Baseerath

Nice article by Ismail Kamdar Many times young Muslims decide they want to become scholars and embark on the path of knowledge with little knowledge of what to expect. I was such a youngster who signed up for an “‘alim” course with no idea what an ‘alim is or where it would lead me. In order to help my fellow Muslims prepare themselves psychologically and not repeat the mistakes I made, I present to you ten things I feel every student of knowledge must know (in no particular order): 1. A few years of study does not make one a scholar: Too often, young Muslims study a few books or for a few years and then develop a “scholar” complex. They begin to force their opinions on others as if they can’t be wrong. They become intolerant to other views, and they write anybody off who disagrees with them as deviant. We need to realize, before we even begin our journey of knowledge, that the sciences of Islam are many and deep; the variety of opinions in fiqh are multiple, and the chances of always...

How difficult is it to practice patience when being provoked? At the same time, how many times have we responded much too sensitively, although we were not the clear target of anyone’s malice? How many hearts have been lost in an effort to win arguments? And yet, as human beings it is natural and even our right to disagree, and to think critically. One of the most difficult challenges of character for Muslims of every background is being able to practice hilm (forbearance) during times of anger and disagreement—that is to be able to disagree with a dignified and generous spirit, and to think critically without being argumentative, stubborn, and condescending. It is because we as a community fall into this so much, and on so many levels, that I found this issue to be a relevant reminder to myself and others. The activist argues about strategy, the student argues about fiqh and other branches of knowledge, the community leader argues in the board room, and the Imam with those who disagr...

Teaching stories have been used throughout time as a way to transmit wisdom. In Hadith literature there are a number of stories that have been related by Prophet Muhammad in the context of teaching valuable lessons for humanity. The following story is related in Sahih Bukhari (004.056.670) Translated by Thomas Cleary The Prophet told a story, "There were three Israelites, a leper, a bald man, and a blind one. In order to test them, God sent an angel to them." The angel came to the leper and said, "What would you like most?" He said, "A good complexion and good skin, and riddance of that for which people have considered me unclean." Then the angel passed his hand over him, and his uncleanness disappeared from him, and he acquired a good complexion. Now the angel said, "And what would you like most to have?" He said, "Camels." So he was given a she-camel in her tenth month of pregnancy. He said, "God bless you for this." Then ...

Bismillah Ar Rahmaan Ar-Raheem For the first time, is personalising my blog. Thought to share my happiness with my readers here By the grace of Allah SWT, am been blessed with a very cute and beautiful daughter on this friday , i.e 18th of March. I wish my readers to pray Allah swt, to make her coolness of eyes, both this world and hereafter. I hold lots of prayers that she be a practising and an ideal muslimah. May Allah swt protect her from fitnahs of dunya and aakhirah. May Allah swt also protect her from whispers and evils of satan and humans & Jinns. May she be a very good source of sawaab to me and my husband in the hereafter. May she be a amongst the best of muslims over whom Allah swt guided and bestowed His grace upon, and not the way of those who were astray and misguided. Ameen May Allah swt guide me to fulfill my right towards her and make her amongst those whom Allah swt blesses with His Mercy Ameen

Received this mail from a group. Felt it worth sharing Once upon a time, a well-known painter was finishing his painting of the Kaabah. It's an incredibly beautiful painting to be shown at the Airport during the upcoming Hajj Season. The painter wanted this painting to be a master piece. He worked on it for weeks on the top of a 24 storey building. He was consumed by and excited with his own painting that he unconsciously took a few step backward while admiring the 2 x 8 m painting. He didn't look back when he walked backward. He kept on walking backward until it was a step away from the edge of the 24storey building. Just one more step backward and he could have fallen to his death. A man saw what the painter was doing and was about to shout at him to warn him when he realized that his shout might surprise the painter and thus make him take that fatal one step backward and fall down. So the man took a brush and some paint and began to paint on the beautiful painting until ...

A collection of quotes on the rights of the parents: · Ibn Abbas said: “There is not a single believer who has two parents and wakes up while he is good to them except that Allah opens up for him two gates to Paradise, and if he makes one of them angry, Allah will not be Pleased with him until that parent becomes pleased with him again.” It was asked: “Even if that parent was oppressive and in the wrong?” It was replied: “Yes, even that be so. And he never wakes up while he is bad to them except that Allah opens up for him two gates to Hell.” · As-Samarqandi said: “If Allah – the Exalted – had not mentioned the position and loftiness of the parents in His Book, and did not admonish regarding it, then it would have been realized by simple logic. So, it is obligatory upon the one with logic and intelligence to realize their high status and to fulfill their rights. How is it, then, when Allah has mentioned this in all of His Books: the Torah, the Gospels, the Psalms and ...