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Good girl gone Great!!

By Sidra Kaukab  

Assalam O Alaikum readers!!

today I am going to share with you an extremely inspirational convert story of a North American (previously) Christian girl.

The story starts with her getting on line admission in an university. Soon after being approved she leaves for her home town to get done with some family affairs and it takes her longer than expected and she returns two weeks late on her schedule. She was enrolled for her degree in recreation and since it was two weeks into the semester she had already been allotted all the courses and registered and could not change/ drop any. As for her personal life she had always been a successful lady, running her own business making good money, she had won all the possible awards in her field of expertise and was happily settled with a peaceful family; husband and kids. all in all she was a good girl in every way. but little did she knew about being great. Allah had willed her to go from good to great 

Miracle Stories: The She-Camel of Allah

by Raiiq Ridwan                                                       Gateway to Quran

Allah mentions the stories of various Prophets and their nations in the Quran. Some Prophets were just sent with clear speech such as Nuh alayhi salam. Others, like Musa alayhi salam, were sent with various miracles. Among the most interesting of stories in the Quran is a story that is not that well known and not oft-repeated, in spite of the multitude of lessons in it. This is the story of Prophet Saleh alayhi salam, his people— Thamud, and the she-camel of Allah.

Saleh (alayhi salam) is Sent to Thamud

The people of Thamud were people who were blessed with strength and intelligence. Buildings they built were carved into the mountains, and they were very oppressive and tyrannical to other people. Moreover, they denied the blessings of Allah upon them and were staunchly involved in their idol worship. Allah, out of His Mercy and Benevolence, sent to them a Messenger from among themselves, the Prophet Saleh alayhi salam. He invited his people to worship Allah alone. He said,

Sense of humour of the Sahaba

A group of Sahabah were sitting in the Masjid. They saw Makhramah ibn Nawfal, an old man who was about one hundred and fifteen years old and obviously rather senile. He was related to the sister of Abdur-Rahman ibn Awl, who was a wife of an-Nuayman.

Makhramah was blind. He was so weak that he could hardly move from his place in the Masjid. He got up to urinate and might have done so in the Masjid. But the companions shouted at him to prevent him from doing so.. An-Nuayman got up and went to take him to another place, as he was instructed. What is this other place that an-Nuayman took him to? In fact he took him only a short distance away from where he was sitting at first and sat him down. The place was still in the Masjid!

People shouted at Makhramah and made him get up again all in a frenzy. The poor old man was distressed and said: "Who has done this?" "An-Nuayman ibn Amr," he was told. The old man swore and announced that he would bash an-Nuayman on the head with his stick if he should meet him.

An-Nuayman left and returned. He was up to some prank of his again. He saw Uthman ibn Allan, the Amir al-Muminim, performing Salat in the Masjid. Uthman was never distracted when he stood for Prayer. An-Nuayman also saw Makhramah. He went up to him and in a changed voice said: "Do you want to get at an-Nuayman?"

The old man remembered what an-Nuayman had done. He remembered his vow and shouted: "Yes, where is he?" An-Nuayman took him by the hand and led him to the place where the Khalifah Uthman stood and said to him: "Here he is!"

The old man raised his staff and bashed the head of Uthman. Blood flowed and the people shouted: "It's the Amir al-Muminin!" The dragged Makhramah away and some people set out to get an-Nuayman but Uthman restrained them and asked them to leave him alone. In spite of the blows he had suffered, he was still able to laugh at the deeds of an-Nuayman

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Mutual Respect

A woman from Delhi had the habit of frequenting the home of her parents. Her husband, who was not in favour of her leaving his home on a regular basis, finally issued her a warning, "In future, if you go to your father's home, you are divorced from me.

Soon thereafter, her father passed away and they were left in a precarious situation. She could neither proceed to the funeral home for fear of being divorced from her husband, not could she absent herself from her father's funeral.

Her husband presented his case before a leading scholar of the time, Shah 'Abdul 'Azeez رحمه الله. He explained, "If your wife proceeds to her father's home, she will certainly be divorced from you."

Upon hearing the answer, the husband felt totally despondent and began to weep.

Incidentally, Qadi Thana'ullah Panipati رحمه الله, a student of Shah 'Abdu 'Azeez رحمه الله, was present and listened to the discussion intently. After hearing his teacher's explanation he respectfully said, "Most honourable teacher, I think that the divorce will not take place, since the passing of her father has caused the ownership of the house to be transferred to his children. Since he no longer owns the house, she will not be divorced by entering it."

Shah 'Abdul 'Azeez رحمه الله was amazed with the variant opinion of his student and accepted it with a smile on his face.[Jawahir Pare, vol 1, p 223]

1) Couples need to be cautious with regards to their choice of words. A few moments of uncontrolled anger can easily result in a lifetime of regret.

2) Differences amongst intellectuals are natural. When such differences are based on authentic knowledge, sincere intentions and respectful presentation, they are a source of strength and goodness. However, when such differences are based on paltry knowledge, insincerity or presented in an impolite manner, they fuel the fires of enmity and conflict. [Pearls from the Path]

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Character of the Great Imam (Hazrat Imam e Azam Abu Hanifah (R.A)

This is a story relating to the latter period of Imam Abu Hanifah’s (R.A) life, where due to old age Imam Saab found it extremely difficult to walk.

Imam Abu Hanifah (R.A)’s house was situated on high ground, with a fair number of steps to climb to reach the entrance. One particular afternoon Imam Abu Hanifah (R.A) had just managed to climb up the steps and entered his house. He (R.A) had just sat down with the intention of lying down to rest, when somebody called out to him from the bottom of the steps:

“I wish to ask you a question, please come down”. Imam Abu Hanifah (R.A) came down and asked, “What is the question that you wish to ask?” The person replied, “Oh! Just as you had reached the last two or three steps I forgot!”

Imam Abu Hanifah (R.A) said, it is of no consequence. “When you remember, you may ask”, and Imam Saab went back up the stairs. Just as Imam Saab was about to lie down to rest, this person called out again, “I've remembered! Come down”

This time, too, it was the same story: The person said, “I had remembered, but just as you reached the last step, I forgot!”. In this way he made Imam Saab climb up and down six or seven times! Then finally, when Imam Saab had climbed down and enquired, “What is the question?” this person replied, “Yes! Yes! Now I remember! I want to know what is the taste of faeces?”

Imam Saab responded very calmly, “It depends. What type of faeces are you enquiring about, the taste of fresh faeces, or the taste of stale faeces?”

The person said, “Well… Both!” Imam Saab answered, “The taste of fresh faeces is sweet, whereas the taste of stale faeces is bitter.” The person said, “What...., did you taste each of them?”

Imam Saab replied, “There is no necessity for one to taste each in order to determine these qualities. There are some signs and indications which will equally lead us to this conclusion. I have noticed that flies tend to settle on freshly passed faeces, flies are attracted by sweetness. So, one can conclude that freshly passed faeces taste sweet. Flies do not settle on stale faeces, bitterness repels flies. So, again, one can conclude that stale faeces are bitter!”

The person said, “What you have stated is absolutely correct!” Imam Saab, in turn, asked him, “Why do you say so?” The person explained, “I knew the answers beforehand!” He explained further, “We were a few people sitting together, having a discussion, and the question came up: In this present age, who is that person who possess and acts upon his knowledge? And who would undergo personal inconvenience for the sake of others? It was our unanimous opinion that it was you”.

I came specifically to put you to the test, so that I could see for myself whether our unanimous opinion was correct or not! I confirm it was correct.

Often we acquire knowledge but fail to implement the teachings. As the Great Imam has shown, we should show patience at all times and practice what we preach.

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STORY OF OWAIS (R A)- An Unseen companion of Prophet (SAWS)

Owais (R A) was the only man who was mentioned by name by the Prophet(SAWS) without him having met him. He became a companion without seeing the prophet (SAWS), Owais (R A) was given the honor of being his Companion in Paradise! SubahanAllaah

One day, Omar ibn Khattab, Abu Bakr, Ali and other companions (RadhiAllaahu Anhum) were sitting with the Prophet(SAWS) at the Masjid when the Prophet(SAWS) said to them, “Tomorrow, a man will enter from this door to pray among you and he will be from the people of Paradise.”

Abu Huraira (R A) relates that the next day he hurried to Fajr prayer at the Masjid and lined up in the first row in hopes that he would be the man that the Prophet(SAWS) was referring to the day before.

There were many other Companions standing alongside him who also had the same idea. The Prophet (SAWS) conducted Fajr prayer and sat down. The Companions were eager to know who this man of Paradise was, but it didn’t seem the Prophet was going to mention it. So they sat and waited for a while and some of them had to go, but others still waited. These included Abu Huraira, Abu Bakr, Ali, and Umar ( RadhiAllaahu Anhum).

Just then walked in a man, who was so poor his clothes were dirty and torn. The Prophet(SAWS) immediately stood up and smiled from ear to ear and welcomed the man. The man asked the Prophet to pray for him. The Prophet(SAWS) raised his hands in duaa and said, “Oh Allaah please grant this man a position in the highest levels of Paradise, Al Firdous, with me.” So then when the man left, Abu Huraira (R A) asked the Prophet(SAWS) ,”Was that him?!” “Yes,” replied the Prophet .

“But oh Messenger of Allaah , he is nothing more than a poor slave, how can that be him?” asked Abu Huraira(R A) . “Oh Abu Huraira,” said the Prophet. “What can I do for him if his fate in this world is to be poor? His position on the Day of Judgment is that of a king. Abu Huraira(R A) , the ones that have the most value to Allaah are those that are pure, starving, whose faces are dusty, who are not known on this Earth, but known in the skies.

Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him ‘s Patience

She thought till late at midnight and finally decided how to take revenge from him. She could not sleep all night, because she was too eager to take revenge for the idols she worshiped. Even before the first ray of sunlight had entered her window, she was busy sweeping her house. She saved all the garbage in a basket, placed it on the roof of her house and proudly looked at it for a while, then with an impatient look on her face, she looked at the street that she lived on, and thought, “No one has ever seen him angry. Everybody will praise me when they will see him shouting at me and getting mad. They will laugh at him and make fun of him.” She looked at the basket again and grinned.

Meanwhile, she heard footsteps, announcing the approach of the end of her waiting. “Finally my prey has arrived,” she thought, as she saw a man dressed in clean, white clothes coming that way. She picked up the basket in her hands and threw all the garbage on him when he passed by. Much to the woman’s disappointment, he did not say anything and continued on his way.

The upper hand is better than the lower hand

Once a father was having a walk with his son. father was a wise man,and was very much concerned with the moral education of his son. both of them headed towards their fields near by while walking.

As they went along,they saw a pair of old shoes lying in path, which they supposed to belong to a poor man who was employed in a field close by,and who had nearly finished his day’s work.

The son turned to the father, saying: “Dad ! how about if we play the man a trick: we will hide his shoes, and conceal ourselves behind those bushes, and wait to see his perplexity when he cannot find them.”

“My Dear Son,” answered the father, “we should never amuse ourselves at the expense of the poor. But you are rich, and may give yourself a much greater pleasure by means of this poor man. Put a coin in each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and watch how this affects him.”

Former American Soldier Reverts To Islam

My reversion to Islam begins as a child, were my first religious exposure was to a Christian Cult that my now divorced mother and father were deeply involved in. During my adolescence this was short lived as my mother turned towards drugs, alcohol and a violent motorcycle gang’s counter culture. As a result my childhood was saturated with being molested by our step father for eleven years, drugs, violence and then intense physical abuse by our second step-father. It was very hard growing up in this environment and I sought the first available means of escape, the Army at the age of seventeen.

The Army was both good and bad for me, I learned how to be a strong person through the Army; unfortunately that strong person was very prone to violence. Coping with my childhood wasn’t easy, thus beginning a period of self-medicating with hard drugs and alcohol. None of these were strong enough to numb my minds’ eye of the past; I did find one thing that was though-violence. I became very aggressive, very violent towards people. I became very calculating and malicious and would fight people just to see how they fought back; as a result the Army released me from duty and my family admitted me to a psychiatric hospital, were I was a frequent in patient for over a year.

Story of A Cobbler

Once a great saint Abdullah bin mubarik went to perform hajj. One day, after he had performed his hajj , he was sitting in holy kaba in his leisure time. He went to sleep. While sleeping in his dream he saw two angles talking to each other. They were talking to each other about hajj. One of them asked about how many people came to perform hajj this year, and how many of them had their effort accepted by ALLAH subhana hu wa tala.

The other replied “ almost 6-7 lakh people came here to perform hajj, but sadly none of them had it accepted”, he added” but I have heard that there lives a cobbler in Damascus, he didn’t come to perform hajj but his hajj is accepted, and ALLAH subhana hu wa tala is accepting hajj of all others because of him.”

How I Came To Islam

By Amna Farooq

ASSALAAMAULIKUM  DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS
At one time in my life i was Christian but always searching for something to answer all my questions I had in my soul and my oldest son at the time was a bit rebellious and hard to control, he was only 15 then and I was a single mother as his father and I had divorced when he was only 8 years old .. Anyways , He ended up having to go to a  boys school in Indianapolis , Indiana which by the grace and mercy of Allah ended up being best for Him, and for me, as a brother  there spoke to him about Islam.
My son studied and watched Videos and ended up taking Shahadah at a very young age(15) and i saw such a change  in his behaviour and his respect towards me , he seemed to ‘glow’ when he did his prayers..I decided i wanted whatever THAT was that he had embraced for myself as well….
Together we traveled to a dawah center in Milwaukee , Wisconsin, USA and my son was a witness to his Mother taking shahadah, Alhamdullilah..  ALMOST 15 YEARS AGO…..This was only after asking many questions, watching videos of Sheikh Ahmed Deedat and  Jamal Badawi and others debating Christians, also after talking to many sisters and doing many prayers..

How Hazrat Umer Embraced Islam

Umar was a headstrong young man of great determination. He was brought up to venerate the Kabah and to cherish the unity of the Quraysh and their religion. That is why he saw Islam as a threat to the Quraysh and became most violent and unrestrained in his attacks on Muslims. He was one of the most rabid enemies of Islam and of Muhammad, the Messenger of God, and was a great tormentor of the Muslims. That is why conversion of hazrat umer to islam is very famous incident in Islamic history.

It was the sixth year of Holy Prophet’s mission when Quraish leaders called a meeting . in this meeting they discussed the current situation of tribe, the most prevailing one of which was the new emerging religion Islam. All the leaders greed upon the assassination of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam). Now problem was, who would perform that task. At one moment, all eyes turned towards this fearless man, who had come forth. They saw that he was Umar, the Son of Hattab. The Qurayshis were confident that Umar was more than capable. Umar , being famous of his bravery , fearlessness and hatred for islam , was chosen for this job and everybody in the meeting exclaimed that he was the right person for it.

Power of “Istighfar” (A moving story)

This story about “Istighfar” is from the life of Imam Ahmed Bin Hanbal, who is considered as a renowned scholar of Islam and a famous theologian. Imam Ahmed is also considered to be the founder of the Hanbali school of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and is one of the most celebrated Sunni theologians, often referred to as the “Sheikh ul-Islam” or the “Imam of Ahl al-Sunnah.”

During his old age, while Imam Ahmed was travelling he stopped by a town. After the prayers, he wanted to stay for the night in the masjid yard because he didn’t know anyone in the town. Owing to his humility, he hadn’t introduced himself to anyone thinking that if he did, he would be welcomed by many people.

Return to ALLAH

Once , there was a king. For some reason he got very pleased of one of his men. To reward that person , the king said to him, “ Gentle man, you made me happy , so as a reward I allow you to run , run on a circular path as far as you can till the sun sets, and whatever distance of land your circular path encloses would be yours, but be mindfull, you have to complete circle till the sun set. If you failed to complete the circle till the sun sets, you would get nothing.”

Hearing this , the man started walking happily thinking that now his days would turn to good ones and he would live a rich life now. He kept on walking and walking whole day. When it reached time of Zohar, he thought of going back towards the initial point to complete circle. But a greedy voice raised in his mind “ no, there is a lot of time to get back, cover some more distance, you would never get such a golden chance ever again”. He decided to cover a little more distance and then return back. After walking more ,again he thought to start traveling back. But again greedy nature of man overcame. After a few miles, when he finally decided to return back, he saw a beautifull garden, spread on wide area. He decided include the garden also in his property and then finally return back.

O Son of Adam! I desire something and you desire something

By Amna Farooq 

She heard it somewhere, and was now experiencing each word of it:

“ O Son of Adam! I desire something and you desire something but only what I desire occurs. If you submit yourself to my desire( i.e. obey Him), I will be sufficient for you in your desire. If you do not submit yourself to me (by disobeying Him), I will tire you in what you desire and (at the end of the day) only what I wish happens and occurs.” .

She had no worldly desire left, as she had just seen the result of such desires. It was a feeling of nonexistence, it seemed like dooms day. Numbness traveling through her limbs was making her feel lifeless. The person, who meant a world to her, was actually a cheater. Some truths are life shattering, and so was that one. The one, whom she believed in more than her existence, was nothing more than a deception. In such situations it gets so hard to accept the reality that the truth you considered foundation of your life was actually a lie. Despite of investing blindly on this temporary relation, she was a looser. Despite of a verynice brought up in a sensible family and every calculated step, she had been ultimately trapped!

These regrets were stabbing her soul, and tears were slipping down her cheeks in a constant flow. She felt so tired and hurt after running behind her desires. This made another voice echo in her ears-

“Consider the one who has taken his own desire as a deity, whom God allows to stray in the face of knowledge, sealing his ears and heart and covering his eyes — who can guide such a person after God (has abandoned him)? Will you not take heed?” (45:23)

Abdullah bin Mubarak And A lady Who Spoke The Words of Quran

Here is a story of a lady who spoke the words of Quran ! you would definitely find beauty in it. I hope you admire reading the story of a lady who spoke the words of Quran as answer of every question.

An elderly Arab lady was sitting with her back against the trunk of a tree on road, which was the way to Hajj. Hadhrat Abdullah bin Mubarak (RA) happened to pass that way. He was also heading for Baitullah, for Hajj, and to the Sacred tomb of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaahu layhi Wasallam). Seeing this lady very disturbed and in a state of despair, he spoke to her.

Their discussion is recorded as follows:

Hadhrat Abdullah bin Mubarak (RA): Assalamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullah

The lady: “The word from a merciful Lord is Peace” (Surah 36 Aayat 58).

She meant that the reply of salaam is from Allah, Most High, Himself. She said further: “Those whom Allah sendeth astray, there is no guide for them.” (Surah 7 Aayat 186).

She meant that she had lost her way.

Hadhrat Abdullah bin Mubarak (RA): Where are you coming from?

The lady: “Glorified be He who carried His servant by night from the Musjid-e-Aqsa (inviolable place of worship) to the Musjid-e-Haraam” (Far distant place of worship) (Surah17 Aayat1).

A WAY to Become The Companion in JANNAH!!! (STORY OF SOBAAN RA)

Musab bin Omair (radi Allahu anhu)

Dear Readers, As Salaamu Alaikum

Today we will share with you the story of one of the Matyrs in Islam- Musab bin Omair (radi Allahu anhu). As Muslims it is important for us to know the sacrifice made and the struggle done by many different companions of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam.

One such great personality was Musab bin Omair (radi Allahu anhu).

Young and handsome, elegant and rich, Musab bin Omair (radi Allahu anhu) was born and brought up in wealth and luxury. Wherever he would pass by fragrance would linger in the air. But after his mother found out about his embracing Islam she shackled and imprisoned him in a corner of the house. He managed to escape and migrate to Abyssinia. He migrated the second time too and then returned. The Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) chose him as his envoy and sent him to Madinah to prepare it to become the crucible of Islam, a job he accomplished brilliantly.

He participated in Badr and carried the flag in Uhud. He held onto the flag till he fell a martyr, struggling to prevent the disbelievers from reaching and harming the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam). When the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) saw his corpse his eyes overflowed with tears and he recited, “Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah.” [Surah al-Ahzab, Ayat 23]

Musab bin Omair (radi Allahu anhu) emigrated for Allah's cause, so his reward became due with Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala. But he passed away without enjoying anything in this life of his reward. He did not leave behind anything except a sheet of shredded woolen cloth. If his head were covered with it, his feet were uncovered, and if his feet were covered with it, his head was uncovered. Crying, the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “I saw you at Makkah, and there was not a more precious jewel, nor a more distinguished one than you, and here you are bare-headed in a (single) garment!”

                                                                                                                             

 With Best Wishes

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An-Nuayman put an end to his laughter?

An-Nuayman lived on after the Prophet and continued to enjoy the affection of Muslims. But did he put an end to his laughter? During the caliphate of Uthman, a group of Sahabah were sitting in the Masjid. They saw Makhramah ibn Nawfal, an old man who was about one hundred and fifteen years old and obviously rather senile. He was related to the sister of Abdur-Rahman ibn Awl, who was a wife of an-Nuayman.
Makhramah was blind. He was so weak that he could hardly move from his place in the Masjid. He got up to urinate and might have done so in the Masjid. But the companions shouted at him to prevent him from doing so.. An-Nuayman got up and went to take him to another place, as he was instructed. What is this other place that an-Nuayman took him to? In fact he took him only a short distance away from where he was sitting at first and sat him down.
The place was still in the Masjid!
People shouted at Makhramah and made him get up again all in a frenzy. The poor old man was distressed and said: "Who has done this?" "An-Nuayman ibn Amr," he was told.
The old man swore and announced that he would bash an-Nuayman on the head with his stick if he should meet him.
An-Nuayman left and returned. He was up to some prank of his again. He saw Uthman ibn Affan, the Amir al-Muminim, performing Salat in the Masjid. Uthman was never distracted when he stood for Prayer. An-Nuayman also saw Makhramah. He went up to him and in a changed voice said: "Do you want to get at an-Nuayman?"
The old man remembered what an-Nuayman had done. He remembered his vow and shouted: "Yes, where is he?" An-Nuayman took him by the hand and led him to the place where the Khalifah Uthman stood and said to him: "Here he is!"
The old man raised his staff and bashed the head of
Uthman. Blood flowed and the people shouted: "It's the Amir al-Muminin!"
The dragged Makhramah away and some people set out to get an-Nuayman but Uthman restrained them and asked them to leave him alone. In spite of the blows he had suffered, he was still able to laugh at the deeds of an-Nuayman.

An-Nuayman lived up to the time of Muawiyah when fitnah saddened him and discord filled him with anguish. He lost his levity and laughed no more.