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HAJJ: TO SHOW OR TO GROW? By Kay Yusuf

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It baffles that some muslims do take the fifth pillar of Islam with a pinch of salt. Rather than go for Hajj to grow in spirituality (the purpose for which it’s ordained), their intent, unfortunately, is to show; hence turning a sacred exercise into a mere fun-filled tour.

Showoff is a great destroyer of good deeds irrespective of the financial and/or physical energy exerted into it. The holy Prophet said:

“Whoever does an act to be seen, Allah will show him (to people). And whoever acts to be heard, Allah will make him heard of.” (Agreed upon). Therefore, whoever performs Hajj to be seen will have no reward than to be seen. Additionally, while the Prophet was addressing his companions one day, he said:

“What I fear for you the most is the lesser shirk.” The companions asked: “What is lesser shirk, o messenger of Allah?” He answered: “showoff! When rewarding people of their deeds on the Day of Judgement, Allah – the Exalted and Glorious – will say to the hypocrites: ‘Go to those for the sake of whom you performed your good deeds (on earth) and see if you will get any reward from them.’” (Ahmad, At-Tabarani and Al-Bayhaqi)

Two fearful things are involved in the aforementioned – shirk (polytheism or giving what rightfully belongs to the Creator to the creature) and nifaaq (hypocrisy). Subhaanallaah! Showoff makes one guilty of either of the two, or both. And the corresponding punishment is grievous, too. Allah says of polytheists and hypocrites respectively thus:

“Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him… And whoever sets up partners with Allah has indeed invented a great sin.” (Q4 V48).

“Verily, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depth of the Fire; no helper will you find for them.” (Q4 V145)

HAJJ TOOTH (EYIN MECCA)

Of what significance is the so-called hajj tooth if not for show? You want people to know that you’ve gone for Hajj, right? Did you just say no? If no, why then do it? From who did you learn that? Hajj as a pillar of Islam is like salah (the second pillar) that should be observed for Allah alone. Fixing the Hajj tooth is like fasting with a raised placard whose content reads: “I am fasting.” Surely, you will not want to do that. Why then do so in the case of Hajj? Why frivolously waste away a tremendous reward that should ordinarily turn you into a newborn who is as clean as snow and as sinless as an Angel. Allah says:

“So woe unto those performers of prayers. Those who delay their prayer. Those who do good deeds only to be seen…” (Suratul Maa’uun – Q107 V4-6)

THE ALHAJI/ALHAJA APPELATIVE

It was recently narrated to me that someone who is the chairman of a marketers’ association somewhere said he desired and consequently decided to go on pilgrimage so that his elderly-subordinates who are old enough to father him would no more call his name except by the title, Alhaji. What a hapless intention! Some muslims get unprecedentedly angry when they are addressed without touting, trumpeting, dittoing or echoing the title, Alhaji or Alhaja, as if in it lied licence to Allah’s pleasure. Acting as such is a glaring display of showoff. You should rather be worried about your reward if you are addressed as such. When you are called Alhaji or Alhaja, you should always renew your intention. It is customary in this part of the world to address anyone who has gone on pilgrimage as Alhaji or Alhaja. So whether you like it or not, you will bear the title. And as common, your original name may even become faded in the mouths of people.

SPECIAL PRAYER

What about pre and post-hajj special prayers where wining and dining take place after a supposedly intensive recitation of selected Quranic chapters by a crowd of alfas who will eventually go home with their pockets penny-filled? What for? Isn’t Hajj special enough? Isn’t pilgrimage prayer-inclined? What is the pre-hajj prayer about? Where did we get that? Can there be any prayer that is as powerful as the ones made at the Ka’bah? So what is the post-hajj prayer about? Is someone underrating the potency of Allah’s House? You had better think, dear pilgrim.

SABAKAH NIGHT

This is the height of the mess, and of course, the peak of the trash. People who just returned from Hajj will gather in their numbers, usually in a hotel hall at the death of the night. They wine indiscriminately, dine wastfully and dance shamelessly with each participant having on his head the so-called sabakah. The supposed Alhajas and Alhajis some of whom are wives and husbands end up humping and shagging each other somewhere in that home of shaytan. Innaa lillaahi wa innaa ileihi raaji’uun! The most painful is the involvement of the musicians who parade themselves as Islamic singers. This gets a lot of people confused, and as such see it as a normal phenomenal phenomenon. Sabakah night is not only showoff, it is evil.

PORTRAIT ON THE WALL

Aside those who pristinely understand Islam and who have not been defeated by shaytan’s trick of showoff, you hardly enter the house of a one-time pilgrim on this part of the planet-earth without seeing a portrait of him hung on the wall. Some even have it outside so that it will be visible to visitors on entry into the compound. What for? Showoff.

PHOTOGRAPHS (SUCH AS SELFIE) ON SOCIAL MEDIA

“We are now on Tawaf.” “That is me throwing stones at that great enemy, shaytan.” “I was opportune to pray in the Prophet’s mosque. That is me seated very close to the imam.” Statements such as these are common with people on pilgrimage. What for? Showoff. Hajj isn’t an excursion, neither is it a picnic one exploits for fun. It is not a wordly fiesta; it is strictly a spiritual exercise which must be directed to no other than Allah.

Show off eats good deeds to zero. Don’t ruin your hereafter with your own voluntary effort. Stop shooting yourself in the leg.

HAJJ is to grow up in taqwa, closeness to Allah etc., not to show off. Kindly renew your intention before you breathe your last. It is never too late.

Questioning the concept of Trinity

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According to a trinitarian Christian, the body, soul and spirit make up a man hence a perfect example to portray the Trinity, that God is three yet one.

However, this is not tenable. The same trinitarian Christian will tell you that when the soul and spirit leave a man, the body becomes almost useless, incapable of doing anything.

Hence, we may ask, “When God the son is said to be dead, was God the Father and holy spirit also incapacitated in some stances hence needing to quickly raise up God the son even before the three days and three nights he was supposed to spend in the grave because he was said to have died and buried on Friday in the evening, and woke up on Sunday; when calculated, this doesn’t make three days and three nights.

A trinitarian Christian is one to whom his thinking and beliefs are directly or indirectly  corresponding to one who is pantheistic, panentheistic, deistic, polytheistic or agnostic;

Directly, because the whole beliefs listed above lead to the path of destruction and indirectly, because all beliefs listed above ridicule the concept of God which is pure Monotheism as record in Qur’an 112 vs 1, Deuteronomy 6:4 and Mark 12:29 in the Bible.

There’s no one worthy of worship except ALLAH… لا إله إلا الله

Bashir Lucas Samson Lukman

What you need to know about Sudan crisis

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Sudan, a North African country, with an estimated population of 39 million people (2019) is in crisis and has drawn the attention of the world following reports of killings and rape in an ongoing military conflict. Currently, Sudan is in the midst of a political conflict after the ousting of former president, Omar al-Bashir.

 

The military and representatives of the protesters had been in talks over who would be in control after Omar al-Bashir was overthrown. However, all negotiations were halted when Sudanese security forces cleared a group of protesters in central Khartoum. There were reports of beating, stabbing and shooting leading to the death of many protesters. There is no exact number of dead people, but, Sudanese Doctors’ committee released the names of 112 people who have been confirmed to be dead.

A young man of 26 years, Mohammed Hashim Mattar was among the protesters shot dead. Consequently, his favourite colour, indigo blue has become the country’s symbol of pro-democracy struggle with thousands of social media users switching their Twitter and Instagram avatars to the colour, with the hashtag #blueforsudan

 

Here are the things you need to know

 

The beginning

 

  • Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir, 75, is the seventh president of Sudan from 1989 to 2019. In 1989, Omar al-Bashir led a group of young officers that ousted the then democratic president, Sadiq al-Mahdi. On April 19, 2019, Omar al-Bashir was ousted in a military coup d’etat.

 

  • In an attempt to stave off economic collapse, President Bashir’s government, imposed emergency measures. With emptied bank machines, tripled cost of bread and fuel subsidies led to protests calling for the removal of Omar al-Bashir after a 30-year rule.

 

  • On April 6, the square in front of the military headquarters was occupied by protesters demanding that the army should forcefully remove al-Bashir. The ousting of the president was announced five days later by the military

 

  • Henry Okello Oryem, state minister for foreign affairs, said Uganda will consider granting Omar al-Bashir asylum

 

 

 

Who is in power?

 

  • As at now, the military is in control. A transitional seven-man committee led by Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan is in charge.
  • Though the council said it needs to be in power to ensure peace and security, it has not been able to return the country to ease.
  • Lt-Gen Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti, who commands the RSF is suspected by many to be an important part of the control.
  • Following a clampdown on protesters by the military on the 3rd of June, which left many dead, the military has come under intense criticism by other countries and international bodies

 

And the protesters…

 

  • 22-year-old Alaa Salah has been an important part of the demonstration. In a picture that went viral, she was seen on a car chanting, “Thowrah” meaning “Revolution”
  • The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) took on the organization of the protests.
  • Though people of all ages can be found on the streets protesting, majority of them are youths and a reasonable number of women
  • On 15th of May, the protesters agreed with the military to a three-year transition period to civilian rule
  • The military wants to conduct an election after nine months. This idea was met with disapproval from the protesters leading to another protest which claimed lives.
  • There are talks on how to bring peace to Sudan

 

The military and protesters; Agreements

 

  • There was an agreement by the military and protestants that there should be a three-year transition to civilian rule
  • According to the protesters, al-Bashir’s 30 years of governance needs at least, a period of three years to destroy his political network for a free and fair election
  • Both sides agree on a new structure of government which would have;
  • A sovereign council
  • A cabinet
  • A legislative body
  • The military ignored all agreements and said an election will hold in six months
  • The protestors are protesting against this leading to lose of lives

Update: August – The power sharing agreement

August 17

Hundreds of people took to Khartoum, the country’s capital, chanting revolutionary songs and waving national flags after the country’s military rulers and opposition coalition signed a hard-won constitutional declaration.

 

What the agreement says…

 

 

  • The transitional period will last for 36 months from the day of the signing of the constitutional declaration.
  • There will be a sovereign council, which will oversee the creation of a council of ministers and a legislative council.
  • The sovereign council will be an 11-member governing body, which will rule the country for just over three years. The body will be composed of five military personnel chosen by the TMC and five civilians selected by the FFC. The 11th member will be a civilian chosen by consensus between the two parties.
  • The sovereign council will be headed by a military general during the first 21 months, followed by a civilian for the remaining 18 months.
  • The FFC will appoint the prime minister.
  • The prime minister will name a cabinet of 20 ministers from a list of nominees presented by the FFC, excluding the interior and defence ministers. The latter pair will be appointed by the military members on the sovereign council.
  • Legal action cannot be taken against members of the three councils without permission from the legislative council. The decision to lift immunity would require the approval of a majority of legislators.
  • The legislative council will be independent. Its members cannot exceed 300 people, and at least 40 percent of the seats will be reserved for women.
  • The FFC will appoint 67 percent of the legislative council’s members, while other political groups that are not associated with al-Bashir will select the rest.
  • Sudan’s armed forces and its paramilitary Rapid Support Forces will be led by the commander of the armed forces, who is also the head of the sovereign council.
  • The council of ministers may ask the sovereign council to announce a state of national emergency if the unity and safety of the country are at risk. Such a request must be presented to the legislative council within 15 days, and will become invalid if the assembly fails to approve it.
  • New policies will be developed over the next six months in consultation with armed groups in various regions of the country to achieve comprehensive and lasting peace.

The constitutional declaration also contains a chapter on rights and freedoms for Sudanese citizens. It says:

  • Everyone is equal before the law.
  • No one shall be arbitrarily arrested unless for reasons stipulated by law.
  • No one shall be subject to torture, humiliation, or ill-treatment.
  • The state will protect the social, civil, political, cultural, and economic rights of women, which shall be equal to those of men.
  • Everyone has the right to a fair trial; the accused is innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the law.
  • Every citizen has the right to express themselves freely without limitations, and has the right to receive or publish information and access the media in accordance with the law.
  • Every citizen has the right to access the internet in accordance with the law.
  • Everyone has the right to peaceful assembly and the right to create and/or join political parties, NGOs, syndicates, and professional unions.

Al-Bashir faces trial over corruption

Sudan’s ex-president is facing charges related to “possessing foreign currency, corruption and receiving gifts illegally”.

 

The 75 year old, who seized power in a military coup on June 30, 1989, and stayed in office until April 11, 2019, when he was overthrown and arrested by the armed forces was also declared wanted by the ICC.

He is wanted by the ICC for war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

Prosecutors have also opened other criminal probes against al-Bashir, including on charges of money laundering, financing “terrorism” and “ordering the killing of protesters” – the latter is an offence that carries the death penalty in Sudan.

 

To be updated…

 

THE RARE GEM (SISTER’S VERSION) By Ummu Ubaidah (Penword)

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Admiring you from afar,
Loving you in secret
and my prayers to keep
you in the safety of my dreams.

For you are a rare Gem

I gazed for what seems
like a second, too fearful
for speaking and too nervous for approaching.

For you are a rare Gem

My words escape me
yet they flourish from a
page, but maybe it’s not
yet my season

With my love farmenting with
age, then I guess it must wait.

For you are a rare Gem

I confess I must say,
you are my Star and I’m
just a glimmer in the
Galaxy of your existence
which goes unnoticed.

From a distance drawn
by your deen and modesty
I yearn so long for you.

Because me without
you is like a writer with
no words.

Yet still you are a rare
Gem  and mine to cherish.

Yours sincerely
Secret Admirer

© Ummu Ubaidah Penword ✍

DEATH: THE UNAVOIDABLE CALAMITY By Ridwan Al_Lagusiy

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Hey you soul, the body guest,

Your duty in the body is the best,

To all beings there is a quest,

When the soul quits, we face the next.

Tell the rich; those with affluence,

And the poor; those without opulence,

The pretties and those in the sequence,

When death comes, there’s confluence.

Tell love it’s but lust,

Tell flesh it’s but dust,

Tell wealth it will rust,

But death it’s a must.

O death, the unavoidable calamity,

Your visit disrupts serenity,

You shall be tasted by all entity,

It’s a decree from Allah, Lord in totality.

Ya Allah, unto you I cry,

Very soon, I don’t want to die,

In subservience and unto you I nigh,

So in life and hereafter, I’ll be lifted high.

THE SACRIFICE OF ABRAHAM; WAS IT ISAAC OR ISMAEL By Sanusi Olawale Ibn AbdulWasiu

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The father of faith; Abraham (Ibrahim), in years only the Creator of the world can accurately state displayed an unmatched obedience to Allah by attempting to sacrifice his only son as at then for Allah, in fulfilment to the promise he made. The lesson derived from the incidence is enough for preaching. Till today it is not a fallacy to say, Prophet Abraham is among the most important revered figure among the Monotheistic religions in the world. He was indeed an embodiment of piety and faith.

As I mentioned above, the importance of the incidence, and the lessons derived therein is what benefits us, whomever Abraham had used is not in anyway adding to the significance of the story. More reason Allah, in His infinite wisdom didn’t mention the name of the son Abraham used. But however, there is a great conflict between Islam and Christianity, as Muslims believe the son Abraham sacrificed was Ismael. Christianity stands on the other side; the Bible mentions Isaac.

But who truly was sacrificed? This question will not be answered until we get to the root of the story. Truly, foods are fetched from the top of the pot, but in this case, we shall start from the bottom of the pot.
Those who claim Isaac was sacrificed has only one reason to believe so, apart from the fact that Bible mentioned the name, that Ismael wasn’t a legitimate child of Abraham. I would not subscribe to such shallow thinking. It gives stain to the personality of the father of faith. The Bible clearly gives details of how Abraham married Hagar,

Genesis 16:3
And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.

So how did Hagar become an illegitimate wife that bore an illegitimate child? If marrying an outcast is what makes Hagar an illegitimate, then what can we say of Sarai who was the daughter of Abraham’s father?

Genesis 20:12
And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife

By societal standard, Hagar was more legal than Sarai.

Allah himself gave name to Ismael, so how he could be an illegitimate child is what calls for serious caution.

Genesis 16:11
And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction

Long before both Ishmael and Isaac were born, Allah made a covenant with Abraham:

Genesis 15:18
In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates

Doesn’t the greater part of Arabia lie between the Nile and the Euphrates, where all the seeds of Ismael settled at a later date?

Genesis 21:13 :
“And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.

If Ismael was called the seed of Abraham, then indeed he is legitimate.

But the Bible mentions that Isaac was to be sacrificed.

Genesis 22:2
And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

Isaac was born years after Ismael, so how could Isaac be the only son while Ismael was alive?
The covenant between God, Abraham, and his son Ismael was made and sealed when Ismael was supposed to be sacrificed. On the very same day, Abraham, Ismael, and all the men of Abraham’s household were circumcised. At that time, Isaac had not even born:

Genesis 17:24-27:
“And Abraham was ninety years old and nine when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son. And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.”

A year later, Isaac was born and circumcised when he was eight days old:

Genesis 21:4-5:
“And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.”

So when the covenant was made and sealed (circumcision and sacrifice) Abraham was ninety-nine and Ismael was thirteen. Isaac was born a year later, when Abraham was one hundred years old.

It is not a fallacy, Kedar is a descendent of Ismael (Genesis 25:13), and Ismael is the the base for the Family Tree of Prophet Muhammad through Kedar.The followers of Ismael, Prophet Muhammad and all Muslims, remain faithful until today to this covenant of circumcision. In their five daily prayers, Muslims include the praise of Abraham and his followers with the praise of Muhammad and his followers. And these traditions will continue until the end of the world.

It is mentioned in the Bible “thine only son Isaac.” Shouldn’t it be “thine only son Ismael,”? when Ishmael was thirteen years old and Isaac had not even been born? When Isaac was born, Abraham had two sons.

Because Of unwarranted bias, favouritism, or devotion to one’s own particular group, cause, or idea the name of Ismael was changed to Isaac in all of Genesis 22.
But God has proven to be powerful and wonderful indeed, He preserved the word “only” to show us what it should have been.The words “I will multiply thy seed” in Genesis22:17 was applied earlier to Ismael in Genesis16:10. Genesis 21:13 also mentioned Ismael as Abraham’s seed. Is it not logical to conclude that the whole of Genesis 22 is applicable to Ismael then? “I will make him a great nation” has been repeated twice for Ismael in Genesis17:20 and Genesis16:10.

Okay. Let’s all agree Sarai hated Hagar and his son. The Jewish tradition also hated them both.The book of Deuteronomy has the verdict:

Deuteronomy 21:15-17:
“If a man have two wives, one beloved and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated: Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hash, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn: But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hash: for he is the beginning of the strength; the right of the firstborn is his.”

Islam does not deny God’s blessings on Isaac and his descendants, but the son of promise is Ismael, from whom arose Muhammad as the seal of the prophets.

But is there any prove that these verse (Genesis 22:2) has been tampered with? Corruption in the Bible is very easy to prove. Jeremiah 8:8 till tomorrow remains a great blow to the said word of God.

The Encyclopaedia Judaica says:
“It is related that a renowned traditionalist of Jewish origin, from the Qurayza tribe, and another Jewish scholar, who converted to Islam, told that Caliph Omar Ibn ‘Abd al-Aziz (717-20) that the Jews were well informed that Ismail was the one who was bound, but that they concealed this out of jealousy. The Muslim legend also adds details of Hajar, the mother of Ismail. After Abraham drove her and her son out, she wandered between the hills of al-Safa and al-Marwa(in the vicinity of Mecca)in search for water. At that time the waters of the spring Zemzem began to flow. Her acts became the basis for the hallowed custom of Muslims during the Hajj.
(Encyclopaedia Judaica,Volume 9, Encyclopaedia Judaica Jerusalem, pp. 82 (Under’Ishmael’).

Furthermore, Encyclopaedia Judaica reads:
Another proof of our speech[i.e., that sacrificed was Ishmael(P)]is reported by Ibn Ishaaq: “Muhammad Ibn Ka’b narrated that ‘Umar Ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz sent for a man who had been a Jew then converted to Islam and showed signs of true Islam.[Before his conversion], he was one of their scholars[i.e., he was a Jewish scholar]So he[i.e., ‘Umar]asked him: which son did Abraham(P)sacrifice? He replied: ‘It is Ishmael(P). By God, O Commander of the Believers, the Jews know that but they envy you – the Arabs.’

So it is clear, chauvinism made the Jews replaced the name of Ismael to that of Isaac. But they have been disgraced by the Lord of the World by making them forget that the word “ONLY” ought to be changed too.

Jeremiah 8:8
‘How can you say, “We are wise, for we have the law of the Lord,” when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely?

Qur’an 2:79
So woe to those who write the”scripture” with their own hands, then say, “This is from Allah,” in order to exchange it for a small price. Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn.

WHEN MEN BECOME “RATS” By Sanni Kay Yusuf

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On return from Subh (dawn genuflection) today, my queen expressed how tired she was on account of the marathon duties she had discharged on Eid day.

I was quick to help in the kitchen to put breakfast on the table for us and the kids. I couldn’t even remember the last time I was that nice, for I became lazy at cooking the moment my palace welcomed a queen a decade ago. But today, an internal stimulant had a push on me to act as though I wanted to do it in pity for my fatigued sweetie. “Don’t worry, I will do the cooking for today,” muscle flexed.

For the minutes my cooking spanned, the oven was a special target – the lofty essence of lending wifey a hand. And throughout my stay therein, my mouth danced excessively to startling songs that could only be heard and fathomed by the dancer. Intermittently, I would deep my hand inside the oven, picked up a piece of fried meat and masticate it silently.

This is the season men are usually seen acting the errand-boy script, going back and forth in circumambulation of the kitchen as though therein were a Ka’bah. This isn’t because they are domesticated per se; neither is it because they are idle. It is simply because of the pieces of fried meat lying in the oven.

I doubt if there is a man who is not a “thief” with respect to the above, especially during Eid-ul Kabeer season, where fried meats are abundantly stocked in the kitchen. The man, this season, sleeps late in the night so as to carry out his thievery mission when the wife would have been off to another planet. He wakes early in the morning in order to harmlessly buggle the meat reservoir when the woman wouldn’t have been back to earth.

In my humble opinion, a woman who assigns numbers to the fried meats in the kitchen so as to track her theif-hubby is just wasting her precious time. And I dare say that such a miserly woman is an ingrate to the Creator Who has blessed her with a good eater-husband who appreciatively enjoys her domestication skill.

That’s just on a lighter mood, anyway. One notable beauty of the season is the unprecedented intake of meat, especially rams which are not commonly consumed. The taste is superb, I so attest.

May our lives be spared to witness subsequent seasons.

WHAT MATTERS By Ummu Ubaidah (Penword)

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You want something to be yours, and yet you make no effort to own it

You don’t like what you have and yet you are holding unto it

By ourselves we walk into a twisted and confusing situation

Then we run around looking for the easiest solution

Yes, matters of the heart sometimes are very complicated

But for you it can be simple, if it is rightly communicated

Indeed the secret of happiness is contentment and gratitude

If you want to be loved, then let go of your attitude

There are some loose ends that would forever remain undone

So don’t bother fretting over the past because it’s gone

What matters is your today and tomorrow if it ever comes.

© Ummu Ubaidah Penword ✍

THIS SEASON OF ‘EID BY SANNI KAY YUSUF

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This season, the woman should be gladdened with gifts from the man – to the best of his ability. There is no other best time she could feel being cared for than this auspicious period. No matter how sunk she is in zuhud, she wants to feel on top of the world. She wants to be spoiled through various provisions – clothing, dining, wining, penny… The list is inexhaustible.

This season, the woman wants to look elegant and appear radiant. She wants her children’s bodies attired fabulously and their feet shod fantabulously. In short, the woman wants to feel like some queen in the palace of some affluent king.

This season, the man gladdens the woman beyond her imaginations. He makes her shed tears of ecstasy with surprises that are beyond her expectations. It is the season of festivity. And as such should it be handled.

Festivity means expression of love, happiness and caring. The woman should be shown that she is truly loved irrespective of her fixated flaws; after all, she has got some fantastic flux. Give her kind words at home and in the open. Treat her like a queen that she is. Walk with her by your side on the street. Wear the same cloth with her to fiests. Take her out if you have the means.

This season, the man should be appreciated like never before. Words of gratitude go a long way, no matter how small his hand is. Praise him for the little he is able to do. This will but propel him to do more and much better than before. Make him know how irreplaceable he is in your life. Sit him down and do a highlight of all he has done for you since your two became one. Blow up his head with eulogies and encomiums. Make him cry happily.

This season, the man should be served with specially made delicacies. Prove to him that no other woman can be a better cook in his entire life. Go learn delicacies of the era and cause his tongue to salivate big. Go learn, I so repeat. It is never too late. That’s one fundamental path to your husband’s heart. The woman should know how to make different delicacies with the salah meat.

MUSLIMS WITHOUT ISLAM: AN INFERIORITY COMPLEX TOWARDS THE CREATOR OR CREATURES By AbduLlah Al-junayd Ogungbemi

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He wants to be regarded as a Muslim, wants to be respected like a Muslim but does not want to be called a Muslim name.

He wants to belong to the elite class, hence, believes he has to compromise his faith to satisfy his mates.

This is just a representation of how young Muslims in this present age are; of what use is the Islam of a Muslim that has to jeopardize the injunctions of his creator just to satisfy the devilish wishes of creatures created by the one whose injunctions he has violated?

It is often necessary to remember that the most elitist class one could belong to is that of those who have been admitted to paradise; to remember, that in a hundred years, you, and the ones you seek to appease through disobedience to Alalh will be dead; and he/she will be no better than a piece of shredded cloth a few years after being placed in the grave.
At that point, only one thing would matter: your relationship with Allah.

A Muslim that cannot put on trousers whose cusps dangle above his ankles just not to be labelled fanatic but can put on carrot trousers which is also above the ankles to demonstrate social vogue-ness. Who is such serving, Creator or creatures?

Does such a person remember the advice of the Prophet to his nephew, Ibn ‘Abbas?

On the authority of Abu Abbas Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) who said:

One day I was behind the Prophet (ﷺ) [riding on the same mount] and he said, “O young man, I shall teach you some words [of advice]: Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, then ask Allah [alone]; and if you seek help, then seek help from Allah [alone]. *And know that if the nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, they would not benefit you except with what Allah had already prescribed for you. And if they were to gather together to harm you with anything, they would not harm you except with what Allah had already prescribed against you.* The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.”

40 Hadith Nawawi 19
English translation : Hadith 19

If the whole people gathering together to benefit us with something has no guarantee, is it not time that we headed back to Allah?

If one critically studies the level of degeneration of the Ummah influenced by social vices, one would but be left to conclude that we are actually serving the creatures not Creator. The fascinating and beneficial trend of Islam has been grossly abandoned, paving way to imbibing destructive western Culture.

We seek the people’s pleasure more than we seek Allah’s, and yet, expect our prayers to be answered whenever we call upon him, and that, is a special reward only willed to those who prioritize being loved by Allah over anything else. The following hadith will show us how much we are losing by not placing Allah first, and how much we wrongly expect from Allah without giving his dues.

“Whosoever shows enmity to someone devoted to Me, I shall be at war with him. My servant draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him. When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it. I do not hesitate about anything as much as I hesitate about [seizing] the soul of My faithful servant: he hates death and I hate hurting him » (Narrated by al-Bukhaari [6502]).

This hadith qudsi includes a number of benefits of Allah’s love for His slave:v. « Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him » i.e., his du’aa’s (supplications) are heard and his requests are granted.
vi. « and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it» i.e., he is protected by Allah from all things.

And these, are only for the one who places the love of Allah before that of humans.

What is most unfortunate is that the love of humans can in fact, be guaranteed, only when one is loved by Allah.

« When Allah loves a slave, He says to Jibreel, “I love so-and-so, so love him”, so Jibreel loves him and then calls out to the people of heaven, “Allah loves so-and-so, so love him”, and the people of heaven love him, and then acceptance is placed in the Earth for him »

Is it not true, that the most beloved person to the whole word now – one who the people would be ready to sacrifice their lives to defend his honor even after his death – is the most steadfast and beloved to Allah; Muhammad?
Did he care about the insults of the believers? Did Allah not raise his status? Is there not enough sign in this?

It is an indisputable fact that the ones dancing on stage,TVs etc, in utter nudity all in the name of entertainment, need to get their brain checked but to which hospital hospital should we refer a case of Muslims standing uncomfortably more than three hours to watch and partake in this unholy event but find it difficult to stand for seven minutes to observe Solah.

You do not want to be called your muslim names but loved to be called indecent nicknames because you feel the former sounds contemporaneous.
Allah aid is sought!

Why should we not be able to stand firm on our faith? Why must we satisfy our friends at expense of our Deen? There is no genuine reason for collecting opposite sex’s handshake. I perceive utmost stupidity in a Muslim being afraid to reject opposite sex’s handshake just not to hurt him or have him humiliated. Don’t forget these same people will never repay you, by compromising their faith to satisfy you. So, what’s the essence?

One of the greatest problems faced today by Muslims is the humongous ignorance from dormant Muslims. Some Muslims tends to practice Sunnah but later abandon it due to the incalculable insults being received from fellow Muslims and non-muslims daily. We should be positive catalysts to good behaviors and righteous deeds and avoid being the reason of people’s misconduct as regards religion.

Remeber, each time you feel ashamed to practice an identified part of Islam, that Allah has said: {O you who believe! Whoever from among you turns back from his religion (Islam), Allah will bring a people whom He will love and they will love Him; humble towards the believers, stern towards the disbelievers, fighting/striving in the way of Allah, and never fear of the blame of the blamers} [al-Maa’idah:54].

Who is a Muslim? A Muslim is simply described as someone who submits totally to the will and injunctions of Allah. Do we truly submit totally to the will of our Creator or his creatures? Allah has completed his favor on us and has chosen Islam for us as our religion.

Surah Al-Maeda, Verse 3:
…This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion…

We are subjected to everlasting and bountiful mercy and Favour of Allah. Why should we then feel inferior to display our spiritual identity of being a Muslim? We should not be afraid to exhibit ourselves as an inherent of a religion chosen and approved by Allah and with the most perfect laid down code of conducts.
Ask yourself: is your inferiority complex towards Allah or His creatures?

Surah Al-Baqara, Verse 9:
يُخَادِعُونَ اللَّهَ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَمَا يَخْدَعُونَ إِلَّا أَنفُسَهُمْ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ

They (think to) deceive Allah and those who believe, while they only deceive themselves, and perceive (it) not!

And always remember the day Allah said:
فَٱلۡيَوۡمَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مِنَ ٱلۡكُفَّارِ يَضۡحَكُونَ
(Sahih International)
So Today those who believed are laughing at the disbelievers,

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