any god other than Him because if we did, it would surely be a lie!"

The crowd suddenly stopped what they were doing and looked up at the youths that had so boldly proclaimed their faith. There were people in the crowd who agreed with the youths but were too afraid to say it. Whenever someone talked about the one true God, Allah, they were tortured and executed. Other people in the crowd shouted at the youths on the platform. "Get out of there before we kill you," they said with gnarled teeth and clenched fists.

The youths were not afraid and continued, "If our people worship other gods besides Allah, why don't they bring forward an authority clear and convincing for what they do? Who does more harm than the person who invents a lie about Allah?" As soon as they finished, the pagans started to rush to the platform. The youths quickly jumped down and ran to a cave high up on a mountainside a few miles away. The pagans grew tired trying to catch the nimble youths and decided to search for them the next day. After reaching safety in the cave, the youths were tired from running and decided to sleep there for a few hours.

In order to protect these brave youths, Allah performed a miracle and kept them asleep for more than three hundred years. When they awoke they thought they were only asleep for a couple hours. The youths were hungry so one of them went down to the city to buy some food. Before he left the cave his friends warned him not to tell the pagans where they were. So the youth went down to the city of Ephesus with some money in his pocket. When he approached the city, he noticed something strange. He didn't recognize any of the people. Also, all of the clothes the people wore were different from his own. He couldn't believe the city had changed so much in just a few hours.

He went to the bazaar and found a man baking bread. When the youth brought out his money the baker looked at it very closely. "Where did you get this from?" he asked, peering out the corner of his eye. "I saved it from my earnings, sir," said the youth. "This money has been out of date for 300 years!!," exclaimed the baker.

The youth was shocked and the people of the bazaar began to gather around him. He now realized that Allah had save him and his friends from the persecution of the pagans by making them sleep for a long, long time. When he explained his story to the people that had gathered around him, they were overjoyed. They informed the youth that he was now living at a time when he will no longer be persecuted.

The wicked ruler of the Roman Empire, Decius, had died long ago and now a new tolerant Emperor reigned over the land. The whole city came out of their houses and marched toward the cave where the other youths were. They took the youths and lifted them up onto their shoulders and carried them back down to the city of Ephesus.

Their story became famous throughout the Roman Empire as one of the true and beautiful miracles of Allah mentioned in the Glorious Quran.

................I seek refuge in Allah from the evils of the accursed Satan.
In the name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate.

Listen to this wonder! The heavens and earth have always existed in peace. The sun, the moon, the stars, and the wind all perform their duty in harmony.

............You know who said this? learn from the best................

“Keep yourselves far from envy; it eats up and takes away good actions, like as fire eats up and burns the wood”

“The world is a magician greater than Harut and Marut, and you should avoid it”
“No person hath drunk a better drought than that of anger which he hath swallowed for God's sake”
“Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave”
“Do not say, that if the people do good to us, we will do good to them; and if the people oppress us, we will oppress them; but determine that if people do you good, you will do good to them; and if they oppress you, you will not oppress them”

“Do you love your creator? Love your fellow-beings first”

Take benefit of five before five:
1) your youth before your old age,
2) your health before your sickness,
3) your wealth before your poverty,
4) your free-time before your preoccupation,
5) and your life before your death."
[Muhammad (pbuh) - al-Haakim, al-Baihaqee: Saheeh]

.............................Some more for you..............
When the world pushes you to your knees, You are in the perfect position to pray.
If Allah s.w.t. brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Twakkul: Make Du'a, Do your best, And leave the rest to Allah s.w.t.
Whoever follows patience, Success will follow him.
Suffering is a gift. In it is hidden mercy.
Better to avoid the person altogether than to try to heal from the damage it causes.
Cease to sin, Because you will not meet Allah s.w.t. with anything as valuable as few sins.
Reflect on the work of art and you mat attain to the artist.
The only lasting beauty is the beauty of the heart.
The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.
To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person.

If a gem falls into sand, It still remains valuable.
If dust ascends to heaven, It still remains valueless.

God places the heaviest burden on those who can carry it's weight.
Experience is not what happens to a man. It is what a man does with what happens to him.
Beware of this world, For it is sweet and tempting.
Action is the biggest measurement of knowledge.

Do not ask, "Where is Allah s.w.t (God)?"
Rather ask, "Where am I?"

The world is full of people looking for spectacular happiness while they snub contentment.
Learn the wisdom of compromise, For it is better to bend a little than to break.
Gratitude to Allah s.w.t should be as regular as your heartbeat.
Be with Allah s.w.t.
You will find Allah with you.
Learn silence as you have learned speech.
Speech will guide you and silence will protect you.
Worry about Allah s.w.t. and what he wants you to do and He will take care of your worries. [InshaAllah]

Allah bless us .

Heart and Tongue can Make us Good or Bad

Luqman(A.S.) was born in the Continent of Africa. He grew up in the jungle and walked barefoot. Only the lower part of his body was covered in a loin cloth. His daily encounter with wild animals and life in the jungle made him strong and fearless. It was his habit to think deeply over nature around him, from which he learn t new and fascinating things daily.

One day while sitting in the shade of a tree, he fell into a deep sleep, He clearly saw an Angel before him who gave him the good news that Allah had chosen to favour him. He was given a choice. He could either become a king or ask for wisdom. Luqman(A.S.) chose wisdom. When he awoke, he became aware that his senses and understanding had sharpened. He felt in complete harmony with nature and could understand the inner meaning of things, beyond their physical reality. Immediately he bowed down and thanked and praised Allah for this wonderful gift.

TAKEN INTO SLAVERY Luqman(A.S.) was captured by slave traders who invaded Africa. They sold him as a slave. He found that he was robbed of his freedom. He could neither move nor speak freely. This was the first trial he had to bear.

He suffered his bondage patiently, for his heart was lit with Faith and hope, and he was waiting for Allah's action.

The man who bought him was a good as well as an intelligent man. He treated Luqman with kindness. He was able to detect that Luqman was not an ordinary man and tried to test his intelligence.

He ordered Luqman(A.S.) to slaughter a sheep and to bring its worst part to him. Luqman(A.S.) slaughtered the sheep and took its heart and tongue to his master. On receiving them his master smiled, fascinated by Luqman(A.S.) 's choice of the'worst'. He understood that Luqman(A.S.) was trying to convey some deep meaning, though he could not make out exactly what. From this moment his owner began to take more interest in Luqman(A.S.) and showed more kindness to him.

A few days later, Luqman(A.S.) was again instructed to slaughter a sheep, but this time he was asked to take the best parts of the animal to the owner. Luqman(A.S.) slaughtered a sheep, and to his master's amazement, again brought the same organs (the heart and the tongue). His master asked Luqman(A.S.) how the heart and the tongue could be both the worst and the best parts. The wise Luqman(A.S.) answered: The tongue and the heart are the sweetest parts if its owner is pure; and if he is wicked, they too are as ! Thereafter, Luqman(A.S.) 's owner held him in great respect. Luqman(A.S.) was consulted by many people for advice, and the fame of his wisdom spread all over the country.

FREEDOM The kind owner had instructed his family to free Luqman(A.S.) after the owner's death. When his owner died, Luqman(A.S.) was granted freedom. Luqman(A.S.) travelled on and eventually settled among the Bani Israel. He was appointed as judge during the rule of Prophet Dawood(A.S.) , and was respected by all for his wise and fair judgments. He married and raised a family.

Luqman(A.S.) gave his son the following advice which is recorded in the Qur'an: "To Believe in Allah, and to be sincere in devotion to Him. Never associate partners with Allah, for associating anyone with Him is the greatest sin; not only is it a sin against Allah but also against oneself. Love and show obedience to parents even if they are unbelievers. If, however, a parent's way of life were to lead one to become an unbeliever then the path of goodness which leads to Allah should be followed , for one is answerable to Allah alone. Rizq (provisions), ability and au- thority come from Allah. These things are in His hands and not in the hands of parents or anyone else. Show gratitude to Allah by obeying him. Live your life on the principle of: Encouraging what is right and forbidding what is wrong. Tackle wrong deeds in society with patience. Be humble in dealing with others, both in speech and behavior, and do not turn your face away when talking to others, for Allah does not love the boastful and arrogant." (Quran, 31:13-19) THE LESSON

Our heart and tongue can make us good or bad. It is up to us how we use them. A wise employer should respect the wisdom of his lowliest worker. Allah has mentioned Luqman(A.S.) 's advice to his son as an example for us to follow. This advice should be followed by us as a guiding principle of life.
"Life is not measured by
the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments
that take our breath away."