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Getting a Cordial Connection With Allah Through Good Manners

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Getting a cordial connection with Allah Through Good Manners!
By Lawal AbdAfeez Arishekola

“The most perfect of the believers in faith are the best of them in morals.” – Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).

The discussion on good manners in Islam is recurring because of its great importance in one’s position of being an upright Muslim, and having one’s deeds accepted in the sight of Allah on the day of bright and dull faces. But today, what do we see in the Muslim space? It is the obvious opposite of good manners, especially on Muslims interaction with Muslims and non-Muslims on physical and social platforms.

Do we know that we will be held accountable with our Qwerty, Swift and Non-Qwerty keyboard attacks on social media?
Do we know that our cyber bullying can earn us Allah’s punishment?
Do we know that our each usage of vulgar words can inhibit us from getting closer to Allah?
Or do we forgot that the hallmark of our Noble Prophet’s depended on the exemplary manner he exhibited?

If we haven’t missed the road to being a better Muslim on the path of Jannah (Paradise), it is important to know that it is by virtuous manners that magnanimous fortune can be achieved in this life and Hereafter. The issue of having great manners is highly expedient that one can’t have a balanced religion without good manners, if righteous manners are missing then we can conclude that such person don’t understand what Islam is.

We tend to be unknowing about the extent at which lack of good manners take us away from having cordial connection with Allah is disastrous, and this is why we should talk extensively about the ample benefits in exemplifying good manners in all sense.
What is Manners?

Al-Imaam Al-Qurtubi (R. A) defined manners by saying, “It is a person’s way of dealing with others, and it is either to be praised or dispraised. Praised manners are generally achieved by being [good] with others [even] against yourself, and following justice even it is against yourself. In particular, it includes forgiveness, patience, tolerance, generosity, compassion, leniency and so on. On the contrary, dispraised manners include lying, deception, lack of mercy and so on.”

“What is the relationship between Good manners and aqeedah (beliefs)?

One of the reason why we see today’s Muslims been far from good manners is because they (in every sense) do not understand the relationship between good manners and the ultimatel belief in ‘La illaha illa-Allah’, most Muslims ordinarily believe that the ‘Shahadah’ is all about saying it verbally, but that’s not all, it completely involves working and acting by it through good manners, as the Apostle of Allah was reported to have said that “I have been sent for the purpose of perfecting good morals.” – (Recorded by al-Hakim & others, graded by al-Albani as Saheeh in Saheeh al-Jami al-Sagheer, number 2349).

This is a clear pointer to the fact that the Messengership of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is to extend the tent of good manners to everyone and earn Allah’s rewards through that, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) also said in another narration that in regards to the bountiful rewards in showing good manners to everyone:

“I am a guarantor of a house in the highest part of Paradise for the one who makes his behavior good.”
(Recorded by Abu Dawood. Graded hasan by al-Albani as Saheeh in al-Jami al-Sagheer, number 1464).
And that:
“There is nothing heavier in the scales than good character.” (Recorded by Ahmad and Abu Dawood. Graded saheeh by al-Albani in Saheeh al-Jāmi al-Sagheer, number 5721).

Of worthy mentioning is to know that the ‘shahadah’ is something that encompasses all the life of a Muslim whether it is Solah, Zakat, Sawm, Hajj etc., including our manners with humans and animals.

Where do we get our manners from?

Manners, for Muslims are to be gotten from the Qur’an and sunnah. Indeed, our life and our behavior should be a mirror of the Qur’an and sunnah. This is exactly what Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) came to preach. When Aisha,the Prophet’s wife, was asked about the character of the Prophet, sallalahu allayhe wa salam, she answered, “His character was the Qur’an.” [Recorded by Muslim]

The Qur’an and the sunnah show us all good manners we need in our everyday life, including dealing towards our ourselves, fellow Muslims, non-Muslims, wives, neighbors, friends, foes, animals, in religious gathering, with elders, with parents, at work, at home and every other place we find ourselves.

“The most beloved of Allah’s servants to Allah are those with the best manners.” (Al-Bukhari)

Having good manners isn’t just an advantage when dealing with others in this transient world, but also, it is a huge way of earning Allah’s love.

Some Good manners and how they enhances connection to Allah always:

1. Sincere Repentance becomes Easy

“Verily, when a believer commits a sin, a black spot was formed in his heart. If he repents and abandons the sin and seeks God forgiveness, his heart is cleaned. But if he continued sinning, then the black spot will be increasing. This is the rusting of heart mentioned in the Quran” (Ahmad, Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah)

And this Hadith Qudsi :

Indeed the Devil vowed, ‘My Lord, by Your honor and might! I will never stop misleading Your servants as long as their souls remain in their bodies!’. Hence Allah (Exalted Is He) responded, ‘By My honor, might and majesty, I will not stop forgiving them as long as they seek My forgiveness (Ahmad).

This is man’s nature, to sin and sin, but having the right manners makes one’s heart endowed with Allah’s Guidance to repent always.

2. Makes Prayers and Remembrance of Allah one’s life-long duty.

3. Greeting

It is the duty of all muslims to great each other by sayin ‘As-Salaamu ‘alaykum’ (peace be upon you)

Narrated Aboo Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him): The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,

“Allah created Adam, making him 60 cubits tall. When He created him, He said to him, ‘Go and greet that group of angels, and listen to their reply, for it will be your greeting (salutation) and the greeting (salutations) of your offspring.’ So, Adam said (to the angels), As-Salamu Alaikum (i.e. Peace be upon you). The angels said, “As-salamu Alaika wa Rahmatu-l-lahi” (i.e. Peace and Allah’s Mercy be upon you). Thus the angels added to Adam’s salutation the expression, ‘Wa Rahmatu-l-lahi,’ Any person who will enter Paradise will resemble Adam (in appearance and figure). People have been decreasing in stature since Adam’s creation.”

4. Praying for someone who does good to you

Praying for the one who treats you kindly by saying “Jazak Allaahu khayran”

It was narrated that Usaamah ibn Zayd (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) said:

“Whoever has a favour done for him and says to the one who did it, ‘Jazak Allaahu khayran,’ has done enough to thank him.

5. Sneezing

When someone sneezes, they should praise Allah by saying ‘Alhamdulillah’ (Praise be to Allaah.

If you here someone sneezing and praising Allah, you should ask Allah to bestow His Mercy on them by saying ‘Yarhamukallaah’ (May Allaah bestow His Mercy on you).

If someone says this to you, you should reply, ‘Yahdeekumullaahu wa yuslihu baalakum’(May Allah give you guidance and improve your condition).

Narrated Aboo Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him): The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,

“If anyone of you sneezes, he should say ‘Al-Hamdulillah’ (Praise be to Allah), and his (Muslim) brother or companion should say to him, ‘Yar-hamuka-l-lah’ (May Allah bestow his Mercy on you). When the latter says ‘Yar-hamuka-llah”, the former should say, ‘Yahdikumul-lah wa Yuslih balakum’ (May Allah give you guidance and improve your condition).”

6. Eating with the Right Hand always

Narrated Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him): Allaah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) as saying:

“When any one of you intends to eat (meal), he should eat with his right hand. and when he (intends) to drink he should drink with his right hand, for the Satan eats with his left hand and drinks with his left hand.”[11]

7. Saying Bismillah before eating

It is Sunnah to say ‘Bismillaah’ (In The Name Of Allaah)

Narrated ‘Umar bin Abi Salama (may Allaah be pleased with him): I was a boy under the care of Allah’s Apostle (peace be upon him) and my hand used to go around the dish while I was eating. So Allah’s Apostle (peace be upon him) said to me,

“O boy! Mention the Name of Allah and eat with your right hand, and eat of the dish what is nearer to you.” Since then I have applied those instructions when eating.”

8. Aids in eschewing Lies

Narrated ‘Abdullah (may Allaah be pleased with him): The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,

“Truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. And a man keeps on telling the truth until he becomes a truthful person. Falsehood leads to Al-Fajur (i.e. wickedness, evil-doing), and Al-Fajur (wickedness) leads to the (Hell) Fire, and a man may keep on telling lies till he is written before Allah, a liar.”[16]

Narrated Samura bin Jundub (may Allaah be pleased with him): The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,

“I saw (in a dream), two men came to me.” Then the Prophet narrated the story (saying), ‘They said, ‘The person, the one whose cheek you saw being torn away (from the mouth to the ear) was a liar and used to tell lies and the people would report those lies on his authority till they spread all over the world. So he will be punished like that till the Day of Resurrection.’

9. In the portfolio on good manners in having cordial relationship with Allah, the Prophet did encourage gifts for one another. Gifts are yet another way to foster relations based on kindness for each other. Prophet Muhammad advised:

“Give gifts to one another and you will love one another.” (Al-Bukhari)

10. Treating the young ones well
Anas ibn Malik related:

“I served the Prophet of Allah for ten years. During that time, he never once said to me as much as ‘Oof’ if I did something wrong. He never asked me, if I had failed to do something, ‘Why did you not do it?’ and he never said to me, if I had done something wrong, ‘Why did you do it?’” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Prophet Muhammad explained that:

“He who does not show mercy to the young and show esteem for our elders is not one of us.” (Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi & Al-Hakim)

As Muslims anticipating Paradise, we should totally follow Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in order to become among the best of Muslims with the best possible manners as a stepping stone closer to Allah, and a permanent dwelling abode in Paradise.

“O Allah! I ask You for good health, for trust, for self-control, for good manners, and to be satisfied with the divine decree.” (Al-Bukhari)

Rebuttal to "I left Islam because I studied Muhammad's life. I accepted the Gospel because I studied Jesus' life" 

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Refuting an Amateur scriptorial conversion Story

 

It is not new, we are familiar with it. At one time or the other, we have come across articles written to defame Islam and Muhammad, may the peace of Allah be upon him. Among them are conversion stories which normally lacks salt which should have given it a perfect taste. Any mind in its right state that reads such stories could easily detect loopholes that need to be filled.

Of recent, the following scriptorial mirage was in circulation on some Christian groups on WhatsApp and probably on Facebook as well. And it reads….

 

“I left Islam because I studied Muhammad’s life.
I accepted the Gospel because I studied Jesus’ life”

1.When I studied Muhammad’s life, what I found was a gold digger who in his 25 years of age married a 40-year old wealthy widow (Khadijah), Muhammad got troubled and terrified when he started receiving revelation from the fallen angel, even though he admitted that he was demon possessed, his wealthy wife convinced him to proclaim the revelation. He moved on to marry a 6 year old child named Aisha when he was 52 and consummated his marriage when Aisha was nine years old.
He was received by Jewish community as a refugee after he claimed that he was fleeing persecution from his own Meccan people who accused him of intolerance against their Pagan religion. Few years after he was sheltered and supported by the Jewish community, he plot to conquer them and eventually turned against them and wiped out the entire Jewish tribe out of Arabia. He was known for his warmongering. Himself participated in 28 bloody wars which are called Ghuzwa, and sent troops 54 times for different bloody wars, altogether there are 82 wars under his watch and commands.
A man who has been a role model for groups like Isis, Al-Qaeda, Taliban, Boko Haram, Al-Nusra, Islamic Jihad, Al-Shabaab, Abu Sayyaf and other Islamic terrorist groups, doesn’t deserve anyone’s respect but criticism and mockery.
He was poisoned to death by his Jewess maid when he slaughtered her entire family. He’s dead and will never return again but his legacy continues to wreck havoc and chaos around the world.
——-

2.When I studied Jesus’s life, what I found was the one who was born without sin, he dedicated his life serving the poor, he created bread and wine to feed the poor, stopped group of men from stoning a woman to death, healed the sick, lame, blind, deaf and raises people from the dead, he commands storm to calm, he exorcise a boy possessed by a demon, he performed numerous miracles and demonstrated his power over nature and spirits.
People from all over the world from different ethnicity, nationality, race and religions are healed everyday in the name of Jesus. Non-believers dream of him and embrace him without been told to do so.
Jesus died on the cross, buried and was resurrected, ascended to Heaven, and is coming back again. The story of Jesus is a story everyone would be proud to share.
No one has ever invoked his name to commit atrocity because he has always condemn violence and told his followers not to pay back evil with evil.
Religion misleads people but Jesus saves people, No matter how good you are; no matter how religious you are; no matter what you do for God, you can never be good enough, or holy enough to earn salvation, any plan of salvation that is based on the efforts of man is doomed to failure.
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Eph. 2:8-9,
—–
Jesus vs Muhammad is not like Apple vs Orange, It’s Good vs Evil, Light over Darkness. the difference is clear even though some are too blind to see it and to acknowledge the great gap between the 2, they still fall the victim of early indoctrination and ignorance .”

“Abubakar Idris Mohammed”

 

 

Mr “Abubakar Idris Mohammed”, your story is lacking salt. But this article is not to attack the writer but the write up. So let me settle for business less the readers might be bored.

 

And Here is my Reply to Abubakar Idris Mohammed’s Conversion Story.

 

The main objective of the writer is to deceive lukewarm minds.

Sincerely speaking, these people need to retrace their steps and device another means of “winning souls” for the Lord. While they are busy wasting their God given brain to write lies, the likes of ACADIP NIGERIA is using the current version of holy spirit (pure commonsensical, evidential and truthful preachings) to win their already fed up sheep they are shepherding.

 

The worst is when they try to tell us that they saw Jesus in their dreams. Ask them to describe who they saw, two persons will tell you different stories.

 

The post made a comparison of Prophet Muhammad and Jesus Christ.

Let me first of all put this straight, it is wrong for me to reply with the same mentality. I am a Muslim, I’m not to make distinction between the prophet’s of Allah.

 

Quran 2:136

Say ye: “We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma’il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make No DIFFERENCE between one and another of them: And we bow to Allah (in Islam).”

 

As Muslims, we believe in all the messengers of Allah through Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

 

But If you leave a mad man with the corpse of his mother, he can roast her and eat. I won’t leave the writer to go scot-free. So an answer is needed in order to keep the writer mute. But I bet they could be permanently put to halt, as Satan is still using them.

 

THE MARRIAGE OF ALLAH’S APOSTLE TO KHADEEJAH AND HIS FIRST REVELATION

 

Was it my eyes that deceived me or I actually read that Prophet Muhammad was called a gold digger by the writer of the article? Or do I assume the writer of that piece didn’t know the meaning of “a gold digger”? Why do we have dictionary for God’s sake?

 

The Prophet was a worker under khadeejah before their marriage. Prophet Muhammad was nicknamed Al- Amin because of his undiluted trustworthiness. Which woman wouldn’t want a man whose trustworthiness, integrity and seriousness cannot be compared? There is no evidence anywhere that Prophet Muhammad seduced nor forced himself on her. He didn’t marry her for money. You still have more study to do….. if at all you embarked on one before assembling your bunch of lies.

 

Rather, she married him because of his trustworthiness, integrity and deep feelings to have an exemplary man as husband.

 

Khadeejah approached Muhammad through his friend, and not the other way round. If it were Muhammad who made the first move, your allegation might have leg. But as it is the other way round, your allegation is baseless, illogical, unpalatable, ridiculous, non evidential and idiotic to claim.

 

Muhammad received his first revelation at the age of 40 at cave of hira, and ran home and told khadeejah what he saw….

 

Did the writer said the angel he saw was the fallen angel(Satan)?

You cannot rewrite history sir. The Prophet became terrified and afraid when Angel Gabriel pressed him with force ordering him to read. But at first he told Gabriel he wasn’t learned, so he became more tensed. Who wouldn’t have been terrified, if you meet a huge creature you have never seen in your life ordering you to recite Nigerian Constitution when you have never been to school before, you don’t even know the meaning of Constitution? It’s not sensible to tell a deaf man outside his house that rain is falling.

 

Does the fear and manner of approach of Angel appearance in the cave of Hira proved it was demon who visited Prophet Muhammad? Bible has the answers.

 

Let us visit the Bible. Have you ever asked yourself why Angels in the Bible have been reported to saying , “fear not” to calm down the nerves of whomever sights them? Let Daniel give us the first answer.

 

Daniel 10:8-19 New International Version (NIV)

 

So, I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground

 

A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling

 

Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet.

 

When he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless. Then one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing before me, “I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I feel very weak. How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.”

Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. “Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.”

When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.”

 

Wonderful! So Daniel trembled when he sighted an Angel of God? But isn’t that a demon? Why would an Angel of God make a man of God fear? Is the Angel that scary?… Maybe those who claimed to received God’s call and those who have seen Jesus in their dreams can give comprehensive answers to my questions.

 

If it was an Angel of God and not Satan that made Daniel, trembled, then it was the same with Muhammad.

 

Let us see another one.

 

Luke 1:11-13 New International Version (NIV)

 

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.

But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.

 

Really? Zachariah was very tensed when he saw an Angel of God?

But when the same was with Muhammad these Hippocrates turn the table around. They’ll tell you it was a demon….

 

If Zachariah, a devoted man of God was terrified on seeing an Angel in its angelic form, Prophet encounter shouldn’t be an exception.

 

Genesis 21 vs 1-21, Angel also told Hagar not to fear. Why?

Luke 2:1-12,

When an angel appeared to the shepherds outside of Bethlehem, they didn’t “tremble” like Daniel or become “troubled” like Hagar or Zechariah. They were terrified!

 

I am now laughing very hard. These enemies of Islam want us to believe that it was Satan Muhammad met in cave Hira, what about these encounters with the Angels in their own books? Any significant difference?? Hypocrites. It is not easy to sight an Angel of God, especially for the first time.

 

Even in Acts 27:1-26, Angels say, “Fear Not!”

When an angel appears to Paul to assure him that he and all his companions will survive the dangers of storm and shipwreck, the first thing the angel says is “Fear not!” In this situation, however, it’s difficult to know whether the angel or the situation is fearsome. Either way, Paul believes the angel and relays the message to the crew and passengers.

 

THE PROPHET’S MARRIAGE TO AISHA

 

I need not to disturb my brain in order to convince you, let songs of Solomon 8:8 give us the perfect response.

NIV:We have a little sister, and her breasts are not yet grown. What shall we do for our sister on the day she is spoken for?

Is that child marriage or what? When you have the riddle solved, a better argument should be put forward.

 

MIGRATION AND THE JEWS

 

I really don’t know where the writer got his idea from, but it is a different story entirely.

 

Medina was a Jewish community? And they were later sent out after Muhammad plotted against them? Wait, must you lie just to win soul for your baseless religion?

 

Let see the real event that happened.
The Banu Qurayza were a Jewish tribe which lived in northern Arabia, at the oasis of Yathrib (now known as Medina ), until the 7th century, when their violation of a pact brokered by Muhammad led to their demise.

Jewish tribes reportedly arrived in Hijaz in the wake of the Jewish-Roman wars and introduced agriculture, putting them in a culturally, economically and politically dominant position. However, in the 5th century, the
Banu Aws and the Banu Khazraj, two Arab tribes that had arrived from Yemen , gained dominance. When these two tribes became embroiled in conflict with each other, the Jewish tribes, now clients or allies of the Arabs, fought on different sides, the Qurayza siding with the Aws.

In 622, prophet Muhammad arrived at Yathrib from Mecca and established a pact between the conflicting parties. While the city found itself at war with Muhammad’s native Meccan tribe of the Quraysh , tensions between the growing numbers of Muslims and the Jewish communities mounted.

 

In 627, when the Quraysh and their allies besieged the city in the Battle of the Trench , the Qurayza initially tried to remain neutral but eventually ENTERED into NEGOTIATIONS with the besieging army, VIOLATING the pact they had AGREED to years earlier. Subsequently, the tribe was charged with treason and besieged by the Muslims commanded by Muhammad . The Banu Qurayza eventually surrendered and few converted to Islam.

 

There was a Treaty between the Muslims and the non Muslims including the Jews.

The Treaty between Muslims, non-Muslim Arabs and Jews of Medina was put in writing and ratified by all parties. It has been preserved by the historians. The document referred Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the Prophet and Messenger of God but it was understood that the Jews did not have to recognize him as such for their own religious reasons. The major parts of the document included:

 

 

“No Believer shall oppose the client of another Believer. Whosoever is rebellious, or seeks to spread injustice, enmity or sedition among the Believers, the hand of every man shall be against him, even if he be a son of one of them. A Believer shall not kill a Believer in retaliation of an unbeliever, nor shall he help an unbeliever against a Believer.

 

 

“Whosoever among the Jews follows us shall have help and equality; they shall not be injured nor shall any enemy be aided against them…. No separate peace will be made when the Believers are fighting in the way of Allah…. The Believers shall avenge the blood of one another shed in the way of Allah ….Whosoever kills a Believer wrongfully shall be liable to retaliation; all the Believers shall be against him as one man and they are bound to take action against him.

 

“The Jews shall contribute (to the cost of war) with the Believers so long as they are at war with a common enemy. The Jews of Banu Najjar, Banu al-Harith, Banu Sa’idah, Banu Jusham, Banu al-Aws, Banu Tha’labah, Jafnah, and Banu al-Shutaybah enjoy the same rights and priviledges as the Jews of Banu Aws.

 

 

“The Jews shall maintain their own religion and the Muslims theirs. Loyalty is a protection against treachery. The close friends of Jews are as themselves. None of them shall go out on a military expedition except with the permission of Muhammad, but he shall not be prevented from taking revenge for a wound.

 

“Whatever difference or dispute between the parties to this covenant remains unsolved shall be referred to Allah and to Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah. Allah is the Guarantor of the piety and goodness that is embodied in this covenant. Neither the Quraysh nor their allies shall be given any protection.

 

“The contracting parties are bound to help one another against any attack on Yathrib. If they are called to cease hostilities and to enter into peace, they shall be bound to do so in the interest of peace; and if they make a similar demand on Muslims it must be carried out except when the war is against their religion.”

 

 

And what happened afterwards?

…they broke the pact, and they had to receive punishment. Yahweh did the same. He purnished people for breaking law.

 

Jeremiah 9:13-15 New International Version (NIV)

 

The LORD said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law. Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts; they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.” Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “See, I will make this people eat bitter food and drink poisoned water.

 

so, case closed!

 

MUHAMMAD AND WARS FOUGHT

 

Since the writer has shown his ability in statistics and history by giving the number of wars Muhammad fought, let me complement his effort by using the Bible to answer him.

 

People make the mistake of reading what the Bible says in Exodus 20:13 , “You shall not kill,” and then seeking to apply this command to war. However, the Hebrew word literally means “the intentional, premeditated killing of another person with malice; murder.”

 

God often ordered the Israelites to go to war with other nations (1 Samuel 15:3 ; Joshua 4:13 ).

 

God ordered the death penalty for numerous crimes (Exodus 21:12 , 15 ; 22:19 ; Leviticus 20:11 ).

So, God is not against killing in all circumstances, but only murder. War is never a good thing, but sometimes it is a necessary thing. In a world filled with sinful people (Romans 3:10-18 ), war is inevitable. Sometimes the only way to keep sinful people from doing great harm to the innocent is by fighting them. Self defense is commonsensical.

Deuteronomy 20:16-17 declares,

“However, in the cities of the nations the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them…as the LORD your God has commanded you.”

Also, 1 Samuel 15:18 says, “Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out.” Obviously God is not against all war.

 

Before somebody will tell me we are no more under the law but grace. That the old testament is no longer relevant, let me visit the new testament.

 

Jesus’s second coming according the Bible will be exceedingly violent. Revelation 19:11-21 describes the ultimate war with Christ, the conquering commander who judges and makes war “with justice” (v. 11). It’s going to be bloody (v. 13) and gory. The birds will eat the flesh of all those who oppose Him (v. 17-18). He has no compassion upon His enemies, whom He will conquer completely and consign to a “fiery lake of burning sulfur” (v. 20).

 

It is an error to say that God never supports a war. In a world filled with evil people, sometimes war is necessary to prevent even greater evil.

 

If Hitler had not been defeated by World War II, how many more millions would have been killed? If the American Civil War had not been fought, how much longer would African-Americans have had to suffer as slaves?

 

 

Ecclesiastes3:8 declares, “ there is a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”

 

In a world filled with sin, hatred, and evil (Romans 3:10-18 ), war is inevitable.

 

 

Think twice before talking about wars in Islam. Bible has it in full details.

ISIS, Alqaeda and rest of them you attributed to Islam are not Islamic. Muslims have suffered enough from their hands already.

 

 

The second part of the article talked about the exemplary nature of Jesus Christ. No doubt, he was born miraculously and was given miracles by God. He said to people himself, “I can of my own self do nothing”(John 5:30).

The miracles were not enough to make him God, he said only one God deserved to be worshipped(Mark 12:29)

 

Besides Jesus confessed with his own mouth that he was sent ONLY to the lost sheep of Israel. He can’t be the saviour of the world. (Mathew 15:24)

 

 

You said nobody has used the name of Jesus to commit atrocities? That’s a joke.

 

My formal neighbor who has a “ministry” close to my house is now on the run for the past two months, his ministry’s door has been on the lock. Business as not been as usual.

 

You know what he did? In simple term, 419.

 

Have you read about the Crusaders?…. maybe not!

 

It would have been better if you told us that Jesus appeared to you in your dream rather than telling us that you left Islam because of your study. And you embraced Christianity? Please tell your story to the birds.

Bart Erhman was better than you in study of the gospel, after series of studies, he personally dumped Jesus as his personal Lord and savior.

 

And that reminds me, you said you read about Muhammad and the gospel of Jesus. That’s why you left Islam.

I challenge you and any other Christian to show me the gospel of Jesus Christ that converted you. I’m interested. I have always read about the gospel of Jesus of Christ (injeel), since you now claim it converted you, I need to see it….

 

Please not the according to”…” copies

 

Peace!!!

ANY RESPECT FOR SCHOLARS? By Sanni Kay Yusuf

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ANY RESPECT FOR SCHOLARS?
By
Sanni Kay. Yusuf

I am constrained to air my worries as regards the above topic, as it is envisaged that the intent may be misconstrued – premeditatedly or unintendedly. But the reoccurrence of the phenomenon, especially on social media is a propellant that can not be overlooked. I therefore, appeal to readers to do a sincere perusal of the piece and overlook the author’s shortcoming(s).

Elders, irrespective of religion, are to be accorded utmost respect. Allah, as delivered through the mouth of the holy Prophet, wants elders held in high esteem. “He is not of us he who is not respectful to the elderly and is not merciful to the young,” so was it authentically reported of our role model.

If Islam could enjoin respect for elders of other religions, how much more those who are practitioners of Islam? They deserve full-percent honour – as humans, elders and most significantly, as Muslims.

If Islam could emphatically emphasize respect for Muslim elders, how much more Muslim scholars who are said to be heirs of the Prophets? These are apparently the custodians of knowledge – those from whom people ceaselessly benefit – sip from their reservoir.

But it perturbs to see Muslim youths talk of scholars in a manner they are even disallowed to talk of fellow youths. Some make writeups about scholars as though they have no inch of worth any longer. This worrying fitnah is largely demonstrated on WhatsApp, Tweeter, and most especially on Facebook.

Our scholars are not without mortal blunders. They aren’t without human errors. They are never infallible. They aren’t prophets, after all, neither are they angels who are divinely characterized by flawlessness. The mistake(s) of a scholar isn’t a licence to his ouster from scholarship. It is no reason to lash and fire him. It is no reason to reduce him to nothing. We will not follow his mistake(s), and we will not saucily talk about him. We will make frantic efforts to correct him, and we will pray for him.

Caution! Don’t get this piece wrong. By scholar, I meant scholar: a well-loaded Muslim whose wealth of knowledge is driven by Kitaabu wa Sunnah, as exemplified by the Salaf – the Sahaabah. Age may be less significant here, as there are youths whose knowledge qualifies them as scholars. This message is inclusive of them. Such prided and celebrated brains may be our friends or cronnies. We may wine in the same plates and dine in the same cups, they remain our scholars, and they deserve our utmost respect.

That a scholar holds a view contrary to one’s, or that is most unpopular, or that is considered weak by one isn’t enough a factor to grow wings of insolence where one’s tongue or pen is garrulously explored. That would make no positive change than escalate the unwanted. What have you gained so far? Chao! Pandemonium! Schism! Hullabaloo! Brouhaha! Faceoff! Could you please have a rethink?

Naturally, one’s love for all scholars cannot be on the same pedestal, just as love for one’s children can never be the same. Expectedly however, no scholar should be hated. Why would a Muslim be overridden by such a shaytanic emotion – nursing hatred for a scholar? Even those who know little or nothing, and who may never attain scholarship until after years, equally take to the social media to speak ill of scholars. Laughable, indeed!

This is just a call for caution. Let’s keep it neat with our scholars, young and old, home and abroad, for they remain the heirs of the Prophets.

Firdaus broke no rule wearing Hijab — Adetola Kaseem

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A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Gani Adetola-Kaseem, who defended the right of some schoolchildren in Lagos to wear hijabs, tells BAYO AKINLOYE that it is wrong for the Council of Legal Studies to prevent Amasa Firdaus, the hijab-wearing law graduate from being called to the Bar

Was the would-be lawyer, Amasa Firdaus, who was barred from being called to the Bar by the Council of Legal Studies for wearing hijab, right in her mode of dressing?

The lady has a right to the extent that the hijab is a manifestation of the practice of her religious faith, considering what the constitution says. It is not wrong to wear a hijab. So, there was nothing wrong with her mode of dressing on the occasion of her being called to the Bar, as long as her wearing of the hijab did not infringe the regulations laid down by the Nigerian Body of Benchers itself in the process of would-be lawyers to be called to the Bar.

she’s not expected to expose her hair as a woman in Islam. So, barring the exposure of the hair does not constitute an infringement of any rules laid down by the Body of Benchers; to that extent, she hasn’t done anything wrong. There is nothing in the regulation that bars anyone from wearing a hijab. What she has done is to cover her hair as a Muslim woman. Look at it this way, there are some ladies or there are some people who probably put on their wigs (hair piece) apart from the (professional) wigs they would have donned on the occasion. If there is nothing that says that a lady should remove her wig or anything she used to cover her hair, how can it affect the wearing of hijab, particularly when that is done in a manner that does not infringe on anything under the rules?

The Council of Legal Studies said she broke the rule by wearing the hijab. Don’t you think that institution should know better?

Anyone saying she broke the rule must pinpoint what the regulations say about wearing the hijab. For example, Rule 16 (3) of the regulations made by the Body of Benchers for calling a person to the Bar is very clear. There is nothing there that says a person or a Muslim lady cannot wear the hijab – that prohibits wearing of the hijab. Since there’s nothing in the regulations that prohibits wearing of the hijab, where did those who say it is wrong to wear it get the notion? Where did they get their rule from? Everything is based on the regulations which were fashioned out by the Body of Benchers. This is not about personal opinions. You don’t have to like the rules; that is immaterial. The wearing of the hijab is a matter of belief; it is a matter of faith.

In fact, if there is any part of the regulation that impinges one’s faith, it would have been unconstitutional because the wearing of hijab by a Muslim lady is a constitutional requirement. Under Section 38 of the Nigerian Constitution, anything that will prohibit a citizen from the path of practising or manifesting her faith is unconstitutional. A regulation that forbids – and in this case, there is no such regulation – that one should not manifest his faith would have been unconstitutional and can be challenged in the court of law – its validity can be challenged in the court. I think we should leave the matter to the court to decide.

Don’t you think this controversy has exposed the Nigerian Law School or legal system to ridicule for barring Firdaus from being called to the bar?

What I would rather say – it’s not the legal system and it’s not even the Nigerian Law School. My sense is that some people are being unnecessarily emotional over this issue. I don’t think that since a person does not conform to their specific way of thinking or religion, the person is not right. It should not be so. It is a free country. What I see here is a matter of intolerance. The constitution allows a person to practise his faith according to his religion. This is not a matter of innovation because some people have said if the wearing of the hijab is allowed, then Sango worshippers can present themselves to be called to the Bar in their paraphernalia. No. We shouldn’t reduce the issue to that; wearing of the hijab is part of the Islamic faith. It is a mandatory rule prescribed by the Almighty God – it’s in the Quran. It is not an innovation made by a group of people. Ignorance and intolerance are at play here. Nigerians must learn to know the truth before criticising something or somebody – they must know the foundation of an issue. The wearing of the hijab is an expression of the Islamic faith by Muslim women. You cannot stop a Muslim woman from wearing the hijab – it is a prescription by the Almighty God – outside her home, a woman must cover her head. It is mandatory for any Muslim woman who wants to practise her faith.

Some people have pointed to a photograph of President Muhammadu Buhari’s daughter on the Internet who was called to the Bar without wearing hijab. Does that mean anything?

 

Everyone will practise his religion according to their understanding. But please, note that the President is not the Almighty God. The President is an individual; so, if his daughter chose not to wear the hijab, no one would compel her to wear it. It’s her choice. But if she wants to comply with the mandatory rule of Islam as prescribed in the Quran, it is proper for her to wear the hijab. The fact that she chose not to wear the hijab didn’t make her right. It is not a matter of status – the hijab is not a status symbol. Nobody can be compelled to do what he doesn’t want to do. But it doesn’t make those who choose to wear the hijab wrong.

Why do you think the issue of wearing hijab has always generated controversy in the country?

It is due to ignorance and intolerance. People do not approach the issue from the standpoint of understanding. Almighty Allah says in the Quran that before you worship Him, you must know who He actually is. Anybody who does not know God cannot worship God correctly. Therefore, consciousness is important. It behoves anybody who wants to speak or criticise another person’s religion to know and understand what that religion stands for. It is not enough to criticise based on your own religion. One must know the requirements of that faith. For example, I am a Muslim but I read the Bible. I can reason with you based on what the Bible says. The society must understand that before it can criticise anything, it must first know what the rules are concerning an issue. Without a proper understanding of the basis of an issue, we’ll only be conjecturing. What good can be achieved based on conjectures? The majority may do the wrong thing but that doesn’t make them right.

So, are you saying barring Firdaus from being called to the Bar was not rooted in law or any regulations?

It is a matter of intolerance. Those involved in preventing her from being called to the Bar do not understand the rule at all. If they understood the rule, then they were being intolerant. They must have felt that since would-be (Muslim) female lawyers were doing it the other way (not wearing the hijab), then she too must follow suit. Anyone who says the hijab must not be worn the way Firdaus wore it is saying that based on his personal views, since there is no regulation that prohibits wearing of the head covering. If such a regulation had existed, I would say it is unconstitutional and it will be challenged in the court. The constitutionality of such a regulation can be challenged in the court if it indeed exists at all. By my own research so far, there is no such regulation that prohibits the wearing of the hijab.

Some have argued that Nigeria is a secular state and in view of that, no religious garb should be allowed for a secular occasion. Do you agree with that?

No. I don’t. Nigeria is not a secular state. Nigeria is a multi-religious nation. A secular state is a nation that believes in no religion at all. Nigeria recognises so many religions, particularly Islam and Christianity. The country makes provisions for the practice of Islam and Christianity. The Nigerian government or authorities – at state and federal levels – sponsor (citizens) to holy pilgrimages and support various festivals. If Nigeria is a secular nation, would it support religious activities such as sponsoring citizens to go to Mecca and Jerusalem? Nigerians must learn to be tolerant. If we want societal peace, we must learn to be tolerant. A secular state recognises no religion at all. Incidentally, people who are supposed to be educated get confused on this point, thinking that Nigeria is a secular state. It is not. That is why the Nigerian constitution allows and supports the practice of several religions in the country. Ours is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation.

 

 

Credit : punchng.com

Misgoded reading continued

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Exhibit #9 — The Resurrection 

Some attribute divinity to Jesus based upon his alleged resurrection. This subject
is critical, for the keystone of orthodox Christianity is the belief that Jesus died for the
sins of mankind. The concepts of the crucifixion, resurrection and atonement are discussed later in depth. For now, the important point is that many early Christians
doubted the crucifixion, for none of the gospels is an eyewitness account. In the words of Joel Carmichael, author of The Death of Jesus, “Who could the witnesses have been? ….
Not only do [the disciples] ‘all forsake’ Jesus and flee; they do not—even more
surprisingly—reappear during Jesus’ trial nor are they present at his execution, nor are
they the ones who bury him.”158 Nor, for that matter, are they the authors of the gospels
in the first place, but we’ll come to that point later.  Most scholars agree that the gospel writers worked off nothing but hearsay in
recording the alleged crucifixion. Even the New Catholic Encyclopedia admits, “The four
Evangelists differ slightly in the wording of the inscription (on top of the cross), which
shows that they were citing from memory and hearsay evidence.”
159
This fact has been well recognized since the time of Jesus, but thoroughly covered
up by those who would have mankind believe the authors of the gospels had front row
seats and photographic memories. In reality, all of the disciples deserted Jesus at the
garden of Gethsemane, as recorded in Mark 14:50: “Then they all forsook him and fled.”
Peter may have followed Jesus at a distance, but only as far as the courtyard of the high
priest Caiaphas. Here the “Rock” (on which Jesus promised to build his church—  Matthew 16:18­19) thrice denied having known Jesus. (Did Jesus say “rock”? Perhaps
what he really meant to say was “Satan” and “an offense,” as he declared a scant five
verses later.) Anyway, Peter wasn’t one of the gospel authors. So where were they?
Matthew 27:55 and Luke 23:49 tell us the “observers” were not present at the crucifixion,
so we can only guess.
Regarding the alleged resurrection, the four gospels (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke
24, and John 20) don’t agree on what happened following the crucifixion.

 

For example:

Who went to the tomb?
Matthew: “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary” Mark: “Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome”
Luke: “The women who had come with him from Galilee” and
“certain other women”
John: “Mary Magdalene”
Why did they go to the tomb?
Matthew: “To see the tomb”
Mark: They “brought spices, that they might come and anoint him”
Luke: They “brought spices”
John: no reason given.
Was there an earthquake (something that would not easily go unnoticed)?
Matthew: Yes
Mark: no mention
Luke: no mention
John: no mention
Did an angel descend (again, would any self­respecting gospel author have failed
to mention this)?
Matthew: Yes

Mark: no mention
Luke: no mention
John: no mention
Who rolled back the stone?
Matthew: The angel
Mark: unknown
Luke: unknown
John: unknown
Who was at the tomb?
Matthew: “an angel” Mark: “a young man”
Luke: “two men”
John: “two angels”
Where were they?
Matthew: The angel was sitting on the stone, outside the tomb. Mark: The young man was in the tomb, “sitting on the right side.”
Luke: The two men were inside the tomb, standing beside them.
John: The two angels were “sitting, one at the head and the other at
the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.”

By whom and where was Jesus first seen?
Matthew: Mary Magdalene and the “other Mary,” on the road to
tell the disciples. Mark: Mary Magdalene only, no mention where.
Luke: Two of the disciples, en route to “a village called Emmaus,
which was about seven miles from Jerusalem.”
John: Mary Magdalene, outside the tomb.
There is depressingly little or no consistency to the stories, which leads one to ask
whether the Bible is a book of viewpoints or a book of God. Ehrman concludes the Bible
is a very human book, riddled with errors, of which the most egregious are scriptural
additions and deletions (both intentional and not). 160 Heinz Zahrnt agrees as follows:

 

 

.……continue reading……

At-Tauhid reading continued

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On saying: “If only such and such…”

 

Allah the Most Exalted said: “They say: ‘If we had anything to do with the affair, none of us would have been killed here.'” (3: 154)

The Almighty Allah said: “(They are) the ones who said about their killed brethren while they themselves sat (at home): ‘If only they had listened to us, they would not have been killed.’ ” (3: 168)

It is narrated in Sahih (Muslim) from Abu Hurairah ((May Allah be pleased with him)) that Allah’s Messenger (May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said: “Seek carefully what benefits you (in the Hereafter) and seek help only from Allah and neither lose heart. If any adversity (misfortune) comes to you don’t say: ‘If I had only acted in such and such way, it would have been such and such’ but instead say: ‘Allah has decreed it and
what He willed is done.’ Verily ‘If opens the way for the work of Satan.”

 

Important issues of the Chapter

1) Explanation of the two verses in Al-‘Imran (3: 154 and 3: 168).

2) Clear forbiddance of saying ‘If when something adverse happens to you.

3) The reason being that to do so opens the way for the work of Satan.

4) Guidance to the best speech.

5) The exhortation to do good deeds which are beneficial (in the Hereafter) while seeking help only from Allah.

6) Doing the opposite (i.e. seeking help from other than Allah) is prohibited, which is weakness.

 

 

……continue reading……

Tolerant or Tall 'RANT'

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BismiLLAH, Alhamdulillah

Tolerant or Tall ‘RANT’

Has anyone paid attention to the definition of ‘tolerance’ by Nigerian Christians?

If you don’t use Hijab, you are tolerant, if you don’t keep beard, you are tolerant, if you join them in Christmas then you are tolerant.

In a nut shell, stop practicing Islam and start practicing Christianity, then you are tolerant.

Start shaking hands with opposite gender indiscriminately, then you shall be celebrated as ‘tolerant’ start wearing short short scarf instead of full Hijab, then you are tolerant!

The more you abandon all Islamic Injunctions, the more you are tolerant.

Note, if Nigerian Christians start calling you tolerant, please start crying because they are celebrating your gradual exit from Islam.

In all honesty and sincerity I acknowledge the REAL tolerant Christians who see me as a Human being and respect my identity as a Muslim.

However, may all Christians who boil in rage whenever they see me in Hijab be consumed by that rage of theirs.

May all intolerant oppressors in the name of Christians who get instant headache whenever I refuse to shake the hands of opposite gender be consumed by the consequences of their novel intolerance.

Bunch of outstanding hypocrites. I don’t have headache when they are on their way to Church on Sunday, yet they burn in anger whenever they see me on my way to Masjid on Friday.
.
The federal government Christianize Nigeria by declaring two days in a week as PUBLIC HOLIDAY, because they have got to go to Church on Sunday and the Saturday Adventist have got to go to Church on Saturday, yet to spare me two hours to attend Mosque on Friday becomes major problems for these celebrated bigots.

Yet they talk about tolerance, if I don’t have problems with the obvious Christianization of Nigeria by declaring the days of worship of Christians as PUBLIC HOLIDAY, and they literarily get mad because I left the class to pray on Friday who is the tolerant?

Lecturers will come to class to preach Jesus, yet no Muslim lecturer will dare to. Why do I have to be tensed up Everytime because of the fear of molestation by people whose intolerance are turning them to mad people. Can you imagine a lecturer literarily shaking while asking my friend to remove her niqab.He was shaking while roaring like a mad man. I stood up to him and told him that he could ask the female security personnel to confirm her Identity, yet he will have none of that. A lecturer had once used almost ten minutes in class to VENT because a well dressed Muslim’s trouser is not been dragged on the floor. Yet one of the ‘Jazz’ boys in class whose trouser was also jumping is not been addressed. I have realized that it is our religion as Muslims that actually enrage them, not really our identity.

I will try to encourage these oppressors to keep it up and they should try to double up the victimization they are good at, the burden of your boiling heart is on you.

Imagine, shameless people that are not even ashamed of the victimization of Hijab sisters, they are not ashamed of their intolerance, I have never seen unrepentant HATE CRIMINALS like some Nigerian Christians. They are even bold enough to defend their gross intolerance.

Imagine arguments such as “But Buhari’s daughter removed her hijab during her call to bar ceremony” The same Buhari they have earlier called TERRORIST is now their sweetheart because he has given up part of Islam. Is Buhari now equivalent to Islam?

Finally, O ye Muslims that need acceptance from Christians before you will be able to live, just know that, “The more you leave Islam, the more they celebrate you”

Why do our sisters have to cry and have that far distant looks on their faces whenever we ask them about the day they are called to bar, why should they have to deal with the trauma of being violated. Hijab is just like shirt or blouse to us, IT IS PART OF CLOTHES! it is not a uniform, how violated will you feel if you are asked to remove your blouse or top for just a ‘ceremony’, won’t you feel violated? Yet these hypocrites makes the barbarism of removing the Hijab during call to bar ceremony ‘no big deal’ SHAME ON YOU BIGOTS, SHAME!

I was still in Junior Secondary school when I met an Hijabite who was violated during ‘the call to bar’ the distant look of trauma on her face while describing that day is stuck in my memory till date.

She was narrating her experience after so many years of the incidence yet she is still traumatized.

I see the way you dress also gross, I mean I can see your ENTIRE shape outside, it is just as if the purpose of the clothe you are wearing is to serve as a paint over your skin. The whole of your body is seen only that the colour is partially cancelled by a piece of painting you call clothe, I for once never agree with your choice of clothing yet I WILL NEVER RAISE MY EYEBROWS AT YOU NOT TO TALK OF MY VOICE.

We wear a clothe that you do not agree with, but unfortunately your tolerance is DEAD, it is either you are yanking our nikab off in a physical aggression that has consumed you, which equals terrorism, or you are busy shouting on us like a mad dog has just bitten you, yet you will be busy defending your excessive madness SHAMELESSLY.

What kind of things are you exactly? You terrorize us, yet you call us terrorist, you master of intolerance call us intolerant, Kai. Your case is complicated.

In conclusion, if you are a Muslim and Christians in Nigeria are calling you tolerant, run back to Islam because you can ONLY be tolerant when you leave Islam in their own dictionary.

Let me educate you bigots on tolerance, I know you will not use the knowledge but I will still teach you. When you do not agree with what a group of people are doing yet you are in peace with it, that is TOLERANCE. The moment you find yourself getting discomforted the moment I start fasting in Ramadan, then you are intorant. Indeed Nigerian Christians ‘RANT’ about tolerance but they are not tolerant in the least.

Has anyone noticed that the Christians have problems with EVERYTHING we do? If we pray they complain, if we fast they complain, if we eat they complain, if we dress they complain. I swear Na complaint go finish you. I WON’T CHANGE TO PLEASE YOU. Woe on any Muslim that leaves Islam to please you.
PS. Nobody should tell me I am too harsh, I think what I term as “diplomacy” is now cowardice, I am past the age where I will cry in a corner whenever derogatory words are thrown at me, nowadays I stand up for myself.

I will never opress anybody hence I will not allow anybody to opress me.

 

Hamidah Bint Abbas

AN INTRODUCTION TO POLYGAMY IN ISLAM

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AN INTRODUCTION TO POLYGAMY IN ISLAM

A glimpse of the concept of polygamy in Islam.

Islam is criticized for allowing polygamy, for popular culture in the West views polygamy as relatively backward and impoverished. For many Christians, it is a license to promiscuity, and feminists consider it a violation of women’s rights and demeaning to women. A crucial point that needs to be understood is that for Muslims, standards of morality are not set by prevalent Western thought, but by divine revelation. A few simple facts should be borne in mind before any talk of polygamy in Islam.

Islam Did Not Initiate Polygamy
Islam did not introduce polygamy. Among all Eastern nations of antiquity, polygamy was a recognized institution. Among the Hindus, polygamy prevailed from the earliest times. There was, as among the ancient Babylonians, Assyrians, and Persians, no restriction as to the number of wives a man might have. Although Greece and Rome were not polygamous societies, concubinage was a norm[1]. Islam regulated polygamy by limiting the number of wives and bringing responsibility to its practice. In fact, according to David Murray, an anthropologist, historically polygamy is more common than monogamy.

Polygamy Practiced by God’s Prophets
The great Hebrew patriarchs equally revered by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam – Abraham, Moses, Jacob, David, and Solomon, to name a few – were polygamous. According to the Bible:

Abraham had three wives (Genesis 16:1, 16:3, 25:1)

Moses had two wives (Exodus 2:21, 18:1-6; Numbers 12:1)

Jacob had four wives (Genesis 29:23, 29:28, 30:4, 30:9)

David had at least 18 wives (1 Samuel 18:27, 25:39-44; 2 Samuel 3:3, 3:4-5, 5:13, 12:7-8, 12:24, 16:21-23)

Solomon had 700 wives (1 Kings 11:3).[3]

The example of Jesus, who otherwise overlooked polygamy, is irrelevant as he did not marry during his earthly ministry.

Marriage in Islam

Marriage is a legal arrangement in Islam, not a sacrament in the Christian sense, and is secured with a contract. Islamic marriage lays rights and corresponding responsibilities on each spouse. Children born in wedlock are given legitimacy and share in inheritance from their parents.

The primary purpose of marriage in Islam is regulating sexuality within marriage as well as creating an atmosphere for the continuity and extension of the family. This is in sharp contrast to growing trends on marriage in the West. In recent decades, there are more alternatives to marriage than ever before. Cohabitation – living together outside of marriage – has greatly increased among young, never-married adults, as well as the divorced. More American women are having children outside of marriage, ignoring the traditionally sanctioned sequence of marriage followed by childbearing.

Polygamy in the Quran

The Muslim scripture, the Quran, is the only known world scripture to explicitly limit polygamy and place strict restrictions upon its practice:

“… marry women of your choice, two or three or four; but if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with them, then only one.” (Quran 4:3)

The Quran limited the maximum number of wives to four. In the early days of Islam, those who had more than four wives at the time of embracing Islam were required to divorce the extra wives. Islam further reformed the institution of polygamy by requiring equal treatment to all wives. The Muslim is not permitted to differentiate between his wives in regards to sustenance and expenditures, time, and other obligations of husbands. Islam does not allow a man to marry another woman if he will not be fair in his treatment. Prophet Muhammad forbade discrimination between the wives or between their children.

Also, marriage and polygamy in Islam is a matter of mutual consent. No one can force a woman to marry a married man. Islam simply permits polygamy; it neither forces nor requires it. Besides, a woman may stipulate that her husband must not marry any other woman as a second wife in her prenuptial contract. The point that is often misunderstood in the West is that women in other cultures – especially African and Islamic – do not necessarily look at polygamy as a sign of women’s degradation. Consequently, to equate polygamy with degrading women is an ethnocentric judgment of other societies.

Even though we see the clear permissibility of polygamy in Islam, its actual practice is quite rare in many Muslim societies. Some researchers estimate no more than 2% of the married males practice polygamy.[4] Most Muslim men feel they cannot afford the expense of maintaining more than one family. Even those who are financially capable of looking after additional families are often reluctant due to the psychological burdens of handling more than one wife. One can safely say that the number of polygamous marriages in the Muslim world is much less than the number of extramarital affairs in the West[5]. In other words, contrary to prevalent notion, men in the Muslim world today are more strictly monogamous than men in the Western world.


Credits: Islamicreligion.com

ACADIP!!! DEBATE THEM!!! DEBATE THEM!!! By Bashir Lucas Samson Lukman

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The refusal of Academy of Islamic Propagation (ACADIP) headed by Mallam Yusuf Adepoju is not that there is no knowledge to debate them but who would want to fight a mad man that challenges him if not a mad man himself? These people are not sincere seekers of truth, they profess  religion and righteousness yet in them is no trace of religiosity or righteousness rather they are a republic of lies, scandals, fabrications, distortions and insincerity at its peak!

 

In Abuja, I called Simon Barminas and his likes “Empty headed rascals”. What can one say of an apologist that debates like he wants to fight, wanting to provoke anger so he could say the muslims are intolerant? Abiyamo, a blogger whose articles and money gotten from it will stand against him/her on the day of judgement posted a video. The video was an eight minutes extract from the question and answer session that transpired between Mallam Yusuf Adepoju and Simon barminas.

 

This Barminas, an unrepentant liar was caught with his antics and mischievousness in Abuja’s lecture. Prior to the lecture, Simon said he will debate Mallam Yusuf Adepoju but when we got to Abuja, Simon said he does not want a debate, this was after his lies of never attending our lecture was exposed by Eneye Ahmad Jamiu Emma which caused him a serious embarrassment and a psychological problem that he was not stable throughout the lecture and had to quickly grab a three wheeler to save his face.

 

After refusing a debate he had earlier agreed on, he was given an option of question and answer but he also declined wanting to just ask questions. What do we make of a christian apologist that is not interested in defending his faith? In Abuja, I was live-streaming the lecture and kept an eye on him being aware of how mischievous  he could be.

 

I went on stage to expose him after I caught him doing what should not be done by someone who lay claim to religion. Whenever he asks a question, he will ask his cameraman to record and if he is getting a befitting reply and loads of ballistic missiles from Mallam Yusuf Adepoju, he will ask his cameraman not to record!!!! What an apologist!!! Apologist or Lieologist? Do I have to talk about our videos being edited by Isang Udo Akagha and Korede Olawoyin? With Photoshop and some video editing tools, these people have successfully committed crimes against Muslims and Islam that one cannot sit to debate them. They stink spiritually!

 

As at the time of writing this article, I am in Alimosho to honour an invitation to attend a reception for the 29 reverts that embraced Islam in Alimosho Lecture by ACADIP NIGERIA. The organizers are playing a video of a lecture where I narrated our experience with another Christian apologist of the same Caucus who even later came to lie that he slaughtered ram for his Muslim landlord. I and Eneye Ahmad met with him for a short dialogue. He claimed Jesus is God and was a creative agent even of Mary and Joseph. We asked if he was the creative agent of Melchizedek who had no father and mother and he said yes rubbishing our King James version of the Bible asking us to use his New Life Translation which says there was no record of Melchizedek’s parents which is different from not having a father and mother. While trying to prove the trinity correct, he asked us to check the book of Genesis 19:24 which says the Lord sent brimstone and fire from the Lord in our Bible. He said there are two Lords there and when we asked him to allow us check his Bible, he bluntly refused but we were able to make him give us to check. In his Bible, the verse says The lord sent brimstone and fire from the sky… Inna liLlahi wa inna Ilayhi Raaji’un.

 

 

There are many articles on the age of Aisha already that I cannot begin to explain again. Those who hate the prophet (pbuh) most lived in his time. As much as they despised him, calling him a madman, insults and curses, no one criticized him because of his marriage to Aisha. It is also funny when people who can hardly speak arabic and have not really contributed positively to the religion claim to be reformers. If the likes of Shaykh Albanee authenticated the hadeeth, people really need to reform their senses before they attempt to reform the religion. The question that, “Can you give out your 6 year old child in marriage” is a fallacy of false equivalence. So, because people lived up to 400 – 700 years back then should make us live up to 200 years? If it was not a norm then, the likes of ‘Umar (RA), Abu Bakr (RA) will not follow the prophet (pbuh). Some mischievous people amongst us only use the marriage to show their hatred for hadeeths.

 

Yesterday, I intended to launch a Jihad against Abiyamo.com who does not profess religion but cannot hide her hatred for Islam and Muslims. I stopped because many Muslims of today do not have ‘Umar, Abu Bakr, Uthman, Sheikh Albanee etc as their role models but Beyonce, Olamide, WIzkid and this is where they get watch what comes from them hence making it difficult for them to unlike the facebook page. No Muslims that understand his/religion will like the page. Indeed, there is an urgent need for correctness of ‘Aqeedah in this ‘ummah. An “Ummah where a self proclaimed Fadilat Sheikh is organizing end of the year prayer, asking people to bring three eyed coconut. SubhanaLlah!!!

 

There are many important issues to see to than sitting down with liars and mischievous people in the name of debate. As we continue to strive towards Allah’s Cause, as we expose the lies of those who hate Islam, may Allah strengthen us, accept our deeds as acts of ‘Ibaaadah and make correct ‘Aqeedah easy for Muslims. Ameen

Watch the full video on the explanation of Aisha’s marriage instead of the 8 minutes extract posted on Abiyamo

Bashir Lucas Samson Lukman ( ACADIP NIGERA. CEO, knowislam.com.ng)

DID JESUS PAY/COLLECT TITHE? By Johnson Abdulazeez Ayomide

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I was at Ibadan Civic Centre, Idi-Ape Iwo-Road Ibadan for the Walimatul Nikkah of our brother & sister Adebayo Ajibosin & Kareemat Abdulwahab on the 23rd of December 2017 and exactly 2:03pm, I saw a banner which says “You cannot defraud God and be Prosperous, therefore Pay your Tithe and Offering regularly (Malachi 3:8-12).

As a Christian, You’re to follow what Christ said, Infact Jesus said;

John 8:31 (New International Version- NIV)
“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.”

Taking Tithe into cognizance, You can only find it in the OT scripture where you’re instructed to pay Tithe but when you ask the Christians why can’t you show us something like this in the new Testament, You will hear something like you’ve found it in the Bible so what else do you want.

But unfortunately for them, we read in Deut 22:20-21;

But if this thing be true, [and the tokens of] virginity be not found for the damsel:

Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father’s house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you.

 

When you show them something like this from their scripture, they will tell you that is the Jewish Law, We may then ask pertaining to the Tithe stuff, What are you doing with the Jewish Law in the OT?

The Bible recorded in Matthew & Luke whereby Jesus clearly cursed those paying/accepting Tithe ;

Mat 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier [matters] of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Luk 11:42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

 

Ask yourself, Are you a Christian or Malachitian? Judge yourself!!!

 

ZERO TOLERANCE AND HYPOCRISY

Islamophobes is all around this days starting from there hypocrisy in the Middle East, Donald Trump Israel-Jerusalem saga with #Firdaus not called to Bar too.

Surah Al-Bayyina, Verse 6:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَالْمُشْرِكِينَ فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أُولَٰئِكَ هُمْ شَرُّ الْبَرِيَّةِ

Surely those who disbelieve from among the followers of the Book (Jews & Christians) and the polytheists shall be in the fire of hell, abiding therein; they are the worst of men.

Assuming you saw something like this (Qur’an 98:6) in an event centre, What do you expect? They will start throwing hate speech against Islam! Subuhan’Allah….. Be ready to defend Islam intellectually.

We need to be careful with what ever we said, do and claim to believe in.

Paying/Collecting Tithe is not from Jesus Christ, Desist from it.

Allah’s aid is sought!!!

 

Johnson Abdulazeez Ayomide

 

 

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