About this blog

In recent times a plethora of misconceptions, misrepresentation and myths have been forged about Islam
and Muslims. Many western influentials from politicians, policymakers to judges have taken it upon
themselves to undermine the Islamic beliefs, values and rules so to make it palatable to their
egotistic minds and the secular liberal thoughts.

This blog is dedicated:-

1. To argue the point for Islam in its belief and systems and to refute the misconceptions.
2. To expose the weakness and contradictions of all forms of secularism.

23 Jan 2009

Oh Army Generals!



The following is a fictional story:

The General sat behind his desk, head in hands, listening intently to the news broadcast currently playing from his radio.

"The headlines tonight...rescuers in Gaza find four small children, too weak to stand, huddling next to their dead mothers," said the radio presenter.

The General remembered his granddaughters. They would be around the same age as those children. The thought of the fear they must have gone through, going days without food or water, wondering why their mothers wouldn't awake brought tears to his eyes. So many children dead. He always thought he would live to a ripe old age but death pays no attention to age. Young or old when the appointed time comes none can delay it.

He took out a key and unlocked the bottom drawer in his desk. There he found an old brown file overflowing with papers. He placed the file in front of him, opened it, took out the first paper and began to read. Tears rolled down his check as he stopped on the words that been a splinter in his mind ever since he first read them weeks ago. The words jumped out at him - "O People of Nusrah! Truly, Allah out of His infinite mercy has blessed you with a golden opportunity to secure a place in Jannah..."

The General wiped his eyes, stood up and walked over to the sink in the corner of the room. He turned on the tap and began to make wudu. It had been so long since he prayed he wasn't sure he remembered all the steps. When he finished he dried himself and walked over to the Persian rug in the centre of the room and turned it in what he thought was the direction of Mecca. He then stood and prayed isha for the first time in years. When he finished he raised his hands in the air and made du'a. He couldn't remember the correct words or procedure but he knew Allah was All-Merciful and would understand. He prayed for forgiveness for the first time before he could remember. He then prayed for help in what he was about to do. He got up off the rug, walked back to his desk and picked up the phone and started dialling...

--------------------------------------------------------------

For anyone who has converted to Islam; for anyone who was born Muslim and started practising Islam; for anyone who has read the story of Umar bin al-Khattab's (ra) conversion to Islam; is this fictional story of the general really beyond the realms of possibility?

Allah (swt) knows what is hidden in the hearts of men and He (swt) can guide whomsoever He wills.

Allah (swt) says: "Allah leaves whoever He will to stray and guides whoever He will." [Surah al-Faatir (35): Ayah 8]

For those in any doubt about the power of Islam in changing even the most misguided individuals then let us look back to the best generation the sahaba (ra), and some of the famous personalities before and after their conversion to Islam.

Umar ibn al-Khattab (ra)

BEFORE ISLAM

Anas (ra) said: Umar went out wearing his sword, and a man from Bani Zuhrah met him and said, "Where do you intend going Umar?" Umar said, "I want to kill Muhammad." He said, "How will you be safe from Bani Hashim and Bani Zuhrah if you have killed Muhammad?" Umar (ra) said, "I can only believe that you have converted." He said, "Shall I show you something astonishing; your brotherin-law and your sister have converted and abandoned your deen."
Umar (ra) walked on and came to the two of them while Khabbab was with them. When he heard the sound of Umar he hid in the house, and then he (Umar) entered and said, "What is this murmur of lowered voices?" They had been reciting Surah Taha. They said, "Nothing but some conversation which we were holding." He said, "Perhaps you two have converted?" His brother-in-law said to him, "Umar, what if the truth were outside of your deen?" So Umar (ra) leapt upon him and struck him severely. His (ra) sister came to push him away from her husband and he struck her a blow with his hand so that her face bled. Then she said, and she was angry, "And if the truth were outside your deen? I witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger."

Umar (ra) said, "Give me the writing which you have and I will read it," - and Umar used to read. His sister said to him, "You are dirty, and no-one reads it but the purified (so stand and bathe yourself or perform wudu)."

He stood and performed wudu, then he took the writing and read part of Surah Taha until it came to:

"Truly I, I am Allah there is no god except Me, so worship Me and establish the prayer for my remembrance." [Surah Taha (20): Ayah 14]

Umar (ra) said, "Show me the way to Muhammad." When Khabbab heard the words of Umar he came out and said, "Rejoice Umar! Because I hope that you are the (answer to the) supplication which the Messenger of Allah (saws) made for you on the night of Thursday, ‘O Allah strengthen Islam with Umar ibn al-Khattab or with Amr ibn Hisham.'"

The Messenger of Allah (saws) was in the lower part of the house which was at the foot of Safa and Umar (ra) went off until he came to the house, at the door of which were Hamzah (ra), Talhah (ra) and others. Hamzah (ra) said, "This is Umar. If Allah wants good for him he will become a Muslim, and if he wishes other than that, then killing him will be a little thing for us."

The Prophet (saws) was inside receiving revelation. He (saws) came out when Umar (ra) arrived, took hold of the folds of his (Umar's) clothes and the straps of his sword, and said, "You won't give up Umar until Allah visits you with disgrace and punishment like he did al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah." Umar said, "I witness that there is no god but Allah and that you are the slave of Allah and His messenger."

AFTER ISLAM

The legend of Umar ibn Al-Khattab (ra), one of the ten who were given the glad tidings of paradise in this life, is well known to all Muslims. Once Umar (ra) embraced Islam his contribution to furthering the cause of Islam is unparalleled. He (ra) gave strength to the dawah in Makkah. He (ra) assisted the Prophet (saws) in ruling the Islamic State in Medina. He (ra) fought with the Prophet (saws) in all the battles. After the Prophet (saws) died he assisted Abu Bakr Siddiq (ra) in his Khilafah and then when Umar became Khaleefah he ruled over a state that became the world superpower after defeating both the Romans and the Persians.

It is enough to listen to the words of the Prophet (saws) concerning Umar ibn al-Khattab (ra).

Uqbah ibn Amir (ra) said: The Prophet (saws) said, "If there were to be a prophet after me it would be Umar ibn al-Khattab."

Ibn Abbas (ra) said: The Prophet (saws) said, "There is no angel in the heaven that does not respect Umar, and no shaytan on the earth but that he is afraid of Umar."

Khalid bin Walid (ra)

BEFORE ISLAM

Khalid bin Walid (ra) was a highly skilled warrior and one of the Generals of Quraish. At the Battle of Uhud when the archers disobeyed their orders and went for the booty, Khalid (ra) and his squadron took advantage and destroyed the Muslims left flank killing many of the archers. They then encircled the Muslims from the rear and nearly inflicted a devastating defeat on the Muslims.

After the Battle of Uhud Khalid (ra) sat alone in deep thought concerning the new religion that was gaining momentum every day. He (ra) wished that Allah, the All-Knower of what is hidden and unseen, would guide him to the right path. He (ra) aid to himself, "By Allah, it is crystal clear now. This man is indeed a Prophet, so how long shall I procrastinate. By Allah, I will go and submit myself to Islam."

Narrated by Khalid: I hoped to find an escort (to Madinah), and I ran into Uthman ibn Talhah (ra) and when I told him about my intention, he agreed to escort me. We travelled shortly before daybreak and as we reached the plain, we ran into Amr ibn Al-Aas.

After we had exchanged greetings, he asked us about our destination, and when we told him, it turned out that he himself was going to the same place to submit himself to Islam. The three of us arrived at Madinah on the first day of Safar in the eighth year. As soon as I laid my eyes on the Prophet (saws), I said, "Peace by upon the Prophet," so he greeted me with a bright face.

Immediately, I submitted myself to Islam and bore witness to the truth. Finally, the Prophet (saws) said, "I knew that you have an open mind and I prayed that it would lead you to safety." I took my oath of allegiance to the Prophet (saws) then asked him, "Please ask Allah's forgiveness for me for all the wrongdoings I have committed to hinder men from the path of Allah." The Prophet (saws) said, "Islam erases all the wrongdoings committed before it." Yet I pleaded with him, "Please pray for me." Finally, he (saws) supplicated to Allah, "O Allah, forgive Khaalid for the wrongdoings he committed before he embraced Islam." Then Amr ibn Al-Aas (ra) and Uthman ibn Talhah (ra) stepped forward and submitted themselves to Islam and gave their oath of allegiance to the Prophet.

AFTER ISLAM

At the Battle of Mutah, the first battle against the Romans, the Muslims were heavily outnumbered. The Muslim army was 3,000 strong and the Romans were 200,000 strong. All three of the army commanders were martyred in this battle and it was Khalid bin Walid (ra) who took command of the army. Instantly he flung himself into the vast battlefield. His eyes were as sharp as a hawk's. His mind worked quickly, turning over all the scenarios in his mind. While fierce fighting raged, Khalid (ra) quickly split his army into groups, with each assigned a certain task. He (ra) used his incredible expertise and outstanding craftiness to open a wide space within the Roman army through which the whole Muslim army retreated intact. This narrow escape was credited to the ingenuity of a Muslim hero.

When the army returned to Madinah the Muslims were very angry. As the soldiers arrived the Muslims began to throw dust into the faces of the soldiers shouting, "O you who have fled! You have fled from the way of Allah."

The Prophet (saws) restrained them and said, "They have not fled. They shall return to fight, if Allah wills it." Then the Prophet (saws) raised his voice and shouted, "Khalid is the Sword of Allah."

Thus General Khalid bin Walid (ra) became the Sword of Allah. A legend among the Muslims, and a historical figure whose tactics and battle plans are studied to this day by western military historians.

Oh Army Generals!

Know that this life is very short and the next life is forever. On the Day of Judgement the people will think that the length of this life was but an hour. Allah (swt) says:

"On the Day He gathers them together, it will be as if they have stayed [in the world] no longer than a single hour." [Surah Yunus (10): Ayah 45]

It is never too late to change despite the sins that went before. Allah (swt) is always open for repentance. Allah (swt) says:

"But if anyone repents after his wrongdoing and makes amends, Allah will accept his repentance: Allah is most forgiving, most merciful." [Surah Maidah (5): Ayah 39]

None of us know what our last deeds will be. Someone may commit sins all his life and then do an action that pleases Allah (swt) and he is granted paradise. A person may do good deeds all his life and then do an action that displeases Allah (swt) and he is flung into hell. May Allah protect us from such a calamity, and make the best of our deeds the last of our deeds.

The Messenger (saws) said, "By Allah the One other than whom there is no god, one of you will do the actions of the people of the Garden until there is only a cubit between him and it, then the decree will overtake him, and he will do the actions of the people of the Fire and thus enter it. One of you will do the actions of the people of the Fire until there only remains a cubit between him and it, then the decree will overtake him, and he will do the actions of the people of the Garden and so enter it." [Bukhari]

During the early years of Makkah, the Prophet (saws) made a dua. Ibn Umar narrated that the Prophet (saws) said, "O Allah, strengthen Islam with whoever is more beloved to You of these two men: Umar ibn al-Khattab or Abu Jahl ibn Hisham."

We finish here with a similar dua. O Allah! Strengthen Islam with whoever from among the army generals and people of nusra is most beloved to you. Ameen

[Extracted from the Article 'The General', by khilafah.com]
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What they said...

“Islam represented the greatest military power on earth…It was the foremost economic power in the world…It had achieved the highest level so far in human history, in the arts and sciences of civilization...Islam in contrast created a world civilization, poly-ethnic, multiracial, international, one might even say intercontinental.”





[Bernard Lewis, Professor of Near Eastern Studies, Orientalist and Historian, 2001]





"There was once a civilization that was the greatest in the world. It was able to create a continental super-state that stretched from ocean to ocean, and from northern climes to tropics and deserts…the civilization I'm talking about was the Islamic world from the year 800 to 1600… Although we are often unaware of our indebtedness to this other civilization, its gifts are very much a part of our heritage"





[Carly Fiorina, ex-CEO of Hewlett-Packard, 2001]





"For the first three centuries of its existence (circ. A.D 650-1000) the realm of Islam was the most civilized and progressive portion of the world. Studded with splendid cities, gracious mosques and quiet universities where the wisdom of the ancient world was preserved and appreciated, the Moslem world offered a striking contrast to the Christian West, then sunk in the night of the Dark Ages."





[Lothrop Stoddard, Ph.D (Harvard), American political theorist and historian, 1932]





"Medieval Islam was technologically advanced and open to innovation. It achieved far higher literacy rates than in contemporary Europe;it assimilated the legacy of classical Greek civilization to such a degree that many classical books are now known to us only through Arabic copies. It invented windmills ,trigonometry, lateen sails and made major advances in metallurgy, mechanical and chemical engineering and irrigation methods. In the middle-ages the flow of technology was overwhelmingly from Islam to Europe rather from Europe to Islam. Only after the 1500's did the net direction of flow begin to reverse."





[Jared Diamond, UCLA sociologist and Author, 1997]



"No other society has such a record of success in uniting in an equality of status, of opportunity and endeavour so many and so varied races of mankind. The great Muslim communities of Africa, India and Indonesia, perhaps also the small community in Japan, show that Islam has still the power to reconcile apparently irreconcilable elements of race and tradition. If ever the opposition of the great societies of the East and west is to be replaced by cooperation, the mediation of Islam is an indispensable condition."





[Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb, Professor at Harvard University, 1932]





“The Muhammadan Law which is binding on all -- from the crowned head to the meanest subject is a law interwoven with a system of the wisest, the most learned and the most enlightened jurisprudence that ever existed in the world.”





[Edmund Burke, British Statesman and Philosopher, 1789]





"The Exile here is not like in our homeland. The Turks hold respectable Jews in esteem. Here and in Alexandria, Egypt, Jews are the chief officers and administrators of the customs, and the king’s revenues. No injuries are perpetuated against them in all the empire. Only this year, in consequence of the extraordinary expenditure caused by the war against Shah Tahmsap al-Sufi, were the Jews required to make advances of loans to the princes."





[David dei Rossi, Jewish Traveller 17CE, quoted by Norman A. Stillman, The Jews of Arab Lands]





"The notable religious tolerance towards Christians and Jew under Muslim rule had given way to the uncompromising zealotry of Spanish Inquisition. Jews and Muslims thus fled Spain with large numbers of Jews immigrating to the Ottoman Empire which was known for its tolerance to the Jews."





[Graham Fuller, Author and former CIA, 1995]





“If there is much misunderstanding in the West about the nature of Islam, there is also much ignorance about the debt our own culture and civilization owe to the Islamic world. It is a failure, which stems, I think, from the straightjacket of history, which we have inherited. The medieval Islamic world, from central Asia to the shores of the Atlantic, was a world where scholars and men of learning flourished. But because we have tended to see Islam as the enemy of the West, as an alien culture, society, and systems of beliefs, we have tended to ignore or erase its great relevance to our own history”





[Charles Philip Arthur George, HRH The Prince of Wales, 1993]





"...Not being subject to the Sharia, Jews and Christians were free to go to their own religious authorities for adjudication of disputes; but in many cases they went instead to the [Muslim] Qadi"





[Richard W. Bulliet, Professor of History and Author, 2004]





"Here in the land of the Turks we have nothing to complain of. We possess great fortunes; much gold and silver are in our hands. We are not oppressed by heavy taxes and our commerce is free and unhindered. Rich are the fruits of the earth. Everything is cheap and each one of us lives in freedom. Here a Jew is not compelled to wear a yellow star as a badge of shame as is the case in Germany where even wealth and great fortune is a curse for a Jew because he therewith arouses jealousy among the Christians and they devise all kinds of slander against him to rob him of his gold. Arise my brethren, gird up your loins, collect up your forces and come to us."





[In his book 'Constantinople', Philip Mansel quotes a rabbi in Turkey writing to his brethren in Europe where they were facing increasing persecution after 1453]





"Praise be to the beneficent God for his mercy towards me! Kings of the earth, to whom his [the Caliph’s] magnificence and power are known, bring gifts to him, conciliating his favour by costly presents, such as the king of the Germans, the king of the Gebalim, the king of Constantinople, and others. All their gifts pass through my hands, and I am charged with making gifts in return. (Let my lips express praise to the God in heaven who so far extends his loving kindness towards me without any merit of my own, but in the fullness of his mercies.) I always ask the ambassadors of these monarchs about our brethren the Jews, the remnant of the captivity, whether they have heard anything concerning the deliverance of those who have pined in bondage and had found no rest."





[Hasdai Ibn Shaprut (915-990 CE) Jewish physician, chief minister of Islamic Caliphate in Cordova, 'The Jewish Caravan']





"In Baghdad there are about forty thousand Jews, and they dwell in security, prosperity, and honour under the great Caliph [al-Mustanjid, 1160-70 CE], and amongst them are great sages, the Heads of the Academies engaged in the study of the Law…’"





[Benjamin of Tudela, Rabbi in Baghdad in the year 1168 CE, 'The Jew in the Medieval World']





"Those Eastern thinkers of the ninth century laid down, on the basis of their theology, the principle of the Rights of Man, in those very terms, comprehending the rights of individual liberty, and of inviolability of person and property; described the supreme power in Islam, or Califate, as based on a contract, implying conditions of capacity and performance, and subject to cancellation if the conditions under the contract were not fulfilled; elaborated a Law of War of which the humane, chivalrous prescriptions would have put to the blush certain belligerents in the Great War; expounded a doctrine of toleration of non-Moslem creeds so liberal that our West had to wait a thousand years before seeing equivalent principles adopted.





[Leon Ostorog, French Jurist]





"The debt of our science to that of the Arabs does not consist in startling discoveries or revolutionary theories; science owes a great deal more to Arab culture, it owes its existence"





[Robert Briffault, Novelist and Historian, 1928]





"The only effective link between the old and the new science is afforded by the Arabs. The dark ages come as an utter gap in the scientific history of Europe, and for more than a thousand years there was not a scientific man of note except in Arabia"





[Oliver Joseph Lodge, Writer and Professor of Physics, 1893]





“Thus, when Muslims crossed the straits of Gibraltar from North Africa in 711 and invaded the Iberian Peninsula, Jews welcomed them as liberators from Christian Persecution.”





[Zion Zohar, Jewish scholar at Florida International University, 2005]







“Throughout much of the period in question, Arabic served as the global language of scholarship, and learned men of all stripes could travel widely and hold serious and nuanced discussions in this lingua franca. Medieval Western scholars who wanted access to the latest findings also needed to master the Arabic Tongue or work from translations by those who had done so.”





[Jonathan Lyons, Author, Writer and Lecturer, 2009]