2 Perverts and a Kitten.

I started my day by saying my goodbye to a new Egyptian friend I made in the past few days. She stayed over my place for 3 nights and it was fun having her around. It's a great change of pace in my life. I love hosting people who need a place to stay. I don't host other than girls so, sorry guys...

Anyways, so after that I had lunch at my aunt's place. I haven't seen her in a while and she invited me. As soon as I reached there I ate then rushed to work... Had a normal day at work doing some recording and then fixing some audio files here and there with a client. While I was sorting the files I hear a cat just screaming outside the studio... Me being the cat lover had to see what is going on.

I open the door and to my surprise I see the most adorable kitten. As soon as it noticed me, it ran to me. Of course nobody wanted me to let it in but it came anyways, then I got it out. To make a long story short, I decided to take the kitten till I can find it a proper place to stay. There was one problem and how am I going to take it home? There wasn't any box and I didn't have a car. So I just carried it and asked stores near by if they had a box I can put the cat in it. The first store didn't have a box, the cake shop did though.

One thing I didn't get is why on earth were the "men" weirded out why I wanted to take care of it and tell me how usually he kicks them. I'm thinking, "Does this guy think he's scoring brownie points with me being pathetically all macho?" As I was putting the kitten in the box and taping it shut, the guy was trying to ask me all sorts of personal questions about where I live and he hasn't seen me around and crap like that. I was like why? He even wanted to offer me free cake. I was like nope, I'm on a diet. I'm not really but I just didn't want anything from him. So I just rushed out and the kitten is SCREAMING!!

I was walking as fast as I can and hopefully, I'll find a cab to take me home ASAP. I found one finally but to my luck the guy is a serious pervert. Again this guy was asking me all sorts about me and telling about how cats mate. I'm praying, "GOD, make this ride end safely." The guy even reached backwards to calm the kitten down. I felt like I was ready to get raped. I was freaking out especially that he's telling about how cats mate. The he was asking some personal question about my marital status and he's telling me that he's single. As soon as he said that, my cell phone rings. I'm like YAY!!! It was my good friend and blogger Zena. She saved me from freaking out more than I already am... In one hand the kitten is screaming and the guy is hitting on me. BLAH... I just wanted to reach home.

I finally reached and after paying the guy, I jumped out of the cab. and rushed home. Then I settled the kitten in by putting it some food to eat and water to drink. I didn't have everything so I rushed to the pet store and got some sand put in the litter box and some proper cat food.

Now the cat is settled in for now. I'm just hoping I can find a place for it to stay for good. I can't keep it, my mom will kill me. Pray for me...

My conclusion for today is that, just when I think I started to understand men and think they can actually be wonderful some idiots throws me off completely... Sorry guys but the truth is that good guys are minorities. God bless them...

Dalai Lama Meets With Muslims in California

By JUSTIN M. NORTON, Associated Press Writer
Sun Apr 16, 8:47 AM ET


SAN FRANCISCO - The Dalai Lama urged religious leaders Saturday to reach out to Muslims, saying Islam is a compassionate faith that has been unfairly maligned because of a few extremists.

"Nowadays to some people the Muslim tradition appears more militant," the 70-year-old exiled monk said at a weekend conference, which aimed to bring Muslims and Buddhists together.

"I feel that's totally wrong. Muslims, like any other traditions — same message, same practice. That is a practice of compassion," he said.

Event organizers say the Dalai Lama interrupted his schedule to fly to San Francisco and meet Islamic scholars and leaders from other faiths to discuss reducing violence and extremism.

Security was tight at the invitation-only event, which drew about 500 religious leaders and scholars. The conference included speakers and presenters from numerous faiths and roughly 30 countries.

The Dalai Lama told the audience that many people see and hear news of suicide bombings in predominantly Muslim countries but don't hear about how Muslims often work with the poor.

He said all human beings are prone to violence if they lose control of their emotions and not to judge an entire faith based on a few people. "A few mischievous people are always there," he said.

The Dalai Lama, who was awarded the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, fled Tibet in 1959 following an aborted uprising against Chinese rule in the territory and now keeps an office in exile in the Himalayan town of Dharmsala, India.

The Dalai Lama also told conference attendees that religious traditions must work harder to live together in peace, citing religious violence in Northern Ireland, Pakistan and Iraq.

Hamza Yusuf, founder of the Zaytuna Institute, a Hayward-based center for Islamic study, said the conference could help build relationships between Buddhists and Muslims and promote a greater understanding of Islam. He noted that Muslims and Buddhists lived together peacefully for hundreds of years in Tibet.

Yusuf said the Dalai Lama's participation in the event could warm Americans to Islam, since many Americans have mixed feelings about the faith but are receptive to Buddhism.

"He wanted to meet us in solidarity as a community because he felt like people were attacking Islam," Yusuf said.

Seyed Ali Ghazvini of the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno said he hoped the conference would encourage Muslims to be more visible and active in the United States.

"This is a matter of necessity," said Ghazvini, who gave the Dalai Lama a set of Islamic prayer beads. "It's not an option to sit alone in our own community and our own mosques."

When I read this, I thought that it is one of the coolest things I've read. I've always respected the Dalai Lama and seeing him actually help Islam makes me wonder where it's all going to go from there? I have good hopes that people would actually get to realize that Islam is not horrid as majority of Americans think. The original article can be found here.

The Story of Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him)

Last Tuesday was the birthdate of the Prophet with much celebration I got this email and decided to share it with everybody...

12th Rabil Awwal (Islamic Calender) is the anniversary of the birth on an incredible personality, who arrived as a boon for the entire humanity and brought with him a set of principles, pursuing which guarantees even triumph and well-being for every individual, every nation and country and the whole mankind. Though this day comes every year, but this year it has come at such a crucial time when inhabitants of the earth are more indigent of the guidance of that sagacious person, than ever before.

TIME to know The Noble Personality
TIME to spread The Noble Preaching

We, as his followers, must live and spread this message today at a time when hatefulness and ugliness towards each other has become the norm.
Please read the excellent book:

Meelad-un-Nabi (SAW) (in English)

Meelad-un-Nabi (SAW) (in Urdu)

We launched an YEAR-LONG campaign to spread the Message of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).

(These books are part of this campaign. We can send you these books by e-mail as well if u doesn't have the Internet. Kindly send an e-mail to us with an indicating language: in English or in Urdu )

FREE Available on
http://www.prophetmuhammadforall.org/
Biggest FREE e-Library & Audio Collection in Multiple Languages
Unique Features:

Multiple Titles
Multiple Authors in
Multiple Languages
Beautiful Hadith based Screensavers
Quiz in Multiple Languages
Biggest Audio Collection
Nasheed & Stories for Kids

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please send all comments, suggestions to: info@prophetmuhammadforall.org

Our Lives are What we Make Them

Here's a lecture that I got from Amr Khaled's website. I thought it'll be a something quite interesting to share to fix any misconceptions in Islam... Feedback from everybody would be great.

First thought: Is this gathering important to Allah? Yes it is. Our Prophet (PBUH) was once sitting at his home and a group of his companions were at the mosque. Suddenly he got up and went quickly to the mosque and looked at those companions and asked them: “What are you sitting here for?” They answered: “We sat to glorify Allah.” The Prophet said: “Do you swear that you sat only for this?” They said: “we swear that we sat only for this.” The Prophet said: “I did not ask you to accuse you but I was informed that Allah is bragging about you in front of the angels.”

Second thought: Brothers, what about renewing your intentions now in this session. You came here to please Allah and to meet good companion and listen to what may bring you closer to Allah, so let Allah witness this. Make this your intention; May Allah let us go to the “Al-jannah” by this.

Third thought: I have a question in mind. What about all of the thousands here? What will be their state after the conference ends? I want to advise you to stick to Allah’s compliance as much as you can and to be keen on having a group of pious friends (Saleheen) to support you in this hard life.

Our subject today is: We make our lives ourselves

This lecture is considered a continue for the lecture of “Set your goal in life” and our lecture today is centralized around one question: Who makes our lives? Do we make our lives? Or are the circumstances responsible for making our lives? Who is responsible for the difficult state of our nation? Who is behind our backwardness? Who is the reason behind the youth not being religious enough? Who is responsible for not having a Muslim youth who’s not excellent in sports, for example? Who makes our lives, our own wills or conditions?

Psychologists’ views:

Psychologists, like Freud and his peers, see that there are three factors that make human lives

Genetic factors

Educational factors

Environmental factors

Thus these three factors control one’s behavior and reactions. Freud’s explanation for a characteristic like nervousness or stinginess, for example, are due to the genetic factors and the person has nothing to do with since the genetic factor is domineering.

Freud and his peers interpret mistreatment for wives, to be due to educational factors. This person saw his father when he was a child insulting his wife, so he did the same when he grew up and all this is out of his hands since educational factors were domineering.

With the same logic of Freud, the reason for the youth not being persistent in their worship to Allah is due to the surrounding environmental factor, which is full of strife and temptation so the environment is domineering and the person is helpless.

But is this a right point of view? This point is very critical. One might ask how Allah will judge us if we are not the ones who control our actions but they are the outcome of conditions and the three above factors?

Lets hear the Islamic point of view and its reply on who is responsible for making our lives? Is it conditions or our own wills?

The Islamic point of view:

Islam regards the Psychologists’ view to be wrong. Islam acknowledges that the person is affected by the previous three factors but it acknowledges as well that Allah gave us the weapon to fend them off. The weapon is the abilities given to us by Allah. Thus Allah, in the Day of Judgment, will judge how we used these abilities to defeat these factors and conditions. The more the person succeeds in using his abilities to defeat these factors, the more he will be rewarded by “Al-Jannah”. Yet, the more he is defeated by them, the tougher his punishment will be.

In this lecture, we will demonstrate –God’s willing- giving examples how we can defeat these factors using the abilities Allah blessed us with. This is to prove that the success and the advancement of Muhammad’s nation is not an impossible target. This lecture’s aim is to make everyone have an undoubted faith in the possibility of achieving his target and that he can -with Allah’s help- defeat the factors hampering his march towards his target.

If the factors are those we mentioned above, then what are the abilities we need to have in order to defeat them?

The abilities Allah gave us:

It is an internal power Allah placed inside each one of us. This power exists and when called upon it can defeat anything, so let us release our built-in power.

Example: Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal was imprisoned during strife in Jordan, he used to say that he does not fear being imprisoned or being killed since he will be martyred. But he feared being whipped. When he was taken to be whipped, an imprisoned thief saw him and said: “Imam, be steady on the truth; if you live you will be praised, and if you die you will be martyred. Imam, I have been whipped in this prison eighteen thousand lashes for the sake of Satan, so you be steady for the sake of The Merciful God (Ar-rahman).” Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal says the words of the thief made him a new person and his internal power was released. They began whipping the Imam but he was steady to the extent that his hangman said: “I have whipped him severely; if he was an elephant he would have collapsed by now, I kept saying to myself the next lash will penetrate his back and come out of his mouth”. When the Imam fell down, someone offered him water, the Imam replied: “I am fasting”.

We can see from this example that whatever the factors are, you have the power to defeat them. Allah’s Prophets faced many factors and harsher conditions than we face. A Prophet was not sent till disorder and corruption prevail. When the hardships and strife become tougher, when the three factors are at their peak and faith descends to the lowest, at this moment Prophets are sent to revive the faith with their followers once more. We are full of hope now to revive our faith once more. Prophets and their followers succeeded in this although they had minor resources. We all hope to succeed as they did and to defeat the factors with the abilities Allah bestowed on us.

We will present you an example that has succeeded on earth and in religion. This example was subject to earthly factors, yet he succeeded and conquered them, this example is:

Prophet Yusuf (PBUH) and from his story we will see that we can succeed as he did:

Yusuf and life:

Factors Yusuf (PBUH) was subject to:

As a child his brothers detested him.

He was thrown in the well when he was less than 12 years old, and Allah says what can be translated as, “bottom of the well” (TMQ, 15:15) (1), as the well was so deep.

He was sold as a slave and stayed as a slave for 10 years.

He was put in jail for another 10 years.

When he reached 40 he started his life as Egypt’s Aziz (minister of treasury).

40 years passed from his life in agony but he succeeded in life regardless of the factors he was subject to.

What where the abilities that helped him to succeed

Patience: We have to learn to be patient till success is accomplished. Let’s all learn from Yusuf’s patience.

Talent: His talent in interpreting dreams. Allah gave each one of us a talent to allow us to succeed.

Knowledge: Economy. He studied this science from the previous Aziz, being a slave did not keep him from studying.

These are the keys for success to any one: patience, knowledge and talent. With those abilities Yusuf (PBUH) succeeded and became Egypt’s Aziz who led the Middle East and saved them from the famine crisis. Using your abilities makes defeating factors a possible target.

This is Yusuf and the story of his success in life. Let’s see Yusuf and religion.

Yusuf and religion:

Yusuf was subject to a great seduction, the seduction of a woman. The story of Yusuf and the seduction of a woman left no excuse for anyone. The lady was the wife of the great Aziz; she had both beauty and position. Yusuf was; strong, beautiful, a bachelor, still had many years before getting married, a slave who can do things a free man can not do, a stranger who can do things natives can not do. She was the one who seduced him saying what can be translated as, “Now come, thou (dear one)!" (TMQ, 15:23) ,“She fastened the doors” (TMQ, 15:23) so he became safe from scandal and she was the one who seduced him many times. She said what can be translated as, “I did seek to seduce him from his (true) self” (TMQ, 15:51). Yet regardless of all these factors, he said what can be translated as, “Allah forbid! Truly (thy husband) is my lord! He made my sojourn agreeable! Truly to no good come those who do wrong!" (TMQ, 15:23) She said about him, describing his resistance, what can be translated as, “he did firmly save himself guiltless!” (TMQ, 15:51) He succeeded in defeating seduction factors. So he succeeded in both life and religion.

Yusuf’s abilities for succeeding in religion

Patience: Patience from sins and patience in obedience.

Supplication: He said what can be translated as, “unless Thou turn away their snare from me” (TMQ, 15:33) and he asked Allah’s help to overcome the seduction.

Will you succeed as he did? Will you defeat the factors? Will you say no to sin?

Youth, what will be your state after this conference? Will this spiritual spirit last or will it disperse before the first temptation? “And on them did Satan prove true his idea, and they followed him, all but a Party that believed”, Satan supposes that we have come here to be better. He supposes that we will be weakened by the first sin he offers us. Will you live up to his expectations? We all hope that all those in this hall are of the believers party the verse talked about

Before I end the lecture, I want to assure you that we can succeed. If Yusuf succeeded in the presence of all those factors, we will Insha’ Allah.

Prophet Muhammad’s Hadith (PBUH) about hope was always in the times of turmoil. In the day of The Battle of Al-Khandaq (the Trench) Muslims were besieged and were subject to hardships greater than we are now. When they were not able to break a rock while digging the trench they called for the Prophet (PBUH). He held the axe and said “In the name of Allah” and he hit the rock and a spark came out from the rock so Prophet (PBUH) said: “Allahu Akbar, Persia is conquered”. He hit the rock once more and another larger spark came out so the Prophet (PBUH) said: “Allahu Akbar Rome is conquered”. His talk about hope comes in the time of turmoil.

Nation of Muhammad, hope is still there to restore our nation’s power as long as there are souls in us and as long as we pray for Allah and say, “Allah is the Greatest” and acknowledge that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is His messenger.

Brothers set your targets and do not lose hope in achieving them.



(1)TMQ=Translation of the Meaning of the Qur'an. This translation is for the realized meaning, so far, of the stated (Surah:Ayah) of the Qur'an. Reading the translated meaning of the Qur'an can never replace reading it in Arabic, the language in which it was revealed.

AmrKhaled.net © جميع حقوق النشر محفوظةThis Article may be published and duplicated freely for private purposes, as long as the original source is mentioned. For all other purposes you need to obtain the prior written approval of the website administration. For info: dar_altarjama@amrkhaled.net

Beit Iba Checkpoint Occupied by Peace

This article was taken from the ISM website. I thought it's quite interesting to show that Palestine is an International issue and it is being dealt in a peaceful way with some humour.

Palestinian, Israeli and international activists from ISM and IWPS celebrated the new year and their continuous determination to jointly fight the occupation by peacefully taking over Beit Iba checkpoint, north of Nablus. Following a call of local activists from Nablus over one hundred Palestinian, Israeli and international activists, many of them dressed up as clowns and Santa Clauses, marched to the checkpoint from both sides chanting and playing drums and trumpets.

They succeeded to join each other in the middle of the checkpoint and to deliver their demand for freedom and to end the occupation to the Israeli soldiers on the spot. Activists, including one dressed as Santa Claus, handed out chocolates to the Soldiers, calling on them to drop their guns and join the peaceful struggle against the occupation.

Beit Iba is one of several checkpoints isolating the city of Nablus and its 200,000 inhabitants from the surrounding villages and the rest of the West Bank, and is notorious for daily harassment and other abuses faced by Palestinians. As a result of the continuous siege of Nablus since the beginning of the Intifada, all aspects of live in the area are severely interrupted: teachers and students face daily difficulties on their way to school and universities, patients are delayed or stopped on their to hospitals and doctors and farmers are often unable to bring their products to the market. Recently Nablus residents under the age of 35 are denied their right to leave the city, but depending on what the Israeli army calls the ìsecurity situationsî this can also apply to all Nablus residents regardless of their age.


By taking over the checkpoint and crossing it without showing their ID-cards to the soldiers, the activists confirmed the right of all Palestinians for freedom of movement, without being at the mercy of the Israeli military and its illegal occupation. In an attempt to regain control of the checkpoint the soldiers started closing the checkpoint with barbed wire and pushing the activists, separating them from each other, and prevented many activists from Nablus from coming back into the city.

Two Palestinian activists were detained and arrested by the Israeli military; one is a Palestinian citizen of Israel, the other a Palestinian man from the Nablus region. They were released after paying bail in the amount of 2000 shekels and were accused of having assaulted a soldier, despite the fact that the demonstration was peaceful and non-violent.


For more Information call
ISM Media Office: 02-297 18 24

The Right to Be Educated

I got an email this morning with some pics of Palestinians students at checkpoints trying to get to school. They weren't allowed to cross. So they just decided to have classes right at the checkpoint. This picture in particular touched me because it seriously shows how nothing stops determined people to practice their right to learn. It makes me feel that my strife is nothing compared to theirs. God bless them...

A Blessing to All

May the long time sun shine upon you

All love surround you

And the pure light within you

Guide your way on.

Love and peace to all,

Sara

Just a quick note.

Hello readers,

I know it's been a while since I've written something. I'm just busy with a few things but sooner or later I'll be back.

Here's a Motto for today...

Be loving--because God is love.

Peace and love to ALL!

Answering the Question asked by EVERYBODY!!

When Karin and Richard asked me the question about why was the Afghani man who converted to Christianity trailed to get the death Penalty, I'll admit, I didn't know the answer. I just knew something didn't make sence. I tried to research online but nothing was satisfactory. I asked around and I got a few answers. My research isn't really done but I'll just post something about it before somebody answers something that might make matters worse. This post was email to me by Shaykh Abdullah Adhami...

* There, currently, does not exist an "islamic state"---which is the only legal entity that can 'legitimately' serve the judicial code of shari'ah---within internation law. No singular, renegade, individual can take it upon themselves to enact 'any' laws of islam. Legal and judicial sovereignty lie with the state wherein one is a citizen, resident or visitor.

* Willful apostacy in 'all' traditions is, simply, considered treason. The arabic word for it, (riddah), signifies rejection, opposition, reneging, denial. latter andalusian jurists may have had different perspectives on the question of the punishment for apostacy, due to new political realities that were different from the conditions faced by the early muslims; this is not unlike the evolution of legal thought in judeo-christian tradition.

* The athenians not only believed that treason or sedition should deem a person "the greatest enemy of the whole state." according to athenian law, this person must be "condemned to death, ..., and, as "the dialogues of plato" document, the magistrate who -- by reason of cowardice -- does not suppress him is nearly as bad."

* It is interesting to note that in christianity, "apostacy" not only denominates, total or full apostacy -- or, 'perfidiae' (lit."treachery")---i.e., when someone gives up their faith, whether or not the person embraces another religion---but can also include "apostacy of religiosity," when a religious person leaves the "religious life"; i believe, this is, more specifically, an apostacy of (or against) "monastacism". erasmus (16th cent.), for example, was guilty of both kinds. then, there's "apostacy against ordainment," when a member of the clergy
abandons the ecclesiastical state.

* Under the christian roman empire, apostates were punished by deprivation of all civil rights. they could not give evidence in a court of law, and could neither bequeath nor inherit property. "to induce anyone to apostatize was an offence punishable with death."

* Moreover, in the renowned code of the roman emperor justinian (483-565), "corpus juris civilis," the basis of all [roman] 'canon law', and the basis of ["modern"] civil law, "apostasy was punished by death"; and, there was "no toleration of dissent."

Finally...
* According to the jewish encyclopaedia (published, i believe, bet. 1901-1910), the biblical codes stipulate that the "one who doubts or ridicules one word of the Torah---or of the rabbinical authors---is an "heretic" in the fullest sense, an infidel... and there is no hope for him." the laws concerning such an unbeliever are very strict, "he may be killed directly, or his death may be caused indirectly."

Incidentally...
* Absolutely nowhere in Islamic history---by the testimony of eminent 'western' historians, can one find a doctrine akin to the "cognite intrare" (or, "forced conversion") of st. augustine (354-430 c.e.). as you know, the quran says: "there is no coercion in religion."

This idea that everyone 'must' be compelled to conform to the christian faith, unleashed centuries of unparalleled bloodshed. for a brief time, the ummayad dynasty represented the 'only' aberration in the history of islam---whereby people were categorized as only either "Muslim" or "Other"---and, unsurprisingly, were the shortest lived historically. sadly, some of its dogma still permeates 'canonical [legal] material' that is still taught today.

* There is much about the "Afghan Christian" story that is 'shady'. we should just wait and the truth will be revealed. (even Rev. Samuel Zwemer would be embarrassed.)

* In our modern day, due to the volatility of the geo-political climate, the rulings against (riddah)---even 'if' an islamic state existed---would have to be---necessarily---evaluated from a different legal angle, eminently because of either continual provocation and abuse which would elicit violent psycho-somatic states---(as was witnessed with the defammation of the Qur'an at Guantanamo); or, people on the proverbial fringes---on the edge---who are either paid, or otherwise coopted, to openly "declare" [what appears to be] "apostacy" on Arab global satelite channels, and be sensationally transformed into a media darlings for a little while.

Another post on this matter can be found here

Hope this answers the question.

Peace to all...

Jesus Christ The Son of Mary and His Blessed Mother (Part 2)

THE INVINCIBILITY OF MADINA

It was related that the Dajjâl would roam the earth and that when he reaches Madîna the Radiant - upon its dweller the best blessings and greetings of peace! - and desires to enter it, the angels will stand in front of him at the gates of Madîna and bar his passage. They will stand in front of him at a place the Messenger of Allâh - upon him blessings and peace - has named for us - al-Jurf - a place known today in Madîna al-Munawwara. He will stand on a mountain there and look toward the Mosque of the Beloved and his grave, saying: "Look there, at that white building: that is the palace of Ahmad." He will try to enter but will be unable. Some of his followers will bring some people. The Prophet - upon him blessings and peace - said that when the Dajjâl stands at the gates of Madîna, Madîna will shake three times; at that time, anyone in whose heart remain hypocrisy and dissemblance or other than firm attachment to God Most High shall be corrupted and follow the Dajjâl. One of the narrations specifies they will reach eighty thousand. God is our refuge from that!

THE RIGHTEOUS WITNESS

Some of the soldiers of the Dajjâl will seize a man from among the righteous whom they think to be a common person. They will stand him before the Dajjâl who will say to him: "Do you believe that I am your Lord?" He will reply: "No! You are none other than the Arch-Deceiver." He will say: "I am your Lord!" "No! You are the Dajjâl!" He will say: "I am your Lord!" "No! You are the Dajjâl!" He will then order for a saw to be brought. The saw will be placed in the middle of the righteous man's head and he will be sawed in half until he becomes two separate pieces and the horses will pass between the two. Then the Dajjâl will give an order. He will be brought back together again and the Dajjâl will pass his hand over him, after which he will live a second time, by the power of God. When he comes alive the Dajjâl will look at him, thinking that he has definitely gained control over him, and say: "I have caused you to die and caused you to come alive again. Do you now believe that I am your Lord?" The man will reply: "My certitude has only increased that you are the Dajjâl of whom the Messenger of Allâh - upon him blessings and peace - told us!" He will order him to be killed but will be unable to do so anymore.

THE KILLING OF THE DAJJAL

Just as the Dajjâl orders the righteous man to be killed he will hear a voice crying out: "The Spirit from God, Jesus, has descended!" When the Dajjâl hears the name of our liege-lord `Isâ he will shake and tremble in fear. He will rush to Palestine . There, the army of our liege-lord Jesus and our liege-lord al-Mahdî will meet the army of the Dajjâl at the gate of Ludd. When the Dajjâl looks and sees our liege-lord Jesus, upon him peace, surrounded with a halo of light, the Dajjâl will melt - as mentioned in the hadîth - just as salt melts in water. Our liege-lord Jesus will approach him and so will our liege-lord al-Mahdî. They will strike him with their two swords and kill him.

O nations of the Believers, this matter is not just a story we hear for our hearts to be moved a little. This is about living, this is a method one follows, a path one takes, this is a transaction that is going to take place and in which we are going to be involved. AT THIS VERY MOMENT THE ARMIES OF THE CHRIST ARE GETTING READY AND SO ARE THE ARMIES OF THE DAJJAL. THE MEANING OF THIS PREPARATION IS THAT CERTAIN ATTRIBUTES IN THE HEARTS ARE RISING AND TAKING FIRM ROOT IN THE ARMY OF TRUTH AND RIGHT WHILE CERTAIN ATTRIBUTES ARE ALSO FORMING IN THE ARMY OF FALSEHOOD.

CHRIST, ANTI-CHRIST, AND THE JEWS

It is also said that the wisdom for which God has the killing of the Dajjâl take place at the hands of our liege-lord the Christ is that the Dajjâl is the manifestation of the oppression of materialism while our liege-lord the Christ is the manifestation of the supremacy of the spirit in this existence. The Dajjâl is also named "anointed" (masîh), but "the anointed arch-liar and deceiver" (al-masîh al-kadhdhâb al-dajjâl). He was named masîh because at some point in his career he will claim that he is our liege-lord the Christ.

This is because when the Jews fought the Christ - the spirit from God - and refused to believe in him and submit to his mission, they then denied that the Christ had appeared even as it was written in their books that the Christ would appear. Therefore, they claimed that our liege-lord Jesus was a great liar - and he is far exalted beyond their claim! - and they opposed him and tried to kill him. But God saved him, {They did not slay him, neither crucified him, only a likeness of that was shown to them} (4:157).

Then our liege-lord the Christ was raised up to the near heaven - upon him peace - and the Jews remained as they were, in their belief that the Christ had not yet come out. They are now waiting for a Christ to come, and their Christ is the Dajjâl. About ten years ago or more a manifestation took place in Tel-Aviv in which a large placard was hoisted, saying: "Welcome to the impending appearance of the Prince of Peace." This is the one they claim to be the Christ, but he is the Arch-Deceiver.

THE SECRET OF THE CREATION OF JESUS AND MARY

The entire matter is connected to the days in which God caused our liege-lord Jesus to exist.

The time in which our lady Mary was born - the purest and most blessed, upon her peace! - was a time in which the tyranny of materiality held full sway over the Jews. The interests of the world dominated them completely. They even altered the word of God for the purpose of their buying and selling - the rulings of the sacred Law. God forbade usury in all the dispensations, so they altered the rulings and made usury permitted to themselves. They made permitted to themselves much of what God had forbidden them. They made up clouds to obscure the order of the heavenly call which had been directed to them for the purpose of running after material concerns. They became slaves of materialism.
Among the Jews there remained some righteous souls such as the Prophets and their entourage and those that affiliated themselves to them. Among these righteous souls was our lady Hanna the mother of our lady Mary, upon both of them peace. Hanna was one of the righteous women, one of the Godwary, worshipful, devoted to prayer and good works. She had great love for Prophets, saints, and the devotees that were in Jerusalem . When she became pregnant from her husband, she felt that she might give birth to a boy and so she vowed that what she carried in her womb would be dedicated to the service of God. {Lord, I have vowed to You, in dedication, what is in my womb} ( 3:35 ). She vowed that the newborn would serve the temple of Jerusalem so as to become prepared for the service of the Religion.

HANNA'S VOW

Look at the effect of intention. What is our goal when we want to have children, what is our intention? The very deliverance which the Community awaits, at the hands of our liege-lord Jesus, upon him peace! - there will be for Hanna an ample portion of its reward and benefit. For she possessed an intention with God! Look at this fortunate woman who, when she intended that in her offspring there would be someone who serves God, someone who would serve this Religion, when she was truthful in such an intention, God honored her because of her intention, but not in the way she thought. For she gave birth to a female child.

(And when she gave birth to her she said, Lord, I have given birth to her, a female. And God knows very well what she had given birth to; the male is not as the female. And I have named her Mary, and commend her to You with her seed, to protect them from the accursed Satan( ( 3:36 ). What was the reply? (Her Lord received the child with gracious favor(. The sum total of what the hearts of the truthful seek is that their Lord receive them with gracious favor! {Her Lord received the child with gracious favor, and by His goodness she grew up comely. Zachariah taking charge of her} ( 3:37 ). The intention of Hanna made the one she bore to be accepted, even though it was other than what she had envisaged and wished for, since she had wished for a boy and she got a girl.
RIGHTEOUS AND TRUTHFUL INTENTIONS ARE NOT IN VAIN IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD REGARDLESS OF THE JUDICIAL CALCULATIONS OF HUMANKIND AND EVEN IF HUMAN HOPE AND HUMAN PLANS DID NOT MATERIALIZE. A girl came, but intentions are never lost in the presence of God - and thousands upon thousands of men are not worth Mary's foot!

SECLUSIONS AND MIRACLES OF MARY

She gave birth to our lady Mary. Our Lady Mary grew up, fed with purity, light, Godwariness, and righteousness. Those of the Prophets, saints, and hermits that were in Jerusalem drew lots to see who would take charge of her. The lot fell to Zachariah. He was a relative of Mary. Zachariah placed her in a mihrab. The mihrab back then was not the prayer-niche we know today but consisted in an isolated cell or tower that had no door nor opening except from the top. It could be entered only with a ladder from the outside and another ladder down into it. Zachariah placed her in it. He would bring her food and go. She practiced her devotions and worship in absolute dedication and chastity, orienting herself wholly to her Lord in her cell.

God showed our liege-lord Zachariah certain wonders. {Whenever Zachariah went into the sanctuary where she was, he found that she had food. He said: O Mary! Whence comes unto you this (food)? She answered: It is from God. God gives without stint to whom He will. There Zachariah prayed unto his Lord} ( 3:37 -38). Consider the saying of God, {There}. Zachariah is a Prophet and therefore better than our lady Mary who is a truthful saint (Siddîqa). However, because of the high rank which our lady Mary gained, upon her peace, she became in a position to teach one of the Prophets! At that point, one of the Prophets actually became her pupil in the Religion.

They said that our liege-lord Zachariah wondered from where the fruits he found there came. They said he would find with her the fruits of winter in the summer season and the fruits of summer in the winter season. He knew full well that no one other than he entered that place which was shut tight and inaccessible - but, more importantly, such fruits were not to be found in the land since they were out of season! She said, {It is from God}.

Yes, O Prophet of God, the fact of the matter is the certitude that sustenance is from my Lord and not from any created cause. We do know that we are commanded to deal with created causes and effects - however, if created causes and effects have been suppressed, then the sustenance of God Almighty can never be suppressed!

{There Zachariah prayed unto his Lord}. He asked for a pious offspring. God gave him our liege-lord John, upon him peace.

Then came the tremendous event in which God manifested Himself and for which He had prepared our lady Mary. {And make mention of Mary in the Scripture, when she had withdrawn from her people to a chamber looking East} ( 19:16 ). The Ulema said that {East} was an allusion to the Orient from where the sun rose - that is, to the East from her perspective. The people are accustomed to praise the East because it is the place from the direction of which the light comes. {When she had withdrawn from her people to a chamber looking East and had chosen seclusion (hijâb) from them} ( 19:16 -17). They said that the hijâb meant she hid herself from mankind to dedicated herself to the Divine worship. After she tasted the sweetness of worship in her cell she wished to taste the sweetness of worship in her travelling on the earth.

ANNUNCIATION

{Then We sent unto her Our spirit and it assumed for her the likeness of a perfect man} ( 19:17 ). When she saw our liege-lord Gabriel, he assumed for her an excellent likeness, the likeness of a human being. {She said: Lo! I seek refuge in the Beneficent One from you, if you are God fearing. He said: I am only a messenger of your Lord} ( 19:18 -19). She realized the secret behind his presence - the receiving of the manifestation (tajallî) that dawned upon her from God. {That I may bestow on you a faultless son} ( 19:19 ). What is behind such a gift? {She said: How can I have a son when no mortal has touched me, neither have I been unchaste! He said: So your Lord said} ( 19:20 -21).

Consider now the presence of food for our lady Mary as she was in her cell, dedicated to her worship, without means nor sensory cause. THIS WAS A PREAMBLE SO THAT OUR LADY MARY WOULD UNDERSTAND THAT FOR THE EXISTENCE OF THE NEWBORN, ALSO, THERE WAS NO PRE-CONDITION OF MEANS. The matter was not, for our lady Mary, merely a mental apprehension. Rather, it was a discernment of certitude and of the heart (dhawq yaqînî qalbî). For she witnessed and saw with her very eyes the Divine gift with which human custom and cause-and-effect were breached right in front of her! After that, she did not consider it strange that a customary cause be breached in the occurrence of a newborn child for her.

BIRTH OF JESUS AND FURTHER TESTS OF MARY

Then came the time for giving birth. It was said that the spirit [of the child] was breathed into her, the pregnancy took place, and the time of birth came all at one and the same time. Do not think this strange. The matter, from beginning to end, violates custom. The matter is one of the manifestations of the power of God Almighty!

When she felt the time of birth had come, {And the pangs of childbirth drove her unto the trunk of the palm tree. She said: Oh, would that I had died before this and had become a thing of naught, forgotten!} ( 19:23 ). When she reached this stage, the Ulema pondered why she had asked for death while she was in the very midst of Divine generosity. One of them said: "Because she knows that the Israelites had reached such a lowly state of vile attachment to the world and its overwhelming lusts and materialism that they would never accept the sight of God's favor and the breach of customary laws that took place with Mary." Someone else said, "No, she wished that she had not lived to see that day only because God had shown her that her son might one day be worshipped together with God Almighty."

She gave birth to our liege-lord Jesus - upon our Prophet and upon him the best blessings and salutations of peace! The lights of Jesus dawned upon this earth. When he saw the [distraught] state of his mother he addressed her even as he was in her womb or from below her [after birth]. He caused her to apprehend another meaning that reminded her of the magnificence of God Who is with her - High and Exalted! {And shake the trunk of the palm tree toward you, you will cause ripe dates to fall upon thee} ( 19:25 ).

Here we tend to recite this verse without pausing. The palm tree is solid. It is difficult for a human being to shake it. A strong and mighty man would hardly budge a palm tree, even a number of men! The palm tree trunk at the bottom is very large while its top is thin so that the wind can move it. Try to move a fully grown palm tree at the bottom of its trunk, you will not be able. How then can a woman in the weakness of giving birth be able to shake it? Yet this act is demanded of her and it is not sufficient for her to merely see the Divine bounty.
In the first two phases, she saw the Divine gift before her. The first time was for her schooling. Lo and behold, fruits and sustenance descended from the heaven and were laid before her without her asking. The second time she was told that she would give birth without outward nor sensory cause and without connection to any man, again, without her asking. Now, it is asked of her that she herself move the palm tree.

Some of the Ulema said that this was an allusion to the world of cause and effect and to the fact that mankind is not to leave aside material means even though they rely on their Causator. This is a fine explanation. However, there is another meaning. THE CERTITUDE THAT HAD BUILT UP IN OUR MOST BLESSED LADY MARY - UPON HER PEACE - THE VIRGIN, HAD TAKEN ROOT IN HER CONSCIENCE WITH SUCH STRENGTH THAT IT WAS NOW ASKED OF HER TO DO WHAT NO MIND WOULD ACCEPT TO DO WHATSOEVER.

LESSONS FROM MARY'S CERTITUDE

The mind says that in such a state there is no way for her to move the trunk of the palm tree. However, the order or directive came to her from her own child - a breach of custom in its own right, a newborn infant speaking - and with this same breach of custom she was ordered to stretch her hand to do what she knew she was unable to do of her own power howsoever! And this is a meaning from certitude to which our lady Mary ascended.

We own a share of this certitude which we ought to grasp and follow. When God Most Glorious and Exalted asks us to do something from which we find our strength falling short, we ought not to procrastinate obeying the Divine order with the excuse that we are too weak or that others are stronger. The day the Umma reaches the certitude that when they are true in helping God, God will help them [47:7] - at that time the palm trees of existence shall shake for this Community!

JEALOUSY OF THE ISRAELITES

Our pure lady the Virgin rose with her newborn child and returned to the Israelites. The Jews received her and saw her whom they knew to be chosen. Some of them might well have harbored jealousy in their souls against her because of her special station. Those whose hearts have muddied or become diseased find it difficult to watch those that are hale respected and honored in the society.

This is what is called jealousy (hasad). The mark of jealousy is recognized in the heart of the jealous person by the fact that when he sees markers of distinction before him - whether in Religion or anything else - something takes hold in his heart; after this he bides his time patiently, patiently, until, when he hears the smallest suspicion or accusation, he shouts "Yes!" loud and clear in its confirmation and is overjoyed at its news. Why? Because in his heart there is filth and turbidity.

When such filth and turbidity had taken root in the hearts of those people, they felt that in the special distinction of our liege-lord Mary - upon her peace - lay an implicit address to themselves. They seemed to hear the message: "You ought to return to purity, O those who have polluted yourselves with the world and its lucre and its show to which you should never have attached yourselves! Here, before your eyes, is a weak woman that has been honored with this high station of purity while you, who lead your society, how far behind you have left purity!"

THE GREAT ADMONITION TO MARY AND JESUS' NATION

Thus, the state of purity of the Virgin Mary was a state of admonition that had been overturning the beds of those possessed of insight among the worshippers of money and materiality. Now, as soon as they saw the nursing infant in her arms, they became overjoyed. {They said: O Mary! You have come with an amazing thing!} ( 19:27 ). Why did they not ask when they had a chance to learn something? But their muddied hearts could not bear to see the purity of the Virgin before their eyes. This is the wont of those who have polluted themselves with the worship of Mammon. It is too much for them to see purity revered and followed among the people.

{Then she pointed to him. They said, How can we talk to one who is in the cradle, an infant?} ( 19:29 ). God did not give them pause for her to answer them. Lo and behold! our liege-lord the Christ replied to them and spoke although he was a nursing infant: {He spoke: Lo! I am the slave of God. He has given me the Scripture and has appointed me a Prophet} ( 19:30 ). He listed the meanings which God Most High had especially bestowed upon him and the ranks with which He had honored him. He made the key to that list the affirmation that he was the slave of God, his servanthood to God Most High. Then, proceeding from the secret of his servanthood to God Most High, came the ranks: {He has given me the Scripture and has appointed me a Prophet}.

Then he described himself as blessed, then he described himself as dutiful so we would know that the secret of dutiful piety is not binding merely upon those who possess it but also applies to others. THE SOCIETIES THAT RECOGNIZE THE DEGREES OF PIETY AMONG ITS PEOPLE OF MERIT ARE THE SOCIETIES THAT RISE UP IN THE RANKS OF MERIT.

God had said to her before she went back out to her people: {And if you meet any mortal, say: Lo! I have vowed a fast unto the Beneficent, and may not speak this day to any mortal} ( 19:26 ). Ponder this meaning. The rule would have been that He tell her: "Get ready to answer them. Say to them, God is able over all things. Give them the proof and the evidences: I carried and gave birth in a very brief time, you saw me just before and I was not pregnant, if this had been a falsehood or a sin, this should have taken the normal span of time, nine months...." But He did not give her permission to speak nor to prove her innocence. {Say: Lo! I have vowed a fast unto the Beneficent, and may not speak this day to any mortal}. Meaning, in facing this [trial] I have turned entirely to my Lord Almighty and Glorious.

{Then she brought him to her own folk, carrying him. They said: O Mary! You have come with an amazing thing. O sister of Aaron! Your father was not a wicked man nor was your mother a harlot} ( 19:27 ). Ponder this here. It was said that {O sister of Aaron} implied parentage. It was also said that Aaron was proverbially known for integrity and purity. That is: You who have reached, because of your purity, a proverbial level. {Your father was not a wicked man nor was your mother a harlot}. This is a preamble for the charge that is coming up. After falsehood settles firmly in the heart of the dishonest person, he becomes refined in the art of bringing out that falsehood. "We know so well that you are righteous and goodly, but this - this terrible thing you have done!!" They seem happy to see evil.

JESUS' ATTRIBUTES

{Then she pointed to him. They said, How can we talk to one who is in the cradle, an infant?}. The answer came. {He spoke: Lo! I am the slave of God. He has given me the Scripture and has appointed me a Prophet and has made me blessed wheresoever I may be} ( 19:29 -31). So then blessing is with our liege-lord Jesus wherever he is. When he walked upon the earth blessing was with him wherever he walked, and after he ascended to the heaven blessing ascended wherever he ascended.

{And He has enjoined upon me prayer and almsgiving so long as I remain alive and has made me dutiful toward her who bore me, and has not made me arrogant, unblessed} ( 19:31 -32). And now the fruit of what preceded: {Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive! Such was Jesus, son of Mary: a statement of the truth concerning which they doubt?} ( 19:33 ). When this meaning came into broad daylight they were crestfallen and remained unable to say anything.

JESUS' MISSION

Our liege-lord Jesus grew up, fed with purity. When God willed to send him forth, his mission among his people was the mission of the spirit: to link the hearts back with their Lord and revive values and morals. This is the reason we do not find, in the Evangel, much talk about rulings and laws but instead find that the Evangel focuses on morals, parables, and spirituality. For our liege-lord Jesus said, as is mentioned in the Evangel: "I was sent for the lost sheep of the Sons of Israel." That is, God sent me to those whom the world has so overwhelmed that they have become as dumb beasts, unconcerned by other than food, drink, and lusts, without the least heed to rising to any Divine connection.

When they did not accept that magnificent mission, denying its truth, plotting against it, denigrating it and defaming our liege-lord Jesus while some of them believed in him, God desired to cleanse him and raise him up to the second heaven. He raised him up - upon him peace - and the days passed while they remained in their disbelief, defacing the creed, far from spirituality and connection, and so until the time came when our liege-lord Muhammad appeared - upon him and his House blessings and peace! Our liege-lord Jesus had given the glad tidings about him in the Evangel.

THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD AND HIS INHERITORS

Our liege-lord Muhammad appeared! God gave him a Book and He gave him rulings. He guaranteed that they would not be altered nor changed. The people then remained, on this earth, in the fold of true submission (Islâm) and belief (îmân). The spirituality of our liege-lord Muhammad's proofs pointing to God rose and became disseminated in his Companions and the people of his House as well as all those that followed. The entire Community rose up in the levels of their connection to God and showed such wonders that the onlooker can hardly believe that such deeds took place at the hands of human beings other than the sinless Prophets.

These wonders appeared in many of the individuals of this Community and in their human transactions. Their spirits are intimately connected with the One True God, Most High and Exalted - monks by night and knights by day. And so the centuries passed. The world began to enter many of the hearts of the followers of this religious Community. The Prophet had predicted - upon him blessings and peace - that every Community had its [golden] calf. That is: a calf that is worshipped apart from God Most High. He said: "And the calf of my Community is the dinar and the dirham." He also said, upon him blessings and peace, as narrated in al-Bukhârî: "I do not fear that you will commit idolatry after me" - because the creed is well-preserved - "but I fear for you the lure of the world."

One day, the zakât funds came from al-Bahrayn, the poor among the Companions came from the outer limits of the city, hoping for the generosity of the Prophet - upon him blessings and peace - with something from that zakât. The Beloved Prophet - upon him blessings and peace - turned around after the dawn prayer and saw that the mosque was full. He said: "Have the news reached you that the zakât of al-Bahrayn has arrived?" They said, "Yes, O Messenger of God!" He said, "Receive the good tidings and be glad, then! By God! I do not fear poverty for you. However, I fear that the world will be laid wide open before you just as it was laid open for those before you, and you will compete in it just as they competed in it, and it will destroy you just as it destroyed them."

He also said to some of his Companions one day: "What will you do when a dish is brought to you in the morning and another dish in the evening?" That is: what will you do when you start eating twice in the same day? For some of our liege-lords the Companions might have spent three days without eating, yet they took up their swords and fought in the way of God. Yet they prayed at night and fasted by day, learned and taught and called people to God! They owned hearts that had become completely disconnected from material concerns in the sense of followership. They remained connected to material concerns only in the sense of worshipping their Lord. They treated such concerns purely as ways and means, without any attachment to them.

As a result, one of them saw no harm in facing an entire army alone. It should come as no surprise that Ja`far ibn Abî Tâlib took up the flag in his right hand, then his right hand was cut off, but his soul did not allow him to let the flag go down because his heart had lifted up the flag well before his hand! The flag was in his heart. So the left hand took it up, then the left hand was cut off, then he carried it up with his two limbs, then he fell on the ground but the flag never fell from him. In his body there were over eighty cuts from sword-blows, spears, and arrows. All these cuts were in the front of his body for he had been facing the enemy at all times and never thought of fleeing. Stranger yet is that when water was presented to him so that he could relieve his thirst in the throes of death, lips parched, completely exhausted, he said: "I am fasting."

These are the attributes with which God granted them victory. "I am fasting." They said: "In such a time, on such a day? Break your fast today and you will fast again tomorrow!" He replied: "I long to break my fast in Paradise ." Such was his state. Then he gave up the spirit [in Mu'ta, Jordan ], and the Beloved Elect - upon him blessings and peace - was sitting in the presence of his Companions [in Madîna] when he described the entire battle in detail. After this, he - upon him blessings and peace - rose his head and said: "Wa-`alayk as-Salâm, wa-rahmatullâh, wa-barakâtuh, O Ja`far!" The Companions expressed surprise, whereupon he said: "That was Ja`far, the angels carried his spirit to Paradise and he refused to enter it until he first greeted me!"

Such were those who owned spirits attached to the highest realities - love and its heartfelt discernment. Their spirits were not dedicated to pleasures nor motivated by them. Rather, they reveled in and tasted the love of God and His Messenger. Since these were their states, God exalted their lights. `Umar ibn al-Khattâb, God be well-pleased with him, who used to nap or sleep under a tree on the dirt, then would get up and dust himself off, is the one at whose hand the two greatest empires of corruption at the time were conquered - the Romans and the Persians.

THE END OF THE TYRANNY OF MATERIALISM

Such was the state which the Messenger of God - upon him blessings and peace - left behind when he left us. Then the Community began to go backward. Love of the world crept forward. The calf held sway over the hearts. The people hanged back from true guidance. Materialism captured their hearts. The people stood in need of those that would return them to their spiritual realities. Since the faith was preserved from corruption through the Divine guarantee that it would never be altered exclusively of other faiths, the rulings of the Law remained intact - in the books.

These rulings still have to be transformed into rules of living practiced by the hearts. THE UMMA NEEDS, IN THIS AGE IN WHICH MERCILESS MATERIALISM RULES, THE APPEARANCE OF MASSIVE SPIRITUALITY CONNECTED TO THE ALMIGHTY GOD WITH AN UNBROKEN LINK TO THE HEAVEN. THROUGH IT GOD WILL RETURN THE COMMUNITY TO ITS SPIRITUALITY, AND THAT EVENT IS LINKED TO THE DESCENT OF JESUS, UPON HIM PEACE.

At that time, the manifestation of spirituality will descend, in this age of utter materialism, and will link back the individuals of this Community to their Book, their Religion, and the guidance of our liege-lord Muhammad - upon him blessings and peace. He will walk the earth, not with the dispensations of previous times that were in use before him - since they have been corrupted - but he will orient the people and spread goodness, peace, faith, and Islâm in the earth through rules and rulings taken from the noble Qur'ân and from the guidance of our liege-lord Muhammad because these were not corrupted. The rulings remain the rulings but our liege-lord Jesus will come in order to transform them into living rules that will reach to the hearts of all people.

After the manifestation of absolute spirituality appears in this existence in the face of absolute materiality, the latter will crack and cave in before the former, because materiality comes second to the spirit. Materiality was created only as a servant to the spirit, were it not for the foolishness of the people and their covetousness that caused them to make of themselves servants of materialism! WHEN THE MANIFESTATION OF THE TYRANNY OF MATERIALISM LOOKS AT THE MANIFESTATION OF THE SUPREMACY OF THE SPIRIT IT SHALL MELT AND BE POWERLESS TO RESIST. AT THAT TIME THE DIVINE VICTORY WILL APPEAR IN PLAIN SIGHT, AT THE HAND OF OUR LIEGE-LORD JESUS, UPON HIM PEACE.

CONVERSION OF THE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS

Jesus will kill the Dajjâl and the earth will be filled, from east to West, with the lights of Islâm and faith. There will not remain a single house in existence except the lights of belief and guidance will enter it. Those truthful and sincere followers of Jesus that love him and are connected to him will enter Islâm at his hands at that time. It is among the great wonders that Jesus will descend "at the site of the white minaret East of Damascus" while at the very side of this minaret there is a Christian church, as if, upon his descent, he will be greeted both by the Muslims and the Christians.

The Muslims will welcome him in their Salât so that he will pray among them. Then he will receive his followers that lived their lives believing in him and loving him so that he will join them into his Godly troops. After this, they will march one and all to fight the oppression and the enmity of the Jews at that time. Then God will raise up His light-tower over this world.

FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS

We must remember that what we just heard is not merely a story for our souls to be moved a little or for our thoughts to perk up temporarily or become joyful or shed tears. The discourse about our liege-lord the Christ is a method to be followed. Those that possess this guidance and this discernment and taste for the spirit and for their connection to spirituality will be the ones at whose hands God will open the gates of deliverance for this Umma. We must know that even if the greatest manifestation of the deliverance we await will take place at the descent of our liege-lord the Christ, nevertheless, it is not part of our Religion that we should wait until our liege-lord the Christ descend and be content with the evil which we are experiencing.

The story of the Christ was assigned, and news of it came from the mouth of our liege-lord Muhammad, only so that we would know that this is the path of right guidance. Namely, that the linkage of hearts must be to their Almighty and Glorious Lord and that materiliality belongs underhand and underfoot. Putting God first, before anything else, is the way of safety and success.

It would have been possible for the Messenger of God ( never to tell us anything about this. He could have said, You will be victorious, end of the matter. But why, O Messenger of God, did you teach us and remind us of all this, that salvation and victory will be at the hands of our liege-lord the Christ? So that we would live this right here and now and be prepared for this victory. Let each of you rise in the morning and reach the night as he is preparing the Umma of the Prophet ( for this final victory.

Let each rise in the morning and reach the night with his heart bound to his Lord with hoops of steel, preferring God to everything else. When the world comes to him with its pomp, trying to delay him from his connection to his Lord, he prefers his Lord to everything else. He does not accept for the world to enroll him. He refuses to cheat or deceive in his buying and selling, in his trading, in his property. He is not a slave to the dinar and the dirham.

The Messenger of God Muhammad said: "Perish the worshipper of gold and silver and silk, who agrees when given and, if he does not get anything, becomes angry. He has perished and failed! [Or: Perish, and failure to him!] If adversity come to him, may it not go away." That is, his state is a state of affliction. Consider the words of the Prophet, "If adversity come to him [literally: If he gets pricked by a thorn], may it not go away [literally: he does not remove it]." That is: when a thorn pricks him, he can very well remove it with pincers, but no! It is not the case. What is the meaning of these words? Worldly people, when disease afflicts them, go to the physician and undergo an operation in the best hospital, end of story. The meaning is that the thorn, as trivial as it may be, spoils one's serenity. It embitters him and troubles his peace. A thorn! Ouch! What! But! He feels disturbed, afflicted. The Messenger of God says, in this context, that the one who is a worshipper of gold and silver, living for appearances - a silk shirt - when a problem happens to him, he sips its sequels and treats it as a disaster, so that even when the disaster is gone, its agony lingers in himself.

But the one who is connected to God, God honors him. Even in the worst affliction, God causes to descend upon his heart the coolness of contentment so that he is at peace with God Most Glorious and Exalted and accepts His Decree that came to pass.

Reflect and nourish your feelings with such high meanings. Ask for your connection and your portion of the meaning of your affiliation to the army of truth and the rallying-place (fustât) of belief so as to come out of the predicament in which we are. Whoever neglects the purification of his heart and the correction of his character, his heart will be overcome by hypocrisy - our refuge is God! - little by little until he leans to the rallying-place of disbelief which is devoid of all faith.

The battle of disbelief and belief is coming whether we like it or not. However, preparation for that battle is not merely with weapons or swords or strategy! Rather, preparation for that battle is by getting ready hearts whose fill is God - hearts that do not become full except with the magnification of the Almighty. This is the real preparation for what is coming upon this Community.

Jesus Christ The Son of Mary and His Blessed Mother (Part 1)

This article is taken from Sunni Path. When I saw this, I thought it'll be an important article to share. It might clear some misconceptions of what we truly believe of Prophet and Messenger Jesus (May Allah be pleased with Him.)

by Shaykh Al-Sayyid Al-Habib 'Ali Jafri
Translated by Shaykh Gibril F. Haddad

Upon our Prophet Muhammad and his House and upon them the blessings and peace of God

Translation of a talk given in Arabic at Dâr al-Fatwâ in Beirut , Lebanon on 10 January 2003 by the Shaykh AL-SAYYID AL-HABIB `ALI JAFRI OF YEMEN

Translated by GF Haddad - - Dhul-Qi`da 1423

Note: Dâr al-Fatwâ in Beirut is the chief Sunni body in charge of giving fatwâ in the Republic of Lebanon and comprises an Islamic University that delivers bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees in the Sharî`a.

[Subheadings and emphases added by the translator]
--

{Glory belongs to God Who has sent down upon His servant the Book and has not assigned unto it any crookedness} (18:1). I bear witness that there is no god but God alone, without partner, and I bear witness that our liege-lord Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. Allâh bless and greet and lavish His benediction upon him and upon his forefathers and brethren among the Prophets and Messengers - our liege-lords Abraham, Moses, Jesus and all the intervening Prophets, and upon his House and Companions and those that follow them faithfully until the Day of Judgment!

THE HONOR AND PURPOSE OF RELIGION

To proceed: God Most High, the Exalted, has granted us immense honor and chosen us for this magnificent Religion, the Religion of Islam which He was well-pleased to make the seal of all religions, the Religion that is right and true for all times and all places. One that belongs to such a Religion prepares himself for a most important task and tremendous mission: excellence in bringing forth to the people of the earth the manifest proofs for the discourses, the directives, and the manifold guidance of heaven.

Thus, the greatness of this Religion is that it has come to prepare its adherents and followers for an immense task, the most important task in this existence: to warn the people of the earth against the errors in which they live and which signify, in this world, great destructive strife and dissension and all sorts of diseases and problems while they signify, in the next world, great hindrance from the convoy of the blessed whom God the Most Glorious chooses for His good pleasure. This is our mission.

COMPREHENSION (FIQH) OF THE MISSION

When the Muslim and the Believer becomes fully aware and comprehends his mission, he is then able to understand others with that comprehension of his mission. And to the extent that the Muslim and the Believer only dimly understands the greatness of the mission with which God entrusted him exclusively of others, he is hardly able to understand well and widen the scope of his relationship with creatures in all their variety.

When we say "hardly able" we do not only mean the wrong behavior that stems from inflexibility, prejudice, and extremism. We are saying that he is hardly able to understand in all the senses of being hardly able to understand, whether through inflexibility, or wronging others, or harming them without any justification, or, on the other hand, because of a debility he finds in himself which causes him to lose touch with his own mission. >From this debility follows the dissolution of his personality into his connection to his surroundings in this world. He is liquefied just like a liquid. He takes the form and color of his container and cannot have the least influence on others. Both matters are wrong.

THE VASTNESS OF COMPREHENSION

However, when the Believer fears God and fully comprehends the gravity of his mission, he realizes that his Religion is the one vast Religion: vast - vast! - and comprehensive. If he comprehends how to inter-relate with it, he becomes vast enough for the folk of the earth and the folk of the heaven in his connection and his relationship.

THE MEANING OF "BECOMING VAST" HERE IS TO GIVE EACH AND EVERY THING ITS DUE RIGHT; EXCELLENCE IN CONVEYING THE MESSAGE OF GOD REGARDING THE PATH OF RIGHT; EXCELLENCE IN TREADING THE PATH OF RIGHT; EXCELLENCE IN DEALING WITH THE SCALE OF THE SACRED LAW BOTH TOWARD THOSE WHO ACT EXCELLENTLY AND THOSE WHO ACT WRONG - WHETHER SUCH BE ALLIES OR ENEMIES - WITHOUT THE LEAST PART NOR GAIN IN ALL THIS FOR THE EGO.

INCOMPREHENSION CAUSED BY THE EGO

Every inability that any creature on the face of the earth experiences in fully comprehending [the Religion] in the sense of understanding how to inter-relate with others around him - mostly human beings but also jinn, inanimate forms, vegetation, and animals - every such inability is caused only because such a person has contented himself with his egotism and his exclusive attachment to the demands of his ego. THE STRONGER THE EGO BECOMES IN MAKING ONE DO ITS WILL OR FULFILL ITS DEMANDS AND ITS LUSTS, THE WEAKER DOES ONE BECOME IN UNDERSTANDING HIS SURROUNDINGS WHETHER IN PERCEPTION (FAHMAN) OR ABILITY (TA'AHHULAN).

Thus, the weakening of comprehension is connected with perception; and the weakening of comprehension is connected with ability. Perception is the basis, after which it produces interaction (ta`âmul).

THE COMPREHENSIVE GOODNESS OF ISLAM

Also among the manifestations of the magnificence, vastness, preparedness (tahayyu'), and suitability (salâhiyya) of this Religion for action in every context of time and place: the fact that this Religion has produced excellence in all of its past ages; guided us to connect us to everything right and good in what has passed; and assigned for us in this a golden rule by which we know how to produce everything right and good in all things to come.

This is why our Religion is the only Religion that comprehends the totality of the Prophets and Messengers in belief, confirmation, loyalty, and love. You do not find any of the other religions believing in all the Prophets. You only find, here, an exception of this Prophet, there, an exception of that Prophet, and there, yet other exceptions. As for us, the Muslims, God has made it religion for us to have complete belief and faith in the message of all the Messengers and the Prophethood of all the Prophets. More than that: the belief of any given believer among us becomes invalid if he does not believe in the Prophethood of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Noah and other of the Prophets whom God Most High mentioned in His Book.

The vastness of acceptance we just mentioned makes our Religion encompassing and comprehensive (jâmi`). It is the quintessence (khulâsa) of what the Prophets have conveyed and enjoined to their respective communities. Anyone of us that reads and recites the Qur'ân with contemplation of and affect from the magnificent greatness of that Book, will find news from our liege-lord Noah; before him, our liege-lord Adam; after them, Hûd; after him, Sâlih; after him, Abraham; after him, Moses; just as the news do come regarding our liege-lord the Christ - upon our Prophet and upon him the best blessings and salutations of peace!

MUHAMMAD THE QUINTESSENCE OF PROPHETS

What is the purpose of all this in the context of our receiving our guidance from our liege-lord Muhammad, upon him blessings and peace? Would it not be enough that the news come to us [only] regarding our liege-lord Muhammad? No, because THE ORIGIN OF THE NEWS CONCERNING OUR LIEGE-LORD MUHAMMAD IS A VAST CAPACITY OR RECIPIENCY (SI`A) INTO WHICH WAS POURED THE QUINTESSENCE OF WHAT ALL THE PROPHETS BROUGHT SO THAT IT WOULD BE EMBODIED IN THE PERSON OF OUR LIEGE-LORD MUHAMMAD. The blessings of my Lord and His salutations of peace upon him and his House!

On this basis we can know the high rank of our liege-lord the Christ, upon him peace. On this basis we can know the high rank of his mother - Mary, upon her peace. Thus do we know that the two of them have received an exalted rank in the presence of God Most Glorious and Exalted. We also know that our liege-lord Jesus stands out from the rest of the Prophets, in our relationship with him, with a special characteristic.

OUR SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PROPHETS

Our relationship with the entirety of our liege-lords the Prophets consists in belief, love, faith, and the learning of lessons and wisdoms from their stories, the reports that come from them, and their lives. We may hear, for example, that the father of Prophets, our liege-lord Abraham, upon him peace, stands out in his connection to us, in a way, because Primordial Monotheism (al-hanîfiyya) is ascribed to him; also, because he is one of the forefathers of our liege-lord Muhammad - upon him blessings and peace; and because he actually supplicated for God to send Muhammad at the end of times.

Moses, upon him peace, obtained a special characteristic in his connection to us in the fact that he is the one that advised our liege-lord Muhammad - upon him blessings and peace - to ask God Most Glorious and Exalted for leniency when the prayer was made obligatory - fifty daily prayers.

However, our liege-lord the Christ, upon him peace, stands out in his connection to this Community of Islâm (Umma). Together with the lessons we take from God Most High in the Qur'ân and from the words of the Beloved in the Sunna - God bless and greet him and his House and Companions - in the reports about our liege-lord Jesus, the jihad of our liege-lord Jesus, the high character of our liege-lord Jesus, the values of our liege-lord Jesus, the immense rank of our liege-lord Jesus before his Lord, the superlative knowledge of our liege-lord Jesus which he received from his Lord, in addition, WE, THE MASSES OF THE MUSLIMS, HAVE A SPECIAL CONNECTION WITH A CERTAIN GREAT MISSION OF OUR LIEGE-LORD THE CHRIST.

OUR SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CHRIST JESUS

This great mission is that, among the major signs of the final Hour and among the keys of the huge deliverance that will dawn upon this Community of Islâm, there will come a time on this earth when the call to the pre-morning prayer will be raised in Damascus - at the white minaret East of Damascus; the imâm will want to step forward to lead the prayer when - lo and behold! - the people will watch in astonishment while our liege-lord Jesus descends from the heaven, his two hands resting on the wings of the angels, his head seemingly dripping with water, wearing clothes which our liege-lord Muhammad - upon him blessings and peace - described in great detail. He said that the color of his clothes resembled saffron dye, as if his clothes had been dyed with saffron and wars.

Our Prophet Muhammad - upon him blessings and peace - described for us the very appearance of the clothes in which Jesus would descend! Such vestmentary description signifies nothing other than additional emphasis on reflection, perception, and discernment (dhawq) for the meaning of our connection with this great master who was thus honored by his Lord.

THE DESCENT OF JESUS

He will descend. When the Imâm Muhammad al-Mahdî - a scion of the Prophetic House - sees him as he was readying himself to lead the prayer, he will move back and say to our liege-lord Jesus: "Step forward, Spirit from God!"

It has been mentioned in the hadîth that the breath of our liege-lord Jesus, the day he descends, does not encounter a disbeliever whose belief is despaired of, except that disbeliever will die on the spot. This is due to the greatness of the spiritual state in which our liege-lord Jesus will descend: a heavenly state for one beloved of God among God's servants whom He caused to perdure in the nearest heaven for more than two thousand years, after which he descends to this earth. Hence, as stated in the hadîth narrated by al-Tirmidhî, he does not breathe one breath except every disbeliever this breath reaches will die on the spot, and his breath reaches the extent of his gaze. That is, when our liege-lord Jesus descends upon this earth, his breath will reach as far as his eyes can see.

JESUS AND THE MAHDI

When our liege-lord the Mahdî sees him he will move back and say: "Step forward, Spirit from God!" Jesus will say: "The call to prayer was raised but for you, therefore, step forward!" Then our liege-lord Jesus will pray behind our liege-lord al-Mahdî. Because of this, it was said that among the immense merits of this Community of Islâm is that a Prophet beloved of God and brought near Him - one of the Messengers of High Resolve (ulîl-`azm) - will pray behind an individual from this Community.

After the dawn prayer, our liege-lord the Mahdî will step back and hand over the leadership of the Community of Islâm to our liege-lord Jesus. When our liege-lord Jesus receives the leadership of the Community he will take up the flag and prepare the army to march to Jerusalem so as to seize it back and return it to truth and guidance and light.

THE GREAT DECEIVER (DAJJAL)

In that time the Great Deceiver or Dajjâl will have appeared. All the uproar and loud cries of the voices of money and materialism in the world today, in all their manifestations, are only preliminaries for the Dajjâl. Everything that you see in this world producing weak souls and raising entire generations with the most tenuous of links to principles and values - people made into worldly automatons, worshippers of the world, their sole concern the world, their thought the world, their religion the world, their consciences the world - when the people are ripe in this sense, the Dajjâl will emerge onto this world in the form of a missionary - a reformist missionary.

He will appear among the people then he will acquire fame and more fame. Many miracles will show at his hands. He will claim Prophethood. Then he will claim Divinity - our refuge is Allâh! We might very nearly have to envisage or imagine that a Muslim can actually follow some misshapen creature walking this earth and whom he will consider his Divine Lord!

However, the Most Beloved - God bless and greet him and his Family - told us about the Dajjâl. He said he might enter an all-Muslim town and then exit it, all its population now disbelievers! God is our refuge from such a thing! Someone asked, what is the reason? It was said that the reason is that he will go to people whose hearts have grown attached to love of the world and whose entire identities have thoroughly mixed with the world and its train. For such, "whoever pays leads" (man yadfa` yutba`)!

This is what the people are being trained for today. They are being prepared for the Dajjâl and his sovereignty. They are being educated today - in their economy, their politics, their societies, their relationships, their commerce, their undertakings and derelictions - all on the debilitated foundation that is the attachment of hearts to trivial worldly interests.

Whoever pays leads. For this was it related that the Dajjâl will roam the earth. God will permit that people be tried at his hands. He will have control of their sustenance - agriculture, food, water - to the point he will say, "O heaven, rain!" and rain will pour; "O earth, sprout!" and vegetation will grow; "O plantations, bear fruit!" and fruit will ripen; "O living one, die! O dead one, rise!" and the dead will rise. God will grant him these displays and watch those whose hearts have latched upon externalities (mazâhir) be seduced while those whose hearts have latched upon the Hidden and Manifest (al-bâtin al-zâhir) remain oblivious to all but Him.

It was related that the Dajjâl will roam the entire earth. It was related from the Beloved that he said: "Let none of you ever wish to meet the Arch-Deceiver!" In addition to the extreme gravity of the warnings of the Beloved against the Dajjâl, he even said that there had never been any Prophet except he warned his people about the strife of the Dajjâl. Indeed, IN EVERY PRAYER, AFTER RECITING THE FINAL WITNESSING OF FAITH (TASHAHHUD) AND THE BENEDICTION UPON HIS PURE SELF, HE WOULD SEEK REFUGE IN HIS LORD FROM "THE TRIAL (FITNA) OF LIFE AND THE TRIAL OF DEATH AND THE TRIAL OF THE ARCH-DECEIVER MASIKH." May God save us and you from his trial!

He - upon him blessings and peace - insisted so much on the terrible gravity of the Dajjâl's strife before the Companions that some of them said, "We believed he was already among the date-trees of Madîna." They believed he had arrived and would appear any moment among the people because of the fear caused by the reports of the Prophet - upon him blessings and peace - about him.

THE DIVINE PROTECTION

Despite these incessant warnings and the fear caused by this forthcoming strife, the Messenger of God - upon him blessings and peace - said: "Whoever recites Sûrat al-Kahf the night before Jumu`a and its day, God will protect him from the strife of Dajjâl."

O Messenger of God! You told us of a calamity that would shake the entire earth - a man that would control the world from East to West, roaming the earth, in his hand many of the powers that cause these calamities. The people of faith will experience hunger, poverty, distress. Then you said, after warning us of this terrible disaster that would befall us - so great that the Companions themselves thought the Dajjâl had almost come out - that the remedy is to recite Sûrat al-Kahf the night before Jumu`a and its day? One Sûra of the Qur'ân containing one hundred and ten verses. Are you telling me that if I recite it, I will be safe from this huge disaster?

He says yes! So that you would understand that the greatness of this safety and salvation are linked to God Most High. WE ARE A COMMUNITY OF ISLAM WHOSE SALVATION AND SAFETY AND PRESERVATION DO NOT DEPEND ON SHORT-SIGHTED EXTERNALITIES AND POWERS NOR ON THEIR "MOVERS AND SHAKERS". We are a Community whose paths of salvation in the world and the hereafter consist in the attachment of our hearts to this most glorious Book, in the arousal of feelings in our hearts telling us of the greatness of the message that comes from God. There is no Muslim that regularly reads Sûrat al-Kahf every night before Jumu`a and every day of Jumu`a except he obtains a guarantee from the Beloved Elect - upon him blessings and peace - regarding his salvation from the trial of the Dajjâl.

It was related from both Ibn Mas`ûd and al-Hasan al-Basrî that they received the news or rather heard the rumor that the Dajjâl had come out. Al-Hasan laughed. He was asked "What makes you laugh?" He replied: "If he came out now, the boys of al-Basra would play with him the way they play with a foot ball." Why? Because in the time in which al-Hasan and Ibn Mas`ûd were told of this rumor, the people had a firm foothold in certitude in their relationship with God. The sway of the Dajjâl and his power cannot in the least affect hearts upon which the lights of certitude have dawned. THE SWAY OF THE DAJJAL HOLDS ONLY OVER HEARTS WHOSE CERTITUDE HAS WILTED AND WHOSE ATTACHMENT TO EVANESCENT MATTERS HAVE GROWN STRONG.

To be continued...

Itqan - 'Perfection' Drives SHUKR's Fashionable Islamic Clothing Line

This is where I do my shopping lately... The only regular store is in Damascus. It's a pretty small shop and doesn't usually have everything you see online. For the most part of it, it has a good collection that I LOVE...


By Sajjad Chowdhry
Posted, January 31, 2006


In the business world the bottom-line is everything. Business leaders usually ask, "If I do X versus Y, how much money will I make, or will it lead to increased brand equity or a more efficient operation which will make me more money, etc.?"

But a growing number of business people are also asking questions like, "What is the social impact of my business?", "How many jobs will I create?", "Are my employees satisfied and do they thrive in the work environment created for them?" For many Muslim entrepreneurs who are asking such questions, the basis of their business planning is Islam-- informing their internal and external business policies by drawing freely from Islamic sources.

One such company making its mark is Shukr Islamic Clothing which provides the underserved Muslim market in the West with high quality clothing, based on both traditional Islamic and contemporary Western designs.

Its online and direct mail operations serve the Muslim communities in the UK and the USA.

The company's concept took form about 6 years ago when a British man named Anas Sillwood was looking for a part time job to support himself. He, along with a group of students studying in Damascus, was inspired to create a line of clothing for Muslims rooted in Islamic sensibilities yet not outwardly too ethnic (Pakistani, Arab, etc.).

Many, or most, of these students were European or American converts to Islam. The Shukr team wanted to create " quality, fashionable Islamic clothing" that was relevant to their own cultural frameworks which they could wear without getting surprised looks from people on the subway or walking down the street.

Diverse backgrounds

While members of the Shukr team all shared their new experiences in Damascus their backgrounds varied considerably. Their common interest in Islam and in creating an Islamic clothing line with modern sensibilities gave them the ability to bring all of their experiences forward in order to make Shukr a strong concept and a successful venture.

They also all used their experiences from their lives before accepting Islam to make Shukr as modern and relevant a project as possible.

While Mr. Sillwood studied the social sciences at the famed London School of Economics others brought corporate experience to the venture. One prominent member of the team was a college drop out who became an international model walking the runways and catwalks of Milan , Paris , and New York while modeling for Vogue and other top icons of the fashion world.

This experience in particular gave the Shukr team a distinct competitive edge in understanding what kinds of concepts and styles the conventional fashion world was using and for what reasons. In other words this gave the team a benchmark to create Islamic styles that are just as fashionable as the West yet practical for Muslims which are also elegant and stylish.

The Objective and the Responsibility

As one of the founding members of the company told us, "We did not want to export other styles like Shalwar Kameez. We wanted to create viable options for people who had taken on a new identity." Their concept strives to speak the Islamic modesty with the sophistication and elegance of the West.

As their concept took form, the Shukr team decided that as socially responsible and aware people one of their prime motivations and goals in operating this business would be to give something back to the communities in which they lived in Damascus. In short, they wanted to give thanks to the people with whom they lived. Hence the name Shukr which is the Arabic word for Thanks.

Since members of the team were studying the Islamic sciences they chose to base this Thanks in the Qur'anic ayah which says, "If you give thanks, I shall certainly increase you." (Qur'an 14:7). So Shukr decided that all of its production would be handled in Damascus . From a business perspective it certainly did not hurt that Damascus has been known through the centuries for its high quality textiles and garments industries. And from a CSR perspective the Shukr team gave thanks to their community by returning something to them in the form of jobs and opportunity. The name also helps to reinforce the concept in their customers - human beings need to always be thankful for what God has bestowed on them.

Seeking God's Pleasure

Before the Shukr team set out to build its operation, its members all decided on one principle - that their ultimate motivation would be the pleasure of God.

Before the Shukr team set out to build its operation, its members all decided on one principle - that their ultimate motivation would be the pleasure of God. In its own particular sense as a fashion design house the Shukr team drew on particular hadith to guide them in the proper direction. For example, a hadith from the collection of Muslim states, "Allah is beautiful and He loves beauty." In another hadith from the collection of Tirmidhee, "Allah loves to witness the traces of His bounties upon his servant." These ahadith spur the Shukr team to create items of beauty for their customers to wear and express their Muslim identity.

Appealing to God Consciousness

This idea extends into their marketing concepts as well. While their garments are sold on the basis of their look, practicality, or fabric, one of their other key selling points is that the dress of a Muslim speaks to a higher goal in pleasing God rather than pleasing one's peers.

The Shukr team quotes a verse from the Qur'an to support this approach which reads, "Children of Adam, dress well whenever you are at worship." (Qur'an 7:31). They emphasize modesty as a hallmark of the Muslim character which they are helping uphold as a core value with their fashions and style.

To remind its customers that they are mainly dressing for God rather than other people the company does not photograph their models' faces. The aim is to emphasize the clothing and not the image of the person wearing the clothes.

Perfection as an Objective backing a Money Back Guarantee

Because the Shukr team strives to produce the highest quality clothing they are driven by another prophetic tradition which states, "Verily God loves that when one of you does something, that he perfect it."

As the company's website declares, "The SHUKR philosophy is founded upon the concept of itqan, perfection. which translates into a concern for quality, and this is what SHUKR is striving for in its product range." Customers who are not satisfied with their purchase can return the products for a full refund within 20 days of purchase.

From Bazaars to Catwalks

While the company has mostly participated in bazaar like environments to promote their clothing lines they also interestingly organized a fashion show complete with a catwalk at the annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). The show held separate sessions for men and women but a representative of the company did indicate to us that catwalks showcasing male fashions may be opened up for women to attend as well since their research shows that women tend to buy more for men than men buy for women.

The Future for Shukr

The Shukr team is currently planning their future strategies. The company currently has offices in the United States and the UK . When asked if the company has considered approaching Western fashion houses with their original designs, a member of the team replied that they will take things incrementally in this regard. In the meantime the plan is to increase their exposure and increase sales - objectives that every business owner can appreciate.

Their existence is proof positive that the ethical and legal considerations of Islam can inform the process of modern day business decision making.