Islamic Stories-II

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Anything for Allah

Khabaab (Radiallaho Anho) is one of those fortunate persons who offered themselves for sacrifice and suffering for the cause of Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala). He was the sixth or seventh person to embrace Islam and therefore, he suffered long. He was made to put on steel armor and lie in the sun to sweat. Very often he was made to lie flat on burning sand, which caused the flesh on his back to dissolve. He was the slave of a woman. When she came to know that he was visiting Rasulullah (Sallallaho Alaihi Wassallam), she used to brand his head with a hot iron rod. Umar (Radiallaho Anho) during his Caliph once asked him about the details of his suffering after embracing Islam.

He showed him his back, seeing which Umar (Radiallaho Anho) said, "I have never seen such a back before."

He said, "My body was dragged over heaps of burning coal and the blood and fat coming out of my back put out the fire."

When Islam spread and the Muslims conquered all the surrounding territory, he used to weep and say, "Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) seems to be compensating us in this world for all our sufferings and perhaps nothing would be left for us as reward in the Akhirah".

Source: From the Book "Stories of the Sahabah" by Shaikh Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhalvi.

Such were the followers of the Prophet (peace be upon him) who were ready to give anything but their faith in Allah. On the other hand, we Muslims today are ready to sell our iman for little material gains!

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The Power of Prostration

The following story was mentioned by brother Firoz who is originally from Guyana and now living in Scarborough, Canada. Brother Firoz lived in the USA before moving to Canada. He can easily be identified as a Muslim as he wears a Muslim hat and has white beard. In USA, one day he was going to the market to buy some things when he was approached by a white American man who asked him whether he knew of any Halal Muslim restaurant. Brother Firoz knew of one but was unable to give him the proper direction. He figured that the American was a new Muslim in this area. So, brother Firoz invited him to his house to have some food. There were also some other Muslim brothers living with Firoz at that time. When they reached home, everyone in the house welcomed the special guest. They were also curious to know about the reason why he accepted Islam.

The new brother told them that he was taking a world religions course in the University. His teacher happened to be Jewish. When they came to the topic about Islam, the Jewish teacher at one point started showing the class how Muslims pray. "The moment I saw the teacher doing prostration (sajdah), I knew that I belonged to this religion," said the new brother. This is what led him to Islam, a simple demonstration of sajdah.

Just one act of Islam was enough to make this individual a Muslim. Imagine, how many people will be convinced when all the Muslims start practising Islam completely!

 

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Splitting of the Moon an Amazing Story

In a TV interview with the Egyptian Geologist Dr. Zaghloul Annajar, the anchor asked him about the verse:

"The Hour has drawn near,and the moon has been cleft asunder (the people of Makkah requested Prophet Muhammad [PBUH] to show them a miracle, so he showed them the splitting of the moon)." (Quran 54:1) whether it contains any Quranic scientific astounding facts?

Dr. Zaghloul answered saying that he has a story to tell about this verse.

He started explaining that at a time he delivered a lecture at Cardiff University in the West of Britain. The attendees included both Muslims and non-Muslims. A vital dialogue was taking place around scientific facts included in the Noble Quran. During the course of the lecture, a Muslim young man stood asking me, Sir Do you see in the Saying of Al Haq Tabarak wa Ta`ala (Allah the Truth) may He be Exalted - and he referred to the above mentioned verse - any indication to the scientific facts included in the Quran? Dr. Najjar answered: No because scientific astounding discoveries are interpreted through science whereas a miracle is something supernatural, which may not be interpreted through the usual. The splitting of the moon is a miracle, which happened to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in order to prove his prophecy. Tangible miracles are only a testimony of truth for those who witnessed it. It is only that the incident was mentioned in Quran and Prophet's Sunnah that made us believe other wise we Muslims of this era would have never believed in it. In addition that we know for sure that Allah is most capable of anything. At that point Dr. Zaghloul narrated the story of moon splitting as included in Sunnah books.

He said, Sunnah books tell that five years before the immigration of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) from Mecca to Medina, a group of people from the tribe of Quraish came challenging him saying: Oh Muhammad if you were really a Prophet and a Messenger bring to us a miracle to establish this fact. So he asked them what do you want? They said in an effort to complicate matters for him: split the moon for us. The Messenger of ALLAH (PBUH) stood supplicating to Allah to support him and grant him victory in this hard situation. Allah may He be Exalted inspired him to sign towards the moon with his finger. Immediately, the moon cleft into two parts standing far from each other for several hours then cling back together. The pagans started claiming: Oh Muhammad (PBUH) practiced witchcraft on us.

At this point some of the wise men explained that magic would only affect the attendees whereas it can not maintain influence on everybody in general. They waited for travelers who were coming back from their journeys. The pagans harried up to the borders of Mecca in anticipation to meet the travelers. When the first arrivals appeared, they asked them did you see anything extraordinary happened to the moon? The travelers answered yes on the night (X) we saw the moon splitting into two parts which remained asunder for sometime then reattached. Upon this statement, a number of the group believed while the rest remained pagans. Therefore, the verse explains "The Hour has drawn near, and the moon has been cleft asunder (the people of Makkah requested Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to show them a miracle, so he showed them the splitting of the moon). * And if they see a sign, they turn away, and say: This is continuous magic. *They belied the Verses of Allah - this Quran), and followed their own lusts. And every matter will be settled according to the kind of deeds: good deeds will take their doers to Paradise and similarly evil deeds will take their doers to Hell." (Quran 54:1-3) until the end of the verses which were revealed in this regard.

Dr. Najjar continued that at this point a British Muslim young man introduced himself as Daoud Moussa Peetcock head of the British Islamic Party. He carried on saying sir if you allow me I would like to add on this issue? I said please do. He explained saying: At the time when I was searching in religions (before he embraced Islam), a Muslim student gave me as a present the translation of the meaning of Quran. I thanked him and took it home. The first Surat I came across when I opened the book, it was Chapter of the Moon I read "has drawn near, and the moon has been cleft asunder". I said to myself, is this statement logical? Is it possible for the moon to split and then reattach what kind of power may cause this? The man explained that this verse made me reluctant to continue reading. I became busy with my life,yet ALLAH of course Knows how sincere I was about finding the truth.

So,one day ALLAH made me sit to watch TV. It was a talk show between a British commentator and three American astronautics specialists. The show host was blaming the scientists for spending thriftily over space trips at a time when earth is suffering hunger,poverty, diseases and backwardness. He was telling them, it would have been more feasible to allocate this kind of money for reconstruction of earth. To this argument, the three men answered defending their position that such technology is widely applied in many wakes of life such as medicine, industry and agriculture. They added that the money is never wasted but it rather supported the development of highly advanced technology.

During their dialogue, they mentioned the trip in which a man landed on the moon surface as it consumes the the largest cost which comes to more than US $100.000.000.000. The British TV anchor screamed saying what kind of thrift is this? A hundred thousand million dollars just to plant the American flag on the moon surface? They answered no; the objective was not to plant the American flag but rather to study the interior composition of the moon. We actually came to a finding that would cost us double folds of this amount for people to believe and yet they will never believe. The show host inquired what is this fact? They replied: One day this moon was split and then reattached. The show host again probed: how did you realize that? The scientists responded about finding a belt of transformed rocks cutting the moon from its surface to core and then to the surface again. The stated saying: we consulted with earth scientists and geologists who explained that such phenomenon would never occur unless this moon one day split and then reattached.

The British Muslim man said: I jumped out of my chair saying ALLAH (SWT) forced the Americans to spend more than a hundred billion dollars to prove to Muslims a a miracle that took place 1400 years ago for Mohamed (PBUH)? This religion must be the truth. He added: I went back to the Quran and recited Surat Al Qamar, which was my gate for accepting Islam.

 

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A Youth Realizes the Truth

Many Muslims from the Arab regions migrated to various parts of South America in the last few hundred years. After few generations have passed, the Muslims there slowly started going away from Islam due to the lack of an Islamic environment. To remind these people to be steadfast in Islam, a group of brothers from Toronto, Canada were sent to Venezuela in 2002. Due to their strong effort, some amazing changes took place in the lives of Muslims in Venezuela who were in the verge of leaving Islam. One such incidents is mentioned below.

As the brothers were looking for Muslims one day, they noticed a young boy of about 16 years of age who looked like an Arab. So they approached him and asked what his name was and if he was a Muslim. The youth replied that he is Muslim and his name is Darwin. Islam was so much out of their lives that their names became the names of famous atheists! The brothers gave him dawah and asked if he could join them for some time. The youth took his mother's permission and joined them for few days. Within 3 days, Darwin learned Surah Fatiha and started feeling the sweetness of iman. Then he asked his mother if he could join them for some more time and the permission was granted. Within two weeks, Darwin started getting up for Tahajjud on his own. Then one day after Maghrib prayer, he went to the front and mentioned that he had something to say. He told the worshippers that, "From today, I am not Darwin any more, I am Abdullah (the meaning of this name is Servant of Allah)."

These are the results that come forth by the effort of those who give their time and energy for the sake of Islam. The brothers have gone back to South America last month to cover more areas. May Allah make them successful.

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Empty Hands of a Rich Man

An Arabian brother from Montreal, Canada narrated the following heart softening story about his friend's father who was very rich. He owned many buildings and lot's of properties. When he attained old age, he became very sick and was counting his last days. Few days before his death, the old man kept on saying "Ana faqir, Ana faqir" which means, "I am poor, I am poor." When his visiting children saw this, they took him around and showed him all his properties to assure him that he wasn�t poor at all. But the old man kept on saying, "I am poor, I am poor." His children became confused and brought a local Muslim Scholar to see their father. After spending some time with the old man, the Scholar understood that the man is saying he is poor not regarding his wealth but regarding his good �amal (deeds). This is because most of his life was spent only in acquiring wealth and now that he was on his death bed, he realized that he should�ve given more time to Allah. When that person was dieing, he was still saying Ana faqir.

So much time has gone from our lives in useless matters. From now on, we should not even waste one minute without remembering Allah as every remembrance of Allah will increase our position in the hereafter. So, why not be rich in the everlasting life?Empty Hands of a Rich Man
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An Arabian brother from Montreal, Canada narrated the following heart softening story about his friend's father who was very rich. He owned many buildings and lot's of properties. When he attained old age, he became very sick and was counting his last days. Few days before his death, the old man kept on saying "Ana faqir, Ana faqir" which means, "I am poor, I am poor." When his visiting children saw this, they took him around and showed him all his properties to assure him that he wasn�t poor at all. But the old man kept on saying, "I am poor, I am poor." His children became confused and brought a local Muslim Scholar to see their father. After spending some time with the old man, the Scholar understood that the man is saying he is poor not regarding his wealth but regarding his good �amal (deeds). This is because most of his life was spent only in acquiring wealth and now that he was on his death bed, he realized that he should�ve given more time to Allah. When that person was dieing, he was still saying Ana faqir.

So much time has gone from our lives in useless matters. From now on, we should not even waste one minute without remembering Allah as every remembrance of Allah will increase our position in the hereafter. So, why not be rich in the everlasting life?

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A Quality to Avoid

Abu Hurairah (RA) narrates that Rasulullah (peace be upon him) happened to pass by a heap of grain and inserted his hand into it; his fingers were moistened by the wet grain. At this, he asked the owner of the grain: What is this? The man replied: O Rasulullah! It is due to rain. Rasulullah (peace be upon him) said: Why didn't you put the damp (wet) grain on top of the heap, so people could see it? He who deceives people does not belong to me (my Ummah).

Source: Sahih Muslim.

We should always remember that deception is one of the qualities of Shaitan. Others may not see us when we are deceiving them but Allah is there watching us. A true believer knowing that he has to stand in front of Allah will avoid such activities.

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An Orphan's Eid

It was the day of celebration and a day of rejoicing. There was an air of festivity in the streets of Madinah. All the people, both young and old were dressed in their best clothes, especially for this special day of Eid.

As it was time for early morning Eid prayers everyone made their way to an open piece of land on the outskirts of the city. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) arrived and led the prayers. After they had finished they all greeted each other and everyone was walking back home. The children running and playing in excitement, smiling and laughing, without a care in the world. As the Prophet (pbuh) walked back home, he suddenly became aware of a little boy (Zuhair Bin Saghir) sitting by himself on the side of the path. The little boy was crying and looked very sad. The Prophet (pbuh) bent down and patted him on the shoulders and asked 'why are you crying?' 'Please leave me alone' sobbed the little boy. The boy didn't even see who was talking to him. The Prophet (pbuh) ran his fingers through the boy's hair and very gently and kindly asked him again why he was crying. This time the boy said, 'My father was martyred fighting, and now my mother has married again and my stepfather does not want me to live at home any more. Today is Eid and everyone is happy. All the children have new clothes and nice things to eat, but I don't have any clothes except what I am wearing. I have no food and I don't even have a place to live.'

The Prophet (pbuh) said to him, 'I know how you feel, I lost both my mother and father when I was a little boy.' The boy was surprised to hear that it was an orphan who was comforting him, and when he looked up to his great surprise it was the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and he immediately jumped up to his feet out of love and respect.

The Prophet (pbuh) said to him 'If I were to become your new father and Ayesha you new mother, and Fatima your new sister, would that make you feel better?' 'Oh yes, that would be the best thing in the world!' The boy started smiling. The Prophet took him home and gave him new clothes and good food on this beautiful day of Eid. The boy indeed had a wonderful Eid that day.

We should think of others that are less fortunate than ourselves on this beautiful day of Eid. Not everyone has such a wonderful day. It is a day of celebration, but take a moment to stop and think of those who are less fortunate than ourselves.

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The One who did Sajdah to Allah

The following incident was mentioned by brother Aslam Nakhuda during a lecture that he gave on 24/1/2004. Brother Aslam is an Imam of Jame Masjid Brampton in Canada.

He said that three years back a group of eight brothers, including him, set out to Texas, USA for dawah. They spent sometime there to remind the residents about the reality of this life. On their way back, they stopped by a service station beside a highway to perform the Magrib prayer. One of the brothers gave the Adhan (Call to prayer). Two Non Muslim men were passing by when the Adhan was being called. Being curious, they came to the brothers and asked them who they were, where do they come from and what they were doing. The brothers told them that they are Muslims who are coming from Toronto, Canada with the glad tidings of Islam. A scholar, who was with them, discussed about Islam with the non-Muslim men for 2 or 3 minutes. Then the brothers prepared to offer the salah. The non Muslims who were standing by asked what they should be doing now. The brothers told them to join the prayer and just follow along. The two men decided to join the prayer. The imam recited Surah Fatiha and another surah after it. Then he went to Ruku' and both the Non Muslims did the same. When time for sajdah (prostration on the ground) came, the Non Muslims started hesitating and didn't know whether they should also prostrate on the ground as they never did this before. One of them decided not to do so and he left the prayer. However, the other one just went to sajdah. After the prayer, this person who agreed to prostrate to Allah was blessed with iman. He accepted Islam from the brothers.

Dear readers, this is what we have to do. We have to submit to the will of Allah and in return He will bless us with iman. On the other hand, a person who is arrogant and decide not to submit to the will of Allah may just be deprived of iman.

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The Wooden Bowl

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man's hands trembled,his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. We must do something about Grandfather," said the son. I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor. So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.

When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

Allah mentions in Surah Al Isra 17:23-24

And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour.

And lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: "My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was small."

 

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Be the First to Help


Ibne Abbas (RA) narrates: Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) sent Abdullah ibne Rawaha (RA) with a Jamaat (expedition) on a Friday. His companions set off in the morning, but he decided to stay behind and catch up with them after offering Salat-ul-Jumah (Friday Prayers) with Rasulullah (Peace be upon him). When he did so, he was spotted by Rasulullah (Peace be upon him), who inquired: What prevented you from going out in the morning with your companions. He replied: I wanted to offer Salat-ul-Jumah with you and then join them. He said: If you spend all that is present in the world, you will still not be able to attain the reward and virtues of those who left in the morning.

Source: Hadith from Tirmidhi.

Whenever the opportunity comes to help Islam, we should not delay and immediately take part in helping. Allah has promised great rewards and forgiveness for those who are always the first to sacrifice for Islam.

 

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Simple Acts of Charity

Qasim Rahimahullah narrates: A man passed by Abu Darda (RA) in Damascus when he was planting a tree and said to Abu Darda (RA): Are you also doing a (worldly) work, though you are a Sahabi (companion) of Rasulullah (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Don't hasten to blame me; I heard Rasulullah saying: Never did a man plant a sapling (a young tree), and then a man, or any other creation of Allah Glory to Him, ate (or benefited) from it, except that it becomes a Sadaqah (charity) for the planter.

Source: Sahih Muslim.

Islam considers the slightest acts of helping others as charity! Even smiling at others to make them happy is counted as charity. It is due to our selfishness that mankind suffers. Let us give more and take less.

 

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How a Person Could Change!

The following story was narrated to us by brother Mahmud from Preston, England. Once, he along with a group of Muslims were visiting a city for inviting others to Allah. They happened to pass by a group of youths who were Muslims by birth but became gang members. The brothers didn't give those gang members the negative attitude that others give while passing by them. Rather, they went and hand-shook with them out of brotherhood. With love and affection, the brothers invited the youths to come to the Masjid. Not being familiar with such kindness, the gang members were surprised and decided to come to the Masjid for once. These youths were so much away from Islam that they were smoking in the Masjid and doing a lot of other disrespectful acts. However, brother Mahmud and others were discussing with them about the Greatness of Allah with patience and endurance. A time came when the brothers had to return to their homes and before leaving they advised the gang members to turn towards Allah.

After several years, brother Mahmud was attending a large gathering of Muslims when suddenly someone called him from the back. There were few people dressed in sunnah standing behind him. They asked brother Mahmud if he recognizes them. They told him, �We are those gang members whom you visited few years back. We decided to go out and learn more about Islam and eventually changed our lives.�

Dear readers, we should never underestimate certain people because of the way they are as every individual has the capacity to become a friend of Allah. It is only Allah who guides; we can only try with kindness to reach out to their hearts.

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Sudden Death of a Brother

During giving a lecture to the youths in March 2002, brother Nakuda (an Imam of Makki Masjid located in Brampton, Canada), mentioned the following story: A Muslim brother bought a house in the neighbouring city and moved in it with his family. All day they were busy in placing things here and there. In fact, they bought the house with much effort and now they could finally enjoy it. But, they had no idea what was to come on the next day. In the following morning, the brother and his wife were going to work with their car. On their way, they got into a terrible car accident. The husband died and the wife survived. Death took over the husband and not the wife even though they were seating side by side. Brother Nakuda did his Janaza on the day he had to give the lecture to the youths.

We are all aware of our birth dates but we do not know when our death dates will be. Rather than thinking back and enjoying the day we were born, we should realize that the day to leave this world is coming nearer. How strange is a human being that the hereafter comes closer and closer to him yet he moves further and further from the obedience of Allah!

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Imam Bukhari cured from blindness

Imam Bukhari, who was one of the greatest compilers of ahadith, became blind at a young age. He had recourse to many famous and skilled doctors of his time but their treatments made no difference. His mother was a pious worshipper and a righteous woman. She cried out for help in the court of Allah the Almighty, for her child and begged for the restoration of his eyesight. At last, "the river of mercy flowed over her," and Almighty Allah accepted her invocation. One night, she visited Ibrahim alayhis-salam in a dream and was told, "Allah has restored the sight of your son because of your intense and beautiful invocations." In the morning, as Imam Bukhari got up from his bed, glimmers of light reached out into his eyes. That is, his eyesight was fully restored.

Source: From the biography of Imam Bukhari (ra) located in the beginning of Sahih Al Bukhari 9 Volume English Translation. Additional details were provided by Shaykh al-Hadith Allama Ghulam Rasul Sa`idi.

Make use of salah and dua to solve any problem that even the best experts of this world cannot solve. Unfortunately, the Muslims are turning away from these deeds today when they need them the most. We pray for Allah to give us the true understading of Islam.

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The Boy and the Dog

 

Once Abdullah Bin Jafar (ra) was passing through a forest when he went by an orchard where an Abyssinian (Ethiopian) slave was working. Someone brought him his food and, at the same time a stray dog came into the garden, and stood by the slave, who threw a loaf of bread to the dog, which ate it but did not go away. The slave-boy threw it a second loaf and a third one, thus letting it eat the whole of his daily provision of food, keeping nothing back for himself. Abdullah bin Jafar, who had been watching this, said to the boy, "How much bread do you get as your daily ration of food?" The boy said, "I get three loaves everyday, as you have just seen." Ibn Jafar asked, "Then, why did you prefer a dog to yourself and feed it all the three loaves?" The boy said, "There are no dogs living round here. The poor creature must have travelled a long distance to reach here and it must be feeling very hungry. So, I felt ashamed to send it away, without serving it any food." Ibn Jafar said, "What will you have for food today?" The boy said, "I shall go without food for a day, which I don't mind." Ibn Jafar said to himself, "People criticise you for spending too liberally, but this slave-boy is far more generous than you." After this he came back to the town and, after purchasing the slave-boy, the garden and all the other effects therein from the owner, he set free the slave-boy and gave him the garden as a gift.

Source: It-haaf; also found in Virtues of Charity Part II, translated by Abdul Karim.

Islam is the religion of mercy towards the creations and obedience towards the Creator. Let us practise it fully.