The Beauty of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)

According to Imam al-Bajūrī (Allāh have mercy on him) our scholars have explicitly stated that it is from the perfection of faith to believe that no human’s body had the combination of beautiful features that were combined in the body of the Prophet Muhammad (Allāh bless him and grant him peace). He proceeded to say, “Even with this, his complete beauty did not manifest, otherwise eyes would not have been able bear the sight of him.” Allāh’s blessings and peace be upon him...

Al-Tirmidhī related from the tradition of Anas, “Allāh did not send a Prophet except with a beautiful face and a beautiful voice, and your Prophet is the most beautiful of them in face and voice.”

Read more:

• SunniPath: Is Prophet Muhammad more beautiful than Prophet Yusuf?

A Meeting with Allāh

An amazing description of a meeting between Allāh and the people of Paradise.



The clip is 9:02 long, but it is definitely worth watching.

Last Act of Muslim Victim of Virginia Tech Massacre: Saving a Fellow Student’s Life

Waleed Shaalan, a 32-year-old member of the Blacksburg Muslim community, was among the 33 victims of the Virginia Tech massacre. He left behind Amira, his wife of 3 years, and Khaled, his one-year old son.

A fellow student who was in the room when Shaalan was killed credits him with saving his life.

An excerpt from an Associated Press article:

Randy Dymond, a civil engineering professor, said Shaalan was credited with distracting gunman Cho Seung-Hui to save the life of a fellow student.

Dymond, who attended a service for Shaalan Thursday, said the Egyptian was in the first classroom Cho attacked and was badly wounded. Cho returned to the room twice to search for signs of life.

During one of those incidents, a second student who was uninjured, was playing dead. When Shaalan noticed Cho making a move to shoot the student, the Egyptian made a “protective movement to basically decoy the killer into thinking it was him making any kind of sound instead of the survivor,” Dymond said.

Dymond declined to give the name of the student who survived, but said the student wanted him to tell the story “so that the family of Waleed understands the sacrifice.”

Shaalan’s mother broke down when she heard Dymond’s account.

“He was trying to save someone else?” she said repeatedly.

Dymond said Shaalan’s body was taken to a Blacksburg mosque Thursday afternoon so classmates, teachers and friends could say goodbye before it was sent to Egypt for burial.

Please click here to donate to the fund for Waleed’s family.

Read more:

• Associated Press: Egyptian student killed at Virginia Tech leaves behind wife and 1-year-old son

Waleed Shaalan Among Those Killed at Virginia Tech, Leaves Behind a Wife and One-Year-Old Son

Waleed Shaalan, an essential member of the Blacksburg Muslim community, was among the 33 people killed in the brutal Virginia Tech massacre on Monday morning. He left behind Amira, his wife of 3 years, and Khaled, his one-year old son.

MSA National set up a memorial fund for Waleed’s family with the goal of raising $25,000 over the next four weeks.

Please click here to donate to the fund for Waleed’s family.

May Allah grant Waleed martyrdom and entry into Jannat al-Firdaws (the Highest Level of Paradise). May Allah grant his family patience during this difficult time, as well as all of the families who lost loved ones in the massacre.

Read more:

• MSA National Memorial Fund for Waleed’s Family
• Muslim Student Association of Virginia Tech: How Waleed Shaalan saves a classmate’s life
  
• Facebook Group: In Loving Memory of Waleed Shaalan (login required)
  

We Are So Insignificant

Google Video: Some Stars and Planets in Scale

‘Īd Mubārak!

!عيد مبارك

May Allāh accept the Hajj of all those who performed it this year, and may Allāh instill in us the lesson of sacrifice, as taught to us through the story of the Prophet Ibrāhīm (Abraham) and his son the Prophet Ismā‘īl (Ishmael), peace be upon them both.

May Allāh accept the fasting of those who fasted the first few days of Dhū ’l-Hijjah, and may Allāh forgive us all of our sins, and grant us all entry into Jannat al-Firdaws (the highest level of Paradise)! May Allāh alleviate the suffering of the needy around the world! May Allāh grant victory to His dīn (religion, complete way of life) and those to seek to adhere by it and elevate its status in every aspect of life! Āmīn!

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‘Īd al-Adhā (commonly spelled Eid al-Adhā) is an Islāmic religious holiday commemorating the end of the Hajj, a pilgrimage to Makkah that is required at least once for every able-bodied Muslim if he/she is capable of performing it. ‘Īd al-Adhā falls on the 10th day of Dhū ’l-Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islāmic calendar.

‘Īd Mubārak (commonly spelled Eid Mubārak) - literally translated means "Blessed Feast" - is the traditional Muslim greeting on the occassion of ‘Īd al-Adhā.

NPR Audio: Latinas Choosing Islam over Catholicism

Here is a blurb describing NPR audio about Latinas accepting Islam:

“The Catholic Church has been grappling with an exodus of Latin Americans over the past few decades. A small yet growing segment of the Hispanic population is leaving Christianity altogether and converting to Islam -- and most of them are women.”

Listen:

• NPR: Latinas Choosing Islam over Catholicism
  

Poisoned Russian Spy Litvinenko Accepts Islam on Deathbead, To Be Buried as a Muslim

An excerpt from Britain’s Times Online:

Litvinenko’s father, Walter, said in an interview published today that his son - who was born an Orthodox Christian but had close links to Islamist rebels in Chechnya - had requested to be buried according to Muslim tradition after converting to Islam on his deathbed.

“He said ‘I want to be buried according to Muslim tradition’,” Mr Litvinenko told Moscow's Kommersant daily.

“I said, ‘Well son, as you wish. We already have one Muslim in our family - my daughter is married to a Muslim. The important thing is to believe in the Almighty. God is one.’”

Read more:

• Times Online: Dead Russian spy to be buried as a Muslim

Prayer Times Add-on for Firefox

A brother named Saleem Shafi has developed a Firefox Add-on to display prayer times in the status bar of the browser window. It installs very cleanly, and it is very practical and useful, mā shā’ Allāh. The prayer times are calculated automatically using Islamic Finder and do not take up any extra space on the screen.

Check it out for yourself!
Click here to download the Prayer Times Firefox Add-on

After installing it and restarting Firefox, make sure to configure the Add-on for your location and prayer time preferences by doing the following (in Firefox 2.0):

1. Click on Tools -> Add-ons.
2. For the “fzami” extension, click on Options.
3. Click on the Location tab.
4. Enter your zip code or city.

‘Īd Mubārak!

!عيد مبارك

May Allāh accept all of the Muslims’ good deeds this Ramadān, forgive us all of our sins, and grant us all entry into Jannat al-Firdaws (the highest level of Paradise)! May Allāh alleviate the suffering of the needy around the world! May Allāh grant victory to His dīn (religion, complete way of life) and those to seek to adhere by it and elevate its status in every aspect of life! Āmīn!

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‘Īd al-Fitr (commonly spelled Eid al-Fitr) is an Islāmic religious holiday commemorating the end of the holy month of Ramadān.

‘Īd Mubārak (commonly spelled Eid Mubārak) - literally translated means "Blessed Feast" - is the traditional Muslim greeting on the occassion of ‘Īd al-Fitr.

Amazing Qur’ān Recitation from Young Boy

Length: 2:30



Video originally taken from Ryadh-Quran.

The Merciful Are Shown Mercy by the All-Merciful

عن عبد اللَّه بن عمرو - رضي الله عنهما - قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: الراحمون يرحمهم الرحمن، ارحموا من في الأرض يرحمكم من في السماء

‘An ‘Abdi Llāhi bni ‘Amr, radiya Llāhu ‘anhumā, qāla, “Qāla Rasūlu Llāhi sallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam, ‘ar-rāhimūna yarhamuhumu r-Rahmān. Irhamū man fi l-ardi, yarhamukum man fi s-samā’.’”

On the authority of ‘Abd Allāh ibn ‘Amr - may Allāh be pleased with both of them - who said, “The Messenger of Allāh - may Allāh bless him and give him peace - said, ‘The merciful are shown mercy by the All-Merciful. Be merciful to those on Earth, and the One in the Heavens will have mercy upon you.’”

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This Hadīth was related by Imam al-Tirmidhī. The Arabic text for this Hadīth was taken from Salikah: A Student's Digest.

Fear a Day in Which You Will Be Brought Back to Allāh

Shaykh Muhammad Jibrīl led Salāt at-Tarāwīh (a special night prayer performed during Ramadān) tonight, and he recited the following verse a total of five times in two rak‘ahs, placing an incredible amount of emphasis on it:

وَاتَّقُواْ يَوْمًا تُرْجَعُونَ فِيهِ إِلَى اللّهِ ثُمَّ تُوَفَّى كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لاَ يُظْلَمُونَ

Wa ttaqū yawman turja‘ūna fīhi ilā Llāhi thumma tuwaffā kullu nafsin mā kasabat wa hum la yudhlamūn.

And fear a day in which you will be brought back to Allāh. Then every soul will be paid in full that which it has earned, and they will not be wronged.

(Qur’ān, Sūrat al-Baqarah, Āyah 281)

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The Arabic text from Surat al-Baqarah was taken from Fahrasat al-Qur’ān al-Karīm.

The English translation of the verse was adapted from The Majestic Qur’ān: An English Rendition of its Meanings, translated by Ali Özek, Nureddin Uzunoğlu, Tevfik R. Topuzoğlu and Mehmet Maksutoğlu, edited by Abdal Hakim Murad, Mostafa al-Badawi and Uthman Hutchinson.

Reflections from the Qur’ān: The Conditional Covenant with the Children of Israel

It is often said by Zionists that Palestine is the promised land of the Jews by virtue of the fact that they are God’s chosen people. They imply that His chosen people have had favors bestowed upon them that others have not, and this is what entitles them to occupy other people’s land.

What they fail to mention, however, is that they were chosen to fulfill a covenant with God. And this is a covenant that by any measure, today’s Zionists have failed to uphold.

Allāh explicitly describes the covenant in Sūrat al-Baqarah:

وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَكُمْ لاَ تَسْفِكُونَ دِمَاءكُمْ وَلاَ تُخْرِجُونَ أَنفُسَكُم مِّن دِيَارِكُمْ ثُمَّ أَقْرَرْتُمْ وَأَنتُمْ تَشْهَدُونَ

ثُمَّ أَنتُمْ هَـؤُلاء تَقْتُلُونَ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَتُخْرِجُونَ فَرِيقاً مِّنكُم مِّن دِيَارِهِمْ تَظَاهَرُونَ عَلَيْهِم بِالإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ وَإِن يَأتُوكُمْ أُسَارَى تُفَادُوهُمْ وَهُوَ مُحَرَّمٌ عَلَيْكُمْ إِخْرَاجُهُمْ أَفَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِبَعْضِ الْكِتَابِ وَتَكْفُرُونَ بِبَعْضٍ فَمَا جَزَاء مَن يَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ مِنكُمْ إِلاَّ خِزْيٌ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يُرَدُّونَ إِلَى أَشَدِّ الْعَذَابِ وَمَا اللّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ

Wa idh akhadhnā mīthāqakum lā tasfikūna dimā’akum wa lā tukhrijūna anfusakum min diyārikum thumma aqrartum wa antum tashhadun.

Thumma antum hā’ulā’i taqtulūna anfusakum wa tukhrijūna farīqan minkum min diyārihim tadhāharūna ‘alayhim bil-ithmi wa l-‘udwāni wa in ya'tūkum usārā tufādūhum wa huwa muharramun ‘alaykum ikhrājuhum. Afatu’minūna biba‘di l-kitābi wa takfurūna biba‘d. Famā jazā’u man yaf‘alu dhālika minkum illā khizyun fī l-hayāti d-dunyā. Wa yawma l-qiyāmati yuraddūna ilā ashaddi l-‘adhāb. Wa mā Llāhu bighāfilin ‘ammā ya‘malūn.

(O Children of Israel, remember) when We made a Covenant with you, saying: “You shall not shed blood among yourselves, nor expel one another from your homes.” And you confirmed it, and were witnesses thereto.

But in spite of this (the solemn promise you made), you were slaying your own brethren and driving them out from their homes and helping others against them with sin and aggression. And when they come to you as captives you ransom them, although the expulsion (itself) was unlawful for you. Do you believe in one part of the Scripture and disbelieve in another part? Those of you that act thus shall only be rewarded with disagrace in this world, and with the most grievous punishment on the Day of Resurrection. Allah is not unaware of what you do.

(Qur’ān, Sūrat al-Baqarah, Āyahs 84-5)

Beautiful Speech by Prophet Muhammad on Ramadān

This is a summary of a khutbah (speech) by the Prophet Muhammad (may Allāh bless him and give him peace) on the holy month of Ramadān. Always eloquent and succinct, his words provide a powerful reminder of how to approach this month.
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O people! The Month of Allāh the High has come with blessings, mercy and forgiveness. To Allāh, this month is the best month. Its days are the best days, its nights the best of all nights, its hours the best of all hours. And this is the month which you have been invited to be the guests of Allāh and you have become the graced ones by Allāh.

Your souls in it are glorification (of Allāh).
Your sleep in it is worship.
Your deeds in it are accepted.
Your prayers in it are answered.

So ask your Lord with truthful intentions and pure hearts that He would grant you success in fasting and reading His book. For that the unfortunate is the one who forbids Allāh’s forgiveness in this great month. With your hunger and thirst, remember the hunger and thirst of the Day of Judgment. Give to your poor and needy. Respect the elder. Have mercy on the younger. Be nice and keep in touch with your relatives. Protect your tongues. Cast down from what is not halāl (permissible) for your sights to see and what is not halāl for your ears to hear. Be compassionate and caring for the orphans of other people, so that your orphans would be taken care of and receive compassion. Repent from your sins. Raise your hands towards Him in du‘ā’ (supplication) during the hours of prayers. Those hours are the best hours, and Allāh looks at His servants with mercy; answers them if they ask for help; answers their call if they call upon Him; answers their du‘ā’ if they ask Him.

O people! Your souls are held hostage by your deeds. So let yourselves free by asking Allāh’s forgiveness.

Your backs are heavy with loads, so make it light by prolonging your sajdahs (prostrations). And know that Allāh has vowed to His Dignity that He would not punish those who pray and those who make sajdah. And He would not worry them with Fire on the day which people rise to the Lord of the Universe.

O people! Whoever feeds a fasting believer during this month, to Allāh, it is as if he has freed a slave. And his past sins are forgiven...

Whoever does one farīdah (obligatory deed) during this month, it is as if he has accomplished doing 70 good deeds in other months. Whoever increases sending blessings on me, Allāh will make his rewards heavy on the day when people’s rewards are light. Whoever recites one āyah (verse) of the Qur’ān will receive the reward of finishing the whole Qur’ān in other months.

O people! The gates of Heaven in this month are open, so ask your Lord not to close them on you. The doors of Hell are closed, so ask your Lord not to open them for you. The devils are in chains, so ask your Lord that they do not rule you.

Ramadān Mubārak!

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

Yā ayyuhā lladhīna āmanū kutiba ‘alaykumu s-siyāmu kamā kutiba ‘alā lladhīna min qablikum la‘allakum tattaqūn.

O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those who came before you; that you will perhaps be God-fearing.

(Qur’ān, Sūrat al-Baqarah, Āyah 183)

Ramadan is finally here. A month in which the Messenger of Allāh (may Allāh bless him and give him peace) tells us, “O people! The gates of Heaven in this month are open, so ask your Lord not to close the on you. The gates of Hell are closed, so ask your Lord not to open them for you. The devils are in chains, so ask your Lord that they do not rule you.”

May Allāh enable us all to take full advantage of Ramadān, and may Allāh enable us to attain taqwā (God-consciousness).

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The Arabic text from Surat al-Baqarah was taken from Fahrasat al-Qur’ān al-Karīm.

Moroccan Boy Reciting Qur'an

Please wait a few moments for video to load. The video clip is 42 seconds long.

Courtesy of IslamicVideos.net.

The Night Journey and the Ascension to Heaven

سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلاً مِّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِيرُ

Subhāna lladhī asrā bi‘abdihī laylan mina l-Masjidi l-Harāmi ilā l-Masjidi l-Aqsā lladhī bāraknā hawlahū linuriyahū min āyātinā. Innahū Huwa as-Samī‘u l-Basīr.

Transcendent is He Who carried His servant by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose surroundings We have blessed, that We might show him some of Our signs, for He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.

(Qur’ān, Sūrat al-Isrā’, Āyah 1)

Tonight (Monday, August 21, 2006) will be the 27th night of Rajab in the Islamic calendar, which according to many scholars corresponds to the night of al-Isrā’ wa l-Mi‘rāj. It is a night so momentous, that Allāh begins Sūrat al-Isrā’ (the 17th chapter of the Qur’ān entitled “The Night Journey”) with its mention.

It was on this night, 10 years after the first revelation of the Qur’ān (620 CE), that Prophet Muhammad (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) traveled by night from Makkah to al-Quds (Jerusalem) and ascended to the Heavens. The trip culminated with him coming into the direct Presence of Allāh.

The Muslims were facing terrible persecution at the hands the Quraysh, the ruling tribe of Makkah. Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had recently returned from the city of Tā’if, having been attacked with stones by the children of the city.

It was soon after this low-point that Angel Jibrīl (Gabriel) awakened the Prophet (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) at Masjid al-Harām in Makkah, and ordered him to mount a swift animal named al-Burāq.

The highlights of the first part of the night journey, named al-Isrā’, include:

• Stopping to pray in Yathrib (later to renamed to al-Madīnah).
  
  
• Stopping to pray on Jabal at-Tūr (Mount Sinai) where Allāh spoke directly to Prophet Mūsā (Moses), may Allāh grant him peace.
  
  
• Stopping to pray in Bayt Lahm (Bethlehem), the birth-place of Prophet ‘Īsā (Jesus), may Allāh grant him peace.
  
  
• Arriving at Masjid al-Aqsā (the Farthest Mosque) in al-Quds (Jerusalem), where Prophet Muhammad (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) encountered every prophet from Prophet Ādam to Prophet ‘Īsā (may Allāh grant them all peace) and led them in prayer.
  

Afterwards, Angel Jibrīl (may Allāh grant him peace) led Prophet Muhammad (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) on the second part of the journey, named al-Mi‘rāj.

Highlights of this journey include:

• Being greeted by several prophets (may Allāh grant them all peace) in different Heavens, where each prophet warmly welcomed him and testified their faith in his prophethood:
• Prophet Ādam in the First Heaven.
• Prophet ‘Īsā (Jesus) and Prophet Yahyā (John) in the Second Heaven.
• Prophet Yūsuf (Joseph) in the Third Heaven.
• Prophet Idrīs (Enoch) in the Fourth Heaven.
• Prophet Hārūn (Aaron) in the Fifth Heaven.
• Prophet Mūsā (Moses) in the Sixth Heaven.
• Prophet Ibrāhīm (Abraham) in the Seventh Heaven.
  
  
• Seeing first-hand the pleasures enjoyed by the inhabitants of Jannah (Paradise) and the torments suffered by the inhabitants of Jahannam (Hell-Fire).
  
  
• Finding Prophet Ibrāhīm (may Allāh grant him peace) resting against al-Bayt al-Ma‘mūr (the Much Frequented House), which is the Heavenly equivalent of the Ka‘bah with 70,000 new angels encompassing it each day - never to return - until Yawm al-Qiyāmah (the Day of Judgement).
  
  
• Being taken to Sidrat al-Muntahā (the Remotest Lote Tree), which Allāh shone His Light upon. Prophet Muhammad (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) told his companions afterwards that he was unable to capture the beauty of this tree in words.
  
  
• Coming into the direct Presence of Allāh and conversing directly with Allāh. This is where Allāh ordained daily prayers.
  
  
• Being advised by Prophet Mūsā (may Allāh grant him peace) to return to Allah and have the number of daily prayers reduced from 50 to eventually five.

This night is a source of joy and celebration for every Muslim for it was a respite for the Prophet (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) and his companions, it was a night of grand miracles, and it was the night during which the five daily prayers were ordained.

We should make it a point to learn the details of this night and reflect upon the lessons learned from it. Furthermore, we should make a habit out of recounting this story to our families and friends, especially our children.

Read more about al-Isrā’ wa l-Mi‘rāj:

• Amr Khaled Official Website: On the Path of the Beloved Episode 13: Al-Israa and Al-Mi'raj
  
  
• Miracle Of Al-Isra & Al-Miraj
  
  
• The following three selections of Hadith (sayings of Prophet Muhammad, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace):
  
• Sahīh al-Bukhārī, Volume 4, Book 54, Number 429
  
• Sahīh al-Bukhārī, Volume 5, Book 58, Number 227
  
• All of Chapter 75 of Sahih Muslīm
  
  
• Glimpses of History: The Night Journey
  
  
• Islamweb - Al Isra' and Al-Mi'raj

You can also purchase The Isra' & Mi'raj: The Prophet's Night-Journey and Ascent to Heaven by Huda Khattab.

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The Arabic text from Surat al-Isrā’ was taken from Al-Qur'an Al-Kareem: Arabic text and English Translation.

The English translation of the verse was adapted from The Majestic Qur’ān: An English Rendition of its Meanings, translated by Ali Özek, Nureddin Uzunoğlu, Tevfik R. Topuzoğlu and Mehmet Maksutoğlu, edited by Abdal Hakim Murad, Mostafa al-Badawi and Uthman Hutchinson.