General
From Issue: 306 [Read full issue]
| Living the Quran |
Ta-Ha
One of the ways in which the Satan deceives man and makes falsehood attractive to him is calling forbidden things, which are acts of disobedience towards Allah, by attractive names to deceive people and confuse them about what is really true, as he called the forbidden tree the tree of eternal life, so as to make the thought of eating from it attractive to Adam. He kept claiming that this was the tree of eternal life, and that eating from it would make him live forever in Paradise, or would make him one of the angels, until Adam obeyed him, and was subsequently expelled from Paradise. Look at the friends and supporters of the Satan today, how they use the same means to mislead people: those who adhere to and promote communism and socialism claim that these are the only ways which will rid mankind of confusion, anxiety, ruin and hunger; those who call for women to come out clothed but naked in the name of freedom, and those who call for facile acting which stamps on people's honour and morals, and violates sacred limits in the name of art; those poisonous ideas which promote depositing money in interest-based banks in order to earn profits in the name of development and high profits; and those who claim that adhering to religion constitutes bacdwardness and stagnation, and who described those who call people to Islam as crazy or agents of the east and west, etc. Ibn al-Qayyim said: "From Satan his followers learned the method of calling unlawful things by names which people find attractive. So they called wine the mother of joy, and they called intoxicants morsels of delight, and they called riba (usury) business dealings, and they called taxes the rights of the authorities, and so on ... " This is a dangerous path for if falsehood is make to appear attractive to a person he will pursue it with all his strength, to achieve that which he thinks is right, even if it will lead to his doom. Source: |
| Understanding the Prophet's Life |
| Misleading form of conversation Abu Hurayrah reported that Allah's Messenger said: "Beware of suspicion, for verily suspicion is the most misleading form of conversation." [Collected by Bukhari & Muslim] Suspicion based on evidence is natural and allowable. For example, if something was missing from someone's school bag and one student was known to have been alone in the classroom, he would naturally be a suspect. But one must avoid excesses in suspicion. A true Muslim is not overly suspicious. He does not judge all those around him guilty until proven innocent. Such excesses always lead to corruption. Often a person who is overly suspicious will openly express his opinion about others by accusing them with little or no evidence. And by doing that he falls into the grave sin of slander. The Prophet, peace be upon him, in this hadith confirmed Allah's warning to avoid a lot of suspicion by telling us to be very careful when dealing with suspicion whether in large or small quantities. He then went on to explain why extreme caution must be taken. When suspicion is spoken about, it becomes the most deceptive from of conversation. It often fools both the one expressing it, as well as the one who hears it, because it often carries with it the possibility of being true. The one who raises the suspicion does not feel that he is lying because he is only expressing a thought. The one who hears it then develops a suspicion. He, in turn, passes the suspicion on to others and others to others. And, that is how rumours are born and spread. As long as a suspicion remains a thought, its owner is not held to account for it. A suspicious person is held to account for his suspicion only when suspicion leaves the world of thought and becomes an action, whether spoken or done. The greatest danger of suspicion is that it leads to the break-up of friendships and communities. Trust is destroyed by suspicion. And without trust there can be no friendships or cummunity. Thus, Islam stands opposed to suspicion by encouraging trust among Muslims. We should always think the best of others until they prove themselves otherwise. In that way, simple misunderstandings will not become the basis for hate and anger and the break-up of relationships. Source: |
| Turn on Life! |
Nine Tips To Dealing with TV It’s tough to escape peer pressure when your friends keep talking about the clothes, the music and the stars. Today, Television defines teen culture. With its barrage of alluring advertisements and captivating shows, it tells you what is cool and what is ‘in’ and ‘out’. Let Islam, not the media, decide your dress code, morals, and values. 1. Watch what is Halal. Stick to the most “clean” material you can find. TV should be used with discretion to watch educational and insightful programs or decent entertainment. 2. Remove the TV from your room. Having a TV set in your own room encourages you to watch it more. You are less likely to be tempted by Shaytan to watch something indecent when you have a parent, a sibling, or a friend watching with you. Remember, Shaytan loves attacking people who are ‘bored’, sitting idle, or in a company of bad people. Keep the TV in the main room, where it won’t distract you. 3. Protect your heart from hardening. Frequent sinning through consuming violence, profanity, and pornography on TV hardens and blackens the heart. It may reach a point that the heart may no longer respond to reminders of death, Allah (SWT), or the Quran. Fear of Allah (SWT) may completely vanish. This is the worst thing that can happen to you!
4. Adopt and support Islamic media. Hundreds of educational or entertainment multi-media products crafted by Muslim artists, writers, producers, and singers hit the market every year. These cartoons, movies, and songs could be enjoyable for the entire family! 5. Limit viewing time. If you have to watch TV, limit yourself. Write down a number of hours per week and stick to your limit. 6. Resist the urge. Are your fingers twitching to press that remote? Stop, step outside and do something. You don’t have to play sports, but do activities that make you happy. 7. Keep the box off when you're doing other things. Whether you’re eating dinner, doing your homework, or reading a magazine, you don’t need the TV to be on at the same time--keeping it on simply encourages you to watch TV more and neglect other activities. 8. Use a VCR to screen material. Fast-forward dubious content, blitz through commercials, and stick with what’s good. 9. Have a TV free get-together with friends. Make the following rule: no one will watch TV or movies in the living room. If you want to go further, make it a rule that the topics of conversation cannot revolve around the latest twist in a soap opera or the most recent plot on a sci-fi show. Play basketball, go for a walk, do anything but watch TV.
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