My Husband's Faithfulness Led Me to Islam

This article is based on an interview with Patricia Sharief, who converted to Islam in 1994; she is married and has three children.

Patricia Sharief is an Austrian who embraced Islam more than 13 years ago. She credits her acceptance of Islam to her husband, who never forced her to follow the religion. Instead, she was impressed by Islam through her husband's dealings and manners.

About her acceptance of Islam, Sharief says, "I was born in Austria and grew up in a Christian family who did not practice regularly. Neither one of my parents showed interest in performing prayer in Church. Also, speaking of religious issues was rare in our house."

She goes on to say, "And in this environment, I began to learn about Islam for the first time in high school through dealings with my colleagues of Turkish origin. I also came across many Turkish colleagues at work. However, what I learned about Islam was through my desire to learn about another culture and religion, and not from a real desire to learn about or convert to that religion."

And on learning about the teachings of Islam, Sharief says, " Destiny led me to meet and marry a Muslim Egyptian man. From our first day together, I noticed that he faithfully practices his religion. My husband always prayed and performed other acts of worship such as fasting and giving money to the poor. Yet, he never spoke to me about Islam, unless I asked him."

"This intrigued me even more and caused my questions to increase. His true commitment and steadfastness in following his faith made me even more determined to learn about the magic of this religion and its influence on its followers."

She adds, "However, my marriage was put to the test with our first Ramadan together. I was shocked to find a complete change in our daily routine. I never imagined that someone can endure an entire day without food or drink, which infuriated me and almost cost us our marriage. However, my husband asked me to calm down and tried to explain to me the reasons behind the various rules pertaining to Ramadan. And although at the time I was not entirely convinced of those reasons, I found myself looking forward to learning more about Islam and its teachings."

Sharief points that with the help of her husband, she began to grow closer to Islam. She was reading more and often asked her husband whenever she had a question. Her husband, despite his busy schedule, was very generous with his time whenever she approached him with a question or concern in order to facilitate her understanding of Islam.

She says that whenever she used to ask him a question that he did not know the answer to, he would then go with her to a Muslim scholars in Austria for discussion.

Sharief continued on her journey until she felt a strong urge to embrace Islam. When she told her husband of her feelings, he advised her to take her time and carefully think about her decision. He also asked her to thoroughly examine the issue from different perspectives, especially the effect this may have on her relationship with her family. However, in time she became more determined to embrace Islam, especially when she observed the closeness and kindness among Muslims and the magnificent environment that engulfs their social life, particularly in Ramadan.

Sharief then adds, "My husband took me to Al-Azhar Mosque in Egypt for my declaration of faith; there I received a document announcing that I have become a Muslim. Upon our return to Austria, I underwent the process of changing my faith on all my documents and certificates."

As for the reaction of her family and friends to news of her conversion to Islam, she says,"We have had our ups and downs for many months until they accepted the religion I chose for myself. Having my first child may have influenced their decision as well."

"As for my friends, some stayed away, while others stayed close; some of whom have even embraced Islam as well. My social life is still active, with the exception of rare occurrences due to the hijab."

Unfortunately, harassment of women wearing the hijab is common in Europe whether in the street or at work, especially since many assume that any woman wearing the hijab must be a foreigner. As a result, many people are shocked when they realize I am Austrian. Meanwhile, I receive many questions about why I chose Islam and wore the hijab and whether my husband forced me to do so among several other stereotypes that I try to disqualify.

Shariefstresses the positive changes in her life as a result of becoming Muslim when she says, "I learned that my life has a purpose; one that is higher than physical pleasures that rob humans of their intellect and occasionally their souls and hearts; the purpose of my life is to worship God, Glorified be He."

"The five daily Prayers bring me closer to God, giving me greater self-confidence that lead me to more stability and success in life."

"Currently, my husband and I are trying to implant the spirit of Islam and its teachings in the hearts of our three children, which, for me, represents a greater challenge than my conversion to Islam."

"Children are always in a need to understand what they hear and see, rendering the process of teaching them about religion a hard task that requires a great deal of time and patience."

"Meanwhile, the Western media project false information about Islam, resulting in anyone connected to Islam being treated with suspicion and doubt, causing tremendous psychological stress for Muslims."

The Islamic way to healthy teeth and gums.

The miswak, a Muslim's natural toothbrush, was found to be smooth, safe and purgative to clean the mouth with, according to research conducted by Abdul Al Shareif, Saudi Ministry of Agriculture.

The miswak is widely used in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in accordance with the strong recommendation by Islamic Prophet Muhammad (SAW)

In his research, Al Shareif explained Miswaks contain anti mouth ulcer substances, and anti sceptics, which have similar effects to penicillin.

In addition to the miswak's substances that prevent teeth carries, gum bleeding, mouth cancer and putrefaction, it has another substance that strengthens the gum, and prevents the teeth from coloring.

It also contains smell scents, painkiller substances and sodium bicarbonate, which is a preferable formula in the manufacture of toothpaste.

The miswak is easy to carry and keep clean and can be used anytime ofthe day, as some Muslims like to clean their mouth with it before salaah (prayers).

It reaches inside the mouth, and gets in to gaps between the teeth without hurting the gum.

"God likes us to be clean all the time, as it says in the Qur'an. And I think those who brush their teeth before prayers like to get clean, before praying" said Ahmed Omrah, Imam of one of Jeddah's mosques.

In his study, Dr Al Shareif also clarified that the miswak is best used while it's fresh and soft. Its used end must be removed daily. The miswak must be always be kept clean from dust. The miswak tree, which is from the family of Salvadoraceae, is planted in the warm climate of many places of Saudi Arabia. Most of its farming is in the south coast.

The miswak tree, which is relatively short, 1-4 meters in height is permanently green around the year. Miswak can be taken from miswak tree branches or from the roots of the miswak tree. The later one is more effective and preferable to users. A reasonable size for use is about 15 to 25cm and it is finger shaped, the research pointed out.

Miswak have a big market in Saudi Arabia and users can find them in stores that sell Islamic books and cassettes, close to mosques. Muhammed Sufiani, a retired 65 year old teacher, who has never visited dentist in his life, explained how he maintained his strong teeth.

"I always carry my miswak. After eating i immediately clean my mouth, usually it takes me seconds. I also keep misawaks in my house and have taught my children and grand children to use miswak." said Sufiani.

According to Ibrahim Al Hedraiti, who has a Miswak farm in Shaqah, a little village about 190km south of Jeddah, miswaks sell the best during the month of Ramadaan. Shaqah is famous for planting the highest quality of miswaks in the region. There are two varieties that are cultivated: Nasham is always green and the other, Rak, has a spicey taste and its outer layer is brown.

"Most famers here plant miswaks. It has always been good business, as our farms supply the Kingdom's demand" Al hedaraiti added in his statement.

Muslims in Space! Muslim Astronauts Encounter Unique Difficulties

As Malaysia prepares to pick its first astronauts, the country's space agency is hunting for solutions to the problems it expects devout Muslims to face while in orbit, such as in which direction to pray.

Devout Muslims are required under Islam rules to pray fervently five times a day facing their holy city of Mecca. Mecca is the birthplace of Islam and of Muhammad, the founder of Islam. It is therefore the most sacred of cities in both Islam and the middle east. According to Islamic traditions, Muslims around the world must face Mecca during their daily prayers. The question that must be answered is how Astronauts aboard spaceships determine which way to pray. How do you correctly pray and face Mecca?.

"Among the astronaut's needs, if he is a Muslim, are guidelines on performing prayers in space, and other aspects of life according to Islamic principles," Malaysian government official Mohd Ruddin Abdul Ghani.

Malaysia is currently in their astronaut candidate selection process. They will soon begin astronaut training for a near future trip (Oct. 2007) in conjunction with Russia . The trip will be made aboard a Soyuz spacecraft and is part of a major arms agreement/purchase between the two countries.

The trip was the deal maker for a $900-million deal for Russian fighter jets. The Malaysian astronauts will spend a week aboard the International Space Station amongst other activities and learn from Russian astronauts. Rumor has it there could also be a satellite launched with an as of yet unknown purpose - Islamic satellite programming?

This is all apart of Malaysia's recent strides in increasing science and technology programs and research. "We want the world to know that Malaysia has great capabilities, knowledge, education and resources for the future." Stated Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. We will not only be known for low cost manufacture, but also for high quality and cutting edge research both chemical and technical. Malaysia is gearing up and getting ready for the future.

Islamic Urban Wear - Understanding Modern and Urban Styles

One can find many differences between the Islamic urban wear and the Islamic rural wear. In Asia most people can be found in rural areas, making large difference in lifestyle than in urban area.

In rural areas the life style is simple and not as fashionable when compared to wears in urban areas. In Urban areas people wear highly fashionable and more costly clothes than in rural areas. Also the Islamic urban clothing is different in different countries because life style mainly depends on climatic condition and culture of that country.

In Asia, it is always good to wear cotton cloths as the climatic conditions in Asia are very hot and humid; cotton cloths are more hygienic than many other fabrics. Thuabs are most popular among the Muslim men across the world. Since from many centuries Muslim men used to wore long and flowing cloths. A Muslim man thinks their clothing shows its political, cultural and social value.

Urban wear

In Islamic Urban wear the Thuabs and Jubbahs are more popular than usual urban wears. Most people who follow Islam wear the Thuabs and jubbahs than traditional urban wears. These Islamic urban are easily available at many online trading shops where one can buy beautiful and fashionable urban wear at very low cost than its actual price at outlets. Online shopping help to save time and money and one can buy their favorite cloth in just few clicks but it is important to shop on a famous and trusted site. Almost all of the online shop provide home delivery options and offer easy payment options. One can also buy his/her required urban Islamic cloths from roadside streets. There are some special online and roadside shops that are famous for selling good quality, current patterns and fashionable urban wear at reasonable rates.

Most women wear the salwar-kurta and black Burkha over the face. The clothing of boys and girls are similar to clothing of their parents. Basically these people have simple day to day clothing but for festival and main occasions they wear very highly design beautiful cloths. One can easily notice the difference between urban wearing and typical wearing at rural areas.

As these people are living almost every part of the world and hence their clothing may Changes from place to place and they adopt their life style as per the culture and climatic conditions of that country. Islamic clothing can be differentiae into two main categories Islamic urban wear and Islamic rural wear. Urban wear mainly consists of highly fashionable cloths which are costly and it includes shirt paint with suit and traditional jubbah and pajamas. And Islamic rural wear consists of cotton jubbah and pajamas for men and salwar-kurta and black Burkha over the face.

by Jason Stevenson

Women Rights in Islam –Array (4) the Daughter's Rights

The position of daughter in pre Islamic era:

.

The history of human civilization bears evidence that woman was regarded as a personification of shame, misdeed and evil in the world. The birth of a daughter was embarrassing to her family and her father could not raise his head for the dishonour that such girl would be expecting to bring it disgracefully. This merciless tradition was widespread all over the world. The intellectual scholars and the top religious leaders were disputed for generations about the question whether God had granted women a soul like man!In Hinduism, the woman stood debarred, from being educated in the Vedas. Buddhism did not recognise salvation for one having sex relations with woman. Christianity and Judaism looked upon woman as the source of all the evil committed by man in the world. In Greece, housewives were entitled to receive no education, nor training in culture, nor social rights. The condition in Rome, Iran, China, Egypt and other centres of human civilization was not very different.

.

Back to the pagan Arabs, the heartless tradition of dispose of daughters by killing them had become widespread and a routine deed among them.The Arabs used to make deep graves in the desert and put their daughters in such graves and burry them alive by sands and stones.

.

The girl in this case was called in Arabic "Almoaw-oudah "which means "the daughter which is buried while she is alive".

.

How the Quran did forbid this antihuman custom?The Quran did it using five Arabic words:"When the "Almoaw-oudah" is questioned for what crime she was killed" (Surah 81:8 9) That's means in the afterlife:"When the female (infant), buried alive, is questioned for what crime she was killed". (Surah 81:8 9)

.

Slaying of daughters is such a dreadful crime that on the day of Judgement, Allah would not even talk to their murderer. Allah would simply take a testimony of the girl who was buried alive and would punish her murderer very ruthlessly.

.

When the Arabs heard this verse, they cried and stopped immediately this anti-human tradition.

It would be a very promising human success and achievement if it is the only evil custom that had been forbidden by Islam.

.

However, Still the Arabs customs about girls ruled but in another way. Although they stopped the bad tradition of "Almoaw-oudah "; however, they generally did not like the birth of daughters and preferred having boys instead.

.

Herein, the Quran personalizes this Arabic first choice:"When news is brought to one of them, of (the birth of) a female (child), his face darkens, and he is filled with inward grief! With shame does he hide himself from his people, because of the bad news he has had! Shall he retain it on (sufferance and) contempt, or bury it in the dust? AM what an evil (choice) they decide on!" (Surah 16:58 59)

.

The Qur'an draws a very dramatic picture of the pagan Arabs on the birth of a daughter. According to the Qur'an, if any one of them receives the news about the birth of a daughter, his face turns black and he is furious. He keeps himself away from his people because of the `evil news'. He asks himself: "Should I put up with this insult and keep up with it or should I bury it alive." The Qur'an declares their thinking as evil and brought to an end this nasty custom.

.

Also, Some Arabs used to kill their daughters because of the poverty and they could not afford spending on them.

.

Also, the Quran stopped this custom and forbid it:"Kill not your children for fear of poverty: We shall provide sustenance for them as well as for you: Verily the killing of them is a great sin". (Surah 17:31)

.

The daughters were considered to be an economic load and the poor families used to dispose of them by killing them. The Qur'an made the infanticide a great sin and commanded the parents not to do so, since Allah who provides them sustenance would also provide for their children.

.

Generally, the Quran told the Arabs that there is no difference between the birth of boys or girls because it is the will of Allah to give the parents boys or girls."To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. He creates what He wills (And plans). He bestows (children) male or female according to His will (and Plan), or he bestows both males and females, and He leaves barren whom He will: For He is Full of Knowledge and Power". (Surah 42:49 50)

.

For that reason, no body should feel embarrassed of or offended on the birth of a daughter; neither should he hold responsible his fortune or anybody else for causing the birth of daughters. Birth of a daughter is a blessing according to the Prophet of IslamWhat did the Prophet Mohammad say about daughters?

• "Whoever maintains two girls till they attain maturity, he and I will come on the Resurrection Day like this; and he joined his fingers."
• "Whoever suffers for any thing on account of these daughters and (still) treats them with kindness, they will be a shield for him from Hell."
• "If anybody has got a female child, and then does neither bury her alive, nor treats her unjustly, nor prefers his children (meaning male children) to her, Allah will admit him in Paradise."
• "Shall I not teach you the best form of charity? (maintaining) your daughter who has been returned to you, who has got no earning member except you.

"Then listen to how the Prophet Mohammad used to deal with her daughter "Fatimah":"Whenever she came to him, he used to stand up for her and then take her by the hand, kissed her and would make her sit in his seat."

.

In addition, Islam gives the daughter her lost Rights:e.g., her parents can not marry her to anyone without her own consent; she has the rights for education and she is a complete member in her society etc.

.

Moreover, the Prophet Mohammad gives us a golden advice to rise up our kids when he said:"If your kids (boy and girl) become mature, do not let them sleep together in the same bed".If we apply such an advice, many of the domestic girls' abuse would have been avoided.

.
By Safaa Abdel-Aziz

Women Rights in Islam –Array (3) the Wife's Rights

There is a chapter in the Holy Qur'an entitled "The Women" (Surah No.4), the major portion of which is devoted to the rights and obligations of women, law of inheritance, family life etc. In addition, many other Surahs in the Noble Quran e.g. Surah No. 2, 24, 33 and 65 also deal with subjects relating to women and family life to an enormous scope.

.

On the other hand, there is no chapter in the Holy Qur'an entitled "The Man"As a wife, she is the supply of soothe and peace for her husband and similarly her husband is a source of comfort, relieve, peace and protection for her. Allah has created love and affection between them (Surah 30:21). Allah blesses the men with children through their wives (Surah 16:72).

.

In Islam the rights of wife are well established and protected both lawfully and socially. Unfortunately however, a greater number of husbands and men-folk in general, are either ignorant of these rights, or willfully violate them. A lady enters the marriage contract through her absolute free choice. No marriage is honored without her consent.

.

While husband is assigned by Allah the right to divorce, wife has the right to seek separation and divorce. If husband does not agree to separation, it can and should be enforced through court’s intervention.

.

The household expenditure is to be met by husband, as a rule. Wife is not obliged to take or share this burden, even if she is rich. She may, but that will be a favor from her. She has the right to own property, received through various sources of inheritance, earned or enhanced through gainful investment. She may ask for a maid/servant to do household chores, and cannot be compelled to do these jobs herself as an obligation.

.

Legally, she cannot be compelled even to breast-feed her baby. That arrangement is the responsibility of father. But she can never deny bed-sharing unless it was physically not possible. This is one area in which Islam asks her to comply with her husband’s desire.

.

As mother, she enjoys priority over her husband to be looked after and served by their children.

.

Having listed some of the rights as above, it is admitted that women in our society are deprived of what Allah granted them.

The Qur'an states: "And among His signs is that He created for you mates from among yourselves that you may live in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between you; Verily, in that are signs for people who reflect." (Surah 30:21)

.

Marriage is therefore not just a physical or emotional necessity, but in fact, a sign from God! It is a relationship of mutual rights and obligations based on divine guidance. God created men and women with complimentary natures, and in the Qur'an, He laid out a system of laws to support harmonious interaction between the sexes. "...They are your garments and you are their garments." (Surah 2:187)

.

The second right of a wife is maintenance. Despite any wealth she may have, her husband is obligated to provide her with food, shelter and clothing. He is not forced, however, to spend beyond his capability and his wife is not entitled to make unreasonable demands. The Qur'an states: "Let the man of means spend according to his means, and the man whose resources are restricted, let him spend according to what Allah has given him. Allah puts no burden on any person beyond what He has given him." (Surah 65:7)

.

The commandments of the Holy Qur'an regarding the rights of woman as wife are:"Permitted to you, on the night of the fasts, is the approach to your wives. They are your garments and ye are their garments. Allah knoweth what ye used to do secretly among yourselves: But He turned to you and forgave you"(Surah 2:187)

.

"Your wives are as a tilth unto you: so approach your tilth when or how ye will: but do some good act for your souls beforehand; and fear Allah, and know that ye are to meet Him (in the Hereafter) and give (these) good tidings to those who believe."(Surah 2:223)

.

"And women shall have rights similar to the rights against them, according to what is equitable; but men have a degree (of advantage) over them. And Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise." (Surah 2:228)

.

"There is no blame on you if ye divorce women before consummation or the fixation of their dower: but bestow on them (a suitable gift) the wealthy according to his means, and the poor according to his means; A gift of a reasonable amount is due from those who wish to do the right things." (Surah 2:236)

.

"O mankind! reverence your Guardian Lord, Who created you from a single Person, created, of like nature, his mate, and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women; Reverence Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights), and (reverence) the wombs (that bore you); for Allah ever watches over you." (Surah 4:1)

.

"And give the women (on marriage) their dower as a free gift; but if they, of their own good pleasure, remit any part of it to you, take it and enjoy it with right good cheer." (Surah 4:4)

.

"In what your wives leave, your share is a half, if they leave no child; but, if they leave a child, ye get a fourth; after payment of legacies and debts. In what ye leave, their share is a fourth, if ye leave no child. But if ye leave a child, they get an eighth; after payment of legacies and debts." (Surah 4:12)"

.

O ye who believe! ye are forbidden to inherit women against their will. Nor should ye treat them with harshness, that ye may take away part of the dower ye have given them, except where they have been guilty of open lewdness; on the contrary live with them on a footing of kindness and equity. If ye take a dislike to them it may be that ye dislike a thing, and Allah brings about through it a great deal of good." (Surah 4:19)

.

"But if ye decide to take one wife in place of another, even if ye had given the latter a whole treasure for dower, take not the least bit of it back: Would ye take it by slander and a manifest wrong?" (Surah 4:20)"

.

If ye fear a breach between them twain, appoint (two) arbiters, one from his family, and the other from hers; if they wish for peace, Allah will cause, their reconciliation: for Allah hath full knowledge, and is acquainted with all things." (Surah 4:35)

.

"It is He Who created you from a single person, and made his mate of like nature, in order that he might dwell with her (in love). When they are united, she bears a light burden and carries it about (unnoticed). When she grows heavy, they both pray to Allah their Lord, (saying); "If Thou givest us a goodly child, we vow we shall (ever) be grateful." (Surah 7:189)

.

"And Allah has made for you mates (and companions) of your own nature, and made for you, out of them, sons and daughters and grandchildren, and provided for you sustenance of the best: will they then believe in vain things, and be ungrateful for Allah's favours." (Surah 16:72)

.

"And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquillity with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts):Verily in that are Signs for those who reflect." (Surah 30:21)

.

"Let the women live (in 'iddat), in the same style as ye live, according to your means: Annoy them not, so as to restrict them. And if they carry (life in their wombs), then spend (your substance) on them until they deliver their burden: and if they suckle your (offspring), give them their recompense: and take mutual counsel together, according to what is just and reasonable. And if ye find yourselves in difficulties, let another woman suckle (the child) on the (father's) behalf." (Surah 65:6)

.

The role of the husband evolves around the moral principle that it is his solemn duty to Allah to treat his wife with kindness, honor, and patience; to keep her honorably or free her from the marital bond honorably; and to cause her no harm or grief. Allah says: "…consort with them in kindness, for if ye hate them it may happen that ye hate a thing wherein Allah hath placed much good." (Surah 4: 19)

.

The Wife's Rights; The Husband's Obligations:According to the Quran and the Sayings of the Prophet Mohammad,Which commanded kindness to women; it is the husband's duty to:

1. Consort with his wife in an evenhanded and kind conduct. Allah says, "… and consort with them in kindness." (Surah 4: 19)
2. Have responsibility for the full maintenance of the wife, a duty which he must discharge cheerfully, without reproach, injury, or condescendence.

Allah says: "Let him who hath abundance spend of his abundance, and he whose provision is measured, let him spend of that which Allah hath given him. Allah asketh naught of any soul save that which He hath given it. Allah will vouchsafe, after hardship, ease.‏" (Surah 65: 7)

.

What is meant by Maintenance? Maintenance entails the wife's incontestable right to lodging, clothing, nourishing, and general care and well-being.

.

It should be emphasized that:

1. The wife's residence must be adequate so as to provide her with the reasonable level of privacy, comfort, and independence. The welfare of the wife and the stability of the marriage should be the ultimate goal.
2. What is true of the residence is true of clothing, food, and general care. The wife has the right to be clothed, fed, and cared for by the husband, in accordance with his means and her style of life.

These rights are to be exercised without extravagance or miserliness.In short, a husband is commanded by the law of Allah to:

1. Treat his wife with equity.
2. Respect her feelings, and to show her kindness and consideration.
3. Not to show his wife any aversion or to subject her to suspense or uncertainty.
4. Not to keep his wife with the intention of inflicting harm on her or hindering her freedom.
5. Let her demand freedom from the marital bond, if he has no love or sympathy for her.

By Safaa Abdel-Aziz

Women Rights in Islam –Array (2) the lost Rights of our first Mother

Eve in the Bible:

The fall of Eve is the most significant of all the falls of human being.
.
As a result of Eve's fall, all mankind was affected.The Bible describes Eve's fall in six successive steps"

1. Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2. And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat" (Gen. 3).

It follows that Eve Listened, looked, desired, sinned and failed to accept the responsibility for her sin.
.
Eve Listened. It is evident from the text that Eve listened to what the devil told her. Before there is a fall, there is first attention and listening to the appeal of the devil.
.
Eve looked. The Bible says "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes…" (Gen. 3: 6). It follows that, Eve looked and was soon hooked.
.
Eve desired. Eve's response to the smooth words of the devil was, "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise…." (Gen. 3: 6), i.e. the devil had awaken her desire.
.
Eve sinned. "…she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat…." (Gen. 3: 6).Not only did Eve sin, but she was not satisfied until she had persuaded Adam to also sin."…and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat" (Gen. 3: 6).
.
Eve was deceived, but Adam was not. Eve was not remorseful and never asked God to forgive her and she looked typically like an impenitent sinners, she blamed another for her sin. "And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat" (Gen. 3: 13). Eve did not submit to God and she also failed to resist the devil..
.
Eve failed to accept the responsibility for her sin. Eve did not submit to God and she also failed to resist the devil. Eve never asked her God to forgive her.These are the Biblical teachings.
.
Eve in the Quran:
.

In the Quran it is clear that both Adam and Eve sinned, and both together were responsible for the first sin Then did Satan make them slip from the (Garden), and get them out of the state (of felicity) in which they had been. We said: "Get ye down, all (ye people), with enmity between yourselves. On earth will be your dwelling place and your means of livelihood for a time." Surah 2:36It means that Satan deceived both Adam and Eve.

.

It is not logic to accept that Adam and Eve never submitted to God and asked Him to forgive both of them.The Quran says that they did and God forgave both of them and gave them and us also a golden advice to live in success in this life and in the afterlife.

[23] They said: "Our Lord! we have wronged our own souls: if Thou forgive us not and bestow not upon us Thy Mercy, we shall certainly be lost."

[24] (Allah) said: "Get ye down, with enmity between yourselves. On earth will be your dwelling-place and your means of livelihood for a time."

[25] He said: "Therein shall ye live, and therein shall ye die; but from it shall ye be taken out (at last)."

[26] O ye Children of Adam! We have bestowed raiment upon you to cover your shame, as well as to be an adornment to you. But the raiment of righteousness, that is the best. Such are among the Signs of Allah, that they may receive admonition!

Surah 7: 23-26

To conclude, according to the Bible Eve was the responsible for the first sin while the Quran says that both Adam and Eve were responsible. The Bible says that Eve and also Adam never submitted to God and never asked God to forgive them for their sin, while the Quran says that they did and God forgave them and gave them and us the rule for success and happiness in this life and in the afterlife.

.

By Safaa Abdel-Aziz

Women Rights in Islam - (1) Mothers' Rights

Islam has greatly emphasized the topic of affectionate, caring, devoting and respecting the parents, the mother and the father. In our babyhood and childhood, we essentially required the defense, feel affection, development and cultivation from our parents. On the other hand, when our parents become old, they need us to look after them and take care of them.

.

For more than 1400 years ago, the Prophet Muhammad said:" The paradise is under the feet of the mothers".

.

"Your Lord has decreed that you shall not worship (anyone) but Allah and that you be kind and good to the parents. If either or both of them reach old age while they are with you, say not to them a word of contempt, (so much as) 'Ugh' nor chide them, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor and generous words. And, out of kindness and mercy, lower for them 'the wings of humility' out of mercy; and pray; and say 'O my Lord! Bestow on them thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood. " (Surah 17:23-24).

.

This means not saying anything that may contain the slightest hint of irritation. [The word ‘uff’ (like 'Ugh') in the verse, translated here as ‘a word of disrespect’] comes from the word ‘aff’, which is similar to the word ‘taff’; both words refer to the dirt that collects under fingernails, and [in Arabic] when one is annoyed and fed up with something, one says ‘uff!’ to it.

.

Mother' Rights is three times than father'!

.

Nevertheless, out of the two parents, the mother has been given superior preference as far as compassion and sympathy is concerned.

.

This story illustrates that:

A man came to the Prophet Muhammad and asked:

The man:" To whom should I be kind?"

The Prophet replied, "Your mother."

The man asked, "Then to whom?"

The Prophet said, "Your mother."

The man asked, "Then to whom?"

The Prophet replied, "Your mother."

Then the man asked the fourth time that, "Then to whom?"

The Prophet replied, "Your father."

This give you an idea about that the right of mother upon the children is three times more than the rights of father as far as kindness, compassion and sympathy are concerned.

.

The indispensable mother,Listen to Imam Ali Ben Hussein, the great-grandson of the Prophet, who said: "Coming to the rights of relatives, it is the right of your mother that you:

• Should appreciate that she carried you (in her uterus) as nobody carries anybody,
• And fed you the fruits of her heart which nobody feeds anybody,
• and protected you (during pregnancy) with her ears, hands, legs, hair, limbs, with her whole being, gladly, cheerfully and carefully; suffering patiently all the fears, pains, difficulties and sorrowfulness (of pregnancy), till the hand of Allah separate you from her and brought you into this world."
• "Then she was most happy feeding you, even if she herself had no clothes; giving you milk and water; not caring for her own thirst; keeping you in the shade, even if she had to suffer from the heat of the sun; giving you every comfort with her own hardship; lulling you to sleep while keeping herself awake."
• "And remember that Her uterus was your home, And her lap your refuge, And her breast your feeder, And her whole existence your protection; It was she, not you, who was braving the heat and cold of this world for your safety."

"Therefore, you must remain thankful, grateful and indebted to her accordingly".

.

What a piece of art that should be taught and educated to all the kids in schools! You will be asked about wombO mankind! Reverence your Guardian-Lord, who created you from a single Person, created, of like nature, his mate, and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women; fear Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights), and (reverence) the wombs (the uterus that bore you): for Allah ever watches over you. (Surah 4:1),This means that you are going to be asked about what you have done to the uterus which gave you the life (i.e. your mother).

.

What if the mother is nonbeliever or agnostic?

.

Allah says: “And Allah have enjoined on man (to be dutiful and good) to his parents. His mother bore him in weakness and hardship upon weakness and hardship, and his weaning is in two years

• give thanks to ME and to your parents,
• unto Me is the final destination.

But if they (both) strive with you to make you join in worship with Me others that of which you have no knowledge, then obey them not, but behave with them in the world kindly, and follow the path of him who turns to Me in repentance and in obedience. Then to ME will be your return, and I shall tell you what you used to do.” (Surah 31:14-15) Allah has obligated the good treatment of parents that are agnostic. Giving them respect and kindness, in spite of the heinous sin which they are telling their child to commit, which is the crime of associating something in worship with Allah. What then do you think is the case with Muslim parents, especially if they are righteous?

.

By Allah, their rights are among the most important and most certain rights, and fulfilling these rights in a proper manner is one of the most difficult and most important duties. The one who is guided to do this is truly guided, and the one who is not helped to do this is truly deprived. Be devoted to your parentsAllah has commanded us to treat our parents well and He has linked this to the command to worship Him and the prohibition of associating anything in worship with Him. The rights of the mother in this regard have been emphasized more than those of the father.

.

"And remember We took a Covenant from the Children of Israel (to this effect): worship none but Allah; treat with kindness your parents and kindred, and orphans and those in need; speak fair to the people; be steadfast in prayer; And practice regular charity. Then did ye turn back, except a few among you, and ye backslide (even now).” (Surah 2:83].

.

This means treating them with respect and kindness, and lowering the wing of humility to them, not answering them harshly or glaring at them, not raising one's voice to them, but being as humble towards them as a slave towards his master. You have to be patient with your mother and put up with the harsh treatment on her part, which at times maybe upsetting to you. By treating her with respect and dealing with her kindly, you will earn her good pleasure and love. Try to avoid things that will provoke her and make her angry, even if they are in your interests, without causing harm to yourself. The mother’s rights over her childThe mother has rights throughout her life and also when she diedThe mother has many major rights over her child.

.

These rights are innumerable, but we may conclude her the following:

1. Love and respect, as much as possible, because she is the most deserving of people of her son’s good companionship.
2. Taking care of her and looking after her affairs if she needs that; this is a debt that rests on the child’s shoulders. Did she not take care of him when he was a child and stay up with him at night and bear it all with patience?"We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents: in pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth. The carrying of the (child) to his weaning is (a period of) thirty months. At length, when he reaches the age of full strength and attains forty years, he says: "O my Lord! Grant me that I may be grateful for Thy favor which Thou hast bestowed upon me, and upon both my parents, and that I may work righteousness such as Thou mayest approve; and be gracious to me in my issue. Truly have I turned to Thee and truly do I bow (to Thee) in Islam.” (Surah 46:15)
3. Not offending her or saying or doing anything that they dislike.If Allah has forbidden us even to say “uff” [paraphrased as “a word of disrespect” in the translation of the meaning of the verse] to our parents, then how about someone who hits them?!
4. Spending on her if she is in need and does not have a husband who can spend on her or if her husband is poor; for the righteous, spending on one’s mother and feeding her is more precious than feeding their own children.
5. Obeying her when she tells you to do something good. But if she tells you to do something bad, such as shirk, then there should be no obedience to any created being if it involves disobedience to the Creator.

However, still the mother has rights after her death

1. After one’s mother dies, it is essential to fulfill any vows that she had made, and to give charity and perform good things on her behalf.
2. After she dies, it is also mandatory to honor her by maintaining ties with those whom she used to keep in touch with, such as her relatives and friends.And herein is the golden saying about the mother' rights in few words,The mother is your way to the heaven

For more than 1400 years ago, the Prophet Muhammad said:" The paradise is under the feet of the mothers". These are the mothers' rights in Islam.

.

By Safaa Abdel-Aziz

Understanding Islam

I had talked about the five existence dimensions of the human to you in my previous articles. The human gathers on himself all the physical and chemical features of the matters world in first dimension, all the physiological features of the plants world in second dimension, all the psychological features of the animals world in third dimension. He also gets a humanistic personality different from the other creatures with the thinking, deciding and adjudicating ability in fourth dimension.

Certainly the wonderful benefactions have been provided to himself until the human comes this level. Now, try to think only the physiological dimension. Thousands of chemicals perform their parts in this mechanism. Think to not do only one enzyme or only one hormone it's act. How distressed days human lives.

Try to remember the benefactions at your psychological dimension. Think to weaken your attention, to be absent your memory, or to lose your consciousness. Imagine that you are afflicted with mental deficiency. How bad case for you!

Now, think to be destroyed your mind benefaction. Everybody treat you like dirt, for you can not think and for you can not be possessed of the power of deciding and responsibility. You can not manage yourselves. You can not manage your wares and properties. Your relations with the society in which you live completely breakdown. You can not sign an agreement and a contract. You can not vote. Even, if you bring any information, nobody believes this news. This is how much bad case.

The human, here, in his first four dimensions, has attained measureless benefactions of his creator Almighty God (Allah) who has possession of mercy and compassion. But, I'm sorry to say, the majority of the humans are not aware of these benefactions.

My dear brother,

The Almighty Allah (God), who is the creator and the greatest conservator of the human, has equipped with such measureless benefactions the human up to fourth mind dimension. And He also wishes to complete His benefactions and favors on the human by carrying him to the vertex of the maturities for rendering him much more precious and excellent in fifth dimension after this point.

"Allah does not wish to place you in a difficulty, but to make you clean, and to complete his favor to you, ..." (Qur'an, Maide, 6)

But these favors that will be realize after this phase has been rendered dependent on the own will of person. Namely, for this, it is necessary that person must abandon his own personality, his own arrogance, and his own egoism; and he must completely submit and subject to his creator's volition. This submission is called, briefly, as Islam.

I had tried to expound the human in the previous articles. In this article, I'll try to explicate Islam.

My dear brother,

Islam is an Arabic originated word and it means "submittal, to lay down one's arms". Its meaning as a religious term is submission and being subject to the volition of The Almighty Creator that He has not a match, a partner, a similar and an assistant; He has created the physical and metaphysical worlds; He keeps them in existence by supplying their needs; He provides necessary power, force and energy for them; He arranges and organizes them in wise which He wills; He renders present or absent every things who wills, at the time He wills; He is real owner the whole property and is only one sovereign on the worlds. Islam is to live according to the orders, the wishes, and the rules of this Almighty Creator, but not according to the wishes of person's own ego. Briefly, Islam is to live as Allah wills, but not as his own self desires.

Certainly, this is realized only by belief. Can it be under discussion to be subjected to God's volition, without believing and not being accepted His existence? For this reason, the religion erudites have accepted that the belief is the fundamental of the religion.

My precious brother,

Religions are the systems in which divine schooling becomes fact. Divine mercy turns into well behaviours in the personality of the human owing to religions. By means of the religions, the human gets a clean and mature divine personality, escaping from the bad and egoist humanistic personality.

The Almighty Creator sees proper the name Allah for Himself in His Last Book. This name gathers all nice attributes of Him on own self. For this reason, I'll prefer to use this name.

"The Religion before Allah is Islam." (Qur'an, Al-i Ýmran, 19)

Islam is to appear the Rab (educator) nice attribute of Allah on the human. Allah taala has given Islam name for own schooling system that will bear away the human to the peaks of the maturities. Islam is a doctrine. It is the name of an educating and schooling system notifying by a prophets chain be ranging to Muhammed aleyhissalaam from Adam aleyhissalaam.

The essence of all the celestial religions is Islam, though there are some differences between their sharia. Islam is an ego educating system. Islam means to live a person according to The Almighty Creator's wills, but not his ego's wills. Islam means that submittal of the human to the rules of Allah by witnessing the existence of Allah taala who is the creator and pedagogue of him; to prefer the wishes of Allah rather than his own wishes; delimitating his own wishes by the wishes of Allah; not exceeding the limits being notified by Allah taala.

Islam means to be subject to His rules by beleiving only one Creator that He has not a match, a partner and a similars; He has created the universe and all the worlds; He holds them in existence; He provides all the needs of them by His mercy and His kindness. They are called as "Muslims" the persons who are subject to the rules of Allah taala in this wise. The Arabic originated word "Muslim" means "the submitted person to Allah".

The religion being notified by all the prophets since Adam aleyhissalaam is Islam.

Each one of the prophets did not bring different religions such as Judaism, Christianity, Mohammedanism that the majority of people such suppose; contrarily, all the prophets have notified only one religion Islam. The people has nicknamed afterward as Judaism, Christianity. All the prophets were Muslims. All of them were sent to introduce Allah Taala who has not a match, a partner and a similar; to teach to the people to behave according to the rules of Allah, but not according to the wishes of their ego; to point the correct way to them. All of them also baded to not kill the men unmeritedly; to not do harm the humans' body and goods; to not live intercourse out the marriage, namely to not fornicate. All of them also advised to love each other; to not do spitefulness; to not tell lies. Today, all merits being possessed by the humans, either prayerful or ateist, have arrived up to us by means of the prophets of Allah.

But it is existing that, each one of the profets brought partially different rules according to the conditicons of that time. The each one of these is called as sharia. The last prophet Mohammed aleyhissalaam has also notified the rules that both to correct the false comments coming out at previous times, and to keep its currency along all times for maturing all the humans eternally.

For this reason, a man finds the right by subjecting to a whichever prophet, on condition that he must subject to essence of religion. A person who subjects to previous sharia must take attention the abolishing rules by the following sharia. Subjecting to the last prophet Mohammed aleyhissalaam is also a completely maturity. It likes to prefer the latest model auto to arrive at the destination.

My dear brother,

I'll try also to tell you Islam at my latter articles. Islam is the perpetual happiness way of the human who is a precious creature. The walking men in this way attain the salvation both in this and the other world. But also somes turning aside by subjecting to their disdainful ego go heresy for own themselves harm.

Be trusted to Allah.

By: Ismail Ulukus

Islam - Basic Beliefs And Concepts

Islam is the most growing religion on earth, There is more than 2 Billion humans all over the world called Muslims.

Islam Based on the Submission of human will to One God who is called in Arabic "Allah" The only One, The Superior and The Only Creator Of This Universe with no partners and all the existence under his own Control.

Islam was the religion given to Adam The first Man on Earth who was created by God, not as fallen being. all The Prophets & Messengers of God "Allah" to humankind on Earth were Muslims! including Adam, Abraham, Moses, Aaron, Jacob, Jesus and Mohammad. they have the same basic Message to Mankind:"La Ilaha Illa Allah" which means no God worth of worshiping Except Allah and anything else is his servant and creation.

Although those prophets came with different books, practices and methods of worshiping, Prophet Mohammad (peace and blessings be upon him and all other prophets) was the last Messenger of Allah On earth Before the Day of Judgment.

The Basic Message of Islam is the absolute Unity of Allah 'God' and he is not independent on anything or anyone else or even alike, he is not three on one nor father and son, Muslims beliefs on Jesus as Allah's Prophet and Messenger and his servant just like all other prophets Including Mohammad and Moses.

Islam believes that God and his creations are completely different entities, Allah is not his creation nor he is a part of it, Islam believes that his essence and his great knowledge are everywhere on his creation.

Islam calls the human away from the worshiping of the creation of Allah and invites him to the worshiping of the creator -- Allah himself, because the greatest sin of humanity is the worshiping of the creation.

Among the basics of Islamic Religion, the most important part is the belief in one God 'Allah' and He is the only Creator, Ruler, Lord, Administrator and Master of all that exists, And this Universe exists and functions because the will of Allah alone.

Allah responds to man's prayer and He is the only one who has the power to accept or reject it. He is the Master of man's destiny, no one ever else can interfere with the fate of others or even with his own fate!

All the human's hopes and fears should be only directed to Allah. he is the object of fear & source of favour.

That's the bedrock and most fundamental aspect of Islam religion, May Allah guide all of us to the truth and thank you for your time.

By: Mohamed Elsaied

Ramadan, only for Fasting?

By: Ahmed Parvez

Islam is the name of the life of preservation of the self within the boundary walls of the Quran. For this purpose, it is necessary that the human (Muslim) must know as to what are the boundary walls of the Quran and along with it, he must also get himself up for self-control. The month of Ramadan is the specific instrument for inculcating and substantiating each of these two matters. In the modern terminology, call it a Training Camp or a Refresher Course. The fasting makes the human get himself up for leading striven-life through self-control. And its fixing is in this month, wherein the beginning of revelation of the Quran was initiated. It brings this stark fact to the fore-front that special arrangements during this Training Course should be made for gushing forth the entire Quran to the striven-people (Mijahideen) so that they may fully comprehend as to what the connection of “the sword and the Quran” is with each other and how these two come to be the instrument for safeguarding each other. It appears that the Islamic system of the First Era, in order to bring the Quran to the mind of the people all at the lame time, devised this method – and method is now being performed only to acquire the reward of a virtuous act (Sawaab). It is because the way the Quran is recited now, during the Taraweeh, is neither understood by the Quran Reciter who cause others to hear it as to what he had recited, nor do their disciples in the congregation comprehend it as to what they have listened. And it is obvious that the way the words of the Quran are repeated and heard without being understood cannot make the exposition of the Quran understandable. And neither can it be known which design of life it carves for us.

.
Today, every nation is concentrating its efforts to bring together its citizens by creating within them a unity of thought and action, unanimity in their hearts and sights, and harmony in their movements and rest. So, on the voice of their chosen Imam (leader) they will bow their heads and stand up. If a nation can accomplish this, then their power and efficiency will increase manifold. Many new doors of opportunity will be open to them. Now tell me, if all these things are in a nation, but no result can be derived from it, then if you do not call those actions spiritless and mere rituals without aim, what else would you call them? Nations are searching for rules and self-discipline, all so that they can develop their own power to subdue weaker nations and obtain the supplies to quench their thirst. But in an Islamic nation all these things are established so that the hearts of its citizens become pure; that their souls receive nourishment; that they keep Allah’s laws in front of them at all times; that their bowing is for Him and that their standing is for Him; that their power be utilized to help the weak; that their strength be used to uphold the rights of the helpless; that they from their faith and good works develop such power that they receive the blessing of victory and success in this world; and finally, that this success not be used to dominate others, but to establish Allah’s system of rububiyat in this world (that every person receives the essential nourishment that is his right). It's a duty on every individual Muslim and a Muslim community to strengthen & exercise the laws of God Almighty (Allah) 12 months round a clock, and Ramadan is a month of refresher course!

Common Arabic Words Used by Muslims

By: Laura Cosse

Have you ever wondered what 'Allahu Akbar' means or any other common phrases that you may hear in movies or from your Muslim friends and family members? Well, this is a short article designed to give you the basics of the Muslim vocabulary by defining 30 common terms.
.

Allahu Akbar - Often mistranslated as 'God is the greatest', it actually means 'God is greater'. This indicates that whatever you may be thinking of in your mind, good or bad, God is greater than that. When we begin praying we say 'Allahu Akbar' and raise our hands to the sides of our head, this is signifying throwing the world and all it's worries behind us and concentrating solely on God.
.

Alhamdulilah - Literally means "All praise is due to God', but you can think of it as 'Thank God'.
.

Subhan Allah - Means 'Glory be to God' and is used in a variety of situations to denote amazement or awe in both very good and very bad situations.
.

Bismillah - Means 'In the name of God' and is used whenever we start any activity, from eating or drinking to starting our car. If you feel ashamed to say Bismillah before doing a certain activity, you probably shouldn't be doing it.
.

Bismillah Ar-rahman Ar-raheem - Means 'In the name of God the Compassionate, the Merciful'. The Compassionate and the Merciful are two of the names of God mentioned in the Qur'an. God mentions 99 names for himself in the Qur'an which are attributes such as these two, with the crowning jewel, 'Allah' for His proper name. It is interesting to note that of these 99 names, not one of them is 'father'.
.

La ilaha ill Allah - Means 'There is no deity except Allah'. This is the first part of the creedal statement of Islam and it is something that Muslims repeat to themselves often. Plus, it is very rhythmical and soothing to say!
.

Dunya - Means the life of this world and everything in it. Money, family, material items and the entire universe is wrapped up in this word. Muslims are encouraged to think beyond the dunya and remember that this life is only a test to determine your placement in the next life, the hereafter, our permanent home.
.

Akhira - Means 'The Hereafter' or the life of the next world which includes Heaven, Hell, and the Day of Judgment.
.

Deen - Simply means 'Religion'.
.

Assalamu alykum - The greeting that Muslims bestow on one another meaning 'Peace be upon you'.
.

Wa alaykum assalam - The reply to the greeting which means, 'And unto you peace'.
.

Ma salama - Literally means 'With peace' but is used as 'Goodbye'.
.

La hawlat wa la guwat illa billahi - This means 'There is now might or power except by the will of God' which is used whenever appropriate.
.

Ramadan - A month of the Muslim calendar in which Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. Also, it is the month of revelation; the Qur'an was revealed in the fourth week of Ramadan, the Gospel to Jesus in the third week of Ramadan, the Torah to Moses in the second week of Ramadan and the Psalms to David in the first week of Ramadan.
.

Hajj - The pilgrimage to Mecca that every Muslim is required to make at least once in their life if they are physically and financially able.
.

Adhan - The call to prayer.
.

Rasool Allah - The messenger of God, it can be any messenger of God but in the Islamic context it usually refers to the prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
.

Salah - This is the prayer that most people associate with Muslims, where they stand in rows and go through a series of positions and prostrations.
.

Du'a - Another type of prayer which can be done anytime and anywhere, it is simply calling on God. This is what most other religions refer to as prayer, Islam has the formal and informal prayer which are both encouraged.
.

Zakat - This is the tax that is paid by Muslims once a year to feed the poor. It is 2.5% of the excess wealth that a person has in their bank account for a full year. The money is paid directly to the poor and cannot be used for mosques, schools or anything besides feeding the needy.
.

Sawm - Means 'fasting' and is required during Ramadan and encouraged to do whenever possible.
.

Hadith - A saying of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
.

Sunnah - Includes the hadith and is more expansive to include any of the saying, deeds or beliefs of the Prophet and any action that he gave his explicit or tacit approval or disapproval of. It is the secondary source of Islam since we use the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as our example of how to live by the rules laid out in the Qur'an.
.

Sahaba - The companions of the Prophet. Anyone who ever met the prophet in person is considered to be a sahaba, whether they were close friends or not.
.

Jihad - Literally means 'Struggle' and is almost always mistranslated as 'Holy War'. The greater jihad is the struggle to conquer our own desires and submit to God's desires and the lesser jihad is to fight for the sake of God and His religion.
.

Islam - From the root word 'salama' which means 'peace' it is a derivitive which means 'to submit', a complete definition is to achieve peace through submission to God.
.

Muslim - A person who submits to the will of God.
.

Qur'an - Literally means 'recitation' or 'something to be recited', it is the literal word of God revealed to the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by the Angel Gabriel over a period of 23 years.
.

Shahada - Means 'Witnessing' and refers to the creedal statement of Islam that one utters to enter Islam, There is no deity worthy of worship besides God, and Muhammad is His prophet.
.

Insha Allah - Means 'By the will of God' and is used any time that a person refers to the future.

Laura Cosse' converted to Islam in 1996. She is the author of several Islamic children’s books and currently resides in Virginia Beach, VA with her husband and twin sons, Muhammad and Hamza. For more info and articles please visit www.AdvocateIslam.com.
Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com

Islam 101- Was Islam Spread by the Sword?

By: Laura Cosse

The idea of Islam being spread by the sword is one of the most common misconceptions among both the Muslims and non-Muslims. Many non-Muslims have written untold volumes of anti-Islamic literature propagating the fallacy of Muslims holding swords above the heads of Christians and forcing them to convert to Islam. This is total nonsense. On the other hand we have some Muslim apologists who, in their great fervor to defend Islam and portray it as the peaceful religion it is, seem reluctant to admit that Muslims did indeed fight wars to expand their territories. So what is the truth of the situation? I would like to begin our quest for the truth on this matter by quoting the Qur’an, the literal word of God and the primary source for Islam: "Say the truth from your Lord, then let whomsoever wills believe and let whomsoever wills reject." 18:29
.

Let’s start with the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and look at his example. He did preach Islam peacefully in Mecca for 13 years without once raising a finger against his enemies even though he and his followers were harshly persecuted, tortured, mocked and sometimes murdered. The first wars with Mecca did not occur until after the hijra to Medina, and those battles were defensive against Abu Sufyan and his amassed troops. After the Treaty of Hudaybiyya, the peace treaty between the Muslims and the Meccans, was unilaterally broken by the Meccans, the Muslims conquered Mecca without any bloodshed. Tribal customs would dictate that the Meccans should then be slaughtered for their transgressions against the victorious Muslims, and indeed the Meccans anticipated this, but Muhammad (PBUH) granted them amnesty on the condition that they cease fighting the Muslims. This was a beautiful act of mercy which led to the majority of Meccans choosing to convert to Islam, though no person was ever forced to do so.
.

What is conversion to Islam? Converting to Islam is something that has to be done by choice, it is something that you believe in your heart, that there is only one God and that Muhammad is His prophet and messenger. Words without belief are meaningless. Of course God alone knows what is in each and every person’s heart, so you won’t be able to fool God by meaningless lip service to Islam, and religion is solely for God and the benefit of the individual. So, forced conversion is impossible. The Qur’an attests to this fact in 2:256 where it states: "There is no compulsion in religion."
.

So how did Islam spread so rapidly across North Africa to the Iberian Peninsula and east across India and Central Asia all the way to Southeast Asia? Primarily it spread by trade. Very often while Muslim merchants were traveling abroad they would impress the people they did business with by their honesty and integrity, so much so that those people would ask questions, learn about Islam, and eventually choose to convert.
.

However, there were indeed wars as well, most of which were in the times of the first four caliphs. The prophet Muhammad advised his armies of how to approach the non-Muslim governments, he told his armies to call them first to Islam, and if they accept it then leave them alone. If they reject Islam, call on them to submit to the Muslim government and pay the jizyah tax, a poll tax paid by non-Muslims to the Muslim government for their protection and upkeep of the lands and buildings. If they refused both of those options, then they were to fight. But, the fighting itself had many rules, it wasn’t just a bloodbath, free-for-all like we’ve seen in other times, for instance by the Mongols and the Christian Crusaders, rather it was warfare waged only against the armies themselves. It was forbidden to fight civilians and it was forbidden to destroy their agriculture and means of livelihood. There was no raping, pillaging and plundering by the Muslim armies; they fought only the armies sent out by the government until they surrendered and left the innocent civilians alone.
.
There are numerous hadiths of the prophet (PBUH) where he clearly distinguishes between the combatants and the non-combatants. In a hadith related by Abu Dawud he said, "Do no kill any old person, any child, or any woman," and he said, "Do no kill people sitting in places of worship." Abu Bakr, the first Caliph, gave detailed instructions to his army heading for Syria based on his knowledge of Qur’an and hadiths:
.

"Stop, O people, that I may give you ten rules for your guidance in the battlefield. Do not commit treachery or deviate from the right path. You must not mutilate dead bodies. Neither kill a child, nor a woman, nor an aged man. Bring no harm to the trees, nor burn them with fire, especially those which are fruitful. Slay not any of the enemy's flock, save for your food. You are likely to pass by people who have devoted their lives to monastic services; leave them alone."
.

Once a government had fallen into the hands of the Muslims, the citizens paid a poll tax and were free to practice any religion they chose. Christianity and Judaism flourished under Islamic rule since the Muslims protected their churches and synagogues and other holy places, even though they had the power to wipe them out if they had so chosen. Perhaps the most amazing law of all is that if a Christian or a Jew committed a crime and was found guilty, they were tried by their own courts and punished by their own laws, not by the courts and laws of the Muslims. Can you imagine in America today a Muslim being tried in an Islamic court rather than the American system? This was truly progressive governing.
.

Many of the citizens welcomed the Muslims as their rulers and viewed them as liberators who had rescued them from oppressive kingships, granting them their basic human rights and so much more. Many of the citizens of a conquered land would choose to embrace Islam once they came in contact with the Muslims, and Islam did spread rapidly through these acquired lands. But, individuals were never forced to convert to Islam.
.

The proof that individuals were not and are not forced to convert to Islam is in the facts of populations. In Egypt there are over 14 million Coptic Christians, in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and all the other lands ruled by Muslims there have continuously been large populations of Christians and Jews. Muslims ruled over Spain for more than 800 years, yet the Christian and Jewish populations have thrived throughout that time. There are over 450 million Muslims in Indonesia today but there was no war by Muslims that brought the religion there, it was only merchants. And, perhaps the most fascinating, the fastest growing religion in the United States and Europe is Islam. Are Americans and Europeans being forced to convert? Of course not, it’s something else. These people see truth and justice in Islam that they don’t find in any other religion or way of life. These people choose Islam for themselves, by themselves, just like the Meccans did 1400 years ago. That is the truth about how Islam has spread throughout the world.
.

Peace be on you and yours.
.
Laura Cosse' converted to Islam in 1996. She is the author of several Islamic children’s books and currently resides in Virginia Beach, VA with her husband and twin sons, Muhammad and Hamza. For more info and articles please visit www.AdvocateIslam.com
Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com

Islam 101- What is the Qur'an?

By: Laura Cosse

Islam is a misunderstood and often vilified religion here in the west. One of the most common ways of attacking the religion is by taking quotes from the Qur’an, the primary source of religious knowledge for Muslims, and trying to prove from a single verse that the entire religion is violent or hateful. Unfortunately, when a person who wants to attack Islam pulls a random verse from the Qur’an as "proof," they do not take into account the context that the verse was given in, or the verses that come before and after it. Thus, they are often successful in making a benign verse seem barbaric and terrifying.
.

So what exactly is the Qur’an? Who wrote it? What does it teach? These are very common questions and I will attempt to give a brief overview of the Qur’an with the hope of being able to delve into further details at a later date…watch for those articles.
.

The word Qur’an is an Arabic word that means "recitation" or "something to be recited." It is only in its pure form if it is in the Arabic language, any other language is only a translation of the meaning of the Qur’an, but not Qur’an itself. There is only one version of the Qur’an in the world, every single Qur’an from Indonesia to Saudi Arabia to the United States is exactly the same in the Arabic text, however, different word choices may have been used in the translation of that text. This is very different than the Bible which has the King James version, the Catholic version which include the Apocrypha, the Revised Standard Version which deletes such important verses as John 3:16 because it is an interpolation that was added hundreds of years after the Bible was written, and so on. The Qur’an has never had a single letter of the original Arabic changed, so it is still in its pure form, the only religious text in the world that can honestly make that claim.
.

The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) began to receive the revelations of the Qur’an when he was 40 years old. Muslims believe that the Qur’an is the literal word of God, as taught to the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by the angel Gabriel, the angel of revelation. Muslims do not believe that it was written by a man, it is the actual word of God spoken directly to the prophet via Gabriel. Muhammad (PBUH) was an illiterate man who was not known for poetry or for having read any other religious scriptures. He was, however, well known for his honesty and truthfulness even before the first revelation was ever received, and was nicknamed "al-Amin" or "The Trustworthy." He was always very religious and concerned about the Paganism that ruled Arabia in his time.
.

During the month of Ramadan in the year 610 CE, Muhammad (PBUH) had retreated to a cave outside of Mecca for meditation and prayer. It was here that the angel Gabriel first descended from Heaven and delivered the first Qur’anic verses, "Recite! In the name of your Lord who has created (all that exists)." The prophet later said that it felt as though he were being squeezed very hard so that he could hardly breathe. The word "Iqra" in Arabic can mean either "read" or "recite." Muhammad (PBUH) replied to the angel that he could not read. The angel squeezed him harder and told him "Iqra!" and the first lines of Qur’an issued forth from the mouth of Muhammad (PBUH).
.

The Qur’an was revealed over a period of 23 years before it was completed. To fully understand the Qur’an it is important to know Islamic history since many of the verses were given in respect to various situations that the Muslims were faced with at a particular time. For instance, one of the most often maliciously misquoted verses in the west is from Surat at-Tauba, Ch. 9:10 which says, "Then when the sacred months have passed, then kill the non-Muslims wherever you find them, and capture them and besiege them, and lie in wait for them in each and every ambush. But if they repent and perform the prayer and pay charity, then leave their way free. Verily, Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful."If you only read this one verse without taking the context of it, you will think Islam is a barbaric religion which commands Muslims to fight non-Muslims at all times. But, if you go back to the beginning of the chapter to verse 1, you will see that Allah is talking about fighting the Meccans who unilaterally broke the peace treaty that was in place with the Muslims. Therefore, because they broke the peace treaty, they will be given four months to travel the land freely and then they should expect that there will be a war with the Muslims. The next verse is amazing, it continues to say, "And if any of the non-Muslims seek your protection, then grant him protection so that he may hear the Word of Allah, and then escort him to where he can be secure."
.

The verse is speaking about war, and a specific war at that. I believe that the most generous military general in the world today might say that if an enemy soldier in the battle field wants to surrender then let him go, but can you imagine any general today that would actually escort the enemy to safety? That is very noble indeed. So, I think you can see by this example how easy it is for someone, who is looking for something to support their negative assumptions, to misquote or quote out of context to prove their point. And surely this is true for any religious text, and possibly any text at all.The Qur’an is different than the Bible or Torah when you read it. Rather than being written in the third person narrative, it is all the literal word of God being revealed directly to the reader. When you read the Qur’an it feels as though God is speaking directly to you, it is extremely powerful. It is broken up into "Suras" which is roughly "chapter," and "Ayas" which is roughly verse. The word Aya in Arabic actually means "sign", so the Qur’an is a book of signs for mankind.
.

Another major difference between the Qur’an and any other book is that it is not arranged in chronological order. Rather, it is basically arranged with the longer verses in the beginning and the shorter verses in the end, and this is not the order that they were revealed. Each year in Ramadan the angel Gabriel would have the prophet recite what had been revealed of the Qur’an so far. The year the prophet died Gabriel had the prophet recite the entire Qur’an twice and in the order that we find it today.
.

The society of Pre-Islamic Arabia was an oral one, poetry was to those people what television and movies are to the west today. A kingdom could be toppled by a verse, a leader overthrown. We see our media today is capable of the same things, we have in very recent times seen war proclaimed due to false statements made by influential (presidential) people to the media. Poetry had the same effect for the Arabs that the media has for us today. Thus, the Arabs were trained from early childhood to have great memorization skills, memorizing the tribal histories, poetry and folklore. It was easy for the early Muslims to memorize the entire Qur’an as it was revealed. To this day there are millions of Muslims around the world that have memorized the entire book, most of whom completed memorizing it by about age 10.
.

The Qur’an was written down as it was revealed by several of the companions of the prophet. They would write on whatever they could find, sometimes it was on stones and other times on pieces of leather. It was not collaborated into a book form until immediately after the prophet passed away. Then the first caliph, Abu Bakr, ordered all of the parchments to be collected and had a committee, headed by Zaid ibn Thatbit, read through all of the parchments with those who had memorized the Qur’an until they were satisfied that they had not missed any verses or written them down wrong. Then, the committee wrote down the Qur’an in one book.
.

The Arabs of that time were experts in poetry; they knew every type of prose and rhythm. The Qur’an was unlike any poem they had ever heard before, that is because it is not poetry, it is the word of God. The way that Ayas were put together and the vocabulary and rhythms used were something shocking to those Arabs; they were professionals in language and yet this book was far superior to anything a human had ever written. And, it was rhythmical and rhyming. To this day the Qur’an is used as the standard for grammar and linguistics; it is far above anything that has ever been written before or since. In fact, the Qur’an challenges any of those professional poets to create even one verse similar to the Qur’an, and in that they will be able to prove that it is not from God. But, though many tried, all were extremely unsuccessful. The Qur’an stands alone as an example of literary perfection.The Qur’an is very explicit when it comes to describing Heaven and Hell. It often reminds the reader to remember God, do righteous good deeds and forbid evil, so that they may be recompensed in the next life. It calls for people to lead lives of high morality, to not steal, drink alcohol, have sex outside of marriage, murder, cheat, lie, oppress others or worship anything besides God. It calls for man to love for his brother the same that he loves for himself. It calls man to worship God and to think of God in each and every act, from eating to sleeping and from travel to work, you should always be thinking of God. It tells mankind, over and over, to enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil.The Qur’an is a book of guidance for all of mankind. It is a complete manual for the life of a human being. It covers everything including politics, society, family life, warfare, welfare, commerce, worship, hygiene and much more. It also has many scientific miracles in it that are just being realized today, such as detailed embryology, the water cycle, geology, anthropology and much more. I will be doing a series of articles in the future on science and the Qur’an, God willing, please watch for those articles.So, the Qur’an is often misunderstood and misquoted. I recommend that if you are seeking the truth of the life of this world and the hereafter, that you read the Qur’an. You can receive a free copy of the Qur’an from AMANA and many other organizations. You are always welcome in any mosque, so please visit and ask questions. You owe it to yourself and your family to read this book; it will change your life.

.

Peace be on you and yours.

Laura Cosse' converted to Islam in 1996. She is the author of several Islamic children’s books and currently resides in Virginia Beach, VA with her husband and twin sons, Muhammad and Hamza. For more info and articles please visit www.AdvocateIslam.com
Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com

Islam 101- What do Muslims Believe?

By: Laura Cosse

Islam is a religion that is, unfortunately, largely misunderstood in the west. One of the most common questions is regarding the beliefs of the Muslims; what do Muslims believe? In this article I will attempt to give a brief overview of what it means to be a Muslim. I am largely basing this article on a famous hadith, or saying, of the prophet Muhammad (PBUH), which I will put at the end of the article.Islam has five pillars, five basic acts that one must believe and do in order to be a Muslim. The first is the declaration of faith, stating with complete belief and sincerity that "there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah (God) and that Muhammad is His prophet and messenger." Islam does not accept any type of idol worshipping, whether that idol is a rock, a statue, a human being (like Jesus PBUH), or something a little less obvious like money, status or family.
.

After you have declared you worship of only God, you are then required to act on it. The second pillar is prayer, a Muslim is required to pray at a minimum of five times per day at specified times: dawn, mid-day, afternoon, sunset and evening. By this repetition we are constantly reminded of what is important which is God and working to gain a good place in the afterlife.
.

The third pillar is Zakat, which literally means purification. It is a tax that is paid by Muslims directly to the poor. It is different from income tax however, because Muslims are only required to pay 2.5% of their excess wealth that they have had in the bank for a full year. Also, unlike tithing, the money collected for Zakat is not permissible to be used to fund mosques, schools or any other public programs; the money is strictly for the use of the poor people. If every Muslim on the face of the earth actually paid their Zakat the way Allah commanded, that would be including kings and other incredibly rich, there would be no starvation in the world today.
.

The fourth pillar is fasting in the month of Ramadan from dawn to sunset. This act has many benefits, but the primary benefit is to soften the heart of the one who is fasting. Islam heavily emphasizes charity and feeding the poor and hungry, what better way to encourage a person to feed the hungry than letting them feel hunger too? Ramadan is a month of fasting and prayer, a time to re-dedicate oneself to Allah and Islam. Muslims are encouraged to read the entire Qur’an in Ramadan and increase in their good deeds and prayers. Everyone is required to fast except young children, old or sick people who would harm their health, a person traveling and a pregnant or nursing mother.
.

The fifth pillar is hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. Every Muslim is required to make the hajj at least once in their life if they are physically and financially able. If you are not physically or financially able to go then you have no sin, but you should always be trying to find a way to make the pilgrimage. Also, since we never know when we will die, it is important not to put it off into the unforeseeable future.The next important subject is faith; what is faith? According to the abovementioned hadith, or saying, of the prophet Muhammad (PBUH), faith is believing in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the resurrection on the Last Day, and to believe in both the good and evil of divine destiny. That’s a mouthful, so what does it mean?
.

To believe in Allah, which is the Arabic name for God for Christians, Jews and Muslims, means to believe in him as He commands. Tawhid is a fundamental belief in Islam, which is the oneness of God. Muslims do not believe in a trinity, nor do they believe that God is everywhere. Muslims believe that God is one, indivisible, and that He is above the seven heavens. How? We don’t know. And, we don’t ask. God exists before and after His creations, God does not resemble any of His creation, and any image that you can imagine does not resemble God. But, Allah is everywhere in his knowledge: he sees everything, hears everything, knows everything, is omnipotent and omniscient.
.

Belief in the angels is another tenet of faith. Muslims believe that the angels were created from light, that they are completely obedient to God, and that they are eternal beings that had a beginning, like humans, and unlike God who has no beginning or end. Muslims do not believe that Satan was a fallen angel because angels are completely obedient to Allah. Rather, the Qur’an tells us that Satan was one of the jinn, another being that was created from fire. There are an inexhaustible numbers of angels, Muhammad (PBUH) said that there is a place where the angels go to pray, each day 70,000 angels pray there, never to return again, and this has been happening since the beginning of time. To believe in His books means that Muslims believe that the Qur’an is the last in a series of revelations that God has given to mankind throughout history. Muslims believe that throughout time, a prophet has come, either with a written text or without, he has preached to worship God alone, then he has died and the information was changed by man over time or completely lost, which meant eventually and new prophet would be sent. This has happened 124,000 times since the creation of man according to the prophet Muhammad (PBUH), but we only know the names of the 25 mentioned in the Qur’an. The previous books mentioned in the Qur’an are the Zabur which was given to David, the Torah which was given to Moses, the Injeel which was given to Jesus and the Qur’an which was given to Muhammad, peace be upon them all.
.

The messengers that we are required to believe in include the Biblical prophets, Muslims believe in Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Solomon, David, John, Enoch, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad just to name a few. Islam is not some new religion, it is the same religion taught by all of the prophets and messengers; worship only one God. It confirms the divine origin of the previous scriptures and corrects the manmade mistakes of those scriptures.
.

The fifth tenet of faith is belief in the Last Day, yowm al- qiyama in Arabic. Every Muslim believes that at the end of time every person will be resurrected and have to stand alone before God to be judged for what they did in their life. God is the only judge, even a Muslim isn’t guaranteed a free pass to Heaven. God may or may not forgive any person of any sin. But, God has promised that he will never forgive the sin of worshipping something or someone else, that is called shirk in Arabic.
.

The last pillar of faith is the belief in the divine decree, both the good and evil thereof. Muslims believe that Allah has a will, and man has a will, but Allah’s will overrides man’s. So, if a person wants to do something, if it has not been willed by Allah he will never be able to do it. Likewise, if a person tries to avoid a thing that God has willed, no matter how he tries he will not avoid it. A human does have his own will as well. It is up to us how we spend our time on earth, who we worship and what we believe. We will be judged according to our intentions on the Day of Judgment.That is a quick overview of what Muslims believe. I hope that you have enjoyed this article. Please visit www.AdvocateIslam.com for more information. God bless!
.

On the authority of Omer1 (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:*One day while we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah (i.e. Prophet Muhammed, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), there appeared before us a man whose clothes were exceedingly white and whose hair was exceedingly black; no signs of journeying were to be seen on him and none of us knew him. He walked up and sat down by the Prophet (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Resting his knees against his (the Prophet's) and placing the palms of his hands on his thighs, he said: O Muhammed, tell me about Islam.
.

The Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: Islam is to testify that there is no god but Allah and Muhammed is the Messenger of Allah, to perform the prayers, to pay the Zakat2 to fast in Ramadhan, and to make the pilgrimage to the House3 if you are able to do so.
He said: You have spoken rightly, and we were amazed at him asking him (the Prophet bpuh) and saying that he had spoken rightly. He said: Then, tell me about Iman.4
He (the Prophet) said: It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and to believe in divine destiny, both the good and the evil thereof.
He said: You have spoken rightly.
He said: Then, tell me about Ihsan.5
He (the Prophet bpuh) said: It is to worship Allah as if you are seeing him, and while you see Him not yet truly He sees you.
He said: Then, tell me about the hour.6
He (the Prophet bpuh) said: The one questioned about it knows no better than the questioner. He said: Then, tell me about its signs.
He (the Prophet bpuh) said: That the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress, and that you will see the barefooted, naked, destitute herdsmen competing in constructing lofty buildings.Then, he took himself off and I stayed for some time. Then he (the Prophet bpuh) said: O Omer, do you know who the questioner was? I said: Allah and His Messenger know better. He said: It was Jibril (Gabriel), who came to you to teach you your religion.7
The Messenger of Allah (bpuh) told the truth.
This Hadith was related by Muslim.
This Hadith was translated by Ezzeddin Ibrahim and Denys Johnson-Davies (Abdul Wadoud), "An-Nawawi's Forty Hadiths." 1976. Dar Al-Manar.
1. Omer Bin Al-Khattab, the second Caliph.
2. Often rendered as alms-tax or poor due, it is a tax levied on a man’s wealth and distributed among the poor.
3. The Ka’aba and the Holy Mosque in Makkah.
4. Iman is generally rendered as religious belief or faith. However, being a fundamental term in Islam, the Arabic word has been retained.
5. In this context, the word ihsan has a special religious significance and any single rendering of it would be inadequate. Dictionary meaning for ihasan includes right actions, goodness, charity, sincerity, and the like. The root also means to master or be proficient at, and it is to be found in this meaning in Nawawi’s Hadith Number 17.
6. i.e. of the Day of Judgment.
7. This phrase has more than one interpretation. Among those given by An-Nawawi in his commentary is that slave girls will give birth to sons and daughters who will become free and so be masters of those who bore them. The word ama, normally translated as a slave girl, is also capable of meaning any woman in that we are all slaves or servants of God. The words thus have the meaning: When a woman will give birth to her master, i.e. a time will come when children will have so little respect for their mothers that they will treat them like servants. The commentators point out that there the word rabba (mistress) includes the masculine rabb (master).

Laura Cosse' converted to Islam in 1996. She is the author of several Islamic children’s books and currently resides in Virginia Beach, VA with her husband and twin sons, Muhammad and Hamza. For more info and articles please visit www.AdvocateIslam.com
Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com