I just love this

An old man, probably some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the park bench. He didn’t move, just sat with his head down staring at his hands. When I sat down beside him he didn’t acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if he was ok.

Finally, not really wanting to disturb him but wanting to check on him at the same time, I asked him if he was ok. He raised his head and looked at me and smiled. Yes, I’m fine, thank you for asking, he said in a clear strong voice. I didn’t mean to disturb you …..but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were ok I explained to him. Have you ever looked at your hands he asked. I mean really looked at your hands? I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point he was making.

Then he smiled and related this story: Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled, shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life. They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child my mother taught me to hold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They dried the tears of my children and caressed the love of my life. They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. They wrote the letters home and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse. Yet, they were strong and sure when I dug my friend out of a foxhole and lifted a plow off of my best friends foot. They have held children, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn’t understand. They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to open in prayer. These hands are the mark of where I’ve been and the ruggedness of my life. But more importantly it will be these hands that will receive, The Book of deeds. I look, ponder and pray that MY RIGHT HAND is blessed the fortune of receiving the trials of this life ie. MY BOOK OF DEEDS with this RIGHT HAND.

No doubt I will never look at my hands the same again. I never saw the old man again after I left the park that day but I will never forget him and the words he spoke. When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and wife I think of the man in the park.

I, too, want to RECEIVE MY BOOK OF DEEDS WITH MY RIGHT HAND—-I am trying to be worthy of it by preparing for it now……..

O MY PERFECT AND GENEROUS Allah ! I make shukr for these hands.

It seems that Europeans are yet again exercising their “right” to abuse, insult, attack and offend the Muslims, Islam and Allah .

European identity is summed up by two things, Christianity and hatred for Islam. History testifies to this and as Christianity is dwindling away all over Europe, with churches empty and being pulled down, there is only one thing the Europeans can do… and that is to relight the torch of war against Islam.

They are lighting this torch of war  in so many different ways, they have committed the genocide of thousands of Muslims in Bosnia, they have invaded Muslims lands, killed millions of innocents, overthrown governments, injected their poisonous ideals onto the Muslims, they have slandered and defamed Prophet Muhammad by drawing cartoon images of him and publishing them with such enthusiasm all over the world, they have created laws that gives no rights to the Muslims and they have succeeded in making Muslims all over the world a target of suspicion.

After thinking about the European hatred of Islam you would be not be so surprised to read that they have now gone on to insult Allah and His noble words.  The Italians, those great supporters of Islam, have now created a toilet in which verses of the Qur’an have been painted on to the toilet seat:  The verse of Ayat ul Kursi, no less.

Alhamdulillah there is an imam, Sheikh Yusuf of a mosque in Latina has been attacking those people who created this hideous toilet seat and those who support it.

He has said:

“This is an insult to the Muslim faith,”

“Inscribing the toilet seat covers with Ayat Al-Kursi (The Verse of the Throne) and putting the noble verse in the nastiest place was not unintentional,”

“This is not about art and beauty as the company claims; this is a crime,”

He does not buy the company’s excuses that it did not know what the Arabic words written on the cover seats really meant.

Far-right senior Italian senator Roberto Calderoli, who is notorious for his anti-Islam stances, outraged Muslims last month by calling for a “Pig Day” protest against the planned construction of a mosque in northern Italy.

Last year, Calderoli lost a ministerial post in a center-right government led by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for wearing a T-shirt with blasphemous Danish cartoons that lampooned Prophet Muhammad .

This is not an isolated incident; it is going to continue and it is only going to get worse.

May Allah have mercy on us and may Allah unite the ummah. Amin.

Mobile Ringtones

in Shaykh’s Company by Muhammad Abdullah Friday, January 26, 2007

Shaykh Mohammad Saleem mentioned the following, regarding the types of ring tones a Muslim should have on his mobile:

One should endeavour to switch off our mobiles when coming into the Masjid. If we leave them on silent then at least wait till you go outside before looking at them. It is haraam to have musical ring tones. (Even though those who do this have good intentions) it is also inappropriate to have Adhaan or Qiraah as ring tones. The Qur’aan and Adhaan were not sent to this world in order to inform us that a friend of ours is ringing us on our mobile.

Turkish imam to fine owners of ringing mobile phones during prayers: Read here

The plan to fine those whose mobile phones ring during the namaz or prayers has been welcomed by public and is expected to spread into other parts of the province.
MUS – The mufti or senior Muslim cleric for the southeastern Turkish city of Mus has ordered that anyone whose mobile phone rings while they are praying in one of the region’s mosques should pay a fine of 10 Turkish lira. Mufti Ali Melek said that the money raised from the fines would be go towards the needs of Mus’ mosques. Currently, the fine is limited to the city of Mus but soon would spread throughout the province, according to Melek.

A Fatwa Against Ringtones:  Read here October 09, 2006

According to Cellular News, an imam at a Mosque in Saudi Arabia issued a fatwa against mobile phones after one rang during prayers on Saturday, playing Arabic pop music. “The fatwa states that the next time somebody allows their phone to go off in the congregation, the imam could throw the guilty person out of the mosque.”

Using musical tunes on mobile phones Taken from islam-qa – Sheikh Munajjid

Question:

Is there anything wrong with using mobile phones which play tunes, because these tunes are a kind of music, or not? In fact it is possible to avoid this problem by using a mobile telephone whose ringing tone is a verse of Qur’aan.

ANSWER:

Praise be to Allaah.  The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated that musical instruments are haraam when he said: “There will be among my ummah people who will regard as permissible adultery, silk, alcohol and musical instruments.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5590.

This hadeeth indicates that musical instruments are haraam in two ways. Firstly, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said “they will regard as permissible,” which clearly indicates that the things mentioned – including musical instruments – are forbidden in sharee’ah but those people will regard them as permissible.  Secondly, musical instruments are mentioned alongside things which are definitively forbidden, namely adultery and alcohol. If they were not haraam, they would not be mentioned alongside these things. (al-Silsilah al-Saheehah by al-Albaani, 1/140-141).

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: This hadeeth indicates that musical instruments are haraam. (Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 11/535).

It is possible to do without these haraam tunes by setting the phone to ring with an ordinary tone, or something else that is not regarded as a musical tune.

The Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas was asked about the ruling on musical tunes on mobile phones. They replied:

It is not permissible to use musical tunes for telephones or any other devices, because listening to musical instruments is haraam, as is indicated by the evidence of sharee’ah. It is possible to do without them by using the ordinary ringing tone. And Allaah is the Source of strength.  Majallat al-Da’wah, issue no. 1790, p. 42.

The questioner mentioned that it is possible to set the ringing tone as a verse of Qur’aan, but it is better not to do that, because there is the fear that this may be a kind of disrespect towards the Holy Qur’aan. Allaah revealed the Qur’aan to be a Book of guidance showing the right way, to be recited and pondered and acted upon, not to be a means of alerting people. It is sufficient for the questioner to set his phone to an ordinary ringing tone. And Allaah knows best.

Mobile phones making haraam sounds Taken from islam-qa – Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Question:

That is your opinion of what we hear of the annoying ringing of mobile phones with a musical ring and their being so popular that they are even heard in the mosques?.

Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.

Setting mobile phones to ring with a musical tone is reprehensible and haraam, and it is even worse and more haraam if that happens in the houses of Allaah, namely the mosques, because that is openly committing falsehood and haraam in that place, so the sin of the one who brings it with him is even worse in the mosque. It is known that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated that musical instruments are haraam, meaning the instruments that give these musical sounds. These mobile phones have these sounds recorded in them which is repeated every time a call comes to the owner of the phone.  I wonder what will be recorded in the record of deeds of those who make their mobile phones play music in the houses of Allaah during the prayer, and disturb themselves and others, and make the voice of falsehood and the musical instruments of the Shaytaan echo loudly in the houses of Allaah.

Do they not fear their Lord and repent to Him and give up what they are doing and change this evil, especially when there is a permissible alternative in the other regular, non-musical sounds that they can choose for the phone’s ring?

We should note that the ringing of the telephone, even if it is a permissible sound, should still be turned off before entering the mosque, so that it will not disturb the worshippers.

And Allaah is the One Whose help we seek and to whom we complain. There is no power and no strength except with Allaah.

Qur’anic Ringtones Haram Arab News

MAKKAH, 9 November 2007 – The Islamic Jurisprudence Council banned the use of the verses of the Holy Qur’an as ringtones for mobile phones because it impinges on the sacred character of the Muslim Holy Book, the Saudi Press Agency reported yesterday.

“It is demeaning and degrading to the verses of the Holy Book to stop abruptly at the middle of a recitation or neglecting the recitation, as happens when they are used as ringtones in mobile phones. On the other hand, recording the verses from the Holy Qur’an in phone sets with the intention of recitation and listening is a virtuous act,” the scholars attending the council said in a statement.

During the six-day meeting of the council in Makkah, which began Nov. 3 under the chairmanship of Grand Mufti Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh, 70 Muslim dignitaries and scholars tackled a number of important issues. On behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal opened the first session of the council.

Is it possible for you to cast your mind back a while? Do you think you are able to remember the events surrounding the cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad a few years ago?

of course you can.

Well, you will also remember the hideous and disgusting nature of those cartoons and the outcry from the ummah as a whole in protest at such a thing. And you will also remember the “International Community” (whoever they are) screaming about how Muslims should understand “freedom of Speech” and that by complaining, the Muslims were “attacking” the western ideals and freedom of speech.

There were newspapers all over the world who purposely and with a pre meditated intention, decided to re publish these images of the Prophet Muhammad in their papers for the whole world to see because they were going to stand up for freedom of speech.

Can you remember this?
They argued that it is their right to blaspheme in the West, and one paper even replied to the question, is Islam was capable of coping with satire? by saying:

“The protests from Muslims would be taken more seriously if they were less hypocritical,”

Well, the stench of hypocrisy is almost overwhelming! The BBC report that two Spanish cartoonists were fined for offending the royal family by depicting Prince Felipe and his wife having sex.

I can here the Spanish people shouting “How dare they insult the King and Queen by drawing cartoons of them!”

Judge Juan Del Olmo, who fined these cartoonists, wrote that the cartoon was “a clearly denigrating act which is objectively defamatory. It is a caricature that affects the honor and the intimate nucleus of dignity of the persons represented by it,” Del Olmo said. “It could damage the prestige of the Crown.”

Astonishing!  So it is okay for the Spanish to be insulted over cartoons of their King but the Muslims must realise that their hurt for Prophet Muhammad , doesn’t count.

May Allah bless Prophet Muhammad and his family.

An Islamic car is being made by Proton and quite frankly, I reckon it’s all a bit of a gimmick.

Proton’s managing director Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir said during a visit to Tehran that the vehicle would be aimed at the global export market.

“We will identify a car that we can develop to be produced in Malaysia, Iran or Turkey,” he told the Bernama agency in a weekend report.

“The car will have all the Islamic features and should be meant for export purposes,” he said, adding that it would feature a compartment for keeping the Muslim holy book the Koran, and prayer scarves”

So, how does this new Muslim car compare to my current car?

Well, I have a car right now that has a compartment for keeping a Qur’an and I have an area of the car that I keep my prayer mat so I can pray, it is called the boot.  I even have a compartment that I place all my CD’s of Qur’an, nasheeds and speeches in, does that make my car Islamic?  I even have the travelling du’a hanging beneath my rear view mirror for anyone to read.

Hmm, gimmick I reckon!

Allah says: “Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and be modest. That is purer for them. Lo! Allah is aware of what they do. And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest…” Surah Al Nur, ayah 30-31

You can alter your attraction to the opposite sex simply by looking straight at them and smiling, research suggests.

A study of hundreds of volunteers at Stirling and Aberdeen Universities found averting the eyes even a fraction can make you appear less attractive.

In the Royal Society’s Proceedings B journal, they say the direction of gaze plays a role alongside a symmetrical face or healthy skin.

An expert said it may stop people wasting energy on pointless courtships.

The study used pictures of male and female faces which had been subtly digitally manipulated.

In one picture, a woman might be looking straight at the camera, while in the next, a tiny adjustment meant she would be looking marginally to the left or right.

The difference was so small that it was not immediately obvious to the viewer.

However, after these pictures were shown to 460 men and women, who were asked to rate them for “attractiveness”, it became clear that it was having a pronounced subliminal effect.

In some pictures, there was an eight-fold difference in ratings between the “straight to camera” and averted gazes. 
source