Islamically Speaking Newsletter VOL.3

8/14/2019 Islamically Speaking Newsletter VOL.3

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Ramadan: The Month of Victory

Many of us may know that Ramadan is a month of blessing, a month of reward, and a month of fasting. However, many of us may not know that Ramadan was a month of victory in which Allah

(swt) blessed the Ummah with victory on the battlefield.

Looking back at the Ummah’s history is a way to remember, reflect upon, and learn from pastexamples, so that lessons can be learned for the future.

Al-Andalus

Ninety-two years after the Hijrah,

Islam had spread across North Africa,Persia and ash Sham. Al-Andalus(Spain) was under the tyrannical ruleof King Roderic. Musa ibn Nusair, theMuslim Walee (governor) of NorthAfrica, responded by sending hiscourageous general Tariq ibn Ziyadas the head of 12,000 troops. In

Ramadan of that year, they wereconfronted with an army led by

Roderic himself, who was seated ona throne of ivory, silver, preciousgems and drawn by white mules.Tariq motivated the Muslims andreminded them that Paradise layahead of them, and that defeat andthe sea were behind them.

Not only were Roderic and his forcesdefeated, but Tariq and Musa

succeeded in liberating all of Al-Andalus, Sicily, and parts of France.This was the beginning of the GoldenAge of Al-Andalus where Muslimsruled for over 700 years.

Crusaders Crushed

In the year 682 A.H, It was in thismonth of sacrifice that Salahuddin al-Ayyubi, after battling with theCrusaders for years, finally drove

them out of Syria and liberated thewhole of the occupied lands. TheMuslims virtually routed all the localCrusader forces capable of defending

the Crusaders’ establishment in theNear East. With a 12,000 strongcavalry, they defeated the Crusadersand returned al-Quds back into itsrightful hands.

Mongols

In the seventh century A.H. theMongols were sweeping across Asiadestroying everything that lay in their path. Genghis Khan called himself “the scourge of God sent to punishhumanity for their sins”. In 656 A.H.Hulagu, the grandson of Genghis

Khan continued the destruction.Baghdad, the leading city of the

Muslim world, was ransacked anddestroyed. Some estimates say thatas many as 1,800,000 Muslims werekilled in the carnage. The Christianswere asked to eat pork and drinkwine openly while the survivingMuslims were forced to participate in

drinking bouts. Wine was sprinkled inthe Masjids and no Azan (call toprayer) was allowed.

In the wake of such a horribledisaster and with the threat of thewhole Muslim world being subjectedto the same fate, Allah the Great Oneraised up from the Ummah, SaifuddinQutz, who united the Muslim army

and met the Mongols at Ain Jalut on26th Ramadan, 648 A.H. Althoughthey were under great pressure, theMuslims with the help of Allah,cunning strategy and unflinchingbravery, crushed the Mongol armyand reversed this tidal wave of horror.The whole of the world sighed inrelief and stood in awe at theremarkable achievement of these

noble sons of Islam.

1/ Ramadan:

The Month of

Victory.

2/ State of TheUmmah in

Ramadan

3/ Virtues of

Ramadan

4/ The Afterlife

(al Akhira)

5/ An Example

of Courage:

Abdullah ibn

Masud

ISLAMICALLY SPEAKING... 16th Ramadan, 1430 A.H (5th September 2009 C.E)

Bismillah ir Rahman ir Raheem AsSalamu Alaykum

Greetings dear brothers and sisters. We at The Shahada Da’wah Team are pleased to

inform you that “Islamically Speaking” has returned with it’s third volume. Alhamdulillah,

The Holy Month of Ramadan is upon us, for that reason, the articles within the

newsletter this week will mainly be focused around the Blessed Month. For this volume,

Brothers involved on the newsletter have looked at the historical and contemporary side

or Ramadan

.We

have

also

included

an

article

on

the

virtues

on

Ramadan,

not

to

mention



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Qutuz united the Muslims, prepared them to fight

and focused upon the victory of Allah (swt) over theenemy. The necessary money was raised towardsthis objective and the army was mobilized to engagein the battle to defend Islam, its followers and lands,and to fight the usurping aggressor.

Compare this scenario with today. How have therulers prepared the governors, scholars and army for battle? Musharraf helped the Americans prepare for the battle against Muslims and deserted the Muslimscompletely. Instead of commanding the Pakistaniarmy to defend and fight alongside their brothers in

Afghanistan, Musharraf ordered them to guard theAfghan-Pakistani borders and prevent any Muslimfrom seeking refuge in Pakistan. He also used thearmy to quell any demonstration that voiced support

for the Muslims in Afghanistan and prohibited theraising of money for them. The same (even moreruthless) policies now being carried on by hissuccessor, Zadrari.

In the same year, a unit of the Jordanian armyflew over Palestine on their trip back from a UNmission in Sierra Leone. They had travelled 1500

miles to protect the interests of Britain, but had failedto hear the cries of their brothers and sisters living

less than 10 miles away as they suffered the brutalityof Israel. SubhanAllah! What a striking contrastbetween today, and the day of Saifuddin Qutuz!

Today

It was the spirit of Ramadan that enabled our righteous forefathers to face seemingly impossiblechallenges. It was a time of intense activity, spendingthe day in the saddle and the night in prayer whilecalling upon Allah for His mercy and forgiveness.

Today

the Muslim world is faced with imperialistoccupation, military aggression, widespread

corruption and oppressive rulers. The War against

Islam and the Muslims is in full swing.

Many of the Muslims of Afghanistan go throughRamadan being slaughtered while we livecomfortably. Many of the Muslims there remainhungry and have nothing to break their fasts with.

Some of us may have even seen the documentariesand news stories on television, or pictures in thenewspapers of how the Muslims are being killed. Thesame can be said about Palestine, Iraq, Kashmir,Chechnya and the list unfortunately goes on.

Indeed it is not enough for us as an Ummah to just stand by and witness the multitude of problemsthat exists amongst us today. Rather, we mustunderstand the cause for these problems and act on

those causes. The cause of this difference betweenthe Ramadan of today and the victorious Ramadansof the past is not difficult to observe: it is simply due tothe absence of the Quran, that Allah (swt) revealed asa guidance and al-Furqan (criterion), beingimplemented in our lives. Allah (swt) did not revealthe Quran simply to be read rhetorically, but rather He(swt) revealed it to be implemented on the people –

so that they rule by its guidance and govern their livesby its laws.

In the past, under the Islamic Khilafah, the rulersruled by the Shariah contained in the Quran; todaythe rulers rule by their minds to secure their owninterests and the interests of their Western masters.So, when the Muslims ruled by Islam – when their affairs were governed by all that Allah (swt) hadrevealed – Ramadan was the month of victory over the enemies of Islam and Muslims. But this Ramadan,when Islam is not implemented in any land and when

Muslims are being ruled by man-made laws, theUmmah faces subjugation by the kuffar in almostevery sphere of life.

Today the Muslim world is faced with imperialistoccupation, military aggression, widespreadcorruption and oppressive rulers.

I S L A M I C A L L Y S P E A K I N G

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The State of TheUmmah in Ramadan

Ramadan is a grand time of year, without question. However, itcould be even better. It is within thismonth that The Muslim Ummah had

seen glory and honour. Ramadan

was a great month of victory for our predecessors of the past eras, thetales of victory are still on the lips of The Muslims even to this day. Theproblem is that these stories seemso distant, in fact, they seem almostas a fairytale, they appear as nomore than the nostalgia of adefeated people. This is because

The Muslims have been torn awayfrom their Khilafah, and our standing in the world has nowdeclined to the point where we havebeen subjected to disgrace after disgrace. The reality of The MuslimWorld is shocking. In Afghanistan,Pakistan, Palestine, Iraq, Somalia,Sudan, and so many other placesaround the globe, Muslims being

occupied, threatened, economicallyexploited, and killed. Here in TheWest, we are being subjected toideological attack, Islam is under the spotlight daily, our Masjids areunder monitoring, and we are being

told what parts of Islam to keep, andwhat to get rid of. And all of this is inthe absence of the correct andsincere political leadership. Below

are just brief summaries thatillustrate what some of The Muslimworld has to endure in the absenceof al Khilafah.

Afghanistan and Pakistan:

The integrity of The Afghan

Elections have been soiled withelection fraud cases, the political

corruption of democracy goesbeyond the British MPs ExpensesScandal, it has now enteredAfghanistan, with numerousinstances of coercion and bribery,are these the morals that Islam

teaches? We must seek refuge inAllah (SWT).

Barrack Obama has authorisedthe sending of 17,000 more troopsto Afghanistan, in addition to the38,000 already there. These

additional troops will further strengthen the U.S presence inAfghanistan, and in doing that, the

American military will have thestrategic access it needs to conductit’s military operations in Pakistan,thereby embedding itself in bothcountries for the foreseeable future,and as a result, widening theconfrontation.

Under the leadership of Musharraf and now Zardari,Pakistan is suffering severeeconomic problems and AnUndeclared War from America.

Pakistan has incurred the largestdebts in it’s history. By the year 2007, the total amount was $40Billion worth of interest based debt,

making them even more dependentupon The IMF and The World Bank,which are no more than Americantools for the economic enslavementof foreign countries.

Another catastrophe lies in theform of America’s Undeclared War on Pakistan. Asif Ali Zardari is nomore than a puppet, who, instead of helping his people, helps America intheir murder in North Waziristan.

Zardari allows The Karachi Port tobe used as a delivery ground of American war supplies and heprovides 80% of Pakistani fuel toAmerica for their military operations.But what is far worse than allowingtheir weapons and giving them fuel,is the fact that Zardari is usingPakistan’s own army against hisown People. Many villages have

been bombed, 100,000s of peoplehave become IDPs (InternallyDisplaced Peoples), forced to fleetheir homes, and numerous deathshave occurred, including villagers,Ulema, and soldiers alike.

Obama and Maliki proclaim

Iraq's sovereignty as 130,000 US

troops remain

The integrity of TheAfghan Elections have beensoiled with election fraudcases, the politicalcorruption of democracygoes beyond the BritishMPs Expenses Scandal



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The State of TheUmmah in Ramadan

Palestine:On December 27th 2008, Israel

launched “Operation Cast Lead” aseries of bombing and ground raids

on Gaza, The Israeli Government,

along with the treachery of EgyptianPresident Hosni Mubarak, sealed of Gaza. Mubarak sealed of The RafahCrossing, making Gaza a death trap,there was no escape. The massacrelasted for 22 days, and by the end,an estimated 1,417 Muslims werekilled, along with a further estimated5,303 injured.

This Ramadan, Palestinians stillstruggle to recover from what tookplace then, and are still living under occupation, as they have done for the last 60 years under Zionistbrutality. Sadly, yet another Ramadan is going by while al Qudsis still being occupied, along with alMasjid al Aqsa.

Iraq:

The legacy of The Iraq War willbe one of a bloodbath, with somestatistics putting the death toll at over

1,000,000 dead. But this war is not just George Bush’s, but also hissuccessors.’ Obama, whiledecreasing the troop count in Iraq,

has failed to deliver on his promisesbefore his Presidency by extendingthe time period of Americanpresence to 2011.

And even afterward, Iraq is stillin the hands of Nouri al Maliki, whois yet another puppet of The

American Government. He allowsAmerican businesses to consume

Iraq’s oil and other precious naturalresources, when these are for TheUmmah. The people of Iraq are stilloccupied, they have been dividedinto Sunni, Shia and Kurd, and havebeen betrayed by The IraqiGovernment, who still allowAmerican troops on Iraqi soil. Also,

Maliki allows the use of Iraq as alaunch pad by the Americans to exertgreater control over our lands.

Somalia:

In Africa, the situation is just asbad. In Somalia, Muslims are killing

Muslims. Ethiopian troops (some of

them Muslim) are doing the biddingof Ethiopian President Girma Wolde-Giorgis and Prime Minister MelesZenawi, who are doing the bidding of America. Their goal is to destabilizeSomalia, and prevent the rise of Islam there. Because of this, 1000sof Somalis are now fleeing torefugee camps in Somalia, Kenya

and Ethiopia, all these camps havethird world conditions. The refugeesare force to live in these conditions,while the world looks on silently.

Sudan:

The Muslims of Sudan arecaught in the middle of a colonialbattle between America and China

over the natural resources of Sudan.America created tension betweenthe Muslim majority and Christianminority by arming them and trying todiplomatically justify it. The ChineseGovernment, with a greed for natural

resources fast outgrowing theAmericans, is actively seekingincreased access into the vastenergy supplies

Bangladesh: Police prevent Badr Victory

rally, arrest 30 Hizb ut-Tahrir members and

activists

http://www.khilafah.com/index.php/activism/asia/7524-bangladesh-police-prevent-badr-victory-rally-arrest-30-hizb-ut-tahrir-members-and-activists










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The Islamic State would represent The Muslims, not the interests of America or any otherentity that has destructive plans for our Ummah, or our land.

I S

L A M I C A L L Y S P E A K I N G 5

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Africa has, and they have marked Sudanas a viable target of theft. This creates tensionbetween the Chinese and America, who bothpolitically battle for Africa’s energy supplies.Sudan is now major theatre for this energy

struggle.

China:

The Muslims of China have sufferedseverely under the oppression of TheCommunist Chinese Government ever sincetheir rise to power in 1949. Ethnic Chinese HuiMuslims, as an example, have been relegatedto Ningxia Autonomous Region, which is one of the poorest provinces in the entire country.Another major example of this is what

happened in China’s Xinjiang Province. TheChinese Government has been encouragingthe majority Han Chinese populace to moveinto Xinjiang province, which has a major Uyghur Muslim population. This has createdtensions between the two groups, becausemany Muslims in Xinjiang want independencefrom China.

On 5th July 2009, riots broke out between

the Muslims and the Han settlers. The Muslimswere brutalised by the police, they could noteven pray Jumu’ah prayers in mosques,because they were all closed down aspunishment. This led to the deaths and injury of many Muslims. The Muslims of China still liveunder Communist oppression, they are closelymonitored by The Chinese Government, whoare very selective about what parts of Islamthey can practice.

Uzbekistan:

In Central Asia, our Brothers and Sistersare subject to the violent oppression of Islom

Karimov, a brutal man who has been in power since 1991, somehow winning every electionsince then, despite his tyranny, so much for democracy. Those who oppose him areimprisoned for atleast 20 years, many are

tortured in disgusting ways, and some are evenkilled in horrific ways, usually being boiled todeath. There are so many Muslim Sisters inUzbekistan who live in fear, and theysometimes live alone, because many of TheBrothers are taken away and executed.Karimov does this because his population are

fed up of him, and want Islam. Despite his overttyranny, The West is silent.

Britain, and The Western World in General:

This Ramadan, in Britain, the rest of Europe, America andThe West in general, we are also being attacked, but in adifferent way. In these places, we are being told, that we needa “new Islam”, here, in Britain, The Government calls it a

“British Islam”, which is complete nonsense. There are no“versions” of Islam, especially, “British”, “French”, or “American” versions. Islam is as it is. As silly as this shamelessplan is, it is something that really is a dangerous threat. Allah(SWT) states: "This day, I have perfected your religion for you,completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for youIslâm as your religion." (al Qur’an, al Maa’idah, Ayat 3) Allah(SWT), through his Prophet, Muhammad (PBUH) hasperfected our Deen, we don’t need a change in our values,and we do not need to be taught what we should think bythose who are opposed to The Rise of Islam.

To conclude Brothers and Sisters, this Ramadan, there arenumerous attacks that are being made against us, at home,and abroad. I have only given such brief descriptions of only asmall amount of places where Muslims are being tyrannized.Some of these attacks are intellectual, some are physical, butall are dangerous and damaging. We should enjoy Ramadanas much as we possibly can, but we should also defend our Deen, and work to re-establish The Islamic State, al Khilafahin The Muslim World, insha’Allah. When The Muslims have a

state that represents their culture, values and history, they willsee success once again: Prophet Muhammd (PBUH) said:“The Prophethood will last among you for as long as Allahwills, then Allah would take it away. Then it will be (followed

by) a Khilafah Rashida (rightly guided) according to the waysof the Prophethood. It will remain for as long as Allah wills,then Allah would take it away. Afterwards there will be ahereditary leadership which will remain for as long as Allahwills, then He will lift it if He wishes. Afterwards, there will bebiting oppression, and it will last for as long as Allah wishes,

then He will lift it if He wishes. Then there will be a KhilafahRashida according to the ways of the Prophethood," then hekept silent.” (Musnad Ahmad)

The Prophet (PBUH) also said: “Behold, the Imam is but ashield from behind whom the people fight and by whom they

protect themselves."(Sahih Muslim)Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) described the leader as a

shield, or a protector, of The Ummah. The Khalifa of TheMuslims uses the army to defend The Ummah from foreign

occupation, which the tyrant rulers of The Muslim World don’tdo. In Islam, we have an alternative economic system ready tobe implemented, and it doesn’t rely upon subservience to TheWestern financial institutions. The Islamic State wouldrepresent The Muslims, not the interests of America or anyother entity that has destructive plans for our Ummah, or our land. The Islamic Khilafah is the way towards the liberation of The Muslim World, from Africa all the way to China. The only

vehicle to establish a more prosperous Muslim Ummah is byworking hard to re-establish The Khilafah, we should realise

that it is an obligation to have a Khalif over us, just as it is tofast in Ramadan. As we fast, we must work towardsestablishing Islam in it’s complete totality. Let us hope thatanother Ramadan does not go by, and The State of TheMuslim Ummah will be the same, insha’Allah.



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Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), said, “Allah, the almighty andExalted said, “Every deed of the Son of Adamis for himself except fasting – it is for me and Iwill personally reward it.” (Muslim)

There is a great honour Allah (SWT)

holds for fasting and a certain love He has for it. When a person fasts, his genuine sincerityis made apparent to Allah because fasting initself is a secret between a worshipper andhis Lord; no one other than Allah is aware of it. When someone who is fasting is in a placeaway from others, it is possible for him to eator drink which Allah has made forbidden to

him. However, he does not do so because heknows he has a Lord who is aware of

everything he does, even when he is alone,and he knows Allah has forbidden him fromeating and drinking at that time. So heprevents himself from eating and drinking onlyfor Allah, fearing his punishment and hopingfor his reward. And for that, Allah thanks himfor his genuine sincerity. There are manyrewards of Ramadan.

Forgiveness of Sins

The Prophet (PBUH) explained to hisUmmah that Ramadan has such a highstation that even if a Muslim's sins were asmuch as the foam upon the sea, they wouldbe forgiven through fasting in this month.

Abu Hurayra related that the Prophet(PBUH) said: Whoever fasts during Ramadanwith faith and seeking his reward from Allah

will have his past sins forgiven. Whoever prays during the nights in Ramadan with faith

and seeking his reward from Allah will havehis past sins forgiven. And he who passesLailat al-Qadr in prayer with faith and seekinghis reward from Allah will have his past sinsforgiven (Bukhari, Muslim).

And in Ṣahih Muslim, there is a ḥad ī th inwhich Abū Hurayrah narrated that the prophet

(PBUH) said: The five prayers, one Friday toanother Friday, and one Ramadan to another Ramadan expiate whatever sins arecommitted between them as long as themajor sins are avoided.

"The Master of the Months is

Ramadan, and the Master of the days

is Friday."[Ibn Khuzaymah]

Virtues of Ramadan


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Whoever fasts

during

Ramadan with

faith and

seeking his

reward from

Allah will have

his past sins

forgiven.

[Abu Hurayra]



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“Fasting is a shield with which a servant

protects himself from the Fire” [Ahmad].

“No servant fasts on a day in the path of Allahexcept that Allah removes the hellfire seventy years

further from his face.” [Agreed Upon]

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “WhenRamadan comes the gates of Paradise are opened andthe gates of the Fire are locked and the devils arechained...” (Bukhari, Muslim, narrated by AbuHurayrah)

All praise is for Allah Who out of His infinite Mercylocks the gates of Hell, chains and shackles the devils

and opens up the gates of Paradise in this month for His servants, making it easier for them to devote this

special time to His worship. It makes it harder for theevil jinn to corrupt the people as they usually do,because Insha'Allah the Muslims will be occupied withfasting, engaged in reading the Quran, busy with extraprayers and in doing other righteous actions which helpclean and purify their hearts.

Sahl ibn Sa’d reported that the Prophet, (PBUH)said, “Indeed there is a gate of Paradise called ar-Rayyaan. On the day of Resurrection those who fast

will enter through it; no one enters it except for them,and when they have entered, it is closed so that no oneenters it, so drinks never becomes thirsty.” (Bukhari,Muslim).

This is what the pleasure of Allah is all about. Theperson who observes fasting becomes an elite inthe hour that every other person is busy turning thepages of their books of deeds. This is the time you arepulled away through the Rayyan Gate to Paradise.

Fasting is a means of intercession on the Day of Judgement

We believe in the special great intercession of theProphet Muhammad (PBUH), which is exclusivelylimited to him. Jabir bin Abdullah narrates that theProphet (PBUH) said ‘I have been given five (things)which were not given to anyone else before me, one of them is that he has been given the right of intercession

on the Day of Resurrection” [Bukhari]. We have alsobeen informed that intercession will be granted tomartyrs, to the Qur’an and fasting which will intercedefor believers from the nation of Muhammad (PBUH).This is indicated by the Hadeeth of Abdullah ibn Amr,

who narrates that the Messenger of Allah said:

“The fast and the Quran are two intercessors for the servant of Allah on the Day of Judgment .The

fast will say: ‘O, Allah, I denied him nourishmentand sex during the daytime. Let me intercede onhis behalf’, and Al-Qur'an will say: ‘I denied him

sleep during night time; so let me intercede on hisbehalf.’ So Allah will allow them to intercede on hisbehalf.” [Ahmad]

This hadith indicates on the Day of Judgment,when the events will be overwhelming and theoutcome uncertain, the fast and the Book willintercede for the servants of Allah. As every second of daytime devotion and every letter of Al- Qur'anvoices their pleasure openly with you during thewitnessing and inter-viewing, bear in mind thatShafa'ah (intercession), is an extreme privilege and

a rare commodity. Even the average Prophet will notattempt to intercede for anyone on this day.

The Acceptance of Supplication

Allah the Most high listens to the distressed personwhen he calls upon him and relieves him of hissuffering. Allah has commanded us to call upon himhumbly and sincerely, promising us he will respond toour supplications.

Abdullah Ibn Amr Ibn al-Aas narrated that theMessenger of Allah (PBUH) said ‘Indeed there is for thefasting person, when he breaks his fast, a supplicationwhich is not rejected” [Ibn Majah, al-Hakim]. It is alsoreported on the authority of Abu Hurairah that theProphet (PBUH) said: ‘Three, their supplication is nor rejected: the just leader, the one who fasts until hebreaks his fast, and the supplication of the oppressedwhich Allah raises above the clouds, with the gates of heaven being opened, saying by my might, I will give

you victory even if it be after a little while” [Ahmad,Tirmidhee and Nasaee]. Furthermore, Jabir reportedthat Allah’s Messenger said “There are in the month of Ramadan in every day and night those to whom Allahgrants freedom from the Fire, and there is for everyMuslim a supplication which he can make and will begranted” [Ahmad].

A Precious Chance

The Holy Month of Ramadan only comes aboutonce every year, we have the potential to gather greatrewards from our Lord, which we usually wouldn’t beable to obtain. We must make sure that in this month,we pray more, we read Qur’an more, and that we

observe our fasts, and not miss any of them, this is areminder to you, and to us. Don’t miss this chance!

Getting Closer to Paradise


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8

!

This Ayat gives two messages, one of fear, andone of hope. In this Ayat, Allah (SWT) is telling us thatevery single one of us will die. Many of us tend toforget this fact, and we don’t like to be reminded of death, but as Muslims, we must always be mindful of it,because it will happen, and it could happen at any

moment. Only Allah (SWT) knows of the exact time of our death, which he has fixed. It is easy to feel fear when we read such an Ayat, and feeling some fear isactually good, but that does not mean that we don’tfeel any hope. Allah (SWT) is telling us the reward for worshipping him is The Garden (al Junnah). It is theHoly Month of Ramadan, the reason we fast in thismonth, why we observe extra prayers, and why westrive hard to worship Allah (SWT) is because we wantsalvation. We want to enter Paradise, and not TheHellfire.

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “Actionsare but by intentions and every man shall have but thatwhich he intended.” (Sahih Muslim) Every single gooddeed we do must be for the sake of Allah (SWT),otherwise, in The Afterlife, it will be utterly useless. Theonly reason one would ever work for Khilafah, wouldbe because it is an obligation from their Lord, and He(SWT) will ask every single one of us when we standbefore him on The Day of Judgement about this

obligation, not to mention the other obligatory duties.We must perform all of them.

Our Akhira begins when we die. Death is the door to the Ghayb (the unseen things), it is the entry point

into the Akhira. When someone is about to die, theywill either be on the verge of bliss, or despair. ProphetMuhammad (PBUH) said: “When death comes to abeliever, he is given glad tidings of Allah’s acceptanceand bounties. Nothing is dearer to him than what isahead: he loves to meet Allah; and Allah loves to meet

him. But when death comes to a disbeliever, he isgiven tidings of Allah’s.

torture and punishment. Nothing is more hateful tohim than what is ahead: he hates to meet Allah; andAllah hates to meet him.”

Our souls will then be taken up to Allah (SWT),

and we will finally meet him. He (SWT) will inform us of His pleasure or anger. We will then be put into our grave, it is no more that a small hole in the ground,and we will enter it alone. When we are in the grave,

two Angels, Munkar and Nakir will ask us three criticalquestions:

1. “Who is your Lord?2. “What is your Din?”3. “Who is your Prophet?”

The answers are:

1. Allah (SWT)2. Islam3. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “The grave isthe first of the hereafter’s domiciles; if one passesthrough it safely, what follows will be easier; and if onedoes not pass through it safely, what follows will be

more horrible.” One who was a good Muslim will knowthese answers, and he will be shown his place inParadise, and the grave will be a place of bliss.. Butthose who do not answer correctly will be shown their place in Hell, and they will be punished in their graveuntil The Day of Judgement. Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) once said: “O Allah, I seek refuge in You fromthe punishment of the grave.”

Then, there is the Day of Resurrection, when all of us will be resurrected from our graves, and it will be a

day of chaos: Allah (SWT) describes it as: “The day onwhich men shall be as scattered moths.” (al Qur’an,Surah al Qaari’a, Ayat 4) We will be asked about our deeds, we will be judged, by The Judge, who is most

just, and we will then take our place in al Junnah, or alJahannam.

We must do many good deeds, we must bear witness to Allah (SWT) and his Messenger, we mustmake Salaat, we must give Zakaat, we must fast in this

Holy Month of Ramadan, and we must make Hajj if weare able. We must be kind to the old, young, andanimals. And we must implement The Shariah of Allah(SWT) on the earth via the re-establishment of TheIslamic Khilafah. In his Tafsir of al Qur’an, al Qurtubisaid about the Khalef that: “…he is listened to and he

is obeyed, for the word is united through him, and theAhkam ( laws) of the Caliph are implemented throughhim…”

We must get the balance right between fear and

hope. Abu 'All Rowzbari has said, "Fear and hope are

“Every soul shall taste of death, and you shall only be paid fully your reward on the resurrection day; then

whoever is removed far away from the fire and is made to enter the garden he indeed has attained the object;

and the life of this world is nothing but a provision of vanities.”

(al Qur’an, Surah al Imran, Ayat 185)


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!

The Afterlife (al Akhira)



9

like the two wings of a bird. If they are wellbalanced, the flight will be well balanced. But, If one isstunted, the Right would also be stunted. And, to besure, if the two are lost, the bird will soon be in thethroes of death." Another classical scholar, ibnQudamah al Maqdasi said this very same thing. MayAllah (SWT) allow us all to enter his garden, and be

kept far from his mighty wrath.

Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanatan wa fil 'akhiratihasanatan waqina 'adhaban-nar.

An Example of

Courage - Abdullah

ibn Masud.

Those ‘Wanna be Gangsters’ who drive around in

lowered cars blasting out satanic music who think thatthey are ‘hard men’ should look to the example of ‘Abdullah ibn Masoud to see true bravery. ‘Abdullahembraced Islam when he was only 14 years of age.

The companions of the Messenger of Allah

(PBUH) were together one day in Makkah. They werestill few in numbers and oppressed. They said, “TheQuraish have not yet heard the Qur’an being recitedopenly and loudly. Who is the man who could recite it

for them?’

“I shall recite it to them,” volunteered ‘Abdullah ibnMasoud. “We are afraid for you,” they said. “We onlywant someone who has a clan who would protect himfrom their evil.” “Let me,” ‘Abdullah ibn Masoudinsisted, “Allah shall protect me and keep me awayfrom their evil.” He then went out to the Quraish untilhe reached Maqam Ibrahim (a few meters from theKa’ba). It was dawn and the Quraish were sitting

around the Ka’ba. ‘Abdullah stopped at the Maqamand began to recite: “In the name of Allah, the

Beneficent, the Merciful. Ar-Rahman (The MostMerciful). He has taught the Qur’an. He has createdman and taught him the clear speech. The sun and themoon run on their fixed courses calculated withmeasured out stages for each...” [ Al-Rahman: 1-5]

He went on reciting. The Quraish looked at himintently and some of them said, “What is Ibn Umm Abd

saying? Damn him! He is reciting some of whatMuhammad brought!” They went up to him and beganbeating his face as he continued reciting. When hewent back to his companions the blood was flowing

from his face. “This is what we feared for you,” theysaid. “By Allah,” replied ‘Abdullah, “the enemies of Allah are not more comfortable than I at this moment.If you wish I shall go out tomorrow and do the same.”

“You have done enough,” they said. “You havemade them hear what they dislike.”

The moral of this story, is that we as Muslims need

to have bravery and valour. Abdullah ibn Masud (ra)did not care about his small stature and low status inMeccan society. Despite that, he was brave enough togo to the Quraysh, the leading clan among the Arabs,and recite al Qur’an to them, despite what they had intheir power to do to him. How many of us can say we

would have that bravery? We should try and be likeThe Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his noblecompanions, among them Abdullah ibn Masud (ra).

Farewell Message

Jazakallah khayr, dear Brothers and Sisters for reading this

volume, insha’Allah, we are thinking of planning some special Iftaar

events later in Ramadan, so please ask any brothers on the

Da’wah stall regarding that please. Please don’t forget to pray for The Revival of The Muslim Ummah, and please don’t forget to get

involved in work to re-establish The Khilafah. Please look forwards

to the fourth volume, insha’Allah. If you have any queries, please

contact: [email protected]

Allahumma a'izzal-Islama wal-Muslimeen. Ameen

As salaam alaykum wa rahmatullah wa barakarahu

Ramadan Kareem!


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