لطفا منتظر باشید ...
Poor
Man At The Place
Once a poor, unkempt man appeared at the gate of a
king's palace. He was in rags and not at all suitably attired to be
admitted into the presence of a monarch. So the guards s "You
cannot enter the palace in rags," they said. The man insisted. He
began to quarrel with the guards, raising his voice so loud that the
king heard it." He sent for the man.
When he appeared before the king, the noblemen around
raised their eyebrows. What was this pauper doing here? "What is
your problem?", the king inquired. "Oh, I have many problems.
But the immediate one is that your guards refused me entry into the
palace. Am I not your subject?" "Yes, you are.....indeed, you
are. But you must dress properly and suitably," the king said. The
poor man looked up and said, "O king, it is not wrong to enter a
palace in rags and empty-handed. But to come out from a palace
empty-handed and in rags is indeed a disgrace."
The
Creator
Saeed is a very promising boy. He is very fond of
studies. He also takes part in games and sports. Sometimes he and his
father went out for a walk. One day both of them went to the riverside.
The scene all around was very beautiful. The riverbed was full of water.
On the banks of the river it was all green. Ducks, swans, and other
water birds were gliding in the water. Melodious birds were chirping in
the trees. The sun was peeping through the branches. This charming scene
pleased Saeed very much.
All of a sudden an idea crossed his mind and he asked
his father: "Dear father! Who has made all these lovely
things?" Father: "Allah has made them". Saeed: "Can
we see Allah? " Father: "No, my son, we can't see Him".
Saeed: "Then how do we know that He exists and He has made
everything?" Thereupon his father pointed to a building surrounded
by trees and said, "Just look at that building. Do you know who has
built it?" "Surely masons have built it", Saeed replied.
Then his father said, "Dear son! When we see that building we guess
that masons have built it, although we can't see them. Similarly, when
we see some footsteps on sand we know that someone has passed from
there. Now look at the Universe. It is very big and must also have a
creator, although we can't see Him. That great Creator is Allah. This
world and all things in it are a proof of His existence." Saeed
understood the point and thanked his father for explaining it to him.
Prayer
(Salat)
Allah loves us and has given us blessings. We should be
grateful for all His blessings and should thank him. The best way to
thank Allah is to pray (salat) to Him. Praying to Him is like having a
conversation with Him. We must pray to Allah five times a day: Once
every morning, noon afternoon, evening and night. The time for the
morning prayer is from dawn until sunrise. The time for the noon and
afternoon prayer is from noon until sunset. The time for the evening and
night prayer is from sunset until midnight. Every prayer consists of
several parts. Each part is called a Rak'at. The morning prayer consists
of two Rak'ats: the noon, afternoon, and night prayers consist of four
Rak'ats each, and the evening prayer of three Rak'ats. If our clothes or
bodies are not clean before prayer, then we must clean them. Before
praying we must make Wudhu.
Prayer has many benefits. A person who prays is always
clean and healthy, like a person who cleans himself five times a day in
a stream. A person who prays to Allah five times a day will always think
of Allah and remember Him; His actions will be virtuous.
Fasting
Fasting is one of the most important duties in Islam.
All the prophets before Hazrat Muhammad(S.A.W.) taught people to fast.
We Muslims must fast during the month of Ramadhan. Muslims are very
happy at the coming of the month of Ramadhan. They will wake up some
hours earlier than the time for the Adhan (call for prayer) of the
morning prayer, and will pray to Allah while it is still dark. They will
then eat something and begin to prepare themselves for fasting during
the day. First they do their morning prayer then at dawn the fast
begins. After dawn they do not eat, drink, or do anything that would
nullify their fast; such as keeping their heads under water or letting
smoke or dirt reach their throats. After sunset, when the Adhan for the
evening prayer is called, they break the fast with the remembrance of
Allah and eat the food prepared for them. (Iftar)
Fasting is very good for the health of human beings.
Whoever fasts, Will have the ability to endure more suffering and more
hardship than other people.' A person who is fasting must try to stay
away from sin and all bad deeds. He must try to be very kind and
friendly and try not to say anything bad about anyone or hurt anyone.
In
Praises Of Allah
We thank Allah for His blessing of creating us, for
giving us the power to find the answers to the things we do not know, to
advance in knowledge and education. O Allah! Help us so that we may know
the value of Your blessings. Help us to obey Your orders and observe
your laws of guidance which will make us happy and prosperous. Help and
guide us so that we may become kind and well-educated people.
O Allah! Guide us so that we may please our parents and
respect them with honour. Allah! We implore You to send Your peace and
blessings upon the prophets whom you sent to guide and show us the right
way: how to be good; how to become happy and successful. Oh Allah! Send
Your peace and blessings upon the Prophet of Islam who taught mankind
the laws and manners of brotherhood and equality. Oh Allah! give us the
opportunity to worship You and follow the path which Your prophets have
showed us.
Fatima:
A strong Believer
When Fatima's mother finished her prayers, she held her
rosary and prayed that Allah would help her daughter who was travelling
to Europe to continue her treatment. Nothing about this trip was easy.
It was the first time that Fatima was going abroad, and what made
matters worse was that she was ill and needed extensive treatment,
having tried hopelessly ever since she had that accident to install
artificial limbs in her own country.
Now that the plane was in the air, Fatima sat there
holding a copy of the Glorious Quran, her mother's precious gift, in her
arms. She began to remember her mother's last words: "Take care
Fatima, you are going to a non-Islamic country... Preserve your
religion, Allah will make you successful". -"Allah is the best
guardian and the most gracious helper"... That is what Fatima found
herself saying as she was fixing her veil and getting ready to go down
to the airport. They took her to one of the halls, where the rest of the
passengers were waiting.
.A few minutes later, Fatima began to feel that the
foreigners were staring at her with astonishment. She noticed that their
eyes were fixed on her veil and her severed feet. She was very
depressed, but she pulled herself together and said: "I have to be
patient, for what I might I have to face, in this country, could be far
more difficult than these glares. All I can do is to be patient and ask
Allah to hold my feet firmly to his right path".
Reassured, Fatima moved to the hospital where she met
her nurse, and began to live a monotonous life, with all the medical
examinations that she had to undergo. She knew right from the word go,
that she had to solve the food problem. She could not eat any meat or
pork, so she told her nurse in a firm and straightforward manner that
she would eat vegetables only. She was a Muslim and Islam prohibited her
from eating any meat that was not prepared in accordance with the
religious law (Shariah).
The days passed, and Fatima had by that time already
began the preliminary treatment necessary to install the artificial
limbs, yet she remained committed to her Islamic dress, amid the
astonishment and the admiration of the medical team. Then one day the
nurse came and asked her to prepare herself for the swimming training
session ' and gave her a bathing suit. Fatima wore the bathing suit
underneath her clothes; she did not ask the nurse for any explanation,
thinking that by now, the nurse had understood her Islamic commitments.
The nurse accompanied Fatima to the swimming pool. When they got there,
she saw that it was crowded with both male and female swimmers. Her
heart started to beat fast, and her face grew pale. It was as if an
unknown force was nailing her to the ground. She heard the nurse saying,
"Come on Fatima, take off your clothes and start swimming".
Fatima froze in her place. She turned her eyes between the pool and her
feet. Suddenly she remembered what her mother had told her:
"Preserve your religion, Allah will make you successful".
"Do you think that I am going to swim in front of all these
men"? Asked Fatima firmly. "Why not?" replied the nurse.
"I am a Muslim, and my religion prohibits me from doing so".
"Then let us call the physician in charge".
When the doctor came he told Fatima: "You
understand that you are breaking the treatment regulations".
"I can not do anything against my principles and disobey my
God". "But you are under treatment". "You can find
another kind of training". "You realise the importance of the
artificial limbs, in your condition "It would not be more important
than pleasing my God". "We are not used to see you as stubborn
as this, you have been one of our best patients". "I wish to
remain so, if I were only to be exempted from this". The doctor
shook his head. He looked at Fatima with admiration, and what he said
next was something she did not expect to hear: "I congratulate you,
Fatima. Hold on to your principles, and we will not stand in your
way". He then gave the nurse a new set of instructions,
recommending an alternative kind of training. The strong girl's heart
was filled with 'JOY, the kind of joy one feels when he is victorious,
or when he overcomes the temptations of sin. With her artificial limbs
installed, and her treatment successful, Fatima went back to her
country.
In the plane she did not forget to hold the Quran in her
hands and read some Glorious Verses. In the Name of Allah, the
Beneficent, the Merciful. "But let those rejoice who keep off form
idol-worship and turn to Allah in repentance. Give good news to My
servants, who listen to My Word and follow what is best in it. These are
they whom Allah has guided. These are they who are endued with
understanding".
My
Grandfather: The Muezzin
My grandfather on my mother's side used to serve the
"Ghazi Mosque" in Tripoli. He also acted as the mosque's Imam
and Muezzin. He was trusted with the mosque's keys and he used to open
its doors at dawn and close them late at night; he was the first to come
in and the last to leave. He was so punctual and so persistent in his
work that I used to hear words of praise everywhere I went.
People grew to love his voice, even the Christians
living nearby used to get up early at dawn to listen to him. I remember
that I asked him when I was ten years old to take me with him to the
Mosque, where I could listen to him. I still recall everything I saw
that day as if it happened yesterday. How could I ever forget climbing
the minaret's spiral stairs with my grandpa behind me to make sure that
I wouldn't fall down. Reaching the top, I stood on what looked like a
round balcony, with a view that showed the whole beautiful city. But
happy as I was, once my grandpa started his call for prayers, I forgot
everything and sat to watch his face: How his throat used to tighten,
and how he opened and closed his mouth. His voice used to charm me and
carry me to magical worlds, which I still picture in my mind whenever I
remember his great voice.
I asked my grandfather once: "Is it true what they
say that in the thirty years you called for prayers, you have never, not
even once, missed any call?" "Yes, it is true, I have never
failed to perform my duty in all that time". "But how? Weren't
you ever sick? Didn't you ever leave the city?" "No, thank
Allah, I was never sick and never traveled anywhere". But he was to
fall sick on a very cold winter day. And once again I happened to be
visiting him at that time. "Tell me, grandpa, who will call for the
Morning Prayer if you do not get well by tomorrow?" Grandpa looked
at me with a smile on his face: "Do not worry. Allah willing, I
will not be sick tomorrow. When we love our work and believe in it, we
can overcome our illness quickly".
Even though I had a feeling that he wasn't that serious,
I asked him to wake me up in the morning and take me with him to the
Mosque. To my surprise, early in the morning the following day, I woke
up on my grandpa's voice telling me to get ready. I opened my eyes, and
there he was with his heavy winter coat, and his woolen scarf.
"Salamun Alaikum grandpa. How do you feel today. I hope that you
are better". "Not quite, but I am well enough to go to
work". Out on the street, I held my grandpa's arm. It was so hot
that it almost burnt my hand. But we went on to the top of the Minaret.
I noticed that he was breathing heavily, and that his voice wasn't as
strong as it used to be.
Later, many people came to grandpa and said. "We
