TO BE A MUSLIM (Shaykh Nazim, 85 pages, 4/4)
https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=6047
ne who sacrificed it accountable on the Day of Judgment.
The Benefits of Sacrificing Animals
The household where a sacrifice is performed will be grant- ed blessings. During that year it will not be struck by dis- aster. It is also a blessing for the person performing the sac- rifice. The one who sacrifices an animal and distributes the meat will succeed in sacrificing every year.
22In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
Say: Truly my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are (all) for God, the Cherisher of the Worlds: no partner hath He: this am I commanded, and I am the first of those who bow to His Will.
The person slaughtering the animal should first pray two rak‘aât and pray to his Lord to accept the sacrifice. All parts of the animal being sacrificed will be placed on the mîzân, the balance on the Day of Judgment – the sacrificial animal’s food and drink, its blood, meat, bones, horns, and skin – and each will weigh seventy times more than it weighs here. Therefore all the leftover (inedible) parts of the animal are to be buried. To make one’s sacrifice in the hope of attaining rewards from Allah will be a veil from Hellfire.
In one ªadîth our Holy Prophet has strongly disparaging words for those who have the means to sacrifice an animal but fail to do so. The sacrifice made on an ‘Îd day is the equivalent of a hundred sacrifices made on any other day. The rewards are dedicated to the souls of one’s parents. If a person is not able to make the sacrifice and he says: “If I had the money, I would also have sacrificed,” he receives rewards as if he had sacrificed an animal.
According to a certain ªadîth, the meat of the sacrifice is to be divided into three parts: one third is to be given in
sadaqa (charity), one third is for the use of the household, and one third is to be given away to friends and acquaint- ances.
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Blessed Days and Nights
The days and nights regarded as blessed in Islam are these: Jum‘a; the Day before the ‘Îd; the days of the ‘Îd, ‘Îd al- Fitr, ‘Îd al-A¡ªâ; the day of ‘Âshûrâ’ (the tenth day of the month of Mukarram); the day of the Mawlid (the Holy Prophet’s birthday); the first night of the month of Ra- jab; the night of Raghâ’ib (the night the Holy Prophet was
conceived); the night of Mi‘râj (Ascension); the night of Barâ’a (the fifteenth of the month of Sha‘bān); the Night of Power (laylat al-qadr); the last ten days of the month of Rama¡ān; the first ten days of the months of Dhi l-Óijja and of Mukarram are of the blessed ten days in the course of the year.
Fasting in Rama¡ān is obligatory in any case, and there are great rewards for fasting the first nine days of the month of Dhi l-Óijja, and at least the ninth and tenth day of the month of Mukarram. It is an Islamic custom to celebrate the new year on the first day of Mukarram, as it is the begin- ning of the Hijrî year. Whoever observes this custom can expect his affairs to prosper during the coming year.
The day of Jum‘a and the preceding night are especially blessed, because Allah Almighty opens the gates of mercy for His servants and delivers them from Hellfire. Whoever shows respect for the day of Jum‘a and the preceding night, will be forgiven all the sins he committed during the week. Moreover, there is one propitious hour on Jum‘a when all prayers are most certainly accepted, but Allah Almighty has hidden the knowledge of this hour from His servants.
The ninth day of Dhi l-Óijja is the day before the feast of the ‘Îd and it is a highly blessed day, the day on which the pilgrims ascend Mount ‘Arafāt. Once a year, on this very day Allah Almighty opens a Sea of Mercy and gazes upon the honoured pilgrims. By the mercy descending with that Divine Gaze upon that place, all the honoured pilgrims are cleansed of their sins.
The ‘Îd days: the most blessed days of the year are the first day of the ‘Îd al-Fitr, the Feast of Fastbreaking, and the days of the ‘Îd al-A¡ªâ, the Feast of Sacrifices. On these days Allah Almighty showers His mercy upon the believ- ers and delivers them from punishment. As much as one honours these days, in that measure one attains these gifts of mercy.
The Day of ‘Âshûrâ’: this is the tenth day of the month of Mukarram and it is a very blessed day. There is a sacred- ness to this day on which the support and grace of Allah Almighty reached to His prophets and holy ones, and when victory and triumph were achieved for the believers. It was on this day that one of their number, Nûk, ‘alayhi s-salâm, found dry land after the waters of the Flood receded. It is narrated that he stayed aboard the Ark and cooked a meal from the remaining provisions, called ‘âshûrâ’, with which he and his companions broke their fast. This commendable religious custom has been preserved to this very day, and ‘ashûrâ’ is still prepared and distributed to the poor and to close friends and neighbours.
Mawlid: The night when our Holy Prophet was born into this world as a mercy for the worlds is a most holy and bless- ed occasion. Some religious scholars even regard this night as being of greater significance and holier than the Night of Power (laylat al-qadr). In this night our Prophet honoured this world with his presence, spreading mercy upon all worlds, and filling the whole world with light. Every year Allah Almighty reveals endless mercies to his nation for the sake of our Holy Prophet, and grants them forgiveness.
The mawlid, our Prophet’s birthday, is the believer’s greatest feast day. It was on the twelfth night of the month
of Rabî‘ al-awwal that our Holy Prophet brought light into this world and was born to the worlds as a sun that will never set.
The First Night of the month of Rajab: In the Muslim world this night is regarded as a very holy night. During this sa- cred night, Allah Almighty opens the gates of mercy for His servants and grants their wishes. In this night their prayers are accepted.
The Night of Ragha’ib: The first Thursday night in Rajab is known to the Muslim world as the night of Raghâ’ib (wish- es, desires). It is a very holy night, being the night during which the seed that would become our Holy Prophet, the Most Excellent of Creation, was delivered to his mother’s womb. Along with the mercies dispensed on this night Al- lah Almighty showers endless gifts upon His believing serv- ants.
The Night of Mi‘râj (Ascension): This is the 27th night of the month of Rajab. It is the night in which our Holy Prophet travelled from Mecca to Jerusalem (al-Quds) by su- pernatural means as a miracle, and from there ascended to the heavens, to witness the Divine Realms and manifesta- tions. During that night, Allah Almighty showed the Seven Heavens, the Divine Throne and the Divine Court, Para- dise and Hell to our Holy Prophet, just as they are. Also in this night the Holy Prophet came to behold the Divine Beauty of Allah Almighty and conversed with Him. In this night Allah also made the five daily prayers obligatory for His servants.
The Night of Barâ’a: This is a most sacred night which falls on the fifteenth night of the month of Sha‘bān. In this night all that is to happen in the whole world until the evening of the Barâ’a of the following year is decreed and written.
–‘Azrā’îl, the Angel of Death is given a written list of the names of those who are going to die;
–Jibrā’îl is given the list of the coming wars, earthquakes and other violent occurrences;
–Mîkā’îl is given the list of rain that is to fall, of the crops that are to grow and similar services;
–In this night, the believers are given their warrant for Paradise, and the unbelievers are given their warrant for Hell.
This night is a very blessed night in which our Holy Prophet was given permission to intercede for his nation; Divine Mercy will be extended from sunset up until the dawn. Supplications made during this night will be accept- ed; in this holy night the Mercy Oceans of Allah will be foaming and overflowing.
Allah’s mercies during this night will be for everyone and accessible to all; there are only four groups of people who are exempt from these mercies:
1.Those practising magic;
2.Those committing adultery/fornication;
3.Those not repenting of drinking alcohol;
4.Those showing hostility to a fellow believer.
The Night of Power (laylat al-qadr): This night is regarded as the most blessed night of the year. Any worship performed during this night is more valuable than the worship of a thousand months in which the Night of Power does not oc-
cur. However, Allah Almighty has kept secret which night will be that holy night. The wisdom in this is so that every night might be respected and that the believers might not neglect the obligations of their servanthood during other nights. Since the Night of Power was seen to have occurred during the last ten nights of Rama¡ān, in particular on the 27th night of this month, this night is generally celebrated as the Night of Power. This night is indeed a most sacred one, for it was on this blessed night that Allah Almighty first began to reveal the Holy Qur’ān as a beacon of guidance for all the worlds. Wishes are granted during this night, and hosts of blessed angels descend from the heavens, visiting the believers and giving them their salâmât.
To know and respect these blessed days and nights, and to observe these occasions is most certainly an opportunity for gaining Allah’s Pleasure.
May Allah Almighty make us become such servants as hold His faith and religion in the highest esteem, who hon- our all things sacred and let them be honoured, and who work for the benefit of their nation and their country. Âmîn!
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Our Master Muªammad Mustafâ k
It is obligatory for every Muslim to acquire concise infor- mation about the Prophet’s life. Every nation should know their own prophet. Our Prophet was born on a Monday night, the twelfth night of the month Rabî‘ al-awwal (cor- responding to April 20, 571 C. E.) just as dawn was break- ing. During that night many wondrous things took place; to name only a few: the fire of the Majûsis, which had been
kept constantly burning for a thousand years, suddenly went out; the palace of Chosroes, the Shah of Persia, trem- bled and its fourteen towers crumbled. Many more strange events took place during that night, and everyone felt that something extraordinary was about to happen.
Our Holy Prophet’s father’s name was ‘Abdullāh, his mother’s name was Âmina. His grandfather ‘Abd al-Muttal- ib was the leader of the tribe of the Quraysh.
Our Holy Prophet’s father died at the age of twenty-five when he was returning to Medina from a trip to Damas- cus. The Prophet was thus orphaned while he was yet in his mother’s womb; he was born two months after his father’s death.
The Prophet’s mother was the daughter of Wahb who was the head of the Zuhra tribe. Thus our Holy Prophet was a member of the highest tribal nobility both on his mother’s and his father’s side.
When our Holy Prophet was six years old, his beloved mother passed away and he was left in the care of his grand- father ‘Abd al-Muttalib until he reached eight years of age. When he also expired, the Prophet was raised under the pa- tronage of his uncle Abû ‡ālib.
Our Holy Prophet married the lady Khadîja when he was twenty-five years old. All his children, with one exception, were born of the lady Khadîja.
The first child to be born to the Holy Prophet was his son Qāsim, wherefore the Holy Prophet was called Abu l-Qāsim. After him other children were born in this order: Zaynab, Ruqiyya, Umm Kulthum, Fātima, ‘Abdullāh, ‡ayyib, and
‡āhir. Later on, Marya gave birth to a son named Ibrāhîm. Except for Fātima, all of the Holy Prophet’s children died before he did. His daughter Fātima survived him only by six months.
The Holy Prophet’s Noble Character k
In one sacred ªadîth the Holy Prophet says: “It was my Lord who taught me, and He perfected my good manners.” Since Allah Almighty Himself taught the Holy Prophet, he doubtlessly possessed the best manners and the noblest character. From an early age the nobility of his character and the perfection of his manners were apparent. Everyone referred to him as Muªammad al-Amîn, meaning Mukammad the trustworthy, the faithful. His friends as well as his ene- mies both recognised his merits. He used to get along well with those around him and he liked to lead a simple life. He shunned boastfulness and arrogance. He would never miss an opportunity for helping someone, and he especially felt for the needy and destitute, the widows and orphans, and would always try to help them. He honoured his guests without exception, and made them happy.
He disliked vulgarity and invariably treated everyone with tact and courtesy, even those who exhibited coarse behaviour. He spoke to everyone, he went wherever he was invited, he would not hurt anyone, he interrupted no one, and never put anyone to shame by confronting him with his faults.
He would fondle the children and set them on his lap, even if they soiled his clothes. He loved to feed the first fruits of the season to the children. Whenever he met chil- dren in the street he would give them salâmât and pay them a compliment.
In any assembly he would not look for the seat of honour, he would sit down wherever he found a place. He would smile at everyone, and join in the flow of the conversation. He placed great importance on words of wisdom and sig- nificance. When he spoke, his words always had an effect on
people. His sermons and homilies on the pulpit were brief and effective, his listeners could not hold back their tears. He never uttered empty or useless words; every word of his definitely contained a pearl of wisdom and of truth. When- ever he spoke all others fell silent and listened attentively. He never shied away from administering justice or from rightful dealings. Being lenient towards oppressors and un-
just people he considered to be the greatest crime.
His courage was very remarkable. Even in moments of greatest danger, he kept his composure with an unshak- able will, he never acted hurriedly or in haste, and he never sought to avenge himself for incidents of a personal nature. It was his wont to forgive and pardon offenses.
He would always exercise tolerance towards people, and he would not force them to do anything. He was fond of worshipping and performed much more than just the ob- ligatory prayers. He would rise during the night and stand before his Lord, he would engage in lengthy prayers and shed many tears. He had a great fear of Allah and he used to say: “I am the one who knows Allah best, and among you all I am the one who fears Allah most.” He never forgot that Allah was with him. He regarded good thoughts and just behaviour as more excellent than many years of nafl prayers, supererogatory worship.
In brief, regarding nobility of character, our Holy Proph- et reached a summit of perfection that no one else can ever hope to reach.
When our Holy Prophet was in his fortieth year, he re- ceived prophethood and was charged with calling people to Allah.
Jibrā’îl – ‘alayhi s-salâm – brought the first revelation to our Holy Prophet on Mount Óirā’ in the vicinity of Mecca. Allah’s first command to him began with: “Read!” This is
proof enough for the great importance that reading and the written word hold in Islam.
For three years our Holy Prophet conducted his teaching in secret. There were very few people who followed him. All the others became his enemies, because the Holy Prophet declared the worthlessness of their idols and called them to the service of Allah alone. After three years, when he was commanded to reveal his cause, he began to preach openly. But this proved to be not at all easy; our Holy Prophet was exposed to all manner of insult and torment. Not for one moment did he fail to convey his message, but kept on call- ing all people to the true religion.
In Mecca, life was very hard for our Holy Prophet and the Muslims. They lived a life of suffering under the threat of starvation and death. But in spite of all the hostilities, the Muslim cause steadily advanced and grew stronger day by day. After having spent thirteen years of his prophet- hood in Mecca giving guidance, our Holy Prophet received the Divine Command to migrate from Mecca to Medina and to continue spreading his message there. Thereupon he left Mecca in the month of Zafar with his companion Abû Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him. On the twelfth of the following month, Rabî‘ al-awwal, which happened to be a Monday, they arrived in Qubā’. The date of their arrival corresponds to July 17, 622 C. E. This date marks the be- ginning of the Hijrî calendar, a lunar calendar that is still observed from the Hijra up to this present day.
Qubā’ is a place near Medina where our Holy Prophet spent Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, Jum‘a, he set out from there. As he reached the neighbour- hood of Ranuna, the Jum‘a prayer was made far¡. There our Holy Prophet led the first Jum‘a prayer, then he continued on to Medina. All the people of Medina came out to wel-
come the Holy Prophet, old and young, and the whole town buzzed with a festive spirit. The Holy Prophet alighted at the house of Abû Ayyûb al-Ansārî, may Allah be pleased with him, who welcomed him as his guest. In this way, the Holy Prophet came to spend ten years in Medina and it was during this period that all religious and legal rulings were concluded. In the end, the Holy Prophet passed from this world in Medina.
During his time in Medina, our Holy Prophet took part in a number of major and minor battles, thus preparing the future of Islam.
There were between forty-four and fifty smaller cam- paigns, which were called sariyya, and involved only a small number of armed men. There were twenty-seven campaigns that were fought with a large number of troops; these are referred to as ghazwa.
In the battles of the Holy Prophet it was not so much ma- terial strength that was effective as spiritual force. These spiritual forces are mentioned in the Holy Qur’ān as the “invisible army”, and it consisted of the angels, as well as of the human capacities of bravery, will power, vigour, and patience. Fighters whose hearts are inspired by the spirit of faith will always find themselves supported by “invisi- ble armies”. In the history of Islam, many battles were won through this kind of reinforcement.
In the tenth year of the Hijra, the Holy Prophet per- formed the pilgrimage to Mecca with a company of no less than forty thousand Muslims. This was the last ªajj he was to make. In the famous khutba he gave on this occasion he said: “I do not know whether I shall ever meet you again in this place after this year,” whereby he indicated that he would soon leave this world. This was the Holy Prophet’s Farewell Pilgrimage.
On the twenty-eighth day of the month of Zafar of the eleventh year of the Hijra, which was a Wednesday, our Holy Prophet began to suffer from a severe headache. This illness of his was accompanied by a high fever. On Sunday, the 11th of Rabî‘ al-awwal, his condition became aggravated. Finally, on Monday, the 12th day of Rabî‘ al-awwal at noontide, our Beloved Prophet, the Most Excellent of all Creation, left this world for the next and went to meet his Maker.
Sayyidunā ‘Alî, may Allah bless his face, began the wash- ing of the pure and honoured body of our Prophet. Usāma and Shiqrān poured water for him, and ‘Abbās and Qutham turned his blessed body over from one side to another. Fa¡l held aloft a curtain to veil him. When the washing was completed, he was wrapped in his shroud. According to the Holy Prophet’s last request, they let him lie quietly for a while. Then, starting with the members of the Proph- et’s family (ahl al-bayt), followed by his companions, men, women, children, and slaves came in groups, each praying the funeral prayer. Naturally, this took quite some time, wherefore his blessed body was laid in his grave only on Wednesday night, close to the dawn of Thursday, the 15th of Rabî‘ al-awwal.
Our Holy Prophet had departed from this world. How- ever, as a last reminder of the Truth and a memory of happiness, he left the religion of Islam for his nation and for the whole of mankind. For all those wishing to reach eternal bliss, the best and infallible guide is Islam, which is based on the Holy Qur’ān and the sunna of the Holy Prophet.
May Allah Almighty honour us all with our Prophet’s intercession and may we not be severed from the path he trod.
Âmîn!
The Blessed Attributes of our Beloved Prophet k – His Noble Appearance
The beauties in the physical and spiritual creation of our Holy Prophet are referred to as the shama’il al-sharîf. We in- clude here a brief description of our Prophet’s characteris- tics, for the sake of deriving blessings therefrom.
Our Prophet, the Pride of the Worlds, the most honoured Messenger Mukammad Mustafā, salla llâhu ta‘âlâ ‘alayhi wa sallam, had a natural disposition of such beauty and perfec- tion that it was unmatched by any other being in the uni- verse.
At birth, our Holy Prophet’s body was clean – he was born circumcised, and his umbilical cord was already cut. All the lights of his bright future shone in his face. As he grew, his beauty increased and he gradually assumed the aspect of “the one without equal”.
He was of slightly greater than average stature, well-pro- portioned, and all his limbs were straight and strong. His chest and belly formed a straight line. He was large-boned, powerfully built and strong; he was neither fat nor thin, but inbetween, of a shapely fullness and well-muscled.
His blessed body was lovely to behold and his skin was softer than silk. His complexion was neither as white as chalk, nor was it very dark; it was fair, perhaps slightly pinkish, clear and luminous. His shoulders, his upper arms and lower legs were broad and thick, his wrists were long, his hands were rather thick and his fingers longish. His fin- gernails were as mother of pearl.
His forehead, his chest, the space between his shoul- ders, and also his palms, were wide.His neck was longish and graceful, and as pure as silver. His head was of a size to match his body. His brows were crescent-shaped, his nose
was narrow and slightly curved, and his face was slightly rounded.
His lashes were long, his eyes were large, black and very beautiful. The white of his eyes was somewhat reddish. In his gaze were hidden profound efficacy and dominance. His eyebrows were close together, but did not quite touch. His countenance was as radiant as the sun, when he smiled, rays of light rippled from his blessed mouth, and lightning flashes of loveliness issued from his pearl-like teeth. The reflections of his smile upon the walls were as pearls. His blessed voice was melodious and expressive. His words were as lofty as the stars, sparkling and agleam, and full of meaning. His hair was neither very curly nor was it alto- gether straight, it was slightly wavy. When he let his hair grow, it would cover his ear lobes. His beard grew thick and regular, and he would always cut it when it exceeded the length of a fist. Whenever he was shaved or when he would cut his beard himself with scissors, those attend- ing him would not let it fall to the ground, but scrambled to pick it up. At the time of his death his hair and beard had only just begun to turn white. There were very few white hairs on his head, and in his beard there were per- haps twenty.
His blessed body was very beautiful and a lovely fra- grance emanated from it. His skin and his sweat were su- perior to the best perfumes. When he shook hands or pat- ted a child’s head, his sweet scent would permeate what he touched and linger for a long time.
He never walked hastily, never turned to the right or left but moved straight ahead purposefully. His tread was light but swift. Those accompanying him on his walks, even if they strode swiftly, could hardly keep up with him and fell behind.
In brief, our Holy Prophet, the Pride of all Creation, was in every aspect the most beautiful and most perfect of all created beings.23
A Great Saying of our Holy Prophet k:
“A Strong Believer Is Better Than a Weak Believer”
With this blessed saying our Holy Prophet leads us to one of the highest truths. That truth is: Whoever holds power will be victorious. This truth has been valid throughout the ages and will continue to hold true. It has never been seen or heard that one who was weak overcame one who was powerful.
Our Holy Prophet recommends that we be strong, for the continued existence of the individual or the communi- ty is only possible if they are strong and powerful. There are two ways of being powerful: one is by having material power, the other by having spiritual strength. It must be regarded as the most important duty for both the individ- ual and the community to perpetuate the power emanating from either a material or a spiritual source, and to eliminate whatever obstructs this strength in order to remain contin- ually strong.
For an individual, to be strong means to be healthy and robust in one’s physical aspect, and in a spiritual sense to be equipped with the strength of faith. To ensure physical strength, it is necessary to observe very important condi- tions, such as eating good and wholesome foods, dressing well, sleeping well, living in a good and healthy environ-
23This summarised section on the Holy Prophet has been taken entirely from A. Serif Güzelyazici’s book entitled Din Dersleri.
ment, and always keeping oneself physically occupied with activities proportionate to one’s physical strength.
Even more important than gathering strength is to ef- fectively preserve it, that is, to keep away from everything that will diminish the accumulated power, from any bad action that will deplete one’s strength, from anything phys- ically harmful, and from anything that can weaken the on- coming generations.
That is why it is a most important religious obligation for individuals and the community – children, young peo- ple and the aged, everyone – to always be monitored and under surveillance. It must become our urgent religious and national cause to weed out unnatural creatures who for the sake of their own pleasures are prepared to despoil future generations, and to achieve the maturity required to raise up generations who will shoulder the burden of a future that is heavier than ours.
This is why the use of alcohol, tobacco and similar toxic substances is prohibited. In particular, the first considera- tion for raising a sound new generation with bright pros- pects for the future must be to stamp out and eliminate the causes of fornication, which pointlessly saps the energy of youth. If we are able to do this, we can prevent the decline of a lineage that made a well-known proverb of the saying “strong as a Turk”.
In the times when we combined material power with spiritual fortitude the whole world trembled before us; we had the power to end an era and to usher in a new one. We must be wary of our enemies’ tricks, because they know that they can defeat us only by causing the spiritual sources of our power to run dry.
It is now time for us embrace our religion and together engage in the struggle for material and spiritual power. The
slightest negligence will cost us dearly. History will surely bear witness to our actions, so everyone must prepare for this and shoulder his responsibility. Success in all respects comes from Allah Almighty.
* The End
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The ba s ic knowledge provided by this book will help Muslims to gradually
become more intimately acquainted with their religion and to partake of a blessing pervading all their life with heavenly power, beauty and honour.
isbn 978–9963–40–122–2
Link: https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=6047
ne who sacrificed it accountable on the Day of Judgment.
The Benefits of Sacrificing Animals
The household where a sacrifice is performed will be grant- ed blessings. During that year it will not be struck by dis- aster. It is also a blessing for the person performing the sac- rifice. The one who sacrifices an animal and distributes the meat will succeed in sacrificing every year.
22In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
Say: Truly my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are (all) for God, the Cherisher of the Worlds: no partner hath He: this am I commanded, and I am the first of those who bow to His Will.
The person slaughtering the animal should first pray two rak‘aât and pray to his Lord to accept the sacrifice. All parts of the animal being sacrificed will be placed on the mîzân, the balance on the Day of Judgment – the sacrificial animal’s food and drink, its blood, meat, bones, horns, and skin – and each will weigh seventy times more than it weighs here. Therefore all the leftover (inedible) parts of the animal are to be buried. To make one’s sacrifice in the hope of attaining rewards from Allah will be a veil from Hellfire.
In one ªadîth our Holy Prophet has strongly disparaging words for those who have the means to sacrifice an animal but fail to do so. The sacrifice made on an ‘Îd day is the equivalent of a hundred sacrifices made on any other day. The rewards are dedicated to the souls of one’s parents. If a person is not able to make the sacrifice and he says: “If I had the money, I would also have sacrificed,” he receives rewards as if he had sacrificed an animal.
According to a certain ªadîth, the meat of the sacrifice is to be divided into three parts: one third is to be given in
sadaqa (charity), one third is for the use of the household, and one third is to be given away to friends and acquaint- ances.
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Blessed Days and Nights
The days and nights regarded as blessed in Islam are these: Jum‘a; the Day before the ‘Îd; the days of the ‘Îd, ‘Îd al- Fitr, ‘Îd al-A¡ªâ; the day of ‘Âshûrâ’ (the tenth day of the month of Mukarram); the day of the Mawlid (the Holy Prophet’s birthday); the first night of the month of Ra- jab; the night of Raghâ’ib (the night the Holy Prophet was
conceived); the night of Mi‘râj (Ascension); the night of Barâ’a (the fifteenth of the month of Sha‘bān); the Night of Power (laylat al-qadr); the last ten days of the month of Rama¡ān; the first ten days of the months of Dhi l-Óijja and of Mukarram are of the blessed ten days in the course of the year.
Fasting in Rama¡ān is obligatory in any case, and there are great rewards for fasting the first nine days of the month of Dhi l-Óijja, and at least the ninth and tenth day of the month of Mukarram. It is an Islamic custom to celebrate the new year on the first day of Mukarram, as it is the begin- ning of the Hijrî year. Whoever observes this custom can expect his affairs to prosper during the coming year.
The day of Jum‘a and the preceding night are especially blessed, because Allah Almighty opens the gates of mercy for His servants and delivers them from Hellfire. Whoever shows respect for the day of Jum‘a and the preceding night, will be forgiven all the sins he committed during the week. Moreover, there is one propitious hour on Jum‘a when all prayers are most certainly accepted, but Allah Almighty has hidden the knowledge of this hour from His servants.
The ninth day of Dhi l-Óijja is the day before the feast of the ‘Îd and it is a highly blessed day, the day on which the pilgrims ascend Mount ‘Arafāt. Once a year, on this very day Allah Almighty opens a Sea of Mercy and gazes upon the honoured pilgrims. By the mercy descending with that Divine Gaze upon that place, all the honoured pilgrims are cleansed of their sins.
The ‘Îd days: the most blessed days of the year are the first day of the ‘Îd al-Fitr, the Feast of Fastbreaking, and the days of the ‘Îd al-A¡ªâ, the Feast of Sacrifices. On these days Allah Almighty showers His mercy upon the believ- ers and delivers them from punishment. As much as one honours these days, in that measure one attains these gifts of mercy.
The Day of ‘Âshûrâ’: this is the tenth day of the month of Mukarram and it is a very blessed day. There is a sacred- ness to this day on which the support and grace of Allah Almighty reached to His prophets and holy ones, and when victory and triumph were achieved for the believers. It was on this day that one of their number, Nûk, ‘alayhi s-salâm, found dry land after the waters of the Flood receded. It is narrated that he stayed aboard the Ark and cooked a meal from the remaining provisions, called ‘âshûrâ’, with which he and his companions broke their fast. This commendable religious custom has been preserved to this very day, and ‘ashûrâ’ is still prepared and distributed to the poor and to close friends and neighbours.
Mawlid: The night when our Holy Prophet was born into this world as a mercy for the worlds is a most holy and bless- ed occasion. Some religious scholars even regard this night as being of greater significance and holier than the Night of Power (laylat al-qadr). In this night our Prophet honoured this world with his presence, spreading mercy upon all worlds, and filling the whole world with light. Every year Allah Almighty reveals endless mercies to his nation for the sake of our Holy Prophet, and grants them forgiveness.
The mawlid, our Prophet’s birthday, is the believer’s greatest feast day. It was on the twelfth night of the month
of Rabî‘ al-awwal that our Holy Prophet brought light into this world and was born to the worlds as a sun that will never set.
The First Night of the month of Rajab: In the Muslim world this night is regarded as a very holy night. During this sa- cred night, Allah Almighty opens the gates of mercy for His servants and grants their wishes. In this night their prayers are accepted.
The Night of Ragha’ib: The first Thursday night in Rajab is known to the Muslim world as the night of Raghâ’ib (wish- es, desires). It is a very holy night, being the night during which the seed that would become our Holy Prophet, the Most Excellent of Creation, was delivered to his mother’s womb. Along with the mercies dispensed on this night Al- lah Almighty showers endless gifts upon His believing serv- ants.
The Night of Mi‘râj (Ascension): This is the 27th night of the month of Rajab. It is the night in which our Holy Prophet travelled from Mecca to Jerusalem (al-Quds) by su- pernatural means as a miracle, and from there ascended to the heavens, to witness the Divine Realms and manifesta- tions. During that night, Allah Almighty showed the Seven Heavens, the Divine Throne and the Divine Court, Para- dise and Hell to our Holy Prophet, just as they are. Also in this night the Holy Prophet came to behold the Divine Beauty of Allah Almighty and conversed with Him. In this night Allah also made the five daily prayers obligatory for His servants.
The Night of Barâ’a: This is a most sacred night which falls on the fifteenth night of the month of Sha‘bān. In this night all that is to happen in the whole world until the evening of the Barâ’a of the following year is decreed and written.
–‘Azrā’îl, the Angel of Death is given a written list of the names of those who are going to die;
–Jibrā’îl is given the list of the coming wars, earthquakes and other violent occurrences;
–Mîkā’îl is given the list of rain that is to fall, of the crops that are to grow and similar services;
–In this night, the believers are given their warrant for Paradise, and the unbelievers are given their warrant for Hell.
This night is a very blessed night in which our Holy Prophet was given permission to intercede for his nation; Divine Mercy will be extended from sunset up until the dawn. Supplications made during this night will be accept- ed; in this holy night the Mercy Oceans of Allah will be foaming and overflowing.
Allah’s mercies during this night will be for everyone and accessible to all; there are only four groups of people who are exempt from these mercies:
1.Those practising magic;
2.Those committing adultery/fornication;
3.Those not repenting of drinking alcohol;
4.Those showing hostility to a fellow believer.
The Night of Power (laylat al-qadr): This night is regarded as the most blessed night of the year. Any worship performed during this night is more valuable than the worship of a thousand months in which the Night of Power does not oc-
cur. However, Allah Almighty has kept secret which night will be that holy night. The wisdom in this is so that every night might be respected and that the believers might not neglect the obligations of their servanthood during other nights. Since the Night of Power was seen to have occurred during the last ten nights of Rama¡ān, in particular on the 27th night of this month, this night is generally celebrated as the Night of Power. This night is indeed a most sacred one, for it was on this blessed night that Allah Almighty first began to reveal the Holy Qur’ān as a beacon of guidance for all the worlds. Wishes are granted during this night, and hosts of blessed angels descend from the heavens, visiting the believers and giving them their salâmât.
To know and respect these blessed days and nights, and to observe these occasions is most certainly an opportunity for gaining Allah’s Pleasure.
May Allah Almighty make us become such servants as hold His faith and religion in the highest esteem, who hon- our all things sacred and let them be honoured, and who work for the benefit of their nation and their country. Âmîn!
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Our Master Muªammad Mustafâ k
It is obligatory for every Muslim to acquire concise infor- mation about the Prophet’s life. Every nation should know their own prophet. Our Prophet was born on a Monday night, the twelfth night of the month Rabî‘ al-awwal (cor- responding to April 20, 571 C. E.) just as dawn was break- ing. During that night many wondrous things took place; to name only a few: the fire of the Majûsis, which had been
kept constantly burning for a thousand years, suddenly went out; the palace of Chosroes, the Shah of Persia, trem- bled and its fourteen towers crumbled. Many more strange events took place during that night, and everyone felt that something extraordinary was about to happen.
Our Holy Prophet’s father’s name was ‘Abdullāh, his mother’s name was Âmina. His grandfather ‘Abd al-Muttal- ib was the leader of the tribe of the Quraysh.
Our Holy Prophet’s father died at the age of twenty-five when he was returning to Medina from a trip to Damas- cus. The Prophet was thus orphaned while he was yet in his mother’s womb; he was born two months after his father’s death.
The Prophet’s mother was the daughter of Wahb who was the head of the Zuhra tribe. Thus our Holy Prophet was a member of the highest tribal nobility both on his mother’s and his father’s side.
When our Holy Prophet was six years old, his beloved mother passed away and he was left in the care of his grand- father ‘Abd al-Muttalib until he reached eight years of age. When he also expired, the Prophet was raised under the pa- tronage of his uncle Abû ‡ālib.
Our Holy Prophet married the lady Khadîja when he was twenty-five years old. All his children, with one exception, were born of the lady Khadîja.
The first child to be born to the Holy Prophet was his son Qāsim, wherefore the Holy Prophet was called Abu l-Qāsim. After him other children were born in this order: Zaynab, Ruqiyya, Umm Kulthum, Fātima, ‘Abdullāh, ‡ayyib, and
‡āhir. Later on, Marya gave birth to a son named Ibrāhîm. Except for Fātima, all of the Holy Prophet’s children died before he did. His daughter Fātima survived him only by six months.
The Holy Prophet’s Noble Character k
In one sacred ªadîth the Holy Prophet says: “It was my Lord who taught me, and He perfected my good manners.” Since Allah Almighty Himself taught the Holy Prophet, he doubtlessly possessed the best manners and the noblest character. From an early age the nobility of his character and the perfection of his manners were apparent. Everyone referred to him as Muªammad al-Amîn, meaning Mukammad the trustworthy, the faithful. His friends as well as his ene- mies both recognised his merits. He used to get along well with those around him and he liked to lead a simple life. He shunned boastfulness and arrogance. He would never miss an opportunity for helping someone, and he especially felt for the needy and destitute, the widows and orphans, and would always try to help them. He honoured his guests without exception, and made them happy.
He disliked vulgarity and invariably treated everyone with tact and courtesy, even those who exhibited coarse behaviour. He spoke to everyone, he went wherever he was invited, he would not hurt anyone, he interrupted no one, and never put anyone to shame by confronting him with his faults.
He would fondle the children and set them on his lap, even if they soiled his clothes. He loved to feed the first fruits of the season to the children. Whenever he met chil- dren in the street he would give them salâmât and pay them a compliment.
In any assembly he would not look for the seat of honour, he would sit down wherever he found a place. He would smile at everyone, and join in the flow of the conversation. He placed great importance on words of wisdom and sig- nificance. When he spoke, his words always had an effect on
people. His sermons and homilies on the pulpit were brief and effective, his listeners could not hold back their tears. He never uttered empty or useless words; every word of his definitely contained a pearl of wisdom and of truth. When- ever he spoke all others fell silent and listened attentively. He never shied away from administering justice or from rightful dealings. Being lenient towards oppressors and un-
just people he considered to be the greatest crime.
His courage was very remarkable. Even in moments of greatest danger, he kept his composure with an unshak- able will, he never acted hurriedly or in haste, and he never sought to avenge himself for incidents of a personal nature. It was his wont to forgive and pardon offenses.
He would always exercise tolerance towards people, and he would not force them to do anything. He was fond of worshipping and performed much more than just the ob- ligatory prayers. He would rise during the night and stand before his Lord, he would engage in lengthy prayers and shed many tears. He had a great fear of Allah and he used to say: “I am the one who knows Allah best, and among you all I am the one who fears Allah most.” He never forgot that Allah was with him. He regarded good thoughts and just behaviour as more excellent than many years of nafl prayers, supererogatory worship.
In brief, regarding nobility of character, our Holy Proph- et reached a summit of perfection that no one else can ever hope to reach.
When our Holy Prophet was in his fortieth year, he re- ceived prophethood and was charged with calling people to Allah.
Jibrā’îl – ‘alayhi s-salâm – brought the first revelation to our Holy Prophet on Mount Óirā’ in the vicinity of Mecca. Allah’s first command to him began with: “Read!” This is
proof enough for the great importance that reading and the written word hold in Islam.
For three years our Holy Prophet conducted his teaching in secret. There were very few people who followed him. All the others became his enemies, because the Holy Prophet declared the worthlessness of their idols and called them to the service of Allah alone. After three years, when he was commanded to reveal his cause, he began to preach openly. But this proved to be not at all easy; our Holy Prophet was exposed to all manner of insult and torment. Not for one moment did he fail to convey his message, but kept on call- ing all people to the true religion.
In Mecca, life was very hard for our Holy Prophet and the Muslims. They lived a life of suffering under the threat of starvation and death. But in spite of all the hostilities, the Muslim cause steadily advanced and grew stronger day by day. After having spent thirteen years of his prophet- hood in Mecca giving guidance, our Holy Prophet received the Divine Command to migrate from Mecca to Medina and to continue spreading his message there. Thereupon he left Mecca in the month of Zafar with his companion Abû Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him. On the twelfth of the following month, Rabî‘ al-awwal, which happened to be a Monday, they arrived in Qubā’. The date of their arrival corresponds to July 17, 622 C. E. This date marks the be- ginning of the Hijrî calendar, a lunar calendar that is still observed from the Hijra up to this present day.
Qubā’ is a place near Medina where our Holy Prophet spent Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, Jum‘a, he set out from there. As he reached the neighbour- hood of Ranuna, the Jum‘a prayer was made far¡. There our Holy Prophet led the first Jum‘a prayer, then he continued on to Medina. All the people of Medina came out to wel-
come the Holy Prophet, old and young, and the whole town buzzed with a festive spirit. The Holy Prophet alighted at the house of Abû Ayyûb al-Ansārî, may Allah be pleased with him, who welcomed him as his guest. In this way, the Holy Prophet came to spend ten years in Medina and it was during this period that all religious and legal rulings were concluded. In the end, the Holy Prophet passed from this world in Medina.
During his time in Medina, our Holy Prophet took part in a number of major and minor battles, thus preparing the future of Islam.
There were between forty-four and fifty smaller cam- paigns, which were called sariyya, and involved only a small number of armed men. There were twenty-seven campaigns that were fought with a large number of troops; these are referred to as ghazwa.
In the battles of the Holy Prophet it was not so much ma- terial strength that was effective as spiritual force. These spiritual forces are mentioned in the Holy Qur’ān as the “invisible army”, and it consisted of the angels, as well as of the human capacities of bravery, will power, vigour, and patience. Fighters whose hearts are inspired by the spirit of faith will always find themselves supported by “invisi- ble armies”. In the history of Islam, many battles were won through this kind of reinforcement.
In the tenth year of the Hijra, the Holy Prophet per- formed the pilgrimage to Mecca with a company of no less than forty thousand Muslims. This was the last ªajj he was to make. In the famous khutba he gave on this occasion he said: “I do not know whether I shall ever meet you again in this place after this year,” whereby he indicated that he would soon leave this world. This was the Holy Prophet’s Farewell Pilgrimage.
On the twenty-eighth day of the month of Zafar of the eleventh year of the Hijra, which was a Wednesday, our Holy Prophet began to suffer from a severe headache. This illness of his was accompanied by a high fever. On Sunday, the 11th of Rabî‘ al-awwal, his condition became aggravated. Finally, on Monday, the 12th day of Rabî‘ al-awwal at noontide, our Beloved Prophet, the Most Excellent of all Creation, left this world for the next and went to meet his Maker.
Sayyidunā ‘Alî, may Allah bless his face, began the wash- ing of the pure and honoured body of our Prophet. Usāma and Shiqrān poured water for him, and ‘Abbās and Qutham turned his blessed body over from one side to another. Fa¡l held aloft a curtain to veil him. When the washing was completed, he was wrapped in his shroud. According to the Holy Prophet’s last request, they let him lie quietly for a while. Then, starting with the members of the Proph- et’s family (ahl al-bayt), followed by his companions, men, women, children, and slaves came in groups, each praying the funeral prayer. Naturally, this took quite some time, wherefore his blessed body was laid in his grave only on Wednesday night, close to the dawn of Thursday, the 15th of Rabî‘ al-awwal.
Our Holy Prophet had departed from this world. How- ever, as a last reminder of the Truth and a memory of happiness, he left the religion of Islam for his nation and for the whole of mankind. For all those wishing to reach eternal bliss, the best and infallible guide is Islam, which is based on the Holy Qur’ān and the sunna of the Holy Prophet.
May Allah Almighty honour us all with our Prophet’s intercession and may we not be severed from the path he trod.
Âmîn!
The Blessed Attributes of our Beloved Prophet k – His Noble Appearance
The beauties in the physical and spiritual creation of our Holy Prophet are referred to as the shama’il al-sharîf. We in- clude here a brief description of our Prophet’s characteris- tics, for the sake of deriving blessings therefrom.
Our Prophet, the Pride of the Worlds, the most honoured Messenger Mukammad Mustafā, salla llâhu ta‘âlâ ‘alayhi wa sallam, had a natural disposition of such beauty and perfec- tion that it was unmatched by any other being in the uni- verse.
At birth, our Holy Prophet’s body was clean – he was born circumcised, and his umbilical cord was already cut. All the lights of his bright future shone in his face. As he grew, his beauty increased and he gradually assumed the aspect of “the one without equal”.
He was of slightly greater than average stature, well-pro- portioned, and all his limbs were straight and strong. His chest and belly formed a straight line. He was large-boned, powerfully built and strong; he was neither fat nor thin, but inbetween, of a shapely fullness and well-muscled.
His blessed body was lovely to behold and his skin was softer than silk. His complexion was neither as white as chalk, nor was it very dark; it was fair, perhaps slightly pinkish, clear and luminous. His shoulders, his upper arms and lower legs were broad and thick, his wrists were long, his hands were rather thick and his fingers longish. His fin- gernails were as mother of pearl.
His forehead, his chest, the space between his shoul- ders, and also his palms, were wide.His neck was longish and graceful, and as pure as silver. His head was of a size to match his body. His brows were crescent-shaped, his nose
was narrow and slightly curved, and his face was slightly rounded.
His lashes were long, his eyes were large, black and very beautiful. The white of his eyes was somewhat reddish. In his gaze were hidden profound efficacy and dominance. His eyebrows were close together, but did not quite touch. His countenance was as radiant as the sun, when he smiled, rays of light rippled from his blessed mouth, and lightning flashes of loveliness issued from his pearl-like teeth. The reflections of his smile upon the walls were as pearls. His blessed voice was melodious and expressive. His words were as lofty as the stars, sparkling and agleam, and full of meaning. His hair was neither very curly nor was it alto- gether straight, it was slightly wavy. When he let his hair grow, it would cover his ear lobes. His beard grew thick and regular, and he would always cut it when it exceeded the length of a fist. Whenever he was shaved or when he would cut his beard himself with scissors, those attend- ing him would not let it fall to the ground, but scrambled to pick it up. At the time of his death his hair and beard had only just begun to turn white. There were very few white hairs on his head, and in his beard there were per- haps twenty.
His blessed body was very beautiful and a lovely fra- grance emanated from it. His skin and his sweat were su- perior to the best perfumes. When he shook hands or pat- ted a child’s head, his sweet scent would permeate what he touched and linger for a long time.
He never walked hastily, never turned to the right or left but moved straight ahead purposefully. His tread was light but swift. Those accompanying him on his walks, even if they strode swiftly, could hardly keep up with him and fell behind.
In brief, our Holy Prophet, the Pride of all Creation, was in every aspect the most beautiful and most perfect of all created beings.23
A Great Saying of our Holy Prophet k:
“A Strong Believer Is Better Than a Weak Believer”
With this blessed saying our Holy Prophet leads us to one of the highest truths. That truth is: Whoever holds power will be victorious. This truth has been valid throughout the ages and will continue to hold true. It has never been seen or heard that one who was weak overcame one who was powerful.
Our Holy Prophet recommends that we be strong, for the continued existence of the individual or the communi- ty is only possible if they are strong and powerful. There are two ways of being powerful: one is by having material power, the other by having spiritual strength. It must be regarded as the most important duty for both the individ- ual and the community to perpetuate the power emanating from either a material or a spiritual source, and to eliminate whatever obstructs this strength in order to remain contin- ually strong.
For an individual, to be strong means to be healthy and robust in one’s physical aspect, and in a spiritual sense to be equipped with the strength of faith. To ensure physical strength, it is necessary to observe very important condi- tions, such as eating good and wholesome foods, dressing well, sleeping well, living in a good and healthy environ-
23This summarised section on the Holy Prophet has been taken entirely from A. Serif Güzelyazici’s book entitled Din Dersleri.
ment, and always keeping oneself physically occupied with activities proportionate to one’s physical strength.
Even more important than gathering strength is to ef- fectively preserve it, that is, to keep away from everything that will diminish the accumulated power, from any bad action that will deplete one’s strength, from anything phys- ically harmful, and from anything that can weaken the on- coming generations.
That is why it is a most important religious obligation for individuals and the community – children, young peo- ple and the aged, everyone – to always be monitored and under surveillance. It must become our urgent religious and national cause to weed out unnatural creatures who for the sake of their own pleasures are prepared to despoil future generations, and to achieve the maturity required to raise up generations who will shoulder the burden of a future that is heavier than ours.
This is why the use of alcohol, tobacco and similar toxic substances is prohibited. In particular, the first considera- tion for raising a sound new generation with bright pros- pects for the future must be to stamp out and eliminate the causes of fornication, which pointlessly saps the energy of youth. If we are able to do this, we can prevent the decline of a lineage that made a well-known proverb of the saying “strong as a Turk”.
In the times when we combined material power with spiritual fortitude the whole world trembled before us; we had the power to end an era and to usher in a new one. We must be wary of our enemies’ tricks, because they know that they can defeat us only by causing the spiritual sources of our power to run dry.
It is now time for us embrace our religion and together engage in the struggle for material and spiritual power. The
slightest negligence will cost us dearly. History will surely bear witness to our actions, so everyone must prepare for this and shoulder his responsibility. Success in all respects comes from Allah Almighty.
* The End
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The ba s ic knowledge provided by this book will help Muslims to gradually
become more intimately acquainted with their religion and to partake of a blessing pervading all their life with heavenly power, beauty and honour.
isbn 978–9963–40–122–2
Link: https://www.nvrislam.net/index.php?j=eng&post=6047