Fake Post Okay if it has a "Good Message"?

1606. * If a person observing fast wishes to quote something about which he has no authority or he does not know whether it is true or false, he should, as an obligatory precaution, give a reference of the person who reported it, or of the book in which it is written. 

(Fasting Rules/Fiqh, Duas.org)

Surat Al-Hujurat [verse 6] - O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and become, over what you have done, regretful.

This story is going around Facebook:

Imam Yahya Davis transformed himself into a homeless person and went to the 10,000 member mosque that he was to be introduced as the head Imam at that morning. He walked around his soon to be mosque for 30 minutes while it was filling with people for jummah....only 3 people out of the 7-10,000 people said hello to him. He asked people for change to buy food....NO ONE in the mosque gave him change. He went into the musallah to sit down in the front of the mosque and was asked if he would please sit in the back. He greeted people to be greeted back with stares and dirty looks, with people looking down on him and judging him.

As he sat in the back of the mosque, he listened to the mosque announcements and such. When all that was done, the elders went up and were excited to introduce the new Imam of the mosque to the congregation........"We would like to introduce to you Imam Yahya Davis"....The jammat looked around filled with joy and anticipation.....The homeless man sitting in the back stood up.....and started walking down.....the happiness stopped with ALL eyes on him....he walked up the memba and took the microphone from the elders (who were in on this) and paused for a moment....then he recited

"Verily, Allah will say to his slave when He will be taking account of him on the Day of Judgement, 'O' son of Adam, I was hungry and you did not feed me.' He will answer: 'How could I feed you? You are the Lord of the worlds!' He will say: 'Did you not know that my slave so and so who is the son of so and so felt hunger, and you'did not feed him. Alas, had you fed him you would have found that (i.e. reward) with Me.' 'O' son of Adam, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink.' He will reply: 'How could I give You drink? You are the Lord of the worlds!' He will say: 'Did you not know that my slave so and so, the son of so and so felt thirsty and you did not give him drink. Alas, if you had given him, you would have found that (i.e. reward) with me.' 'O' son of Adam, I became sick and you did not visit Me.' He will answer: 'How can I visit You? You are the Lord of the worlds!' He will say: 'Did you not know that my slave so and so, the son of so and so became sick and you did not visit him. Alas, had you visited him, you would have found Me with him."

After he recited this, he looked towards the congregation and told them all what he had experienced that morning...many began to cry.... he then said....Today I see a gathering of people......not a community of Allah. The world has enough people, but not enough true Muslims...when will YOU decide to become Muslims? He then asked the Muadhan to call the iqamaat for salat...


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But this story is completely made up.  I also saw two nearly identical posts this week, but they weren't about Imam Yahya Davis, but rather Pastor Jeremiah Steepak.    From the blog Patrick's Place:

"

If you’re on Facebook, you’ve surely seen a widely circulated photo of a homeless man with a scraggly gray beard billed as a pastor who went “undercover” in his own church. But despite evidence the homeless pastor photo is a fake, no one seems interested in fact-checking.

When you work in the media, you hear constant complaints from news consumers who insist that the media spends too much time racing to be first and too little time checking their facts before they put information out there.

You then see postings on Facebook like the story of Pastor Jeremiah Steepek.

It’s a nice little story at first, but it has an aftertaste stronger than saccharin. That’s because the moral of the story is quite convicting when it comes to Christian compassion, or, in this case, the complete lack thereof.

But then I suppose that’s the whole point.

The story goes like this:

A new pastor about to take the pulpit of a 10,000-member church for the first time decides to make an unusual entrance. He dresses down as a homeless guy and slips into the church before the service is set to begin just to see what happens. For a half-hour, he walked around and noted that only three people out of the thousands assembling even spoke to him. None of the people he asked for change to buy food gave him a cent. To add insult to injury, ushers asked him to move to the back of the sanctuary after he settled in a seat down front.

When it came time to introduce the new pastor — a man apparently few of them had actually seen before — the elders, who were in on the joke, called out for their new preacher and this homeless man rose and walked up front.

He then recites this:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

As he then told the congregation what he had experienced at their hands, the church members dutifully bowed their heads in shame. Some even cried.

Then, just before dismissing the service, he says, “Today I see a gathering of people, not a church of Jesus Christ. The world has enough people, but not enough disciples. When will youdecide to become disciples?”

It’s a great little story. It’s the kind of story that all of us, deep down, recognize could easily happen in virtually any church we’ve ever set foot in. There’s a sense of believability inherent in it because within us there’s a sense of guilt about whether we’re truly doing enough to help others in need.

Essentially, we walk around at times wondering if we’re really doing enough to love our neighbors as ourselves. And for those of us who worry that we might be falling short, and for those of us who are certain that we are, such a story strikes a personal chord.

Even so, when I see a story like this, I immediately want to know where this church is. (Because I find it curious that we are given a pastor’s name, but not his location.)

So I Google it. And a funny thing happens.

Here in this Information Age of ours, in which I can find too much information about nearly everyone these days, I can find no information on “Pastor Jeremiah Steepek.”

None. Zip. Nada. The only results that came up earlier this week were four entries and all four were retellings of this same little story. No mention of a real Jeremiah Steepek. No mention of a church at which he serves as lead pastor.

And let’s use a little common sense here, folks: what are the odds that a pastor of a church with more than 10,000 members wouldn’t have some presence on the internet in 2013?

One in I-don’t-know-how-many-million.

Just for fun, I Googled the name of my pastor. My church does not have anywhere near 10,000 members. Yet I immediately found multiple search results for my guy: the church’s website, his Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles, and his blog, among others.

But for Rev. Steepek, there’s nothing.

At least, there was nothing until a couple of days ago. Now, search result after search result shows that within the past week, a great deal has been written about this alleged clergyman.

Snopes.com, the site at which every social media fact check should begin, offers a few possible explanations of this urban legend. One of them is that it is based on a Princeton University social psychology class study for seminary students in 1970. Another is that it may have been adapted from a Clarksville, Tennessee pastor who spent four days posing as a homeless man. This pastor, Willie Lyle, was the newly-appointed pastor of a Methodist Church, where 20 people not only spoke to him but offered him some kind of assistance. When he eventually took the pulpit, his daughters gave him a haircut and a shave and he removed his dirty trench coat to reveal “Sunday clothes” underneath.

And then there’s the book In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do?, a 1897 book with an opening that is somewhat similar to this tale.

But most damaging to the Jeremiah Steepek story is the fact that a London photographer has claimed the photo as being of an unidentified homeless man and not, apparently, a pastor lurking around his new church."

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Now this made-up story may seem harmless enough. It may actually seem like a good thing, because it promotes a good message or tries to make a good point.  But it is a lie.  And those images used are real homeless people - and one could argue they are being exploited by their images being used under false pretenses.  

Yesterday, I saw another story on Facebook that was a lie.  There are several versions of this one going around.  This particular one has been going around for at least four years, even on websites looking like news pages such as the Asian Tribune.  The headline is something like "Rape of Iraqi Women by US Forces as Weapon of War: Photos and Data Emerge", but the story is completely fake and the images are faked too - graphic, horrifying pictures stolen from pornography films or worse yet, pornography staged specifically for the making of that version of this tale.  This lie claims to have a "good message" too:  getting the truth out about horrible crimes committed by American soldiers in Iraq - a cry for truth and justice. Surely, something like what is claimed in the article may have really happened. Some people will claim it is justified because it is enough like some truth out there and it is necessary to drive people to some kind of 'action' or 'solidarity'. But this story, being spread by well-meaning people or people with an axe to grind against America or its military or its government, is just a different twist of evil.  It is spreading pornography and spreading fitna, lies, and hate.

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Spreading rumors on the Internet is a common tactic of those seeking to demonize or guilt others.  In 2010 I wrote the following article for an online magazine:

Shortly after the devastating Haiti quake, a conspiracy theory was born. An article appeared on the web, dated January 14, 2010, titled "'US Quake Test Goes "Horribly Wrong", Leaves 500,000 Dead In Haiti' By: Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Western Subscribers". The opening paragraph sets the stage: "A grim report prepared by the Russian Northern Fleet for Prime Minister Putin is stating today that the catastrophic earthquake that has devastated the Island of Haiti was the 'clear result' of a United States Navy test of one of its 'earthquake weapons' planned to be used by the Americans upon the Persian Nation of Iran but had gone 'horribly wrong'."

It didn't take long for this story to spread far and wide, becoming a popular e-mail forward, forum post, and topic of various blogs and articles. It was even taken up by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's mouthpiece on the Venezuelan government website, and then covered by Fox News due to this Venezuelan report. However, it was shortly removed from the government site, although a Google cache of the report remains intact.

A closer scrutiny of this story perhaps reveals the reason it was quickly removed from the Venezuelan government's site. Sorcha Faal, Russian Academy of Science member, the author of the story, does not exist. She wrote no thesis and has published no research ever, despite her purported doctorate degree. Although a biography of her can be found on the Internet, it is entirely fabricated. Yet, the non-existent lady is a prolific author of stories of the decline of civilization that often spread all over the web. A few other titles authored by "Sorcha Faal" include:

• US President Orders Military To Begin Jailing All Civilian Protestors To War
• Putin Orders Russian Military Forces To Attack US Forces During Iran Invasion????
• Russia, China Order Forces To Highest Alert As US Forces Mass On Iranian Border
• Pravda: Imus Fired After He Threatened to Reveal 9/11 secrets
• Massive ULF 'Blast' Detected In US Bridge Collapse Catastrophe
• US 'Shoot on Site' Order Issued For Escaping Americans
• Australia To Imprison All Muslims In Concentration Camps
• American Spy Satellite Downed In Peru
• 'Ship of Giants' Said Attacked By Israel in Strike on Syria

All of these stories appear to be figments of the imaginary Sorcha's imagination. Sorcha Faal, it turns out, is really a man with an agenda of making money. While some of Sorcha Faal's articles take on a life of their own and eventually end up being reported by well-known news sites after undergoing so many permutations that their origins have become obscured, they all seem to originate at websites owned by David Booth, American computer programmer, and author of numerous doomsday books. Apparently, spreading doomsday rumors on the Internet associated with an academic insider "author" on his website is a tactic to sell his books and the views they contain. David Booth uses Sorcha Faal as a false identity because his own credibility has been ruined by his lies, and because a Russian academic is relatively harder to track down.

Perhaps the larger and more pertinent story here, however, is the wildfire spread of the Haiti quake hoax that he created – particularly in Muslim circles. It seems that many Muslims love stories that depict Western governments as evil secret societies controlling everything, and are predisposed to believe them and eagerly pass them on to their forum buddies, e-mail group friends, blog readers, Facebook friends, and anyone else we can think of. Rarely do we ever think to check the veracity of the stories before passing them on. We enjoy disparaging a "bad guy" so much that we don't even question if the disparagement is warranted or true.

In truth, when a story takes on such a life of its own as this latest David Booth hoax did, sifting through its numerous manifestations to determine that it is really entirely made-up by someone trying to sell his books is not a trivial task. However, that does not pardon casual Internet users from checking various hoax websites such as Snopes.com before pressing "Forward" – that move alone would cut down on the number of misinformation bombs flooding our inboxes considerably.

Some will likely suggest, in true conspiracy theory fashion, that the Internet hoax verification sites cannot fully be trusted, and that they might be used by secret societies and governments in their own misinformation campaigns. However, the fact that the stories get out at all is only evidence that no one has full control of the Internet and what it contains. What readers see online, in print, and on television, even on some "reputable" news sites, is not necessarily true, because even reputable sites sometimes report unsubstantiated rumors with questionable sources, trying to be the "first" to break a new story. The media, especially the Internet, are not controlled for accuracy, and the quantity of proliferation does not always correlate with veracity.

Internet hoaxes and lies can do real damage when rumors upon rumors are taken by readers as fact – just look at effects of "coverage" of the Green movement in Iran in 2009, for example, or any of the numerous stories of bullied youths resorting to drastic measures like suicide in response to lies spread about them online.

The moral of this story is perhaps that people in general should be much more skeptical of what they read and should be much less quick to send on information that we do not personally know to be true. Wanting something to be true, believing it could be true, thinking that something like it, at least, must be true, and having actual knowledge of its truth are not equal. We have a moral responsibility regarding what we propagate with our tongues and use of the Internet. We also should have the intelligence and critical thinking skills to realize that not all is as it is represented to be on the Internet. The Internet is the modern gossip/propaganda mill, and gossip couched in official-looking titles and headers is still trash. Many wonderful and great things are on the Internet, but to paraphrase Shakespeare, not all that glitters is gold. The only way to cut down on Internet pollution is if each of us individually does his part to stop passing around trash. Think again before hitting Forward – when in doubt, throw it out.

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So does it matter if what we share on the Internet is true or not?  Even if it gives a good message?  I think so.  One person's "good message" is another person's insult or worse.  We may unintentionally harm, even with a "good" lie.  If you have a good cause, you do not serve it well by using deceit to promote it.  The truth is pure and will stand up to scrutiny, while a lie, even an "innocent" or "well-intentioned" one, can ruin your reputation as well as your work for your cause.  The month of Ramadan is a time to be especially vigilant of our words and deeds, not only because they affect our fasts, but because we are supposed to be working on becoming better people, reformed characters, reaching the next level(s) particularly in this month.

Ramadan Spiritual Reform - continued

1.


Yep this stuff really happens, but there is hope.

2.
Also, a shocking, depressing article @ Mother Jones from one of the former Iran hostages talking about  the horrors of indefinite solitary confinement in American prisons.


Also on a personal note, just lost two people this week, a friend to suicide and a former teacher to illness. The month of Ramadan is of course, as always, a good time to reflect on death.  I went to visit my grandmother yesterday and I could clearly see what the Qur'an mentions about our spans of life and that if we live long we return to a dependent state.  I see it in my own parents, too, and it is scary because they're at the point where it is still a little subtle but real enough, and it affects how they relate to one another because it makes it difficult for them to communicate - one has trouble hearing, the other has trouble organizing thoughts the way the other wants when speaking, etc.  I think the Qur'an speaks clearly enough about aging and how to treat elders.

But, I wish I had something profound to say about mental illness and suicide from an Islamic perspective.  What I will say is that linking someone's mental illness to deficiency in their faith and telling them to pray more or fix their practice and that will solve their problems is something I have big issues with.  First of all, I disagree with the premise that all mental illness or depression etc. is caused by someone's spiritual deficiencies.  There may be real medical/physical causes or manifestations from viruses to chemical imbalances to real life trauma and so on - for the problems being faced that could be helped through medical means, counseling/psychology, or any other number of ways.  Islam is not a religion that says not to use to your benefit what we gain from knowledge/science etc., so why should we deny these methods of help/treatment?  Secondly, even if we assume for a minute that all mental illnesses have a spiritual cause, telling a person that his mental/emotional struggles are his own fault and he just needs to have more faith is like telling someone without legs to just stand up  - while at the same time telling him if he can't just stand up, it is because he is deficient and he should just fix himself or just get over it.  It is not supportive, it is not constructive!  Yes, spirituality, religion and faith in the Islamic perspective are part of every cure, no matter what ails us, and perhaps even the whole cure in some cases, but healing one's spirit is the real jihad and our examples of how to do so come from the compassionate, invitational and Merciful aspects taught by Ahlulbayt (as) and our Creator.  Dealing with mental/emotional illnesses is perhaps more difficult in many respects than dealing with physical ones, and therefore we should be all the more patient and empathetic despite how challenging interactions with the ill can be.  May God have Mercy on us always and help us to be Merciful to others and may we learn in this month of fasting to increase our compassion and our utility to others.

"Food" for thought while you fast: Video - Judged

A beautiful hijabi can make herself ugly through her lack of akhlaq - be careful how you treat others, even those with whom you disagree or whom you don't think follow the religion correctly.  Allah swt will judge.

How few are fasting and how many are just hungry

A lady whilst fasting was swearing at her maid in the presence of the Prophet of Islam. The Prophet (pbuh) offered her some food to eat. She said: “I’m fasting O Messenger of God!” the Prophet replied: “How are you fasting and you swear at your maid. Fasting is not only from food and drink. Indeed God made it that way so that food and drink are used as a veil against other sins, verbal or action. How few are fasting and how many are just hungry.” 

Bihar al-Anwar Vol.96 p.293

Fasting and Trayvon Martin

Yesterday George Zimmerman was found not-guilty for the murder of Trayvon Martin.
Regardless of the outcome of the case, do you think what happened to Trayvon would've happened if he weren't black?

Here's something to think about:



Even the young black actor is shocked and stunned (5:42) by the results of this experiment.  Those people did not think they were being racist.  They did not believe they would've behaved differently were the thief not a young black man.  But the experiment shows otherwise, to a shocking degree.

Sayyid Khumayni about the month of Ramadan said,

نكرديد يا معرفت شما زيادتر نشد، بدانيد در ضيافة اللّه درست وارد نشديد و حق ضيافت را به جا نياورديد...

“In this noble month, in which you have been invited to the divine banquet, if you do not gain insight (ma’rifah) about God the Almighty nor insight into yourself, it means that you have not properly participated in the feast of Allāh and failed to observe the etiquette of the feast..."

            Jihād-e-Akbar, pg. 45.

This month is a special opportunity to transform our characters.  One part of this could be the admission of our prejudices rather than denying them - and the realization/acknowledgement of privileges afforded to us or denied because of our color, gender, income, nationality, etc.  Yes, many of us are minorities and minorities within minorities.  The fact that we ourselves face prejudice and oppression, however, does not make us immune from prejudice and committing oppression ourselves.  It is only by opening our eyes to our own prejudices that we can begin to remove them and stop oppressing others.  Self-deception is no excuse to continue a moment longer in committing a wrong or allowing wrong to be done.  Muslims are not less racist or less ridden with numerous other prejudices merely by being born to Islam or choosing it as a faith.  Removing prejudice is a personal jihad - it won't just happen because you believe in God and try to be a nice person.

So perhaps this month we could "fast" from our prejudices  - struggle to actively remove them, refrain from our quick judgments of others, become more aware of our false assumptions, free ourselves from seeing the world in stereotypes, becoming aware of unjust privileges we receive, aware of our fears rooted in prejudice (like the lady gripping her purse tighter when a black man gets on the elevator with her), and transforming the way we see the world and the way we act in it.

I am not an expert on this topic nor am I free of prejudice, nor am I probably the best person to speak on this topic, but for some reason I was assigned this topic at a Revert Muslim Association conference several years ago.  I am sure the talk is fault-ridden, but hopefully it can give a decent overview of the Islamic concept of prejudice/'Asabiyyah in spite of that:

May God grant us Mercy - not only Mercy for ourselves on the Day of Judgment, but may He make our own hearts Merciful to all of humanity, all of life, all of God's Creation.  

Start your Shahr Ramadan guilt free

From:  http://www.ezsoftech.com/ramadan/ramadhan.asp

My deepest love and respects to you and your beloved ones on the advent of Ramadhan. Like the other 1.5 billion Muslims on this earth, I am sure we cannot wait to start fasting daily and enjoying the blessings of prayer and Holy Quran in this month. Many positive feelings overtake us this month: excitement, happiness, anticipation of blessings and reward, joy upon meeting family and friends regularly and the delight of amazing delicacies on the Iftar table! However for many of us, it is the negative emotions that predominate at the start of this month: fear of yet another unsuccessful Ramadhan, apprehension and guilt. We start this month of Ramadhan feeling guilty for being away from Allah (SWT) for so long; for not having read Holy Quran this year until now; of not having prayed any Tahajjud prayer until now; of not having fasting throughout the year - except for now. This guilty feeling leads to a lot of negativity in our approach to this month and perhaps to the lack of optimism in retrying those special attempts we had made before to read the whole Quran or to pray Tahajjud every night or some other good deed in Ramadhan. In fact for so many of us, guilt takes us away from Allah (SWT) and makes us feel inferior and sometimes cripples us to lesser levels of aspiration and success. "What can this poor slave of Allah (SWT) achieve anyway, when he is so engrossed in sins having done so many evil deeds?" For many - the thought of what we have done in the past - cripples us to what we can do in the future. However, I would like to ask you all to approach this Ramadhan guilt free! Free of guilt of the past. Why worry about something you can't change? It is not the past that should worry us or bother us, rather what could happen in the future. The past is the past - we can't change the sins we have done in the past - so to constantly focus on that for the vast majority of us - is far more crippling for the future than anything else. The prophetic guidance is to regret the past sins and missed opportunities, whilst fearing the future possible sins and being weary of missing future opportunities. It is as Ibnul-Qayyim said in Nooniyyah: "By Allah, I don't fear my past sins, since I have sincerely repented to Allah (SWT) and Allah (SWT) loves to forgive. However, what I truly fear is that in the future this heart of mine will cease to rule by this Quran and this revelation." Remember that Allah is Al-Wadud - the loving God - He is the one who loves you more than your own parents! So overpowering is Allah's mercy that it has transcended His anger. So wide is His Mercy that the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam said: "If the disbeliever knew of the extent of the Mercy of Allah, then none would have despaired of entering His Paradise!" [Reported by Muslim] And plus, what past sins, when your sincere repentance with Allah's Mercy would have wiped it away and replaced it with equivalent good deeds: "Except him who repents and believes and does a good deed; so these are they of whom Allah changes the evil deeds to good ones; and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." [Al-Furqan 25:70] My friends, how do you dare to think that Allah (SWT) does not love you? If He hated you, why did He keep you alive till another Ramadhan? If He hated you, why does he provide for you even when you disobey Him? If He did not love you, why is He allowing you to taste the sweetness of loving Him this month by fasting and praying? If He didn't love you, why did He keep you upon Islam? So come back to Al-Wadud - your loving Lord - the one who loves you more than anything else. He is waiting for you and is more happy with you remembering Him than you can imagine. If you come to Him today, He will rush to you. If you remember Him, He will remember you. If you talk about Him, He will talk about you to those with Him. If you say sorry O Allah, He will forgive you and turn them into good. So start your Ramadhan guilt free and enjoy a month of renewed emaan and focus on the good that you can do this month. Learn from the past mistakes, but focus on the future! It is truly as the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam said: "Verily actions are judged by their endings." With all my love and prayer for your success in this holy month of Ramadhan. Dr. Tawfique Chowdhury

Ramadhan is the month of Holy Qur'an

Alhamdulillah, we are truly blessed to welcome Holy Month of Ramadhan 2012, which is another opportunity to invigorate our spirits, strengthen our faith and pray for our resolve during this month of mercy and forgiveness. The Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, in his sermon at the approach of the Holy Month of Ramadhan, has said: "And for the one who spreads his kindness, Allah (SWT) will spread His mercy over him on the Day of Judgment." This is the month of Allah (SWT), the month of repentance, the month of fasting, the month of charity, the month of supplications and recommended prayers, but on the top of all and according to Holy Qur'an, this is the month of Qur'an. Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (as) said: "Everything has a spring and the spring of Holy Quran is the month of Holy Ramadhan." Allah (SWT) has revealed this book to his last and our beloved Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam as a clear sign of guidance and judgment between right and wrong. It is an irony that we Muslims even after 1400 years are debating the method of understanding this book while ignoring a basic fact that the piety and purity of soul is the pre-requisite to understand this book. Though Arabic language skills and qualified teachers also required but if we look at the current Arab Governments it is evident that they failed to distinguish between right and wrong. This is, perhaps, why we have the "Night of Power (Lailatul Qadr)" after almost 20 days of catharsis. The night of power, the most precious one, comes every year in this month of Ramadhan. This night is superior to thousand months and the divine revelation of the Holy Quran took place in this night. It is recommended to search this night every year so the purified souls can be elevated to the domain of revelation to comprehend the teachings of Holy Qur'an and finally be able to differentiate between right and wrong. The attitude of indifference and idleness of people around the world, particularly in Muslims, will only be removed when they will be able to differentiate between right and wrong. That is why Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (RA) extended the idea of purification and self-restraint in the month of Ramadhan to include the International Day of Al-Quds on the last Friday, because only the purified and free souls can take brave actions for the oppressed people of the world. It is customary among many peoples to set New Year resolutions. The majority of people lose their new found resolve, however, within just a few months. This is mainly because few of us know how to set goals for our self-promises. Even less have an action plan to achieve them. The best time to set resolutions or renew intentions for Muslims is not in Muharram or January, but Ramadhan (R is for Ramadhan and resolution), for Ramadhan is divinely designed to be a month of personal and communal change. No surprise, then, that it is also the lunar period in which Allah Almighty changed the destiny of humankind by blessing them with His final and universal Divine Guidance. The blessed month of Ramadhan offers a unique opportunity and convenient time for Tahajjud prayer, especially when the time of commencing the fast is favorable. Allah (SWT) gives abundant reward for all our acts of worship during this blessed month of Ramadhan, therefore, we need to make special efforts to pray the Salatul Layl and keep it up for the rest of the year to raise our level of spirituality. We urges all Muslims to refrain from indulging in the moon sighting debates, which only divide us further and instead, we should all focus our energies towards activities thatunify the Muslim Ummah and make us responsible and caring human beings by: Purifying soul and understanding of the Holy Qur'an Helping people in the Canadian community and around the world who are suffering from both man-made and natural disasters Raising voices against occupying Zionism and colonial Imperialism to bring justice and peace to this great world we all live in May Allah accept all your good deeds in this blessed month of Holy Ramadhan

PREPARING FOR LAYLATUL QADR

1. Is there a need to prepare for Lailatul Qadr?
In order to answer this, let us define what the word PREPARE means?
Simply, put it means to make ready or fit, to bring into a suitable state, to make one ready
For e.g. when we want to prepare a meal, or go out for an event, we must have a GOAL in mind.
As in what is my end result, the final dish or my final destination where I wish to end up.
And as per the subject under discussion i.e. “Preparing for Lailatul Qadr” our GOAL is to take full benefit/make full use of the BOUNTIES & RAHMA that Allah (swt) bestows opens us in this night of LAYLATUL QADR.

It is important that we first understand the significance of LAYLATUL QADR in order that we know what sort of ‘ingredients’ are required for our preparation to reach the Ultimate Goal which is earning the pleasure of Allah (swt)

2. What is Laylatul Qadr therefore?
You are all aware of its importance so I will just briefly re-run through it.
In surah AL Qadr Allah (swt) clearly states: "Surely We revealed it (the Holy Qur'an) on the grand night. And what will make you comprehend what the grand night. The grand night is better than a thousand months. The angels and Gabriel descend in it by the permission of their Lord for every affair, Peace! It is till the break of the morning." (97:1-5)

Allah (swt) is inviting all the believers for a Divine feast; the invitation which has been brought by the messengers. Allah (swt) is the host, his most favorite angels are the servants and the believers are the guests. The table is spread with Divine blessings containing all sorts of rewards and favors. Though the eyes cannot see them nor the ears hear them not the human hearts imagine them, yet the bounties are all kept in readiness to be awarded to the guests in accordance to her actions.

Lailatul-Qadr is a blessed night because the Almighty brings down during it goodness, bliss, and forgiveness for His servants. It is a feast which has come with a message that shows one the way to achieve happiness in both the worlds. Laylatul Qadr is a feast for the spirit, a feast of worship and prayers.
Ahadith indicate that the fate of every believer for the coming year is decreed on this night.
When our Prophet (saw) was asked how man could enjoy the favors and good grace of proximity to, and mercy of, Allah (swt) he quoted Nabi Musa’s (as) supplication:

“Oh My God, I seek proximity to You; He (Allah) said: Proximity to Me is for him who stays awake on Laylatul Qadr
“Oh My God, I am in need of Your Mercy; He said: My Mercy is for him who shows mercy to the poor on Laylatul Qadr
“Oh My God, I am in need of the passport to cross the bridge; He said: that is for him who give alms on Laylatul Qadr
“Oh My God, I am in need of the trees in Paradise and their fruits; He said: that is for him who seeks forgiveness on Laylatul Qadr
“Oh My God, I seek deliverance from fire; He said: that is for him who remembers Allah on Laylatul Qadr
“Oh My God, I seek Your good pleasure; He said: that is for him who says a two rakat prayer on Laylatul Qadr
On another occasion Nabi Musa (as) said: “Oh My God, are You far away that I shout to You, or are You near that I whisper to You?” He said: “O Musa, I am sitting together with you!”


3. What do we therefore have to remind ourselves about Laylatul Qadr? That it is:
• A unique once in a year opportunity to do a life times worth of activity.
• Full of long lasting blessings
• The night of unsurpassed grandeur when the absolute Grand God revealed the Grand qur’an through the Grand Wahy - Jibraeel into the heart of the Grand Holy Prophet (saw)
• A once in a year occasion for influencing our future destiny - “QADR” - taqdeer. The Masumeen have explained to us that god in his infinite wisdom had planned the system of the universe in such a way that every persons destiny will be determined on a yearly basis in the angelic spheres through the agency of the imam of the age. Who is the leader and focus of the whole spiritual world) this gives MANKIND a unique opportunity to influence his own future (gains, loss/health/sickness, richness/poverty/ etc by performing certain acts, e.g. dua salat, sadaqah, jihad, acquiring knowledge, quran recitation etc.
• The night when the whole multitude of angels and the great spirit (ruh) descend on earth, greeting and praying for the believers and conveying messages to the Imam of age.

4. Do we than still need to PREPARE OURSELVES FOR LAYLATUL QADR after knowing its significance?
Yes, Let us imagine for a moment that we are invited for a special feast by the president of our country, who also tells us in advance that he is going to reward us with magnificent gifts as per the way we present and behave ourselves during the feast - What would we do ?
After the initial euphoria, we would leave no stone unturned to present themselves in the best possible manner. Preparations of what to wear, how to get there, what will I speak with the president, If I have to go through his secretary what will I say to him, what sort of gifts will I take with me, what sort of conversation with I have with him, all this and more will be thought about, rehearsed and re-rehearsed. Correct me if I am wrong!!

All this ‘tension’ in honor of an invitation from the President of a country. Lailatul Qadr is an invitation form the President of all Presidents, The Supreme One. Do we need to make preparations for this night?

Undoubtedly, we must start our preparations way ahead of time, after all going by human fitra, there is more than profit that can be got from this feast of Lailatul Qadr unless out of sheer carelessness we end up amongst those negligent and idle ones, who do not achieve anything except tiredness, loss and eternal doom, who will gain nothing except regret and cry out aloud on the day of Reckoning:
"Ah! Woe upon me! In that I neglected (my duty) towards Allah."

5. What sort of Pre-preparations are needed before the advent of this grand Qadr?
Jibrael was asked; "What has the Almighty Allah done on this night with the wishes of the believers among the nation of Muhammad (pbuh)?" He answered, "The Almighty Allah has looked upon them on this night and forgiven them, all of them, except the following:
“One who is addicted to drinking, One who severs his ties with his kin, and One who is a trouble-maker."

We have been advised to beseech Allah (swt) during the whole year before the arrival of the Night of Power,
to keep us alive for this night,
• To bestow upon us the towfiq to remain vigilant during this night and pray for blessings and forgiveness.
• To bless us that we are able to do the best of deeds on this night
• To comprehend fully the importance of this night which is superior to one thousand months.
• To pray that we can become one of the favorites of Allah (swt) and be blessed with His love, learning, nearness, union, pleasure, together with health, happiness, and welfare;
• To yearn and act so that Allah (swt) be so pleased with us in such a manner, that after this night He would never be displeased us again.
• To pray that our Aimma esp. the Imam-ul-Asr be pleased with us & intercede on our behalf


6. How to Prepare oneself for The Night of Power (Lailatul-Qadr).
(I) Preparing Mentally
• Strive to keep Allah (swt) at the fore of one’s mind the whole night long.
• All the Ibadah done should be recited in the state of being completely awake, aware, conscious, and with a live heart
If one feels that one will not be able to concentrate then start reciting from now "We are from Allah and towards Him is our return.” - Holy Qur'an (2:156) for it is considered as a tragedy if one can not in this night receive the divine grace in supplications
"Their prayers ascend upwards and reaches Allah, their words are accepted, and Allah loves to listen to their prayers the way a mother likes her own child."
Is not it shameful that the prayers which ascend upwards should be recited from the tip of the tongue, while the heart and soul remain occupied in worldly affairs?

Many a times, one feels that one cannot ‘properly’ perform a certain ibadah and so decided to forgo it. One should not do listen to this ‘waswas’ instead, one should perform it & more, for acceptance lies in the Hand of the Mercy of Allah (swt).

(ii) Preparing Physically
The other preparations to be done for this night are,
• for worshipping in this night a suitable place, dress, and perfume should be arranged in advance (comfortable dress which does not distract us)
• paying alms during this night - to the people who really deserve financial support
• Follow the translation of the duas in order to understand what you are reciting for lutf is only got when one knows what one is reciting.

(iii) Preparing spiritually
• increase ones eagerness for receiving the promised bounties and blessings;
• select worships and deeds which are more in harmony with ones mood
• When one stands for prayer, or any other ibadah, to briefly spare a moment to think about the wisdom of that action/its meaning etc for e.g. Why am I standing towards Mecca? To realize that when I stand on my two feet, it indicates my hope and fear about the acceptance of my worship
• Resorting (Tawassul) to Ahlul-Bait [a] - With persistence, supplicating in a polite and soft manner, with words and content arousing their sympathies, should beseech them for bestowing upon us the grace of being vigilant during this night.
• Crying and Shedding Tears:
that during these nights ones fear, humility, tears, crying, anguish, and lamentation be increased as much as possible. The Learned Scholar Hajj Mirza Javad Agha Maliki Tabrizi (r.a.) in his book (Suluk-i Arifan) Spiritual Journey of the Mystics tell us that One of the best method is that one should tie ones hands around ones neck; should pour dirt upon ones head; should place ones head against a wall; sometimes one should stand and sometimes one should cry; should imagine oneself at the scene of Judgment Day; and the way sinners are rebuked with harshness, then one should imagine and be scared least Allah (the Glorious, the Exalted) orders: "Seize ye him, bind ye him, burn ye him in the blazing fire, and make him march in a chain whereof the length is seventy cubits." - Holy Qur'an (69:30-32)
Then one should cry: "O' Thou are the most compassionate, and Thou Who are the shelter of unsheltered ones!" "Where is Your vast blessing? Where is Your infinite forgiveness? Where are Your love and benevolence?" Ask for forgiveness of past sins in the most appealing manner with a promise to try never to return to the sins again - a TAWBA in every sense of the word Present ones requests before the Almighty with full hope that they will be answered. The Prophet (S.A.W.) when asked what one should invoke Allah during these nights, said: "Ask for your safety (here and in the hereafter)".


7. Recommended Ibadah to be performed on The Night of Qadr:
WE are advised that this night be divided into 3 parts -
1st part to be allocated for Gaining Knowledge - Najhul Balagha, Tadabbur etc
2nd part to be allocated for Meditation (not when you are too sleepy)
One should not forget to select a period for having a private union between oneself and ones Creator and
3rd part to be allocated for Salatul Layl to connect with Nawaafil with Subh prayer

Suggested ways to get the maximum of this blessed opportunity”
1: Imam al- Sadiq (as) quotes “On all these nights, it is recommended that you perform the ghusl twice: once at the beginning of the night, and once at its end”.
When performing the recommended ghusl, to remember that while god likes physical cleanliness, more important He loves inner cleanliness of the heart, from immoral character e.g. jealousy, greed, etc. Thus resolve to clean the soul also by TAUBAH + JIHAD of NAFS

2: When praying 2 rakat namaz of recommended prayers with 7 times surah tawheed, make efforts to concentrate on the message of tawheed and get the heart to believe that truly GOD ALONE is ALL -powerful/All Merciful/Independent etc. therefore we should fear none BUT HIM, hope from none BUT HIM, we should ask from none BUT HIM

3: After the salaah when repeating ISTEGHFAR 70 times try to first be really repentant for serious mistakes done, sincerely ask for forgiveness either by: (a) recalling 70 different sins OR (b) feeling remorseful for 10 sins of the 7 main organs: eyes, ears, tongue, hands, mouth, stomach + private parts OR (c) some particular sins that you may have committed repeatedly OR
(d) recalling the variety of punishments of different sins and finally resolve NOT TO Repeat them in the future, then only can one realistically expect to deserve the reward the HP has promised “Whoever performs this act will surely be forgiven by the Almighty even before here rises from his place".

When opening the qur’an and praying for your needs with the intercession of the qur’an, realize that while the qur’an is a cure for spiritual illness, it only benefits the pious ones and the evil doers are deprived of its illumination. Thus increase the chances for qur’an intercession to work on your behalf by earnestly following the rulings of the qur’an.

While placing the qur’an on the head. Remind yourself that true salvation can only be achieved by always keeping the rules of qur’an ahead of us to follow. The fact that we put the Qur’an on our head is a sign of respect and reverence. We beseech Allah by the thaqalayn - the speaking and the silent Qur'an. - Holy Qur'an (39:56)

As you seek intercession of the Al mighty (bika ya al…) and the 14 infallibles realize that God is limitless Ounces of Mercy and the Ma’sumen pure agencies for the distribution of divine mercy to all creations.

While performing Ziyarah of Imam Husein (as), remind yourself that on this august night, the souls of 124,000 Prophets (peace be upon them all) visit Imam, who is aware of our inner spiritual reality and is hurt and repulsed by our record of repeated evil deeds, indifference to God’s commandments; thus, we should avoid disgracing ourselves in that great audience of Imam. Also, associate the themes in the ZIYARAH of:
• Firm bond of love and obedience of God (SALAT).
• Economic betterment of community (ZAKAT).
• Overall mobilization of forces towards virtue (AMR BIL MA`RUF).
• Overall cleansing of evil from society.
• All-out war in all spheres of life to promote truth (JIHAD).
• Tremendous endurance of all ensuing difficulties (SABR).
• Complete distancing (LA`NAH) from all forms of injustice (DHULM) with destiny- shaping opportunity of this night and resolve to become on active player in improving the future in preparation for the REAPPEARANCE OF AL-MAHDI.

8. How to Farewell the Night of Power (Lailatul-Qadr) One should resort (tawassul) to the M'asumin - to whom that night belongs - should submit ones deeds & worship to those exalted ones, with a heart broken, with grief & shedding tears, should request them to make those deeds as righteous, and request them to intercede with Allah (swt)

9. The Day of Power (Qadr)
According to Ahadeeth both the night and day are interconnected, as far as their worth, value, esteem, and splendor are concerned, i.e. if the day is esteemed and honorable, the night of that day also possesses the same distinction and vice versa. Therefore, we must appreciate the importance of the Days of Power and like the Nights of Power, should celebrate them by sincerely performing worships and righteous deeds.

On a final note, our destiny to large extent can be changed in this very night and much depends on us, how we decide to utilize both the night and the day of Qadr and for that matter each single moment of this blessed month of Ramadhan.

Let us therefore pray together that we may be granted the Tawfiq to be able to do the A’maals of Laylatul Qadr in its correct essence, that we may be granted the Maghferah and that we may earn the Pleasure of Allah (swt) in such a manner that our lives take a positive turn in a manner that we may earn the salvation for both this world and the Hereafter. Ameen

A humble request that we remember each other in our prayers and especially those we do not forget our Marhumeen...

Rabbana Taqabbul Minna……………

Source : http://www.dartabligh.org/

Repentance a bountiful blessing

Originally written by Imam Suhaib Webb and posted at Repentance a bountiful blessing
Issue 59 August 2009



As the warm breeze of Ramadan settles, we are reminded of the Prophet’s statement, ‘Upon the arrival of Ramadan the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained.’ Ramadan brings with it a host of possibilities. Look at it as a chance to enter into a garden filled with fresh fruits, luscious vegetables and beautiful flowers. Some will fill their baskets to the brim, others will fill them half way, and some will fail to fill their baskets with anything.

Those who filled their baskets will have done so with a varied harvest; some choosing the best the garden has to offer, while others simply settle for those of a lesser quality. One of the best fruits we can reap during this month is one of the most difficult to attain. Its fruit is not found on the ground having fallen from a tree, nor is it found amongst the lower branches. This fruit is found at the highest part of the tree and getting to it takes effort, patience and most importantly truthfulness with oneself. This is the fruit of repentance and reflection. ‘Repent to God, oh believers, and you will be successful.’

Success is a tough word

Success is a tough word, it haunts us at work, home and school. And like a beneficial medicine, it is not easy to swallow. The reality of success is that it is anchored in the tangible; it is not a theoretical enterprise, but, as we say in the United States, “requires one to strap on his boots”.

The Arabs understood this well, thus the word for success falah is associated with the one who farms or harvests al-falaah because the latter cannot come without diligence and hard work. So, repentance is a substantial enterprise, an effort, a struggle towards spiritual inventory. Caliph Umar said, “Audit yourselves before you are audited by God.” Hassan, the Prophet’s grandson also explains this concept. He said, “Those who have the easiest time in the hereafter are those who are keen to call themselves to account in this life.”

Returning to God while struggling to swim the deep seas of life is a difficult enterprise, no one likes to hear bad things about themselves. But if we are able, during this blessed month, to sit and audit ourselves, to take account of our spiritual principals; investigating our true state and relation with God, family and others, we will have reaped the fruits of a blessed harvest; setting the stage for a new course in our relationship with the Most Merciful. Once the Prophet ascended the pulpit and at each step he was heard saying, “Ameen”. Later the companions enquired about the Prophet’s statement upon which he responded that Gabriel came to him supplicating against three types of people, one was he who failed to repent during the month of Ramadan thereby failing to be forgiven for his sins.

Overcoming the Obstacles

There are a number of obstacles that lurk hidden for the one who seeks repentance. Perhaps the greatest is the feeling of fear and despondence. Many feel that it is simply too late to change: “I’ve done my dirt and there is simply no way to get back on track.”

Firstly, let’s understand that sinning is part of human nature. The Prophet, peace be upon him said, “Every person commits sins. And the best sinners are those who repent.” Many have claimed that the feelings of profound guilt and depression regarding their state, chain them from turning to God. This is one of the greatest tricks of the Devil; closing the door of hope to God’s mercy after sinning. Once a man came to the mosque of the Prophet complaining about his sins; the man was so overcome and saddened by his state that the Prophet said to him, “Say this: O God, your forgiveness is greater than my sins and my hope in Your mercy is greater to me than my [evil] actions.”

The man said this and the Prophet said to him, “Say it again.” The man repeated it, then the Prophet said to him, “Say it again.” The man did it and the Prophet said to him, “Arise for, indeed, God has forgiven you!”

For this reason Ibn Kathir reports that the Prophet, upon him be peace, said about the verse, “Say [Muhammad] to My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of God’s mercy. Indeed, God forgives all sins and He is the One who forgives and is Merciful”, “It is more beloved to me than anything under the Heavens and on Earth.”

Secondly, sins should be seen as a strategy for one to turn in humility back to God. One of the early scholars said that, “A person could enter Paradise because of a sin he committed.” Upon hearing this, his student challenged him by asking, “How could that be?” The scholar responded: “The sinner persistently thinks about it, which causes him to fear it, regret it, weep over it and feel humiliated in front of his Lord due to it. He stands before God, broken-hearted, with his head lowered in humility. So this sin is more beneficial to him than doing many acts of obedience, since it caused him to have humility and humbleness – which leads to his happiness and success – to the extent that this sin prevents him from entering Paradise.”

Thirdly, rebounding from sin is one of the simple fruits related to our success. If we were to ask many people what it was that brought them back to faith, many would mention a mistake they made in the past. The Prophet said, “Repentance is regret.” That regret is one of our greatest fears. In reality, however, it is a mercy from God which pricks at our conscience until we ultimately return to Him.

God says, “And [He also forgave] the three who were left behind [and regretted their error] to the point that the Earth closed in on them in spite of its vastness, and their souls confined them and they were certain that there is no refuge from God except in Him. Then He turned to them so they could repent. Indeed, God is the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful.” (9:118) Notice the wording at the end of this verse “Then He turned to them so they could repent.” Thus, repentance doesn’t start with the sinner, but begins when God turns to him with His mercy, love and compassion; awakening his heart with guilt, gently guiding him to His forgiveness. The sinner was lost in a sea of confusion and misery and God found him, guided him and forgave him.

The Prophet, upon him be peace, said: “God has greater joy at the repentance of one His servants when he turns towards Him than one of you would have over his mount, which, having escaped from him saddled with food and drink in the middle of the desert, so that he has despaired of finding it and gone to a tree to lie down in its shade, it suddenly appears standing by him while he is in that state, so that he takes its reins and then says out of the intensity of his joy, ‘O God, You are my slave and I am Your Lord!’ getting confused because of his intense joy.”

Fourth, I’ve done so many things in the past and failed to repent. How is it that, after all of these years, I could face God with such a blackened record? The Prophet, upon him be peace, said, “God the Mighty and Majestic accepts the repentance of His servant as long as his death-rattle has not begun.” Thus, no matter when, as long as one turns to God seeking His forgiveness, only then can that person expect to be forgiven.

Furthermore, there is no sin greater than God’s ultimate mercy and forgiveness. The Prophet, upon him be peace said:”God the Almighty has said: ‘O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me, and hope in 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 in the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I shall forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with an earthful of sins and were you then to face Me, without having associated anything with Me, I shall grant you an earthful of pardon.’”

Ibn Rajab noted that this Prophetic tradition begins with “O son of Adam” because of its context, repentance and forgiveness. Thus, when one despairs over his mistakes and shortcomings, he should recall God’s favour upon mankind, exercised upon their forefather Adam. Thus, just as Adam repented to his Lord and, as noted in the Qur’an, “He immediately forgave him,” his offspring should do the same.

The Qualities of Repentance

Scholars noted that sound repentance should be coupled with the following qualities: 1) Leaving the sin 2) Regret, and 3) Resolving never to return to the sin again.

The month of Ramadan is a time of serious reflection, increased awareness and devotion. Its beginning is mercy and its ending is marked by forgiveness and salvation. Let us take advantage of this time to set aright our affairs, rebounding from our mistakes and sins from the past. Let us turn to the Most Merciful.