If you have a strong heart and an open mind then you can read on. WARNING: for those who are arrogant and ignorant please close this page and go read a gossip magazine.
This question came up in conversation with a colleague of mine. She's Danish and new to this country, so she asked me of my opinion. I am a devout Muslim woman, I love Allah SWT, I love Islam, I love the Prophet Muhammad ASW as well as his companions. I do not allow culture to contaminate my Islam as we are warned about this. I don't follow like sheep/I'm not a sheeple. I am an independent woman who knows what I want and what I don't want. I look for my own answers rather than taking someone else's word for it. I research the information before repeating or sharing it. I don't NOT follow Islam through another person's interpretation of it. I go to the source and get the information for myself. I am not Arab. I am Muslim. There is a difference between the two. They are not similar nor do they have nothing in common with one another. They are not even on the same page.
In my opinion the Islamic religion has been hijacked by culture. What the world today sees is not the message that the Prophet Muhammed ASW shared with mankind. The Prophet Muhammad ASW was the messenger of peace, he was ever so kind, honest, loving and peaceful. Prior to Islam he exemplified these attributes and he was known throughout the land as: Qasim(The Distributor),
Mahmood (The Commendable) , Hamid(The Praiser) , Ahmad (The Most Commendable) , Muhammad (The Praised One) ,Rasheed (The Guided) , Hashir(The Awakener),
Noor(light), Faateh (The Victor) , Aqib(The Latest) ,Sha'fin(The Healing) ,Daa'in
(The Invitor) , Nazeer (The Frightener) ,Basheer(The Messenger of Good News) ,
Madani, Muneer, Shafi, Maah(The Obliterator of Infidelity) ,Mahd(The Guided One) ,
Haad(The Leader) ,Hashmi(The Hashmi) ,Teha'mi(The Makkan) , Ummi(The Scholar of the Holy Quran) , Nabi(The Prophet) ,Rasool(The Messenger) ,Raheem(The Merciful) ,Rauf
(The Compassionate) , Hari'sun Alaikum(The Covetous for the Believers) ,Aziz(The Honoured One) . Hujjatun, Naseer, Murtaza(The Beloved One) ,Haqun, Mujtaba(The Selected) ,Ta'ha
(The Ta'Ha'), Wali(The Protector) ,Muzammil(The Wrapped One) ,Waiz,Ya'sin(The Ya'Sin) , Mustafa (The Chosen) , Muti'u , Sabiq, Musaddiq(The Verifier) ,Mateen(The Strong) ,
Muddassir(The Wrapped One) , Saahib(The Companion) ,Yateem(Orphan) Burhan,Muqtasidun,
Aalim(The Scholar) ,Mansoor(The Victorious) ,Nasir(The Helper) ,Tayyib(The Chaste) ,
Arabi(The Arabi) ,Makeen,Qarashi(The Member of The Quraish) ,Sadiq(The Truthful) ,
Hijazi(The Hijazi) ,Murabi'un ,Kareem ,Hakeem(The Wise) ,Aleem, Natiq'un Ameen
(The Honest One) ,Hafiz(The Guardian) ,Faseeh, Gharib'un, Awwal(The First) ,Zakir'un ,
Qa'im, Bayan'un, Mukhtar'un , Habieb, Hashim'un, Khalil(The True Friend) ,Dain ,Nazari'un,
Muntahie'un, Bar'un, Shaheed'un, Nakier'un ,M'araj'un, Shafi'un, Mutabi'un, Mahdiyun,
Fasieh'un, Ghani , Mutahhar, Hamied'un ,Qayim'un, The Mashkoor(The Thankful) ,
Khatim'un, Rasool'un, Mutawasit'un, Muzakkir(The Adviser) ,Zahir'un, Imam(The Guide),
Khatieb'un , Aadil(The Just), Jawwod(The Generous).
These were the nicknames that he had prior to and during the time of Islam. Read the following and you will understand who he was. The following are hadiths, a hadith is a saying or an act of Prophet Muhammad. We were advised to use the example of the Prophet Muhammed ASW so to follow by example. He is the perfect example of how the Quran is to be followed.
Here are a few examples of what I am talking about:
Hadrat Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) said: the Prophet (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) was asked to curse the infidels. He said, "I have not been sent to curse people but as a mercy to all mankind." (Muslim)
Mother of faithful believers Hadrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said that she once asked the Holy Prophet (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him): 'Did you face a day severer than the day of the battle of Uhud? 'He answered: 'Yes I have experienced such things at the hands of your people and such a day was the day of Aqabah. On this day I presented myself to Abdi lail bin Abd Kulal and offered him Islam, but he failed to make any response to what I had offered to him. I therefore, left with a heavy heart and depressed. I felt some relief only when I reached Qarn Sa'alib. Here I looked up and saw a cloud covering me. In this cloud I saw Angel Jibril (peace be upon him) who called me and said: Allah, the Most High, has heard what your people have said to you and the response to your offer. Allah has now sent the Angel of the Mountains to you to carry out your orders to do what you might like to be done to them. Then the Angel of the Mountains addressed me greeting with Salam and then said: 'Muhammad! Allah (The Glorified and the Exalted) has heard what your people have said to you. I am the Angel of the Mountains and my Lord has sent me to you to carry out your orders. What do you want now to be done? If you like I may crush them between the two mountains encircling the city of Makka. The Holy Prophet (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) replied: (I do not want their destruction) I am still hopeful that Allah will make some of their children (good Muslims) who would worship Allah, the One, without associating anybody with Him. (Bukhari and Muslim).
Now you tell me if the majority of muslims today exhibit this behavior. You may have a very small percentage of the Muslims in this world actually taking the example of the Prophet but so many have been misguided by their pre-islamic culture.
After being in the Arab World(will not call it the muslim world for it has no association to Islam that I can see) I am being exposed to things that I never thought existed. I will give the following examples of what I have come across and then I will give you the Islamic ruling for it..then you can decide whether or not Islam exists in the Arab world or not.
1) Love and Marriage: This one shocked me beyond belief as I thought ignorant practice died a millennium ago. One may wonder how Arabs may fall in love, get married, etc. I thought that the world changed and people became more exposed to a more open and civilized way of interacting with the opposite sex but also adhering to the Islamic principles of communicating with the opposite sex. Well I was so wrong on this one. I came to learn that Egyptians have this obscene saying of "Marry the man that loves you BUT DO NOT marry the man you love." What!!!!!!!!!!? ok I will now tell you why I'm shocked at this. Here's the Islamic ruling and once again you judge: One day a man came to the The Prophet Muhammed ASW asking him to intervene in an issue he was having. The man went to explain that he had a young girl of marriageable age who he is guardian of. The man/guardian had a suitor for her but she rejected him, so the Prophet Muhammed ASW asked him why did the young girl reject this suitor? so the Guardian went to explain that there is another suitor she has presented for herself but he is poor and he preferred the suitor he has chosen because he was rich. So the Prophet Muhammed ASW asked the Guardian a simple question which was: "which one does she love?" and the Guardian responded with "the poor one" then finally the Prophet Muhammed ASW said "then she must marry the one she loves!". Which clearly states that Islam does not allow for arranged marriages or any loveless marriage of any kind. So where do Egyptians get this mentality? it's sheer ignorance.
2) Making things permissible when they are not: In Islam permissible means halal and non-permissible means haram. Very simple, easy to learn and easier to follow, so you would think. Now Islam clearly prohibits consumption of alcohol.
the following are from the Quran:
The prohibition of alcohol occurred in stages and [after] many incidents, for they [the Arabs] used to love to drink it. The first [verse] revealed regarding the matter of alcohol was: "They ask you about alcohol and gambling. Say: 'There is great sin in both although there is some benefit for people…" [Baqarah:219] i.e. [benefit] in their trade. Hence, when this verse was revealed, some people left [alcohol] saying, "We have no need for that in which there is great sin," and some did not leave it saying, "We take [from its] benefit and we leave its sin." Thereafter, the verse was revealed: "Do not approach prayer while you are drunk…" [Nisa:43] So some people left it saying, "We have no need for that which distracts us from the prayer," and some drank it outside the times of prayer until the verse was revealed: "O you who believe! Alcohol, gambling, [sacrificing for] idols, and divining of arrows are only an abomination [of Satan's work…]" [Maidah:90-91]So [alcohol] became prohibited for them such that some of them said, "Allah did not prohibit anything as strictly as alcohol."
…The saying of Allah (may He be exalted), "Avoid it", He means: "Stay away from it and put it aside." Therefore, Allah, exalted He be, ordered for these matters to be avoided. This, combined with [the use of] the imperative form ["Avoid"], the texts of the ahadith [narrations], and 'Ijma of the Ummah [ i.e.:the consensus of the entire Muslim nation], led to the "avoiding" [in the verse] to be [understood] in regards to prohibition, and by this alcohol was prohibited.
So where is the misunderstanding? This is pretty much clear cut and dry! Now someone please explain to me why Egyptians drink like they were Irish? maybe they got the continents confused but they're the wrong color, hmmm let's see maybe there are leprechauns here that I haven't seen, or a pot of gold or the Emerald Isle, not too sure but I think they're confused. Yea..whatever.
The reason why they drink alcohol is because they have literally gone back to the age of ignorance. Alcohol has always been a huge part of the North African and Arab world until it was finally forbidden in Islam.
3) Peaceful Demonstrations vs. Violent Protests: I believe that the difference between the two is simply 'anger'. This is what Islam has to say about "Anger":
Abû Hurayrah relates that a man said to the Prophet (peace be upon him): “Counsel me.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Do not get angry.” The man repeated his request many times, but the Prophet (peace be upon him) kept saying: “Do not get angry.” [ Sahîh al-Bukhârî ]
The importance of this hadith:
The secret behind this hadīth's importance lies in the fact that the Prophet (peace be upon him) limited his counsel to this person in one short instruction: “Do not get angry.” Al-Nawawî informs us that Abû Muhammad `Abd Allah b. Abî Zayd said: “Everything that constitutes good manners can be derived from four hadith…” and mentioned among them the Prophet's statement “…to the one to whom he limited his counsel with: ‘Do not get angry'.”
This statement, given in this context, is rich in meaning. First, by limiting his counsel to this one short instruction, the Prophet (peace be upon us) indicates the importance of controlling one's anger, and that doing so has far-reaching implications for a person's welfare both in the worldly life and in the Hereafter.
Ibn Hajar, in his commentary on this hadith, observes:
The man stated his question repeatedly, hoping to solicit an answer that was more beneficial, or more explanatory, or more general; however he did not give him anything more than that.” [ Fath al-Bârî ]
Secondly, the categorical nature of this brief statement gives the prohibition sweeping implications – since it can be understood to indicate many things, for instance, that we should prevent ourselves from getting angry in the first place, and that we should forbid ourselves from acting according to the dictates of our anger in the event that we become angry.
The statement “Do not get angry” can be understood in another way. Instead of commanding us not to experience the emotion of anger in our hearts, it is telling us not to act upon that emotion when we are beset by it. There is no doubt that this hadith is commanding us to, at the very least, exercise self-restraint when we feel angry. This much is obligatory upon us.
This meaning is clearly conveyed to us by many texts, some of which praise those who control themselves in anger. This implies that feeling anger is not always sinful or blameworthy in and of itself. Indeed, when a person conducts himself properly in anger, he is in fact doing something worthy of praise.
Allah describes the God-fearing as those who restrain themselves in anger. He says: “And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden whose width is that of the heavens and the Earth, prepared for the God-fearing. Who spend in times of ease and times of hardship and who restrain their anger and who pardon people. And Allah loves those who do good.” [ Sûrah `Âl `Imrân : 133-134]
He also says: “And what is with Allah is better and more enduring for those who believe and who rely upon their Lord. And those who avoid the major sins and indecencies, and when they become angry, they forgive.” [ Sûrah al-Shûrâ : 36-37]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The strong man is not the one who can throw another down. The strong man is the one who can keep hold of himself when he is angry.” [ Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim ]
We should seek refuge with Allah when we become angry. Two men began hurling insults at one another in the presence of the Prophet (peace be upon him), each one insulting the other with such anger that his face had turned red. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “I know a word that if one were to say it, what stresses him would go away. If he would but say: ‘I seek refuge with Allah from Satan the Accursed'.” [ Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim ]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) advised us not to speak when we are angry. He said: “If one of you gets angry, he should be quiet.” [ Musnad Ahmad ]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) gave us other practical advice. He said: “If one of you gets angry and he is standing, then he should sit down until his anger subsides. If it does not, then he should lie down.” [ Sunan Abî Dâwûd ]
He also said: “Anger is from Satan, and Satan was created from fire. Fire is but extinguished by water, so if one of you gets angry, he should perform wudû'.” [ Sûnan Abî Dâwûd and Musnad Ahmad ]
Now someone please explain to me why the Egyptians have had violent protests for the past 2 years and then have the audacity to justify them. With the continuing threat to destroy the country if the 'president' they themselves elected doesn't resign. Ok, I'm now absolutely disgusted with their actions.
I don't think I'll pick on them any further as this is enough to make anyone cringe and also form an opinion without getting too deep into their 'dirty laundry'.
One final note as I was reading an article regarding the Coca Cola ads that ran during the American Superbowl. I really had to make a comment here regarding this: Imam Ali Siddiqui, president of the Muslim Institute for Interfaith Studies, said, "The Coke commercial for the Super Bowl is racist, portraying Arabs as backward and foolish Camel Jockeys, and they have no chance to win in the world."
Please note that Allah SWT promised that if muslims leave the realm of Islam and return back to their ignorance then HE will humiliate them. Is this or is this not humiliation? (it's a rhetorical question) but for those who may not know..the answer is: yes, absolutely this is humiliation.
This question came up in conversation with a colleague of mine. She's Danish and new to this country, so she asked me of my opinion. I am a devout Muslim woman, I love Allah SWT, I love Islam, I love the Prophet Muhammad ASW as well as his companions. I do not allow culture to contaminate my Islam as we are warned about this. I don't follow like sheep/I'm not a sheeple. I am an independent woman who knows what I want and what I don't want. I look for my own answers rather than taking someone else's word for it. I research the information before repeating or sharing it. I don't NOT follow Islam through another person's interpretation of it. I go to the source and get the information for myself. I am not Arab. I am Muslim. There is a difference between the two. They are not similar nor do they have nothing in common with one another. They are not even on the same page.
In my opinion the Islamic religion has been hijacked by culture. What the world today sees is not the message that the Prophet Muhammed ASW shared with mankind. The Prophet Muhammad ASW was the messenger of peace, he was ever so kind, honest, loving and peaceful. Prior to Islam he exemplified these attributes and he was known throughout the land as: Qasim(The Distributor),
Mahmood (The Commendable) , Hamid(The Praiser) , Ahmad (The Most Commendable) , Muhammad (The Praised One) ,Rasheed (The Guided) , Hashir(The Awakener),
Noor(light), Faateh (The Victor) , Aqib(The Latest) ,Sha'fin(The Healing) ,Daa'in
(The Invitor) , Nazeer (The Frightener) ,Basheer(The Messenger of Good News) ,
Madani, Muneer, Shafi, Maah(The Obliterator of Infidelity) ,Mahd(The Guided One) ,
Haad(The Leader) ,Hashmi(The Hashmi) ,Teha'mi(The Makkan) , Ummi(The Scholar of the Holy Quran) , Nabi(The Prophet) ,Rasool(The Messenger) ,Raheem(The Merciful) ,Rauf
(The Compassionate) , Hari'sun Alaikum(The Covetous for the Believers) ,Aziz(The Honoured One) . Hujjatun, Naseer, Murtaza(The Beloved One) ,Haqun, Mujtaba(The Selected) ,Ta'ha
(The Ta'Ha'), Wali(The Protector) ,Muzammil(The Wrapped One) ,Waiz,Ya'sin(The Ya'Sin) , Mustafa (The Chosen) , Muti'u , Sabiq, Musaddiq(The Verifier) ,Mateen(The Strong) ,
Muddassir(The Wrapped One) , Saahib(The Companion) ,Yateem(Orphan) Burhan,Muqtasidun,
Aalim(The Scholar) ,Mansoor(The Victorious) ,Nasir(The Helper) ,Tayyib(The Chaste) ,
Arabi(The Arabi) ,Makeen,Qarashi(The Member of The Quraish) ,Sadiq(The Truthful) ,
Hijazi(The Hijazi) ,Murabi'un ,Kareem ,Hakeem(The Wise) ,Aleem, Natiq'un Ameen
(The Honest One) ,Hafiz(The Guardian) ,Faseeh, Gharib'un, Awwal(The First) ,Zakir'un ,
Qa'im, Bayan'un, Mukhtar'un , Habieb, Hashim'un, Khalil(The True Friend) ,Dain ,Nazari'un,
Muntahie'un, Bar'un, Shaheed'un, Nakier'un ,M'araj'un, Shafi'un, Mutabi'un, Mahdiyun,
Fasieh'un, Ghani , Mutahhar, Hamied'un ,Qayim'un, The Mashkoor(The Thankful) ,
Khatim'un, Rasool'un, Mutawasit'un, Muzakkir(The Adviser) ,Zahir'un, Imam(The Guide),
Khatieb'un , Aadil(The Just), Jawwod(The Generous).
These were the nicknames that he had prior to and during the time of Islam. Read the following and you will understand who he was. The following are hadiths, a hadith is a saying or an act of Prophet Muhammad. We were advised to use the example of the Prophet Muhammed ASW so to follow by example. He is the perfect example of how the Quran is to be followed.
Here are a few examples of what I am talking about:
Hadrat Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) said: the Prophet (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) was asked to curse the infidels. He said, "I have not been sent to curse people but as a mercy to all mankind." (Muslim)
Mother of faithful believers Hadrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said that she once asked the Holy Prophet (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him): 'Did you face a day severer than the day of the battle of Uhud? 'He answered: 'Yes I have experienced such things at the hands of your people and such a day was the day of Aqabah. On this day I presented myself to Abdi lail bin Abd Kulal and offered him Islam, but he failed to make any response to what I had offered to him. I therefore, left with a heavy heart and depressed. I felt some relief only when I reached Qarn Sa'alib. Here I looked up and saw a cloud covering me. In this cloud I saw Angel Jibril (peace be upon him) who called me and said: Allah, the Most High, has heard what your people have said to you and the response to your offer. Allah has now sent the Angel of the Mountains to you to carry out your orders to do what you might like to be done to them. Then the Angel of the Mountains addressed me greeting with Salam and then said: 'Muhammad! Allah (The Glorified and the Exalted) has heard what your people have said to you. I am the Angel of the Mountains and my Lord has sent me to you to carry out your orders. What do you want now to be done? If you like I may crush them between the two mountains encircling the city of Makka. The Holy Prophet (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) replied: (I do not want their destruction) I am still hopeful that Allah will make some of their children (good Muslims) who would worship Allah, the One, without associating anybody with Him. (Bukhari and Muslim).
Now you tell me if the majority of muslims today exhibit this behavior. You may have a very small percentage of the Muslims in this world actually taking the example of the Prophet but so many have been misguided by their pre-islamic culture.
After being in the Arab World(will not call it the muslim world for it has no association to Islam that I can see) I am being exposed to things that I never thought existed. I will give the following examples of what I have come across and then I will give you the Islamic ruling for it..then you can decide whether or not Islam exists in the Arab world or not.
1) Love and Marriage: This one shocked me beyond belief as I thought ignorant practice died a millennium ago. One may wonder how Arabs may fall in love, get married, etc. I thought that the world changed and people became more exposed to a more open and civilized way of interacting with the opposite sex but also adhering to the Islamic principles of communicating with the opposite sex. Well I was so wrong on this one. I came to learn that Egyptians have this obscene saying of "Marry the man that loves you BUT DO NOT marry the man you love." What!!!!!!!!!!? ok I will now tell you why I'm shocked at this. Here's the Islamic ruling and once again you judge: One day a man came to the The Prophet Muhammed ASW asking him to intervene in an issue he was having. The man went to explain that he had a young girl of marriageable age who he is guardian of. The man/guardian had a suitor for her but she rejected him, so the Prophet Muhammed ASW asked him why did the young girl reject this suitor? so the Guardian went to explain that there is another suitor she has presented for herself but he is poor and he preferred the suitor he has chosen because he was rich. So the Prophet Muhammed ASW asked the Guardian a simple question which was: "which one does she love?" and the Guardian responded with "the poor one" then finally the Prophet Muhammed ASW said "then she must marry the one she loves!". Which clearly states that Islam does not allow for arranged marriages or any loveless marriage of any kind. So where do Egyptians get this mentality? it's sheer ignorance.
2) Making things permissible when they are not: In Islam permissible means halal and non-permissible means haram. Very simple, easy to learn and easier to follow, so you would think. Now Islam clearly prohibits consumption of alcohol.
the following are from the Quran:
The prohibition of alcohol occurred in stages and [after] many incidents, for they [the Arabs] used to love to drink it. The first [verse] revealed regarding the matter of alcohol was: "They ask you about alcohol and gambling. Say: 'There is great sin in both although there is some benefit for people…" [Baqarah:219] i.e. [benefit] in their trade. Hence, when this verse was revealed, some people left [alcohol] saying, "We have no need for that in which there is great sin," and some did not leave it saying, "We take [from its] benefit and we leave its sin." Thereafter, the verse was revealed: "Do not approach prayer while you are drunk…" [Nisa:43] So some people left it saying, "We have no need for that which distracts us from the prayer," and some drank it outside the times of prayer until the verse was revealed: "O you who believe! Alcohol, gambling, [sacrificing for] idols, and divining of arrows are only an abomination [of Satan's work…]" [Maidah:90-91]So [alcohol] became prohibited for them such that some of them said, "Allah did not prohibit anything as strictly as alcohol."
…The saying of Allah (may He be exalted), "Avoid it", He means: "Stay away from it and put it aside." Therefore, Allah, exalted He be, ordered for these matters to be avoided. This, combined with [the use of] the imperative form ["Avoid"], the texts of the ahadith [narrations], and 'Ijma of the Ummah [ i.e.:the consensus of the entire Muslim nation], led to the "avoiding" [in the verse] to be [understood] in regards to prohibition, and by this alcohol was prohibited.
So where is the misunderstanding? This is pretty much clear cut and dry! Now someone please explain to me why Egyptians drink like they were Irish? maybe they got the continents confused but they're the wrong color, hmmm let's see maybe there are leprechauns here that I haven't seen, or a pot of gold or the Emerald Isle, not too sure but I think they're confused. Yea..whatever.
The reason why they drink alcohol is because they have literally gone back to the age of ignorance. Alcohol has always been a huge part of the North African and Arab world until it was finally forbidden in Islam.
3) Peaceful Demonstrations vs. Violent Protests: I believe that the difference between the two is simply 'anger'. This is what Islam has to say about "Anger":
Abû Hurayrah relates that a man said to the Prophet (peace be upon him): “Counsel me.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Do not get angry.” The man repeated his request many times, but the Prophet (peace be upon him) kept saying: “Do not get angry.” [ Sahîh al-Bukhârî ]
The importance of this hadith:
The secret behind this hadīth's importance lies in the fact that the Prophet (peace be upon him) limited his counsel to this person in one short instruction: “Do not get angry.” Al-Nawawî informs us that Abû Muhammad `Abd Allah b. Abî Zayd said: “Everything that constitutes good manners can be derived from four hadith…” and mentioned among them the Prophet's statement “…to the one to whom he limited his counsel with: ‘Do not get angry'.”
This statement, given in this context, is rich in meaning. First, by limiting his counsel to this one short instruction, the Prophet (peace be upon us) indicates the importance of controlling one's anger, and that doing so has far-reaching implications for a person's welfare both in the worldly life and in the Hereafter.
Ibn Hajar, in his commentary on this hadith, observes:
The man stated his question repeatedly, hoping to solicit an answer that was more beneficial, or more explanatory, or more general; however he did not give him anything more than that.” [ Fath al-Bârî ]
Secondly, the categorical nature of this brief statement gives the prohibition sweeping implications – since it can be understood to indicate many things, for instance, that we should prevent ourselves from getting angry in the first place, and that we should forbid ourselves from acting according to the dictates of our anger in the event that we become angry.
The statement “Do not get angry” can be understood in another way. Instead of commanding us not to experience the emotion of anger in our hearts, it is telling us not to act upon that emotion when we are beset by it. There is no doubt that this hadith is commanding us to, at the very least, exercise self-restraint when we feel angry. This much is obligatory upon us.
This meaning is clearly conveyed to us by many texts, some of which praise those who control themselves in anger. This implies that feeling anger is not always sinful or blameworthy in and of itself. Indeed, when a person conducts himself properly in anger, he is in fact doing something worthy of praise.
Allah describes the God-fearing as those who restrain themselves in anger. He says: “And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden whose width is that of the heavens and the Earth, prepared for the God-fearing. Who spend in times of ease and times of hardship and who restrain their anger and who pardon people. And Allah loves those who do good.” [ Sûrah `Âl `Imrân : 133-134]
He also says: “And what is with Allah is better and more enduring for those who believe and who rely upon their Lord. And those who avoid the major sins and indecencies, and when they become angry, they forgive.” [ Sûrah al-Shûrâ : 36-37]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The strong man is not the one who can throw another down. The strong man is the one who can keep hold of himself when he is angry.” [ Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim ]
We should seek refuge with Allah when we become angry. Two men began hurling insults at one another in the presence of the Prophet (peace be upon him), each one insulting the other with such anger that his face had turned red. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “I know a word that if one were to say it, what stresses him would go away. If he would but say: ‘I seek refuge with Allah from Satan the Accursed'.” [ Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim ]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) advised us not to speak when we are angry. He said: “If one of you gets angry, he should be quiet.” [ Musnad Ahmad ]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) gave us other practical advice. He said: “If one of you gets angry and he is standing, then he should sit down until his anger subsides. If it does not, then he should lie down.” [ Sunan Abî Dâwûd ]
He also said: “Anger is from Satan, and Satan was created from fire. Fire is but extinguished by water, so if one of you gets angry, he should perform wudû'.” [ Sûnan Abî Dâwûd and Musnad Ahmad ]
Now someone please explain to me why the Egyptians have had violent protests for the past 2 years and then have the audacity to justify them. With the continuing threat to destroy the country if the 'president' they themselves elected doesn't resign. Ok, I'm now absolutely disgusted with their actions.
I don't think I'll pick on them any further as this is enough to make anyone cringe and also form an opinion without getting too deep into their 'dirty laundry'.
One final note as I was reading an article regarding the Coca Cola ads that ran during the American Superbowl. I really had to make a comment here regarding this: Imam Ali Siddiqui, president of the Muslim Institute for Interfaith Studies, said, "The Coke commercial for the Super Bowl is racist, portraying Arabs as backward and foolish Camel Jockeys, and they have no chance to win in the world."
Please note that Allah SWT promised that if muslims leave the realm of Islam and return back to their ignorance then HE will humiliate them. Is this or is this not humiliation? (it's a rhetorical question) but for those who may not know..the answer is: yes, absolutely this is humiliation.
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