What is Islam?

 The word Islam is derived from the Arabic root
 “Salama”, which means among other things: Peace, Purification, Submission, and obedience. In the religious sense, the word Islam means submission to the Will of God and by obedience to His Law one can achieve true peace, inwardly and outwardly, and thus enters the realm of Peace, which is Islam. By the way Peace is one of the Divine names. Islam, submission to the will of God and obedience to His Law, does not in any way mean the loss of individual freedom or surrender to fatalism. On the opposite, it gives a high quality freedom. It frees the mind from superstitions and fills it with truth. It frees the soul from sin and wrong and quickens it with goodness and purity. It frees the self from vanity and greed, envy and tension, fear and insecurity. It frees man from subjugation to desires and false deities (idols, men, money, societies, families, power, celebrity, etc…) and unfolds before him the beautiful horizons of goodness and excellence. Submission to the Will of God is the best safeguard of peace and harmony. It enables man to make peace between himself and his fellow men, on one hand, and between the human community and God on the other. It creates harmony among the elements of nature. 

The Knowledgeable Struggle Against Self

       So, from the very beginning, they took desires and wishes out from their souls and made their only desire to their God, The Holy. As it was said: (I had disunited desires, but I gathered them since I set my eye on You.). If a heedless has a desire for women or money or food or any wish, that, who knew God doesn’t peek here or there for a single moment. God informed (witnessed) our sir, the messenger of God with all the beauties from the throne, the heavens and the chair, though; He praised him as He said:

      "The sight (of Prophet Muhammad) turned not aside (right or left), nor it transgressed beyond (the) limit (ordained for it)." (Surat Al-Nagm, verse 17)

       He never turned here or there. 

       After God’s beauty and perfection, does he look at anything? Is there anything attracts the sight, after God’s beauties and perfections? And so, that, who sees the prophet, does he want to see something else? As it was said (I had disunited desires, but I gathered them since I set my eye on You. I left people, their lives and their religion occupied by You, my religion and my life.)

       That, who is really and truly concerned by God, never turns to something else for a twinkling of an eye or less. Those are the true men, God said about them: 

       "Be afraid of Allah, and be with those who are true (in words and deeds)."

(Surat Al-Tawba, verse 119)  

       Why? At least to be with them. That, who loved people will be gathered with them at the Day of Judgment. Or you may be like them, if you have the intention and the firm will. So you have the choice, to be with them, or to be like them.  

 

EARLY SUFIS

SOME EARLY SUFIS

Hasan of Basrah (d.728) was one of the first Sufi ascetics. He exhorted his followers against attachment to this evil world and encouraged them to reject it and to follow a path of poverty and abstinence.

Ibrahim b. Adham (d. 777) of Balkh in Khorasan taught his disciples the importance of meditation and of silence in worship.

Shaqiq of Balkh (d.810) taught that only a rigid system of self-discipline could lead to absolute trust in God (tawakkul) and to the mystical state (hal).

Al-Muhasibi (d.837 in Baghdad) taught that self-discipline and self-examination were the needed preparation for fellowship and union with God.

Dhu an-Nun of Egypt (d.859) taught that Ma'rifah (inner knowledge, enlightenment, Gnosis) was necessary to attain real union with God.

Abu Yazid al-Bistami (d. 874) taught that union with God is achieved through the annihilation of self (Fana'). This is done by a total stripping away of a person's attributes and personality and by rigorous mortification of the flesh. He was the first "intoxicated" Sufi who in his ecstatic state felt that God had replaced his own ego and now dwelt in his soul. This caused him to exclaim: "Glory to me! How great is my majesty!"

Junaid of Baghdad (d.910), stressed the importance of wisdom and sobriety in achieving both fana' (dying to self, extinction of self) and baqa' (abiding in God).

The first great Sufi martyr was Hallaj who was crucified in 922 in Baghdad for blasphemy. His offence was the statement "I am the Truth" which signified that he had attained union with God who now dwelt in his body instead of his own self. He saw Jesus as his great example of a holy man in whom God was incarnate.

2. SECOND STAGE - MYSTICISM OF LOVE

A woman from Basrah in Iraq, Rabi'a al-Adawiya (d.801) introduced the theme of Divine Love into Sufism. She yearned to love God only for Himself, not for hope of any reward (paradise) nor out of fear of judgement (hell). Following her death the love theme became a dominant feature of Sufism. It expressed the Sufi's yearning for the development of a love relationship with God that would lead to an intimate experience of God and finally to a total union with God.

The love theme found its main expression in Sufi poetry in which the relations between God the Divine Lover and the man searching for his love were symbolically described. Early Sufi poems in Arabic express the soul's deep yearning for union with the beloved. Persian poetry often compared the soul's love relationship with God to that between a man and a beautiful youth. In Indian poetry the loving wife yearning for her husband symbolised the soul's yearning for God. Later poets developed the long mystical poems called Mathnawis ( Masnawis) which expressed in symbolical verse the manifold emotions of love to God and of unity with him.

Persia had the greatest flourishing of Sufi poetry, and most of its classical poetry has a Sufi content. One example is the Mathnawi "Mantiq al-Tair" (speech of the birds) by Farid al-Din 'Attar, an allegory which portrays the mystic on his pilgrimage from asceticism through illumination to union with God.

Jalal ad-Din Rumi (1207-1273), named "Mawlana" - our Lord or Teacher - was the greatest Persian mystical poet. His famous Mathnawi of 26,000 rhythmic couplets is a real encyclopaedia of Sufi allegorical and mystical thought and experience. Persian Sufis regard it as next to the Qur'an in holiness. Rumi also founded the Mawlawi (Mevlevi) order of whirling dervishes.

Sufi poetry uses the symbols of wine (God's intoxicating love), the wine cup (the Sufi's heart) and the cup bearer (the spiritual guide). The wine house is the religion of love and it is compared to the religion of law symbolised by the mosque. Learning the many Sufi symbols and their meaning is essential to an understanding of this kind of poetry.

Al-Qushairi (d. 1072) defended Sufism against the accusations of antinomianism (lawlessness). In addition to writing biographies of Sufi saints he wrote "Risala", a book in which he defined Sufi doctrines and terms. He defined the mystical stations (maqamat, a result of the Sufi's own labours), and states (ahwal, mystical states bestowed by God's grace).

Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d.1111), called Hujjat al-Islam - Proof Of Islam, was a great Muslim thinker who found no satisfaction in his extensive study of theology and law. Turning to Sufism he found in it the certainty of God he had yearned for and failed to find in his previous studies. In his book "The Revival of the Religious Sciences" (Ihya' 'Ulum ad-Din) he attempted to reconcile Sufism with orthodoxy. It was immensely popular and finally guaranteed Sufism an official place in orthodox Islam alongside Law and Theology.

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Honesty In Islam

 Islam orders the Muslim to tell the truth even if it is against the ones own interest. Islam orders him not to cheat or betray other people. A Muslim is ordered by Allah to be truthful in his words and deeds, privately and publicly alike.

Islam commands the Muslims to be honest to himself and to others. 

This order recurrently comes in the Noble Qur’an and the hadith of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS).

Honesty in words implies telling the truth in all situations and under all circumstances. Honesty also implies fulfilling the promises, whether written or given verbally, in text and spirit. Honesty also implies giving an honest opinion and the right advice to the one who asks for it.

Honesty will be doing the right thing in the right way at the right time.

Honesty also implies doing one’s work as sincerely and as flawlessly as possible. Honesty also implies carrying out the duties as fully and completely as possible whether the person under supervision or not. Honesty means giving every person his due and deserved rights without his asking for these rights.

“Woe to those that deal in fraud, – those who, when they have to receive by measure from men, exact full measure, but when they have to give by measure or weight to men, give less than due. Do they not think that they will be called to account- on a Mighty Day when (all) mankind will stand before the Lord of the Worlds.” (133: 1-6)

“Woe unto those who give short measure, those who, when they are to receive their due from people, demand that it be given in full but when they have to measure or weigh whatever they owe to others, give less than what is due.  Do they not know that they are bound to be raised from the dead (and called to account) on an awesome Day, the Day when all men shall stand before the Sustainer of all the worlds?” (Quran 83:1-6)

“O you who believe!  Fear God, and be with those who are true (in word and deeds).” (Quran 9:119)

Al Amin, the Prophet Muhammad once gathered all the people of Mecca and asked them, “O people of Mecca!  If I say that an army is advancing on you from behind the mountains, will you believe me?”  All said in one voice, “Yes, because we have never heard you telling a lie.”  All the people, 

without exception, swore to his truthfulness and honesty because he had lived an unblemished and extremely pious life among them for forty years.

“Truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise.  In addition, a man keeps on telling the truth until he becomes a truthful person.  Falsehood leads to wickedness and evil-doing, and wickedness leads to the (Hell) Fire, and a man may keep on telling lies till he is written before God, as a liar”. (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

Another tradition says:” The signs of a hypocrite are three: when he speaks, he is false, when he promises, he fails; and when he is trusted, he plays false.”

Condemning those who cheat in business the sacred Prophet has said:

“He who cheats is not of us. Deceitfulness and fraud are things that lead one to Hell.”

“Honesty descended from the Heavens and settled in the roots of the hearts of men (faithful believers), and then the Quran was revealed and the people read the Quran, (and learnt it from it) and also learnt from the sayings and traditions.  Both the Quran and the traditions strengthened their honesty. (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

 “Let he who believes in God and the Last Day either speak good or keep silent”. (Saheeh Muslim)

“Oh ye who believe! Eat not up each other’s property by unfair and dishonest means.” (4:

In the same way, the under mentioned verse exhorts Muslims to be very particular about their trusts and about other people’s rights.

“Allah doth command you to render back your trust, to those to whom they are due.”(4:58)

At two places in the Quran a chief distinguishing feature of Muslims is said to be that they are:

“Those who faithfully observe their trusts and their covenants.”(24:8)

The Prophet often used to say in his sermons:

“Remember, there is no faith in him who is not trustworthy; there is no place for him in religion who cares not for his pledged word or promise.”

The Prophet of Allah once came upon a heap of corn in the market of Medina and thrust his hand onto it. His fingers felt damp. On being asked, the trader replied that rain had fallen upon it. The Prophet observed,

“Why did you not then keep (the wet portion of) it above the dry corn, so that men may see it? He who deceives, is not one of us.”

Thus traders who cheat by showing to customers a dishonest sample or by concealing from them the flaws of the article they offer for sale are not true Muslims in the judgment of the Holy Prophet and,

God-forbidding, they are going to end up in hell. Another tradition says:

“The seller must explain to the buyer the defects, if any, in the quality of the article offered for sale. Should this not be done, the seller will permanently be caught in the Wrath of Allah (according to another narrator the exact words, ‘he will always be cursed by the angels’).”

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Where is God?

Question: Where is God?

Whoever contemplates how the universe was formed and the laws that run it, the human body and the facts inside it, he will realize that this universe was formed in a way that makes it perfectly suitable for the existence of life and people.

The universe requires accurate adjustment for millions of steady facts and universal phenomena because any defect in those facts won’t allow this universe or live on it to be stable. The natural features of the earth were set accurately to match the requirements of continuity of life and the existence of man. The establishment of the universe and the earth to be suitable for life and man requires that God must be acquainted by the sustenance of His deeds and the continuity of His characteristics in everything inside or around us from God’s innovation and its permanency in life. God is always there by His deeds’ qualities, the facts of His ability and His clear will about everything we see inside or around us, God says:

“Soon will We show them our Signs in the (furthest) regions (of the earth), and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth.” Surat Fosselat, Verse 53.

If you ask: where (is God), this question is about the place, and He is above place and capability because He is the Creator of place. If you say: in, it is for the time and He is before and after time as He is the Creator of time and place, if you say: before, He is before the before and nothing was there before Him, if you say: after, He is after the after and nothing will be there after Him. Every thought comes to your mind has an end and God is different from this because He is perfect.

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Muhammad the Messenger of Allah

(the definition of Muhammad the Messenger of Allah)

Peace be upon you 

Mohammed bin Abdullah bin Abdul Muttalib peace be upon him 

He was born in 570 AD and died in 633 AD 

Many people in these days of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Who is it exactly? What did he teach? He loves a lot of people do not do some of them? Did he live up to his? Did the holy man? Was he a prophet of God? What is the truth about this man? You be the judge! 

Here are the facts as narrated by thousands of people, many of whom knew the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and knew him personally. 

He was born to the lineage of Mecca and the oldest tribes. 

• named "Muhammad" is derived from the source, "Hamad," and the public since that time and until this very moment, God inherits the earth and them arriving him many times per day, - blessings of Allah be upon Muhammad peace be upon him - 

• He never habits of the tribe in the worship of idols, idols or gods that they fell into. 

• He believes that God is one God and must be worshiped alone, without any partner. 

• He was revered and respected name of God never took a jest or ridicule was not used for the purposes or the interests of no use. 

• He despised false worship and all the consequent behaviors and transactions degenerate. 

• committed to the application of all religious teachings, "the teachings of one God," as did the prophets before him. 

• He never. He advised others not to commit this shameful act. 

• He forbade the hills as he did before Christ, peace be upon him centuries. 

• He never gambled and did not allow it. 

• did not drink alcohol, though it was a very normal thing for people of his time. 

• backbite not anyone ever, and shows what he hears from gossip and backbiting. 

• He fasted closer to Almighty God and away from the desires of him. 

• He said that the Messiah Jesus son of Mary - peace be upon him - is a miracle of God's creation and that the mother of the Virgin of the best 

• He ordered the reunion of one family and reverence for family ties, also re-building relationships between family members. 

• urged his followers to engage women through legal marriage and deprived of adultery. 

• He insisted - upon him blessings and peace - to give women their rights of dowry, inheritance and property .... 

• All manners of noble patience and humility, and others had to admit to everyone who knew him by creating Hamid, who is unparalleled among humans. 

A - did not lie Muhammad - peace be upon him - never, did not betray the covenants did not false witness, never. Was known by all the tribes in Mecca, known Saadiq Secretary. 

B - has not weighed - peace be upon him - never, and did not have relations outside of marriage did not accept such acts even though it was very common at that time. 

T - not associated with any woman except in the framework of legitimate marriage and the presence of witnesses according to law. 

W - relationship with Ms. Aisha - may Allah be pleased with them - was a valid marriage relationship we know the details of the conversations, which shared the Aisha as the highest relationship between a man and a woman full of love and respect. Ayesha is considered one of the best of Roy talk about the Prophet - peace be upon him - was not only one day the wife of the Messenger of Allah, were not linked to any other man, the Prophet did not tell him - peace be upon him - that is never a negative attitude. 

C - Campus - peace be upon him - killing until it is clear from the rule of God in the situation. As God's teachings in this regard: Allah has permitted to kill all of the experience of Muslims and Islam, but fighting on the border with the province, including that of God on this matter. 

H - Islam has forbidden the killing of any innocent life. 

X - never happened no genocide of Jews. He asked forgiveness for them and provided them with protection, even after they broke their covenants with him - peace be upon him - several times. Did not address them, the messenger is only after it became clear to him that they betrayed him and wanted to sign him and the Muslims. Retaliation was applied only to those who proved to be treason to God and His noble Messenger. 

D - then known tribes to own slaves and that Islam came to edit the order necks. He has the prophet freeing slaves and ordered all his followers to do so. It up - peace be upon him - free maid - who was like a son to him - Zaid bin Haritha and by Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him bought Bilal al-Habashi - the first muezzin in Islam - only to edit it. 

Y - For those who were trying to undermine the messenger and kill him, (The most famous incident that occurred when Nam master the generosity of God and his face in the bed of the Messenger of Allah on the night he left the city with Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him), he did the Prophet anyone ever to punish those involved in such such acts. The biggest proof of that when the Prophet entered Mecca triumphantly and his was the first orders to his followers not to harm any who offend him and his companions were (peace be upon him). That is one of the scenes of amnesty and pardon in the life of Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). 

T - did not allow the Muslims to fight in the first thirteen years of advocacy. It was not related to fight because they were experienced to do so because the nature of the life they once knew and long-standing disputes between the tribes, but it's God's fight had not been revealed yet. But after that the law of God Almighty the fighting began with the duties and rights arising from that and the limits of God. The orders of God on the subject of fighting and a clear and explicit for those who fight and how, when and what limits must not be overcome. 

G - forbidden in Islam to destroy the infrastructure is strictly prohibited unless ordered by God according to certain situations. 

Q - While the enemies of Islam seek to abuse the Prophet in various ways and cursing, he (peace be upon him) praying for their guidance. The best proof of this trip (peace be upon him) to Taif, which hurt the Messenger of Allah mischief very beginning of the refusal to meet him by the tribal elders and ending with the beat and pelted him with stones by children who are left behind even bloodied feet peace be upon him. And when he came Gabriel peace be upon him to take revenge on his enemies and offered him to order the king of the mountains to be applied on them, reject (peace be upon him), and he urged them to be guided and said, "It may be out of the solidity who believes in God." What the will of the Holy Prophet is to deliver the message and did not take care of himself and the extent of the injury suffered. 

U - The Prophet (peace be upon him) that every child is born on instinct (to Islam: Islam means complete submission to God and follow his orders), but influenced by the society in which they live and education received by the change what's inside of common sense. 

R - The Science of the Holy Prophet and his companions, all Muslims to worship the one God the God of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David and Solomon and Jesus, peace be upon them all and believe in them all the apostles and prophets, and the servants of the One God. He also stressed the respect and reverence for all the prophets, without differentiating between them. 

Z - also said that the assets of the Torah, the Psalms and the Gospel are from the same source as the Quran - not a God - 

I - predicted the Prophet - inspired by God - a lot of events have already been, as told from the events of the future and you will get there as well. 

Q - I have stated in the Koran the story of the sinking of Pharaoh, when the right of the Prophet Moses peace be upon him is outside of Egypt, "the day shall We save thee to be behind those verses," The French scientist, Maurice Bucaille in his book "The Bible, Quran and Science" to confirm this fact, which stunned the world when it reached through his analysis of the mummy of "Pharaoh" that the effects of salt remaining due to drowning in the sea, and said this is what God says in the Qur'an more than 1400 years. 

P - The events of the story of the sinking of Pharaoh was before the mission of the Prophet (peace be upon him) thousands of years and mentioned in the Koran did not show this truth to the world only a few decades ago after more than 1400 years to the revelation of the Qur'an ... How the messenger to know this, if not the Holy Word of one God
The Prophet Muhammad is the greatest of all prophets for many reasons, but mainly because the results of his mission have brought more people into the pure belief in One God than any other prophet.
Even though other religious communities claimed to believe in One God, over time they had corrupted their beliefs by taking their prophets and saints as intercessors with Almighty God. Some religions believe their prophets to be manifestions of God, "God Incarnate" or the "Son of God".
All of these false ideas lead to the creature being worshipped instead of the Creator, which contributed to the idolatrous practice of believing that Almighty God can be approached through intermediaries. In order to guard against these falsehoods, the Prophet Muhammad always emphasized that he was only a human-being tasked with the preaching of God's message.

He taught Muslims to refer to him as "the Messenger of God and His Slave". To Muslims, Muhammad is the supreme example for all people - he was the exemplary prophet, statesman, military leader, ruler, teacher, neighbor husband, father and friend. Unlike other prophets and messengers, the Prophet Muhammad lived in the full light of history. Muslims don't need to have "faith" that he existed and that his teachings are preserved - they know it to be a fact. Even when his followers only numbered a few dozen, Almighty God informed Muhammad that he had be sent as a mercy to all of mankind.

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The essence of God - 37

Question: What is the essence of God?

Modern sciences assure that the universe was created from nothing, the beginning of things to be alive and the essence of human mind can’t be explained by absolute nature, there must be a creator who is alive, intelligent, innovator and fashioner of shapes.

The nature of the universe, life and human mind are so complicated that we can’t explain their constant existence and their doing their activities only by plain rules of nature, there must be a powerful and sustainer of life, God (Glory to him).

Modern science mentions five dimensions refer to God The Creator:

1- The universe has a beginning and it was created from nothing.

2- There are fixed correlated rules for nature.

3- Cosmogony and the accuracy of creatures that they have a goal and an aim in common though they were created from non lively substances.

4- The universe with its beings and laws perfectly pave the way for man to live there.

5- Exceptional abilities of the mind are only available for man.

As this universe must have an innovator who created it, it is not logical to think about the origin of this innovator, there is not rational plea, logic refuses this question because it is not rationally or actually right.

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