The Iman Trip

How many times during the day or week does our iman go up and down?
What makes us change from having a very high iman to being completely lost in ourselves to the point where our iman diminishes? Lately i feel like im losing my self in this world completely unknown amongst the darkness and wilderness. I wish i knew how to keep my iman consistent in not only reaching high levels but i simply wish i knew how to make it stay the same.

Anyway enough of my nagging, here is a really nice video.

The Mu'min

Penitence for his Mu'min drawn to the fountain of light.
To immerse his soul in the cosmic-light of the enchanted plight,
And to build a shrine of virtues for the unabated sight,
To cross the borders of mind, soul and angel-light.

We learn what we live

I found this great poem, i have no idea who it is written by but its great. Enjoy:

**Turning negatives into positives**

We learn what we live.

If we live with criticism, we learn to condemn.

If we live with ridicule, we learn to be shy.

If we live with shame, we learn to feel guilty.

If we live with blame, we learn to become inferior.

If we live with invalidation, we learn to discredit.

If we live with alienation, we learn to exclude.

If we live with hostility, we learn to fight.

It is how we live.

If we live with tolerance, we learn to be patient.

If we live with fairness, we learn justice.

If we live with stimulus, we learn to be creative.

If we live with encouragement, we learn how to empower.

If we live with acknowledgement, we learn to incorporate.

If we live with support, we learn to be inclusive.

If we live with security, we learn to have faith.

We live what we learnt.

Hassan Al Basri

Lately I have been reading about Hassan Al Basri, and subhanallah what can I say about this great man. May Allah bring the likeness of him among us, he was the son of Zayid bin thabit and the freed slave women of umm salama (the prophet saw’s wife).

He studied under Ali(ra). His wisdom and god fearing-ness is truly amazing. Hassan Al Basir said: We laugh and yet - who knows? - perhaps Allah has looked at some of our works and said: "I will not accept anything from you." Woe to you, son of Adam! Can you fight Allah? Whoever disobeys Allah is fighting Him. By Allah! I have met seventy veterans of Badr. Most of their garments were wool. Had you seen them you would have said they are crazy, and had they seen the best among you they would have said: "Those people will have no part in the Hereafter." Had they seen the worst among you they would have said: "Those people do not believe in the Day of Reckoning." I have seen people for whom this world was cheaper than the dust under their feet. I have seen people the like of whom would come home at night, not finding more than his own portion of food, and yet say: "I shall not put all of this into my belly. I shall certainly give some away for Allah's sake." Then he would give away some of his food in charity, even if he were more in need of it than its recipient.

May Allah swt bless him and give us an iman similar to his.

A Tree Knelt In Praise

I know that I shall never see
A poem that bows quite like our tree
A tree who like us loved to pray
In adoration every day

A tree who humbly knelt in praise
To God and never chose to raise
Itself above the other trees
Instead remained as if on knees

A tree who gave our scholars shade
And never asked that it be paid
A tree whose needles never hurt
But gently fell upon the dirt

A tree whose worth cannot be told
Or ever lent or bought with gold
A tree who showed us all its height
With God by bowing with delight

It taught us all to clearly see
A Garden lies beneath a tree
And then it showed us with a sigh
That trees, like us, must also die

In an age of folly, play and mirth
A tree has died with brow on earth

Hamza Yusuf

Subhanallah, what a great poem. Imagine fully submitting to the will of Allah and doing nothing but worshiping him. How great would it be to be in such a state. How i envy the people who have trained themselves to be among such a group of people.

I pray that Allah makes us among those who submit to his will and are constantly aware of him.

Random questions

Every day I yearn for nothing but to be close to my lord, and I know I can’t for my heart truly isn’t pure.

I have too many disease; hate, envy, pride among the many others, The hardest battle on the face of the earth Is not overcoming shaytan but overcoming your naf.

Umar(ra) said that our nafs are stronger that 70 shaytans. And the greatest accomplishment in my eyes is to over come the naf or ego to be close to my lord.

Why should be hate a being that we have absolutely no control over, a being that was created Allah(swt) do we hate the fact that we can’t control them or their actions?.

Why do we get angry over things we have no control over, isn’t it a waste of energy to be angry about something that is totally out of our hands something that only Allah controls?

Why do we feel pride; do we really deserve the things we have? Do we deserve our sight? Does a blind person deserve losing his/her sight? Of course not, its something that Allah destined for them but shouldn’t we also be greatful to Allah for giving us our sight? The ability to see the true beauty of his creation, his splendor.

How many of us are truly thankful for the beauty that surrounds us; if we are thankful why do we disrespect the earth so much? Shouldn’t we take care it and only use it for the purpose worshiping the creator, understanding the creator and seeing the beauty of his creation?

THE THIRD RESPONSE

THE THIRD RESPONSE

Some further explications

You have also enquired about what praise means, and what it means to attribute transcendence to God. You also ask how one should express one's denial of one's own power and ability [hawl wa-quwwa], about the meaning of remorse, and asking for forgiveness, and whether these are exclusive to sinners, or general enough to include the ascent from one noble spiritual station to a higher one.

(a) Tasbih and Hamd

You should know that to attribute Transcendence is to attribute holiness as well as exaltation. Its meaning is for the heart to be convinced that in His Essence, Attributes and Acts, the Real (Majestic and High is He!) transcends all resemblance to created beings. He is Holy, Transcendent, and High above partners, likenesses, contingencies which begin and end, aims and causes, and limits of time and location. He transcends any form that may arise in one's mind or imagination, and is beyond being apprehended by thought; for what He is lies beyond the scope of intelligence and the reach of knowledge.

Exaltation [ tasbih ] is often mentioned in the Qur'an when the Real affirms His freedom from everything that deviators [mulhidun ] attribute to Him that is unworthy of His impregnable perfection. Examples of this include His saying:

O people of the Book! Go not beyond the bounds in your religion, and say not anything but the truth concerning God, up to God is but one God; Transcendent is He, above having a son. [4:171] They have taken their rabbis and monks as lords up to Transcendent is God above what they empartner. [9:31] Is it not of their own calumny that they say: God has begotten? They are truly liars up to Transcendent is God above what they describe. [37: 15 1-9 ]

As for 'praise' [ thana'], this is to laud and extol, in other words, to make mention of the qualities of perfection that befit the Praised One, His attributes of loftiness, nobility and majesty, and the gifts and attainments that flow from Him to those who praise Him as well as to others, and His protection of them against various kinds of hardships and opposition. All of these things are to be accompanied by reverence and awe.

One of the acts of worship that most completely contains the various aspects of praise is to utter the phrase al-Hamdu li'Llah ['praise is for God!']. Know that God the Exalted is the [only ] one who is absolutely transcendent and worthy of praise, in every way and in all senses. This is uniquely and exclusively His, since He is free from all imperfections, and to Him belongs the whole of perfection, because He is the Source of all good; and every attainment, transcendence and praise is real only in His case, and [merely] figurative for others.

In effect, neither transcendence nor praise can ever be truly attributed to another, literally or metaphorically; for any creature who either achieves a kind of transcendence or does something which is deserving of praise, never does so by his own power and ability, but only by God's power, will, grace, and mercy; which come from God and belong to Him. The attributing by some people of transcendence by praising or extolling a created being who is indeed free of that which they say he is free of, is but the [ manifestation of the] imperfection that belongs to this being's kind.

And when they praise him for a quality of perfection that is actually his, they are but attributing transcendence and praise to God. This is known to some people, and quite unknown to others. Know, also, that God the Exalted stands in no need of anyone's attribution of transcendence or praise to Him. Those who do so neither free Him from imperfections-for He has none, and it is inconceivable that he have any-nor establish His perfection by their praise--for perfection was ever His, and eternally remains so. The man who attributes transcendence to his Lord, and praises Him, is only attracting benefits and good to himself; and God, in His grace, has promised this to him.

The Prophet has said, may blessings and peace be upon him: ' AI-Hamdu li'Llah fills the Scales, and Subhan Allah wa'I-hamdu li'Llah fills the distance which is between heaven and earth. '

And he said: 'God is pleased with a servant who, when he eats a morsel of food, praises and thanks Him for it, and when he drinks a drink, praises and thanks Him for it. '

The material bequeathed to us concerning Subhan Allah and al-hamdu li'Llah is both too voluminous and too well-known to be repeated here.

Those who strive, do so for themselves; for God is surely Independent of the worlds. [29:6]

(b) Ascribing power and ability

You should know that the most comprehensive and inclusive formula for expressing the repudiation of one's own claim to power and ability is La hawla wa-la quwwata illa bi'Llah ('there is neither power nor ability save by God').

The Proof of Islam, may God be pleased with him, said: "'Power" [hawl] is motion, and "ability" [quwwa] is aptitude"'.

No creature possesses either ability or power over anything save through God, Who is Able and Capable. It is incumbent upon believers to have faith that in whatever God permits them to do or abstain from-as, for instance, in conforming to an injunction, whether by acting or abstaining, or in seeking their provision by resorting to action in the form of crafts and professions, and so on-it is God the Exalted Who creates and originates their intentions, abilities and movements; and that the acts they choose to perform will be attributed to them in the manner known as 'acquisition' [kasb] and 'working', and shall be, in consequence, liable to reward and punishment; but that they exercise volition only when God Himself does so, and can neither do nor abstain from anything unless He renders them able to. They possess not a single atom's weight of the heaven or the earth, nor do they attain to any partnership in its governance, or become supports to Him.

It is on the ability and power to make choices, which God has granted to His servants, that commands and prohibitions are based. Things which are done intentionally and by choice are attributed to them, and they are rewarded or punished accordingly.

Hence the meaning of la Qawla wa-la quwwata ilIa bi'Llah is the denial of one's possession of autonomous power and ability, and the simultaneous confession of the existence of that [relative] power and ability to make choices that He has given His servants to be their own.

He who claims that man has no choice or ability, that the acts he selects are identical with the acts he is compelled to do, and that he is in all circumstances coerced is a deterministic [jabri] innovator whose false claim would deny that there was any purpose in sending Messengers and revealing Scriptures. By contrast, he who claims that man possesses the will and power to do whatever he does by choice is a Mu'tazili innovator. But he who believes that a responsible [ mukallaf] man possesses power and choice to allow him to comply with God's commands and prohibitions, but is neither in dependant thereby nor the creator of his own acts, has found the Sunna, joined the majoritarian community, and become safe from reprehensible innovation.

There is a lengthy explanation to this, which follows a rugged road where many have slipped and gone astray; and beyond it is the secret of Destiny, which has always perplexed intelligent minds, and into which the Master of Messengers has commanded us not to delve. So let the intelligent be content with hints, and let it suffice them to believe that everything was created by God, and nothing exists without His will and power. Then let them require their selves to conform to the commandments and prohibitions, and take their Lord's side against their selves in every circumstance.

A hadith says that, La hawla wa-la quwwata illa bi'Llah is one of the treasures of the Garden'.

Understand the indication contained in terming it a 'treasure' and you will know that its meaning is among the mysteries; for reward is of the same species as the act. The Prophet has also said, may blessings and peace be upon him:

Two rakas in the depths of the night are one of the treasures of goodness.'

Their reward comprises a hidden treasure because the time of their occurrence, namely the night, implies this.

It is also reported that' La hawla wa-la quwwata illa bi'Llah is a remedy for ninety-nine ailments, the least of which is sorrow.'

It is a remedy for sorrow because grief mostly occurs when one misses something one loves, or when a distressful thing occurs; and whenever either of these things occurs people perceive their helplessness and inability to achieve their desired aims; hence they feel sorrow. If at such times they repeat in their heart and with their tongues words which mean that they disavow the possession of any ability or power of their own, then this gives them certitude in their knowledge that they are helpless and weak except where God gives them power and ability, with the result that their sorrow is banished, and their knowledge of their Lord is increased.

This can be clearly understood from the Prophet's saying, may blessings and peace be upon him:

'When one believes in destiny, one's sorrow departs.'

And in attributing ability and power to His Name, Allah, which is the axis of the Names and the most supreme of them, and in following it on most occasions with the two noble Names which indicate two of the attributes of the Holy Essence, namely, those of Exaltation and Magnitude, lies a sign that He totally transcends and is absolutely holier than the illusions of those who have strayed from the path, are blind to the evidence, and have delved without insight into the secret of destiny and the acts of God's creatures. So take heed!

(c) Remorse, and seeking forgiveness

Remorse [ nadam ] is the turning of the heart, in sorrow and regret, away from something which the servant has committed, and which angers God the Exalted, such as sins or the neglect of obligatory acts. It may also occur following an excessive involvement in permissible pleasures or the neglect of supererogatory devotions. A sincere remorse is one which leads to persevering in earnest, and avoiding neglectfulness. When sound, it includes nearly all the conditions of repentance [ tawba ], which is why the Prophet has said, may blessings and peace be upon him: 'Remorse is repentance'.

Those who are remorseful about their misbehaviour, but still persist in it, are only jesting, and their remorse will not avail them.

Seeking forgiveness [istighfar] means asking God to forgive, which in turn means His concealing the misdeed [from the eyes of others] .When God, by His grace, forgives a sin, he neither exposes its doer to shame, nor punishes him for it, whether in this world or in the next. The highest kind of forgiveness is for God to place a veil, a barrier, between the servant and sins, until it is as though he were free of them. In the context of Prophethood this veil is termed 'inerrancy' [isma]; and in that of sainthood, 'protection' [hifz]. This is the meaning of God's saying, addressed to the Master of the Inerrant, may the best of blessings and peace be upon him:

Ask forgiveness of your sin, and for believing men and women. [47:19] And: That God may forgive you your former and subsequent sin. [48:2]

It is well known that the Prophet was not liable to sin. But He here reminds him of His favouring him with His protection from everything that would distance him from Him, and commands him to pray to Him in that manner; prayer in this context being the consequence of thankfulness, and thankfulness being the cause of further increase.

If you are thankful, I shall give you more. [ 14:7] And God knows best.

(d) A distinction between subtle gradations of sins

Know that although obedience is the path to God and the means of approach to His Holy Presence, it may induce in those who are liable to distraction many things which are reckoned among the major sins, such as ostentation, self-admiration, arrogance, the feeling that one has obliged God, forgetfulness of His grace in granting [ acts of obedience], and so forth. These may result in the deprivation of the obedient man's reward, and may even lead to painful punishment.

The believer who is intent on following the path of seriousness and is concerned to attain salvation should always accuse his own soul [nafs], and refuse to give it the benefit of the doubt; he will ask forgiveness even for his acts of obedience, even if no contravention has outwardly occurred, fearful that his soul may have led him into one of these hazardous faults. You now know why one should seek forgiveness even for acts of obedience.

Something even more subtle than this may befall the people of gnosis under some circumstances: they may notice that they have come to find comfort in their virtuous acts [rather than in God], or to rely on them [rather than on God]; and they then turn back to Him in repentance, asking for forgiveness. The same things may again befall them while they pass through the noble stations and states with which they are invested; and they have then to repent and ask forgiveness for them.

For the people of God who divest themselves of all attachment to the worlds, sin is to attend to other than God, whatever this 'other' may be. We see them fleeing fearfully to God and seeking refuge in Him from states which, if experienced by others, would have been considered great acts of devotion, such as, for instance, setting one's hopes in one's acts of obedience and having thoughts of fear [of God] or of renunciation. It is in this context that you should understand the saying:

'The good deeds of the righteous are the evil deeds of those who are brought nigh to God.'

Were it not that the Path is fading away and the lights of realisation are setting, we would have said some astonishing things on this subject. So take heed, O people of intelligence

!Shaykh Shihab al-Din al-Suhrawardi, may God have mercy upon him, has said:

There are certain factors which impair spiritual stations, for these latter may be infiltrated by extraneous elements, and the gnostic may fail to perceive this while still in them, and only become aware of this upon rising from one station to a higher one, at which, experiencing an imperfection, he looks back at the former with better insight, and returns to it in order to repair the defect and render it sound. This can only be done through repentance and asking for forgiveness.

This is a summary of what the gnostics have taught, with some explanations and clarifications. Some have interpreted the saying of the Prophet, may blessings and peace be upon him:

'My heart becomes covered, so that I ask God for forgiveness seventy times a day',

along the lines suggested by Suhrawardi, but in fact it is far from bearing any relation whatever to the Muhammadan rank which embraces all perfection of form and character. I have another interpretation for it, which I can only divulge verbally to those worthy to receive it. And God knows best.

*~~Words to My Muslim Sister ~~*

*In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful


by The Muslim Creed Magazine *


*My Dear Sister, *

Know that you are man's sister and half of humanity. You are a mother, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, grand daughter or grand mother. The Prophet said, what translated means, Women are, indeed, men's partners. [Abu Dawood]. You are a member of the great nation of Islam, the best nation ever produced for mankind. No other nation on earth has more great men, leaders and conquerors than this nation. It is the nation of guidance and the straight religion, and it leads humanity to righteousness and truth. It transforms people from worshippers of slaves to worshippers of the Lord of slaves, from life's pressures to the pleasures of the Life after, and from the injustice of other religions to the justice of Islam.

Your ancestors, great women of Islam, were one of the main reasons for this great nation to take this great place among all nations. Allah, Who granted Islam to this nation, made a high place for Muslim women, and decreed that they share in the responsibilities of enjoining truth, forbidding evil and raising the flag of Islam. He said, what translated means, *The believers, men and women, are loyalists of one another, they enjoin righteousness and forbid evil, they offer their prayers perfectly and give the Zakat, and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah will leave His Mercy on them. Surely Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise. *[9:71]

*Allah has given Muslim women what they can bare of orders and duties. He is the God Who knows His creation, Should He not know what He created? And He is the Most Kind, All-Aware (of everything). *[67:14].

My dear sister, you are called upon today to truly become an active member of the Muslim nation, strive to establish victory for Allah's Word, implement the Quran and help build the generation of Iman.


*What Do Your Enemies Want From You?*

There are those who want to distract you from doing your duty. They want to distract you from meeting your noble obligation, that is, to defend the religion of Allah and raise His Word high. Those enemies use many methods:
First: They distract you from what Allah created you to perform of worship, belief and Da'wah (propagating Islam). They use this worldly life as their bate: Jewelry stores, fashions that originate in non-Muslim countries, new models all the time, desires raised, hunger that can never be satisfied, pleasures and competition for them and endless ways for joy. Allah did not create us for this. Indulging in these matters is usually accompanied by wasting time and money and igniting enmity and competition between the rich and the poor.

Second: They ignite enmity between you and man. To those sinners, you are a daughter that is put down, a humiliated mother, an abused wife and an oppressed sister! Men are always unjust, hypocrites, dictators, freedom- preventers and suppressers, according to them. There is a fabricated war that those evil ones are starting for no reason other than to direct you to rebel against your father, be arrogant with your brother and disobedient to your husband. They do not call for justice, mercy and unity. They call for hatred, arrogance and destruction.

Third: They do not stop at their call for rebellion against parents, brothers and husbands, rather, they plot against Islam. They call upon you to rebel against the obligations of Islam and the decrees of the All-Knowing King. Islam, to them, is unjust and Islamic laws are imperfect and restrictive. They call upon you, day and night, to rebel and insist on the disobedience of this religion. They try to rid you of your religion. They try to rid you of comfort and safety under generous parenthood, happy marriage and good brotherly relations.

Those devils portray piety and honor as chains on freedom. To them, Hijab does not cover the head, but also covers the mind; prayer, fasting and Zakat are a waste of time and effort; and obedience to husbands is slavery and a retum to the stone age. They distorted all facts and changed all truths, all to serve their evil goals.

*Dear Sister, *

The goals that your enemies and the enemies of your religion are seeking to achieve are well known. They want you to be available for them to fulfill their evil desires whenever they wish. They want you to be a mistress that has no honor. They want you to be found everywhere, on roads and in places of sin, without honor, religion or manners. They seek for you only what they want you to do. The Western world has gone through this all. Women of the West are the part of society that is facing injustice and dishonor. They strive to please men who keep changing partners and seek pleasures but with no responsibility and no consideration of the evil consequences of their sinful actions.

O Muslim sister, read and know about those women who discarded shyness and honor and followed their desires, what was the result of their deeds? Was their end honorable and desirable, or was it a shameful and hated end?


*Advice For My Sister In Islam*

Be proud of your religion and the religion of your ancestors. Be a good example for your sons and daughters and sincere in your belonging to this mighty nation. Know that honor is an honor to all wise people, and that adultery is dishonorable to all nations, even if some called it freedom. Know that adultery is also done with the eyes by seeing, with the ears by listening, and with the mouth by kissing, as was mentioned in a Hadith related by Imam Muslim. Your happiness is in being an obedient and believing daughter, a loyal and generous wife and a pious and merciful mother. Know that prayer is the cornerstone of Islam. Fasting one day, for the sake of Allah, takes your face seventy years away from Hellfire, as the Hadith, related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim, states. Charity is a major cause for gaining forgiveness and for repentance to be accepted. Those women who are showing parts of their bodies to men, will not enter Paradise or smell its fragrance and are cursed, as in the
Hadith related by Imam Muslim. Hijab is an honor and protection for you. Hijab must be modest in color and not exotic, wide and thick and not revealing, different from the dress of non-Muslim women and men.

My Dear Sister,

These are words from the heart. These are words of good and sincere advice. Beware of the loyalists of Satan who want to lead you astray. Be a slave of Allah, righteous and decendent of righteous women and know your role in building this great nation. Perform your duty and do not be a cause for destruction. Be a maker of righteous generation that will lead mankind, again, to what is right and proper, to the great religion of Islam.

Talha ibn Ubaydullah

Note: Leading up to Ramadan and insha'allah after it, i will be posting some articles about the companions of the prophet(pbuh). And the first one happens to be a heart touching story about Talha(may Allah be pleased with him).

Returning to Makkah in haste after a trading trip to Syria, Talhah asked his family: "Did anything happen in Makkah since we left?" "Yes," they replied. "Muhammad ibn Abdullah emerged alleging that he is a Prophet and Abu Quhafah (Abu Bakr) has followed him."

"I used to know Abu Bakr," said Talhah. "He is an easy-going, amiable, gentle man. He was an honest and upright trader. We were quite fond of him and loved sitting in his company because of his knowledge of Quraysh history and genealogy."

Later, Talhah went to Abu Bakr and asked: "Is it true what they say, that Muhammad ibn Abdullah has appeared as a Prophet and that you follow him." "Yes," replied Abu Bakr and went on to tell Talhah about Muhammad and what a good thing it would be if he too followed him. Talhah in turn told Abu Bakr the story of his strange recent encounter with an ascetic in the market-place of Busra in Syria. The ascetic is said to have told Talhah that someone called "Ahmad" would appear in Makkah about that time and that he would be the last of the Prophets. He also told Talhah, so the story goes, that the Prophet would leave the sacred precincts of Makkah and migrate to a land of black soil, water and palm trees...

Abu Bakr was astonished by the story and took Talhah to Muhammad. The Prophet, peace be on him, explained Islam to Talhah and recited some portions of the Quran to him. Talhah was enthusiastic. He related to the Prophet his conversation with the ascetic of Busra. There and then, Talhah pronounced the Shahadah - that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. He was the fourth person who had been introduced to Islam by Abu Bakr.

The Quraysh were astounded by the young Talhah's acceptance of Islam. The one who was most dismayed and unhappy was his mother. She had hoped that he would one day be a leader in his community because of his noble character and his outstanding virtues. Some of the Quraysh, anxious and worried, went to Talhah as soon as they could to wean him away from his new religion but found him firm and unshakable as a rock. When they despaired of using gentle persuasion to achieve their aim, they resorted to persecution and violence. The following story is related by Masud ibn Kharash:

"While I was making saiy between as-Safa and al-Marwa, there appeared a crowd of people pushing a young man whose hands were tied behind his back. As they rushed behind him, they rained down blows on his head. In the crowd was an old woman who lashed him repeatedly and shouted abuses at him. I asked: 'What's the matter with this young man?' 'This is Talhah ibn Ubaydullah. He gave up his religion and now follows the Banu Hashim man.' 'And who is the woman behind him?' I asked. 'She is as-Sabah bint al-Hadrami, the young man's mother,' they said.

The Quraysh did not stop there. Nawfal ibn Khuwaylid, nicknamed the 'lion of the Quraysh" bound Talhah with a rope and with the same rope he tied up Abu Bakr and then handed them over to the mindless and violent mob of Makkah to be beaten and tortured. The shared experience no doubt drew Talhah and Abu Bakr closer together!

Years passed and events of great significance took place. Talhah grew in stature as he bore the pain and suffering of being tested in the path of God and His Prophet. He gained the unique reputation among Muslims of being called the "living martyr". The Prophet, peace be on him, also called him "Talhah the Good" and "Talhah the Generous".

The name of the "living martyr" was earned during the Battle of Uhud. Talhah had missed the Battle of Badr. He and Said ibn Zayd had been sent outside Madinah on a mission by the Prophet and when they returned, the Prophet and his companions were already on the way back from Badr. They were both sad at having missed the opportunity of taking part in the first campaign with the Prophet but were tremendously pleased when he told them they would get the same reward as those who actually fought.

At the Battle of Uhud, when the Muslims fell into disarray at the beginning of hostilities the Prophet became dangerously exposed. There were about eleven men of the Ansar at his side and one Muhajir - Talhah ibn Ubaydullah. The Prophet clambered up the mountain hotly pursued by some mushrikin. The Prophet, peace be on him, shouted:

"The one who repulses these people from us will be my companion in Paradise." "I, O Messenger of god," shouted Talhah.

"No, stick to your position," replied the Prophet. A man from the Ansar volunteered and the Prophet agreed. He fought until he was killed. The Prophet went further up the mountain with the mushrikin still in close pursuit. "Isn't there someone to combat these?"

Talhah again volunteered but the Prophet ordered him to maintain his position. Another person immediately came forward, fought and was killed. This happened until all who stood by the Prophet were martyred except Talhah.

"Now, yes," signalled the Prophet and Talhah went into battle. By this time, the Prophet's teeth had been broken, his forehead had been slashed, his lips had been wounded and blood was streaming down his face. He was drained of energy. Talhah plunged into the enemy and pushed them away from the Prophet. He turned back to the Prophet and helped him a little further up the mountain and put him to lie on the ground. He then renewed his attack and successfully repulsed the enemy. About this occasion Abu Bakr said:

"At that moment, Abu Ubayd ibn al-Jarrah and I were far from the Prophet. When we came close to him to render assistance to him, the Prophet said: 'Leave me and go to your companion (meaning Talhah)."

There was Talhah, bleeding profusely. He had numerous wounds, from sword, spear and arrow. His foot had been cut and he had fallen into a hollow where he lay unconscious.

Thereafter, the Prophet, peace be on him, said: "Whoever is pleased to see a man still walking on earth who had completed his span (of life), let him look at Talhah ibn Ubaydallah."

And, whenever Uhud was recalled, As-Siddiq, may God be pleased with him, would say: "That day, that entire day, belonged to Talhah."

That was the story of how Talhah became to be called the "living martyr". There were unnumerabIe incidents which led to him being called "Talhah the Good" and "Talhah the Generous".

Talhah was an astute and successful merchant who travelled widely to the north and south of the Arabian peninsula. It is said that after one of his trips to Hadramawt, he had profits amounting to some seven hundred thousand dirhams. His nights would be anxious and worried on account of this vast wealth. On one such night, his wife, Umm Kulthum the daughter of Abu Bakr, said to him:

"What's wrong with you, O father of Muhammad? Perhaps I have done something to hurt you.'?" "No ," replied Talhah. "You are a wonderful wife for a Muslim man. But I have been thinking since last night: How can a man think of his Lord and Sustainer when he goes to sleep with this wealth in his house?"

"Why should it bother you so much ," remarked Umm Kulthum. "What about all the needy ones in your community and all your friends? When you get up in the morning share it out among them."

"God bless you. You are really marvellous, the daughter of a marvellous man," said Talhah to his wife. In the morning, Talhah gathered up the money in bags and distributed it among the poor Muhajirin and Ansar.

It is related that a man came up to Talhah requesting help and also mentioning some common family connection between them.

"This family connection someone has mentioned to me before," said Talhah who was in fact known for his generosity to all members of his clan. Talhah told the man that he had just sold a piece of land to Uthman ibn Affan for several thousand dirhams. The man could have the money or the land which could be re-purchased from Uthman. The man opted for the money and Talhah gave it all to him.

Talhah was well-known for helping persons who had debt problems, heads of families who experienced hardship, and widows. One of his friends, as-Saib ibn Zayd, said of him: "I accompanied Talhah ibn Ubaydallah on journeys and I stayed with him at home and I have not found anyone who was more generous with money, with clothes and with food than Talhah."

No wonder he was called "Talhah the Good" and "Talhah the Generous".

The name Talhah is also connected with the first fitnah or civil war among Muslims after the death of the prophet, peace be on him.

The seeds of trouble were sown during the caliphate of Uthman ibn Affan. There were many complaints and accusations against him. Some mischief-makers were not content with accusations only but were determined to finish him off. In the year 35 AH (656 CE) a group of insurgents stormed Uthman's house and murdered him while he was reading the Quran. It was one of the most shocking events in the early history of Islam.

Ali was persuaded to accept the responsibility of the Caliphate and all Muslims swore allegiance to him, including Talhah and Zubayr ibn al-Awwam. Talhah and Zubayr were deeply shocked by the murder of Uthman. They were horrified and felt strongly that the murderers should be punished and that justice should be done. But the punishment of the murderers was not an easy task in as much as the crime was not just the work of a few individuals but involved a large number of persons.

Talhah and Zubayr sought Ali's permission to go to Makkah to perform Umrah. They met Aishah the wife of the Prophet. She was greatly shocked when she heard of the assassination of Uthman. From Makkah, Talhah, Zubayr and Aishah set off for Basrah where large numbers were gathering to seek revenge for the death of Uthman.

The forces gathered at Basrah seemed to present an open challenge to Ali. As the caliph of the Muslims and the head of the entire Muslim State, he could not tolerate any insurrection or armed revolt against the State. But what a difficult and awesome task he faced! To deal with the revolt, he had to confront his brothers, his companions and his friends-followers of the Prophet and his religion, those who often fought side by side with him against the forces of shirk, those whom he respected and loved.

The forces clamoring for vengeance for Uthman and those supporting Ali met at a place called Kuraybah, near Basrah. Ali desired to avoid war and settle matters by peaceful means. He used every means at his disposal to achieve peace. He clung to every hope of avoiding confrontation. But the dark forces at work against Islam and how numerous were these, were determined that matters should come to a terrible and bloody end.

Ali wept. He wept bitterly when he saw Aishah, the "Mother of the Believers" in her hawdaj or palanquin astride a camel at the head of the army which now emerged to fight him. And when he saw Talhah and Zubayr, two close companions of the Prophet, in the midst of the army, he shouted to them to come out to him. They did and Ali said to Talhah:

"O Talhah, have you come with the wife of the Messenger of Allah to fight along with her...?" And to Zubayr he said:

"O Zubayr, I implore you, by God, do you remember the day when the Prophet. peace be on him, passed by you and we were in such and such a place and he asked you: 'Do you love Ali?' and you said: 'Why shouldn't I love my cousin and one who follows my religion...?'"

Ali continued talking to them reminding them of the bonds of brotherhood and faith. In the end both Talhah and Zubayr withdrew from participation in this civil war. They withdrew immediately when they saw the situation in a different light. But they paid for that withdrawal with their lives.

As they withdrew, a man named Amr ibn Jarmouz followed Zubayr and cowardly murdered him while he performed Salat. Talhah was killed by an arrow allegedly shot by Marwan - a cousin of Uthman who was too blinded by rage and the desire to seek revenge for his kinsman to respond to the possibility of avoiding war and bloodshed among Muslims.

The murder of Uthman had become Talhah's tryst with destiny. He did not participate in the fighting and killing that followed that came to be known in history as the "Battle of the Camel". Indeed, if he had known that the fitnah would have degenerated into such insane hatred and bitterness and resulted in such a bloody outcome, he would have resisted it. He was not keen to fight Ali. He was simply appalled by the murder of Uthman and wanted to see justice done. Before the beginning of the battle he had said in a voice choked with emotion:

"O Lord, for the sake of Uthman, take from me this day until You are pleased." Then when Ali faced him and Zubayr, they saw the correctness of his position and withdrew from the field of battle. Yet, in these difficult circumstances, martyrdom was reserved for them.

The Battle of Camel came to an end. Aishah, the mother of the believers, realized that she had precipitated matters and left Basrah for the Sacred Mosque and then to Madinah distancing herself from the conflict. Ali provided well for her journey giving her all the comfort and honor due to her.

When the numerous dead from the battle were brought together, Ali led the funeral prayer for them all, those who were with him and those who were against him. And when he had finished burying Talhah and Zubayr he bade farewell to them with a heavy heart, a heart filled with tenderness and love.

"I really hope," he said in simple and sublime words, "that Talhah, az-Zubayr, Uthman and I will be among those of whom God has said: 'And We shall remove from their hearts any lurking sense of injury and rancor; they will be brothers joyfully facing each other on thrones of dignity.' "(The Quran, Surah al-Hijr, 15:47)

Then he looked tenderly and sorrowfully on the graves of his brothers in faith and said: "I have heard with these two ears of mine the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying: "Talhah and az-Zubayr are my companions in Paradise!"

Monday morning at 9am, and i am in no mood to be at uni. In about an hours time i have a lecture on "Islamic politics" which subhanallah is a very boring yet quiet idiotic, that might be because its not meant for people who are already Muslim. Of course we can take it but we are not its target group. We talk about the basic (when i say basic i mean very very basic) foundations of Islam, for example the five pillars of Islam.

I totally respect what the lecturer is doing as it is showing Islam not from a bias prospective in terms of hating Islam or propagating Islam from a preachers position, but hes doing a really good job in the sense that he questions what needs to be questioned and praises what needs to be praised.

However, what i hate is that everything he says something regarding Islam, he turns to us Muslims( we are 4 in total) and say "what do you think our Muslim friends".

At first i had no problems with it, but after about 2months it tends to get a bit annoying.

I must do some research before i run off to class, so i will catch you latter. :-)

Ummm, my first post! Why did I choose the name ‘Iman, Ihsan & Islam’ for my blog? Well the answer is quiet simple, Iman, Ihsan & Islam are three principles of Islamic faith you can’t have a whole picture of Islam and you can’t be following the perfect faith of Islam unless you fulfill the conditions of each.

Islam: comes from the root words; “peace”, “submission” and “whole”. You become whole by submitting to the oneness of God (Allah). Through being whole you are at peace.

Iman: has several meaning; “faith” “to learn”, “to fully observe one’s faith” or “to learn one’s faith”. The lexical meaning of Iman is affirmation of the tongue and confirmation in the heart.

Submission to the one God includes belief in the heart, profession by the tongue, and the body’s action towards consistent good deeds.

There are 6 articles of Iman in Islam and they are:

• To believe in God: this includes the oneness of God, and all his attributes
• To believe in the Unseen: There are things that hidden from us, that our minds can’t even conceptualize even the prophet (pbuh) had no knowledge of the unseen, let along him (pbuh) seeing the unseen.
• To believe in Revelation: we believe in the books that the prophets were sent with and we believe that the Qur’an is the last revelation from Allah sent to prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
• To believe in Prophethood: pretty self explanatory.
• To believe in the Day of Judgment: When every soul shall be questioned of its good/bad deeds and its conduct on earth. Depending on what the soul had achieved the soul will either be taken to hell or paradise by the mercy of God.
• To believe in the Divine Decree (destiny): We believe that God has full knowledge and control over all that occurs and there are several verses in the Qur’an that explain this matter. All that has been decreed by God is written in al-Lawh al-Mahfuz (the preserved tablet), everything in the world whether good or evil that occurs has been preordained by God and nothing happens except being permitted by the will of God. This is not to suggest a lack of presences of God’s indignation against evil, because every evil that occurs is a benefit for us that we may not be able to see. However, this is not to suggest that human beings do not have free will, in fact we do have free will; in that we choose between right and wrong, and thus we are responsible for out actions.

Iman is further broke down into 77 branches (which we will insha’allah look at some other time).

Ihsan: means “perfection”, “excellence”. In Islam Ihsan is to obtain excellence and perfection in our worship of God which will transform into perfection in our daily lives by adhering to the law and Sunnah of Allah and prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Ihsan is to worship Allah has if we see him and if we can’t see him than he surely sees us, constantly over watching us.

The three principles of Islamic faith: Islam emphases on what one should d, Iman why one should do what he does and the concept of Ihsan is primarily associated with intention. A person can only achieve true Ihsan with the guidance of Allah who governs all things.