I can say with 100% certainty that if I truly did not believe that this world was created by an all-knowing God that I would “off” myself without even having to put much thought into it. Who would want to live in a world where unjustified violence and oppression exists? Who would want to live in a world where the final destination of a man who lives a life of good actions is EXACTLY equivalent to him who lives a life of crime and violence?

If I did not think that there was an after-life; and that man will not be held accountable for all of his actions; and that after one’s death, nothing at all happens; then what’s the point of living? Wouldn’t killing myself just get me there quicker? Why put myself through all the pain and suffering which we all inevitably experience here on earth if I don’t have to?

Let me tell you a story about a young boy named Michael. Michael is one of five children in his family and was born and raised in Canada by a lower-middle class Mom and Dad. Mom and Dad immigrated to Canada from a foreign country in search for a better life for their two young boys in the early 80′s. Upon settling in a small town in Southern Ontario, they had 3 more children. Michael was one of them. Michael didn’t have much of a choice when it came to the matter of his existence, and as he would learn later in life, he would have actually preferred to have a choice so he could say, “No, I don’t want to exist!”. But Michael wasn’t there when Mom and Dad were procreating to stop them from bringing himself into existence, a process which always begins from a single sperm cell – a miracle within itself. Michael did not choose to be born into a lower-middle-class family, nor did he choose to have a black father or a white mother. Needless to say, I think it’s pretty obvious that Michael didn’t have even the slightest choice in his physical appearance…

And so the story goes on. Michael is born nine months later on a cool fall evening. It’s a joyous occasion and his parents are very grateful that he is a healthy child with no complications. Now let’s fast forward five years. Michael is in kindergarten. Everything is going great and Michael is making friends. What a classic Jim Dandy situation we have here! Let’s fast forward another year. Now Michael is 6. Things aren’t quite Jim Dandy anymore. I mean, things are good… but not as quite as good as they were last year. So instead of being Jim Dandy, things are only Dandy. Michael starts to notice that he is being treated a little differently than everyone else by his peers. He’s not quite sure why and he has an incredible amount of difficulty trying to explain this to his parents. He finds it kind of weird that he has to give other children in his class his lunch and candy so they stop calling him names. But it solves the issue of name-calling so Michael is thankful for that and doesn’t complain.

Now let’s fast forward another year. If you’re still following me, Michael is now 7 years old. Things definitely aren’t Jim Dandy anymore. Heck, they’re not even Dandy! Truthfully, things are getting worse by the day and Michael is struggling to understand why- after all, he’s only 7 years old. He feels like he’s the only one in the playground being followed around by a group of boys with a walkie-talkie, communicating to another group of boys what they’re doing- following a helpless child with a stick and poking fun at him. Michael was taught “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”. Unfortunately, we’re led to believe that nobody was learned enough in the matter to explain to Michael that words can actually cause much more damage than sticks and stones ever could. I’m referring to psychological damage, of course. It wasn’t until a boy shouted “Hey chocolate face!” that Michael FINALLY understood why he was being treated the way he was. And he felt pretty stupid that he couldn’t figure it out earlier. Of course it was because of his skin colour! It’s not like the rest of his classmates weren’t predominantly white or anything.

Michael didn’t understand why skin colour would be a justifiable basis for mistreating someone, but at least he had some sort of blurry explanation as to why he was being treated differently – or so he thought. He would later learn that people would also treat him differently because of his beliefs… but that’s a whole other story on its own. Over the next few days, the “chocolate face” name-calling gained popularity with other children. Michael responded by shouting back “Shut up, vanilla face! Chocolate tastes better anyway!”. After a few weeks Michael couldn’t handle it any more. He still didn’t want to bring it to the attention of his parents, for life at home had it’s own set of challenges. So he did the only thing he knew how to do well – he prayed. He probably prayed more than all the other seven year olds he knew combined. “What was he praying for?”, you might be wondering. Simple: He asked God if he could be white – even for just a day! He picked a random day where he believed that God would fulfill his dream.

When that day arrived, Michael woke up in the morning. He didn’t really consider how physically impossible it would be for him to turn white over night, but he was so convinced that it would happen. The first thing Michael did when he woke up was look in the mirror. Imagine his surprise! He was still a “chocolate face”! Michael was angry, upset and confused. “I thought God loved me!” he wondered. “Why wouldn’t he answer my prayers if he loved me? I prayed so much!”. Michael was much too young to even understand the questions he was asking, let alone trying to find an answer that would make sense. So he did the only thing a young, emotionally confused boy could do. He crawled back into bed and began weeping. He shed so many tears that his pillow case looked like it just came out of a washing machine. He pretended to be sick that day so he could avoid going to school. Luckily, it worked. His mother was a stay at home mom so he spent the day with her while his father rushed off to work and his siblings went to school… including his younger five year-old brother who had just started kindergarten.

Micheal thought he was clever and deceived his mother into thinking he was sick. While the rest of the family attended to their daily affairs, the middle-sized suburban house was occupied only by Micheal and his mother. She called him into the kitchen. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “I don’t feel well” replied Micheal who thought he would have to keep up his clever little lie in order to avoid disappointing his mother. “Why don’t you tell me what’s really bothering you?” asked his mother. Micheal just stared at her. His mother was smiling. Micheal knew that no matter how clever he thought he was, he was obviously no match for the wisdom and thoughtfulness which his loving mother possessed. Micheal sat in her lap and tried explaining that kids at school were making fun of him and he wasn’t quite sure why. “They call me chocolate face and say my clothes are too fancy” recalled Michael. His mother hugged him and explained, “God works in mysterious ways, my dear son. We cannot question His wisdom nor can we comprehend it”. His mother had nothing else to add except for, “Keep a close relationship with your Lord and he will never abandon you. Live up to your name!”.

And this is where I’m going to end this story. There’s no sense continuing because after that conversation with his mother, Micheal never felt better. He understood that some things, while they may never be fully understood, they can actually be in his benefit despite his own biased thoughts. And it’s for that reason that one of my favorite prayers is “Oh God, give the the ability to see things for what they are and not what they appear to be.”

Now I have a question for you: Would you agree that this seven year old boy named Micheal went through a lot of emotional pain and suffering prior to this conversation with his mother? Would you not agree that someone who goes through this level of pain would at least consider suicide as a way to put an end to it? And don’t think for a second that he didn’t. For I’m sure as you’ve guessed by now, that little seven year old boy’s name was not actually Michael. It was Ahmed. And Ahmed is now 24 years old and he is sitting in front of his computer at 5AM with a few tears in his eyes on a Thursday morning as he relives his childhood from memory.

You see, the truth is that we do live in a world of pain and suffering. And it’s up to us to endure those difficulties and overcome them in order to enjoy an eternal life of happiness in the hereafter. Everyone is faced with their own trials and tribulations. And it’s not going to be easy. Bear in mind that:

“After hardship comes ease. Verily after hardship will be ease” – Quran, 94:5-6

“Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear. It will have [the consequence of] what [good] it has gained, and it will bear [the consequence of] what [evil] it has earned. Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred. Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, and burden us not with that which we have no ability to bear. And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy upon us…” – Quran, 2:286

“Does Mankind think that it is sufficient in saying, “We believe” without being tested?” – Quran, 29:2

“O mankind, you are those in need of Allah, while Allah is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy. If He wills, He can do away with you and bring forth a new creation. And that is for Allah not difficult. And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. And if a heavily laden soul calls [another] to [carry some of] its load, nothing of it will be carried, even if he should be a close relative. You can only warn those who fear their Lord unseen and have established prayer. And whoever purifies himself only purifies himself for [the benefit of] his soul. And to Allah is the [final] destination.” – Quran, 35:15-18

For philosophers, suicide raises a host of conceptual, theological, moral, and psychological questions. Among these questions are: What makes a person’s behavior suicidal? What motivates such behavior? Is suicide morally permissible, or even morally required in some extraordinary circumstances? Is suicidal behavior rational?

Plato suggests at least some men, namely the wise or wisest (a class that includes and may even be restricted to, philosophers) are willing, perhaps even eager, to die.

Socrates tells Phaedo that Man ought not to kill himself because he possesses no actual ownership of himself, as he is actually the property of the gods. He says, “I too believe that the gods are our guardians, and that we men are a chattel of theirs”. While the philosopher seeks always to rid himself of the body, and to focus solely on things concerning the soul, to commit suicide is prohibited as man is not the sole possessor of his body. For, as stated in the Phaedo: “the philosopher more than other men frees the soul from association with the body as much as possible” . Body and soul are separate, then. The philosopher frees himself from the body because the body is an impediment to the attainment of truth.

Another important point I want to mention before I sign off on this blog post is the importance a strong family backbone. I have nothing against women working and I actually encourage it. However it is important to at least consider the opportunity cost you are foregoing if you are a career woman with children at home. Is neglecting your children really justified by earning a few extra dollars? For if it wasn’t for my mother and her wisdom, who knows… The Ahmed we all know today could have been dead if she wasn’t mindful of what I was going through (something which could have easily been overlooked with the distraction of work). Or worse, I could have ended up down a completely different path and led a life of violence and crime. I did not address the issues faced by a single mother because I am not personally familiar with it and it does not relate to the topic of this blog post. However, I hope to discuss that issue in a future post.

I want to end by saying that I do not intend to impose my belief on anyone. I am just a person who has lived through some difficulty, as well all have. I am merely trying to fulfill my responsibility as a rational human being by informing those who haven’t had the opportunity to consider alternative perspectives on life and our existence here on earth.

Peace,
Ahmed Rizk

Imam Ahmad used to mention the virtues of his sheikh, Imam Al-Shafi’ee to his wife. He would mention to her the extensive and superb knowledge of Imam Al-Shafi’ee as well as his taqwah (i.e. piety). Imam Ahmad invited Imam Al-Shafi’ee to come visit him at his home. When the time for dinner arrived, Imam Al-Shafi’ee ate until he was full and went to the guest room for some sleep.

The wife of Imam Ahmad said to him: “O Ahmad! Is this the same Shafi’ee that you used to tell me so much about?” Imam Ahmad said: “Indeed he is!” So she said: “I noticed three things about him worthy of criticism! Firstly, when we served him the food, he ate plenty of it! Secondly, when he went into the guest room, he went to sleep without standing up to perform the night prayer (i.e. tahujjud)! Lastly, when he prayed Salat ul Fajr with us, he did not perform ablution (i.e. wudhu)?!

So Imam Ahmad went to Imam Al-Shafi’ee to ask him about these three matters his wife noticed. Imam Al-Shafi’ee said to him, (the way a father would explain to his son): “O Ahmad! I ate plenty because I know for certain that your food is halal (i.e. permissible islamically) and you are a generous man! And the food that comes from a generous man is a cure, while the food that comes from a stingy man is a disease!

However, I didn’t eat plenty of food in order to achieve my fill; rather I ate plenty of your food in order to derive the cure from it! As for the reason I didn’t stand up at night to perform the night prayer, when I laid my head down to get some sleep, I looked and all I could see was the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet (Sallahu alaihi wa salam) right in front of my face! So I deducted 72 fiqh related benefits from them for the Muslims to benefit from. Thus there was no opportunity for me to stand and perform the night prayer!

As for the reason why I prayed Salat ul Fajr without performing ablution, by Allah! My eyes never tasted the sweetness of sleep in order for me to renew my wudhu!! I was awake the whole night, so I prayed Salat ul Fajr with the same wudhu I had for Salat ul Isha!!!

Collected by Al Hafidh Ibn Hajr in Fath ul Bari concisely and by Abu Nu’aim in Hilya tul Awliyaa’
Translated by Abu Azzubayr Shadeed Muhammad

What happened? The lizard has survived in such position for 5 years! In a dark wall partition for 5 years without moving, it’s impossible and mind-boggling. Then he wondered how this lizard survived for 5 years without moving a single step since its foot was nailed to the wall. So he stopped his work and observed the lizard, what it has been doing, and what and how it has been eating. Later, not knowing from where it came, appears another lizard, with food in its mouth. Ah! He was stunned and touched deeply. For the lizard that was trapped, another lizard had been feeding it for the past 5 years… Imagine! It has been doing that untiringly for 5 long years, without giving up hope on its partner.

Imagine what a small creature can do that a creature blessed with a brilliant mind can’t. Never abandon your loved ones!

Lesson from the Story: Never say you are busy when they really need you…

You may have the entire world at your feet. But you might be the only world to them.

A moment of negligence might break the very heart which loves you through all odds. It takes a moment to break but an entire lifetime to make.

After a few days, the man’s horse returned, and with him were several other horses. His neighbours came to congratulate him for his good fortune; however the man replied, “What makes you think this is good?”

Not many days had passed, when his son fell off a horse while attempting to train it. The son ended up breaking his leg.The man’s neighbours came to visit and offered condolences for the bad luck. The man replied, “What makes you think this is bad?”

Weeks passed, and the youth in the village were drafted to go to war. The man’s son was exempt due to his broken leg.

Many of the youth were lost in the war.

******

As such, tough times pave the way for good times; and good times pave the way for tough times and so on.

Those of wisdom do not dwell in sadness for something that has passed them. This is because they are not certain if that which has passed them is indeed unfortunate or a hidden blessing which will prevent a greater misfortune.

Similarly, people of wisdom do not rejoice at good fortune. Rather they show thanks in moderation and endure sad times with patience and forbearance. What appears to be good fortune may be something which leads to destruction and vice versa.

True happiness comes from understanding what it means to be content with Divine Decree and accepting destiny with resilience and faith…

Indeed, those are truly, the gratified.

source: http://sites.google.com/site/coctailworldgroup/

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There are a few different narrations of this story. The text below is slightly different than the video above.

It was just after mid-day when a villager decided it was about time he went to visit some friends in another village far away. He hadn’t visited his friends for a long time.

He had been walking for an hour or so when he saw a figure in the distance. He thought to himself “It would be nice to have someone to walk with”, so he decided to run and catch up with the man. Now the man he had seen in the distance wasn’t just any man, he was no less than Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him.

When the man finally caught up with Prophet Jesus he was a little out of breath and asked if he would mind if he accompanied him. The man did not recognize the Prophet, he thought he was just another ordinary traveler like himself.

Prophet Jesus agreed, so they walked along together until they reached the bank of a river where they decided to rest for a while. Now between them they had three loaves of bread to share. The man ate one, Prophet Jesus ate another and there was one left over. After Prophet Jesus had finished eating his loaf, he went down to the river to drink some water. The water was cool and very refreshing and he thanked God for all His blessings.

When Prophet Jesus returned to his companion he looked for the third loaf of bread but there was no sign of it — not even a crumb, so the Prophet asked: “Who has taken the loaf?” The man looked at the Prophet, shrugged his shoulders and said: “I don’t know.” Jesus made no comment and the two set off again on their journey.

Farther down the river they came across some trees growing besides its bank. The leaves fluttered gently in the breeze, and there, among the trees stood a deer with its young fawn. Prophet Jesus called and it came to him. Then he slaughtered and roasted it and the two men enjoyed a fine meal.
After they had finished eating, Prophet Jesus turned to the remaining portion of the deer and said: “By the permission of God, stand up!” And the deer became whole and stood up just as if nothing had ever happened and ran off into the trees. It was indeed a wonderful miracle.

Prophet Jesus asked the man again: “I ask you by God who has shown you this sign, who took the loaf?” The man looked at him and replied: “I don’t know.”

The two men walked on for a long, long time until they reached a flooded valley. There was absolutely no way in which they could cross it. So, Prophet Jesus took the man by his hand and together they walked over the water by the permission of God. It was another miracle.

When they reached the other side of the valley, Prophet Jesus asked the man once again: “I ask you by God, who has given you this sign — who took the loaf?” The man looked at him and replied yet again: “I don’t know!”

They traveled on until they reached a desert and then sat down to take another rest. While they were resting, Prophet Jesus gathered some grains of sand, made a pile and said to it: “By the permission of God, be gold,” whereupon the grains of sand turned into gold. The man could not believe his eyes!

Prophet Jesus divided the gold into three piles and said: “One pile is for you, the other is for me, and the third is for whosoever took the loaf of bread.”
The man’s eyes stared with greed at the gold and without hesitation admitted: “I took it!”
Prophet Jesus turned to the man and said: “Take all of it,” and left him with the three piles of gold in the desert.

Soon after, two strangers chanced to come along, and saw the man with his piles of gold — but he did not see them. The two strangers were mean spirited people. They huddled together and planned to rob the man of his gold and then kill him. They crept up quietly behind the man, but just then, the man looked up and saw them. Fearing for his life he said: “Let us divide it into three — there is more than enough for all of us!”

The strangers agreed and one suggested that one of them should go into the village and buy some food so that they might celebrate their good fortune. So, one of the two strangers went off to buy the food. On his way to the village, the stranger’s satan started working extra hard on him, and prompted him to think to himself: “Now if I poison the food, they will eat it and die, then, I can have all the gold for myself!” So he bought the food and poisoned it.

Meanwhile, the satans of the other men were working very hard as well. They talked to each other and decided it would be much nicer if there were only two to share the gold. So, they decided to sit in ambush then jump out and kill the other man when he returned with the food. And that is exactly what they did.

Then they picked up the bundle of food the dead man had been carrying and went back to divide the gold. After they had finished dividing it they opened the bundle of food, ate it and died! So, the gold did no one any good.

A few days later, Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him, and a new companion happened to pass by and saw what had happened. Prophet Jesus turned to his companion and said: “Look, see what has happened and be warned!”

There was a king who had an advisor always by his side. After an unfortunate incident, the king lost one of his fingers. The king, who was furious after this incident, tells the advisor what happened. The advisor simply replies “la2alahu khair” which translates into “it’s for the best”. The king was appalled that this was all his advisor could say after such a tragedy and immediately has him imprisoned.

Time passes, and the king takes a journey on a ship. The ship sinks, however the king seeks refuge in a large piece of wood which kept him afloat until he reaches the nearest shoreline. There, the king finds a tribe consisting of cannibals. They thought that the King would make a great gift/feast for their master. Before preparing the king as a meal to their master, a man from the tribe notices the king’s missing finger. He immediately points out that the king is “flawed” and it would be an insult to their master if the king was served to him.

They let the king go, and he eventually finds his way back home. Upon arrival he goes directly to the cell where his advisor was kept and tells him what happened on his journey and that if it wasn’t for his missing finger, he would have been someone’s meal! The king decides to release his advisor and apologizes for throwing him in prison. The king asks if there is anything he can do in return in return for his advisor’s forgiveness. The advisor just replies “la2alahu khair” (it’s for the best). The king is amazed how his advisor could not be upset about what was done to him, and asks “how is it for the best? You were thrown in prison!”
The advisor simply replies, “If I wasn’t in prison, I would have been with you on that ship. I would have floated to shore with you, and although the group of cannibals found you to be flawed because of your missing finger, they would have noticed that my body is free from such flaws. You would have been pardoned, however they would have served me to their master instead!”

After I heard this story I was just wowed. I think people need to hear more stories like this. We have become so close-minded and we no longer have any trust in Allah SWT, similar to the King. The Quran teaches us that sometimes we might think something bad has happened, even though it is for our benefit (regardless of whether or not we realize it) and if something good happens, we will sometimes think it’s bad (not realizing the benefit). We need to trust Allah SWT and become more patient like the advisor.

There were three men from Bani Israel who were called to fight for the sake of Allah. They accepted the call, but they had concerns for their sister as she would be left behind with no-one to look after her. After some discussion, they agreed that the best place to leave her would be with the
most trusted person in town.

This was a pious man called Burseesah, who lived in a sanctuary and devoted his entire life in the worship of Allah. They came to Burseesah and said to him, “O Burseesah. We know you to be a pious and trustworthy man. We have been enlisted to fight for the sake of Allah and we want to leave our sister with you. O Burseesah! We trust no one else in town except you. Please take care of our sister.”

Burseesah immediately said, “AoothoBillah! (I seek refuge in Allah) Get away from me! I have sworn to spend my time devoting it to the worship of Allah! I do not want to deal with these issues and be burdened with looking after someone”

The three men said to him, “O Burseesah! We have no where else to take her! We can’t leave her with anyone else and we don’t trust anyone else. Please take care of our sister!”

Shaytaan heard the discussion, and came to Burseesah. “Burseesah…” The waswaas [evil whisperings] began. “Burseesah if you don’t look after her, she might be left with someone who is not trustworthy! You have to take this responsibility”

Burseesah listened and finally agreed to look after her. He told the brothers to leave her in a separate house so not to distract him from his acts of worship. They left her there, said goodbye and went to jihad.

Burseesah would continue his acts of worship as normal, and during the day he would leave food on his doorstep so the woman would have to leave the house to collect the food. This also ensured they never saw one another and Bursesah never even left his place of worship.

Time passed by. Shaytaan came to Burseesah.

“Burseesah…” he whispered, “You can’t leave the food on your doorstep! As she is leaving the house someone might see her by herself. All alone and venerable and take advantage of her. Rather than her leave her house, you go to her house and drop off the food on her doorstep.”

Burseesah made the decision that this was the right thing to do, and followed the bait that Shaytaan masked in a cover of righteousness. So during the day Burseesah would leave his worship, leave his place of worship, go to the house and leave the food on her doorstep.

This happened for a while and with the trap just being set, Shaytaan moved in for the next step.

“Burseeeeesah…” the whispers came again. “Burseeesah…you are now leaving the food on her doorstep, but still this is not good. She still has to open the door and collect the food. Someone might still see her and she is so beautiful. She is VERY beautiful”

This servant of Allah, who never saw this woman started to be tempted by the whispers from Shaytaan about her beauty.

“Burseesah, her beauty is intoxicating and if someone sees her they may try something. You have to leave the food INSIDE her house. You don’t have to look at her. Just knock on the door, and hand her the food as she opens the door.”

Burseesah saw no harm in this. After all, it would stop people from seeing her. More deception covered in righteousness.

So again, Burseesah would leave his worship, leave his place of worship, go to the house and knock on her door to hand her the food.

Time passed by again. Shaytaan remained patient before executing his next plan.

Shaytaan came again.

“Burseeesah…you can’t leave this poor woman all alone. Without any company. No one is speaking to her. She’s lonely Burseesah. Just talk to her. There’s no harm in saying salaam and asking how she is. You can talk to her from behind the door…you don’t have to see her…just talk from outside.”

He liked the idea and when he would bring her the food he would talk to her behind the door while she was in her room. They would talk for hours every day and the relationship began to get stronger.

Shaytaan found it easier and easier to drag him into the next step. “Burseeesah….. Burseesah….you can’t just sit behind the door. You know
each other well enough to be in the same room now. Just sit in the same room and speak to her. You don’t have to look at her. Just sit in the same room.”

Burseesah began to follow the advice of Shaytaan. Everytime they met, the talk became more intimate as they began getting closer…and closer…and closer.

…He would hold her hand…

…The kiss came a few days later…

Eventually…they made zinaa [fornication] with each other.

“Ohh what have I done” Burseesah said as he realised his mistake.

–From being a slave of Allah…to becoming a fornicator.–

But the story did not end there.

From that night, the woman became pregnant. Nine months later she delivered a baby boy.

The familiar whispers started again as Shaytaan flowed through Burseesah’s veins like blood.

“Burseeesaah…when her brothers come back and find out their sister has a child in zinaa, you are going to be in trouble! There is only one way to solve this problem. Burseesah……..you have to kill the baby! Get rid of the evidence!”

Grief and anxiety ran through Burseesah’s mind as he listened to the whispers of Shaytaan. He did what he heard and killed the baby.

“Ohhhh Burseesah. Do you think this woman will keep this a secret after you killed her own child?? Nooo. Burseesah…..the only thing to do now is to kill her!”

Burseesah then killed the woman and buried both mother and child under the house and covered it with a rock.

–From being a slave of Allah…to becoming a murderer.–

The three brothers returned and went to greet their sister. She was no where to be found. They went to the house of Burseesah and asked him,

“Where is our sister?”

“She has passed away” he said as he pointed to a fake grave. The brothers were saddened by the loss, and made du’a for her.

That night when they went to sleep, Shaytaan came to them in their dreams and told them all what had happened.

“Burseesah has lied to you! Burseesah killed your sister! Burseesah made zinaa with her! She is buried under the rock inside the house.”

As they all woke up in the morning, and talked about their dream, they began relating the same dream and thought there must be some truth in it.

They first dug up the grave Burseesah pointed to and found no body. They stormed to Burseesah’s house and demanded to know what had happened to their sister. One of them saw the rock in the house and uncovered it, where they saw their sister and her child.

“What has happened to our sister?!” The eldest screamed. They forced Burseesah to disclose the secret of what happened and Burseesah told them
everything.

Burseesah was taken to court where he confessed everything to the King. The King sentenced Burseesah to be executed. As they dragged him to his death, fear overcame Burseesah.

For the first time during this whole incident, Shaytaan appeared before Burseesah and said to him, “Oh Burseesah! Listen! Look at me! I was the one who was whispering to you since this whole thing started! I am Shaytaan!”

Burseesah’s fear grew as the blade for his execution was brought!

“Now I can get you out of all this trouble. I was the one who put you in it, and I can get you out of it!”

“Oh Shaytaan, what should I do?!” Burseesah cried!

With an evil grin, Shaytaan said, “Make sujood to me. I am Shaytaan and I will save you! Bow down and prostrate to me!” Burseesah fell down in sujood to Shaytaan and as soon as he did this, Shaytaan ran away!
…..and Burseesah was executed.

From being a servant of Allah, bowing down to Allah…to becoming a servant to Shaytaan…bowing down to Shaytaan.

From Imaan…to the worst type of kufr – bowing down to Shaytaan!

Who could ever imagine a servant of Allah making sujood to Shaytaan!?

Imagine if Shaytaan came to Burseesah at the beginning and said “Burseesah make sujood to me”, would Burseesah do it? NO!

If Shaytaan came to Burseesah at the beginning and said “commit murder”, would he do? NO!

If Shaytaan came to Burseesah at the beginning and said “commit zinaa”, would he do it? NO!

But Shaytaan knows the game! He’s been playing his tricks since the time of Adam. Classical method of misleading people. Through step by step deception. This is how Shaytaan pulls at your feet and deceives you. So even if something may SEEM to be like an insignificant sin / action, be careful. It might be the start of a trap.

“O you who believe! Do not follow the footsteps of the Shaytaan, and whoever follows the footsteps of the Shaytaan, then surely he bids the doing of indecency and evil” [24.21]

The first opinion is the most plausible, because he was a descendant of Abraham’s offspring as Allah Almighty declared: “That was Our proof which We gave Abraham against his people. We raise whom We will in degrees. Certainly your Lord is All-Wise, All Knowing. And We bestowed upon him Isaac and Jacob, each of them We guided and before him, We guided Noah, and among his progeny David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses, and Aaron. Thus do We reward the good doers. (Ch 6:83-84)

Allah the Almighty praised His worshipper Job in His Glorious Quran: Truly! We found him patient. How excellent a slave! Verily, he was ever oft returning in repentance to Us! (Ch 38:44)

Job (pbuh) was repentant, remembering Allah with thankfulness, patience, and steadfastness. This was the cause of his rescue and the secret of Allah’s praising him.

A group of angels were discussing Allah’s other human creatures, how those who were humble earned Allah’s pleasure, while those who were arrogant incurred His displeasure. One of the angels remarked: “The best creature on earth today is Job, a man of noble character who displays great patience and always remembers his Generous Lord. He is an excellent model for the worshippers of Allah. In return, his Lord has blessed him with a long life and plenty of servants, as well as the needy and the poor share in his good fortune; he feeds and clothes the poor and buys slaves to set them free. He makes those who receive his charity feel as if they are favoring him so kind and gentle is he.”

Iblis overhearing all of this, became annoyed. He planned to tempt Job to corruption and disbelief, so he hastened to him. He tried to distract Job from his prayers by whispering him about the good things in life but Job was a true believer and would not let evil thoughts tempt him. This disturbed Iblis even more; thus he began to hate Job even more.

Iblis complained to Allah about Job. He said that although he was continuously glorifying Allah he was not doing so out of his sincerity but to satisfy Allah so that his wealth should not be taken away. It was all a show, all out of greed. “If You remove his wealth then You will find that his tongue will no longer mention Your name and his praying will stop.”

Allah told Iblis that Job was one of His most sincere devotees. He did not worship Him because of the favors; his worship stemmed from his heart and had nothing to do with material things. But to prove to Iblis the depth of Job’s sincerity and patience, Allah allowed him to do whatever he and his helpers wished with Job’s wealth.

Iblis was very happy. he gathered his helpers and set about destroying Job’s cattle, servants and farms until he was left with no possessions. Rubbing his hands in glee, Iblis appeared before Job in the guise of a wise old man and said to him: “All your wealth is lost, some people say that it is because you gave too much charity and that you are wasting your time with your continuous prayers to Allah. Others say that Allah has brought this upon you in order to please your enemies. If Allah had the capacity to prevent harm, then He would have protected your wealth.”

True to his belief, Job replied: “What Allah has taken away from me belongs to Him. I was only its trustee for awhile. He gives to whom He wills and withholds from whom He wills.”With these words, Job again prostrated to his Lord.

When Iblis saw this, he felt frustrated, so he again addressed Allah: “I have stripped Job of all his possessions, but he still remains grateful to You. However he is only hiding his disappointment, for he places great store by his many children. The real test of a parent is through his children. You will see how Job will reject You.”

Allah granted Iblis authority but warned him that it would not reduce Job’ faith in His Lord nor his patience.

Iblis again gathered his helpers and set about his evil deeds. He shook the fountain of the house in which Job’s children were living and sent the building crashing, killing all of them. Then he went to Job disguised as a man who had come to sympathize with him. In a comforting tone he said to Job: “The circumstances under which your children died were sad. Surely, your Lord is not rewarding you properly for all your prayers.” Having said this, Iblis waited anxiously hoping Job was now ready to reject Allah.

But again Job disappointed him by replying: “Allah sometimes gives and sometimes takes. He is sometimes pleased and sometimes displeased with our deeds. Whether a thing is beneficial or harmful to me, I will remain firm in my belief and remain thankful to my Creator.” then Job prostrated to his Lord. At this Iblis was extremely vexed.

Iblis called on Allah. “O my Lord, Job’s wealth is gone, his children are dead, and he is still healthy in body, and as long as he enjoys good health he will continue to worship You in the hope of regaining his wealth and producing more children. Grant me authority over his body so that I may weaken it. He will surely neglect worshipping You an will thus become disobedient.”

Allah wanted to teach Iblis a lesson that Jo was a devoted servant of his Lord so He granted Iblis his 3rd request but placed a condition: “I give you authority over his body but not over his soul, intellect or heart, for in these places reside the knowledge of Me and My religion.”

Armed with this new authority, Iblis began to take revenge on Job’s body and filled it with disease until it was reduced to mere skin and bone and he suffered severe pain. But through all the suffering Job remained strong in his faith, patiently bearing all the hardships without complaining. Allah’s righteous servant did not despair or turn to others for help but remained hopeful of Allah’s mercy. Even close relatives and friends deserted him. Only his kind, loving wife stayed with him. In his hour of need, she showered her kindness on him and cared for him. She remained his sole companion and comforter through the many years of suffering.

Ibn Asaker narrated: “Job was a man having much wealth of all kinds; beats, slaves, sheep, vast lands of Haran and many children. All those favors were taken from him and he was physically afflicted as well. Never a single organ was sound except his heart and tongue, with both of which he glorified Allah, the Almighty all the time day and night. His disease lasted for a long time until his visitors felt disgusted with him. His friends kept away from him and people abstained from visiting him. No one felt sympathy for him except his wife. She took good care of him, knowing his former charity and pity for her.”

Therefore Iblis became desperate. He consulted his helpers, but they could not advise him. They asked : “How is it that your cleverness cannot work against Job, yet you succeeded in misleading Adam the father of man, out of Paradise?”

Iblis went to Job’s wife in the form of a man. “Where is your husband?” he asked her.

She pointed to an almost lifeless form crumbled on the bed and said: “There he is, suspended between life and death.”

Iblis reminded her of the days, when Job had good health, wealth and children. Suddenly, the painful memory of years of hardship overcame her, and she burst into tears. She said to Job: “How long are you going to bear this torture from our Lord? Are we to remain without wealth, children or friends forever? Why don’t you call upon Allah to remove this suffering?”

Job sighed, and in a soft voice replied : “Iblis must have whispered to you and made you dissatisfied. Tell me how long did I enjoy good health and riches?”

She replied: “80 years.”

Then Job replied: “How long am I suffering like this?”

She said: “7 years.”

Job then told her: “In that case I am ashamed to call on my Lord to remove the hardship, for I have not suffered longer than the years of good health and plenty. It seems your faith has weakened and you are dissatisfied with the fate of Allah. If I ever regain health, I swear I will punish you with a hundred strokes! From this day onward, I forbid myself to eat or drink anything by your hand. Leave me alone and let my Lord do with me as He pleases.”

Crying bitterly and with a heavy heart, she had no choice but to leave him and seek shelter elsewhere. In this helpless sate, Job turned to Allah, not to complain but to seek His mercy: “Verily! distress has seized me and You are the Most Merciful of all those who show mercy.” so We answered his call, and we removed the distress that was on him, and We restored his family to him (that he had lost), and the like thereof along with them as a mercy from Ourselves and a Reminder for all who worship Us.” (Ch 21:83-84)

Almighty Allah also instructed: “Remember Our slave Job, when he invoked His Lord saying: “Verily! Satan has touched me with distress (by losing my health) and torment (by losing my wealth)!” Allah said to him: “Strike the ground with your foot: This is a spring of water to wash in and cool and a refreshing drink.” And We gave him back his family, and along with them the like thereof as a Mercy from Us, and a reminder for those who understand. (Ch 38:41-43)

Job obeyed and almost immediately his good health was restored. Meanwhile, his faithful wife could not longer bear to be parted from her husband and returned to him to beg his forgiveness, desiring to serve him. On entering her house, she was amazed at the sudden change: Job was again healthy! She embraced him and thanked Allah for His mercy.

Job was not worried, for he had taken an oath to punish her with a hundred strokes if he had regained health but he had no desire to hurt her. He knew if he did not fulfill the oath, he would be guilty of breaking a promise to Allah. Therefore in His wisdom and mercy, Allah came to the assistance of His faithful servant and advised him: “take in your hand a bundle of thin grass and strike therewith your wife, and break not your oath.” Truly! We found him patient. How excellent a slave! Verily, he was ever oft returning in repentance to Us!” (Ch 38:44)

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “While Job was naked, taking a bath, a swarm of gold locusts fell on him, and he started collecting them in his garment. His Lord called him: “O Job! Have I not made you too rich to need what you see?” He said: “Yes, My Lord! But I cannot shun Your Blessings.” (Al Bukhari)

In reviewing the debate over the niqab in Canada, it seems to me that the essential arguments against the acceptance of this dress involve the issue of public safety and security as it relates to the problem of identifying individuals wearing the niqab, and the broader issue of the limits of multiculturalism in this country. For obvious reasons given the secular nature of our popular discourses, the issue of safety is often exclusively thought thought about from a physical safety perspective. Conceivable, this argument would deserve more serious consideration with a noticeable increase in the number of crimes being committed in this country by people wearing the niqab. Until then, it seems to be based on premature fears, and therefore largely unfounded in my opinion. But I believe there is a more valid argument to be made about safety in relation to the niqab. the argument is one about spiritual safety, namely that the person who wears niqab may well be seen as someone who is protecting others from the lusts of their own soul or addiction. Today, the pornographic industry is increasingly booming, primarily in Western nations, because hundreds of thousands of men are literally addicted to watching images of women in degrading and dehumanizing positions. Apparently, these addictions can begin relatively innocently, with a glance upon a beautiful face in a magazine, but then quickly spiral out of control, causing the one who suffers from the addiction to experience significant levels of dysfunction in their private and social life. Eventually, for people who become addicted, faces, and by extension, flesh is all that matters in life, as opposed to the substance of one’s character. The addict in this sense is not too dissimilar from the narcissist who obsesses over his or her own physical appearance.

Refreshingly, however, the woman in niqab forces herself and others to consider that the essence of her being, her humanity, is not necessarily tied to the appearance of one’s face. Thus, one might say that the woman in niqab represents a reality without a face, whereas the woman in the magazines represents a face with no reality.

Regardless of course, the primary responsibility to ‘lower one’s gaze’ must always rest on the one being tempted by lust so as to remove any tendency towards victim blaming. The niqab, and similarly the hijab and/or burka, only compliment and facilitate this responsibility. As the old adage goes: out of sight, out of mind.

I would also argue that no images, fewer sexual addictions, less suffering, equal a better, safer world. The prophet of Islam said “Help your brother whether he is being oppressed or whether he is an oppressor.” When he was asked by those who heard this as to how one could help an oppressor, he responded, “prevent him from oppressing.” There are many ways to address social wrongs. From the Islamic spiritual worldview, dress is one of them. Although the religious dress of Muslim women are often misunderstood as being oppressive (and when they are forced on women, just as when they are forced off of women, one can accurately suggest that oppression is truly taking place) in many ways the woman who chooses to wear a veil not only protects herself from being seen as a plain sexual object, thereby ensuring her freedom from oppression, but she is also protecting, at least symbolically, many men from the oppression of their own selves. This helps men to experience a sense of spiritual security and well being.

Regrettably, while the veil in its various forms may protect Muslim women from being thought of in undignified ways, it often makes them more vulnerable to the abuse of people filled with hatred and intolerance for difference. The question of the niqab in relation to multiculturalism in Canada seems much less complicated. Among other things, it has been, and will continue to be, the institutionalization of values such as tolerance and respect for diversity that makes Canada such a great country to live in. Thus, in applying our standards consistently and fairly regarding the issue of dress for fear that we might discriminate and therefore oppress a minority group (i.e. Muslim women who have chosen to wear a veil), the niqab cannot be considered any more or less Canadian than the turban, cross, sari, mini skirt, or even the uniform of men and women serving this country. The only thing left is for us to accept this reality, or move to a country where it isn’t allowed to exist.