Alhamdulillah, after the problems with the first server, I have now purchased a new one:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130245153640

Yes, it’s more than I intended to pay. But if you divide it over a year it’s only 35.25 per month?

Insha’ Allah this server will host all of Islamactive’s video and audio files.

Then we can finally move from Islamactive.net to here.

A bit more patience and we’re almost there!

Wa salam.

Abu Zayd.

1. Smile at them!
2. Help them with something.
3. Call just to see how they’re doing.
4. Tell a joke
5. Say I love you
6. Give them a cherished book.
7. Tell a joke
8. Greet them with the full Islamic greeting *
9. Tell them that you are missing them

* As-salamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu

1. Does your iman (faith) go very high and very low, up and down? 1 point
2. Do you think a man should only have one wife? 1 point
3. Do you think of marriage as a match held together by love, a luvvy/duvvy, hollywood/bollywood affair? 1 point
4. Are you planning to have 2/3 kids at the most and give them the best? 1 point
5. When you hear a speaker and you like what he says, do you want to get his autograph? 1 point
6. Do you prefer to get your knowledge from audio tapes and videos rather than sitting with a scholar? 1 point
7. Are you a member of blockbuster, movieland or any other video store? 1 point
8. Do you wait for the latest J.Lo, Eminem or whatever other music CD, or do you wait for the latest Islamic books or both? Music: 2 points both: 1 point
9. Do you spend more time reading Vogue, Clio, Dolly / pursuing hobbies that interests you / watching footie than reading the Qur’an and seeking Islamic knowledge? 1 point
10. Would you prefer to take a mortgage rather than be content on rent? 5/10/15 points!

That is my brief guide to whether you are Coca-Cola Muslim or not. I hope all of us didn’t score too many points! I won’t tell you what my score was, but we hope Allah guides all of us to what is best for us.

Full video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8465oLQCOM

If the thought of the answer to this question isn’t an emphatic ‘YES!’, then you probably suffered the same thing as me.

So I asked my friend whilst driving. He responded with a simple bit of advice that insha’ Allah will benefit me for a long time to come, and I wanted to share it. He said:

“Brother, don’t be ashamed of being a Muslim.”

My immediate reaction was denial: I didn’t want to accept this diagnosis. But the reality is that it was true. Why am I embrassed by my Islamic actions?

Cure

This disease had affected me in all kinds of ways. Avoiding praying in public, not uttering Islamic words and phrases out loud, hiding titles of books that I read, refraining from mentioning Islam publicly, etc, etc.

But my friend’s advice hit me quite hard. Why was I like this? Is it really something to be ashamed of? Who cares what other people think? Who cares what other people think!

For me the cure was easy. Just think about the greatness and beauty of this deen and realise that it’s truly something to be proud of.

And as for the favor of your Lord, do announce (it).

[93:11]

Bismillah

How many of us say ‘Bismillah’ out loud in front of non-Muslims when we eat at work or with them? If you don’t ask yourself why?

When the Prophet [s] left at-Ta’if after the persecution, he made a wonderful supplication. This is an excerpt of the story taken from Islambasics.com:

The wall near which the Prophet [s] was sitting belonged to a garden owned by two brothers. When they heard his prayer, they were very sorry for him and sent one of their slaves to him with a dish filled with grapes. Before he began to eat, the Prophet [s] said ‘Bismillah‘ - ‘In the Name of Allah .’ The servant, whose name was ‘Addas, was very surprised at these words, which he had never heard before. ‘By Allah ’, said ‘Addas, ‘this is not the way the people of this country speak.’

The conversation that ensued led ‘Addas to declare his acceptance of Islam. Subhanallah!

I hope this serves as a beneficial reminder to us all.

by Mariam from the blog “The Seventeen”

Cute Hijabs, matching tight pants, perfectly manicured hands drumming restlessly to the beat of the latest Nasheed pop;
Nice rides, sipping café lattes, halaqas embraced in the depths of cozy rooms, speaking of distant dreams and privileged existences.
Do we know the real struggle?
ISNA club, throngs of fans milling air conditioned convention halls, pop star speakers glimmer in the spot light, beckoning distant hearts to spirituality and deeper lives; chastising in that “oh so mesmerizing voice”; as the crowd yells a deep bass “Takbir” followed by shrills of “Allahu Akbar”…
Do we really comprehend the Greatness of our Creator?
Trekking the globe in search of meaning, disenchanted existences within treasure filled homes, dreams of substance blocked by trivial minds; apathy radiates in different colors; squeezing potential out of our beings like deep soaked sponges inflated by muddy waters;
Can meaning seep into a suffocated heart?
Following zigzag paths of nothingness; in search of “Deen” or “the other half of my Deen” whatever comes first. So we step in style, mouthfuls of “Subhana Allah ”; gleeful “Mashaallah”; echoing from empty hearts frenzied by empty lives.
Scratching the surface of submission; echoing lines from distant lives; dreams of greatness shelved away; as we pander our “Proud to Be Muslim” shirts; cheap prices for cheaper wares.
Pardon my jaded writing…perhaps I forgot the subtle depths of this struggle; as I begin to still the meaningless symbols clanging in my heart;
Please remind me:
Do rays of the Divine
ever
illuminate
these
darkened
c o r n e r s ?

I had planned the move from Islamactive.net to here by this time.

However, I purchased a server but it turned out to be faulty, so now I’m looking for a new one. This is what has caused the delay.

Apologies, but soon insha’ Allah - we will have a great website up and running with tons of downloadable audio and video… stay tuned.

Wa salam,

Abu Zayd.

It’s really simple to proove. If there was a Gay gene then all Gay people with an identical twin would find there twin to be Gay as well. This is because they have exactly the same genetic information - the DNA. However, in reality, this is not the case. Many Gay people find there identical twin to be straight.

So what causes Homosexuality? Well if the factor isn’t genetic, it must be environmental. Meaning some influence coming into effect on the individual from the environment. And what greater influence than that of Satan?

Gay people are tempted with this twisted desire that Satan lures them with. And most of them express it instead of supressing it. We all have some kind of wrong and blameworthy desire that effects us, but the best of us are those who seek Allah ’s refuge and shun the evil.

So he wanted to know if he can make Tawbah (repentance). But he knows his situation is so bad, that there might even not be a chance to do so.

So he says I want to go and ask a question: “can you show me somebody who has knowledge?” They show somebody who was an ‘abid (worshipper), he wasn’t a scholar. So he goes to this ‘abid.’ This ‘abid is someone who is very into the worship of Allah ‘azza wa jall, and he looks down upon sins and he frowns upon these major sins. So this man goes to him and tells him: “I’ve killed 99 human beings, can God forgive me?” He said, “What have you done!? Allah can never forgive such a person!”

So what does he do? He kills him!

Terrible situation

It shows you how terrible the situation of this man was. Because he didn’t like this mans fatwah, he ended up killing the man! That’s how easy killing was to him. That’s how simple it was to take a away a sacred life of another human being. And he’s killing an ‘abid - someone who is close to Allah . He just kills him because he didn’t like his opinion!

But still there is some good in his heart. He wants to try again, this time they direct him to a wise person - a scholar. The scholar tells him “who can stand between you and tawbah? Who is it that can prevent you from Tawbah. Allah will accept your Tawbah, but you have to leave this town, because this is a town of evil. And you have to go to that other town because there are good people over there who will assist you in worshipping Allah .”

So the scholar said yes, you have a chance, you have hope. However, everything in this town is reminding you with sin… so you have to change your environment.

So this man left. He sacrificed and he made Hijrah (migration).

Angels disupte

It was the qadr of Allah that he dies and he does not reach the other town. So the angels of mercy and the angels of punishment come down. And each one of these angels is claiming his soul. The angels of punishment say he belongs to us because he did not reach the other town yet, so he should go to Hell-fire. While the angels of mercy say no he belongs to us because he came out with the intention ofTawbah. And they couldn’t solve this dispute.

So Allah sends down another angel to solve the dispute among them. So this angel comes and says the way you solve this problem is that you measure the distance between the place where you died and the original town, and you measure the distance between the place where he died and the other town. If you find him close to his town, then you should take him to Hell-fire. If you find him closer to the other town, the town of Tawbah, then he goes to Jannah.

This hadith is in Bukhari. The Messenger of Allah [s] says he was actually closer to his town. When the angels were measuring the distance, Allah ‘azza wa jall ordered the Earth to change its dimensions. So the distance between him and his town were expanded, and the distance between him and the other town was retracted. So when they measured the distance they found him closer to the other town so he went to Jannah!

Allah ‘azza wa jall could have made him die closer to the other town. But Allah ‘azza wa jall wants to show us - how willing he is to give mercy on his servents who want Tawbah, who want forgiveness. Allah ‘azza wa jall is willing to change the dimensions of the Earth - just so he can grant forgiveness and grant Tawbah. So what can stand between you and Tawbah? Nothing. Ask Allah for forgiveness and He will forgive you, make Tawbah to Allah ‘azza wa jall and he will accept it. As long as you repent and you feel sorry for what you have done. Because the Messenger of Allah [s] said that Tawbah is regret.

The most imortant aspect of Tawbah is that you feel sorry for what you have done. And then you ask Allah ‘azza wa jall and be assured that Allah ‘azza wa jall is merciful and forgiving,

This may be obvious, but sincerity is tops. It’s no good if it’s not for Allah alone! Don’t look for fame or respect or any of that, ’cause you have to learn not to care too much about people. That doesn’t mean like some da’ee’s (a caller to Allah ) think that you have to say everything, there’s a time and place.

Next is to read the Qur’an A LOT. I mean you need to KNOW it, know what it’s saying, and think hard. For a while I used to read the whole Qur’an nearly every week. All the answers are there if you look hard enough and think.

Then you need to read the authentic hadith, Bukhari, Muslim. Riyahus Saliheen should be a companion.

Know the correct ‘aqidah, which is the ‘aqidah of the Salaf. I recommend Yasir Qadhi’s books as a good start.

Next know the Seerah, know it so you can sit and tell it from memory, and the stories of the Prophets. Learn to tell them. Sit with your young cousins, nieces and nephews and tell them stories so that they are sitting on the edge of their seats. If you can hold their attention its a good start.

If you want to learn to think on your feet go down to Speakers Corner regularly and speak there. If you can speak there you can speak anywhere!

Then read, read, read… philosophy, history, psychology, science, politics, the classics. Watch good documentaries and through all of this TAKE NOTES and analyse. Write your ideas down, for yourself.

One of the most useful tools I use to prepare my lectures is mind mapping. Tony Bezan is the man, check out his books on the subject.

Then listen to the great da’ees and use their ideas and make them your own. A lot of my stuff is borrowed and then made to fit my style. Bilal Phillips, Yusuf Estes, Khalid Yasin, Dr Zakir Naik and Ahmed Deedat, Yasir Qadhi, Abdullah Hakeem Quick are some of the greats and of course there are others. Hey you can even benefit from old Tony Blair, whatever I think of him he was a great orator!

And then did I mention READ! Then read some more.

You’ll need to know the great scholars of our times and access their fatwas. There’s plenty in English, alhamdulillah, and if you don’t know ask! If you have any question first research it yourself and try hard to think what the answer might be and then ask the people of knowledge and see if you can know what arguments they use and the evidence they bring. When people ask questions don’t give your opinions since in fact your not entitled to one, just to state which scholars position you think is correct.

Always be humble in such matters, and although you may be sure you know the answer there could always be something you or someone missed.

Learn and cultivate good manners and a friendly attitude.

Also don’t over do it. Gently, moderately, or else you’ll be burnt out!

Yours in Islam,

ARG

excerpt from the Islamsgreen.org blog

Why is this? What is the psychology behind it?

And we Muslims have not done much to be different. I hear so many complaints and so little positive remarks.

Sometimes I wonder: did the Prophet [s] ever complain? I’ve never seen a hadith to suggest that he did.

Definition

What is complaining? According to answers.com, one definition is “To whine or find fault with something or someone.” Another is to ‘grumble about’.

If someone was to define us with the above description, would we be happy?

So why do we complain so much?

Let us make efforts to turn that statistic around - by telling 10 people about positive experiences and 1 person about a negative experience.