Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani Rahmatullahi Alayhi

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious Most Merciful


A Great Saint: Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani Rahmatullahi Alayhi

Sheikh Muhi Uddin Abdul Qadir Jilani (a.k.a Gilani) has been famous for centuries as the most popular and revered Saint of Islam.

He was the founder of the Qadriya order, the most tolerant and charitable of the Sunni order of the dervishes. This order claims countless
followers throughout the Muslim world. His adherents, who knew him as ‘Ghaus-e-Azam’ (the highest in the hierarchy of Saints) revere him for his piety,
 humility, learning and gentleness of spirit.


"And it is thus that We appointed you to be the community of the middle way, so that you might be witnesses before all mankind and the Messenger
might be a witness before you." (Quran 2:143)

Dawa, calling to Islam, is every Muslim's responsibility. There can be no greater encouragement than what Allah says in the Quran, "Who is better
 in speech than one who calls (people) to Allah, works righteousness, and says, "I am of those who bow in Islam"? The good deed and the evil deed
are not alike. Repel the evil deed with one which is better: Then will he between whom and thee was hatred become as it were your friend and intimate!
 And no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restraint,- none but persons of the greatest good fortune.
"(Quran 41:33-35)

   Abdul Qadir Jilani r.a.  (Syedina Ghous-ul-Azam )  a great preacher, a great educationalist, a great moralist and a great doctor of Muslim law. He
was the glory of the learned and the light of Islam; the Spokesman of theologians, the Interpreter of men of spiritual knowledge, the unique Leader of Leaders;
the Leader of nations; the Chief of the chiefs; the Succourer of men and the Jinn; the Reviver of Religion; possessed of very high and perfect spiritual knowledge; and hailed as the
Honour of Religion

In Persia, in a place called Naif in the district of Jilan, in the South of the Caspian Sea, there lived a pious and God fearing man. He was Hazrat Abu Saleh
 Jangi Dost. He used to spend most of his time in the contemplation and love of Allah (God).

Once he was sitting on the bank of a river in deep contemplation, when upon opening of his eyes, he saw an apple floating down the river. The apple,
which reached him near the bank, was taken up and eaten by him. Soon after, his conscince questioned the propriety whether the apple eaten by him
was lawful. He got up and walked along the bank of the river towards the sides from where the apple had come, in order to find out the owner of the
 garden where from the apple had fallen into the river. Hazrat intended to pay him the price for the apple in order to make the energy derived from that
apple lawful, since he had eaten it, without his permission.

After a long journey, he reached a spot where appeared a large garden on the bank of the river, which convinced him that the apple eaten by him had
fallen from that garden. Upon inquiry he learnt that the garden belonged to Hazrat Abdullah Sawmai. Hazrat Abu Saleh approached him and begged his
pardon for eating the apple of his garden without his prior permission. Such approach made Hazrat Abdullah Sawmai to perceive that Hazrat Abu Saleh
was a pious and a noble man. He therefore, asked him to pay the price of the apple before his request for pardon was considered. The price was to
serve under him as long as he desired. Hazrat Abu Saleh agreed to serve Hazrat Abdullah Sawmai for as long a period as his service was considered
necessary.

After a few years service, Hazrat Abu Saleh asked the owner of the garden to grant him pardon and release him. Hazrat Abdullah Sawmai, before
pardoning and allowing him to leave, asked Hazrat Abu Saleh to agree to marry his daughter who, he was told, was blind, deaf, lame and paralytic of
hands. After marriage he was also to stay with them until a child was born to them. These were the qualifying conditions of his release.

In order to obtain his pardon, Hazrat Abu Saleh Jangi Dost agreed to the proposal and the marriage was accordingly fixed up. When he entered the
chamber of the bride, he saw instead a beautiful and healthy lady. He turned his eyes from he assuming that he had entered a wrong chamber
because  the lady before him did not tally with the description given to him.

By his Kashf (Clairvoyance) Hazrat Abdullah Sawmai understood the predicament of Hazrat Abu Saleh about his bride. He called him and explained to
 him that he had stated that his daughter was blind, because her eyes never fell upon any outsider other than members of their family; she was said to
be deaf, because she had never heard untruthful statements; she was supposedly lame, because she never undertook and stepped on towards
committing acts, alien to the laws of Islam.

Such a description of his wife enlightened Hazrat Abu Saleh with a new light and he began to live happily with his wife whose name was Umul Khair
 Fatima. She was the pious daughter of Hazrat Abdullah Sawmai, who was himself a great Sufi and Saint of his time and was a direct descendent of
Hazrat Sayidina Imam Hussain (R.A)

There are two narrations concerning the date of birth of al-Ghawth al-A’zam Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. The first narration is that he was
 born on the 1st of Ramadaan 470 A.H.. The second narration is that he was born on the eve of the 2nd of Ramadaan 470 A.H. The second narration
 seems to be the one more favoured amongst the learned scholars. The birth of al-Ghawth al-A’zam Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. was a great
blessing to the Ummah. It was the arrival of the Sultaanul Awliya (King of the Awliya), which had been foretold for centuries before his birth.
Sayyidah Ummul Khair Faatima r.a. was 60 years old when Shaikh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilani r.a. was born. It is widely known that women at this
age are usually incapable of having children. This alone was one of the astounding facts relating to the birth of the great Saint.

, Hazrat Umul Khair Fatima gave birth to a son in 470 Hijri during the month of  Ramadaan. The child was named Abu
 Muhammad Abdul Qadir. Abu Muhammad was his Kuniet that is the name by which he was familiarly called by relatives and neighbours.

Some of the Saints of the time of foresaw the birth of his Imam-ul-Auliya Saiyidina Abdul Qadir Jilani r.a. Hazrat Abu Bakar Bin Hawara once told some of
his  disciples that in the near future a great Wali (Saint) would be born in Ajam a non-Arab country   who would be God fearing and highly respected by
the  people of his time and thereafter. His foot will be on the neck of all Walis (Saints) and Walis of his time would testify to the truth of his claim. Another
Saint, Hazrat Ahmed Abdullah Bin Ahmed stated about 468 AH, that shortly a child would be born in Ajam whose miracles would be numerous and
whose rank among Walis (Saints) would be very high.

From the above details, it will appear that Saiyidina Abdul Qadir Jilani r.a. was a direct descendent of Hazrat Imam Hassan  (R.A) on his father's
 side. From his mother's side he descended from Saiyidina Imam Zainul Abedin son of Hazrat Imam Hussain R.A.. He was
therefore both a Hassani and Hussaini Saiyed tracing his lineage thereby to the two grandsons of Nabi Muhammad Mustafa (Sallalahu Alaihi Wa Sallam).

All the writers agree that the age of Hazrat's mother was much above the normal age of child bearing, when this great Saint of Jilan was born to her.
 Despite having taken birth in such an advanced age of his mother, he was nevertheless, possessed of all the good faculties normally expected of a
healthy child. The child was a born Wali (Saint). From the very birth, he was endowed with germs of Psychic powers. His Wilayat was obviously felt
from his infancy.
When as an infant child during the month of Ramzan, he would take his mother's milk only at night and not during
daytime. This fact has been proved on the evidence of his mother. Once the new moon of the month of fasting was not visible in the evening on account of clouds. In the morning people came to his mother to inquire whether the day was the first of Ramzan. She replied that her child did not take her milk
 during daytime, which indicated that the day was the first of Ramzan.

As a child, Saiyidina Hazrat Abdul Qadir r.a. would not play with other children. The Psychic powers, which were exhibited by him in his infancy, naturally  developed as he grew up, and were visible in all the stages of his holy life. Once the children of the vicinity, where Saiyidina Abdul Qadir with his mother
 was living, invited him to play. He led the game and asked all the children to say IL-LAL-LAH, when he would recite LA-ILAHA. This play of the children  reciting LA-ILAHA-ILLALLAH (There is no God but God) could very well show the inclination and pursuits of the Leader.

He was quiet and sober from his early childhood and was generally disposed towards contemplation. His mother and his maternal grandfather,
 who themselves were, Walis (aulia karaam) naturally gave him the training that was necessary for a Wali. It may be said, that he was brought up
in the cradle of Sufism. Whenever he thought of playing, he will hear a voice questioning him where he was going. At this, he would be frightened
and would run back to take shelter in his mother's lap.

At the age of ten, however, he attended school. The teacher would ask his fellow students to make room for the Wali of Allah to sit in the class.
He lived in Jilan up to the age of 18 years. In one day Hazrat would learn by heart as much of his lessons as others would take a week to master.
One day, he was going to the fields for an excursion. A plough bullock was ahead of him. The animal suddenly turned round and seemed to tell him
 that he was not born for the purpose of utilising his time on excursions. Frightened at this incident, he turned back to his house and climbed its roof.
With his spiritual vision, he saw vast assembly standing on Jabl-ul Arafat.

He then requested his mother to dedicate him to ALLAH (GOD) and also allows him to proceed to Baghdad, which was then famous in the Muslim
World as a great seat of learning for the acquisition of knowledge. The desire to acquire knowledge was intensely burning in the Hazrat's heart and he
overcame the love his mother, his hearth and home, for the sake of ALLAH. He was not deterred by the prospect of hardships of a long and dangerous
journey, and residence in a remote city without friends or relatives.

When his mother heard the proposal, she shed silent tears as she perceived that on account of her old age, she was not destined to see her dear son
again, whom she had brought up so carefully and tenderly, after the death of her husband long age. But the Saintly Lady would not stand in the way of his
 devotion of ALLAH.

She sewed forty dinars (Gold Coins) into his garment, so that they might not easily be lost. It was his half share of the money left by his father.
The other half was kept for his brother. He soon joined a small caravan, which was going to Baghdad.

From the time of his childhood, he had never uttered falsehood, but despite this trait of his character, his mother at the time of parting, took a vow
from him that he should not tell even one lie under any circumstances. They then parted with heavy hearts. The separation between the son and the
mother was pathetic and sublime. It was no less similar to that of the leading of Hazrat Ismail by his father, Saiyidina Hazrat Ibrahim for sacrifice under
 divine orders, as the separation in either case was not for wealth, rank or fame, but for the sake of ALLAH.

The caravan passed quite safely as far as Hamadan, but beyond that place, a gang of sixty robbers fell upon the caravan and plundered it, but none laid
 violent hands upon Hazrat Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani  Rahmatullahi Alayhi, taking him to be a penniless, religious youth. One robber however, questioned him whether he had anything with him.
He readily said he had forty dinars sewed into his garment. The man took it as a joke and went away. Another robber also asked the same question
from Hazrat Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani  Rahmatullahi Alayhi, and on receiving the same reply, moved off. They reported the incident to the leader of the gang, who ordered the production
of they youth before him. Accordingly, when he was taken before the gang leader, he said the same thing, which he had stated before.
The garment was then cut open and the forty dinars were found.

On seeing the "dinars" the leader was astounded and asked Hazrat Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani  Rahmatullahi Alayhi what had made him to tell the truth when he knew that he too would be robbed.
He replied that he had promised his mother not to tell a lie under any circumstances. Hazrat Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani  Rahmatullahi Alayhi  added that if he had told a lie on the very first stage of his
 journey undertaken for the sake of acquiring knowledge of religion, he would obviously have no chance of acquiring any real knowledge of religion at
 subsequent stages of his career. Upon this, the robber realizing the felonous life he and his companions lad led, burst into tears and said that he had
been breaking the commands of God throughout his life, while a youth was so conscientiously fulfilling his vow made to his mother.

By placing his hands upon the hands of Hazrat Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani  Rahmatullahi Alayhi, the leader of the robbers solemnly vowed to give up robbery. The other robbers also followed their leader
 and repented. The robbed belongings were returned to their owners. The conversion of the gang of robbers was not only due to Hazrat's Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani  Rahmatullahi Alayhi strict
adherence to truth but to his psychic powers also. Most of the authorities are of the opinion that this incident showed the greatness of Syedina Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani  Rahmatullahi Alayhi,
in the making. Had his nature not been truthful in origin, such a courageous and unwavering stand for truth, even in the face of such heavy odds,  would not have been possible for him.



In Baghdad, Hazrat studied several subjects, under many famous Savants of Islam. He studied Fiqah under Qazi Abu Saeed Mubarak bin Mokarrimi,
Abu Ofa Ali Bin Aqil and very many other learned teachers. He learned Hadith and his teachers included the famous Abu Ghalib Ahmed and Abu Qasim
Ali. He acquired proficiency in Arabic literature under the learned Abu Zakaria Yahya Tabrizi, who was at that time the principal of Madrasa Nizami.

During his stay in Baghdad, he established, by his conduct, that he was truthful and extremely charitable. During his stay, although he had to endure  great hardships, by dint of the natural talents and devotion, he very soon became the Master of Quran, Fiqh, Hadith and Arabic literature, with all its
connected branches.

He was once teaching Quran and a verse was erad. Several interpretations of the verse citing previous interpretations were quoted. In addition to these
interpretations, so many other aspects and meanings of the verse were explained in detail, that Sheikh Jamal-din bin Jowzi, who was amongst the
audience and was himself a renowned author of his time, admitted to a companion of his, that he knew of only eleven out of the forty different
explanations of the verse given by Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani  Rahmatullahi Alayhi( Hazrat Ghosul Azam.).

In 521 Hijri, Hazrat Abu Saeed Mubarik Bin Mokarrimi made over his Madrasa to Saiydina Abdul Qadir, In the beginning, there were only very few students;
but soon his fame for learning, piety, inner illumination, veracity, and strict adherence to Shariat spread far and wide and people from all over the world
began to flock round him to reap the benefits of his lectures and sermons. Gradually the existing building proved too small for the ever-increasing students,
and in 528 AH, adjacent houses had to be acquired. For thirty-three years between 528 and 561, he devoted himself to the cause of Education. He himself
taught Muslim Law, commentaries on the Quran, Hadith, Syntax (grammar) and other Islamic subjects. Students from every part of Iraq and all over the
Muslim world came to his Madrasa, where they received free education with boarding and lodging provided.

After completing their course of studies, these students either returned to their own countries or went to some other lands in order to spread the
knowledge and virtues acquired from the Hazrat. Education thus spread throughout Iraq and other Muslim Countries to achieve Saiyidina's sole object
of the revival of Islam. Most of his students later became famous Saints and Savants of Islam. Among them were Sheikh Ali bin Hiti-a- Qutub of his time .
 Sheikh Baqir bin Batu, the head of the Autad, Sheikh Shahabuddin Umar Suharwardy the author of the well known book on Sufism, Awarif-ul-Maarif
 and Head of the Suharwardy Order, Sheikh Abdul Hassan the famous preacher of Egypt and very many others.

As a student, when he was engaged in his studies he did not neglect his efforts to attain spiritual perfection. He therefore, often resorted to fasting and
 would not ask for food from any one, even if he had to go without any meal for days together.

Farmudat (Gems of Wisdom)

    * Divine Maarfut is acquired only through following the Sunnah (path of the Holy Prophet - S.A.W.);
     
    * Observance of the life of Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be on him) is a way to achieve Love of Allah;
     
    * A person who doesn't offer pray is like dead;
     
    * If uniformity and unity through Sharia'h is developed in our inner and outer life then it can lead us towards singularity and unity of Muslim World;
     
    * The message of Aowlyia is uncontaminated with hatred, friction, prejudice, and strife, on the contrary, their message is totally based on love and kindness,
that is why, their efforts can create unity in Muslim World if they fulfill their right role and they can provide revolutionary service to Islam and the Muslim
 World up to the level that cannot be achieved by any other group;
     
    * You want to be a Pir, a Qutub, a Ghous, then go somewhere else and if you want to be a good muslim(servant of Allah) then come here;
     
    * If heart is filled with duplicity, jealousy, hate, hypocrisy one cannot get reward of his good deeds;
    

 the signs of tawakkul and supports his position with the example of Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani  r.a.

“The one whose reliance is sincere has three marks. The first is that he neither has hopes in nor fears other than God. The sign of this is that he
 upholds the truth in the presence of those in whose regard people usually have hope or fear, such as princes and rulers. The second is that worrying
about his sustenance never enters his heart, because of his confidence in God’s guarantee, so that his heart is as tranquil when in need as when his
need is fulfilled, or even more. The third is that his heart does not become disturbed in fearful situations, knowing that that which has missed him could
never have struck him, and that which has struck him could never have missed him. An example of this was related of  ‘Abdal-Qadir al-Jilani, r.a.
may God spread his benefit. He was once discoursing on Destiny when a great viper fell on him, so that his audience panicked. The viper coiled itself
 around the shaykh’s neck, then entered one of his sleeves and came out from the other while he remained firm and unperturbed, and did not interrupt
 his discourse”. (Risalat u’l Mu’awanah, The Book of Assistance, translated by Dr. Mostafa al-Badawi, p. 121-122).

This incident demonstrates that Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani r.a. was matchless in a very special way. It also reminds us about the following verses of the
Holy Qur’an on the awliya Allah (friends of Allah):

Surely, on the friends of Allah, there is no fear, nor do they grieve. Those who believed and guarded (against evil). For them are glad tidings in this world’s
life and in the Hereafter; there is no changing the words of Allah; that is the Supreme Triumph. (10:62-64)

It has been narrated in the biographies of Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani that once he saw a dazzling light which filled the whole sky.
Then a human frame appeared in it and told him he was his lord and that he had made everything that was prohibited in Islam lawful for him.
Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani recognized him as the devil and told him to get lost. Then the sky turned dark and the human frame fizzled out into smoke.
Following this, Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani heard someone say to him that he had misled seventy people in this way but that his knowledge and piety
had saved him. To this the Shaykh responded that it was through the Grace of Allah that he had been saved! The machinations of shaytan could
 obviously never make Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani abandon the shari’a (sacred Muslim law).
..................Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir Jilani  ra ( some of his saying).......
   ON ENVY.

"Your envy of your neighbour invites the following comparison: A man sees a king with all his might, his armies and his entourage,
his possession and control of vast estates, from which he collects taxes and extracts revenue. He sees the king enjoying all kinds of luxuries,
pleasures and gratifications, but he does not envy him any of this. Then he sees a dog acting as a servant to one of the king's dogs, standing,
squatting, barking, and being given leftovers and scraps of food from the royal kitchen, on which he subsists. The man starts to envy this dog,
becomes hostile toward it, wishes death and destruction upon it and wants to take its place, for mean and petty reasons, not in a spirit of asceticism,
religious piety and humble contentment. Was there ever a man more foolish, stupid and ignorant?"


ON PRAYER.

"Be well-behaved, practice patience, contentment and harmony with your Lord, and repent for your resentment against Him and of your suspicion of
Him where His action is concerned. In the Lord's presence there is no room for demanding payment in full and exacting retaliation where there is no
offence, nor for recourse to natural instinct, as is usual in mutual relations between His servants. He is absolutely alone from all eternity, existing
before all things. He created them, and He created their benefits and disadvantages. He knows their beginning, their end and their fulfillment. He is wise
 in His working and sure in His craftsmanship. There is no inconsistency in what He does. He does nothing uselessly and creates nothing as a futile game.
There can be no question of criticizing or reproaching Him for His deeds.

You should therefore wait for relief, if you are too weak to comply with Him and to submit to His action gladly, until the prescript of destiny expires.
Then the situation will yield to its opposite with the passage of time and the consummation of the course of events, as winter runs its course and
yields to summer, and as night comes to an end and yields to day. If you ask for the light of day between the first two watches of the night, it will
not be given to you. Indeed the night will get even darker, until the darkness reaches its climax, then dawn breaks and the day comes with its light,
whether you ask for this and want it, or say nothing about it and even dislike it. Should you now ask for the night to be brought back, your request will
go unanswered and you will not get what you want, because you have asked for something at the wrong moment and time. You will therefore be left sorry,
deprived, resentful and disappointed. So give all this up and practice compliance, thinking well of your Lord and graceful patience. For what is yours will not
 be snatched from you, and what is not yours will not be given to you. By my life, you pray and make supplication to your Lord, offering humble entreaties
 as an act of worship and obedience in keeping with His commandment: "Call upon Me and I will answer you"[40:60] and His words: "Ask Allah of
His bounty" [4:32], as well as other verses and traditions. You pray, and He will answer you at the appropriate moment and appointed time, when He wills,
 when it is to your advantage in this world and the hereafter, and when it coincides with His decree and the end of the term set by Him."


ON PASSING BEYOND CREATION: ANNIHILATION.

"Become extinct to all created beings by Allah's leave, to your passionate desire by His command: In Allah put your trust if you are true believers. [5:23],
and to your own will by his action. Then you will be fit to receive the knowledge of Allah.
Allah has said: I am with those who are broken-hearted on My account. So Allah will not be with you until you totally disown your desire and your will.
When these are broken, and you contain nothing stable or useful, Allah will create you afresh and install in you a new power of will for you to exercise.
If any element of self creeps into this newly created will, however, the Lord will smash it again. You will always be left broken-hearted, because He will
repeat this process until the book of destiny ends with union. This is the meaning of: I am with those who are broken-hearted on My account. When
we speak of an element of self creeping in, we mean that you become sure and self-confident in relation to the new will.

"So through Me he hears, through Me he sees, and through Me he understands."
This comes about in the state of annihilation and no other. When you become extinct in relation to yourself and to all creatures, the whole creation
being good and evil, as you likewise are good and evil, you neither hope for any good nor fear any evil therefrom. Only Allah remains, Alone as He
ever was. Good and evil are part of Allah’s plan, so He will keep you safe from His evil, and will immerse you in the oceans of His good. You will
become the receptacle of all that is good, a stronghold for every blessing, happiness and joy, a beacon of security and peace.
Annihilation is therefore the aim and object, the final destination of the journey of the saints. This was the direction sought by all previous saints and
Abdaal: to become extinct to their own will, and let the will of the Almighty and Glorious Truth take its place, as a permanent transformation, lasting
until death. That is why they came to be called Abdaal [Substitutes] {may Allah be well pleased with them all}.

When you die to the created world, you will be told: Allah have mercy on you! May He now let you die to passionate desire. When you die to your
passionate desire, you will be told: Allah have mercy on you! May He now let you die to your willing and wishing. When you die to your will, you will
 be told: Allah have mercy on you! May He now restore you to a life beyond which there is no death."


THE ESSENTIAL TASKS OF EVERY TRUE BELIEVER.

"Three things inevitably demand the attention of every believer under all circumstances: A commandment to be obeyed, a prohibition to be
 respected, and a Divine decree to be accepted with good grace. In even the most trivial situation, at least one of the three is bound to apply.
The believer must therefore keep his mind and feelings focused upon them, talk to himself about them, and practice the physical self-discipline
they require of him at all times."

FASTEST growing religeon

Interesting Facts About Islam;
1.Islam" means "peace through the submission to God".

2."Muslim" means "anyone or anything that submits itself to the will
of God".

3.Islam is a complete way of life that governs all facets of life:
moral, spiritual, social, political, economical, intellectual, etc.

4.Allah is not the God of Muslims only. He is the God of all people
and all creation. Just because people refer to God using different
terms does not mean that they are different gods. Spanish people refer to
God as "Dios" and French people refer to God as "Dieu", yet they are all
the same God. Interestingly, most Arab Jews and Arab Christians refer
to God as "Allah". And the word Allah in Arabic appears on the walls of
many Arab churches.

5.he Islamic concept of God is that He is loving, merciful, and
compassionate. But Islam also teaches that He is just and swift in
punishment. Nevertheless, Allah once said to Prophet Muhammad, "My mercy
prevails over my wrath." Islam teaches a balance between fear and hope,
protecting one from both complacency and despair.

6.Muslims do not believe in the concept of "vicarious atonement"
but rather believe in the law of personal responsibility. Islam teaches
that each person is responsible for his or her own actions. On the Day
of Judgment Muslims believe that every person will be resurrected and
will have to answer to God for their every word, thought, and deed.
Consequently, a practicing Muslim is always striving to be righteous

7.The word "jihad" does not mean "holy war". Instead, it means the
inner struggle that one endures in trying to submit their will to the
will of God. Some Muslims may say they are going for "jihad" when
fighting in a war to defend themselves or their fellow Muslims, but they only
say this because they are conceding that it will be a tremendous
struggle. But there are many other forms of jihad, which are more relevant to
the everyday life of a Muslim such as the struggles against laziness,
arrogance, stinginess, or the struggle against a tyrant ruler or against
the temptation of Satan, or against one's own ego, etc.

8. Zaid RadiAllahu Anhu is the only Sahabi whose name is mentioned in the
Quran (Surah Ahzaab)

9. Rasulullah (SAW) made duaa to Allah Subhanaho Wa Taala that, He strenghten Islam with Umar bin Al-Khattab or Umar bin Hisham i.e. Abu Jahl. Allah accepted the duaa in favour of Umar bin Al-Khattab (RA).

10. Abu Bakr (RA) received the title 'As-Siddeeq' on readily saying that he accepted Rasulullah (SAW)'s Night Journey (Mairaaj) to the Heavens when the Kuffar asked for his opinion.

11. Ali bin Abi Talib (RA) walked all the way from Makkah to Madeenah, at the time of Hijrah, while hiding from the pursuing Quraish.

12. Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari (RA) was blessed by Allah to be the first host of Rasulullah (SAW) in Madeenah.

13. Rasulullah (SAW) called Yahya (AS) son of Zakariyyah (AS) 'Shaheed bin Shaheed' meaning 'Martyr son of Martyr'.

14. Uthman bin Affan (RA) did not fight in the battle of Badr as he stayed home to take care of his sick wife Ruqayyah (RA), daughter of Rasulullah (SAW). She died shortly before Madeenah received the news of Victory for the Muslims in the battlefield.

15. All of Rasulullah (SAW)'s children died before him except for his daughter, Fatimah (RA).

16. Amr bin Thabit (RA) became a muslim during the battle of Uhud, and died as a martyr in the same battle. When asked about him, Rasulullah (SAW) said that he was from the People of Paradise, even though he had not prayed a single salaah.

17. Zaid bin Harith (RA) accompanied Rasulullah (SAW)when he went Taif.
18. The cause of Abu Lahab's death was the wife of his brother Abbas (RA), Umul-Fadl (RA). on hearing about the defeat of non-muslims at Badr, he started abusing a muslim servant, so she took a log and hit him, which caused his skull to crack. He died a few days later because of it.

19. Ameer ul Mumineen Uthman RA. had given the duty of collecting and compiling the first holy Quran to Zaid Ibn Thaabit RA., who fulfilled it by the help of other companions and off course the help of Allah. Zaid RA. once said that "By Allah, if they had asked me to move a whole mountain from its place, it would have been easier than the task of compiling the Quran which they ordered me to fulfill".

20. Abdullah Ibn Masood RA. was the first Muslim to read the Quran publicly near the Kaaba in Makkah, after the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Waa Sallam.

21. Bilaal RA./was an African. His name was Bilal ibn Rabah, or Bilal the Abyssinian... was the first Muezzin chosen by RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam.

22. RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam had four daughters ZAINAB, RUQQAYYAH, UMM KULTHOOM AND FATIMA RadiAllahu Taala Anhun and three sons QASIM, TAYYAB OR TAHIR, AND IBRAHIM, but all the sons died in their infancy.

23. Did you know that the original name of the holy city of Madinah was "YATHRIB"

24. Rasool Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallams' father's name was ABDULLAH and his mother's name was AAMINAH.

25. Khadijah RadiAllahu Anha was the first person and the first woman to take shahada and accept Mohammad Sallallahu alaihi Wa Sallam as the Prophet and Messenger of Allah, followed by Zaid Bin Haritha RA., Ali Ibn Abi Talib RA. and Abu Bakar Siddique RA.

26. The first Hafiz of Quran was Uthman bin Affan (RA, offcourse after RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam.

27. Ali RadiAllahu Anhu Said that he heard The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam say "TALHA(RA) AND ZUBAIR(RA) ARE MY NEIGHBORS IN PARADISE"

28. Did you know that Rasoolallah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam performed only one Hajj in his lifetime.

29. Usamah Bin Zaid(RA) was the son of Zaid Bin Harith(RA)and his wife Barakah(RA)(known also by the name of Umm Ayman(RA))

30. If all Quraans in the world today were destroyed, the original Arabic would still remain, because millions of Muslims, called Huffaz have memorized the text of the Quraan letter for letter from beginning to end, every word and syllable. Also, chapters from the Qur'an are precisely recited from memory by every Muslim in each of the five daily prayers.

31. The Islamic calender is based on the phases of the moon, with it being approximately 11 days shorter than the 365 days of the year in the Georgian calender. Hence, the dates of our festivals (Eid -ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha) move through the year.

32. Adam Alayhis salam was approximately 30 Ziraa tall. Ziraa is a measurement and one Ziraa is approximately half a metre.

33. The Majority of muslims do not live in the middle East. The most populous muslim country is Indonesia, the 4th largest country in the world with approximately 184 million muslims

34. The splitting of the Moon was was one of the greatest miracle of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa sallam. When Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) was 52 years old, the leaders of the disbelievers of the Quraish tribe came to him and said, "If you are a Prophet, then split the moon into two parts." Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) dearly wanted the people to convert to Islam, especially his close friends and relatives. He prayed, raising up his hands, and the moon split into two equal halves. Each part of the moon was seen above different mountains. The disbelievers said, "Muhammad (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) has performed magic." They did not accept Islam.

35. The Ummah of Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam), are more than that of all the Ummahs of all the other Ambiya put together.

36. It is obligatory on every Muslim to love Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi wasallam). The sign of love for him is to adapt his way of life and always remember him.

37. According to the Qur'an, the Kaaba was first built by the Ibrahim Alaihi Salaam and and his son Ismail Alaihi Salaam.

38. Muslims do not worship the Kaaba; the Kaaba is simply a focal point for prayer ordered by Allah Subhanaho Wa Taala..

39. Prominent Kuffar like Abu Jahl would secretly listen to the verses of the Holy Quran because they were fascinated by it.

40.According to Islamic governments there are over 1.2 billion Muslims in the world today. The Muslim population of Russia alone is over 50 million. In other words, at least one out of every six persons in the world is Muslim, which is one of the reasons why

41.the name “Muhammad” is the most common name in the world...

42.At least one of Prophet Muhammad’s wives was African. Her name was Maria the Copt. Two of the Prophet’s wives were Jewish...their names were Raihanah and Safiyah...

43.Albania is the only European country whose population is over 90% Muslim. It is on the Adriatic Sea, and borders Greece and Yugoslavia...

44.Former pop star Cat Stevens is an Islamic scholar currently living in England. His Muslim name is Yusuf Islam.
and loads of people ther are lots of popular people who converted too!

45.To find the Gregorian equivalent to any Muslim calendar date (i.e., 1 Muharram of any year), multiply 970,224 by the Muslim year, point off six decimals, and add 621.5774. The whole number will be the Gregorian year and the decimal multiplied by 365.24 will be the first day of the Muslim year.

46.The Majority of Muslims do not live in the middle East. The most populous muslim country is Indonesia, the 4th largest country in the world with 184 million muslims. There are more muslims in India than the combined population of Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine and the whole of the Arabian Peninsula.

47.The following English words are borrowed from Arabic: Algebra, Zero, Cotton, Sofa, Rice, Candy, Safron, Balcony. And even 'alchohol' derives from Arabic : al-kuhl meaning powder. These are just a few mentioned here.

48.The first treatise on smallpox and measles was written by Abu Bakr alrazi (c.864-925,known to Europe as Rhazes). (Due to this) Inoculation agianst smallpox became a common practise in muslim lands. Despite this , Scientific text book credit the invention of a smallpox vaccine to Edward Jenner.(1749-1823).

49.Early Oxbridge students studied books written by muslims on mathematics, medicine, chemistry, optics and astronomy.

50.Adelard of Bath (a city in the UK) was a leading scholar of the middle ages. what made him famous was translating the word of muslim scientists from Arabic to Latin!

51.The 1860 city records of Cardiff (UK) show a masjid in operation in a converted building at 2 Glynrhondda St. Yemani sea men on their trips between Aden (in Yemen) and Cardiff founded this masjid.

52.The first purpose built masjid is claimed to be in Woking (South of England) with money provided by the ruler of Bhopal, in India (the Shah Jehan masjid was built in 1889).

53.The grand doors of our prophets (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) masjid in Medina weigh 2 and half tonnes each! Enormous quantities of "sag wood" was gathered from all over the world and shipped to the united kingdom to be dryed in computerised furnaces (the traditional drying process would have taken many years!). Even then , it took 5 months to dry the wood! the wood was then shipped to Barcelona (Spain), Where the main body of the doors where made. And finally the French even paid their little part, as the brass ornamentation was carried out in the city of Roi (France). Next time you visit the holy masjid, keep this entirely in mind!

54.# It was only in 1932 the Kiswah (cloth of the Ka'bah) was wholly made by Saudis (citizens of Saudi Arabia).

55.The roof top of our Prophet's (SalAllahu alayhi wasalam) masjid in Madina is designed to be strong enough to carry addtional floors in the future.

56.Some verses in the Koran refer to man being equal to woman. Mathematically, the number of times the word "man" appears in the Koran is 24. The number of times the word "woman" appears in the Koran is also 24.

57. The Holy Quran has 30 parts

58.The Holy Quran has 114 surahs

59.Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Raheem is repeated 114 times in the Quran.

60.All except for Surat “Al Tawbah” start with Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem.and Surat “Al Namel, No. 27” has Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Raheem in its body

61.Al-Baqarah is the longest surah in the Quran while Al-Kawthar is the shortest surah in the Quran

62.Milk is the best drink mentioned in the Quran while, Honey is the best food thing mentioned in the Quran

63.The best month is Ramadan while,The best night is the Night of Power in Ramadan (Laylat al Qadr)

64.Islam is a monotheistic religion based on revelations received by the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century,
which were later recorded in the Qur'an (Koran), Islam's sacred text. The faith spread
rapidly and today Islam is the second largest religion in the world. The Arabic word
islam means "submission," reflecting the religion's central tenet of submitting to the
will of God. Islamic practices are defined by the Five Pillars of Islam: faith, prayer,
fasting, pilgrimage and alms.

65.Quran was revealed over 23 years: 13 in Mecca and 10 in Madina!

66.Surat Al-Dahr was revealed in respect to Ahlul Bayt (P)

67.Surat Al Nissa speaks about laws of marriage

68.Whoever reads one letter of the Quran gets 10 Rewards.Surat Al-Ikhlas is considered 1/3 of the Quran

69.Reading 1 verse in Ramadan is equal to reading the entire Quran in other months

70.Ramadan is the Spring of the Holy Quran

71.The Quran will intercede for people who recited it on Judgment Day

72.The Quran will complain of people who didn’t recite it on Judgment Day

73.Summiyyah RadiAllahu Anha mother of Ammar RadiAllahu Anhu and wife of Yassir RadiAllahu anhu was the first to meet martyrdom for the cause of Islam.
She was killed by Abu Jahl the enemy of Islam.

74.Two of the Ummahatul Mu'mineen (Mothers of the Ummah), (RasoolAllah Sallallahu Wa Sallam' wives) died before him, they are Khadija RadiAllahu Anha and Zainab Bint Khuzaimah RadiAllahu Anha.

75.Salmaan Farsi RadiAllahu Anhu was the one who suggested to RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam about digging a trench around the city of Madina at the time of the battle of Khandakh (trench)

76.Rasulullah (SAW) made duaa to Allah Subhanaho Wa Taala that, He strenghten Islam with Umar bin Al-Khattab or Umar bin Hisham i.e. Abu Jahl. Allah accepted the duaa in favour of Umar bin Al-Khattab (RA).

77.Rasulullah (SAW) called Yahya (AS) son of Zakariyyah (AS) 'Shaheed bin Shaheed' meaning 'Martyr son of Martyr'.

78.Zaid bin Harith (RA) accompanied Rasulullah (SAW)when he went Taif.

79.Khadijah RadiAllahu Anha was the first person and the first woman to take shahada and accept Mohammad Sallallahu alaihi Wa Sallam as the Prophet and Messenger of Allah, followed by Zaid Bin Haritha RA., Ali Ibn Abi Talib RA. and Abu Bakar Siddique RA.

80.Ali RadiAllahu Anhu Said that he heard The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam say "TALHA(RA) AND ZUBAIR(RA) ARE MY NEIGHBORS IN PARADISE"
81.Muslims do not worship the Kaaba; the Kaaba is simply a focal point for prayer ordered by Allah Subhanaho Wa Taala..

82.The Zam Zam well came into existance at the time of prophets Ibrahim and Ismail (alayhum salam). It then "dissapeared" for nearly 26 centuries (2600 years) due to the certain events and was rediscovered and dug by the grandfather of our beloved prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam). The location of the well was revealed to him in a dream.

83.The black stone (as it is known), Cannot really be described in full, because the parts we touch with our hands and "Kiss" , are eight small pieces, the biggest of which is the size of a date.

84.Narrated 'Abdullah bin Mas'us: "The Prophet (saw) recited Surah An Najm (No. 53) at Makkah and prostrated while reciting it and those who were with him did the same except an old man who took a handful of small stones or earth and lifted it to his forehead and said, This is sufficient for me. Later on, I saw him killed as a disbeliever." [Hadeeth 569, al Tajrid al Sarih, Sahih Bukhari]

85. and it's the FASTEST growing religeon according to many sources...it is projected that Islam will be the #1 religeon by the year 2030. INSHALLAH

86. Did you know that the Prophet (PBuH) went up to the sky..

87.Summiyyah RadiAllahu Anha mother of Ammar RadiAllahu Anhu and wife of Yassir RadiAllahu anhu was the first to meet martyrdom for the cause of Islam. She was killed by Abu Jahl the enemy of Islam.

88.The 10 Sahabah who were promised Paradise during their lifetime were Abubakr Siddique, Umar bin Khattab, Uthman bin Affan, Ali bin Abi Talib, Talha Bin Ubaidullah, Saeed Bin Zaid, Abu Ubaidah Bin Jarrah, Zubair bin Awwam, Saad Bin Abi Waqqas, and Abdur Rahman Bin Auf RadiAllahu Anhum Ajmaeen.

89..Did you know that Imam Bokhari Rahmatullah Alaih compiled his collection of 7,275 Ahadith by selection from 600,000. Before writing each Hadith he would make 2 Rakaat nafl Salaat.

90.Ammar RadiAllahu Anhu Built the First Masjid at the request of RasoolAllah Alaihi Wa Sallam. It was the Masjid in Quba.

91.Prior to 2001 most reports seem to have the number roughly around 25,000 American converts per year

92.Two of the Ummahatul Mu’mineen (Mothers of the Ummah), (RasoolAllah Sallallahu Wa Sallam’ wives) died before him, they are Khadija RadiAllahu Anha and Zainab Bint Khuzaimah RadiAllahu Anha.

93.The Holy Qur'an has no flaws or contradictions. The original
Arabic scriptures have never been changed or tampered with.(**obviously**)

94.Salmaan Farsi RadiAllahu Anhu was the one who suggested to RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam about digging a trench around the city of Madina at the time of the battle of Khandakh (trench)

94.Islam is not "spread by the sword". It is spread by the word
(Islamic teachings) and the example of its followers. Islam teaches that
there is no compulsion in religion (the Holy Qur'an 2:256 and 10:99).

95.Abdullah Ibn Zubair (RA) was the first baby boy to be born after Hijrah. His Father was Zubair (RA) and his mother was Asma (RA). His aunt (mother's sister) was none other than Ummul Mu'mineen Aaiysha (RA) and his grand father was Abu Bakr Siddique (RA)

96.Muslim women wear the head covering (hijab) in fulfillment of
God's decree to dress modestly. From a practical standpoint, it serves to
identify one as attempting to follow God in daily life and, therefore,
protects women from unwanted advances from men. Righteous women
throughout history have worn this type of modest dress. Prominent examples are
traditional Catholic Nuns, Mother Teresa and the Virgin Mary, mother of
Jesus.

97.Interestingly, the inside of the Kaaba is empty.

98.Hindus believe that inside the Kabba, ther is 1 of their Gods:asta ig:called shiva lingam ( lol lol lol) and if you look up what lingam means ,you will be shocked!!!!

99.English translations of the Quran head the American best-seller list...

100. The word "jihad" does not mean "holy war". Instead, it means the
inner struggle that one endures in trying to submit their will to the
will of God. Some Muslims may say they are going for "jihad" when
fighting in a war to defend themselves or their fellow Muslims, but they only
say this because they are conceding that it will be a tremendous
struggle. But there are many other forms of jihad, which are more relevant to
the everyday life of a Muslim such as the struggles against laziness,
arrogance, stinginess, or the struggle against a tyrant ruler or against
the temptation of Satan, or against one's own ego, etc.

Religious law.--- ('iddah)

Widow observing ‘iddah going out due to necessity

Praise be to Allaah.

The ‘iddah of a woman whose husband has died is four months and ten days, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And those of you who die and leave wives behind them, they (the wives) shall wait (as regards their marriage) for four months and ten days”

[al-Baqarah 2:234]

This period begins when the husband dies, and ends when the time is over, whether the wife adheres to the rulings on mourning or not,
and whether she knows of her husband’s death or not. When four months and ten days have passed from the time of his death,
then her ‘iddah ends.

The scholars are unanimously agreed that the ‘iddah of a free Muslim woman
who is not pregnant is four months and ten days from the death of her husband, whether the marriage had been consummated or not, and whether she was an adult who had reached puberty or very young and had not yet reached puberty. That is because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And those of you who die and leave wives behind them, they (the wives) shall wait (as regards their marriage)
 for four months and ten days.”

 The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “it is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allaah and the Last Day
to mourn for any one who dies for more than three days, except for a husband, four months and ten days.” Agreed upon.

 The woman whose husband dies must observe ‘iddah for four months and ten days
if she is not pregnant. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And those of you who die and leave wives behind them, they (the wives)
shall wait (as regards their marriage) for four months and ten days”. That starts from the date of death. If a woman deliberately does not observe
mourning then she is sinning, and she has to repent and seek forgiveness. End quote.

It also says (20/481): The ‘iddah for one whose husband dies is four months and ten days immediately following the death, and until giving birth
if she is pregnant. So long as your mother did not observe mourning during the appointed time due to ignorance or for some other reason, then
she does not have to offer expiation, but she has to repent and seek forgiveness, and recite a lot of dhikr.

Thirdly:

A woman who is observing iddah following her husband’s death may go out of the house during the day to meet her needs, such as dealing with
government procedures if there is no one who can do that for her. But at night she should not go out except in cases of necessity.

 The woman who is observing 'iddah may go out and do errands
during the day, whether she is divorced or widowed, because of the report narrated by Jaabir who said: My maternal aunt was thrice divorced and she went out to harvest her palm trees. A man met her and told her not to do that. She mentioned that to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he said: “Go out and harvest your palm trees; perhaps you will give some of it
in charity or do some good.” Narrated by al-Nasaa’i and Abu Dawood. 

Mujahid narrated: Some men were martyred on the day of Uhud and their wives came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
and said: O Messenger of Allaah, we feel scared at night; can we stay in the house of one of our number, then in the morning we will go to our
own houses? The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Chat together in the house of one of your number,
then when you want to sleep, each one should go to her own house.” She does not have the right to stay overnight anywhere but in her own house,
or to go out at night, except in cases of necessity, because night is a time of suspicion, unlike the day, which is the time when people go
 about their errands and earn a living, and buy what they need. End quote.

 The basic principle is that a woman should mourn in the house of her husband where
he died,
and she should not go out except in cases of need or necessity, such as going to the hospital if she falls sick or buying what she needs from
the marketplace such as bread and the like, if she does not have anyone who can do that.

........... There is consensus among Muslims about the general necessity of

 'iddah. Its basis is the Qur'an and the Sunnah. As to the Qur'an,
The Hanafi, the Maliki and the Hanbalí  schools state: If the husband secludes with her without consummating the marriage and then divorces her, she will have to observe 'iddah,
exactly as if consummation had occurred.    
the Sháfi`ís  observe: Seclusion has no effect. (the distinction between
revocable and irrevocable divorce,)
 The maximum period of gestation is two years according to the Hanafís, four years according to the Sháfi`ís  and the Hanbalís,
and five years according to the Málikís, as mentioned by al-Fiqh 'ala al madhahib al-'arba'ah. In al-Mughni, it is narrated from Maalik to be four years.
A pregnant woman cannot menstruate according to the Hanafi and the Hanbalí  schools. , the Sháfi`í and the

Maliki schools
 allow the possibility of its occurrence.    

2. She will observe an 'iddah of three lunar months if she is: an adult divorcee who has not yet menstruated or a divorcee who has reached
the age of menopause.9 This age is seventy years according to the Málikís, fifty years according to the Hanbalís, fifty-five years according to
 the Hanafís, sixty-two years according to the Sháfi`ís ,


            All the schools of thought concur that the widow must mourn her husband regardless of her being old or young and Muslims or non-Muslim. 
Except the Hanafís who went to exclude the young and Dhimmiyyah because they are not considered religiously responsible.

            The Mourning (Hidaad) is defined as the substinance of the grieving woman from using all sorts of beauty features that would make her
desired by the observers.  The details of that was discussed by the people of religious law.


            The Maliki and the Sháfi`í schools state:
She shall continue to observe the 'iddah of divorce without changing over to the 'iddah of widowhood.   

            According to the Hanafi and the Hanbalí  schools, she shall change over to the 'iddah of widowhood.   

            In short, a revocable divorcee will start observing the 'iddah of widowhood if the Divorcer dies before
the termination of her 'iddah of divorce, and an irrevocable divorce will continue to observe the 'iddah of divorce, as per the concurrence of all the schools except the Hanafi and the \anbalí , who exclude an irrevocable divorcee if the divorce takes place
 during the divorcer's mortal illness without her consent.

Anger is a completely normal

We all know what anger is, and we've all felt it: whether as a fleeting annoyance or as full-fledged rage.

Anger is a completely normal, usually healthy, human emotion. But when it gets out of control and turns destructive,
it can lead to problems—problems at work, in your personal relationships, and in the overall quality of your life.
And it can make you feel as though you're at the mercy of an unpredictable and powerful emotion

ANGER AND WRATH.

When someone is angry, mad, and reaches a state of having wrath against any person,
he should make a special Du'a. In doing so he will cool down . It is reported that the
Messenger of Allah    said ( narrated by Sulaiman Ibn Sard and reported by Bukhari and Muslim )
 that while Sulaiman was  with the Prophet ( MUHAMMAD), two persons were blaming each other.
The face of one became red and his jugular veins swelled. the Prophet ( Muhammad) said.
I know a statement if he or she say's it then the person with anger will cool down.
The person with anger  should say :  "I  SEEK REFUGE IN ALLAH FROM SATAN THE OUTCAST."

The Causes of Anger and It's Medicine
From Imam Ghazali's book "Ihyaa Uloom ad Deen"
(The revival of religious teachings)

Know, O dear readers, that the medecine of a disease is to remove the
root cause of that disease. Isa (Jesus Christ) -peace be upon him-
was once asked: "What thing is difficult?" He said: "God's wrath."
Prophet Yahya (John the Baptist) -peace be upon him- then asked:
"What thing takes near the wrath of God?" He said:"Anger". Yahya -
peace be upon him- asked him:"What thing grows and increases anger?"
Isa -peace be upon him- said:"Pride, prestige, hope for honour and
haughtiness"

The causes which cause anger to grow are self-conceit, self-praise,
jests and ridicule, argument, treachery, too much greed for too much
wealth and name and fame. If these evils are united in a person, his
conduct becomes bad and he cannot escape anger.

So these things should be removed by their opposites. Self-praise is
to be removed by modesty. Pride is to be removed by one's own origin
and birth, greed is to be removed by remaining satisfied with
necessary things, and miserliness by charity.

The prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "A strong man is not
he who defeats his adversary by wrestling, but a strong man is he who
controls himself at the time of anger."

We are describing below the medecines of anger after one gets angry.
The medecine is a mixture of knowledge and action. The medecine based
on knowledge is of six kinds:

(1) The first medecine of knowledge is to think over the rewards of
appeasing anger, that have come from the verses of the Quran and the
sayings of the Prophet (pbuh). Your hope for getting rewards of
appeasing anger will restrain you from taking revenge.

(2) The second kind of medecine based on knowledge is to fear the
punishment of God and to think that the punishment of God upon me is
greater than my punishment upon him. If I take revenge upon this man
for anger, God will take revenge upon me on the Judgement Day.

(3) The third kind of medecine of anger based on knowledge is to take
precaution about punishment of enemity and revenge on himself. You
feel joy in having your enemy in your presence in his sorrows, You
yourself are not free from that danger. You will fear that your enemy
might take revenge against you in this world and in the next.

(4) Another kind of medecine based on knowledge is to think about the
ugly face of the angry man, which is just like that of the ferocious
beast. He who appeases anger looks like a sober and learned man.

(5) The fifth kind of medecine based on knowledgeis to think that the
devil will advise by saying: " You will be weak if you do not get
angry!" Do not listen to him!

(6) The sixth reason is to think: " What reason have I got to get
angry? What Allah wishes has occured!"

Medecine based on action

When you get angry, say: I seek refuge in God from the accursed evil
(A'oudhou billaahi min as shaytaan ir rajeem). The prophet (pbuh)
ordered us to say thus.

When Ayesha (RA) got angry, he dragged her by the nose and said: " O
dear Ayesha, say: O God, you are the Lord of my prophet Muhammad,
forgive my sins and remove the anger from my heart and save me from
misguidance."

If anger does not go by this means, you will sit down if you are
standing, lie down if you are sitting, and come near to earth, as you
have been created of earth. Thus make yourself calm like the earth.
The cause of wrath is heat and its opposite is to lie down on the
ground and to make the body calm and cool.

The prophet (pbuh) said: Anger is a burning coal. Don't you see your
eyebrows wide and eyes reddish? So when one of you feels angry, let
him sit down if standing, and lie down if sitting.

If still anger does not stop, make ablution with cold water or take a
bath, as fire cannot be extinguished without water.

The prophet (pbuh) said : " When one of you gets angry, let him make
ablution with water as anger arises out of fire." In another
narration, he said:" Anger comes from the devil and the devil is made
of fire."

Hazrat Ali (RA) said:
The prophet did not get angry for any action of the world. When any
true matter charmed him, nobody knew it and nobody got up to take
revenge for his anger. HE GOT ANGRY ONLY FOR TRUTH.

Destiny-Freewill-Fate or Al-Qadaa and Al-Qadar

The meaning of Al-Qadaa and Al-Qadar: when mentioned separately both mean the predestination (pre-decree) of an action or event. When used together Al -Qadar refers to the pre-decree of an action or event before it occurs and Al-Qadaa refers to the act or event after it took place. If our actions are already pre-decreed, where is the free will? Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala sent Messengers to guide mankind to the truth, and we are given the choice of believing and obeying the command or rejecting the truth. Allah already knows which path we will take, as it is recorded in the Lawh Al-Mahfuz. If Al- Qadar is already written for us, what is the benefit of making Dua? The answer to this question by the scholars is that, since we know that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala is in charge of all affairs and is able to do all things, we ask Him and Him Alone when we are in need. He already knows who will ask Him and who will not and how He is going to answer our Dua. On the other hand we do not know if our Dua will be accepted, will it be answered immediately or a trial removed or differed to the Hereafter.


Destiny is Allah's perfect knowledge of all events past or future, as if a single moment. This expresses the absolute sovereignty of Allah over all beings and events. People can be aware of a certain event when they experience it. But Allah knows all events prior to their occurrence. For Allah, past, present and future are all the same. They are all within the knowledge of Allah since He is the One Who creates them.

As the verse, "Indeed, all things We created with predestination." (Surat al-Qamar: 49) also suggests, every thing in the world is part of that destiny. The majority of people do not give a moment's consideration to the nature of destiny, and, thus, fail to recognize that it is Allah's infinite might that exists behind this flawless order. Some consider that destiny encompasses only human beings. However, everything in the universe, from the furniture in your home, to a pebble on the road, or a dried-up weed, a fruit or a jar on the super-market shelf, are all part of the destiny predetermined by Allah. The fate of every created thing has been determined within the infinite wisdom of Allah.

THE REALITY OF DESTINY

Every event a person sees, and every noise he hears, are in ever instance part of a life that has been created for him as a unit. Whether major or insignificant, no event in the universe happens by coincidence. No flower either blooms or fades by chance. No man comes into existence or dies out of pure coincidence. No man becomes sick by mistake, and neither does his sickness develop in an uncontrolled manner. In each case, these occurrences are especially predestined by Allah, from the very moment they were created.


Anything that exists, within the depths of the earth or the oceans, or the fall of a single leaf, all occur in compliance with destiny, as the following verse indicates:

The keys of the Unseen are in His possession. No one knows them but Him. He knows everything in the land and sea. No leaf falls without His knowing it. There is no seed in the darkness of the earth, and nothing moist or dry which is not in a Clear Book. (Surat al-An'am: 59)


In the Qur'an, Allah informs us that even the smallest detail is predetermined by His infinite wisdom, and in accordance with a divine purpose:

Nothing occurs, either in the earth or in yourselves, without its being in a Book before We make it happen. That is something easy for Allah. (Surat al-Hadid: 22)

The fate of every thing in this universe is known by Allah, the All-Knowing, the Wise. Consequently, every detail is perfectly planned, and for a purpose and "everything is by decree" as stated by the Prophet Muhammad (saas). A person who attains full consciousness of this fact will be benefited with being pleased with every moment of his life; good times and those that seem to be bad. The reason being that His truthful servants succeed in recognizing that it is Allah who created their destiny without a flaw. They will be aware that it is ignorant to regard something as misfortune when there must necessarily be a purpose for it in Allah's sight. Such a profound comprehension of this fact enables them to discern the blessings in things that happen.


The way that people imagine that the difficulties they encounter are not created by Allah but have some other cause stems from a failure to properly understand destiny. Because every event that may seem to be a difficult is in fact a "lesson in destiny." They all need to be seen through the lens of wisdom and goodness. All events, whether they appear great or small, important or trivial, have all been created in destiny with wisdom and auspiciousness. People describe events they frequently encounter and that develop contrary to their wishes as adversities. The fact is, however, that there is wisdom and goodness in adversity, too. People imagine otherwise, but the truth is that the event takes the form it does inside destiny.

If Allah had shown the good and purpose of the apparently adverse incidents, or of the difficulties that distress and irritate people, they would understand how senseless is their disappointment. Recognizing the blessing in things, a person of faith instead feels joy, not distress. This being the case, what is incumbent on a man is that he seeks to identify the good and benefits in destiny, that is, in events that are, in reality, part of the purpose of Allah's creation, and feel appreciative of the benefit of such insight.


Fighting is prescribed for you even if it is hateful to you. It may be that you hate something when it is good for you and it may be that you love something when it is bad for you. Allah knows and you do not know.( Surat Al-Baqara,2)

From the moment a person opens his eyes to the world, it is Allah Who ordains every event that takes place in his life. Allah is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise and the All-Just. All is created by Allah in compliance with a plan, and for a divine purpose just as He says in a verse of the Qur'an, "Indeed, all things We created with predestination." (Surat al-Qamar: 49) In light of Allah's infinite might and superiority, man is merely a feeble being. Without Allah's blessings he cannot survive. Through his ability to understand and reason, man can grasp realities only to the extent that his Creator allows him. This being the case, submission to Allah's infinite wisdom and the divine purpose He had ordained in all things, is a fundamental requirement upon each and every one of us. No matter what we may experience in life, we must remain aware that Allah is the Sovereign Lord of the entire universe, that He knows, sees and hears what we cannot, that He is knowledgeable even of that which might take place or occur of which we are unaware, and thus, we are to realize that it is Allah who causes every occurrence to happen, and according to a divine purpose: for our own good.

Putting faith in this truth should inspire us with a better outlook, by which we feel grateful for everything that befalls us. In other words, a person will try to recognize the "good" in everything he hears, in every sight he sees, in every incident he experiences, in brief, in every moment of his life, and thereby, achieve a proper understanding of the meaning of this life.

Seeing the good in all events, whatever the circumstance, whether favourable or unfavourable, is an important moral quality resulting from sincere faith in Allah, and the approach to life that is brought about by such a faith. Ultimately, a grasp of this truth is important in guiding one to not only the blessings of this world, but in the hereafter, where one will find never-ending peace and bliss.


Not feeling disappointment for any thing that happens throughout the course of this life is a mark of a true understanding of the meaning of faith. Failure to see good in things that happen, being fraught with constant fear, anxiety, despair, sorrow, sentimentalism, on the other hand, indicate a lack of pure faith. This confusion must be removed promptly, and the joy emanating from unswerving faith must be accepted as a necessary part of life. A believer knows that events that might at first sight appear unfavourable, including those which he caused to happen by committing an error, will ultimately turn out beneficially for him. When he uses the words "adversity", "misfortune" or "if only...", it is only to draw a lesson from an experience. In other words, the faithful knows that there is good in whatever happens; he learns from his mistakes and seeks to correct them. However, if he were to fall into the same error again, he keeps in mind that it is all for a specific purpose, and simply resolves to "conduct himself more correctly the next time." Moreover, even if the same thing were to occur dozens of times over, a Muslim must keep in mind that ultimately it is for some good; such is the immutable law of Allah.


Only in the recognition that Allah creates everything for a certain good and a specific purpose can one's heart find peace. To have a grasp of this fact is a great blessing for a believer. A person who is distant from Islam suffers from continuous torment; he lives in constant apprehension, turning out to be an ever-present source of anxiety. A believer, on the other hand, recognizes and reveres the fact that there is a divine purpose behind Allah's creation.

Being indecisive; that is, suffering from the continuous apprehension of constantly expecting both good and evil, may become an embarrassment for a believer in the hereafter. Pleading ignorance of such a plain and obvious truth, because of carelessness or laziness, may only cause torment both in this world and beyond. We must keep in mind that destiny predetermined by Allah is entirely flawless. For a person willing to recognise the good in all things, he finds only blessings and a divine purpose, hidden within an entire complex of inter-connected events. Though he may have many other things to concern him throughout his day, a person of strong faith, who is guided by his wisdom and conscience, never allows himself to be tempted by Satan's wiles. No matter how, when, or where an event takes place, he never forgets that there is always some good behind it. Although he may not be able to recognise this good immediately, what really matters is for him to be aware that there is an ultimate purpose.

Some people, who are aware of the existence of Allah, and comprehend that it is He Who has created the entire universe. They admit the fact that it is Allah Who makes the rain fall or sun to rise. They recognize that for there to be any other cause is impossible. Yet, when it comes to incidents in the course of their lives, the minor details that form part of the usual rush of the day, they cannot help thinking that they are somehow independent of Allah. Nevertheless, it is Allah Who destines a burglar to enter one's home at night, an obstacle that caused one to fall, a plot of arable land to yield crops or to become arid, a deal to be profitable, or a saucepan to be forgotten on the stove. Every occurrence falls within the infinite wisdom of Allah, and in compliance with a sublime plan. A drop of mud that stains our trousers, a puncture in the tire, acne appearing on one's face, a disease, or some other undesirable thing to occur, are all incorporated into a person's life in accordance to a specific plan.

Nothing a person experiences in this world, from the moment he opens his eyes, is independent and apart from Allah. All existence, as a whole, is created by Allah, the only One to hold control over the universe. Allah's creation is perfect, flawless and replete with purpose. This is part of the destiny created by Allah; one must not discriminate between the incidents by attributing good to one and evil to the other. What is incumbent on a person is to recognize and appreciate the perfection in all events, and to believe with all certainty that some good lies in it, remaining conscious of the fact that, within Allah's infinite wisdom, all is designed to lead ultimately to the most perfect results. Indeed, for those who believe and recognize the goodness in all that befalls them, both this world and the beyond are part of an eternal good.

Destiny is an entirely flawless agenda developed to prepare a person for Paradise. It is replete with blessings and for a divine purpose. Each difficulty a believer faces in this world, will be the source of infinite bliss, joy and peace in the next. The verse, "For truly with hardship comes ease" (Surat ash-Sharh: 5) draws our attention to this fact; within one's destiny, the patience and courage a believer exhibits are pre-ordained together with their respective rewards in the Hereafter.

It may happen during the course of the day, that a believer would become irritated or concerned about certain things that had happened. The primary reason of the irritation he feels is his failure to remember that that very event is part of his destiny, and that it has been especially created by Allah. Though, he will be comforted and calmed when he is reminded of the purpose of Allah's creation.

This is why a believer must learn to continually keep in mind that everything is predestined, as well as remind others of this fact. He must show patience in the face of those occurrences that Allah had predestined for him, in the infinite recesses of time, put his trust in Him, and strive to recognize the reasons behind them. He who attempts to understand these reasons will, by Allah's Will, be ultimately successful. Even though he might not always be able to detect their actual purposes, he must remain assured that, when something happens, it is certainly for some good and for a purpose.

Man's only salvation is found in remembering that Allah creates every event for a divine purpose and a certain good. A believer is putting his faith in Allah in the truest sense only if he remains cognisant of this fact. He comports himself in the manner of a true servant only if he does not merely endure these situations, but is patient through them. Keeping always near to Allah, by praying and putting one's faith in Him, and expecting that everything comes from Him, is a quality particular to believers.

We cannot perceive Allah's existence with our eyes, but Allah has thoroughly encompassed our inside, outside, looks and thoughts. We cannot utter any word but with His knowledge, nor can we even take a breath.


While we watch these sensory perceptions in the course of our lives, the closest being to us is not any one of these sensations, but Allah Himself. The secret of the following verse in the Qur'an is concealed in this reality: "It was We Who created man, and We know what dark suggestions his soul makes to him: for We are nearer to him than (his) jugular vein." (Surah Qaf: 16)  When a person thinks that his body is made up of "matter", he cannot comprehend this important fact. If he takes his brain to be "himself", then the place he accepts to be the outside will be 20-30 cms away from him. However, when he conceives that there is nothing such as matter, and that everything is imagination, notions such as outside, inside, or near lose meaning. Allah has encompassed him and He is "infinitely close" to him.
Allah informs men that He is "infinitely close" to them with the verse "When My servants ask you concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them) " (Surat al-Baqara, 186) . Another verse relates the same fact: "We told thee that thy Lord doth encompass mankind round about." (Surat al-Isra, 60) .

Man is misled by thinking that the being that is closest to him is himself. Allah, in truth, is closer to us even more than ourselves. He has called our attention to this point in the verse "Why is it not then that when it (soul) comes up to the throat, and you at that time look on, We are nearer to him than you, but you see not. (Surat al-Waqia, 83-85) . As informed in the verse, people live unaware of this phenomenal fact because they do not see it with their eyes.

The verse "But Allah has created you and your handwork!" (Surat as-Saaffat, 96)  shows that everything we experience takes place under Allah's control. In the Qur'an, this reality is stated in the verse "When thou threwest, it was not thy act, but Allah's." (Surat al-Anfal, 17)  whereby it is emphasised that no act is independent of Allah. Since a human being is a shadow being, it cannot be itself which performs the act of throwing. However, Allah gives this shadow being the feeling of the self. In reality, it is Allah Who performs all acts. So, if one takes the acts he does as his own, he evidently means to deceive himself.

Everything we see around us, mountains, fields, flowers, human beings, oceans, everything, are things Allah tells us in the Qur'an that He has brought into existence from nothingness, they have been created and now exist. However, human beings cannot see, feel or touch the originals of these through their sense organs. What they see and feel are copies of these entities in their brains. That is a scientific fact, something taught today in all faculties of medicine.

Destiny is Allah's perfect knowledge of all events past or future. A majority of people question how Allah can already know events that have not yet been experienced and this leads them to fail in understanding the authenticity of destiny. However, "events not yet experienced" are not yet experienced only for us.

Because we live within the boundaries of time that Allah has created, and cannot know anything unless it is introduced to our memory.
Since, as a requirement of the climate of test in this world Allah has given us no memory of those things we refer to as the "future" and we cannot know what will happen in it.

Allah is not bound by time or space for He Himself has created them. For this reason, the past, the future, and the present are all the same to Allah; for Him, everything has already taken place and finished.

Allah does not wait to see the end result of any event. Every event has already taken place from beginning to end in His sight. For example, Allah knew the end awaiting Pharaoh before He sent the Prophet Musa (as) to him, before the Prophet Musa (as) was born, and even before the state of Egypt had even been founded, and all these things, including Pharaoh's end, took place in a single moment in the sight of Allah. Past and present constantly co-exist in the eternal memory of Allah, and all exist at the same moment.


If we think of a person's life as a strip of film, we watch that film in the same way we do a tape on a video recorder, and we have no way of fast-forwarding it. Allah, on the other hand, knows the entire reel at one and the same moment. Indeed, it is Allah Who has created all the details of the film. In the same way that we can see the beginning, middle and end of a satchel, so Allah pervades and enfolds time, by which we are bound, from beginning to end as a single moment. When the time comes, people witness these events and the destiny Allah creates for them. This applies to everyone in the world, as everyone is subordinated to destiny. The lives in this world and in the Hereafter of everyone who has ever lived and who will ever be created in the future, their every moment, have already taken place in the sight of Allah. In addition to billions of human beings, the planets, plants, and all other objects exist in the infinite "memory" of Allah, losing nothing and with nothing being taken away from them. The fact of destiny is one of the manifestations of Allah's title of Hafidh (the Preserver, He Who Maintains) and of the scale and greatness of His might.

Because of the impressions we are given, we imagine that we experience segments of time divided into the past, present and future. The fact is, however, that the only reason we have such a concept as "the past" is because certain things have been given to our memories. For example, our first day at school is information recorded in our memories, for which reason we perceive it as the past. Events related to the future are not to be found in our memories. That is why we regard events of which we are as yet unaware as taking place "in the future." The fact is, though, that in the same way that for us the past is events that have already taken place and been lived and experienced, so the future has actually already come and gone. But since these events have not been given to our memories, we can have no knowledge of them.

If Allah had placed events related to the future in our memories, then the future would also already have happened for us. For example, someone who is 30 years old remembers 30 years' worth of events, and he therefore assumes that his past stretches back 30 years. If that person were also given memories of between 30 and 70 years in the future, then both the 30 years and also those between 30 and 70 years of the "future" would become past. Because under those circumstances both past and future would exist in his memory, and both would consist of events he had already lived and experienced.

Because Allah has made us perceive events in a definite series, as if time were moving from past to future, He does not inform us of our future or give this information to our memories. The future is not in our memories, but all human pasts and futures are in His eternal memory. This is like observing a human life as if it were already wholly depicted and completed in a movie. Someone who cannot advance the film sees his life as the frames pass, one by one. He is mistaken in thinking that the frames he has not yet seen constitute the future.

TIMELESSNESS AND THE REALITY OF FATE

Time and space are concepts that are not absolute, that have a beginning, and that were created by Allah from nothing. Allah, Who has created time and space, is certainly not dependent on them. Allah has defined, determined and created every moment of time in timelessness. This is what underlies the essence of the reality of "Fate," which materialists fail to comprehend.

Muslims believe in Al-Qadar, which is Divine Predestination, but this belief in Divine Predestination does not mean that human beings do not have freewill.  Rather, Muslims believe that God has given human beings freewill.  This means that they can choose right or wrong and that they are responsible for their choices.

The belief in Divine Predestination includes belief in four things: 1) God knows everything.  He knows what has happened and what will happen.  2) God has recorded all that has happened and all that will happen.  3) Whatever God wills to happen happens, and whatever He wills not to happen does not happen.  4) God is the Creator of everything.

Stages Of Taqdeer (Fate)

There are five stages where Qadar is determined and prescribed/send to creation:

1. The Decree of Allah that is written in Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuud 50,000 thousand years before the creation of the universe. This destiny written in the preserved tablet is never changed and encompasses everything that will be.

2. Allah made a divine decree after the creation of Adam. Allah took out all of the progeny of Adam (i.e. all of the humans from the beginning of time until the end of time), and asked them "Am I not your Lord?" and all of the humans responded "We testify that You are our Lord!" Then Allah decreed to them who shall go to paradise and who shall go to hell.

3. The Life-time decree. This occurs when a person is in the womb of the mother, specifically 120 days after conception. Allah sends an angel to put a soul into the person, and the angel writes down the decree that Allah has made; his life-span, his sex, his sustenance (how much he will earn throughout his lifetime) and whether he will be a dweller of paradise or a dweller of hell.

4. The yearly decree. This is during the Night of Qadr (Night of Decree) where Allah sends down his decrees from heaven to earth, in it he destines the actions (deeds, sustenance, births, deaths, etc) of creation for the next year. The word Qadar should not be confused with Qadr; Qadar is destiny, Qadr is that which has been destined, i.e. decree, thus the translation – Night of Decree.

5. The Daily Decree. Allah decrees the daily actions of his creation.

An example of how these categorizations help clear the idea of destiny is as follows: It is possible that Allah sends a daily/yearly decree dictating that a person will get a profit. However, due to that person's good deeds (for instance, fulfilling the ties of kinship [being good to your relatives and maintaining the relationship] Allah sends another decree increasing that person's profit. The reversal of the two decrees is all within Allah's knowledge and is recorded in the Preserved Tablet. The person himself knows nothing of his own destiny or of Allah's decrees, but what he does know is that if he performs certain good deeds, then he will increase his profit (as in the example above) more than if he does not do that deed.

In the light of the above the following may be derived:

    * Our supplications do change destiny and are of much avail.
    * Good deeds are a source of increase in ones sustenance, and avert calamities.
    * Sins result in a decrease in ones sustenance, and invite calamities

.....................................Destiny..................

 I beleive we should all believe in destiny. Whether religious or not. If you believe in destiny then you can believe there's always something waiting for us. Good, bad, in life or in death. I also believe in fate and the fact that we as human beings can change our fate and destiny with the choices we make. I guess that seems kind of contricdictory but it's how I see it. Really there is no way of knowing at least in life if our lives are controlled by unforseen forces like fate and destiny. Still I believe anything is truly possible. Don't you?

Islam is the Path of "knowledge."

In the Islamic theory of knowledge, the term used for knowledge in Arabic is 'ilm,
'Knowledge' falls short of expressing all the aspects of 'ilm. Knowledge in the Western world means information about something, divine or corporeal, while 'ilm is an all-embracing term covering theory, action and education.
In fact there is no concept that has been operative as a determinant of the Muslim civilization in all its aspects to the same extent as 'ilm. This holds good even for the most powerful among the terms of Muslim religious life such as, for instance, tawhid "recognition of the oneness of God," ad-din, "the true religion," and many others that are used constantly and emphatically. None of them equals ilm in depth of meaning and wide incidence of use. There is no branch of Muslim intellectual life, of Muslim religious and political life, and of the daily life of the average Muslim that remains untouched by the all pervasive attitude toward "knowledge" as something of supreme value for Muslim being. 'ilm is Islam, even if the theologians have been hesitant to accept the technical correctness of this equation. The very fact of their passionate discussion of the concept attests to its fundamental importance for Islam. 


Before one sets out to seek knowledge we must bear in mind there are etiquettes for seeking knowledge. Only when one attains knowledge according to them, will the knowledge gained be beneficial. If we have no respect for the knowledge that we gain, that knowledge will merely remain information. Knowledge can only be beneficial for us if we gain it according to the following guidelines:

Be patient – To gain ‘ilm is not easy and a lot of hard effort and sacrifice is required. For this reason it is very important that one remains patient.

It may be said that Islam is the path of "knowledge." No other religion or ideology has so much emphasized the importance of 'ilm. In the Qur'an the word 'alim has occurred in 140 places, while al-'ilm in 27. In all, the total number of verses in which 'ilm or its derivatives and associated words are used is 704. The aids of knowledge such as book, pen, ink etc. amount to almost the same number. Qalam occurs in two places, al-kitab in 230 verses, among which al-kitab for al-Qur'an occurs in 81 verses. Other words associated with writing occur in 319 verses. It is important to note that pen and book are essential to the acquisition of knowledge. The Islamic revelation started with the word iqra' ('read!' or 'recite!').

According to the Qur'an, the first teaching class for Adam started soon after his creation and Adam was taught 'all the Names'.

Allah is the first teacher and the absolute guide of humanity. This knowledge was not imparted to even the Angels. In Usul al-Kafi there is a tradition narrated by Imam Musa al-Kazim ('a) that 'ilm is of three types: ayatun muhkamah (irrefutable signs of God), faridatun 'adilah (just obligations) and sunnat al-qa'imah (established traditions of the Prophet [s]). This implies that 'ilm, attainment of which is obligatory upon all Muslims covers the sciences of theology, philosophy, law, ethics, politics and the wisdom imparted to the Ummah by the Prophet (S). Al-Ghazali has unjustifiably differentiated between useful and useless types of knowledge. Islam actually does not consider any type of knowledge as harmful to human beings. However, what has been called in the Qur'an as useless or rather harmful knowledge, consists of pseudo sciences or the lores prevalent in the Jahiliyyah.

'Ilm is of three types: information (as opposed to ignorance), natural laws, and knowledge by conjecture. The first and second types of knowledge are considered useful and their acquisition is made obligatory. As for the third type, which refers to what is known through guesswork and conjecture, or is accompanied with doubt, we shall take that into consideration later, since conjecture or doubt are sometimes essential for knowledge as a means, but not as an end.

Beside various Qur'anic verses emphasizing the importance of knowledge, there are hundreds of Prophetic traditions that encourage Muslims to acquire all types of knowledge from any corner of the world. Muslims, during their periods of stagnation and decline, confined themselves to theology as the only obligatory knowledge, an attitude which is generally but wrongly attributed to al-Ghazali's destruction of philosophy and sciences in the Muslim world. Al-Ghazali, of course, passed through a turbulent period of skepticism, but he was really in search of certainty, which he found not in discursive knowledge but in mystic experience. In his favour it must be said that he paved the way for liberating the believer from blind imitation and helping him approach the goal of certain knowledge. 

...........The Aadaab of Seeking Knowledge..............


These are some points which should be taken into consideration when setting out to seek knowledge:


1. Have the correct intention

The Prophet Muhammad (saw) said, “All actions are by their intentions” meaning all actions are judged according to the niyyah with which they have been done. So even if a good deed was done with a bad intention, it will not be accepted as a good deed because the intention behind it was bad.


2. Stay away from sins

Staying away from sins is essential when seeking knowledge. The story of Imam ash-Shafi’i rahimahullah is very famous where he complained to his teacher Waki’ rahimahullah about his bad memory. So ash-Shafi’i says: “fa-arshadanee ila tark il-ma’aasi” “He advised me to leave the disobedient acts.”

Al-Muhaddith, Allaamah Yusuf Binnouri rahimahullah mentions in his book, Ma’aarif us-Sunan that looking with an evil gaze weakens one’s memory.


3. Act upon what you have learnt

It is essential that whatever is learnt, you should try your utmost to act upon it. It is said, “Knowledge without action is like a load without a carrier.”

It is narrated in a hadith to the nearest meaning, “man ‘amila bi-ma ‘alim ‘allamahu-llaaha bi-ma lam ‘alim” “The one acts on what he has learnt, Allah will teach him that which he has not learnt.” So if we act on what we have learnt, even if it is very little, Allah will give us more.

It is said that the thing Sayyidina Abud-Dardaa radiAllahu anh used to fear the most was that he would be asked on yawm ul-qiyaamah about what actions he did with all the knowledge he had learnt.


4. Stay away from the mushtabahaat in food and drink

It is very important, especially in the student days to make sure that everything you eat is halaal, upto the point that even the things you are not sure about, you should leave them. The Prophet (saw) said, to the nearest meaning, “da’ maa yuribuk ilaa maa laa yuribuk” “Leave the things which put you in doubt for those things which do not put you in doubt.”

It is narrated of Abdullah ibn Mubaarak rahimahullah that when he went from his home town to ash-Shaam, he borrowed a pen from somebody there. Later on, he forgot about this pen and returned home. When he had reached home, he remembered that he had borrowed a pen from somebody in ash-Shaam, so he travelled all the way back just to return the one pen. He said, “To give back one dirham which I am unsure about is more beloved to me than to spend 1000 daraahim in the path of Allah.”


5. Don’t be lazy in the mustahabbaat

It is fairly common nowadays so hear, “Oh it is only mandub” or “It’s only sunnah, you don’t have to do it”. But the truth of the matter is that our a’maal are such that we cannot afford to lose out on a single sunnah, be it however small.
Whoever thinks lowly of the aadaab and mustahabbaat, he will soon begin to think lowly of the sunnah. And whoever thinks lowly of the sunnah, he will soon begin to think lowly of the faraaid. And whoever thinks lowly of the faraaid and does not fulfil them, then surely he has lost the dunyaa and the aakhirah.


6. Be humble

It is absolutely necessary to stay away from kibr in any form. Especially in this case, it is impossible to gain any beneficial knowledge without humility. It is said, “Humility is for the one from whom knowledge is learnt” so it is essential that especially with your teachers, and fellow pupils you adopt a humble attitude.


7. Tolerate all hardships in the way of knowledge with patience
It was the way of the salaf that on the road of seeking ‘ilm, they would tolerate all kinds of difficulties with utmost patience, hoping only for a reward in the aakhirah.
Sheikh Abdul-Fattaah Abu Ghuddah rahimahullah has written on this topic ‘Safahat min Sabr il-Ulama and Shada'id al-Ilm wa tahseel’ in which he mentions some of the difficulties the ulamaa faced whilst studying and seeking knowledge.
Imam Abu Yusuf rahimahullah says, “al-ilmu izzun la zhulla feeh – wa yuj’alu bi-zhullin la izza feeh” Nothing is gained without hardship. Ilm is an honour but to get to it you will have to undergo much humiliation.
Imam Maalik rahimahullah says that the condition of Rabee’ rahimahullah was such that he had even sold the roof of his house for the sake of seeking ‘ilm.
SubhanAllah. This is the true zeal for knowledge. Nothing came in is his to knowledge, till he even sold the roof of his own house! Rabee’ has realised the true importance of knowledge, so he let nothing come in his way when he was seeking it, may Allah have mercy on him.


8. Realise the status of ilm and know your position as one who seeks it
It is said, “al-ilmu yu’taa wa la ya’ti” so it is you yourself who will have to go through trouble to gain ilm, it will not come to you by itself. Remember that you are the taalib and ilm is the matloob not the other way round. And this is illustrated in the story of Imam Maalik rahimahullah who, when asked to teach the sons of the king refused, as ilm is not something so cheap that it will come to the princes in their palace. Ilm is something which must be sought for.
Imam Abu Yusuf rahimahullah says, “al-ilmu shay’un la yu’tika ba’duhu hattaa tu’til-insaana kulluh.” “Ilm is a thing which will not give you even a part of itself until man gives himself wholly to it.”

It comes without saying that to achieve such a high status as that of a taalib ilm, for whom the angels spread out their wings, and even the fish in the sea seek forgiveness, you have to fulfil duties and take up responsibilities.

# Good company – Pious company and friends should be kept so that one can attain their good qualites. It is also good to keep company with those who have a great zeal for knowledge instead of those who do not. This is so that one can never be put off wanting to learn more. The ‘Ulama state, that in order to gain good habits and to acquire beneficial knowledge, it is vital to stay in the presence of good and pious people. If one is not able to be in the company of the pious, then one should read the books written by these pious people.
# Respect and have good conduct with the teacher – One should ensure that respect is always shown towards the teacher. One cannot gain all knowledge from books without the guidance of a good teacher.