April Fool !! A dishonest Tradition

BISMILLAH

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1st April - a day when people lie, play jokes and mock in the name of entertainment. This ugly practice of lying, which is considered to be merely a humor, is known to have caused great harm to many. Even trauma and deaths. Still this dishonest tradition is not only practiced among the common masses, but also newspapers and magazines participate in it by publishing false news and untrue stories on the first day of April!

Much is said about the origin of this practice, however what concerns the most to the Muslims is that it is a tradition which directly contradicts the teachings and morals of Islam. 

Lying is a characteristic of hypocrisy and Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) strictly forbade lying at all times. He (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said:

“Let he who truly believes in Allah and the Last Day speak good or be silent.”[Saheeh al-Bukharee]

Moreover, he (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) has specifically cursed the person who lies to make people laugh, he said:

“Woe be on one who speaks and lies in order to make people laugh, woe be on him.” [Abu Dawood]

The above Ahaadeeth show the gravity of participating in the false tradition of April Fool, which the Western tradition appreciates and encourages claiming that it brings joy and amusement, whereas the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) forbade lying and deceiving even if the intention of the person is to amuse people. 

Abd al-Rahman Ibn Abi Laylaa said: “The companions of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) told us that they were traveling with the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam). A man among them fell asleep and some of them went and took his arrows. When the man woke up, he got alarmed (because his arrows were missing) and the people laughed. The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: “What are you laughing at?” They said, “Nothing, except that we took the arrows and he got alarmed.” The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said: “It is not permissible for a Muslim to frighten another Muslim.” [Abu Dawood (5004) and Musnad Ahmad. Authenticated by Shaikh al-Albanee in Saheeh al-Jamee (7658)]


He (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) described the severe punishments for the liars and said:

“I saw (in a dream), two men came to me. They said, 'The person, the one whose cheek you saw being torn away (from the mouth to the ear) was a liar and used to tell lies and the people would report those lies on his authority till they spread all over the world. So he will be punished like that till the Day of Resurrection.'”[Saheeh al-Bukharee (vol. 8, no: 118)]

May Allah protect us from indulging ourselves in such dishonest activities and may He give us the strength to withstand such practices when they tend to infect our Muslim Society. Ameen! 

Written by Shawana A Aziz l Courtesy of As-Sunnah Islamic Newsletter 

:: Related Book ::

Truthfulness is one of the pillars on which the moral survival of the world depends. It is the foundation of praiseworthy characteristics, the cornerstone of Prophethood, the result of taqwaa. Were it not for truthfulness, the rulings of all divinely-revealed laws would collapse.

This book investigates the permissibilty of giving false statement on this particular day. 

Download this book!

TAKEN FROM blog.iloveallaah.com

What Amaal (good deeds) you Can Do In One Minute

BISMILLAH

All perfect praise be to Allaah, and may Allaah exalt the mention of the Prophet Muhammad as well as that of his family and all his companions.

Reminder: this article is illustrating how a Muslim could benefit from his time even if it is a one minute, however it does not legislate new act of worship, furthermore strictly following the actions proposed along with the number of repeating the supplications could lead to (Bid’aa) innovation in Islam.

The time is the life of a person and it should be preserved and spent properly. Therefore, a wise person is he who preserves his time and does not waste it in useless things and idle talk. Rather, one should spend his time in good endeavours and in performing righteous deeds which should please Allaah, the Exalted, and which should benefit people. Hence, in every minute of your life, you may do something which will increase your status (in the Hereafter) and bring happiness to your nation.

Therefore, if you are keen to achieve glory and bring happiness to your people, you should not waste your time in resting and playing.

Indeed, in one minute, one may do much good and obtain a great reward. One single minute could extend your life, increase your acts of obedience, your understanding, your memorization (of the Quran), and your good deeds. If you know how to spend one minute, it can be added to the book of your good deeds (on the Day of Judgement).3

"Beware of every hour and how it passes, and only spend it in the best possible way, do not neglect yourself, but render it accustomed to the noblest and best of actions, and send to your grave that which will please you when you arrive to it." [Imam Ibn Al-Jawzee]

The following are some investments which you can do in one minute:

1- In one minute, you can recite chapter Al-Faatihah (the opening chapter of the Quran) silently. Some scholars, may Allaah have mercy upon them, stated that a person gets more than 1400 good deeds for reciting it once. If one recites it 7 times, one gets 9800 good deeds in one minute.

2-  In one minute, you can say ''Astaghfiru Allaah'' (I seek forgiveness of Allaah) more than 100 times. The virtue of seeking forgiveness is well-known, it is a reason of obtaining forgiveness, entering Paradise, having good provisions, increasing one's strength, repelling harm, having affairs facilitated, the descent of rain, and increasing in wealth and children.

3- In one minute, you can read a part of the Quran.

4- In one minute, you can memorize a small verse of the Quran.

5- In one minute, you can say ''Laa ilaaha illa Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa 'ala kulli chay'in qadeer'' (None has the right to be worshipped except Allaah Alone, He has neither partners nor associates, to Him belongs sovereignty and praise and He is over all things wholly capable) 20 times; its reward is setting 8 slaves free for the sake of Allaah from the children of Ismaa'eel (Ishmael), may Allaah exalt his mention.

6- In one minute, you can say ''Subhaana Allaah wa bihamdihi'' (How perfect Allaah is and all praise be to Him) 100 times, and whoever says this, his sins will be forgiven even if they were like the foams of the sea.

7- In one minute, you can say ''Subhaana Allaah wa bihamdihi, Subhaana Allaah Al-Adheem'' (How perfect Allaah is and all praise be to Him, how perfect Allaah is, The Supreme) 50 times, and these are two expressions which are easy to say, but they are very heavy on the scale of good deeds, and they are beloved to Allaah. [ [Bukhari: Hadith No:673, V:8] and [Bukhari, B:9, V:93, Hadith 652]].

Prophet Muhammad (sallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said, "There are) two words which are dear to the Beneficent (Allah) and very light (easy) for the tongue (to say), but very heavy in weight in the balance. They are: Subhan-Allahi wa bihamdihi, Subhan-Allahil-Azim (Allah is free from imperfection and His is the praise)'.

8- The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said: ''If I were to say: ''Subhaana Allaah, wal hamdu lillaah, wa laa ilaaha illa Allaah, wallaahu Akbar'' (How perfect Allaah is, all praise be to Allaah, None has the right to be worshipped except Allaah, and Allaah is the greatest.) it is better for me than the whole world.'' [Muslim]. In one minute, you can say all the above words 18 times, and these words are the most beloved words to Allaah, and the best of all speeches, and their weight on the scale of good deeds is very heavy, as reported in authentic narrations.

9- In one minute, you can say ''la hawla wa laa quwwata illa billaah'' (there is neither might nor power except by Allaah) more than 40 times. This is a treasure among the treasures of Paradise, as reported by Al-Bukhaari and Muslim, may Allaah have mercy upon them. It is also one of the major reasons of bearing difficulties and hardship.

10- In one minute, you can say ''Laa ilaaha illa Allaah'' (None has the right to be worshipped but Allaah) approximately 50 times, and it is the greatest word, as it is the word of Tawheed (Oneness of Allaah), a good word, and a firm statement, and whoever says this expression as his last words before breathing his last, he will enter Paradise; the above expression also has other virtues.

11- In one minute, you can say: ''Subhaanah Allaah wa bihamdihi, 'adada khalqihi, wa ridha nafsihi, wa zinata 'arshihi, wa midaada kalimaatihi'' (How perfect Allaah is and all praise be to Allaah, by the number of His Creation and His Pleasure, and by the weight of His Throne, and the ink of His Words) more than 15 times. This statement equals multiplied rewards of ordinary legislated mention of Allaah, as confirmed by the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam.

13- In one minute, you can give a short summarized speech which could be very beneficial for the listeners.

14- In one minute, you can exalt the mention of the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, by saying ''Sala Allaahu 'Alayhi wa sallam'' (may Allaah exalt his mention) 50 times, for which Allaah will exalt your mention 500 times, because one exaltation is multiplied tenfold.

15- In one minute, you can think about the creation of the heavens and the earth, as a result you will be considered among the people of understanding whom Allaah mentioned in the Quran.

16- In one minute, you can think about being grateful to Allaah, loving Him, fearing Him, hoping for Him (His Mercy) and longing to meet Him; by doing so, you would have achieved great acts of worship while you may be lying down on your bed or walking in the street.

17- In one minute, you can read more than two pages from a beneficial book which is easy to understand.

18- In one minute, you can keep ties with your kinship by phoning them.

19- In one minute, you can supplicate with general supplications.

20- In one minute, you can greet (by saying Salaam to) a number of people and shake hands with them.

21- In one minute, you can forbid evil.

22- In one minute, you can enjoin good.

23- In one minute, you can advise a brother.

24- In one minute, you can intercede in doing good for a person.

25- In one minute, you can comfort a distressed person.

26- In one minute, you can take off an obstacle from the road.

27- By benefiting from one minute, you will preserve and benefit from other times.

Therefore, according to your sincerity and being conscious that Allaah is always watching you, your good deeds and reward may be multiplied.

You should know that most of the actions do not necessitate anything from you, you do not need to be in a state of purity and they do not cause you any hardship.

You may do the above deeds while walking on the road, or being in a car, or while lying down, or sitting, or waiting for someone. In addition to this, these actions are the best reasons for achieving happiness, being content and overcoming problems and difficulties.

Finally, I suggest that you keep this paper in your pocket in order to remember these actions and to read it over to your Muslim brothers. By doing so, you will help them to benefit from their time and you should not underestimate any good deed. Indeed the person who enjoins others to do good is as if he did those good actions himself [he will get their reward without diminishing anything from their own reward].

I ask Allaah to safeguard you and protect you.

All perfect praise be to Allaah and may Allaah exalt the mention of His Prophet Muhammad, as well as that of his family and companions.

Jazaak Alllah Khair for reading.

TAKEN FROM blog.iloveallaah.com

‘Aqeedah Comes First!

BISMILLAH

The first, main, and primary foundation of the Call to Allaah, and why this is the case.

The ’aqeedah must come first because the only real cause for the differing and destruction that has come upon our Islaamic world is the purified ’aqeedah.  Allaah - the Most High.

WHY MUST ’AQEEDAH COME FIRST?

The ’aqeedah (creed) must come first because it is the foundation of the da’wah (call) of the Prophets as Allaah the Exalted said upon the tongue of every Prophet He sent to his people: “O people! Worship Allaah, you do not have a deity other than Him.” [Soorah Hood 11:84]

The ’aqeedah (creed) must come first because it is the decisive partition between abiding in the Fire (forever) and being saved from it. Have you not heard the statement of Allaah – Sublime is His Affair – :

“Verily Allaah does not forgive that shirk (association) be made with Him, and He forgives whatever is less than that for whomever He wishes. And whoever commits shirk with Allaah, then he has indeed perpetrated a great sin.” [Sooratun-Nisaa‘ 4:48]

Shirk is the greatest of those things which negate Tawheed, which is the basis for the correctness of the correct ’aqeedah.

The ’aqeedah must come first because shirk with Allaah is the greatest form of oppression as Allaah the Exalted says: “Verily Shirk is indeed a great transgression.” [Soorah Luqmaan 31:13]

The ’aqeedah must come first because the only real cause for the differing and destruction that has come upon our Islaamic world is the purified ’aqeedah.

So indeed the creed of many of the Muslims today has become corrupted by matters of greater shirk from making tawaaf (encircling) the graves, and seeking help from the dead people inside of them, and trying to fulfill ones needs and affairs from them. So they return to the first jaahiliyyah (pre-Islaamic times of ignorance), and it is as if they have not heard the statement of Allaah the Exalted:

‘‘Verily those whom you call upon besides Allaah do not hear your calls. And if they were able to hear you, then they would not be able to answer you. And upon the Day of Judgement, they will disown your worship of them, and there is none like He who is the All-Knower.” [Sooratul-Faatir 14]

And we prohibit you from the innovations of the Soofiyyah which many of the common folk of the Muslims have erected to (such) an educational level that whole countries have institutionalized these innovations, such as the celebration of the Birthday of the Prophet (sallAllaahu 'alayhi wa sallam).

And (innovations such as) accompanying the Christians in their festivals, not to mention the deviations in dealings and manners and other than that from that which separates their countries from the Book and the authenticated Sunnah, with the permission of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic.

And after this beloved brother of mine we have shown the truth of our statement that the ’aqeedah must come first.

Jazaak Allah Khairan for reading.

TAKEN FROM blog.iloveallaah.com