Sunday, January 29, 2012

When Everything in Life Goes Wrong

A little boy is telling his Grandma how "everything" is going wrong. School, family problems, health problems, problems with friends, etc.

Meanwhile, Grandma is baking a cake. She asks her grandson if he would like a snack, which, of course, he does.

"Here, have some cooking oil." *"Yuck" says the boy.
"How about a couple raw eggs? " "Gross, Grandma!"
"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?"

"Grandma, those are all yucky!"

To which Grandma replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!

Allah (s.w.t) has a similar way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times.

But Allah (s.w.t) knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!"

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Punishments For Those Who Do Not Pray The 5 Obligatory Prayers


Prophet Muhammad (peace & blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"The one who disdains the prayers will receive 15 punishments from Allah."

1.    Six punishments in his lifetime

2.    Three while dying

3.    Three in the grave

4.    Three on the Day of Judgment

The Six Punishments of Life: 

1. Allah takes away blessings from his age (makes his life misfortunate)
2. Allah does not accept his plea (Dua's)
3. Allah erases the features of good people from his face.
4. He will be detested by all creatures on earth.
5. Allah does not award him for his good deeds. (No thawab)
6. He will not be included in the Dua's of good people.

The Three Punishments while Dying   (Alam-e-Naza'a):

1. He dies humiliated.
2. He dies hungry.
3. He dies thirsty. Even if he drinks the water of all seas he will still be thirsty.

The Three Punishments in the Grave   (Azab-e-Qabr):

1. Allah tightens his grave until his chest ribs come over each other.
2. Allah pours on him fire with embers.
3. Allah sets on him a snake called 'the brave', 'the bold' which hits Him from morning until afternoon for leaving Fajr prayer, from the afternoon until Asr for leaving Dhuhr prayer and so on. With each strike he sinks 70 yards under the ground.

The Three Punishments on the Day of Judgement  (Qiyamat):

1. Allah sends who would accompany him to hell pulling him on the face.
2. Allah gives him an angry look that makes the flesh of his face fall down.
3. Allah judges him strictly and orders him to be thrown in hell.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

The Five Pillars of Islam


1.) Shahadah (Testimony of Faith)
Shahadah is the first pillar of Islam. It means to believe and declare the faith by saying the Shahadah, known as the Kalimah.
"There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad (s.a.w) is His Messenger." This is called the Shahada, which is the declaration of the Islamic faith. The Shahada is the acceptance of Allah, Muhammad, his prophet, and all of Islam as prescribed to us by Allah’s Messenger Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w).

2.) Salah (Daily Ritual Prayers)
Salah (prayer) is the second pillar of Islam. Prayer is obligatory and must be performed five times a day. These five times are dawn (Fajr), immediately after noon (Dhuhr), mid-afternoon (‘Asr), sunset (Maghrib), and early night (Isha’).

3.) Zakah (Alms Tax for Poor)
The third pillar of Islam is the alms-tax (Zakah). Zakah is an Arabic word which literally means “purification” and in religious terminology it is understood to mean that a person “purifies” his holdings of wealth from greed and stinginess.

4.) Sawm (Fasting during the Month of Ramadhan)
The fourth pillar of Islam is fasting. Allah (s.w.t) has prescribed daily fasting for all able, adult Muslims during the month of 'Ramadan' which is during the lunar year. The fasting would also be known as the 'Sawm'. The Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, and will not eat, drink or be sexually involved with their husband or wife.

5.) Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca)
The fifth pillar of Islam is to make a pilgrimage (Hajj) to Makkah, in Saudi Arabia, at least once in one’s lifetime. Hajj is obligatory for every Muslim, male or female, provided that he/she is physically fit and financially able to do so.