A R C H I V E S
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Re: Chicken Soup for the Muslim Soul |
|---|
| Arabian_Princess |
| 12/31/03 at 12:20:40 |
| [slm] I think this is a brilliant idea! Unfortunately, I don't have anything to contribute tho, because alhamdulillah my family are deeply religious. I'd really like to read your book when it's finished. I'll try and ask my friends for some experiences.... [slm] |
| Re: Chicken Soup for the Muslim Soul |
|---|
| humble_muslim |
| 12/31/03 at 13:19:57 |
| AA Inshallah I'll try to. Send me an IM and remind me if I don;t get to it in the next couple of weeks. |
| NS |
| Re: Chicken Soup for the Muslim Soul |
|---|
| tahirah |
| 12/31/03 at 16:54:25 |
| [slm] My experience is not quite so drastic, or eloquent. I can give you a brief view of events that opened my eyes. When I was about eleven or twelve I watched a lecture video by Imam Siraj Wahaj about the family life. It was the first time I heard someone "tell it like it is." He described every memeber of my family with astonishing accuracy. For the first time I knew that I was headed down the wrong path, and I knew I needed to change. It was a message that came at a rough time in my life. I had never been a "bad kid," I just didn't really understand what it meant to be a muslimah. My parents were about to go through a divorce and I sought comfort with, instead of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, school and novels. I thought that television shows like, The Cosby Show, could teach me how to run a family. I let Shaytaan convince me that I know the difference between right and wrong, therefore watching "good" TV shows and reading novels would not affect me - I could just pick out the lessons from which I choose to benefit. The person in the most danger of destruction is the one who is certain that he or she is not in danger... |
| Re: Chicken Soup for the Muslim Soul |
|---|
| ouch |
| 01/01/04 at 00:48:22 |
| [slm] Jazakumullah and thanks everyone for taking the time to reply... sis tahirah you'd be surprised at how many Muslims take naseeha on how to live their lives from books movies and tv shows because of the absence/lack of Muslim role models and resources. In my teenage years I was one such person myself. My room was plastered with posters of whoever happened to be my current role model (astaghfirullah) and I'd take lessons on life from talk show hosts, show biz celebrities or whoever happened to catch my fancy.... That changed when one of my aunts visited us and after one look at my room she simply said, "Is this what you want to be like in life? I'd hardly think this was a suitable role model for a Muslim girl." At that time I was stung by her words and even tried to justify myself saying, " My faith isn't hanging by a thread and I'm not going to stop being a Muslim just because I happen to like X celebrity." But alhamdulillah I grew up and was exposed to people who practised their deen seriously, who showed me the riches of Islaamic culture and history and educated me on Islaamic ethics. This is why I'm writing this booklet.....I'm just trying to show Muslims that it doesn't take much to turn over a new leaf Islaamically and that practising one's deen perfunctorily or being indifferent/apathetic to their deen has resulted in the abysmal state that the Ummah is in today........ Will follow up with 2 more stories that I hv just to give an idea of the variety of experiences I hv in mind.....Looking for more inputs inshallah :-) |
| 01/01/04 at 00:51:23 |
| ouch |
| Re: Chicken Soup for the Muslim Soul |
|---|
| timbuktu |
| 01/01/04 at 01:52:47 |
| [slm] sister ouch there would be some who have turned a new leaf, & started climbing the ladder of taqwa, & they are way ahead and there would be many who turned a new leaf, but fell into sin again, & turned back again, & fell, & ....... they go round & round in circles for some the cycles are measured in weeks, for others in years where do such people figure in your reckoning? (or better still, in Allah's reckoning: any idea?) |
| Re: Chicken Soup for the Muslim Soul |
|---|
| ouch |
| 01/01/04 at 03:02:47 |
| [slm] Bro, one of the most beautiful of Allaah swt's Names is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful .....I think that says it all, doesn't it? The road to taqwa isn't all that linear for a lot of people, we all sin and repent over and over again. The idea is to break out of this circle by taking the road to repentance one step at a time. I'm posting 2 articles which were of immense help to me and I hope inshaAllah they help answer your question in a better way than I can..... Forgiveness in Islam Friday Lecture - Nov, 2001 by Dr. Shahid Athar M.D. Allah (SWT),who named Himself Ar-Rahman (The Beneficent) and Ar-Rahim (The Merciful) is also Al-Ghafoor (The Forgiving). His Mercy overtakes His punishment and anger. He is more merciful to His creations than a mother can be to her infants. He created "man with weakness"; thus He knows and we should know that "to err is human," and "no one is perfect." Iblis (Satan), the cursed one, out of envy to Adam, has promised to himself "to attack children of Adam on their way to their journey toward God, so that those who fall prey to his attack will also have the same fate as himself (I'll take you down with me!). So he says, "I'll attack men from the front, behind and sides." (7:17) This means he will disguise himself as our friend, as our opponent, and side distractions of the world. He will then make us do wrong by presenting evil as good (poison candy in a nice wrapper), making us angry, jealous, envious, just "follow-the-leader" type, and we wrong ourselves and fall prey to his temptation. Iblis and his followers have a feast of joy and laugh at man's foolishness, until the man realizes his mistakes, repents and asks for forgiveness and he is forgiven, and then Iblis cries again. Giving up Hope of the Mercy of Allah is a Crime in Itself "Say: 'O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of God: for God forgives all sins (except shirk): for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.'" (39:53) "And it is He who accepts repentance from His servants and pardons the evil deed and knows what you do." (42:25) In order for forgiveness to be accepted, these conditions should be met: (1) The crime is committed out of ignorance, not with the intention that, "Let us go ahead and commit this crime as Allah is forgiving, so He will forgive us."; (2) quickly turn into shame and repentance after committing a crime out of ignorance; (3) After asking for forgiveness, make a promise or pledge to "mend his ways", and to stick to his promise. Let us examine verses of Quran. "...if any of you did evil in ignkrance, and thereafter repented and amended (your conduct), lo! Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (6:54) "Forgiveness is only incumbent on Allah towards those who do evil out of ignorance and then turn quickly (in repentance) to Allah. Toward them will Allah turn in mercy; for Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom." (4:17) "Forgiveness is not for those who do ill until death faces one of them, who then says, 'Lo! I repent now, nor for those who die as disbelievers, for such was have prepared a painful doom.'" (4:18) IS ANY CRIME OR TOO MANY CRIMES TOO BIG TO BE FORGIVEN? Let us examine two Hadith. 1) Hadith Qudsi: Allah, the Almighty, has said: O Son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O Son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O Son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins as great as the earth, and were you then to face Me ascribing no partners to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it. 2) Prophet (SW) has said: A certain person had committed 99 murders. He went to a scholar and asked, is there any chance of my being forgiven? The scholar said no, you have committed too many crimes. The man killed the scholar too, but his heart was restless, so he went to another scholar and asked the same question. He was told yes, but you must leave this town of bad people and go live in the next town in the company of good people. So the man set out to the town he was told to go to. On the way he died. A man passing by saw two angels arguing over his dead body. The Angel from Hell said, 'His body belongs to me as he had not done any good in his life.' The Angel from Heaven said, 'His body belongs to me as he had repented and was set out to be with good people.' The man who was the passer-by said, 'Let us measure the distance of his body from the town he left and the town he was going to.' This was done. He was found to be nearer to the town he was going to. In another version, the earth was ordered by Allah to shrink and make the distance smaller, so that he was admitted to Heaven. How does Allah forgive us? When we commit a sin, four (4) witnesses are established against us. a) The place we did the crime (i.e., scene of the murder). "On that day, the earth will reveal all its secrets." (99:4) b) The organ we used to commit the crime. "When their ears, their eyes, their skin will testify against them." (41:21) "That day we seal up mouths, and hands speak out and feet bear witness to all that they did." (36:65) c) The Angels who record the deeds (Kiraman Katebeen). "The honored writers know what you do." (82:11) d) "We record that which they send before them, and their footprints, and all things we have kept in a clear register." (36:12) Now, with four such strong witnesses, how can we present ourselves to Allah? So He (the Al-Wakeel--the Defender), like a smart lawyer, removes all the witnesses against those whose repentance has been accepted, so that we present ourselves with a clean record. Case dissolved due to lack of witnesses. Hadith is like this. "When Allah accepts repentance and forgives His servant, then recording angels erase their records, organs lose their memories, and earth removes its stains of evidence so that when that person appears before Allah, there is no one to be a witness against him. Subhan Allah. How to Ask for Forgiveness When Adam and Eve realized they had done wrong but did not know how to ask for forgiveness: Then learnt Adam from his Lord words of forgiveness, and his Lord turned toward him, for He is Oft-Forgiving and Most Merciful. (2:37) What were those words taught to Adam? They said, "Our Lord, we have wronged our souls and if you forgive us not, and bestow not upon us your mercy, we shall be losers. (7:23) How did the Prophet Muhammad (AS) teach Aisha (RA) to ask for forgiveness in Ramadan? O my Lord, forgive me, because you love to forgive, thus forgive me, O you Merciful! Remember, asking for forgiveness is not just for our sins, but also for our needs as well. And I have said! Seek forgiveness from your Lord. Lo! He is oft-forgiving (if you ask for forgiveness). He will give you plenty of rain, He will give you wealth and sons, and assign you Heaven and Rivers in the Heaven. (Surah Nuh:10-12) Thus after repenting and asking for forgiveness, we must mend our ways and not go back to Kufr and fall prey to the tactics of Satan (Iblis) again. While we expect Allah to be kind and merciful and forgive our major and minor sins, we are unforgiving towards our fellow human beings! This one is a review of a book called "Salvation through Repentance" by Abu Ameenah Bila Philips In this little book, Abu Ameenah discusses the Islamic view of salvation, which is attainable only by both faith and deeds. This is in contrast to other faiths, in which salvation may be by faith alone (some Christian sects) or by deeds alone (Hinduism and Buddhism). He begins with a succinct account of repentance (tawbah) in Islam, with many ayat and hadith - the whole book is rooted in ayat and hadith - and his own, quite beautifully written, explanations: “And turn all of you in repentance to Allah, 0 believers, in order that you may be successful” [24:31]. He: “By sincerely obeying God's command .... the sinner embarks on an act of worship which is so great that it can totally absolve him of his sins.” Allah's Messenger (pbuh) said, “One who repents is like one without sin.” Abu Ameenah explains: “[Sins] are a natural consequence of [man's] God-given free will and the finite attributes with which he was endowed.... [P]ardoning those who turn repentant is a channel through which Allah's divine attributes of mercy and forgiveness are made manifest.” Therefore, the Prophet (phuh) said. “If you did not commit sins. Allah would sweep you out of existence and replace you by another people who would commit sins and ask AlIah's forgiveness, and He would forgive them.” The next point is personal accountability and the notion that there is no such thing as ‘original sin’ : “Each soul only earns sin against itself, and no bearer of burdens may shoulder the burden (of guilt) of another” [6:164]. As the author points out, this idea can even be found in the Old Testament: “The son shall not hear the iniquity of the father” [Ezekiel 18:20], despite the Jewish Torahs many references to sins of the fathers being visited on succeeding generations. What follows is that “there are no barriers between the repentant sinner and God" : “And who forgives sins besides Allah?” [3:135] “You alone do we worship, and from You alone do I we seek help” [1:4]. This is the essence of tawhid, and calling upon any other is major shirk. Indeed, though the author does not say so explicitly,. one of the major problems with Christianity is its claim that Jesus died to redeem mankind from sin. (In fact, according to the New Testament itself, one of the main reasons the Jewish leadership opposed Jesus was that he was alleged to forgive people's sins, which is blasphemy.) Abu Ameenah goes on to discuss repentance and provides a very concise yet sufficiently thorough analysis of the evolution of repentance in Christianity. Paul taught that man's sinfulness is so great that it prevents him from approaching God directly and therefore requires the intervention of Jesus and his sacrificial death. Saint Augustine developed the doctrines of original sin due to Adam's fall from grace, meaning that man is inherently evil and sinful, hence Jesus' necessary role as intercessor, and absolution (forgiveness) through the Church sacrament of penance. Penance consists of three steps - remorse, confession to a priest (as Jesus' stand-in), and performing acts of penance assigned by the priest/confessor to achieve forgiveness. Over the centuries, the assigned acts of penance, originally rather severe and often done in public, became reduced to simple prayers and giving charity. By the Middle Ages this had been corrupted into what was known as the sale of indulgences; one could literally buy forgiveness for one's sins in the form of a document - Abu Ameenah calls it a letter of credit. It was essentially bribery and it provoked Martin Luther to lead the Protestant revolt against the Church known as the Reformation. (The Church was prompted to cleanse itself of these and other corrupt practices in what historians call the Counter-Reformation. ed.) Essentially Protestantism teaches that the Bible is supreme over Church tradition and that justification (absolution) is attained by faith alone, not by works. Faith still meant belief in the divinity, sacrifice, and intercession of Jesus. Luther also taught predestination - lack of free will, i.e. that people are born predestined for Heaven or Hell, and thus works are useless. (ed: Many Protestant sects reject predestination and/or do not reject the efficacy of works.) The author then brietly compares the notion of Jesus as intercessor with that of Muslim mystics' belief in saints who can intercede and shoulder some of the burden. The true Islam “teaches that it is only by the Grace and Mercy of God that anyone will attain paradise..... There is however, a direct link between faith, righteous deeds and divine Grace. God's mercy is not arbitrary.... Such a state of affairs would deny man's free will and make the Day of Judgement meaningless.” Both faith and righteous deeds are required: “...[T]hose who believe and work righteousness have prepared themselves (places in paradise), in order that He may reward those who believe and work righteousness out of His grace...” [30:44-5]. The author then turns to conditions for repentance, listing and explicating seven conditions. The first is remembrance of Allah: “0 believers! Remember Allah often” [33:41]. In repenting one must be sincere and mindful of Allah and not just go through the motions. Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said, “Call on Allah in prayer confident that it will be answered. But know that Allah does not answer the prayer of an unmindful, inattentive heart.” Second is immediacy. One must repent as soon as possible after committing the sin: “Hasten in the race for forgiveness from your Lord” [3:133]. If one delays - a sign of insincerity and desire to prolong the pleasure of the sin - that is in itself a sin and one must seek forgiveness for the delay as well as for the sin. Third is cessation. One must not return to the sin, for if one does, it is a sure sign that one has not sincerely repentanted, and he/she will not be forgiven. Fourth is exoneration. If one has sinned against the rights, honor or property of another person, exoneration must be sought. Property must be returned, honor must be restored. Moreover, as the Prophet (pbuh) told Mu'adh Ibn Jabal, “Beware of the curse of one who is oppressed, for surely there is no veil between him and Allah.” In other words, Allah will answer the prayers of the oppressed. Fifth is sorrow, that is, remorse, “which is the foundation of tawhah and without which repentance has no sincerity or substance.” The Prophet (pbuh) said. "Remorse is repentance." “For example,” writes Abu Ameenah, “a position requiring that one holding it abstain from certain vices may cause those who apply for it to eschew these vices while harboring in their hearts a secret love for them.” This is itself a sin. Sixth is righteous deeds. “If any of you does evil in ignorance, then repents and makes amends, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Mercful” [6:54]. The author cites several ayat which repeat “repent, believe and do righteous deeds”. God, then, rewards one for doing good deeds, and even for intending to do good deeds. He goes on to cite the pillars of Islam as righteous deeds, since, “when they are performed according to both the letter and the spirit of the law, they become good deeds of the highest order capable of cleansing the true believers of many of their sins.” He cites several ahadith showing how wudoo, salah, salat al-Jumuah, Laylat al-Qadr, fasting, umrah and hajj erase sins. The seventh condition is time frame. One must repent before it's too late. The Prophet said, “Allah, most Great and Glorious, will accept His servant's repentance until his death rattle begins.” The second time that it will be too late will be when the signs come for the Last Day. The author then turns to acts of penance, what is known in Islam as kaffarah. These are divine decrees that must be carried out in addition to repenting where obligations to Allah have been deliberately broken, and he lists what he considers the major ones: a. deliberate violation of the Ramadan fast b. deliberate hunting during hajj c. premature shaving of the head during hajj d. dhihar separation (separating from one's wife without divorce) e. deliberate violation of oaths f. accidental murder (i.e. manslaughter) g. sex during menses With regard to violation of oaths, the author, fortunately for us, provides some detailed explanation of what constitutes an oath, as distinguished, for example, from a vow, and their different types. The most important things are that one must not swear by anything or anyone other than Allah, for to do so is shirk, and that it is preferable to break an oath or vow - and make expiation - if a better, more pious course of action is found. In the final chapter of the book. Abu Ameenah provides - in Arabic, English and transliterated Arabic - a long list of prayers of repentance. These are grouped into two: those from the Qur'an and those from the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh). Needless to add, this is a lovely, very useful and convenient addition to anyone's library. Dr. Mustafa Mould Manar As-Sabeel, Vol. 6, No. 5, Pg. 6 [February 1998] |
| 01/01/04 at 03:05:27 |
| ouch |
| Re: Chicken Soup for the Muslim Soul |
|---|
| Lil_Sista |
| 01/01/04 at 04:16:56 |
| [slm] briliant idea,indeed! born again muslim hmm sounds like me ;) well i'd like to share my experience reagarding' journey to Islam' but :( so sorry i cant tell the story now'coz im currently working on my paper'n essay'n preparing for the finals.can i do it later,maybe when finals are out? ??? i'll PM u to make sure,ok? Wassalam, :-) |
| Re: Chicken Soup for the Muslim Soul |
|---|
| se7en |
| 01/01/04 at 08:56:11 |
| as salaamu alaykum, I think this is a really beautiful idea, masha'Allah :) do you think there might be some hesitation on the part of now-practicing Muslims, tk discuss their not-so-good past? |
| Re: Chicken Soup for the Muslim Soul |
|---|
| ouch |
| 01/01/04 at 11:47:54 |
| [slm] You can PM me anytime inshaAllaah before March/April about this lil_sis and thanks for showing an interest sis 7 :) I must confess, Muslims being reticent about their not-so-religious past is something of a paradox as far as I'm concerned...in all my real-life encounters all the ppl I've spoken to hv been fired with the "converts zeal" and hv been very open and forthcoming.. I was hoping that ppl might be willing to share more online, since nobody really knows the real YOU here...I'm still hoping and waiting for responses... If you've read the Chicken Soup for the Soul series you'll notice that the list of contributors is sooooo loooooong which is actually what made the book so powerful.....the variety of experiences . I'm praying inshaAllaah ppl will pitch in a lot more here too :-) |
| 01/01/04 at 11:50:38 |
| ouch |
| Re: Chicken Soup for the Muslim Soul |
|---|
| faith |
| 01/02+04 at 00:12:08 |
| [slm] When I saw your post, my thoughts were, that's a great idea, to inspire muslims to improve their deen, with true stories of born again muslims!. I would definitely say I am a-now practicing muslim, where previously, I wasnt'. Its been 4/5 yrs now, and its been a journey towards getting closer to God. The thing is, in order to have such inspirational stories, my concerns are: 1) you must reveal the bad person or bad things you did before 2) and the good things you do now to show that one has improved!. But the thing is, I am reluctant to disclose the things I used to do, since I have repented, and that those things are not meant to be disclosed, as a muslim is to cover up his/his brothers' faults. Nor is a muslim supposed to blow his trumpet about how good he is...written somewhere in the qur'an that you are not to say your are good, it is up to Allah to judge. So there you have it, the dilemma about writing these stories... I leave it up to you to counter these points. Btw, one inspirational story: read up about Moez Massoud, the host of ART's stairway to paradise & parables of the quran :-) |
| Re: Chicken Soup for the Muslim Soul |
|---|
| ouch |
| 01/02/04 at 01:12:22 |
| [slm] sis faith, Allaah swt has promised us that ALL our actions will be judged on our intentions/niyah. If a person's intention in discussing his/her past mistakes is that others can learn from the experience and take guidance/inspiration for their own lives and improve for the better, then that amounts to saving a bro/sister Muslim's faith, doesn't it? It's almost as important (in fact more so in my opinion) as saving another person's life , don't you think? Besides, even I'm not in favour of dwelling upon gory details of past mistakes and bragging about one's elevated status of taqwa and faith. I'm more focused on how to get past the mistakes one might hv made, how not to fall into the same trap again and how to warn/guide others who might be in the same situation as you. Inshallah when I post more stories you'll realize that I'm being very discreet about the person's identity in all the stories that I hv and am NOT going into the nitty gritty of a person's transgressions. Sister, Allaah swt knows what I'd give to be a teenager again, to live my teenage years according to the guidelines laid down by Allaah swt and His Prophet and be one of those who will be shaded by His Throne on the Day of Judgement .....(according to a hadith youth who are raised in Islaam will be among the 7 people shaded by Allaah on the Day when there will be shade and no respite for anyone) However, failing that I can only do the second best thing: warn and guide others to not waste their lives and to not follow the footsteps of Shaytaan with the only means I hv at my disposal. Inshallah I hope that dispelled some of your misgivings. Looking forward to your input (you can send me a PM if you're uncomfortable about posting publicly), if you're finally convinced that this booklet is an effort solely for the sake of Allaah swt and NOTHING else. :-) |
| Re: Chicken Soup for the Muslim Soul |
|---|
| rkhan |
| 01/03/04 at 01:24:35 |
| [slm] That's a nice idea sis and I hope you'll let us all know when the book is complete. I might have a story re: this, but it isn't about me just about someone else I know. Does that qualify? I could send you the details by PM if that's ok with you. |
| Re: Chicken Soup for the Muslim Soul |
|---|
| timbuktu |
| 01/03/04 at 01:53:39 |
| [slm] thanks, sister ouch ..... for reproduction of that excellent lecture now, if i have story of such a person, i think it would be that of an ordinary life, maybe one has caught him/ her at a level of higher eemaan (belief) & amal (practice), so it wouldn't be of use in your project, would it? |
| Re: Chicken Soup for the Muslim Soul |
|---|
| WhiteSomali |
| 01/03/04 at 04:03:52 |
| [slm] ;D Sis Ouch, this is a great idea. Altho I cant really contribute too much to your booklet, fo sho I'd be purchasin it when it came out, insha' Allah ;D May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala reward you for your efforts and allow us to benefit from them ;D [slm] |
| Re: Chicken Soup for the Muslim Soul |
|---|
| ouch |
| 01/03/04 at 04:41:29 |
| [slm] sis rkhan you can PM inshallah /post publicly if you hv enough details I'll present it in a narrative form rather than a first person account, that should be fair enough, isn't it. Glad you liked the lecture bro timbuktu and like I said earlier, all the stories in the booklet aren't apocalyptic. In fact, sometimes simple, everyday stories touch the heart more than a believe-it-or-not- type account, so I'll welcome your input inshallah. bro ahmad thanks for showing an interest and for the kind words, inshallah I hope to distribute the booklet solely for the sake of Allaah, so PM me in about 2-3 months with your address and I'll send you a copy inshallah. Though seriously, I'm looking for a distributor/publisher in the West so I'd be grateful if anyone could put me in touch with an interested party. Will be posting another story later in the day inshallah..... looking for more inputs/ comments as always :-) |
| 01/03/04 at 04:45:26 |
| ouch |
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board |