Salaat Time

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Allah’s Messenger (May Allah exalt his mention and protect him from imperfection) said: “The most blessed of deeds is that which is done consistently, even if it is a minute one.” (Sahih Bukhari)

Brother Muslim, the Quran is made up of thirty parts, like the month. One should read one part of the Quran every day so that it can be completed in its entirety in one month. Furthermore, each part consists of twenty pages. If one were to read four pages during the daily obligatory prayers, it would facilitate the completion of one part every day. See, brother Muslim, how much good escapes us because we do not know how to organize our lives? When you practice this habit with regularity, you will not only be one of the guided ones, but you will also find profound pleasure and fulfillment in a consistent act of worship. You will also see the benefit and reward in a small act done continuously, as opposed to much done at irregular intervals.

Gems and Jewels
Compiled by: Abdul-Malik Mujahid
Publisher: Maktaba Dar-us-Salam
ISBN: 9960-897-59-1
Page 43

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Abu Hanifah and a man from Basrah were partners in a business. On one occasion, Abu Hanifah sent 70 expensive garments to him, sending with them a note which read: “One of them is defective, and it is such and such garment, so when you sell it, make sure that you point out the defect.” The man sold it for 30,000 dirhams and when he came with the money to Abu Hanifah, the latter asked, “Did you point out the defect?” He said, “I forgot.” Abu Hanifah took nothing from the profit, but instead gave it all in charity.

Gems and Jewels
Compiled by: Abdul-Malik Mujahid
Publisher: Maktaba Dar-us-Salam
ISBN: 9960-897-59-1
Page 124

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Allah (the Exalted) says in the Noble Quran about the basic qualities of a believer:

“O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do? Most hateful it is with Allâh that you say that which you do not do.” (Quran 61:2-3)

Allah’s Messenger (SAWS) was asked, “Can a believer be a miser?” He said, “Yes.” He was asked, “Can a believer be a coward?” He said, “Yes.” And he was asked, “And can a believer be a liar?” He said, “No.”

It has been related that a man went to Allah’s Messenger (SAWS) and said, “O Messenger of Allah, indeed I do three sins in secret: (I drink) alcohol, fornication and lying. So inform me which of them I should abandon.” He said, “Leave off lying.” The man went away, and later desired to fornicate, but he thought to himself, “I will go to the Messenger of Allah and he will ask me whether I fornicated? If I say yes, he will punish me. And if I say no, I will have broken the covenant and lied.” So he abstained from fornicating, and the same occurred regarding alcohol. He returned to Allah’s Messenger (SAWS) and said, “O Messenger of Allah, indeed I have abandoned all of them.”

My brother, do you not see then, that lying is the root of every wicked deed, and it leads to all other sins. You will not see anyone more miserable and wretched than the liar, and disbelief is the most severe kind of lying, for it is lying upon Allah (the Exalted).

SAWS: May Allah exalt his mention and protect him from imperfection

Gems and Jewels
Compiled by: Abdul-Malik Mujahid
Publisher: Maktaba Dar-us-Salam
ISBN: 9960-897-59-1
Page 26

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Aishah (May Allah be satisfied with her) said: A woman came to me with her two children, asking for help. All that I could find with me was a single date. I gave it to her and she divided it into two, giving half of the date to each of her two daughters, herself abstaining from eating anything from it. I left her, and when Allah’s Messenger (May Allah exalt his mention and protect him from imperfection) came to me, I informed him of what happened. He said, “Whoever is put to trial with daughters in any way, but then does good by them, they will be a barrier between him and the Hellfire.” (Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim and At-Tirmidhi)

This Hadith and others like it give cause for joy to every mother and father who have been blessed with a daughter, for through that daughter, they are shown a way that leads to Paradise.

Gems and Jewels
Compiled by: Abdul-Malik Mujahid
Publisher: Maktaba Dar-us-Salam
ISBN: 9960-897-59-1
Page 70

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

As was his custom, ‘Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), the Leader of the Believers, went out at night to look after the needs of the people and to make sure that everyone was safe. As he passed by an open area in Al-Madinah, he heard the moans of a woman coming out from a small and shabby house, at the door of which was a man seated. ‘Umar greeted him and asked him how he was. The man said that he was from the desert and had come, seeking to reap some generosity from the Leader of the Believers. ‘Umar asked him about the woman and the moaning noises, and the man, not knowing that he was speaking to the Leader of the Believers, said, “Go away, may Allah have mercy on you, and do not ask about that which does not concern you.”

However ‘Umar persisted in asking the same question, offering to help if he could. And so the man informed him, “Indeed she is my wife, who is about to give birth, yet there is no one here to help her.” ‘Umar left the man, returned to his house in a hurry, entered, and said to his wife, Umm Kulthum (may Allah be pleased with her), “Will you take reward that Allah has brought to you?” She said, “And what is that goodness and reward, O ‘Umar?”

No sooner did he inform her of what happened than she stood and took all that she needed to help the woman deliver her baby and all that the newborn would need as well. Meanwhile, the Leader of the Believers took a pot and with it some fat and grains. He and his wife hurried off together until they reached the same shabby house. While Umm Kulthum went in to help the pregnant woman, the Leader of the Believers remained outside with the husband, and cooked the food that he brought with him.

From inside the house, Umm Kulthum called out, “O Leader of the Believers, give glad tidings to your companion that Allah has provided him with a young boy.” The man was amazed to find out that it was the Leader of the Believers who was seated with him and who was cooking food with him; and the wife was shocked to learn that it was the wife of the Leader of the Believers who came to meet her and help her in her shabby house.

Gems and Jewels
Compiled by: Abdul-Malik Mujahid
Publisher: Maktaba Dar-us-Salam
ISBN: 9960-897-59-1
Page 110

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

After the Battle of Badr, Abu ‘Azzah Al-Jumahi, a poet, was a prisoner in the hands of the Muslims. He was from Quraish and through his poetry he would incite battle against the Muslims. After his capture, he said to Prophet Muhammad (SAWS), “Indeed, I am poor and I have many dependents that are needy and you know this, so please have mercy upon me and may Allah have mercy upon you.” The Prophet (SAWS) did so and released him. Before the Battle of Uhud[1], Safwan bin Umaiyyah, one of the leaders of the Quraish, said to the poet before they were to fight the Muslims, “O Abu ‘Azzah, indeed you are a poet, so help us with your words to incite men to battle.” Abu ‘Azzah replied that the Prophet (SAWS) had bestowed a favor upon him by giving him his freedom and he did not wish to go against that kindness. Safwan said, “Help us and if you return alive from this battle, I will make you rich and if you are struck down, I will make your daughters partners with my daughters in my wealth.” So, Abu ‘Azzah went forth with them and was taken as prisoner by the Muslims for a second time. Again he pleaded with the Prophet (SAWS) asking to be pardoned. The Prophet (SAWS) said to him, “By Allah, your cheeks will not touch Makkah and you will not be able to say that indeed, you have deceived Muhammad twice. Indeed the believer is not stung from the same hole twice. O Zubair, strike his neck!” Zubair struck his neck and he was killed.

SAWS: May Allah exalt his mention and protect him from imperfection

[1]: Audio lecture on the lessons from the Battle of Uhud can be found here.

Gems and Jewels
Compiled by: Abdul-Malik Mujahid
Publisher: Maktaba Dar-us-Salam
ISBN: 9960-897-59-1
Page 57

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Shaikhul-Islam Ibn Taimiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said that there are those from the people that backbite or listen to backbiting, and they do so to please the company they keep, with the awareness that the victim is likely to be innocent of some of the things that are uttered about him. Often such offenders feel that if they were to attempt to end such conversation in a gathering, their presence might become unwelcome or burdensome.

There are many methods and guises that are employed when one mentions another in a negative way.

Under the pretense of being informative, one could say that it is not one’s habit to mention others, except for the sake of relating another’s condition to someone.

Or one could state that by Allah, indeed so-and-so is one to be pitied, thereby showing superiority over one who is to be rejected.

Another method might be to say that so-and-so is a good person; however, he has such and such qualities. Again, one is justified in revealing another’s faults.

One could also simply state that we should forget so-and-so, and make supplication for their forgiveness as well as our own, intending only to belittle the one that was mentioned.

In reality, all these tactics are designed to try to deceive Allah (the Exalted) and to please the creation; and in reality, the many that follow these methods only serve to deceive themselves.

Then there are those that backbite to raise their own status.

When they hear of someone’s error, they employ words like, “Had I prayed for so-and-so last night in my prayer, the news of their sin would not have reached my ears.”

Again, when a person states of another that he lacks understanding in a matter, the implication is personal superiority for the one that mentions the other’s shortcoming.

There are also those that couple jealousy with backbiting – the act of being critical or belittling to those that are praised in the company of others.

Some people also backbite for the sake of humor, playfulness and lightheartedness. A person finds a certain amount of satisfaction from being appreciated for his story-telling abilities; speaking ill of someone in a humorous fashion adds flavor to a tale.

Others engage in backbiting by showing surprise and amazement at another’s actions: “‘How is it that someone could do such a thing?”

Yet others mention people and their actions with the pretense of sympathy for their actions or misfortunes. In reality, the one who backbites actually finds contentment and satisfaction at the mention of others and their misdeeds.

Another form of backbiting is relating someone’s misfortune to their enemies, so that they, too, may find pleasure in putting them down.

From these examples, one can surmise that backbiting pertains to a disease of the heart… May Allah save us from this most evil of actions and protect us from its temptations.

Gems and Jewels
Compiled by: Abdul-Malik Mujahid
Publisher: Maktaba Dar-us-Salam
ISBN: 9960-897-59-1
Page 54

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

My story is plain enough, nothing strikingly poignant about it, but I tell it to you so that perhaps you can learn from my mistake. My marriage began as a very happy union between my husband and me. We weren’t rich, but we were contented with what we had, and we had a daughter whom we both loved dearly. In the early stages of our marriage, we would put our daughter to sleep, and we would then pray, glorify Allah, and recite the Quran.

One day, we checked our savings and realized that we had saved a considerable sum of money, and so I suggested to my husband that we should buy interest-bearing shares, the proceeds of which we could definitely use to help our daughter later on in life. We invested all that we had, including the money I made from selling all of my jewelry. After only a short time passed, the prices of the shares plunged, we went bankrupt, and we were left with many debts. We came to learn the hard way that:

“Allah will destroy Riba (usury) and will give increase for Sadaqat (deeds of charity, ominous, etc.).” (Quran 2:276)

During one of the difficult nights that followed, I got into a huge argument with my husband and demanded that he divorce me. He then screamed out, “You are divorced from me… you are divorced from me!” Both my child and I cried, and through many tears, it was this that was constantly going through my mind: We were joined together through obedience to Allah, and we then became separated through disobedience to Him.

Gems and Jewels
Compiled by: Abdul-Malik Mujahid
Publisher: Maktaba Dar-us-Salam
ISBN: 9960-897-59-1
Page 257

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Harith bin ‘Amr, the king of Kindah, proposed to marry the daughter of ‘Auf bin Muhillim. Her mother said to her the following words on the day that she was to be taken to her husband:

“My daughter, if advice were to be left off to those of virtue, I would have abstained from advising you, but good advice is a reminder to the heedless and a helper to the wise. If a woman didn’t need a husband because of the richness of her parents and because of their great need for her, then you would have been the richest of people in that regard; however, women were created for men and men were created for women.

My daughter, you are indeed leaving this house that you have been raised in, leaving to go to a man that you do not know and to a partner that you are not used to. Be a slave to him and he will become your slave, and preserve for him 10 qualities:

1,2) Be sincere toward him by being always satisfied with your condition, and be obedient to him.

3,4) Be careful about his eyes and his nose: do not let him see you in a bad state and do not let him smell from you any odor except the most fragrant odors.

5,6) Look after the time of his sleep and the time of his meals, for the continued state of hunger makes one weak and restless sleep leads to anger.

7,8) Protect his wealth and look after his family – the key to wealth is good estimation, and the key to the family is good planning.

9,10) Never disobey his command and never spread his secrets – the former embitters his heart and the latter will make you unsafe from his betrayal.”

Gems and Jewels
Compiled by: Abdul-Malik Mujahid
Publisher: Maktaba Dar-us-Salam
ISBN: 9960-897-59-1
Page 192

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

The majority of the modern “educated” people are today faced with a religious crisis. Is religion really a fact of life? It might have been one in the past, but does it still remain so in the world of today when science has changed the whole course of life, and when there is no place in it for anything save science and what scientific facts approve of? Does religion represent a genuine need of humanity? Or is it something wholly dependent upon the temperamental constitution of an individual so that one may not believe in it as there is no difference between the two states of belief and unbelief?

Talking about Islam they betray a similar state of intellectual crisis when the missionaries of Islam tell them that Islam is not a mere creed, nor does it represent simply an edification of souls, or a refinement and training of human virtues but it is rather a harmonious whole that also includes a just economic system, a well-balanced social organization, codes of civil, criminal as well as international law, a philosophical outlook upon life along with physical instruction, all of these flowing from the same fundamental creed of Islam and its moral and spiritual temperament. When they hear all this, these “educated” people are greatly perplexed, for they supposed that Islam had since long ceased to exist as it has become outmoded and had exhausted all its usefulness. That is why they are surprised when they hear devout Muslims saying that Islam does not belong to a remote past, it is not obsolete or antiquated but it is a living and flourishing system of life even at the present moment, as it holds within itself such elements of life as no other system known to humanity does including socialism as well as communism or any other system.

(…)

Before proceeding further let us, however, pause awhile and see as to who these “educated” skeptics are? Whence does their skepticism originate? Is this attitude of mind a result of their own free thinking or are they merely parroting the words of others without even so much as understanding them?

The fact is that the skepticism exhibited by these gentlemen is not a result of their own independent thinking, nor did it originate in their own minds as such. For its true source we will have to go back a little over the history of modern times.

The middle ages witnessed crusades between Europe and the world of Islam. Furious battles were fought between the two after which followed a period that saw a suspension of hostilities between the two camps but their hostility towards each other never ended as is well borne out by what Lord Allenby said in clear terms on the occasion of the British occupation of Jerusalem in World War I: “Now have the crusades come to an end!”

We must also keep in mind that during the last two centuries European imperialism remained in conflict with the Islamic Orient. The British stepped into Egypt in 1882 following Taufiq’s treachery. They hatched a plot with him for the military occupation of Egypt in order to thwart the popular revolution under the leadership of Orabi. Thereafter the British policy of necessity revolved around one basic aim: strengthening their hold more and more on the Islamic world and safeguarding their interests from being swept away by the true Islamic spirit of the Orient. We would in this respect like to refer to what the British Prime Minister of the Victorian age, Mr. Gladstone said in the House of Commons. Holding up the Holy Koran in his hands he told the members of the House: “So long as the Egyptians have got this book with them, we will never be able to enjoy quiet or peace in that land”.

Naturally the policy pursued by the British was one of deriding Islamic laws and principals, of exiling the sense of sanctity from Muslim’s hearts, and of painting Islam in the blackest of colors so as to make them look down upon it and in due course of time to discard it totally. They did all this in order to tighten up their imperialistic grip on this country.

The educational policy they adopted in Egypt was such as left the students quite ignorant about the reality of Islam, except that it was a religion embracing worships, prayers, praising and glorifying God, and pursuing mystic practices; that the Koran was a book read to invoke God’s blessings and that Islam was a theoretical invitation to pursue the noblest and most generous of moral precepts. Students were never told anything about Islam as a socio-economic system of government or as a constitution, or as a basis of internal and external policy, or as a system of education, or as a way of life and a watcher of life. What they were taught instead was the doubts cast against Islam by the orientalists and other European crusaders in order to make the Muslims forsake their religion and succumb easily to the evil machinations of imperialism.

They were taught that the only genuine social system in existence was that which Europe possessed, the only true economic system was one that was conceived by the European philosophers, the right and most appropriate form of constitutional government was what the Europeans, thanks to their various experiments, evolved. They were taught that the rights of man were first taken cognizance of by the French Revolution, that democracy was fostered and made popular by the English people, and that it was the Roman Empire that provided any basis of civilization. In short, the British depicted Europe as a rebellious but might giant with none to stand in its way or check its progress whereas they presented the East as a dwarfish underling with no standing of its own save that of subordination to Europe and complete dependence upon it for its social and cultural outlook.

This political policy at last took effect. Among the Egyptians there sprang up generations who were shorn of any thought of their individuality or independent cultural existence. They were completely enthralled by Europe; they worshipped it most devotedly; they could neither see with their own eyes nor were they any more left capable of thinking for themselves; they would see just what the Europeans wanted them to see; and they thought what they wished them to think.

The “educated” intelligentsia of today represents as such the culminating point of what the imperialists with the political maneuvers achieved in this country.

These poor people know nothing about Islam but doubt. About Islam they have no information save what they received through their European masters. That is why they are seen shouting like them advocating the separation of religion from the state and of science from Islam.

But in their ignorance they pass by the fact that the religion that Europe shook off was quite different from what the advocates of Islamic ideology call upon people to adopt; and that the particular circumstances that prevailed in Europe at the time made it turn its back upon religion were confined to that region of the world only. Nothing of the sort ever happened in the Islamic orient; nor is there any likelihood of its ever happening there. Thus when they call upon their countrymen to discard Islam or declare that Islam should have no say in the management of social, political and economic affairs of community and life, they are merely expressing and parroting the imported thoughts of their masters.

Europe was the scene of a conflict between religion and science, because the church there had arbitrarily embraced certain theories and dogmas (inheriting them from Greece) and insisted that they were sacred and gospel truth. So when the theoretical and the empirical science demonstrated the errors and fallacy of these theories, the people there had no other course but to believe in science and disbelieve in the church as well as in the religion these churchmen stood for. The war between religion and science gained in intensity and the enthusiasm to get free from the dominance of these religious men increased as the church in Europe conferred upon itself divine power and proceeded to enforce it in a most tyrannical manner. Thus for the people there religion came to signify and abominable ghoul that harassed them in their working no less than in their sleeping hours. It exacted from men costly extortion and reduced them to an abject state of subordination to the churchmen, besides calling upon them to swallow nonsense and superstitions in the name of God. The torturing of scientists and burning them alive because they said, for instance, that the earth was round, was the ugliest of crimes that made it a sacred duty of every sensible, free-thinking and conscientious individual there to come forward and help the forces that sought to destroy this abominable ghoul or at least put it in chains so as not to let it ever again harass and oppress the people besides harming the cause of religion by misrepresenting it and making others feel as if religion contained nothing but falsehood and untruth.

But what about us, we who live in the Islamic East? Why should we separate science from religion or hold that the two are at variance and war with each other? Is there even a single scientific fact which has been found to contradict Islam and its basic creed? Were scientists ever subjected to persecution in the domain of Islam? The whole history of Islam is before us. It testifies that there have been great doctors, astronomers, mathematicians, physicists as well as chemists but never were they persecuted for their views. There is no trace of conflict between science and their religious beliefs to be found in the minds of these great Muslim scientists. Nor did there exist any hostilities between them and the ruling authorities such as might have led to their suffering or burning alive.

What is it then that makes these “educated” people plead for separation of religion from science, for attacking Islam and finding faults with it without any understanding or knowledge of it? Their feverish crying is nothing but a symptom of the poison that had been administered to them by the imperialists, of course, without their knowing it.

This class of the “educated” elite was not at all in my mind when I wrote this book. They would never return to what is right until their masters in the West also do towards it after despairing of their godless materialistic civilization and recognize that it can bring no salvation, and so return to a system of life that is at once spiritual as well as practical – a system embracing belief no less than life at once and at the same time.

I had rather another class before me in writing this book – the sincere and enlightened youth, who earnestly wish to find out the reality, the truth, but the doubts and lies spread about Islam by the deceitful imperialistic powers leave them helpless to see the light, or the answer to those lies, and so they are left groping about in darkness, for the slaves of imperialism and the devils of communism would not let them march out to the right path – the path to freedom, honor and sublimity. It is to this enlightened and sincere group of young men that I present this book and hope that it may please God to help me dispel doubts about Islam from their minds.

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

…This contrast can be explained by the observation of the eminent Islamic Historian, Ibn Khaldun. He stated that, it is natural for the conquered subjects to look up to their conquerors for solutions to their problems. The defeated will naturally seek to identify the causes of their defeat and often attribute it to their way of life (ideology). Hence, the result is either reformation or abandonment of their ideology. Either route will lead to a level of emulation of the conquerors ideology. Thus, the reformist movements began to imitate the West by approving the imposed European model of nation states and eventually deserted the concept of an unified Islamic State…

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Ali bin Abi Talib (May Allah be satisfied with him) said, “I advise you with five… None of you should hope except from His Lord and none of you should fear except his sin, and none should be shy (when faced with a question) to reply humbly with ‘I do not know.’ And none should hesitate to acquaint themselves with the matter that they are ignorant about. One should know that patience to Iman is like the head to a body: if the head is cut off, the body perishes as well. Also whoever desires richness without having wealth and abundance and without having a large clan, then let him turn from the depravity of sin to the honor of serving Allah.”

Hasan said, “Whoever fears Allah, He will make all things fear him. And whoever fears people, Allah will make him fear everything.”

Gems and Jewels
Compiled by: Abdul-Malik Mujahid
Publisher: Maktaba Dar-us-Salam
ISBN: 9960-897-59-1
Page 79

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Harun Rasheed requested a sermon from one of the pious scholars. He said, “O Caliph, for you to accompany a person who makes you afraid of the Hereafter is better than one who gives you safety here, only to have you face fear on the Last Day. Know that the person who reminds you of your responsibility to your flock is more sincere to you than one who comforts you with knowledge that you are of the noble family of the Prophet (May Allah exalt his mention and protect him from imperfection) and forgiven for your sins (which is not true!).” Harun Rasheed began to weep at these statements until those around him felt pity for him.

*Note: This commentary applies to all of us in his/her own domain of authority i.e. The father/mother towards his/her spouse and children etc…

Gems and Jewels
Compiled by: Abdul-Malik Mujahid
Publisher: Maktaba Dar-us-Salam
ISBN: 9960-897-59-1
Page 116