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Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Mission #4 : Truth |
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| BrKhalid |
| 07/20/02 at 19:40:27 |
| Asalaamu Alaikum Madina Citizen ;-) Your mission this week, should you choose to accept it, is the following: Choose a verse or verses of the Qu’ran which have particular meaning to you and explain *why* you hold it so close to your heart. As always, should you, or any member of the Madina fail in your mission, the Madina will disavow all knowledge of your actions. This post will self-destruct in five seconds. (or be moved to the ARK soon) PS Agents have until this Fri midnight EST to complete this weeks Mission. |
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| Kathy |
| 07/21/02 at 19:27:37 |
| [slm] If we failed any mission- especially #3.... or just plain refused to do it, Should we continue or are we booted out of the game? |
| Re: Mission #4 : Truth |
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| BrKhalid |
| 07/22/02 at 04:41:38 |
| Asalaamu Alaikum ;-) No carry on. I'm sure there will be tougher Missions to come so one week's failure isn't the end of the world ;-) |
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| Fatimah |
| 07/23/02 at 12:08:37 |
| [slm] Surat Al-Kafirun (The Disbelievers) In the Name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 1. Say: O disbelievers! 2. I worship not that which you worship; 3. Nor worship you that which I worship 4.And I shall not worship that which you worship 5. Nor will you worship that which I worship. 6. Unto you your religion, and unto me my religion. This is one of my favorite surahs in the Quran. I often read it in my salat. When I read it in Arabic, and really concentrate on it, I feel that I am really following the truth (Islam). This surah gives me strength and relief. One of my favorite ayah of the Quran is Az-Zumar:53 53. Say: O My Slaves who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: verily, Allah forgives all sins. Truly He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. It gives me lots of hope that Allah will forgive all my sins and mistakes. He truly is so Merciful! No verse use to give the sahabah more hope than this one did. They were so happy and relieved when it was sent down. (that’s in tafsir ibn kathir) |
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| sofia |
| 07/23/02 at 22:45:07 |
| As-salaamu 'alaikum wa rahmatullah This would have to be the toughest mission so far. Seems every time we open up the Qur'aan, there's a different ayah that inspires and challenges and invokes awe. So I'll choose one for the sake of time. What: Surah Hujurat, ayah 13. We all know it and love it. "O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another. Verily, the most honorable of you with God is the one who has taqwa/God-consciousness. Verily, God is all-Knowing, all-Aware." Why: So many layers of wisdom in so few words. Concepts such as: -The Creator created both male and female, on some levels, to show their equal importance in creation, Allahu'alim, and on another( the brotherhood/sisterhood of creation. -Similarly, the creation of "nations and tribes," pointing out that not only are we are all different, but that we should get to know one another. Isolation really plays no role in Islam unless it's the isolation from evil/tribulations. -Although the Creator really has no need for this, He holds some of His creation in honor; the "honorable"/'akramakum from amongst His creation are those who are God-conscious. Not a matter of skin color, sex or wealth. Consciousness is not just knowledge, but a step beyond that. -Continuing along this line, superficiality also holds no place in Islam. The outward and, more specifically, the inward are only known to God, the All-Knowing, All-Aware. Allahu'alim. |
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| an |
| 07/24/02 at 10:12:39 |
| [slm], [i]"... So fear not mankind, but fear Me ..." [/i] Al-Ma'idah: 44 [i]"It is only the devil who would make (men) fear his partisans. Fear them not; fear Me, if ye are true believers." [/i] Al-'Imran: 175 I always keep these verses dear in my heart because they give me courage.. that I have nothing to be afraid of in this life, except Allah. Actually, it was these verses that made me face the fears I had when I finally dawn the hijab, alhamdullilah. :-) Another favourite of mine is Ayat-ul Kursi. It's such a beautiful verse. [i]Allah! There is no god but He, the Living, the Self-subsisting, Eternal. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on earth. Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permitteth? He knoweth what (appeareth to His creatures as) Before or After or Behind them. Nor shall they compass aught of His knowledge except as He willeth. His Throne doth extend over the heavens and the earth, and He feeleth no fatigue in guarding and preserving them for He is the Most High, the Supreme (in glory).[/i] I feel a profound sense of peace after reading/reciting it. To me it means trusting our Lord when calamities befall.. for He knows what's best for us, believing that only through His permission one can be helped and one can gain knowledge. From there I just feel a sense of humbleness .. for we humans truly are weak. Wallahu 'alam |
| 07/24/02 at 10:18:38 |
| an |
| Re: Mission #4 : Truth |
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| mwishka |
| 07/24/02 at 11:27:40 |
| i also find 2:255 (The Verse of the Throne, ayat- ul-Kursi) very soothing. that one and 41:36 (seeking refuge) were the two verses that i initially found most personally significant when i first read al-qur'an. since then, i have come to appreciate the verse below as being very important to me in the way it distinguishes islam as a religion which asks muslims to live every moment of every day of their lives with high honor as a reflection of their intimate devotion to god. O you who believe! Let not some men among you laugh at others: It may be that the (latter) are better than the (former): Nor let some women laugh at others: It may be that the (latter) are better than the (former): Nor defame nor be sarcastic to each other, nor call each other by (offensive) nicknames: Ill-seeming is a name connoting wickedness, (to be used of one) after he has believed: And those who do not repent are (indeed) wrong. (Surah al-Hujraat 49:11) i personally fail in heeding these wise words by my frequent resort to sarcasm -- that's a trap i need to learn to avoid. here are harun yahya's words which helped me to understand the full implications of this verse - this helped me deal with the idea i found uncomfortable in the second line that seemed to say that it might be ok for any of us to think of any others of us as not absolutely our equals. Harun Yahya: Allah tells people to refrain from mocking. mockery can take many forms: open laughter at personal misadventures, sly grins, verbal teasing under the pretence of joking, or sidelong glances to convey something which cannot be openly discussed. Such behaviour belongs to the culture of the ignorant and does not befit true believers. The Qur'an tells us that people who indulge in such behavior will have to suffer the Fire of Allah mounting on to their hearts. |
| Re: Mission #4 : Truth |
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| Ms._Bey |
| 07/24/02 at 17:19:48 |
| [slm] I like Fatima's selection. I also like the one I have for my quote at the bottom. It is because education is very important to me. It is also because I was permitted to be led to Islam, despite the fact that there were no Muslims around me most of my life. But since I am now a Muslimah, I want to share this beautiful blessing of Al - Islam with everyone that I can. My other choice is Surah One. Any questions? ;) [wlm] E. :-) |
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| BrKhalid |
| 07/25/02 at 04:43:43 |
| Asalaamu Alaikum ;-) Just a reminder that the Mission ends tomorrow midnight EST. Just a little time pressure for you ;-) |
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| Aabidah |
| 07/25/02 at 18:00:01 |
| [slm] The ayah that most effects me is the last ayah of Surat Al-Baqarah: "Allâh burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. "Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error, our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us (Jews and Christians); our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant us Forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Maulâ (Patron, Suppor-ter and Protector, etc.) and give us victory over the disbelieving people." Why: I have gone through some difficult times in my life, where I felt weighed down with so many things. Even during those times, Allahu SubhanaHu Wata'ala had Mercy on me and by reading this ayah, it gave strength to my heart and the patience to keep on going, wAlhamdulillah. The last sentences of the ayah, which is a dua'a, is the kind of words that should be coming out of my mouth all the time. Because I myself commit so much sin that I don't know how I'm going to account for all of them on the Day of Judgment. And so, by reciting this dua'a reminds me that I will account for everything and helps me control myself when faced with temptations, etc., wAlhamdulillah. SubhanAllah all the ayaat of Allahu SubhanaHu Wata'ala are perfect and are a source of guidance for us, but this ayah stands out to me, SubhanAllah. [wlm] Betul |
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| A_Stranger |
| 07/25/02 at 18:38:11 |
| [slm] Man oh man oh man..I'm always late or the last one.. and this mission is *tough*!! Some of my favourite verses..Surah Al-'Asr: [i]By the time Verily, man is in loss, Except those who believe (in Islamic Monothiesm) and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to truth [ie. order one another to perform all kinds of good deeds (Al-Ma'roof) which Allah has ordained, and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds (Al-Munkar) which Allah has forbidden], and recommend one another to patience (for the sufferings, harms and injuries which one may encounter in Allah's Cause during preaching His religion of Islamic Monothiesm or Jihaad). [/i] Why? Because this surah talks about time...something that we're running out of. Allah (swt) swears by time to instill in us the importance of time. I frequently find myself wasting time, not engaging myself in "righteous deeds" as it says in verse 3. There's this old Arab saying: "Time is like a sword, if you play with it, it cuts." ..basically, this surah reminds me to get my priorities straight. Time won't stop - it's constantly running, and we gotta run and catch up. I learnt that there are 3 things that never respect man: 1- The Truth: - eg. when someone embraces Islam - the Truth - it cannot be watered down, you can't compromise your deen. 2- Disease: - You cannot avoid or hide certain diseases, such as AIDS.If it affects someone, they can't stop it. 3 - Time: - Time is one of the things that do not respect man. You can't expect the clock, the days, months, seasons, years to stop for you. eg. Maghrib ain't gonna stop for you - you gotta quickly make your wudu' and pray it on time. Allah (swt) says in this surah that man will be "..in a state of loss..", meaning, they're doomed...(I think)..UNLESS they recommend one another to *truth* and to *patience*. Here, Allah (swt) mentions 'patience' straight after 'truth' because I have learnt that everytime you speak the truth, the world despises you, turns against you. You get slandered and you lose your friends. Even the *Prophets* (pbut) were killed because the kuffaar at that time hated Islam so much. Therefore, we need sabr, patience. This gives me reassurance...when I'm struggling, and I feel at the brink of failure..I remember that Allah (swt) orders us to be patient. I also like these three verses because they're easy to recite.. ;) ;D Hope that counts inshaAllah. Peace |
| 07/25/02 at 18:40:00 |
| A_Stranger |
| Re: Mission #4 : Truth |
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| Kathy |
| 07/25/02 at 22:06:49 |
| In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Surah 93.... This surah is so deep and has described and affected me in many different times of my life. Some examples: By the Glorious Morning Light, [i]Anyone who has stayed up after Fajr making dikr understands what "glorious" describes.[/i] And by the Night when it is still,- [i]This reminds me of quiet times sitting on the waters edge...contemplating...[/i] Thy Guardian-Lord hath not forsaken thee, nor is He displeased. [i]I remember when I was first reading this I was thinking about giving up my Christian god and religion.... and I was so scared of "the lightening bolt", I did not want to displease Allah swt and was wondering if what I was doing - looking into Islam... was wrong.[/i] And verily the Hereafter will be better for thee than the present. [i]Al humdullillah, what a mercy to be able to reflect on that when everyone and thing is turning against you[/i] And soon will thy Guardian-Lord give thee (that wherewith) thou shalt be well-pleased. [i]And at every different time in my life, it was something better than I had even dare ask for- and then the promise of paradise...[/i] Did He not find thee an orphan and give thee shelter (and care)? [i]Many times in my life I was "orphaned"...and Allah swt took care of me...how could I possibly deny His favours?[/i] And He found thee wandering, and He gave thee guidance. [i]Masha Allah....and at times I felt I had wandered too far...but He swt was always there...[/i] And He found thee in need, and made thee independent. [i]Ya Allah, a woman divorced is so alone and scared...but He swt made me independent which gave me the strength to be able to leave....[/i] Therefore, treat not the orphan with harshness, [i]This line was like a slap in the face. In other words...I am not the only one out their alone....and what a mercy to the children of the world.[/i] Nor repulse the petitioner (unheard); [i]Another slap... how many times I did not have time or money for another ... Allah swt had time for little old me.... who was I not to take time and listen to others....[/i] But the bounty of the Lord - rehearse and proclaim! [i]"Which of the favors of the Lord do you deny..."[/i] |
| 07/25/02 at 22:08:34 |
| Kathy |
| Re: Mission #4 : Truth |
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| wardah |
| 07/26/02 at 12:56:46 |
[slm] 'And we are closer to him than his jugular vein.' surah Qaaf (50: 16) and also; 'Be aware that Allaah comes between a man and his heart.' (surah al-Anfaal (8 : 24) why? because help me to fear Allaah and know that Allaah has the knowledge of our innermost thoughts, and intentions. Helping me to be more sincere in actions. [wlm] |
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| sakeenz |
| 07/26/02 at 17:36:24 |
[slm] So verily, with the hardship, there is relief, Verily, with the hardship, there is relief - I remind myself of these ayahs of surah Ash-Sharh when ever I feel overwhelmed in face of difficulties. |
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| bhaloo |
| 07/28/02 at 09:55:16 |
| [slm] Its been a while since I've ventured into this forum, oops. :P But my favorite is: Quran 25:63 And the servants of (Allah) Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility and when the ignorant address them they say "Peace!" Its a reminder to me how we should behave when dealing with others, especially those that are arrogant. In Yusuf Ali's tafsir he mentions this: Ignorant: in a moral sense. Address: in the aggressive sense. Their humility is shown in two ways: (1) to those in real search of knowledge, they give such knowledge as they have and as the recipients can assimilate; (2) to those who merely dispute, they do not speak harshly, but say "Peace!", as much as to say, "May it be well with you, may you repent and be better"; or "May Allah give me peace from such wrangling"; or "Peace, and Good-bye; let me leave you!" ;===================== And another thing about this verse that comes to mind is that Jannah told me that a brother was proposing to a sister and the brother told the sister, you are like the people in this verse. I think it worked and the sister married him. |
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| jannah |
| 07/28/02 at 14:07:03 |
| [slm] This is one of my favorite surahs: http://www.jannah.org/qurantrans/quran71.html It's about Nuh and how he calls to his people night and day and yet they still refuse his message. It gives me solace to read this at times when we try to do so much but the dawah we do doesn't always work. |
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