Why Should Muslims Apologize for Other Peoples Crimes?

Topic: Charlie Hebdo Attack in France Talk show host: James O’Brien

Any of the views expressed by the speakers do not necessarily represent the views of The Merciful Servant or any other projects it may have or intend to do. The Merciful Servant and it’s affiliates do not advocate nor condone any unlawful activity towards any individual or community.

Common Daily Mistakes Exploited by Shaitan

Source: blog.islamiconlineuniversity.com

By: Abdul-Baseer

Our lives can seem like a whirlwind of hectic, chaotic, unpredictable situations and occurrences that keep us busy. Struggling to do what we need to do to maintain our obedience to Allah  and surviving in a complex world at the same time can be very difficult.  Yet, we all have patterns, habits and daily routines we fall into as we maintain some stability, sanity and normality to our lives.  The longer one makes daily mistakes, the more harder it will get to survive Shaitan’s trappings; making his temptations difficult to resist and easier to fall into.

The various addictions Shaitan wants to trap a person can move from one level to the next. An addiction locks one into a vice, sin or foul activity. Without the ability to escape from shaitan’s trappings, we are unable to free ourselves, making us not only slaves of Shaitan, but we might also end up working to spread his foul causes and agendas.

So clearly the first step one should take is to stop Shaitan in his tracks before any of these weakening factors occur.  Then turning to the Qur’an and the Sunnah will answer the strategy to avoid each pitfall.

Beyond the Ice Bucket Challenge…

Source: blog.islamiconlineuniversity.com

If we see, in reality, “Ice Bucket Challenge” is nothing more than a reflection of societies’ slavery which is in the hands of a few artificially glamorized celebrities (Hollywood, Bollywood actors, Politicians, Sports persons, etc.). This clearly shows the influence certain people have on the masses even without meeting them in person, or giving them any money or perks. The way this cult started is something we all need to contemplate on. The media controls the world; the hearts and the minds of people. Read more here in sha Allah

From Jordan to Morocco, the pro-Gaza Rubble Bucket challenge goes viral

 By: Joanna Paraszczuk

Source: http://www.jpost.com

A new trend in support of Gaza is going viral across Arab social media, after a Palestinian journalist filmed himself  dumping a bucket of sand and rubble over his head, in an activity he dubbed the “Remains Bucket” challenge.

CHURCH ALLOWS NUDE WORSHIP

By: Lilufa Uddin

Source: http://r2imedia.tv

Modesty is something many of us appreciate and aspire to, regardless of our religious and/or social backgrounds. It is often thought highly as a human attribute as well as activity. Those who show modesty are praised and looked up to. Unfortunately for some people, modesty is not inclusive in their vocabulary or lifestyle.

Subhana’llah: Punalu’u Beach, Hawaii (IMAGES)

 Punaluʻu Beach (also called Black Sand Beach) is a beach between Pāhala and Nāʻālehu on the Big Island of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The beach has black sand made of basalt and created by lava flowing into the ocean which explodes as it reaches the ocean and cools. This volcanic activity is in the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Punaluʻu is frequented by endangered Hawksbill and Green turtles, which can often be seen basking on the black sand.

Documentary: Africa’s Super Seven (Video)

 In Africa anything can take place in a short period of time, particularly when seven of its most beautiful wild animals confront each other. These are seven glorious animals who exceed all others. Seven characters who govern the African wilderness. Over 24 hours, from day to night, the activity never halts. The cheetah is the unbeaten racer, able to hunt even the most agile prey. But can she educate her cubs how to chase the prey for themselves today? Or will the hyena rob them?

She’s an ingenious vacillator, with offspring too, and will do whatever it takes to feed them and keep them alive. The lion is not just the greatest of Africa’s cats – it’s also a collaborator. And tonight, the group is on the hunt. The buffalo will have to be very careful. But this quiet vegan has an ungenerous attitude towards cats and moves in a big herd… a strength to be looked upon.

The rhino also has terrifying competence, but her poor eyesight and an anxious temperament means she’s the wild card of the super seven. But nothing is more hazardous than a capricious elephant, especially a young one with too much vigor and not enough sensibility. And then there’s the leopard – the master of secrecy. He lives in the darkness and is always ready to attack with surprise. Seven super beasts, one place, one single day. There’s no better place to follow these animals than in south Africa’s Mala-Mala Game Reserve… a very large area of wilderness, abundant with wildlife.

And through it all runs another fascinating feature – the sand river, where this story begins. It’s mid-afternoon and for the animals, this is the real start of an African day. They’re coming out from their dark retreats to make use of the remaining daylight. Here you must be ready for anything. No two days are ever the same.

Documentary: Africa’s Super Seven (Video)

 In Africa anything can take place in a short period of time, particularly when seven of its most beautiful wild animals confront each other. These are seven glorious animals who exceed all others. Seven characters who govern the African wilderness. Over 24 hours, from day to night, the activity never halts. The cheetah is the unbeaten racer, able to hunt even the most agile prey. But can she educate her cubs how to chase the prey for themselves today? Or will the hyena rob them?

She’s an ingenious vacillator, with offspring too, and will do whatever it takes to feed them and keep them alive. The lion is not just the greatest of Africa’s cats – it’s also a collaborator. And tonight, the group is on the hunt. The buffalo will have to be very careful. But this quiet vegan has an ungenerous attitude towards cats and moves in a big herd… a strength to be looked upon.

The rhino also has terrifying competence, but her poor eyesight and an anxious temperament means she’s the wild card of the super seven. But nothing is more hazardous than a capricious elephant, especially a young one with too much vigor and not enough sensibility. And then there’s the leopard – the master of secrecy. He lives in the darkness and is always ready to attack with surprise. Seven super beasts, one place, one single day. There’s no better place to follow these animals than in south Africa’s Mala-Mala Game Reserve… a very large area of wilderness, abundant with wildlife.

And through it all runs another fascinating feature – the sand river, where this story begins. It’s mid-afternoon and for the animals, this is the real start of an African day. They’re coming out from their dark retreats to make use of the remaining daylight. Here you must be ready for anything. No two days are ever the same.
More documentaries…

Humour and Jokes In Islam

Joking is one of the most entertaining activity among people of all ages. Everyone likes to read or crack jokes to ease their and others’ stress. Social networking has given an inevitable platform for joking. Often people share funny messages, images, hilarious poetry and weird facts about different things. From Facebook pages to whatsapp groups, joking has become a trend today. Let us divide joking into two categories so that we understand the science of joking.

1. Real Jokes
2. Fake Jokes

Real jokes consist of incidents that have happened in real and real characteristics of people. Whereas fake jokes consist of incidents that never took place, characters that do not exist in real and fabricated stories about some people with an intention to make people laugh.

Islamic view about joking:

Islam doesn’t forbid the basic concept of joking. It is evident from the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH) that he use to joke. Someone asked Muhammad (PBUH): “Do you joke with us?” Muhammad (PBUH) replied: “I do, but I only say that which is true” (Al-Bukhari, Tirmidhi)
Hmmmm, Can’t make it out what sort of jokes did Muhammad (PBUH) point out? Let’s check out his example:

A man came to Muhammad (PBUH) and said: “Give me an animal to ride on” Muhammad (PBUH) replied: “I will give you the son of a female camel”. The man said with astonishment: “What could I do with the son of a female camel?” (Thinking that he would be given a camel too small to ride). Thereupon Muhammad (PBUH) replied: “What do female camels deliver except camels?” (i.e., that every camel, even if it is fully grown, is the product of a female camel!). (Abu Dawud & Tirmidhi).

In the above joke, there’s no mocking, no humiliation, no transgressing and no exaggeration.

Generally we forward and like jokes made out of a fake husband-wife conversation, girlfriend-boyfriend conversation, father-son conversations, teacher-student conversations, conversation held between people belonging to a specific community, race or ethnicity and also by mocking people due to their profession, belief, jobs, race, colour, sex or qualification.

All forms of joking mentioned in the above paragraph are forbidden in Islam. We should thank Allah for prohibiting these kind of jokes because they’re responsible for endangering the reputation and image of Muslims. Allah says in the Quran:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا يَسْخَرْ قَوْمٌ مِّن قَوْمٍ عَسَىٰ أَن يَكُونُوا خَيْرًا مِّنْهُمْ وَلَا نِسَاءٌ مِّن نِّسَاءٍ عَسَىٰ أَن يَكُنَّ خَيْرًا مِّنْهُنَّ وَلَا تَلْمِزُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ وَلَا تَنَابَزُوا بِالْأَلْقَابِ بِئْسَ الِاسْمُ الْفُسُوقُ بَعْدَ الْإِيمَانِ وَمَن لَّمْ يَتُبْ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ

O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one’s] faith. And whoever does not repent – then it is those who are the wrongdoers. (49:11)

You make someone laugh just because you want to get some appreciation or may be some likes, comments and shares?? Do you know how much do you pay for this?

ويل للذي يُحدث فيكذب ليُضحك به القوم ويل له

The Prophet (PBUH) said: “Woe to the one who tells lies to make people laugh, woe to him.” (Narrated by Abu Dawood).

إن الرجل ليتكلم بالكلمة ليُضحك بها جلساءه يهوي بها في النار أبعد من الثريا

The Prophet (PBUH) said: “A man may say something to make his companions laugh, and he will fall into Hell as far as the Pleiades because of it.” (Narrated by Ahmad).

The Prophet (SAW) said: “A slave (of Allah) would utter a word, without paying attention to it, which would result in him going down into the Hellfire further than the distance between the east and the west.” (Muslim)

Psychological and other problems caused by such type of joking:

1. Ridiculing relationships such as marriage can harm the sanctity of this noble relationship. People stop giving value to this and feel that husbands and wives are merely characters who perform weird things and the world laughs.

2. Mocking someone just because of his/her race, ethnicity or language will shatter that person’s personality. He/she starts instilling hatred in himself / herself. This soon transforms his personality into a violent human.

3. Excessive joking keeps a person more involved towards vain talk and unnecessary communication which results in wastage of time.

4. Ridiculing and mocking creates divisions in the society which results in fights, quarrels, disputes and even wars.

5. People start taking this life for granted and waste it. They often disobey Allah and his messenger (PBUH).

If anyone has any doubts pertaining to this topic, please comment here:

By Abu Abdullah Saqib