Bismillahir Rahmaan Nir Rahim Monday - 20 Shabaan 1428 / 3 September 2007 O Muslims! In Islam lies your honour
Umar Radhi Allahu Anhu was on his way to Syria. While walking he came to a shallow stream. Now, Umar Radhi Allahu Anhu was dressed in a shawl, a pair of leather socks and a turban. He jumped off his camel, removed his leather socks and placed them on his shoulder. He proceeded to wade through the water by leading his camel by its reins. Abu Ubaydah Radhi Allahu Anhu had come out to meet him. When he saw this he remarked : "O Ameerul Mu'mineen, how can you do this! You have placed your leather socks on your shoulder and you want to wade through the water leading your camel by its reins? It will displease me if the inhabitants of the city see you like this." Umar Radhi Allahu Anhu rebuked him saying : " If anybody other then you had to make such a statement, I would have given him such a punishment that would have been a lesson of the rest of the Umah. We were the most disgraced of nations and Allah granted us honour in Islam. When we seek honour in any manner besides that in which Allah has honoured us, Allah will disgrace us." (Haakim) Allah mentions in the Quran : "One who desires honour then to Allah belongs all respect." (Surah Faatir, verse10). In other words a person seeking honour and respect should fulfil Allah's commands. Allah also mentions in the Quran : "We revealed to you a Book (the Quran) in which is your remembrance." (Surah Ambiyaa, Verse 10) Ibn Abbaas interprets this as : "We revealed to you a Book in which is your honour." (Tafseer Ibn Kathir) History has repeatedly proved that this Ummah was honoured when they held firmly onto the laws of Islam. These laws of Islam are the dividing line between honour and disgrace, between progress and failure. We can never be respected without following the religion of Islam and we can never be disgraced when we follow Islam. Today Muslims are unfortunately searching for respect by knocking on the door of the West. If we could only realize that the western lifestyle is not only evil and sinful in itself but its effects and outcomes are similarly devastating. How can systems, institutions and practices that oppose Allahs laws ever result in human progression? May Allah save the Muslims from the decadent Western culture and instill in us the love for Islam. Aameen! ============================================================================================================== Monday - 22 Rajab 1428 / 6 August 2007 Harry Potter - Questions Muslims should be asking Is not Harry Potter indicative of a larger deterioration of the moral fabric in man? Why does entertainment and fun draw millions of people and why does worship and spirituality lead to boredom? Do the Harry Potter books not glorify magic and sorcery? Is the evil of sorcery and magic not being sugar-coated? Why are the non-magical people in the books despised and portrayed as boring and narrow-minded? Does the Quran and Sunnah not regard the practicing of sorcery as kufr? Does not Harry and his classmates cast spells, learn to tell the future, communicate with ghosts, study astrology and crystal gazing? Will you as a Muslim parent allow your child to engage in such actions? Is it acceptable to fight "evil magic" with "good magic", as Harry does? Are not both evil? Don't the main characters in the story unapologetically lie, steal, bully, break rules and disrespect their elders, like the professors at Hogwarts? Does this not teach children that unruly behaviour is acceptable? Has not mankind sunk to the lowest ebb when baseless fantasy controls society, considering that the release of every new edition is anxiously awaited by millions of children (and even adults!)? Can such extreme devotion and fanaticism to a book glorifying the occult be justified? Are not young minds impressionable? Would it not be a better world if reading material for the young mind promotes morally sound content? Should we turn a blind eye to the content of the Harry Potter books and allow them to continue controlling our children, our homes and our pockets? ==============================================================================================================
