LOVE ISLAM

We say there is a clash between communism/capitalism and religion. Liberalism and theism. Fascism and…. The list goes on. There have been articles and books written on Islam and the West and East and West. No one fully understands where the real problem lies. The reality is that the real problem or the real clash is only between two kinds of world views. And on those world views rest the other sub-world views. There is a clash between the human-centric world and the God-centric world. A God-centric world is that in which God is the centre of all things. God makes the laws of the world and those laws are followed. He is the supreme power. He tells you what to do and what not to do. For example, God said the punishment of theft is to cut one of the hands. Now if someone steals, his hand would be cut off even if he is the president’s son because the law has to be obeyed. Since God is the supreme power so everyone else is His slave and there is equality in the eyes of law and justice for everyone. The same rewards and same punishments apply to the same crime irrespective of who did it. So be it the king or the poorest beggar, both would think twice before committing a crime. Similarly, if God says that women should wear hijab, they would do so even if they don’t understand the logic behind it because God is the All-Wise. They would know that there is wisdom behind this order but they just can’t reach that height. (As a side note, the logic behind hijab is pretty clear actually). By following the do's and don’t's given by God, societies prosper. Now let’s look at the human-centric world. A human-centric world is that in which the centre of things is human beings. Whatever laws human beings want, they make them and implement them. Humans tell you what is good and what is bad. But do you see the snag? Humans are flawed. They neither have supreme wisdom nor supreme power. When they make a law and implement it, after some time it backfires because it was made by flawed humans. But it cannot be countered then as humans who made that law are involved in that very crime themselves. For example, in a country in the West, 80% of violent crimes are due to alcohol every year. So why not ban drinking? Because the parliament (the law making body) is itself heavily involved in drinking. Due to this and many such examples, there has been chaos and the structure of the society has deteriorated, everyone does what they want to do. In the 20th century, when humans tried to take control of the universe themselves, there have been 200 million deaths. With Communism and Nazism and Fascism etc. Humans go and kill a million in Iraq, humans go and kill millions in Vietnam, humans go and destroy Hiroshima and Nagasaki, humans kill 6 million Jews. Every single day in Britain, there are a hundred and forty seven rapes. Every two minutes in the States, a woman is raped. They know the reason. Pornography gives rise to it directly. But pornography sells because humans want it as it is a human-centric world. Today there are a number of sects of secularism (the -ism that is human centric). There is capitalism, communism, liberalism, atheism and the likes. They all disagree with each other too but their basis is essentially the same: a human-centric world. The Muslims of today have left God as their centre and started following the human centric world, due to which they are suffering from the very same problems as them. The solution then lies in the God-centric world. Islam is that religion which not only came from God but is still pure and uncontaminated from human whims and desires. It provides a complete way of life that has its centre around God. A system, flawless and unbeatable.

There is so much fitnah around us these days; practising Islam has become difficult. You will be given odd stares for wearing the hijab and supporting the beard but taking off hijab and dressing provocatively has been made easy since it's the "norm" or the "fashion". There are so many restrictions if you wanna go for nikaah, but adultery and flirting has been made so easy! Finding a halal job is next to impossible, whereas dealing in interest is every where! We are surrounded by fitnah 24/7. If, in the middle of this fitnah, we won't have a firm knowledge of the basics of our religion and a strong imaan, it's necessary to mention, we won't survive for long. Learn Islam. Live Islam.

Quick reminder: Chatting with women on the internet can not be justified even under the excuse of "giving dawah". Using ":p", ":)" or any other expressions, chatting, joking around with them is so NOT allowed. Honestly, brothers and sisters, where is our sense of modesty? This behaviour can kill our modesty, make our heart dead and make us look down upon our spouse and lose interest in them. If you want happiness, follow Islam 100%, not just parts of it.

No matter where you're sitting, with whom you're sitting - don't forget your Islamic ethics! Even while hanging around with your closest mates, use the halal jokes. It's very sad to see some Muslims act real foolishly just because they're "with friends"; you'll find them joking about Islam, saying indecent stuff, what not! As Muslims, let's not forget our sense of modesty and let's not degrade ourselves by sinking to such a low level! Keep it halal and dignified folks!

This is what normally happens: Husband & wife were watching TV when the wife said, "I'm tired, and it's getting late. I think I'll go to bed." She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day. Rinsed out the bowls, took vegetable out of the freezer for morning, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar container. She then ironed a shirt for the husband. She picked up the game pieces left on the table, put the phone back on the charger. She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom. She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher and pulled a text book out from hiding under the chair. Then she washed her face, put on her moisturizer, brushed her teeth... . She looked in on each of the kids and turned out their bedside lamps and radios, and had a brief conversation with one kid who is still up doing homework. Anything extraordinary here? VALUE your wives! Trust me, they make your world beautiful. Maybe now that your marriage got 4 year-old and the 'spark' wore off, you don't find her that attractive, she's still your wife and you need to take care of her, respect her, try to make things easy for her and love her. You owe her that much.

Breaks the heart how some in laws try to make life really miserable for their daughter in law. Don't these people have hearts? Or don't they have their own daughters? Would they like the same treatment for their daughters as well? Your daughter in law is a human, not a slave! Respect her, respect her privacy, remember that she has left her house and her entire past just to be with you guys, so be easy on her. And if you in laws simply cannot bear that your son/bro loves his wife (your daughter in law), then the sooner you see a psychiatrist, the better! For all the oppressed daughter in laws: may Allah give you a way out and happiness! The heart aches over this injustice! Ya Allah, guide the Muslim Ummah! <\3

Are you brainwashed? Find out! We all know that Islam commands women to dress modestly and to cover up. We call it hijab. Islam also commands the men to have this certain look; supporting a beard and dressing modestly. This is the Islamic norm. Simple. And this brings us to a very important word: fitnah. What is fitnah? Anything that takes us away from following our religion is a fitnah. And these days, the whole society around us is a fitnah - for the most part. And now here is a look into today's reality. Muslims today have forgotten their basics of religion. Hijab and beard (dress code), looking like Muslims, is only one facet of Islam; it's not the whole religion nor is it the first and the end of it. But it is an important part of our religion and following it is very much necessary. The Muslims of old used to dress up like Muslims; women in complete hijab, men with beard and modestly clothed. All OK, no prob! No body gave them odd stares; every one was dressed that way. It was the norm. In fact, anyone dressed otherwise was actually considered the odd one out. Totally opposite now. Now the norm is to sin and people will stare at you, ridicule you, look odd at you, what not only because you are wearing the hijab! The odd treatment given to you increases so much that one has to pause and remind oneself that in reality wearing the hijab is normal and taking it off is abnormal! Same goes with the brothers; you grow a little beard and that's it! Now you are the target of endless questions "What happened to you?" "Why did you grow this anyway?" They'll stop you every where and the security will check you more than they check others? Why? Because the Sunnah of the Messenger (upon whom be peace) is suddenly associated with terrorism or something so outdated! SubhaanAllah! Bottom line: Firstly, understand the basics of that religion which you claim to follow. Remember that right is right even with no one doing it and wrong is wrong even with every one doing it. Majority never justifies any sin. Be proud of your religion and don't fall victim to the false propaganda preached by the biased media. Look like a Muslim, live like a Muslim. And proudly so! Don't be ashamed to obey Allah, don't be ashamed to follow the Quran, don't cringe away from being a Muslim! Support those who stick to the Islmaic dress code. Don't be an obstacle in the way of good. Last word for those who are ridiculed for sticking to Islam: be patient, you are doing right, don't give up! Stand up for what you believe in, even if it means standing alone! No wonder Islam began as something strange and has returned to being strange.

Ill-treatmeant of your spouse is an indicator of weak Iman & if unchecked will ruin the quality of life but more so the Akhira! Spousal abuse is Haram. Whether physical, economic, social, or emotional all of its shades are sinful & punishable by Allah. If you would be ashamed of what people would think of ur conduct with ur spouse then know that its Haram. Fear Allah more than His creation #WifeAbuse is Haram. If a man batters his wife, he must be reported as any other criminal is. It's a criminal issue not just spiritual. Tell your spouse you love him/her.

Read this and don't read it as a cliche: You were created not to seek this world but to seek something more perfect. Understand this with an example. Sometimes we have a good enough life with all the blessings of family, love, wealth, peace, faith. But we long for a spouse. A happy married life. We seek for this happiness. Then when we get a good spouse, we forget it (all the craving, the struggle and the blessing) and start longing for something else. Kids now maybe. Life starts to seem hard again. Because there is somethig else which we now need to complete the picture and the previous happiness is long forgotten! After kids, another longing starts, maybe more wealth, more time/care from the spouse, more this, more that... The list is endless really. No wonder we should try to seek benefit here and take the easier option but we shouldn't do that at the expense of our aakhirah. We should never entirely focus on this world. Because eternal, happiness, that perfect dream does not exist here man. It just does not. It exists in Paradise. Seek that.

Admin Edit: The post has been deleted: @sister loveislam: please note, content from the source you mentioned is disallowed. Jazaakillah for your othere excellent contributions.

Imagine I gifted you with a box full of tools and every material you’d need, and then asked you to build a house—not for me—for yourself. How many people would fall in love with the hammer and forget about building the house? How many would use the tools instead to destroy themselves? God gave us this world, which is nothing but a box full of tools. Our ability to love is a tool. Our heart is a tool. Our life experiences are a tool. Our relationships, our money, our bodies, our minds, the sky, the sun, the stars, are all part of that tool box. And He has asked us to build a house. Not for Him. For ourselves. But most of us are so in love with the tools, we’ve forgotten the purpose. Trying to get his/her love, getting that fancy house, playing soccer...this wasn't the main purpose. We had no other purpose but to try to please Him.

Feel free to share on your Facebook, Twitter, wherever! * Maybe still a work in progress, let's keep trying to be a Muslim in a world which constantly tries us to be someone else. * When you wake up with no other reasons but to worship #Allah, you have found the purpose of life. * I mean, when Allah has promised to come to you running when you go to Him walking, who needs who more? * When people disappoint you, just look up to Allah. You'll find something you can't find from this world. * God *always* listens. Don't be too busy to talk to Him.

Compare these two situations: When you complain to people about your agony, their reaction, and your feeling after that. And When you complain to Allah about your agony, the way He treats you, and your feeling after that. You really don't need to be told which one you should chose.

The best you can do is when you try to lift someone who is down. When you give encouraging remarks to someone who is feeling belittled. To make them feel special, loved. To take care of someone who is sick by giving them moral support. It's a wonderful feeling to lift someone and in the process being yourself spiritually uplifted. Trust me.

Shaykhul-Islaam ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullaah) said in his valuable book ((Iqtidaa’ as- Siraatul-Mustaqeem Mukhaalifat Ashaab al-Jaheem)) [The Requirements of the Straight Path in Opposing the Companions of the Fire] page 451: ( And these two fundamentals: are the essence of the religion (Jimaa’ ad-Deen): That we do not worship anyone except Allaah and that we do not worship Him except with what He has legislated, and we do not worship Him with innovations ... and these two fundamentals, they are the realization and the perfection of the two testimonies (ash-Shahaadatayn), which are the head of al- Islaam ... ). End of quote. And see at-Tahqeeq wal-‘Eedaah of ash-Shaykh Ibn Baaz (rahimahullaah) page: 63.

People from this Ummah will drink intoxicants, calling it names other than its real name. One of our Ummah’s biggest problems is convincing ourselves that forbidden things can become halal if we name it differently. The early idol worshippers called their Shirk; intercession. Riba is forbidden and abhorred, so we call it interest. Bribes are known today as gifts and promotion items! Nudity is regarded as art, promoted by Hollywood and sought after by the world of fashion. Domestic violence is a sin and a crime. Yet, some of the men express their false manhood under the name of discipline by beating a defenseless woman. Cheating and lying becomes permissible under the name of politics or journalism. The non Muslims consider backbiting and slandering part of their 1st amendment and expressing their freedom of speech. Some students of knowledge became the watchdog over every Muslim and such backbiting changed in their eyes from vice to virtue! Homosexuality to some is normal and they describe it as “coming out of the closet” or experimenting! In Islam, what counts are the acts and not their names. Therefore, be careful not to be one of them as Allah knows all.

I've learnt that in life you will mostly encounter that which you dislike; you'll hear blames, you'll find people ridiculing you, you'll see people breaking your heart, toying with your heart. You'll find people better than you, having that for which you long. You'll see your dreams crushed, your desires being buried alive. Some words you'll want to say but wouldn't be able to. Sometimes you'll face good bye's and you'll long for your loved ones. You'll shed a lot of tears. This world is cold. And dark. And you'll have to go through a lot of heartache. And the thing is: there is no escaping it. But there is some good too in this world. Which makes it so bright and warm. There are some moments, though brief, but so jouful and precious. There is love. There is hope. There is faith. There is a promise of a better life ahead which would be eternal and totally pain free. There are those moments of pure pleasure which really are like a brilliant shining star in a dark night sky; seeing your child take the first steps, seeing your parents smile, calling out to Allah in the last hours of the night, prostrating... Sure this life is hard. But there is some good too. And we have hope. Because we have Islam. And the promise of Paradise. Which is what keeps us going. In this wet, cold, dark, mean world, we Muslims keep walking, with a broken yet a strong heart, not knowing what lies ahead but absolutely sure of Who will decide what will lie ahead. With our trust in Him, we wipe our tears and walk. Even after facing terrible pain, we still walk in life because we must. Hoping to enter Lord's Paradise one day, to forget all the bitterness and to live happily ever after. Finally. One day. We hope. With Allah, there is always hope. Chin up. Smile.

Quick background: Here is a brief reminder for all the teenagers out there. I'm sure a lot of the teenagers can relate to this. Bear with me. You know how in all those sitcoms on Nick, they show the parents as a real pain and a real embarrassment and call it "fashion"? Well, I, for one thing, have come across girls saying stuff like: "Man, I don't understand why my Mom does that - she lives in such a cave, telling me off all the time", or calling them "oldies". Get the drift? So, for many of us, disliking our parents, showing our aversion from them, being so aloof from them has become a "teenage thing". It's fashion. Hey, it's cool. And things like: caring for them, being their best friend, spending time with them has become something we look down upon and something we embarrassingly cringe away from. Well, here's the truth and the Islamic perspective: I just want you to go through a little flashback. Take your time. Have you ever seen a Mom with a baby? How the little thing is so helpless; can't even eat, can't sleep, can't walk - can do nothing. It needs the Mom for every thing. And the child can bearly be without her. The moment she disappears, it gets scared. But when we grow up, where does all that "clinginess" and love go? Why do we forget the sacrifices our Mom's make so fast? Bit mean, don't you think? Because you're still not religious enough if you're doing all your prayers, fasts, what not but your parents still cry because of you and you talk back. Not gonna work. It's a major, major sin to mistreat them! And we tend to take it so lightly. You need to go back into your past and think of all the times your parents were there for you, all they did for you, the sacrifices they made and are still making. So what if they make some mistakes sometimes? Their love outweights it all! Sometimes it does happen that they are being unreasonable or maybe even unfair towards us, but still we've not been given the right to misbehave with them, argue with them, snap at them and abhor them! They're wrong sometimes, sure, but it doesn't make mistreating them halal you see. Don't use the sharpness of your tongue on that mother who taught you how to speak! What needs to be done? The importance of honouring one’s parents is: Firstly: it is obedience to Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And We have enjoined on man to be good and dutiful to his parents” [al-‘Ankaboot 29:8] “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 young’” [al-Israa’ 17:23] In al-Saheehayn it is reported that Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked which deed is the best? He said, ‘Faith in Allaah and His Messenger, then honouring one’s parents…’” And there are many other Aayat and Mutawaatir Ahaadeeth which say similar things. Secondly: obeying and honouring one’s parents is a means of entering Paradise, as it was reported in Saheeh Muslim from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “He is doomed, he is doomed, he is doomed.” It was said, “Who, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said, “The person whose parents, one or both of them, reach old age during his lifetime but he does not enter Paradise.” (Saheeh Muslim, 4627). Scholars even say this: honoring one's parents is an expiation for major sins! Honouring one’s parents means obeying them, respecting them, praying for them, lowering one's voice in their presence, smiling at them, lowering the wing of humility to them, not showing displeasure towards them, striving to serve them, fulfilling their wishes, consulting them, listening to what they say, not being stubborn towards them. Honouring them also means visiting them, offering them gifts, thanking them for bringing you up and treating you kindly when you were small and after you grew up. It also means striving to reduce the arguments between them, by offering sincere advice and reminding them as much as you can. No matter how your parents treat you, you should follow the good manners described above, so as to avoid everything that may make them angry or upset, so long as that does not lead to sin or disobedience towards Allaah, because the rights of Allaah come before the rights of other people. Bottom line: They're not here to stay. They'll die one day. We all will. Make sure you save yourself that painful remorse you can feel then of not being good to them while you could. Make a resolution, ditch the evil ways, care for them and show it. Tell them how much they mean to you. Little gestures mean a lot. A gift, a kind word, giving them time, listening to their probs... Your father isn't backward; he still knows the world better than you! Your mother isn't feelingless; she just keeps ignoring her wishes so that you can prefer and live yours. Your parents are not an embarrassment; they should be the sun in your life. They don't hate you; they loved you when you didn't even know what love was. They might be a burden on you now, but they never thought of you that way even when, because they were so busy taking care of you, they forgot to have a life! Right now you might be frustrated. Tired of them. But trust me when I say this: we all go through this and then there comes a time when hey suddenly you grow up and realize the blessing your parents really were. Then comes the pain. Of regret. The journey from this teen frustration to that mature regret is really painful, don't learn things the hard way. Live a guilt free life!

There are a lot of elements which are bent on trying to malign Islam. They are painting a false picture of Islam. In the midst of all this darkness, what role have we played to put an end to this all? We have a responsibilty. Life is not just about finishing a video game, or keeping up with the latest fashion or updating the FaceBook profile. Life has more to it. Start scheming. Defend Islam. This propaganda by these elements and the media is NOT something new. Pharoah did this as well. And the solution is also the same, the one which Musa ('alahis salam) used: keep inviting others to Islam, don't give up and don't turn back. Play your part. ''If we will make them learn the Qur'an, they will not burn it''. Quran is a mircale, when people will learn it in the true sense, they will not want to burn it. A pastor burnt the Qur'an in Florida, let's respond by re-igniting its love in the hearts. There is a lot of evil in this world. Seems like it's taking over. But there is some good in this world, too. And it's worth striving for. Hints and tips: what to do? learn Islam spread it create a 'page' on FaceBook etc for this send useful text messages to others but make sure the information you use is authentic Go for it...! You love Allah and His religion? Prove it...!

You go for work early in the morning. Stay out for most of the day. Return home tired and wrung out, and lash out all your frustration and exhaustion on your wife. Now obviously you're tired so you sleep. You work 24/7. So you think you do all the work and she does nothing. Whereas the reality is: She too gets up early in the morning (even before you do), prepares your breakfast, prepares the kids for school, keeps up with their tantrums, cleans the house, cooks, make sure the kids have done their homework, makes herself presentable before you arrive home... Sure there is a lot of pressure of work on you. But the list of jobs of your wife too is quite endless. So don't throw around words like "yeah you're just a housewife...what do you do all day long..." Appreciate each others's role and efforts and give each other time and make your spouse your first priority!

We all get rough parts in life. Some one put it this way: ''Life is a roller coaster''. With many up's and down's. But the thing is: How do we handle those ''down's''? This ''how'' is important. And here is a brief attempt to address this ''how''. Here is a 'ten-point' summary to help all those who need it. And, in the end, we all need it. 1. Pre ordainment. When this becomes ingrained in your heart, you will not feel sorrow over losses etc. The pen have dried, the pages have been lifted. Whatever you faced or are facing, had already been written, even before you were born. What has befallen you was not meant to escape you and what has missed you was never going to befall you. So, don't occupy yourself with things like, ''I wish I had not said that to her...'' or ''Why did he do that...''. The 'if only' will just make you feel regret and sorrow. Therefore, say, ''This is the decree of Allah, what He wishes, He does''. See then how peace descends upon you. You could not have stopped the wind from blowing, the water from falling or the glass from breaking. So why moan? 2. Know that: whenever Allah wishes good for someone, He afflicts them with hardship. This message was given to us by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). 3. Do not feel overy troubled if some sickness comes, or you face some loss of a loved life etc. Instead know that your recompense is with Allah. Allah is preparing a reward for you and the patient ones will be praised in the heavens in the Hereafter. Don't believe me? See for yourself in the Qur'an 13:24. 4. Know this always: no situation is forever. If you are sad today, then tomorrow you will be happy. Eating follows hunger, tears are followed by a smile, drinking follows thirst and day follows night. Inform the distressed one that help is near. Know that when you see dessert stretching out for miles...beyond that is a place of shelter and plentiful water. 5. Always try to look at the bright side of a tragedy. Surprised, huh? Yes, every situation has some 'good' in it. Always. A circumstance of pure evil does not exist. Do not be a slave of moment, instead look beyond. Know that there is a whole city out there. The wall and the door is not everything. 6. When you face some tough situation, raise your hands in supplication and place your head on the floor. Ask the One Who has power to remove your heartache. Cling to His door and then: WAIT FOR HIS HELP. And when you ditch patience, know what happens? Know who suffers? You! Just you. So, feel happy and don't kill your heart! Always love someone in a moderate way. Maybe a day will come when you will come to dislike him. And hate soemone in a moderate way, perhaps a day will come when you will get to love him. 7. Faith is life itself! Can't trust me? What did Ibraheem (alahis salam) did? He did not feel the heat of the fire because HE DID NOT FEAR THE FIRE. Why? Because he had faith in Allah and he hoped for His help. The sea would not frighten Moosa (alahis salam) because he said with confidence: He will guide me. He is with me. Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said to Abu Bakr in the cave: do not fear, for Allah is with us. Learn from it. 8. Don't be pessimist. Once two people were put in jail. One of them managed to get his head out of the bars and looked at the starry sky above and laughed, while all the other one could do was: weep. 9. Patience will bring you rewards. Even if you are having a hard time here, don't worry, you are not losing anything. Because the stuff of this world has its roots in an eternal world. So rejoice and honestly, Islam does not encourage being sad. 10. Lastly, O those who are afflicted, if you are showing patience, you are winning. Those who hold this world as everything, those who are in love with it, can't bear to face losses. They just can't. So, don't be blinded by this world. It is insignificant anyway. And if this makes you feel any better: know it that you are not the only one who faces heartaches. This world is full of such people. And, trust me on this, many have problems a lot worse than yours. Those who claim to love Allah, those who claim to love patience, I have only two words for you: prove it!