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Hadith on forgiveness and justice
Source: lastprophet.info
By: Shaykh Abdal Hakim Mura
Forgiveness and Justice: Meditations on Some Hadiths by Abdal Hakim Murad
(1) The Prophet prayed for pardon for his people, and received the reply: ‘I have forgiven them all but acts of oppression, for I shall exact recompense for the one who is wronged, from his oppressor.’
In the Quran, God is just, and requires justice; but he is also forgiving, and requires forgiveness; in fact, its references to the latter property outnumber those on justice by a ratio of approximately ten to one. Islamic theology has not always been clear how the ensuing tension is to be resolved. ‘My Mercy outstrips My wrath’ is a well-known divine saying (hadith qudsi) but one which nonetheless is far from abolishing God’s wrath. Indeed, a righteous indignation about injustice is integral to the prophetic representation of God’s qualities, and from the earliest moments of its revelation the Qur’an links God’s expectations of His creatures to justice towards the weak. Often the same texts are explicitly eschatological, affirming that those who do not uphold God’s justice in this world will be at its receiving end in the next. Indigenous Arab religion can expect a stern retribution, given that its demands are for tribal solidarity, not for the upholding of universal canons of justice. The idol cannot demand justice, only retribution (tha’r); and the prophetic vocation must therefore link the destruction of paganism with the establishment of a code of justice which overturns Arab norms by refusing to discriminate between the tribes. This hadith is to be read against the background of clan vendettas: instead of seeking collective retaliation against a miscreant’s tribe, the victim of injustice is to appeal to the new law, and to recall that all apparentimbalances will have a just settlement at the judgement seat.
(2) There is an act of charity [sadaqa] to be given for each part of the human body; and for every day over which the sun rises there is a reward of a sadaqa for the one who establishes justice among people.
Justice (‘adl) is due balance (i‘tidal): it is impartiality. The same word is employed to describe the balance of the body’s four humours. When these are in balance, right thinking and health are the consequence. When they are not, the Qur’an speaks of the last day when ‘their tongues, their hands and their feet will bear witness to what they used to do.’ (Quran 24:24)
Gossip is a sin
By: Mufti Ismail Menk
Allah says,”oh you who believe, be conscious of your maker and each one of you should look into what you have prepared for tomorrow“, what have you prepared in your books? What have you prepared in your deeds? What have you prepared in your accounts? To present to your Maker. When you are going to meet Him tomorrow.
What a powerful verse, Allah is telling us look at your book. What we do today? Shaytan makes us look at the books of others. Immediately were worried about that one, this one. You see, that one did this and this person committed that sin, and that one is rotten in the heart. And we start passing judgement. You know the hearts of the people. May Allah subhanahu wa taala safeguard us and protect us from this.
That is shaytan diverting us from this path of steadfastness. Steadfastness can not be achieved when you are engaged in the life of someone else. Cheating, deceiving. Backbiting, slandering, gossiping and so on. Allahu akbar
The Souls Journey After Death In Islam
By: Huma Ahmed
Source: http://www.islamicinformation.net/
Imagine yourself at the moment of your death.
What thoughts cross your mind? Memories of family and friends? Panic? Regrets? Remembrance of Allah? What is death? What happens to us after we die? What is life in the Hereafter like, this new and strange world after death? Do we lose consciousness of this life? Where does our soul go? Do we feel and think the same?
Signs of the Day of Judgment: Past, Present & Future
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Dear questioner! Thank you for this question, which reflects a true desire to get more knowledge about Islam and its guidance.
In the first place, we would like to stress that a Muslim should make his first priority to be prepared for the Day of Judgment. When a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and asked, “What is
the exact date of the Day of Judgment?” the Prophet answered, “What have you prepared for that day?”
This indirect positive answer from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) directs every Muslim to concern himself, before anything else, with performing good deeds and acts of worship so as to be safe on that day.
The appearance of some signs of Judgment Day should motivate Muslims to turn back to their Lord, repenting and surrendering themselves to Him alone. Muslims should not sleep or wait with hands tied; rather, they should work for a better future for the whole Muslim Ummah and Islam, for Allah helps only those who want to help themselves.
Coming to the question in point, here are the words of the late Sheikh Ibn `Uthaymeen, a prominent Saudi Muslim scholar, regarding the major signs of the Day of Judgment, who stated,
1. The Emergence of the Dajjal (the Anti-Christ). This refers to a man who is an imposter and who will appear during the Last Days, claiming lordship. Regarding his coming, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Say: ‘O Allah! Verily I seek refuge in you from the punishment of the Hellfire, and I seek refuge in you from the punishment of the grave, and I seek refuge in you from the trial of Dajjal. And I seek refuge in you from the trial of life and death.’”
The Dajjal will emerge from a road in an area between the Levant and Iraq and will begin to call the people to worship him. A majority of the people that will follow him will be from the Jews, women and Bedouins. Seventy-thousand Jews from Asfahan (in present-day Iran) will follow him and he will travel throughout the entire earth, just as the wind blows rain in all directions, except for Makkah and Madinah, for he will be prevented from entering them.
The length of his stay will be forty days. One day will be like a year, one day like a month, one day like a week and the rest of the days will be as normal. He is one-eyed (i.e., one eye is good and the other is defective) and between his two eyes will be written in Arabic letters “KA FA RA”, that is, kafir(disbeliever). Only the believers will be able to read it. He will bring about great trials, some of which are that he will command the heavens and it will rain and he will command the earth and it will produce vegetation. He will have with him a garden and a fire. However, his garden will be a fire, and his fire will be a garden.
2. The descent of Jesus, son of Mary. This is established in the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the Muslims. Allah says what means: “There is not one of the People of the Scripture but will believe in him before his death, and on the Day of Resurrection he will be a witness against them”(An-Nisa’: 159).
This refers to the death of Jesus, which will occur after his descent, as has been interpreted by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “I swear by Allah, that Jesus, son of Mary will indeed descend judging (mankind) with justice.”
Muslims have unanimously agreed upon his descent. He will descend by the white minaret in the east of Damascus, placing his hands upon the wings of two angels. Then it will not be possible for a disbeliever to perceive the scent of his breath without dying. And his breath will extend as far his eyesight extends. He will search for the Dajjal until he reaches him by the gate of Ludd, where he will kill him. He will break the cross and abolish the jizyah (tax paid by non-Muslims living under Muslim rule), and prostration will be only for Allah the Lord of the universe. He will also perform Hajj and `Umrah.
3. The emergence of Gog and Magog. They are two nations from the tribe of Adam that are currently in existence, based upon the evidence from the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
Their emergence, which is one of the signs of the Day of Judgment, has not occurred before in the past. However, its first indications were present during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said, “Today a hole has been opened in the barrier of Gog and Magog like this”, and he made a circle with his index finger and thumb.
4. The emergence of the beast. This refers the beast that Allah will bring forth close to the time of the Day of Judgment. Its emergence is confirmed in the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Allah says what means: “And when the word of torment is fulfilled against them, We shall bring out from the earth, a Beast for them, to speak to them because mankind believed not with certainty in Our signs.” (An-Naml: 82)
5. The rising of the sun from the west. This is established in the Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah. Allah says what means: “The Day that some of the signs of your Lord do come, no good will it do for a person to believe then, if he believed not before nor earned good (by doing good deeds), through his Faith.” (Al-An`aam: 158)
The above is excerpted, with slight modifications, from: http://www.geocities.com
Elaborating more on the other signs, we would like to cite for you the following:
The signs are listed in roughly chronological order, although the order is not necessarily precise, especially for those in the future.
This is a brief summary of the signs; there are many books, articles, cassettes, et cetera that discuss these in greater detail. May Allah enable us to recognize and heed the signs of Judgment Day and strengthen us in the times of tribulation!
Past
1. Splitting of the moon.
2. Death of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
3. A form of death that will kill thousands of Muslims (understood to refer to the plague of Amwas during the
caliphate of `Umar ibn al-Khattab).
4. A major fighting in Madinah (understood to refer to the Battle of al-Harrah during the caliphate of Yazid, 63 A.H.).
5. The Muslim conquest of Jerusalem.
6. The Muslim conquest of Constantinople.
7. Two large groups of Muslims will fight in war.
8. A war between the Muslims and a reddish people with small eyes, wearing sandals made of hair (understood to refer to
the Mongol Tatar invasion of the Islamic lands).
9. A peace agreement between the Muslims and non-Muslims from the yellow race (Chinese, Mongols, et cetera).
10. Thirty impostors will appear, each thinking he is a prophet.
Present?
11. Naked, destitute, barefoot shepherds will compete in building tall buildings.
12. The slave-woman will give birth to her master or mistress.
13. A trial (fitnah) that will enter every Arab household.
14. Knowledge will be taken away (by the death of people of knowledge) and ignorance will prevail.
15. Wine (intoxicants) will be drunk in great quantities.
16. Illegal sexual intercourse will become widespread.
17. Earthquakes will increase.
18. Time will pass more quickly.
19. Tribulations will prevail.
20. Bloodshed will increase.
21. A man will pass by the grave of another and wish he was in the latter’s place.
22. Trustworthiness will be lost, that is, when authority is given to those who do not deserve it.
23. People will gather for Prayer but will be unable to find an imam to lead them.
Future
24. The number of men will decrease while the number of women will increase until for every man there are 50 women.
25. The Euphrates will reveal a treasure of gold, and many will die fighting over it, each one hoping to be the one who gains
the treasure.
26. The Romans (Europeans) will come to a place called A’maq or Wabiq, and an army of the best people will go forth from Madinah to face them.
27. The Muslims will conquer Rome.
28. The Mahdi will appear and be the imam of the Muslims.
29. Jesus Christ will descend in Damascus and pray behind the Mahdi.
30. Jesus will break the cross and kill the swine, that is, destroy the false Christianity.
31. The Antichrist (the Dajjal) will appear, with all his tools of deception, and be an immense trial. He will be followed by 70,000 Jews from Isfahan (present-day Iran).
32. Gog and Magog will appear with all the associated tribulations.
33. The beast from the Earth will emerge, carrying the Staff of Moses and the Seal of Solomon; it will speak to the people, telling them they did not believe with certainty in the Divine Signs.
34. There will be a major war between the Muslims (including Jews and Christians who truly believe in Jesus after his return) led by Imam Mahdi, and the Jews plus other non-Muslims led by the Antichrist.
35. Jesus will kill the Antichrist at the gate of Ludd (Lod in present-day Israel, site of an airport and a major Israeli military base).
36. There will be a time of great peace and serenity during and after the remaining lifetime of Jesus.
37. Wealth will be so abundant that it will become difficult to find someone to accept charity.
38. Arabia will become a land of gardens and rivers.
39. Society will then decay.
40. The women of the tribe of Daws will again circumambulate the idol Dhul-Khulsah.
41. There will be a great fire in the Hijaz, that will be seen by the inhabitants of Busra.
42. Three major armies will sink into the earth: one in the east, one in the west, one in Arabia.
43. An Abyssinian leader with thin shins will destroy the Ka`bah.
44. There will be a huge cloud of smoke.
45. The sun will rise from the west (its place of setting).
46. A gentle wind will take the souls of the believers.
47. There will be no one left on the earth saying “Allah, Allah” or “There is no god but Allah.”
48. Eventually the Day of Judgment will fall upon the worst of the people, who copulate like donkeys in public.
49. The Angel Israfil will blow the Trumpet, upon which everyone will faint except as Allah wills.
50. At the second blowing of the Trumpet, everyone will be resurrected.”
Excerpted, with slight modifications, from: http://www.islaam.com
Almighty Allah knows best.
The Physics of the Day of Judgement
By: Dr. Mohammad Humayoun Khan
This Article is based on the concept that the expansion of the universe (space) is the cause of the “phenomenon of time.” If this is true then the universe will “appear” to be paradoxically expanding faster as we try to measure the distant expansion of the past with our slowing time. This anomaly was independently discovered by two groups of astronomers in 1998. Unaware that our time could be slowing, the physicists are now trying to explain this surprising finding by some undiscovered property of space or repulsive force that may make the universe expand faster.
Chapter: 50, Verse: 47
When we are dead and have become dust and bones.
Shall then we indeed be raised again?
Chapter: 75, Verses: 3 & 4
Man thinks that, We shall not assemble his bones.
Yes Truly! We are able to restore his very fingers!
Chapter: 22, Verse: 7
The Hour will come there is no doubt.
And God will raise those who are in the graves.
CONTENTS
The Afterlife
Is Resurrection a Physical Process?
An Introduction to Cosmology
The Light Year
The Receding Galaxies
The Future of the Universe
The Future of the Universe as Described in The Qur’an
The Big Bang
The Expansion of the Universe
The Contraction of the Universe and the Reversal of Time
No Free Will in the Contracting Universe
Reversal of Gravity
Earth: “Empty” from Inside with the Sky in its Center
The Smooth Outer Surface of the Earth
Will we Regress to Nothingness with the Reversal of Time?
The Higher Dimensions
The Black Holes: “The Blocked Gateways” to the Higher Dimensions
Angels Descend through the Gates in the Sky
When will the Day of Judgment Arrive
Waiting in the Grave for Day of Judgment to Arrive?
Summary
THE AFTERLIFE
The belief in life after death is universal; it is reflected in the teachings of all the major religions of the world, permeating culture and time. Despite tremendous scientific and technological advancement of the twentieth century, we have no answers to many questions that have plagued the minds of people from time immemorial. What happens to us on dying? What is soul? Does it leave the body to enter the spiritual world, which is beyond human perception in some other dimension? Are the souls reincarnated entering some other body to be recycled again as in the beliefs of some eastern religions? Is the soul captured and kept somewhere until the Day of Judgment to be reunited with the body that rises from the grave? How can a body that had decayed and disappeared into dust, regain its original shape and form? We can believe what we wish; however the modern world is based on truthful pursuit of science and technology. Truth cannot be decided on wishful thinking or majority vote, if that was the case then Columbus would have surely fallen of the earth in 1492.”
We live in a world that demands proof and is not just content with belief. The belief or even the proof however, is only for the believer, and belief comes from within our hearts. The greatest of proofs will not satisfy the non-believer, while the slightest evidence can be a great source of satisfaction for the believer. In this context let us look at the story of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be on him) given in the Quran. (Chapter ii verse 260.) Prophet Ibrahim wanted to know how God gives life to the dead. He had the faith of a man who was willing to sacrifice his own son for the sake of God, yet he wanted reassurance; which then was given to him in the form of a great miracle. Ordinary people like us are also in need of reassurance in a world where science and technology have assumed greater importance than religion.
PASS THE KNOWLEDGE (LIGHT & LIFE) 