AL-MUTAKABBIR December 23, 2009

He Who Reveals His Greatness in Everything

The parting of the sea by Moses (AS)

Allah describes His greatness through examples in the Quran.

When Prophet Moses (AS) requested “My Lord, show me Yourself so that I may look at you!”

Allah replied: “You will not see Me, but look at the mountain. If it remains firm in its place, then you will see Me.”

The rest of the account is related, as follows:

…But when His Lord manifested Himself to the mountain, He crushed it flat and Moses fell unconscious to the ground. When he regained consciousness, he said: “Glory be to You!…” (Quran: 7/143)

When Prophet Abraham (AS) said: “My Lord, show me how You bring the dead to life.” Allah replied: “Take four birds and tame them to turn to thee. Then put a portion of them on each mountain and call to them; they will come rushing to you. Know that Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.” (Quran: 2/260)

In this way, Allah showed Abraham His greatness.

Allah told Prophet Lot (AS) to leave his city early in the morning with the believers and not to look back. That morning, He destroyed the unbelieving nation and rescued Prophet Lot (AS).

Allah made the fire coolness and peace for Prophet Abraham (AS). By the hands of Prophet Jesus (AS), He healed the blind and brought the dead to life.

In the time of Prophet Moses (AS), He parted the sea and drowned the Pharaoh’s army. This is how Allah manifests His greatness and part of His infinite power.

Allah openly reveals His greatness and power at every moment and in every incident. At dawn, He sends a hurricane towards those who feel attached with greed to this life of the world, or He turns their cities upside down and makes them uninhabitable. In this way, Allah strips such people of their possessions and goods.

He submerges an entire city by pouring heavy rain upon it, or ruins it by sending a great earthquake.

The skies and the ground, the wind and the rain, all of which act under His surveillance, bring unseen destruction to that city, and its people witness Allah’s overwhelming power. No doubt, Allah is Al-Mutakabbir.

In the face of His power and strength, no one can be arrogant. He is the sole authority before Whom all will prostrate.

The Virtues Of The Day Of Ashura December 19, 2009

Get yourself lighten with the greatness of the day of Ashura

Narrated Ar-Rubai binti Mu’awwidh that Rasool Allah (SA) sent a messenger to the village of the Ansar in the morning of the day of Ashura to announce, “Whoever has eaten something should not eat but complete the fast, and whoever is observing the fast should complete it.”

She further said, “Since then we used to observe fast on that day regularly and also make our children observe fast. We used to make toys of wool for the boys and if anyone of them cried for food, he was given those toys till it was the time of the iftar.”

Look how the great companions of Rasool Allah (SA) took every act of worship seriously and taught their children even when they were very young!

According to the scholars of Islam, the fast of children is not obligatory but recommended. According to Imam Shafii, children should be ordered to fast after seven or ten years old if they are physically strong enough; according to Ishak, children must be ordered to fast from twelve years old; according to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, children should be ordered to fast from ten years old. Evazi said: “If you make your children fast, three consecutive days is recommended.”

However, we should not cause children to become weak, and also we should remember that even the travelers are permitted not to fast. We should not forget that Allah (SWT) says in the Quran: “Allah desireth for you ease; He desireth not hardship for you.”

According to the narration of Ibn Abbas: “The Prophet (SA) came to Al-Medina and saw the Jews fasting on the day of Ashura. He asked them about that. They replied, ‘This is a good day, the day on which Allah rescued Bani Israel from their enemy. So Moses (AS) observed fast on this day.’ The Prophet (SA) said: “We have more claim over Moses (AS) than you. So the Prophet (SA) observed fast on that day and ordered the Muslims to fast on that day.”

It is narrated that on this day (Muharram 10^th) the repentance of Adam (AS) was accepted, Adam (AS) reached the level of Prophets, Idris (AS) was raised to a high place, the ark of Noah (AS) was saved, Abraham (AS) was rescued from the fire, Moses (AS) was given the Torah, Joseph (AS) was saved from the prison, the sight of Jacob (AS) was restored, Job (AS) was cured, Jonah (AS) was saved from the belly of the fish, the Red Sea was divided in front of the Children of Israel and they were saved from the armies of Pharaoh, David (AS) was forgiven, Solomon (AS) was given his throne and wealth, the earth was created, the first rain fell on the earth.

Ar Rawzu’l Faik tells this story in his book:

“There was a wealthy man in Basra. Every year on the day of Ahura he used to invite his Muslim brothers to his house, and read the Quran all night, help the needy, the poor and the widows. In his neighborhood, there was a men and his daughter, both of whom were paralyzed and could not walk. That night the girl asked her father, ‘O father, why did our neighbor gather so many people in his house and read the Quran all night?’ the father answered, ‘Today is the day of Ashura, which has many blessings, and this day is very important before Allah.’

Later, her father went to sleep but the daughter could not. She was listening to the Quran and the Zikr. When she heard the supplication of Hatim, when the recitation of the whole Quran was finished, she raised her hands and said, “O Allah, for the sake of this night, and for the sake of Your servants who don’t sleep tonight to read the Quran, make me healthy again!”

When her father saw her the next morning, he was surprised and asked how she had been restored to health. She said, ‘I begged Allah through the blessing of this night, and He gave me health back.’

A Sincere Servant Of Allah December 7, 2009

Don't be too late to raise your hands before your Almighty

He raised his hands with a sincerity he had never known before, with a humility he had never tasted, and as tears poured down on both cheeks he said: “O Allah, have mercy on me! O Allah, hide my sins! O Allah, forgive me!”

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It was narrated that in the days that Prophet Moses (AS) wandered with the Bani Israel in the desert an intense drought befell them. Together, they raised their hands towards the heavens, praying for the blessed rain to come. Then, to the astonishment of Moses and all those watching, the few scattered clouds that were in the sky vanished, the heat poured down, and the drought intensified.

It was reveled to Moses that there was a sinner amongst the tribe of Bani Israel who had disobeyed Allah for more than forty years of his life. “Let him separate himself from the congregation,” Allah told Prophet Moses. “Only then shall I shower you all with rain.”

Moses then called out to the throngs of humanity, “There is a person amongst us who has disobeyed Allah for forty years. Let him separate himself from the congregation and only then shall we be rescued from the drought.” That man, waited, looking left right, hoping that someone else would step forward, but no one did. Sweat poured forth from his brow and he knew that he was the one.

The man knew that if he stayed amongst the congregation all would die of thirst and that if he stepped forward he would be humiliated for all eternity.

He raised his hands with a sincerity he had never known before, with a humility he had never tasted, and as tears poured down on both cheeks he said: “O Allah, have mercy on me! O Allah, hide my sins! O Allah, forgive me!”

While Prophet Moses and the people of Bani Israel awaited for the sinner to step forward, the clouds hugged the sky and the rain poured down. Moses asked Allah, “O Allah, you blessed us with rain even though the sinner did not come forward.” And Allah replied, “O Moses, it is for the repentance of that very person that I blessed all of the Bani Israel with water.”

Moses, wanting to know who this blessed man was, asked, “Show him to me O Allah!” Allah replied, “O Moses, I hide his sins for forty years, do you think that after his repentance I shall expose him?”