BPL! Please do not humiliate us no more!

BANGLADESH! In the month of March this year, our country had organized a t20 tournament under the name of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). Even though it came under the umbrella of entertainment it was done solely with the purpose of business. Thus, the amount of money wasted in the event was just insane!

On top of all that, we read in the newspapers that the overseas players as well as the local players who played in the tournament have not yet been given their total payment. How, on earth would they be able to establish credibility for a tournament such as this one if they do not even make the payment properly? such a disgrace!

Now, It might sound as if I'm a big fan of cricket, well not a big fan but a fan nonetheless. But I exclusively watch the games that involve Bangladesh in em. However, I'm not a fan of wasting money. The way Bangladesh Premier League started pleased many of us, now we have to really consider what have we gained from it? Did the pathetic situation of the country change?

There is no rule of law in the country and here we are wasting our money and time over foul play and overseas cricketers. The entire country is confused as to where they are headed in the future. The government is consistently failing to meet the needs of the people hence the effort to cover up its failure by feeding us BPL-like tournaments considering, of course, how cricket crazy a nation we are!

How funny it is to say that India started IPL therefore we also have to start BPL without considering what situation the majority of the people in Bangladesh are in. Pretty much the entire country goes hungry while in the capital millions of dollars are wasted only to serve a handful of the rich. Worse yet, local currency is going out with those hired overseas players only to increase the plight of the rural majority.

I'm in no way saying the game of cricket is haraam or something. But if this....is what you call a healthy alternative of an entertainment to stay away from falling into haraam then that's an irony.


It is an irony, you ignore your own people while prioritize others who were never your own. It is an irony, you say you hate India and yet take their way of life to be 'modern'. It is an irony, your tv channels are not shown on Indian channels and yet Hindi serials are your life and they are all you live for! It is an irony, you say you are 'Muslim' and yet enjoy seeing your 'Muslim' sisters as cheerleaders. Whats wrong with you oh people? Have you no sense of morality and judgment?

Reminders....

Today is my birthday, 20th April. It's another reminder to myself that I'm one step closer to death subhan Allaah! I can't even start to imagine how many years have I wasted in my life, oh Allaah please forgive me for I was ignorant, ameen.

It truly amazes me when I think about the reality of a human being. Subhan Allaah the example of this life is like a droplet of water in the vast ocean. We live for a very small period in this world and then we start for our journey to the hereafter.

The true life is in the hereafter, which has a beginning but no end. We all will meet at a place where the angels will slaughter death in the shape of a ram. From that point onwards, there will be no death. It is either eternal doom in the hellfire or eternal bliss in Paradise.

How, then, could we be so heedless of the reality?

Who will not die? Everyone of us shall die. There are no two opinions about the matter, even the atheists have imaan in the reality of death. Will you stil not prepare for it?

There is this famous story related to the topic. It's a story in the time of Muslim Caliph Harun ar Rasheed. He was looking for the biggest fool in the kingdom and decided that he would give a stick to that person as a reward. Anyway, the person named as the biggest fool was someone by the name of Bahlul.

Some years passed, the caliph was on his death bed. Bahlul arrived with his stick and asked the caliph as to where is he headed. The caliph said I'm going to the other life. So Bahlul said, "Oh Caliph. what have you prepared for it?" The caliph in reply said,"Nothing." Then Bahlul said, "Oh Amirul Mu'minin, when will you come back?" The caliph said, " Ya Bahlul, no one comes back from that world." Bahlul then said, "Oh Amirul Mu'minin, you take preparations for years into going for expeditions with your huge army which usually last for a day or two and now you are saying you'll go to the other world without any preparations?" Then Bahlul said something which should be written in the letters of gold. He said, "Ya Amirul Mu'minin, you are the biggest fool I have ever seen and you are most worthy of this stick so here you go take it from me!"

Truly, it is a story of great wisdom subhan Allaah. What have we prepared for the next life? We would not need to build huge mansion, wealth or a big army for that matter, we would just need to have righteous good deeds (in e.g. Salaah, zakah)and a proper belief. Do we have that? If not, then how will we save ourselves from the torment of Allaah?

One of the reasons for an evil end and then punishment in the grave is having a corrupt belief. So let us now in sha Allaah rectify our belief for the better.

On the 13th and 14th of this month I'd attended the course entitled 'The Final Rites' by Ustadh Bilal Ismail. Subhan Allaah it was a beautiful reminder of the reality of death. How we all will pass away one day and the way our shrouds will be washed, prayed over and finally buried. We all know this in our minds for a fact but we still runaway from it as we human beings are forgetful creatures like our Father Adam (as).

Hamza and the Lion of Allah

By Aber Kawas

There have been pictures and videos circulating for these past few nights of a boy whose face had been cut off in the unrelenting onslaught of Syrian violence. The despairing images of his jawless grimace, dripping with blood and his eyes full of pain have brought awareness, disgust, and outrage against the Syrian oppressors who have been mercilessly killing their people in an act of intimidation. Rivers of blood are running in the streets of Syria to quench Bashar Al Assad’s regime and their insatiable thirst for power.

The boy whose face has been seen by us all—his name is Hamza. He is my brother in Islam.

The name Hamza means ‘the one who is strong and steadfast’. It is the name of the Prophet’s ﷺ (peace be upon him) uncle radi allahu `anhu (may God be please with him) whose conversion brought strength, dignity, and most importantly safety to the Muslim ummah (community) during a time of oppression brought on by the Quraysh.

Hamza ibn Abd Al Muttalib was a fearless warrior, a man of integrity who fought vehemently against the makers of injustice, against those who used violence as intimidation against the Muslims for power centuries ago, just as today. His death and martyrdom brought peace to the Muslim nation; for the gruesome manner in which the Quraysh had dismantled his body when killed in the battle of Uhud, inspired a Qur’anic revelation to the Prophet ﷺ.

“Call mankind to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and sound advice, and reason with them in a well-mannered way. Indeed your Lord is well aware of those who have gone astray from His way, and He is well aware of those who are guided. And if you retaliate, let your retaliation be to the extent that you were afflicted, but if you are patient, it will certainly be best for those who are patient; and be patient, yet your patience is only with the help of GOD, and do not sorrow for them, not distress yourself at what they devise. Indeed God is with those who are pious and those who are doers of good,” (Qur’an 16:125-128).

This ayah (verse, revelation) taught the Muslims to handle violence with mercy and patience, to never treat any human being, not even their enemies, with inhumanity no matter the circumstance—even in times of war. This is a lesson that the aggressors of today have ignored, as they continue to behave in a despicable manner against innocent civilians of their own lands.

Just as we felt our stomachs drop and could barely stand watching the images of Hamza sitting on a hospital bed helplessly and painfully waiting to die, upon seeing the corpse of Hamza on the battlefield of Uhud, the Prophet ﷺ also winced and could not stand the sight of his beloved uncle’s mutilated body.

Both the Hamza dominating our newsfeeds today, and the Hamza who has dominated the great stories of our past have been slaughtered in an appalling manner demonstrating the evil measures of their oppressors. However just as Hamza ibn Abd Al Muttalib’s death inspired peace and raised his rank and honor, we must do the same for our brother Hamza from today, who has also died in a fight for Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) a fight for freedom and justice, a fight for peace.

We must not let his death be in vain; we must speak out against the violence that he and his countrymen have endured, we must pray for their safety, and we must not ignore their cries.

May all of our brothers and sisters who have died in Syria, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen, and everywhere else while fighting for peace against oppression, find their peace in Jannah. May the blood that has charred their faces today turn into light on the day when the faces of their oppressors will be dark as ash. May Allah (swt) grant them victory and bring the nations they fought for to peace.

May our martyr Hamza one day meet his counterpart ‘The Chief of the Martyrs’ Hamza ibn Abd Al Muttalib. May they walk into Jannah together hand in hand, as our leaders, as the ones most deserving of al Firdous (the highest rank). For it is only fitting that they share this name, that this great martyr of our ummah today has been honored with the association of the greatest martyr of our history and past.

Bashar may be named Al Assad (the lion), but the young boy he brutally murdered is named after the Lion of Allah (swt)! May he be rewarded for the strength and steadfastness that his name upholds.

Verily it is to Allah (swt) that we belong, and to Him we will all return.


Source: http://www.suhaibwebb.com/society/international/hamza-and-the-lion-of-allah/

The Story Of Prophet Lut (as) in Our Time

By Hamda Adaweh

Bismillah

The story that I am going to share with you inshAllah relates to our time. In the western society, the Muslim youth are constantly exposed to haram relationships with the opposite gender. The characteristics of shame and modesty are barely encouraged in our society. Nowadays, the Muslim youth are also exposed to the idea of homosexuality. It has become so serious that even some states in America are considering same sex marriages. We as Muslims must learn from the lessons of the past in order to work towards a beautiful future, inshAllah.

Allah Subhaana wa Ta’alaa has sent us the Quraan that describes nations that came before us in order for mankind to reflect. In Surah Qamar ayahs 32-34, Allah Subhaana wa Ta’alaa says

And We have certainly made the Qur'an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember? The people of Lot denied the warning. Indeed, We sent upon them a storm of stones, except the family of Lot - We saved them before dawn. (Surah Al-Qamar 54:32-34)


We as Muslims must think about the nations that came before us. The stories of the Prophets should make us reflect. It gives us infinite wisdom and knowledge. Most importantly, it gives us better understanding of this beautiful deen.

The story of Prophet Lut alayhi saalam starts in the town of Sodom and he is the nephew of Prophet Ibrahim alayhi saalam. It is located in present day Jordan. The people of Sodom were very wealthy and they enjoyed the countless bounties that Allah subhaana wa ta’alaa decreed on them. However, they did not use these blessings in the way that Allah subhaanu wa ta’alaa would like. These people practiced homosexuality openly without any shame. They neglected their wives for the enjoyment of other men.

Allah Subhaana wa ta’alaa sent down Prophet Lut alayhi saalam to spread the message of Islam to his people and to advise them to abandon homosexuality. However, these men were blinded by desire and passion. They did not want to give up their desires. Instead, they mocked and ridiculed Prophet Lut alayhi saalam.

Just like the Prophets and messengers before him, Prophet Lut alayhi saalam patiently continued to advise his people and spread the message of Islam. No one listened to him.This saddened Prophet Lut alayhi saalam and he prayed that Allah Subhanaa wa Ta’alaa gives him victory against his people. In Surah Ankaboot Ayah 29, Allah subhanaa wa ta’alaa says

Indeed, you approach men and obstruct the road and commit in your meetings [every] evil. And the answer of his people was not but they said, "Bring us the punishment of Allah , if you should be of the truthful.” (Al-Ankabut 29:29)


One day, there were two travelers that needed a place to stay. These travelers happened to come to the town of Prophet Lut alayhi saalam. The first to see these travelers was one of Prophet Lut alayhi saalam’s daughters. She saw how beautiful these young men were. She immediately called her father and told him about the handsome looking travelers that came to town. Prophet Lut alayhi saalam tried to hint at the travelers to leave the town, but they refused. Prophet Lut alayhi saalam finally decided to let them come inside his home. Prophet Lut alayhi saalam’s wife sneaked out of the house in order to inform the people of the handsome travelers. Prophet Lut alayhi saalam’s wife was also a matchmaker for the men. It says in Surah Tahrim ayah 10, Allah Subhanaa wa ta’alaa says

Allah presents an example of those who disbelieved: the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot. They were under two of Our righteous servants but betrayed them, so those prophets did not avail them from Allah at all, and it was said, "Enter the Fire with those who enter.” (Surah At-Tahrim 66:10)


The men of the town came to Prophet Lut alayhi saalam’s house and they started banging on the front door. They demanded to come and see the travelers. Imagine the situation that Prophet Lut alayhi saalam was going through?

He pleaded with his people by telling them to leave the visitors alone and to fear the punishment of Allah subhanaa wa ta’alaa. He even advised them seek sexual fulfillment with their wives because it is what Allah subhaana wa ta’alaa made lawful for them. Blinded by passion, they laughed at Prophet Lut alayhi saalam.

Seeing that Prophet Lut alayhi saalam was helpless, one of the travelers informed Prophet Lut alayhi saalam by saying “Do not be anxious or frightened, Lut for we are angels, and these people will not harm you."

Then, Angel Jibril threw some dust at the men. It caused them to become blind. The angels warned Prophet Lut to leave the town before sunrise without turning back. Prophet Lut alayhi saalam and his daughters left the town of Sodom and his wife was left behind.

Allah subhanaa wa ta’alaa had decreed that the town of Sodom should perish. Angel Jibril lifted the town of Sodom and raised it to the heavens. The town was literally flipped upside down. Everything and everybody was destroyed. This area is currently the Dead Sea.

My advice to the Muslims that are reading this article:

The concept of hijab is not just for women. The hijab goes for both genders. It means modesty and shyness. Dress modestly inside and outside your houses. Be always aware of covering your awrah in front of others. Shyness is one of the beautiful qualities a believer can have. It is extremely hard to find nowadays. We should always check ourselves and not let the shaytaan trick you. Homosexuality is not a sickness. It is a disease of the heart and May Allah subhanaa wa ta’alaa protect all of us from falling into the traps of shaytaan. Ameen.

I'd love to hear your views on this topic. Please post in the comments section below! :)

Source: http://www.habibihalaqas.org/2012/03/story-of-prophet-lut-as-in-our-time.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HabibiHalaqas+%28~*+Habibi+Halaqas+*~%29

An example of Brotherhood

Assalamualaykum wa rahmatullaahi wb my dear brothers & sisters in Islaam, I haven’t posted anything for a while. Partly because I didn’t have anything worth sharing with you, however; tonight I’m going to share with you something very important from the Medinan period of the life of our beloved prophet (sallalahu’alahywassalam).

I actually had attended an Al Kauthar course titled ‘The Victorious One’ on the Medina period of the prophet’s life ( peace be upon him) from January 29 to January 30 this year. It was really an enlightening experience indeed Al hamdulillah. Being able to learn the leadership qualities of our beloved prophet & his da’waah techniques have really benefitted me a great deal. I ask Allaah to bless myself & my brothers & sisters in it so that we can implement what we’ve learned from the course, amin.

It is always of benefit to test yourself on what you learn. Hence, any al Kauthar course you take, they assign you an exam after a few weeks of the course. So I just got assigned to take the exam recently via email. Hence I was preparing for the exam through listening to the audio lectures given by Sheikh Alaa elSayeed.

We get thousands of lessons throughout the life of the prophet (s.a.w). But alas how many of us really try & implement a single of those lessons? Worse yet, how many of us really know what lessons are hidden in the bio of the prophet?

As I listen to the lectures & at the same time read the notes I see a mountain filled with morals & wisdoms subhan Allaah. And I know it is an obligation for a Muslim to pass on the knowledge, even if it be a single verse as taught by our beloved prophet (s.a.w). Hence, I just wish I could share with you every bit of knowledge I learned in one go; if only it was possible!

However, I can in sha Allah promise you that I’ll try my best to convey the message as much as I can in this article. In addition, I’ll be coming up with more articles on this topic if required in sha Allah.

I now start seeking help from Allah(s.a.w) & I ask Him to accept it, amin.

Brotherhood

Brotherhood is something lost in our society; the last person you care about today is your brother. To make it worse, now you see brother killing his own brother into getting his property subhan Allaah! We definitely are living in a terrible time.

Whereas, look at the seerah & see how the Ansari men treated their Muhajirun brothers. The brotherhood established between these pairs was not idle talk. For example, Sa’ad bin Ar-Rabi’, an Ansaar, said to his fellow brother ‘Abdur Rahman ibn Awf, “ I’m the richest man among the Ansar. I am glad to share my property half and half with you. I have two wives, I am ready to divorce one & after the expiry of her iddah, you may marry her.”

But Abdur Rahman bin Awf was not prepared to accept anything; neither property nor home. So he blessed his brother & said: “Kindly direct me to the market so that I may make my fortune with my own hands,” And he did prosper & got married very shortly by his own labor.

Allahu Akbar! See how selfless these men were? An Ansar man could sacrifice everything for his paired Muhajir brother for the sake of Allaah & vice versa.

We get to learn several things from this hadith Al hamdulillaah. Firstly, we see how eager Sa’ad was to sacrifice his property & home for his brother, he even went to the extent of divorcing his wife so that ibn Awf could marry her after the completion of iddah.

And what does ibn Awf reply? Does he say ‘oh my brother, you are so nice & all.’? Or does he go to the other extreme of rebuking him by saying ‘how dare you insult me’? No wallahi! We are talking about the people of ithar (selflessness), people that lived with the prophet (s.a.w) & were graduates of the prophet’s mosque.

So what does he do? He blesses his brother with the best of manners & says ‘Barak’Allahu feeka ya akhi’(May Allaah bless you, my brother). And he asks Sa’ad to guide him to the marketplace so that he can make a fortune from his own hand.

Thus, we learn that it is in no way, shape or form acceptable to be a parasite, regardless how willing your brother is to provide for you.

And here the rubbish that we are, we stay at our brother’s place for hours after hours without even considering that he has his family to spend time with. On top of all that, we often are guilty of harming our brothers with our tongue.

It is reported in Sahih Bukhari Volume 1, Book 2, Number 10:

Narrated Abu Musa:
Some people asked Allah's Apostle (s.a.w), "Whose Islam is the best? i.e. (Who is a very good Muslim)?" He replied, "One who avoids harming the Muslims with his tongue and hands."

BrAc Ikhwaan reunited :p

Al hamdulillaahi rabbil alamin!

I had a great day today (yesterday :O) by the Mercy of Allaah (s.a.w) :), I met a old bracfriend of mine at Tanzil's(my other buddy). We really had fun up there Al hamdulillaah. It was great reminiscing the old days we'd spent together in our residential semester, interestingly enough all three of us, Tanzil, me & Raiyan lived in proximity over there.

Some of the other friends of Tanzil were also visiting him today so it was fun meeting em & being able to talk to em as well. Actually what happened was we ended up entering into a debate on Islaam. Even though in the beginning I didn't want a debate but at last I was compelled to try & refute as they were trying to delve into serious matters without knowledge. To my amazement, one of the brothers debated me merely based on what he'd heard somewhere. I mean the scholars have even warned us to not be serious with translations of Arabic texts & here you see someone fighting their heads off with something which you're not even sure of.


Then when the adhan of duhr called, those friends left & once again there remained the three of us. And al Hamdulillaah we prayed together in congregation at home. After that we had lunch during which we discussed about many issues & some of the funny experiences we had back in the day.


We talked a good deal about Islaam & how it is so important in Islaam to be in a good company. After that we started watching a Jim Carey movie titled 'A series of unfortunate events', it was somewhere in between comedy & tragedy; a rare combination indeed. However, we were not able to watch it til the end as the adhan of asr had been called & we had to rush to prayer & then go back home.

But Raiyyan had to take some audios from me so after praying he came to my place & I gave him the complete lectures of the life of the prophet (s.a.w) by Imam Anwar al Awlaki(rahima'hullah)


Much to my delight, I saw my friends concerned about how to go about pleasing Allah & serving His deen. To my chagrin, I'm not someone who could be a good mentor for them, neither am I so knowledgeable that I can teach them knowledge.

At the end of the day, it's not human beings to whom belongs any power. It is Allaah Who guides & Al hamdulillaah He guided some of us unlike millions that Allah would never guide.

Madeenah period of the life of Rasulullaah (s.a.w) Al Kauthar course 'The Victorious One'

Assalamualaykum wa rahmatullah my dear friends!

Haven't written for quite a long while now! How you all been doing in sha Allaah? I hope all of you are doing well & are in the best of your imaan by the grace of Almighty Allaah.

I actually didn't feel the need to write anything in all these days. However, only recently I attended this course 'The Victorious One' taught by Al Kauthar, the Madeenah period of the Prophet (s.a.w)'s life.

And al Hamdulillaah I got to learn quite a lot of stuff from the course. I only ask Allaah to accept it from me, ameen.


Today I wont be able to share a lot with you as I've very few minutes left before I run for maghrib salaah.

So let's just share with you some of the pears of wisdom I learned from the course in sha Allaah!

*Islam always wins but Muslims win or lose
* Never depend on the numbers of your soldiers but rather depend on the power of Allaah to give you victory.