Never losing the hope…

Source: blog.islamiconlineuniversity.com

By: Fareed Ahmad

The arabic word for sadness or grief is “Gham” – derived from the word “Ghaamama (the cloud) “. Although there’s no apparent relationship between sadness and cloud, there is a hidden one.  Just like how a cloud blocks away sunshine from lighting up the earth,sadness/grief also acts as a stumbling block, hindering man’s positive energy and performance.

Just like a cloud blocks all the sun-shine coming down to the earth, sadness or grief, one way or another, also acts as a stumbling block for a man’s positive energy and performance. 2

It is very natural that when a person is happy and everything is going according to his whims and desires and his own wishful thinking, his performance is at it’s peak, but when he is tested or acalamity strikes him, he becomes pessimistic and isn’t able to give a good performance.

Islam’s influence in the creation of America (Video)

 Hidden and buried away from the American public is the truth about America’s History. Housed in the Library of Congress (Thomas Jefferson Building) is Thomas Jefferson’s own copy of the Quran signed by him. Carved into the marble frieze of the US Supreme Court Building, is the picture of the Quran itself. This video shows all this and how Islam had influenced our founding fathers in the creation of America, its government, and its laws. The roots of Islam’s laws and teachings are unmistakably present in America’s Constitution and Laws.

10 Tree Roots Winning Their Battle Against Concrete (IMAGES)

Source: http://themindunleashed.org

Mankind’s relationship with nature is a difficult one – we must use it, live in harmony with it, protect it and protect ourselves from it. These visually striking images that we collected of tree roots colliding with concrete are beautiful symbolic representations of this complicated relationship.

It’s hard to say what it is exactly about tree roots that capture our imagination, but they have done so for thousands of years. They snake through many world cultures’ folk-tales and legends and take root in our symbolic vocabulary. The slow but sure force with which they crush and overcome concrete (and sometimes even steel) inspires visions of a natural reclamation of the civilized world, and their serpentine forms inspire visions of rivers and lightning.

Whatever these photos make you think of, we hope you love them as much as we do!

What is ‘Aqeedah?

Praise be to Allaah.

Source: http://islamqa.info/

Aqeedah refers to those matters which are believed in, with certainty and conviction, in one’s heart and soul. They are not tainted with any doubt or uncertainty.

The Arabic word ‘aqeedah stems from the root ‘aqada, which conveys meanings of certainty, affirmation, confirmation, etc. In the Qur’aan, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Allaah will not punish you for what is unintentional in your oaths, but He will punish you for your deliberate oaths (bimaa ‘aqqadtum al-aymaan)…”
[al-Maa’idah 5:87]

This Is Why People Migrate (Video)

 Immigrants, migrants and refugees are often in the news — but why do people get up and leave their homes in the first place? AJ+ host Dena Takruri explains the root causes behind migration around the world.

The middle of Ramadan: a gift of forgiveness

Forgiveness has been a recurring theme throughout the realm of creation.

From the moment God created the first man – Adam (peace be upon him) – Iblis (Satan) was denied forgiveness after defying God’s command to prostrate before the first man of creation.

Iblis was left to roam around Paradise, but wasn’t forgiven and it’s a well known narration that Iblis would never be forgiven despite his duration on earth, and will eventually become a dweller of Hellfire.

The story of creation of course continues with the creation of Hawa (Eve). Adam and his wife, Eve, were lured into consuming forbidden fruit, both made the first error as far as God was concerned, as they defied God’s one single commandment to stay away from the forbidden fruit. Both husband and wife asked God for forgiveness for transgressing His instruction.

Both of them were forgiven after repenting, but were also assigned the position of vicegerents on Earth. From then on, the offspring of Adam and Eve have always committed errors, and forgiveness has always been on the platter as far as the relationship between man and God is concerned.

God promises: {And seek forgiveness of Allah; surely Allah is Forgiving, Compassionate.} (Al-Muzzammil 73: 20)

The fact that God talks about forgiveness shows how deficient human beings really are. Humans do commit error and do engage in wrong doings, but there is an important facet to this flaw in our own beings, that we may be completed by turning back to God and asking for His forgiveness.

There is also no measure as to how much error one can commit, as God being Al-Ghafour (the All-Forgiving) promises that He will forgive those who ask forgiveness. Part of being human includes committing wrongdoings and incurring sin. However, just because we were created that way – with the grand possibility to follow evil – it doesn’t justify making the active choices to engage in bad deeds without any conscientious effort to repent. The whole silver lining as a circumference of a bad deed is the fact there is an opportunity to make that change and beg for forgiveness from God.

{And whoever does evil, or wrongs his own soul, but afterwards seeks Allah’s forgiveness, will find Allah is Forgiving, Compassionate.} (An-Nisa’ 4: 110)

In particular, the middle of Ramadan encompasses the 10 days of Forgiveness, and this is when Muslims are commanded to ask for forgiveness the most. The important thing to note about forgiveness is its root comes from God. With God being Al-Ghafour(the All-Forgiving), Muslims pay heed to God’s power to forgive. Without God’s forgiveness, admission to Paradise would be impossible. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said that whosoever stands in worship on this night with sincere faith and with genuine hopes of gaining reward his previous sins will be forgiven. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

In fact, one who fasts sincerely and successfully from one Ramadan to another will have his sins forgiven. So obviously, the month of Ramadan is one of full forgiveness, and to solidify this, Prophet Muhammad said:

“The smell from the mouth of a fasting person is sweeter in the sight of Allah than the fragrant smell of musk. For believers who are engaging in the fast, the fish in the sea seek forgiveness until they break their fast. Paradise is decorated everyday for the person who fasts; the evil minded Satan is chained; and on the last night of Ramadan, all their sins are forgiven.” (Ahmad)

But What Is Forgiveness?

Nouman Ali Khan: Fasting Without Taqwa? (Video)

 Taqwa is an Arabic word which is explained as a shield against wrongdoing and further expounded as to be “conscious of Allah” or to have “fear of Allah” or to be “cautiously aware of Allah”.

The origin of the word Taqwa is from the Arabic root letters wa’ ka’ ya (meaning shield) and its verb is from the word “Ittaki”. Ittakimeans to be careful or to be protected or to be cautious. Taqwa is an internal compass on the path that leads towards Allah. The broader meaning and character of Taqwa is to develop one’s behavior, so as to be cautiously aware in the worship of Allah and attain nearness to Him and in so doing, perfect oneself.

This consciousness and fear of Allah is understood as a protection and a shield against wrongdoing. The abstention of evil through this fear, consciousness and establishing a cautious awareness of Allah, ultimately develops one’s love of Him.
Watch full lecture…

Stop taking things personal, this is the root to most of your problems, if you become calm with life, peace will prevail.

 Stop taking things personal, this is the root to most of your problems, if you become calm with life, peace will prevail.
 Deje de tomar las cosas personales, esta es la raíz de la mayoría de sus problemas, si se queda tranquilo con la vida, la paz prevalecerá.
 Stoppen met het nemen van dingen persoonlijk, dit is de wortel van de meeste van uw problemen, als je rustig met leven, zal er vrede heersen.
 Cessez de prendre les choses personnelles, c’est la racine de la plupart de vos problèmes, si vous devenez calme avec la vie, la paix prévaudra.
 Beenden Sie die Einnahme persönliche Dinge, das ist die Wurzel, die meisten Ihrer Probleme, wenn Sie Ruhe mit Leben zu werden, wird Frieden herrschen.
 Tíng fú gèrén de shìqíng, zhè shì gēnběn shàng dà bùfèn de wèntí, rúguǒ nǐ biàn de píngjìng de shēnghuó, hépíng jiāng zhàn shàng fēng.
 Sluta ta saker personligt, det är roten till de flesta av dina problem om du blir lugn med livet, kommer fred råda.
 Prekratite prinimat’ veshchi lichnogo, eto koren’ , chtoby bol’shinstvo vashikh problem , yesli vy stanete spokoynym s zhizn’yu , mir budet preobladat’.
 Kişisel şeyler alarak durdurmak, bu hayat ile sakin kalırsanız, barış hakim olacak, senin sorunların en köküdür.
 Smettere di prendere le cose personali, questa è la radice per la maggior parte dei vostri problemi, se si diventa calma con la vita, la pace prevarrà.
 Berhenti mengambil hal-hal pribadi, ini adalah akar sebagian besar masalah Anda, jika Anda menjadi tenang dengan kehidupan, perdamaian akan menang.

The root of fear is ignorance, you must dig deep within to uproot the false, so that you can shed light on your troubles.

 The root of fear is ignorance, you must dig deep within to uproot the false, so that you can shed light on your troubles.
 La raíz del miedo es la ignorancia, debe cavar profundamente dentro de desarraigar lo falso, para que pueda arrojar luz sobre sus problemas.
 De wortel van angst is onwetendheid, moet u diep in te graven om de valse ontwortelen, zodat je licht kan werpen op uw problemen.
 La racine de la peur est l’ignorance, vous devez creuser profondément dans déraciner le faux, de sorte que vous pouvez faire la lumière sur vos problèmes.
 Die Wurzel der Angst ist Unwissenheit, müssen Sie graben tief in die falsche zu entwurzeln, so dass Sie Licht auf Ihre Probleme zu vergießen.
 Kǒngjù de gēnyuán shì wúzhī, nǐ bìxū shēn wā nèi gēnchú jiǎ, ràng nǐ kěyǐ bǎituō nǐ de fánnǎo qīng.
 Roten till rädsla är okunnighet, måste du gräva djupt i att utrota den falska, så att du kan kasta ljus över dina bekymmer.
 Kornevoy strakha yavlyayetsya neznaniye , neobkhodimo kopat’ gluboko vnutri iskorenit’lozh’ , tak chto vy mozhete prolit’ svet na svoi problemy.
 Korku kök cehalettir sizin sıkıntılara ışık tutabilir, böylece, yanlış kökünü kazımak için içinde derin kazmak gerekir.
 La radice della paura è l’ignoranza, è necessario scavare in profondità all’interno di sradicare il falso, in modo da poter far luce su i tuoi problemi.
 Akar rasa takut adalah ketidaktahuan, Anda harus menggali lebih dalam dalam untuk mencabut palsu, sehingga Anda dapat menjelaskan masalah Anda.