The End of the World ...?

So much talk about doomsday ... what is the Muslim take on it .. below is a condensed response - by a Muslim religious scholar - to a related question....

Signs of the Hour

Question: There are various sites regarding prophesies on the last days . The sites give very precise locations and happenings before the last day. Are they true ? . However in Quran there are prophesies but it does not mention the places. If there are any clear indications in Quran or in Hadith about Last Days, can you kindly tell.

Praise be to Allaah.

The Signs of the Hour are the signs that will precede Yawm al-Qiyaamah (the Day of Judgement) and indicate that it is nigh.

The Hour (al-Saa'ah) means the time of reckoning, and is either:

1. Saa'ah sughra (the lesser hour), which is a person's death, whereupon his reckoning starts when he leaves this world and passes into the Hereafter;

2. Or Saa'ah kubraa (the greater Hour), which is when mankind will be resurrected from their graves to be judged and rewarded or punished accordingly.

When the word al-saa'ah is used on its own in the Qur'aan, it refers to the greater reckoning (the Day of Judgement), as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): "People ask you concerning the Hour…" [al-Ahzaab 33:63]

The Signs of the Hour (i.e., the Day of Judgement) are of two types:

1.    Ashraat al-Saa'ah al-Sughra (Minor signs of the Hour)

These are signs that will appear a long time before the Hour approaches, such as the decline of knowledge, the spread of ignorance, drinking of wine or alcohol, competition in the construction of tall buildings, and many others. The scholars have listed almost sixty signs, some of which will accompany the major signs, or will appear afterwards.

2.    Ashraat al-Saa'ah al-Kubraa (Major Signs of the Hour)

These are major signs that will appear shortly before the Day of Judgement comes. These extraordinary events will be:

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(1)    The appearance of the Mahdi.

At the end of time, a man from the descendents of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) will appear, and Allaah will help him to make His religion prevail. He will take control of the land (or the earth) and fill it with justice just as it had previously been filled with wrongdoing and oppression. Under his rule, the ummah will be blessed as it has never been blessed before.

This man's name will be like the name of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and his father's namewill be like the Messenger's father's name. He will be a descendant of Faatimah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), through the line of al-Hasan ibn 'Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him). He will appear from the East

(2)    Al-Maseeh al-Dajjaal (The "Antichrist")

Al-Maseeh al-Dajjaal is a man from the sons of Aadam. He has a number of features which were mentioned in the saheeh ahaadeeth, including the following: he will be a young man with a ruddy complexion and curly hair, and will be one-eyed, with his right eye looking like a floating grape. Between his eyes will be written "ka' fa' ra'" (in unjoined letters) or "kaafir" (disbeliever), which every Muslim, literate or illiterate, will be able to read. Another of his attributes will be that he is sterile, and will have no children. Among the ahaadeeth that describe him are the following:

The fitnah (trial, tribulation) of the Dajjaal will be the greatest fitnah ever, seen from the time that Allaah created Aadam until the onset of the Day of Judgement, and this will be because of the power that Allaah will permit him to have, of working great miracles that will amaze and confuse the people. There are ahaadeeth that describe how he will have a "paradise" and a "hell", but his paradise will in fact be a hell, and vice versa. He will have rivers of water and mountains of bread. He will command the sky to rain, and it will rain, and he will command the earth to bring forth its produce, and it will bring forth its produce. The treasures of the earth will follow him, and he will travel though the earth at great speed, like rain driven by the wind.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught his ummah how they can protect themselves from the evil of the fitnah of the Dajjaal, as is reported in the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, who said that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "When any one of you pronounces the Shahaadah, let him seek refuge with Allaah from four things, and let him say: “O Allaah, I seek refuge with You from the punishment of Hell, from the punishment of the grave, from the trials of life and death, and from the evil of the tribulation of the Dajjaal)." (Reported by Muslim, 5/87).

Another way of protecting oneself is by memorizing the first aayaat of Soorat al-Kahf.

(3)    The descent of 'Eesaa ibn Maryam, upon whom be peace

After the Dajjaal has appeared and spread corruption throughout the earth, Allaah will send 'Eesaa ibn Maryam, upon whom be peace, who will descend to the earth, coming down to the white minaret in the East of Damascus, Syria, resting his hands on the wings of two angels. When he lowers his head, drops will fall, and when he raises it, drops like large pearls will fall (these are like grains of silver in the shape of big pearls, and it means that drops of water as pure as pearls will fall. The water is described as pearls because of its purity). No kaafir will smell his breath except he will die, and his breath will reach as far as his eyes can see. He will come down to the victorious group that is fighting for the truth and has come together to fight the Dajjaal. He will descend at the time when the iqaamah for prayer is being given, and he will pray behind the leader of that group.

(4)    Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj (Gog and Magog)

Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj are human beings, descended from Aadam and Hawwa, upon whom be peace. According to the descriptions of them given in the ahaadeeth, they belong to the Turkic Mongol race, having small eyes, small, flat noses and wide faces. Their faces look like hammered-out shields (their faces are likened to shields because they are wide and round).

Their appearance at the end of time is one of the signs of the Hour, as indicated in the Qur'aan (interpretation of the meaning): "Until, when Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj are let loose (from their barrier), and they swiftly swarm from every mound. And the true promise (Day of Resurrection) shall draw near (to fulfilment). Then (when mankind is resurrected from their graves, you shall see the eyes of the disbelievers fixedly stare in horror. (They will say): 'Woe to us! We were indeed heedless of this; nay, but we were zaalimoon (polytheists and wrong-doers, etc.)." [al-Anbiyaa' 21:96-97]

In the story of Dhoo'l-Qarnayn, Allaah tells us (interpretation of the meaning): "Then he followed (another) way, until, when he reached between two mountains, he found, before (near) them (those two mountains), a people who scarcely understood a word. They said: 'O Dhoo'l-Qarnayn! Verily! Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj are doing great mischief in the land. Shall we then pay you a tribute in order that you might erect a barrier between us and them?' He said: 'That (wealth, authority and power) in which my Lord has established me is better (than your tribute). So help me with strength (of men), I will erect between you and them a barrier. Give me pieces (blocks) or iron,' then, when he had filled up the gap between the two mountain-cliffs, he said, 'Blow,' till when he had made it (red as) fire, he said, 'Bring me molten copper to pour over it.' So they [Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj] were made powerless to scale it or dig through it. (Dhoo'l-Qarnayn) said: 'This is a mercy from my Lord, but when the Promise of my Lord comes, He shall level it down to the ground. And the Promise of my Lord is ever true.' And on that Day [i.e., the day Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj will come out], We shall leave them to surge like waves on one another, and the Trumpet will be blown, and We shall collect them all together." [al-Kahf 18:92-99]

Al-Nawaas ibn Sam'aan (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported a long hadeeth describing several signs of the Hour. In this hadeeth, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "… and Allaah will send Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj, swiftly swarming from every mound. They will pass the lake of Tiberias [in Palestine] and will drink everything that is in it. Then the last of them will pass by and will say, 'There used to be water here once.' The Prophet of Allaah, 'Eesaa, and his companions, will be besieged until a bull's head will be more precious to one of them than a hundred dinars are to any of you today. 'Eesaa and his companions will pray to Allaah, and Allaah will send a kind of worm (like that found in the noses of camels and sheep) on their (Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj) necks, and they will fall down dead, all at once. Then 'Eesaa and his companions will come down out of the place where they were besieged, and they will find hardly a handspan of land that is not filled with the stench (of Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj), so 'Eesaa and his companions will pray to Allaah, and He will send birds like the necks of camels to carry them away and throw them wherever Allaah wills." (Reported by Muslim, 18/68).

(5)    The swallowing up of the earth

This means that a place is swallowed up in the earth and disappears into it, as is described in the Qur'aan (interpretation of the meaning): "So We caused the earth to swallow him and his dwelling place…" [al-Qasas 28:81]. Among the major signs of the Hour will be three such events, as described in the hadeeth of Hudhayfah ibn Usayd (may Allaah be pleased with him), according to which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The Hour will not begin until you see ten signs… (including) three events where the earth swallows up, one in the East, one in the West, and one in the Arabian Peninsula." (Reported by Muslim, 18/27).

These events, like other major signs of the Hour, have not happened yet. Although other instances of places being swallowed up by the earth have occurred at various times and in various places, they did not cover so wide an area as to include both East and West. Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: "There have been instances of places being swallowed up by the ear, but it could be that what is meant by the three events referred to is events that are worse than anything yet seen, which could be more intense and cover a larger area." (Fath al-Baari, 13/84).

(6)    The smoke

Another of the major signs of the Hour will be the appearance of the smoke. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Then wait you for the Day when the sky will bring forth a visible smoke, covering the people, this is a painful torment." [al-Dhukhaan 44:10-11].

A definition of the smoke was narrated from Ibn 'Abbaas, who explained that it is one of the Signs of the Day of Judgement, as was narrated by Ibn Jareer and Ibn Abi Haatim from 'Abd-Allaah ibn Abi Maleekah, who said: "I went to Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) one day, and he said: 'I did not sleep at all last night.' I asked him, 'Why not?' He said, 'They said that a star with a tail (a comet) had appeared, and I was afraid that the smoke had started, so I could not sleep at all.'"

Among the ahaadeeth that describe the appearance of the smoke as one of the signs of the Hour is the following:

1.      Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Hasten to do good deeds before six things appear: the Dajjaal, the smoke…" (Reported by Muslim, 18/87)

(7)    The rising of the sun from the West

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "… The day that some of the Signs of your Lord do come, no good will it do to a person to believe then, if he believed not before, nor earned good (by performing deeds of righteousness) through his faith…" [al-An'aam 6:158]. Most of the mufassireen (commentators) state that one of these signs is the rising of the sun from the West. Among the reports that indicate this are:

1. The hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) according to which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The Hour will not begin until the sun rises from the West, and when it rises and the people see it, they will all believe, but that will be when it will do a person no good to believe, if he believed not before, nor earned good (by performing deeds of righteousness) through his faith." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 11/352, and Muslim, 2/194).

2. The hadeeth of 'Abd-Allaah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'Aas (may Allaah be pleased with them both), who said: "I learned from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) a hadeeth that I have never forgotten since. I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: 'The first of the signs of the Hour to appear will be the rising of the sun from the West.'" (Reported by Muslim, 18/78).

(8)    The appearance of the Beast

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "And when the Word (of torment) is fulfilled against them, We shall bring out from the earth a beast to them, which will speak to them because mankind believed not with certainty in our aayaat." [al-Naml 27:82]

 (9)    The fire which will gather the people together

Another of the signs of the Hour is the great fire which will appear from the direction of Yemen, from the bottom of 'Aden, from the Sea of Hadramawt. Among the ahaadeeth that describe this are the following:

1. The hadeeth of Hudhayfah ibn Usayd which mentions the major signs of the Hour, in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "… The last of them will be a fire which will emerge from Yemen, and will drive the people to their gathering place." According to another report: "… and a fire which will emerge from the bottom of 'Aden and drive the people (ahead of it)." (Reported by Muslim, 18/27).

Finally, it should be noted that belief in the signs of the Hour is part of our belief in the Unseen (al-ghayb), without which the belief of the Muslim is incomplete. And Allaah is the Source of Strength..

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Friday off - Oh Good

“….Say, "Produce your proof, if you should be truthful."”
Quran 2:111)

I love chocolate, I like spicy food and buns and i like to be home on a Friday. Really Good ...
Certainly, a sense of decadence and perhaps luxury. Thinking about it, commercially it makes good sense. This time of the year brings to mind recent books like that of Dan Brown and movies like the Passion of the Christ and of course the Bible, not forgetting the Torah. I am also familiar with another book that has shed further light on some matters discussed in all of the aforementioned.

This book confirms the revelation of the Torah and Gospel and the high status of such people as Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them both).  This book tells us much of these two people as well as their predecessors, foremost of whom was Abraham, peace be upon him.

Some of the most important points in this book are:
1. The worship of One God
2. To not associate partners with God, Almighty
3. That there is life after this life on earth
4. That God Almighty sent many prophets and messengers (peace be upon them all)
5. That He has the power over all things
The further interesting aspect is that He, God Almighty, has created “man” in four different ways:

1. Without parents – i.e. Adam (peace be upon him)
2. Without a mother (but from a man) – Eve
3. Without a father (but only a mother) – Jesus (peace be upon him)
4. With a mother and father – generally all of us.
So His power exceed our understanding, but the creation in any of the above is easy for him, for if you could create man from nothing, it is easy for Him, God Almighty, to create a man from a mother only, without a father.
And so, there were a group of people who persecuted the Prophets sent by God Almighty and killed them. Then these people went on to claim the killing of Jesus (peace be upon him). But He, who has the power over all things, most definitely did not allow that to happen, as Christians too testify that Jesus (peace be upon him) ascended to Heaven alive. So they disputed on who was on the right path- but the book i mentioned, gives a good expose and confirms a few things concerning Jesus (peace be upon him)

1. Jesus (peace be upon ) was born of a virgin mother
2. Jesus (peace be upon performed miracles
3. Jesus (peace be upon ) did not claim to be God or the son of God or used the word Trinity (as the deity of worship) in any way
4. Jesus (peace be upon ) did NOT die on the cross
5. Jesus (peace be upon ) ascended to heaven alive
6. Jesus was neither a Jew nor a Christian
In Jesus’s time and even the time immediately after him, there was no bunnies or spicy buns related to any form of worship or remembrance of Jesus (peace be upon him) – Thus it clearly is not part of his teachings.

We follow the final revelation, which came to confirm which came before it. As Muslims, having the highest respect for Jesus (peace be upon him) – being the topic of discussion, and as followers of the final messenger of Allah, Muhammad – peace be upon him – we have a responsibility to speak the truth on Jesus – peace be upon him. We have a responsibility to convey the message of the Prophets which also Jesus (peace be upon him) conveyed – to worship the God of Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them all).

So my love for chocolate remains, but I will be a hypocrite to indulge in symbols associated with this period which has nothing to do with the good name of Jesus (peace be upon him).

So my like for spicy food remains, but I will be a hypocrite to indulge in symbols associated with this period which has nothing to do with the good name of Jesus (peace be upon him).

Muslims are awaiting the return of Jesus –peace be upon him. We love him and acknowledge his contribution to delivering the message of his Creator – his Lord and Our Lord.

In conclusion: This is all to be found in a book wherein there no doubt, a book of guidance.

2011 - Here we are

2010 - wow!!! what a year - what with the 2010 SWC all in South Arica - wow ... Hey what about Tiger's (as in Tiger Woods)confession, wikileaks, Pakistani cheating in Cricket? etc etc etc. ******************************************

A great year - mmmm ************************************************

The SWC 2010 - came and is gone - euphoria then gloom - you saw it the before and after - anything change. Well its because sports at that level is a kind of a drug, its mass hysteria, you forget reality of life and what is important - you enter a religion of CONSUMERISM and worship FIFA - you are poorer except for some memorabilia who really has little value right now. Yeah a few pics but the gloom is still there is it not. Sports is good, but much of it is designed to be a kind of drug that get even non-sports people to act beyond themselves..............

My great-grandfather is reported to have said that sports is gambling - was the SWC gambling with one's principles? well if that is not clear yet, then consider that while Islam prohibits alcohol, that the 2022 SWC was awarded to a "Muslim" country (Qatar) with a proviso they lift the BAN on alcohol for the period in and around the SWC 2022 - gampbling with one's principles? .... ...........................

The Pakistani match-fixing: guilty or not is not the issue - its that sports in general is fertile ground for gambling. Swayed by money? Gambling? ..............................................

Tiger Woods - ah ... naughty boy - but alas he is not the only one is he ... and sure there are quite a few like him ... so he was more like a rabbit (bouncing around) or was he more like Tigger (bouncing around) .....................

But then there is a group of people who have LONG-STANDING extra-marital affairs. Perhaps if it was not for the harsh laws prohibiting polygamy, these people would not be adulterers but rather polygamist, married and a greater sense of stability to communities. While Islam has always permitted polygamy, women in the west are more and more inclining to this concept since it gives them self-esteeem and security among others benefits. While polygamy is permitted in Islam, the percentage of men who have polygamous marriages are in the single digits. Divorce rates are low. And permitting polygamy will not open the floodgates but rather bring HONOUR to essentially the woman. And so we can go on and on....................................

Wikileaks - will you be ok if somebody is spreading stuff about you? Where will this all stop? ....................................

The reality is that while you are considering yourself and/or your New Year's resolutions - consider yourself in every facet - Success, time management, fitness, health, family obligations, friendship - I have a good book for you to read.. or else we may engage further.. ...................................

So my wishes for you is all that is good and something to make your happy forever. .......................... Be good :) .................................

and for your viewing pleasure:.............

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD8AWqMUv18

Yvonne Ridley Explains Why She Converted to Islam

Response to emails defaming Islam

Response to emails defaming Islam  

Emails have been doing the rounds maligning Islam and its views on marriage and accusing Muslims of being intent on killing non-Muslims (which cannot be further from the truth)

Below is a response that was sent from a Muslim

A response to emails defaming Islam

We begin with the name of Allaah, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Introduction

Perhaps it’s will be easier to start by saying something about Islam and some of its fundamental teaching, then insha-Allaah we will address some specifics.

Islam is built/centred on five principles; the absence of any one of these pillars is not permissible.

1. The declaration of faith, i.e. To bear witness that there is no deity to be worshipped except Allaah, and to bear witness that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is His final messenger.

2. To be steadfast in prayer (i.e. to prayer five times daily at appointed times)

3. To give alms (a set wealth/social tax for those able to do so – i.e. amounts to 2.5%)

4. To fast in the month of Ramadan (the ninth month of the lunar calendar)

5. To undertake the pilgrimage (to Mecca) – one in one’s lifetime – if one is Able and By the Means to go.  

Expanding on this we look at some basic principles of faith, that is one is required as the basis of faith within.

1. To believe in Allaah

2. To believe in His angels

3. To believe in holy revealed books (e.g. the Zaboor of David, the scrolls of Abraham, the Torah of Moses, the Gospel of Jesus and the final revelation being Quran – peace be upon all Prophets)

4. To believe in the prophets (peace be upon them all – all includes the names mentioned above)

5. To believe in the Hereafter (i.e. life after death as in heaven and hell)

6. To believe that Allaah has permitted the good and the bad (He has given humans the ability to distinguish from right and wrong, each action though carrying a consequence) 

It is important to further note that we are all answerable to Him who has created us all. Ridicule, lies and defamation has been the order of the day since time immemorial and will be for time to come. There was not a Prophet sent by Almighty Allaah, but that he underwent hardship of some sort another.

But let us quickly reflect on our worship of One God, Allah. He is One and there is none like Him. This Lord, The Creator of all, being unique, being perfect, He perfected our way of life, Islam. This Perfect Creator who is One has seen it fit that His worshippers, the believers, are one in their worship. Not only do all Muslims accept the five pillars of Islam, but taking one pillar as example of perfection and unity, we only have to look at daily prayers. There is not a moment in a 24-hour day, but someone somewhere in the world is praying one of the five compulsory prayers. Every prayer is to one central point at Mecca. Every prayer is to Mecca whether you face east, west, south or north. Perfectly, as people pray all over the world facing Mecca, the central point of earth,  a circle is formed. While this circle is formed from every point of the world, people inside the Holy Mosque in Mecca are creating smaller circles as they circumambulate the central point, the ka’abah, 24/7. Perfection indeed. Unity indeed. Oneness indeed. And He, Allah, is One.

So it is not surprising then, that this Lord who commanded us with prayer, should declare at the beginning of Quran:

This is the Book (the Qur'an), whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqun [the pious and righteous persons who fear Allaah much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allaah much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)]. [Quran 2:2]

So this Perfect Lord, God, Creator, Nourisher, Cherisher and Sustainer,  have chosen for us a way of life, Islam – a perfect way of life. He sent is guidance through Quran having chosen Muhammad (peace be upon him) to deliver this message. He, Allah, has not left out anything in Quran.  So the true and sincere person will find the answer in Quran.

If we take some examples of issues non-Muslim have raised, then we thank the Almighty for this blessing and giving us an opportunity to draw closer to Him via His book, Quran. It is this book that we seek the guidance and answers. The life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is nothing but the embodiment of Quran and thus we may quote from his example to clarify aspects of Quran.

Marriage

Marriage in Islam is sacred and the Quran strongly warns against adultery by declaring: “And come not near to unlawful sex [zina]. Verily, it is a Faahishah (i.e. anything that transgresses its limits: a great sin, and an evil way that leads one to hell unless Allaah Forgives him)” [Quran: 17:32] 

The Quran further exhorts us to marry and says: “...then marry (other) women of your choice, two or three, or four...”[ Quran 4:3]

“… and live with them honourably …” [al-Nisaa’ 4:19],

Temporary marriages forbidden From ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib: that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade temporary marriage to women and the flesh of donkeys at the time of Khaybar. This was narrated by al-Tirmidhi

Bride’s permission important Both the bride and groom should be pleased with one another, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No previously-married woman (widow or divorcee) may be married until she has been asked about her wishes (i.e., she should state clearly her wishes), and no virgin should be married until her permission has been asked (i.e., until she has agreed either in words or by remaining silent).” They asked, “O Messenger of Allaah, how is her permission given (because she will feel very shy)?” He said: “By her silence.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 4741)

The dowry belongs to the woman, the wife and NOT to her family

“And give to the women (whom you marry) their mahr (obligatory bridal money given by the husband to his wife at the time of marriage) with a good heart…” [al-Nisaa’ 4:4] 

Conclusion on marriage: 

The picture, showing Palestinian girls, in the email is one where the writer has most probably taken liberties with his “caption” (the picture shows small girls dressed in white walking alongside men dressed like “bridegrooms” – the story relates these men marrying these children en masse). If this caption/story was true then many a wedding in the west will have similar captions when little girls dress up as part of the bridal group or party.  In the west, are these girls ther brides? Likewise, it is common practice for girls to be part of the bridal entourage while dressed in white similar to the real bride.
 

Aside from this, the other comments may indeed confuse religion and regional culture and thus there is little need to elaborate on these. The above stance on marriage as explained from Quran and Sunnah (the practical life example of the Prophet Muhammad –peace be upon him- based on Quran)

Murder or war

"Fight in the cause of God those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for God loves not transgressors. And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have

turned you out; for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter; but fight them

not at the Sacred Mosque, unless they (first) fight you there; but if they fight

you, slay them. Such is the reward of those who suppress faith. But if they cease,

God is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. And fight them on until there is no more

tumult or oppression, and there prevails justice and faith in God; but if they

cease, let there be no hostility except to those who practise oppression" (Quran 2:190-193).

Islam permits warfare and most definitely permits self-defence. Murder of innocent people is not permitted. Killing people merely because of being non-Muslim is not acceptable and Islam opposes this.

Conclusion

In any society and any religion, there are people who overstep the mark for whatever reason.

In any society and any religion there are people who speak and do things out ignorance

In many societies and religions people follow their own custom irrespective whether that is acceptable or not. 

The internet, be it websites or email, can be dangerous and misleading. It is an easy platform to spread whatever people want to spread, of good and bad.

As Muslims, especially South Africans, we humbly apologise for not having done enough to advise on our religion, our way of life.  We are aware of many of these types of emails going around. We are more than satisfied with our religion, Islam as our way of life. Like secular people also attack Christianity (and its various denominations, so too do they attack Islam. Islam, being the perfect way of life, is the fastest growing religion in the world. Europe is on the brink of having a Muslim country. While Barack Obama is most definitely NOT a Muslim, Islam is alive and well in the United States. Again, as Muslims we fail in propagating our religion. But this is the religion of Allaah, and Allaah has ordained that the truth shall be superior to falsehood – Islam will be superior.

Wikileaks

Wikileaks – well, I don’t generally agree with it. If it is meant for people to be warned about “bad” people then there might be some merit in it. The reality though is that we can do nothing about it, the majority of people are not can realize the truth even though it’s pretty much a case of “I told you so”. Also the leaks seem to be fairly broad, silly at times and the potential for unnecessary further harm.

I suppose that leads me to express concern of the bad or negative side of technology.. well with fb, twitter and the many other instant messaging. And all these platforms talk to each other, so put something on fb and that becomes a tweet and not forgetting the MSN users also being kept in the loop.

One can read about what someone had for breakfast .. to aaaaahhhh … crime.. so people can tweet and fb, etc about crimes these days … and it seems all pretty normal … so not only are these platforms anti-social in the first instance since people (and especially the very young) don’t know how to communicate face to face .. is this what we want? But the things that are made public is in itself anti-social.

Yes, there is much good in technology … but it has many dangers.. and as with saying safe driving, safe flight, etc … its safe surfing.

Say (O Muslims), "We believe in Allâh and that which has been sent down to us and that which has been sent down to Ibrâhim (Abraham), Ismâ'il (Ishmael), Ishâq (Isaac), Ya'qûb (Jacob), and to Al-Asbât [the offspring twelve sons of Ya'qûb (Jacob)], and that which has been given to Mûsa (Moses) and Isâ (Jesus), and that which has been given to the Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we have submitted (in Islâm)."

Quran2:136

Pride and deception

Pride and deception  Man was created pure and was endowed with the knowledge that there is a Creator. This Creator is the one who taught man the nature of all things. Man knows and always knew that life was we know it is temporary and that the real life will be after this life. While atheist will have us believe differently, that discussion we will leave for another time. The three Abrahamic religions are all in agreement that Adam (peace be upon him) was the first human being. There is a difference of understanding to what happened next – that too we can discuss further another time. I would like to rather elaborate on two aspects which resulted in man, Adam and his wife, Eve, being evicted from “paradise”.  All creation was created for no other purpose but to worship their Lord and Created, Allaah. Two creations though were granted an ability not given to others, viz the ability to sin, to be disobedient and to act on the differentiation of good and evil,viz man and jinn(i)/genie. So the Almighty Allaah creates man, Adam – peace be upon him. He teaches him the nature of all things. He calls the angels and asks them the names of these things. They cannot answer simply because they were not taught it. Allaah Almighty, in His infinite wisdom, lets Adam tell them. Then he commands the angels present to prostrate before Adam. Amongst them were jinni (genie) One such jinn was Iblees who refused and was haughty. Aah .. he felt superior. So this attribute/characteristic is not one of subservience and obedience but rather is one such that the being, with the feeling of superiority, will do much to protect this superiority. This being will sin and challenge even his Creator. So this lack of superiority is then transformed into that evil called envy. Wikipedia: Envy (also called invidiousness) is best defined as an emotion that "occurs when a person lacks another's (perceived) superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it." Iblees, shaytaan, satan – is given a reprieve till the end (the day of Judgment) during which time he vows to mislead humans. Thus, it is evident that this trait called envy, is a trait of Satan. He is the one, with his cohorts. He toys with man and offers his services whereby he can do things which may seem nigh impossible and which will seemingly elevate the person using his services. He dupes this person to believe that he, satan, has knowledge beyond the realm of possibility (something simply called the “unseen”). So man falls for it and removes himself from the obedience of Allaah, his creator. He, man, now is so confused that he believes evil is good and mocks the real good. He slanders, maligns and uses the deception that satan taught him, to break what is good. He drives families apart through this deception, lies upon lies, and backbiting. We find this too often that in some communities people pay lots of money for their involvement in this. These evils range from anything from fortune-telling to séance to witchcraft. Satan is evil and he trains his “users” well. They really being high on him. They are masters at deception and for most hard to detect. They lie so well that even the listener may be duped into believing it’s the truth. So this arrangement between man and the evil one, satan, is such that the man believes he is in control, when in fact satan cannot be controlled by man.. at best he can be repelled. These devious people in turn manipulate events and situations such that innocent parties are impacted. They whisper untruths or near-truths to one party and thus create suspicion of a third party. They ask leading questions such that may create suspicion or lead one to say something which can be deliberately misquoted. they egg people on to argue a point or to raise an issue such that there will be bad blood They contrive situations such that one party feels cornered to the degree that this second party looks to have done a wrong. Pride, Superiority and envy are three most dangerous characteristics. We often hear and see these acts of deception in spy sagas. These acts of deception are also often prevalent in personal situations. O you who believe! If a Fasiq (liar — evil person) comes to you with any news, verify it, lest you should harm people in ignorance, and afterwards you become regretful for what you have done. Quran 49:6 O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion, indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting)[] . And fear Allâh. Verily, Allâh is the One Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful.  O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allâh is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa [i.e. he is one of the Muttaqûn (pious - see V.2:2). Verily, Allâh is All-Knowing, All-Aware. Quran 49:12-13 Devious people destroy families and friendships and care not for their own lives are in a mess (and then even that they don’t understand). Their joy is in their evil and seeing others fight and suffer. But truth will always surface and trust is always superior. These people may see truth in their lives and still not understand But, no doubt, on that great day, the day of accountability and reckoning, the truth will be apparent for all to see. May the Almighty protect from such evil.