Wanna Get Married? Here's Some Advice :)

Once there was a very handsome, pious, well educated young man, whose
parents emphasised for him to get married. they had seen so many marriage
proposals, and he had turned them all down. The parents thought it was
becoming a little ridiculous or suspected that he may have someone else in
mind.

However every time the parents left the girls house, the young man would
always say "She's not the one!"

The young man only wanted a girl who was religious and practicing. (Which
was hard to find)? However one evening his mother arranged for him, to meet
a girl, who was religious, and practicing.

On that evening, the young man, and girl, were left to talk, and ask each
other questions. (As one would expect).

The young man, being a gentleman that he was allowed, the lady to ask
first. The young girl asked the young man soooo many questions. She asked
about his life, his education, his friends, his family , his habits, his
hobbies, his lifestyle, his enjoyment, his pastime, his experiences.
Basically everything.

And the young man replied to all of her questions, without tiring, and
politely, with a smile the young girl took up nearly all of the time, over
an hour, and felt bad, and asked the young man, "Do you have any questions?"
The young man said, "It's okay. I only have 3 questions."

The young girl thought, "Wow, only 3 questions. Okay, shoot."

The young man's first question was:

1) Who do you love the most in the world, someone who's love nothing would
ever overcome?

She said, "This is an easy question. my mother."

He smiled.

The second question he asked was:

2) "You said that you read a lot of Qur'an, could you tell me which surahs
you know the meaning of?"

Hearing this she went red and embarrassed and said, "I do not know the
meaning of any yet, but i am hoping to soon. InshAllah. I've just been a bit
busy."

The third question the young man asked was:

3) I have been approached for my hand in marriage, by girls that are
prettier than you, why should I marry you?

Hearing this the young girl was outraged. She stormed off to her parents
with fury and said, "I do not want to marry this man. He is insulting my
beauty and intelligence."

And the young man and his parents, were once again, left without an
agreement of marriage. This time, the young man's parents were really angry,
and said, "What did you do to anger that girl? The family were so nice and
pleasant and they were religious like you wanted. What did you ask the
girl?? Tell us! "

The young man said," Firstly, I asked her, 'Who do you love the most?' She
said her mother."
The parents said "So, what is wrong with that??"
The young man said, "No one, is Muslim, until he loves Allah, and his
Messenger(SAW) more than anyone else in the world.If a woman loves Allah and
the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) more than anyone, she will
love me and respect me, and stay faithful
to me, because of that love, and fear for Allah (swt). And we can share this
love, because this love is greater than lust for beauty."

The young man said, "Then I asked, 'You read a lot of Qur'an, can you tell
me the meaning of any surah?' She said 'No. because I haven't had time yet.'
So I thought of that hadith "ALL humans, are dead except for those who have
knowledge." She has lived 20 years and not found ANY time, to seek
knowledge, why would I marry a woman, who does not know her rights, and
responsibilities, and what will she teach my children, except how to be
negligent, because the woman IS the madrasa (school) and the best of
teachers. And a woman who has no time for Allah, will not have time for her
husband."

The third question I asked her was that a lot of girls prettier than her,
had approached me for marriage. Why should I choose her? That is why she
stormed off, getting angry.

The young man's parents said "That is a horrible thing to say, why would you
do such a thing? We are going back there to apologise."

The young man said. "I said this on purpose, to test whether she could
control her anger. The Prophet(SAW) said "Do not get angry, do not get
angry, do not angry" when asked how to become pious because anger is from
Satan. If a woman cannot control her anger with a stranger she has just
met, do you think she will be able to control it with her husband?"

So, the moral of this story is that a marriage is based on knowledge, not
looks, practice, not preaching, forgiveness, not anger spiritual love, not
lust and compromise One should look for a person who 1) Has love for Allah
(SWT) and the Messenger (SAW). 2) Has knowledge of the deen, and can act
upon it. 3) can control anger and another important and crucial factor: that
she be 4) willing to compromise. *And it goes both ways, so women seeking
a man, should look for the same things. *

-From an email

Question of Incorporation

Welcome back, Dear Bloggers!

An interesting question came up when viewing ABC News' "What would you do"
showing Islamophobia in action and bystanders' reactions (both positive and negative)

Thus, the questions kept coming to mind: What extent can Muslims "fit in" and incorporate in the American landscape without compromising their true, core beliefs?

For example, the hijab is meant to be a form of protection, a way in which Muslim women are distinguished from non-Muslim women. The niqab (face veil) is not understood at all because it is very unique in the West, but I would say the purpose of the niqab is to be able to freely get work done, interact with others, etc. without fearing illicit gazes or interactions from the opposite gender, a step more cautious than just the hijab (I guess the West may call the niqab "ultra-conservative" if they understood its purpose?) How else would you describe the niqab to non-Muslims who are not yet completely comfortable with the hijab?

This is something that I would like to fully understand in the American context -- the extent of "incorporating" into society without compromising Islam. It is possible.

Also, what defines "American", and how can Muslims integrate, and be accepted in the American mainstream, without having to lose their chosen identity (i.e., their particular form of modest dressing such as their hijab, or headcoverings)?

Any thoughts?

Certain types of Wrigley's contain Pork

Wrigley Chewing Gum Co.'s response to a sister's email:

Thank you for contacting us about animal ingredients and our products.

To answer to your question, the vast majority of Wrigley products sold in the U.S. are free from ingredients of animal origin, including egg and dairy products. At present, the only chewing gum exceptions are Extra® Polar Ice stick gum and Juicy Fruit® pellet gums.

Extra® Polar Ice gum and Orbit® Crystal Mint contain tiny flavor beads encased in a microscopic layer of gelatin, which is animal based. We have requested the development of a gelatin-free flavor bead that is currently being worked on by our supplier. Juicy Fruit Grapermelon and Strappleberry gums use shellac as a coating agent.

The different varieties of our ALTOIDS mints do contain very small quantities of gelatin which is derived from pork. Gelatin does not impart any flavor to ALTOIDS, but it's a necessary ingredient for the texture of the mint. When we use gelatin it is thoroughly purified and dried during its manufacturing process. Our staff is continually looking at alternatives to animal gelatin, but at the moment we've not been able to find a substitute that produces the same quality you've come to love with ALTOIDS.

Our LifeSaver gummies do contain small quantities of gelatin, which is also derived from pork. It follows the same drying and purifying process as with the Altoids.

If your diet does not allow you to consume animal byproducts such as dairy, our CremeSaver line does contain cream, which is a dairy byproduct. On the same note, our LifeSaver Fusions and LifeSaver gummies are produced on the same line as our CremeSavers, so there is a chance that they may contain trace amounts of dairy as well. Our CremeSaver soft chews also contain a small amount of gelatin, which is pork based.

We hope this information has been helpful. If you have any additional questions or comments please feel free to contact us at 1-800-WRIGLEY Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST.

Sincerely,

Anie Jones
Consumer Affairs Representative

Finally--May the Ummah be united! Ameen!

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Pledge of Mutual Respect and Cooperation Between Sunni Muslim Scholars, Organizations, and Students of Sacred Knowledge

Hold fast to the Rope of Allah, all together, and be not divided. (Qur’an, 3:103)

Surely, those who have made divisions in their religion and turned into factions, you have nothing to do with them. Their case rests with Allah; then He will inform them of what they used to do. (Qur’an, 6:159)

In light of the Divine Word, we recognize that the historical nature of Sunni Islam is a broad one that proceeds from a shared respect for the Qur’an and Sunnah, a shared dependence on the interpretations and derivations of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), and a shared respect for the writings of a vast array of scholars who have been identified by their support for and affiliation with the Sunni Muslims and have been accepted as the luminaries of Sunni Islam - as broadly defined.

Likewise, detailed discussions in matters of theology are the specific domain of trained specialists, and proceed on the basis of well-defined principles and methodologies, which are beyond the knowledge of the generality of Muslims.

Our forebears in faith, with all the dedication, brilliance and sincerity clearly manifested in their works, have debated and discussed abstruse and complex issues of creed and practice, and have failed in most instances to convince their opponents of the veracity and accuracy of their positions.

The average Muslim is only responsible for knowing the basics of creed as they relate to a simple belief in Allah, His Angels, Scriptures, the Prophets and Messengers, the Last Day, and the Divine Decree.

Recognizing that the specter of sectarianism threatens to further weaken and debilitate our struggling Muslim community at this critical time in human affairs, and recognizing that Allah, Exalted is He, has given the Muslim community in the West a unique historical opportunity to advance the cause of peace, cooperation, and goodwill amongst the people of the world, we the undersigned respectfully:

- Urge Muslims to categorically cease all attacks on individual Muslims and organizations whose varying positions can be substantiated based on the broad scholarly tradition of the Sunni Muslims. We especially urge the immediate cessation of all implicit or explicit charges of disbelief;

- Urge Muslim scholars and students of sacred knowledge to take the lead in working to end ad hominem attacks on other scholars and students; to cease unproductive, overly polemical writings and oral discourse; and to work to stimulate greater understanding and cooperation between Muslims, at both the level of the leadership and the general community;

-Urge Muslims in the West, especially our youth, to leave off unproductive and divisive discussions of involved theological issues that are the proper domain of trained specialists, and we especially discourage participation in those internet chat rooms, campus discussion groups, and other forums that only serve to create ill-will among many Muslims, while fostering a divisive, sectarian spirit;

-Urge all teachers to instruct their students, especially those attending intensive programs, to respect the diverse nature of our communities and to refrain from aggressive challenges to local scholars, especially those known for their learning and piety;

- Urge our brothers and sisters in faith to concentrate on enriching their lives by deepening their practice of Islam through properly learning the basics of the faith, adopting a consistent regimen of Qur’anic recitation, endeavoring to remember and invoke Allah in the morning and evening, learning the basics of jurisprudence, attempting to engage in voluntary fasting as much as possible, studying the Prophetic biography on a consistent basis, studying the etiquettes that guide our interactions with our fellow Muslims, and the performance of other beneficial religious acts, to the extent practical for their circumstances;

- Finally, we urge the Believers to attempt to undertake individual and collective actions that will help to counter the growing campaign of anti-Islamic misinformation and propaganda that attempts to portray our religion as a violence-prone relic of the past unsuitable for modern society, and by so doing justify indiscriminate wars against Muslim peoples, occupation of Muslim lands, and usurpation of their resources.

Saying this, we do not deny the reality of legitimate differences and approaches, nor the passionate advocacy of specific positions based on those differences. Such issues should be rightfully discussed observing established rules of debate. However, we urge the above measures to help prevent those differences from destroying the historical unity and integrity of the Muslim community, and creating irreparable divisions between our hearts. Further, we do not deny the urgency, especially in light of the situation in Iraq, of efforts to foster greater cooperation between diverse Muslim communities. Hence, this document should not be seen as negating any statements, or declarations designed to foster greater peace and harmony between diverse Muslim communities. However, we feel, as Sunni Muslims, a pressing need to first set our own affairs in order.

In conclusion, having called our brothers and sisters to act on these points, we, the undersigned, pledge to be the first to actively implement them in response to the Divine Word:

Do you enjoin righteousness on the people and refuse to follow it yourselves and all along you are reciting the scripture!? Will you not reflect? (Qur’an (2:44)

We ask Allah for the ability to do that which He loves. And Allah alone is the Grantor of Success.

Signed,

Abdelrahman Helbawi

Abdul Karim Khalil

Abdullah Adhami

Abdurraheem Green

Abdur-Rahman ibn Yusuf Mangera

Abu Aaliyah Surkheel Sharif

Abu Eesa Niamatullah

Aisha Faleh AlThani

Asma Mirza

Cheikhna B. Bayyah

Dawood Yasin

Ebadur Rahman

Faraz Rabbani

Fuad Nahdi

Gul Mohammad

Haitham al-Haddad

Hamza Yusuf

Hasan al-Banna

Ibrahim Osi-Efa

Jihad Hashim Brown

M. Abdul Latif Finch

M. Afifi al-Akiti

Mehdi Kader

Mokhtar Maghroui

Muhammad Alshareef

Muhammad Ash-Shaybani

Muhammad ibn Adam

Omar Qureshi

S. Abdal-Hakim Jackson

Shamira Chothia Ahmed

Siddique Abdullah

Suhaib Webb

Tahir Anwar

Talal Al-Azem

Tanveer Hussain

Tawfique Chowdhury

Usama Canon

Usama Hasan

Walead Mosaad

Yahya Rhodus

Yasir Qadhi

Zaid Shakir

Somebody is leaving..

From an Email:

Without Shaytaan in the picture, all sins are due to one’s own habits – time to control the Nafs (jealousy, envy, backbiting, non-prayer, temper, unkindness)

Sh. Faraz Rabbani's Khutbah

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani gave a beautiful khutbah at ICOI in Irvine today. His main point being that our goal in life should not just be to increase our own love for Allah (swt), but to have Him [increase his] love for us. But to have Allah (swt) love us, which is the greatest of goals, we must perfect our servitude to Him, and this is only through following the way of the Prophet (saw). To be like the Prophet (saw) we should practice on these points--and we should dedicate our Ramadan to implementing them:

1. To fulfill the rights of others
2. To not wrong others
3. To be of a cheerful and positive disposition
4. If someone does good to you, then do better to them (first we need to acknowledge and thank the good from others before returning their good with better)
5. If someone wrongs you, then return it with good.

If we can practice on these principles in Ramadan, then insha'Allah we can establish our whole lives on the perfect example of the Prophet (saw) who was sent to perfect good character and was sent as a Mercy to all of mankind.

Tawfiq, insha'Allah!

Wa'salaam

Ramadan Fiqh Prep

A great way to prepare for Ramadan with all of your fiqh questions answered--

Fiqh of Fasting by Mufti Abdur Rahman ibn Yusuf

http://www.zamzamacademy.com/audio.php?audioDir=lessons/al-sawm/


About Mufti Abdur-Rahman ibn Yusuf

(Shaykh Mufti) Abdur-Rahman ibn Yusuf Mangera has been studying the traditional Islamic sciences and writing scholarly works for most of his life. He completed the bulk of his studies at Darul Uloom Bury, North England, where he memorized the Qur'an by age fifteen and thereafter went on to complete a rigorous, six-year Shari'a program. He graduated from this program with authentic certifications [ijaza] in numerous Islamic disciplines, including Arabic, Islamic jurisprudence, and hadith (with particular emphasis on the six authentic books of hadith [Sihah Sitta] and the Muwattas of Imam Malik and Imam Muhammad). His teachers at Darul Uloom Bury included Shaykh Yusuf Motala and other students of Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhlawi.

After graduating, the author traveled to South Africa, where he attended Madrasah Zakariyyah part-time to gain specialized training in answering legal questions [ifta'] under Mufti Rada al-Haq. While in South Africa, he also completed a B.A. with honors in Islamic studies at Rand Afrikaans University, Johannesburg, under Professor Abdur-Rahman Doi, Ph.D. [ Read the Full Biography ]

No Justice? No remorse?

SubhanAllah--there is no explanation given why the mother of this baby, her father and uncle were murdered? How does one concentrate on one life, while disregarding three others?

U.S. troops care for Iraqi baby rescued from garbage

By Ross Colvin Tue Aug 14, 12:36 PM ET

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - In the nine months since she was born, tiny Fatima Jubouri first lost her father, then gunmen killed her mother and uncle and she was left alone and uncared for in a pile of garbage in Baghdad.

Police found Fatima, malnourished and suffering from dehydration in Iraq's scorching summer heat, hidden under rubbish in one of southern Baghdad's most violent districts.

How she got there is not clear, although there is speculation her mother hid her before she was killed.

An innocent rescued from Iraq's killing fields, her survival against the odds has made Fatima a media star at a U.S. military hospital in Baghdad's Green Zone.

"She is a baby -- she is happiness in a bad place," said Lieutenant Beth Brauchli, the hospital's acting public affairs officer.

Reuters Photo: U.S. military nurse Desmond Cacciotti kisses the forehead of nine-month-old baby Fatima in 28th

A Sense of Loss

via Notes: New Islamic Directions by Imam Zaid on Jul 18, 2007

Surely, we will test you with something of fear, hunger, and loss of wealth, lives, and fruits. Give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere. Al-Qur'an 2:155

Two weeks ago, I was preparing to board a shuttle bus for a five minute ride from my hotel to the International Terminal at JFK Airport in New York. All of the preparations had been made to fly to Saudi Arabia to participate in the annual Rihla program. All of the books I needed for the various lessons I was to teach had been selected and placed in my large briefcase. Other books for personal readings had been added to the load. My computer was ready, programmed to record the various sessions. Most importantly, my passport and tickets, delivered a day earlier had been hastily crammed into one of the briefcase's many pockets and compartments.

As my wife and I began loading our bags unto the shuttle, I suddenly noticed that the briefcase was missing. But how could that be? I had been watching over the small mountain of luggage, except for a brief jaunt to the hotel's gift shop to purchase a few items for a makeshift breakfast. During that time my wife had been diligently standing guard. Still there was no sign of the bag. Bewildered, I sent my wife on to the terminal along with the remaining bags and began a futile search to find the missing article. After two hours of fervent searching, backtracking, and inquiries nothing had materialized.

As we sat despondently in the lobby of the hotel, we realized that the bag was gone, as was our opportunity to join the other teachers and students for the start of the Rihla program, as the flight we were to catch had already departed. Slowly a great sense of loss began to siege me. The computer contained many articles and other writings, some of which had not been saved elsewhere, along with almost two years of recorded lectures and sermons. A couple of the books were rare. One, an Arabic grammar text I had inherited from a recently deceased Afghani scholar, would probably be irreplaceable.

The gravity of the situation started to make me feel a little down. However, my little depression was short-lived. It dawned on me that my loss was very minor in reality. Other people, both here and abroad, were suffering far greater losses than mine. I thought about the many people in Iraq who have been forced to flee their homes, oftentimes in the dead of night, leaving behind not only personal possessions, of the type I had lost, but in many instances precious family mementos, clothing and other personal items. Due to the brutalities of the occupation and the ongoing sectarian violence, many of them will be unable to return home any time soon. I also though of the many Iraqis whose homes had been destroyed by one of the growing number of American air strikes (an unreported facet of the ongoing conflict)--in many instances their losses total, with no chance for any recovery or compensation.

I also thought of the people whose homes were recently flooded in parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, the irrepressible waters not only sweeping away their precious possessions, but in many cases their long-held dreams. One day they were living normal lives enjoying the fruits of their hard work, the next day everything was gone.

I saw that what I had loss in reality had been quite small, and what remained with me priceless. I still had my health, I had a home to return to, and I also had the necessary financial resources to begin the process of replacing most of what I had lost. May God be praised!

I came to see that my little tribulation was also a cause for pause and reflection. The losses we experience in this world, be they great or small, are reminders to us that one day both ourselves and everyone we know will depart this world, and we will lose everything in it. Not only will we lose books and computers, but we will also lose houses, apartments, clothes, cars, families, relatives, friends, neighbors, everything.

Awareness of this inescapable reality is only meaningful if it is translated into active preparation for that loss. The following prophetic tradition is related by Anas b. Malik:

A man asked the Prophet, peace and blessings upon him: "When will Doomsday occur, O Messenger of God!?" He replied: "What have you done to prepare for it?" The man responded: "I have neither prayed, nor fasted, nor given charity excessively. However, I do love God and His Messenger." He said: "You will be with those you love." Related by Bukhari (6171) and Muslim (2679)

Hopefully, my little loss will help me to get on with the preparation for the meeting with God. If it does then it was something good. Most of what we lose in this world can eventually be replaced, in one way or another. However, if we lose Paradise, and our opportunity to be in the company of the Prophets, peace upon them, the great supporters of truth, the true martyrs, and the righteous, then that is a great, irreplaceable loss. By adequately preparing ourselves for death, the great loss will become the great gain.

Amongst people is one who worships God with hesitancy and skepticism. If good befalls him he is content. However, if he is afflicted with tribulation he turns away disappointed [in God]. He loses this world and the next. That is truly the great loss. Al-Qur'an 22:11

P.S. Today, Wednesday, July 18, 2007, having belated obtained a new passport, I will fly over to Saudi Arabia for the last week of the Rihla. On the flight from Oakland to New York, I penned the following poem, which is the first I have ever written in iambic pentameter.

Naturally

Her smile reflects the beauty of the sky.
Her benefits are there for passersby.
Her hair adorned sometimes with colors: gold,
and red, yellow, so splendid to behold.

Her life is spent measured as seasons pass.
The world adorned. Her gift? Her grace, her class.
The poet thought that he would never see,
a poem as lovely as a natural tree.

Cancer risk of 'fake' holy water

Cancer risk of 'fake' holy water

Zam Zam is sold as coming from a sacred well in Mecca

Bottled water that claims to come from Mecca has been found to contain high levels of cancer-causing chemicals.

People have been told not to buy Zam Zam water after tests showed three times the permitted level of arsenic.

The water is advertised as coming from the sacred well of Zam Zam in Mecca, which is the most holy city in Islam, and demand increases during Ramadan.

Westminster City Council said the water cannot legally be exported, so any on sale is unlikely to be authentic.

The tests, carried out by the London council last year during the Islamic festival of Ramadan, found Zam Zam also contained twice the legal level of nitrates, which can affect infants.

"If you do see Zam Zam water on sale anywhere please inform your local Environmental Health team," said a Westminster City Council spokesman.

He added: "This advice does not relate to the genuine Zam Zam water being brought into UK by returning pilgrims, as an accompanied or unaccompanied ¿personal import¿."