Poverty

Just look at the difference! - God forbid what if it would've been the opposite? May Allah (s.w.t) forgive us all.

 One of the most widespread and dangerous problems faced by humanity is that of poverty, hunger and starvation. There is nothing more horrifying than the realization that as we live our happy lives here, millions of our fellow human beings live in hunger and face starvation. The majority of the world population today lives in poverty. It is clear that the world system we have set up today is unjust and inhumane.

One of the great reforms that the Prophet Muhammad (Peace & blessings of Allah be upon him) brought was the rights and treatment of the poor. Prior to the advent of Islam, the pagan Arabs used to disregard the poor, they would look down on them, and could care less about them; the poor people were basically an insignificant portion of society that did not matter.  However so, with the Prophet Muhammad (Peace & blessings of Allah be upon him) that all changed, the Muslims were now obliged to look after the poor, and were required to spend of their wealth to help the poor out. For instance the Prophet Muhammad (Peace & blessings of Allah be upon him) taught the following:

[Sahih Al-Bukhari]
Volume 7, Book 64, Number 264
Narrated Abu Huraira:
 Allah's Apostle said, "Allah said, 'O son of Adam! Spend, and I shall spend on you."

Clarification:

The basic meaning of this hadith was that Muslims should spend from their wealth in giving charity to the poor. This teaching of the Prophet, to spend and to give in charity, was a very common message that he would often give as we read in another hadith:

[Sahih Al-Bukhari]
Volume 2, Book 24, Number 492
Narrated Haritha bin Wahab:

I heard the Prophet saying, "O people! Give in charity as a time will come upon you when a person will wander about with his object of charity and will not find anybody to accept it, and one (who will be requested to take it) will say, "If you had brought it yesterday, would have taken it, but to-day I am not in need of it."

Clarification:

As I wrote earlier, the poor people of the time were completely disregarded, especially by the elite of society, those at the top of society, the very wealthy, did not care at all for the poor people, and they would look down on them. So what did the Prophet Muhammad (Peace & blessings be upon him) say in this regard? The Prophet Muhammad (Peace & blessings of Allah be upon him) specifically commanded the wealthy people to give in charity and gave a very dire warning to them if they didn’t do so:

[Sahih Al-Bukhari]
Volume 2, Book 24, Number 486
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "Whoever is made wealthy by Allah and does not pay the Zakat of his wealth, then on the Day of Resurrection his wealth will be made like a bald-headed poisonous male snake with two black spots over the eyes. The snake will encircle his neck and bite his cheeks and say, 'I am your wealth, I am your treasure.' " Then the Prophet recited the holy verses:-- 'Let not those who withhold . . .' (to the end of the verse). (3.180).

Clarification:

So the above hadith was a warning to the wealthy people of the consequences of not looking after the poor and giving in charity. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace & blessings of Allah be upon him) also taught the following about wealthy people giving in charity:

[Sahih Al-Bukhari]
Volume 2, Book 24, Number 507
Narrated Abu Huraira:
 The Prophet (p.b.u.h) said, "The best charity is that which is practiced by a wealthy person. And start giving first to your dependents."

'Help the one's who are poor be merciful towards one another'

In a longer version of this hadith we read:

[Sahih Al-Bukhari]
 Volume 2, Book 24, Number 508:
Narrated Hakim bin Hizam:
The Prophet said, "The upper hand is better than the lower hand (i.e. he who gives in charity is better than him who takes it). One should start giving first to his dependents. And the best object of charity is that which is given by a wealthy person (from the money which is left after his expenses). And whoever abstains from asking others for some financial help, Allah will give him and save him from asking others, Allah will make him self-sufficient."

Clarification:

So the Prophet Muhammad (Peace & blessings of Allah be upon him) taught the best of charity is the one given by those who are rich, the wealthy people. The reason for this was because the prophet wanted to give a very strong incentive for the rich to start giving in charity, something they didn’t really care about before. As well as this it was also to show the great reform of society, that now, the rich of society are giving for the poor, unlike before, when they could care less about the poor precisely because they were rich.

We also read in another hadith, what the Prophet Muhammad (Peace & blessings of Allah be upon him) would do when he encountered poor people:

[Sahih Al-Bukhari]
Volume 2, Book 24, Number 512:
Narrated Abu Burda bin Abu Musa:
That his father said, "Whenever a beggar came to Allah's Apostle or he was asked for something, he used to say (to his companions), "Help and recommend him and you will receive the reward for it; and Allah will bring about what He will through His Prophet's tongue."

Clarification:

So whenever the Prophet Muhammad (Peace & blessings of Allah be upon him) would encounter with a poor person, he would tell his companions to help and give for that person, and they would be rewarded for it. The prophet would not simply ignore them and let them be, as would have been the custom of the time, rather he gave advise and teaching to his companions to help these people.

And in another hadith we also read the following;

[Sahih Al-Bukhari]
Volume 7, Book 64, Number 265
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet said, "The one who looks after a widow or a poor person is like a Mujahid (warrior) who fights for Allah's Cause, or like him who performs prayers all the night and fasts all the day."

  

 

Clarification:

So the Prophet Muhammad (Peace & blessings of Allah be upon him) compared the one who looks after a poor person, with the one who fights in the cause of Allah (s.w.t) As everyone knows, the one who fights in the cause of Allah has a very high place and status in Islam, it is one of the highest honors one can have, yet the Prophet Muhammad (Peace & blessings of Allah be upon him) explicitly states that a person who looks after a poor person is like the one who fights in the cause of Allah (s.w.t) Thus one can see the very high value and importance Islam attaches to helping and looking after the poor. This teaching is a major incentive and motivation for the people to take care, and to look after the poor.

Source:
http://ilovemuhammed.com/the-prophet/his-teachings/66-the-prophet-muhammed-Peace & blessings be upon him-and-helping-the-poor

STORY OF A DONKEY

♦♦♦ Never to Give Up ♦♦♦

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and begin to shovel dirt into the well.

At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that fell on his back, the donkey was doing some thing amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up.

Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and totted off!

♥ Moral ♥ : Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick is too not to get bogged down by it. We can get out of the deepest wells by not stopping. And by never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up!

Touching the Heart

Something to Remember:

Some time ago, a friend of mine punished his 3-year old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight, and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, “This is for you, Daddy.” He was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found that the box was empty. He yelled at her, “Don’t you know that when you give someone a present, there’s supposed to be something inside of it?” The little girl looked at him with tears in her eyes and said, “Oh Daddy it’s not empty. I blew kisses into the box. All for you, Daddy”. The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged her forgiveness. My friend told me that he kept that gold box by his bed for years. Whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there. In a very real sense, each of us has been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.

-Melinda Taylor-

Importance of Du'a (Supplication) In Islam

Du'a (supplication) is a conversation with Allah (s.w.t). It is not that we have forgotten du’a completely; we refer to it regularly. But, our ideas and practice regarding du’a have become distorted. Often it is reduced to the level of a ritual. Generally it is considered when all our efforts have failed - an act of last resort. It is belittled through actions and sometimes even with words. Is it any wonder that today mostly a mention of du’a is meant to indicate the hopelessness of a situation.

Dua is our most potent weapon in all struggles of life as well as in jihad in the battlefield. During the battle of Badr, the Prophet Muhammad stood up all night in prayer seeking Allah's help in the battle between unequal armies that would follow the next day. In the decisive battles against the crusaders, Sultan Salatuddin Ayyubi was busy day and night. His days were devoted to Jihad. His nights were spent making du'a, crying, seeking Allah's help. This has been the practice of all true mujahideen.

We should make it a point to make dua for all things big and small. It is the beginning of wisdom to realise that big and small are arbitrary labels that are totally irrelevant in this context. Nothing is too big for Whom we are asking from; nothing is too small for the one who is asking. That is why we have been taught to ask Allah when we need something as small as shoelaces. We should ask as a beggar, as a destitute person, for that is what we in reality are in relationship to Allah. At the same time we should ask with great hope and conviction that we shall be granted our prayers. We should remember the Hadith:
"There is nothing more dear to Allah than a servant making du'a to Him." 

On the other hand, a prayer lacking concentration and conviction is no prayer at all.

We should make dua at all times, not only during times of distress. The Prophet Muhammad said:

 
"Whosoever desires that Allah answers his dua's in unfavorable and difficult conditions, he should make plentiful dua in days of ease and comfort."

Also he said:

 
"The person who does not ask from Allah, Allah becomes angry with him."

In Light of Qur’an & Hadith:

[Tirmidhi, Hadith 3372]
Prophet Muhammad (peace & blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Du’a is worship.”

[Sahih Al-Bukhari, 6340 & Muslim, 2735]
“One of you may be answered so long as he is not hasty and says, ‘I said du’a but I got no response.’”

[Sahih Al-Muslim]
"The dua of a Muslim for his brother (in Islam) in his absence is readily accepted. An angel is appointed to his side. Whenever he makes a beneficial dua for his brother the appointed angel says, 'Aameen. And may you also be blessed with the same.'"

[Surah Ghafir Ch:40 V: 60]

وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ

دَاخِرِينَ

And your Lord said: "Invoke Me, [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islamic Monotheism)] (and ask Me for anything) I will respond to your (invocation). Verily! Those who scorn My worship [i.e. do not invoke Me, and do not believe in My Oneness, (Islamic Monotheism)] they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!"

The Escalating Thoughtlessness of One’s Eyes, Ears and Hearts

[Surah Al-‘A’raf Ch:7 V:179]

  لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ لَّا يَفْقَهُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ أَعْيُنٌ لَّا يُبْصِرُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ آذَانٌ لَّا يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا

“They have hearts with which they do not understand, they have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear.

[Surah Al-'An'am Ch:6 V:25]

 وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَسْتَمِعُ إِلَيْكَ ۖ وَجَعَلْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ أَكِنَّةً أَن يَفْقَهُوهُ وَفِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًا ۚ وَإِن

 

يَرَوْا كُلَّ آيَةٍ لَّا يُؤْمِنُوا بِهَا ۚ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءُوكَ يُجَادِلُونَكَ يَقُولُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا

 

أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِي

"And of them there are some who listen to you; but We have set veils on their hearts, so they understand it not, and deafness in their ears; if they see every one of the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) they will not believe therein; to the point that when they come to you to argue with you, the disbelievers say: "These are nothing but tales of the men of old."

[Surah Al-Baqarah Ch:2 V:7]

 خَتَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَعَلَىٰ سَمْعِهِمْ ۖ وَعَلَىٰ أَبْصَارِهِمْ غِشَاوَةٌ ۖ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ

"Allah has set a seal on their hearts and on their hearings, (i.e. they are closed from accepting Allah's Guidance), and on their eyes there is a covering. Theirs will be a great torment."

[Surah Al-Fussilat Ch:41 V:5]

 وَقَالُوا قُلُوبُنَا فِي أَكِنَّةٍ مِّمَّا تَدْعُونَا إِلَيْهِ وَفِي آذَانِنَا وَقْرٌ وَمِن بَيْنِنَا وَبَيْنِكَ حِجَابٌ فَاعْمَلْ

 

إِنَّنَا عَامِلُونَ

"And they say: "Our hearts are under coverings (screened) from that to which you invite us, and in our ears is deafness, and between us and you is a screen, so work you (on your way); verily, we are working (on our way)."

Message to All:
My Muslim brothers why do we not follow the footsteps of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (may peace & blessings of Allah be upon him)?. Why do we not live our life as prescribed by him? Why do we argue over religion? Why don't we realize that this world is nothing but a mere test for us?, Why do we have to insult the person who tries to talk us into religion? Why do we indulge ourselves in wasteful activities that were disliked by our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace & Blessings of Allah be upon Him)?

It's high time! and the end of time is very near open your eyes and look around you, open your ears and listen to the right word, open your heart and understand everything, Don't fall into the trap set by 'Satan'

Repent Towards your Lord, seek forgiveness, Cry out to him ' O Allah ' & Surely He will answer you and forgive you.

May Allah (s.w.t) enable us to follow the right path by His Grace Ameen!