1 June 2014 Dhul-Kifl, Intro to Musa, Ya’juj and Ma’juj (Gog and Magog)

1 June 2014

- Dhul-Kifl
- Intro to Prophet Musa
- Dhul-Qarnayn
- Ya’juj and Ma’juj (Gog and Magog)



Prophet Musa (Moses)
This is the longest story on the Qur’an of any Prophet, mentioned in 30 different places (124 times). The Prophet* saw Musa on his night journey (Isra) prying in his grave and in the Ascension (Miraj) where Musa is on the 6th heaven.
2 phases of the life of Musa:

• With Pharaoh

• With Bani Israel

Important to study both as:

• This is the last Ummah before the Ummah of Prophet Muhammed

• Full of useful learning for us in terms of their journeys and mistakes

• Conflicts faced by Bani Israel similar to today issues

• Pharaoh is the archetypal tyrant / ruler / oppressor symbolised in the Qur’an (and we have many tyrants here today!)

The Prophet* stated, 'Do not prefer me over Musa. On the Day of Rising, people will faint, and I will faint with them. I will be the first to regain consciousness, and there will be Musa grasping the Throne. I do not know whether he will be among those who fainted and came to before me, or if he was one of those that Allah excepted.’

The Prophet* said, "I was shown the nations, and I saw a Prophet passing by with his Ummah, another with a band of followers, another with ten followers, another with five, and another who was alone. I looked and saw a huge crowd of people, and I asked, "O Jibreel, are these my Ummah?" , "I hoped that this would be my Ummah, but I was told that this was Musa and his people." Jibreel then said, "No look at the horizon." I looked and saw a vast multitude. He said, "These are your Ummah, and the seventy thousand in front will not be brought to account or be punished."



Other Prophets:
Allah destroyed other nations before Musa’s time which are mentioned in the Qur’an but not much details about the stories / Prophets (People of Ar-Raas, of Ya-Seen).


Dhul-Kifl
Dhul-Kifl has been mentioned twice in the Holy Qur'an:
And (remember) Isma'il, Idris, and Zul-kifl, all (men) of constancy and patience. We admitted them to Our mercy: for they were of the righteous ones. [TMQ 21:85-86]
And commemorate Isma'il, Elisha and Zul-Kifl: Each of them was of the Company of the Good. [TMQ 38:48]
Some say he is the same as Ezekiel mentioned in the Bible – but no definitive proof.


Dhul-Qarnayn
Literally "the possessor of two horns" or "the one who impacts upon two ages or generations". Some people think he Cyrus the Great and others Alexander the Great – unlikely to be the latter as he believed in many gods. No definitive historical proof.
The story of Dhul-Qarnayn appears in fifteen verses of the Quran, specifically verses 18:83-98:
They will ask thee of Dhul-Qarnayn. Say: "I shall recite unto you a remembrance of him. Lo! We made him strong in the land and gave him unto every thing a road. And he followed a road. Until, when he reached between two mountains, he found, before (near) them (those two mountains), a people who scarcely understood a word. They said: “O Dhul-Qarnain! Verily! Ya’juj and Ma’juj (Gog and Magog) are doing great mischief in the land. Shall we then pay you a tribute in order that you might erect a barrier between us and them?” He said: “That (wealth, authority and power) in which my Lord had established me is better (than your tribute). So help me with strength (of men), I will erect between you and them a barrier. Give me pieces (blocks) of iron,” Then, when he had filled up the gap between the two mountain-cliffs, he said: “Blow,” till when he had made it (red as) fire, he said: “Bring me molten copper to pour over it.” So they [Ya'juj and Ma'juj] were made powerless to scale it or dig through it. Dhul-Qarnain) said: “This is a mercy from my Lord, but when the Promise of my Lord comes, He shall level it down to the ground. And the Promise of my Lord is ever true.” And on that Day [i.e. the Day Ya'juj and Ma'juj will come out], We shall leave them to surge like waves on one another, and the Trumpet will be blown, and We shall collect them all together.”
The Quraysh had sent a delegation to Medina to try to find out if Mohammed could be a Prophet and the Jews told them to ask three questions: about the Traveller to the East & West, the men in the cave and what is the Ruh (Spirit) and these verses were then revealed (found in Surah Kahf).


Main Topic: Ya'juj and Ma'juj and Dhul-Qarnayn
Ya'juj and Ma'juj are humans alive today but buried somewhere that will appear towards the end of time, after ad-Dajjal and the re-appearance of Isa. Dhul-Qarnayn  didn’t only build the sadd (damn – vertical barrier), but he build radam – something that seals off completely.
The Prophet* said: "Ya'juj and Ma'juj dig into the barrier every day, until when they almost see the light of the sun, the one in charge of them says: "Go back home and dig again tomorrow." So they go home, and it returns to being as thick as it was before.  Then when their time has come, and Allah wishes to send them upon the people, they will dig until when they almost see the light of the sun, the one in charge of them will make an exception by saying: "Go back home and dig again tomorrow, if Allah wills (InshaAllah)." Then they will come back to it and find it as they had left it. So they will dig through it, and come out upon the people. They will drink all the water, and the people will go for protection to their fortresses…So they [i.e. Ya'juj and Ma'juj] will shoot their arrows into the sky, and they will come back with the appearance of having blood on them. So they will say: "We have overcome the inhabitants of the earth, and conquered the inhabitants of the heaven." Then, Allah will send down upon them an-naghf in their necks which will kill them…Isa (Jesus) and his companions will then come down (from Tur mountain) and they will not find as much space as a single span that is not filled with decomposed remains of Ya'juj and Ma'juj’s  corpses. Isa and his companions will then make du’a to Allah who will send birds whose necks would be like those (the necks) of Bactrian camels and they will carry them (Ya'juj and Ma'juj) away and throw them where Allah wills.
Then Allah will send rain which no house of mud-bricks or (tent of) camel-hair will keep out and it will wash the Earth until it resembles a mirror. Then, the Earth will be ordered (by Allah) to bring forth its fruit and restore its blessing and, as a result thereof, pomegranate will grow that will be enough for a group of people to eat and seek shelter under its skin. A dairy cow will give so much milk that (will be enough for) a group of people to drink. The milking camel will give so such milk that a whole tribe will be able to drink from it..."
Numbers:
The Prophet* said, "Allah divided mankind into ten parts. Nine tenths constitute Ya'juj and Ma'juj while the remaining one tenth constitutes the rest of mankind."  (Ibn Hajar Asqalani)
"On the Day of Judgement, Allah will tell Adam to pick out the Jahanamis (people destined to Hell) from his progeny. Adam will ask, "O Allah, who are they?" Allah will say,"999 out of 1000 are Jahanamis while one is a Jannati (people destined to Paradise)." On hearing this, the Sahaba over taken by fear asked, "Who will the ONE Jannati (people destined to Paradise) be?" The Prophet  replied, "Do not grieve, the 999 will be Yajuj and Ma'juj, while you will be the one Jannati (people destined to Paradise)."   (Bukhari, Muslim)

3 March 2013

3 March, 2013
Salah Importance  

Guest Speaker: Dr Naila Syed

Feedback from her 2 weekend courses on Salah and how to have Khushu in Salah

Salaah Salaah!

Said by the Prophet (saw) on his death bed!

Importance Of Salaah

·           QURAN – “….establish prayer for my remembrance” (Sura TaHa v 15)

·           HADITH – The Prophet (saw)’s final advice to his Ummah was “Salaat, Salaat!”

·           Al-Isra wal Mi’raj – Gift from Allah swt to the Muslims (Reward of performing 5 prayers equivalent to 50)

·           DIRECT LINK – 5 times a day we are in direct communication with Allah swt

·           RECOGNITION – on the Day of Judgement the Prophet (saw) will be able to recognise his followers by the signs of their wadu. (Bukhari)

·           Most beloved act to Allah swt – “The thing that is most beloved to Allah swt is to pray at the earliest possible time”. (Bukhari)

·           Closest to Allah swt – “The closest a servant is to his Rabb is while in sajood” (Muslim)

·           Wipes out sins – “The prayer wipes out one’s bad deeds just as if one were having a bath in a river in front of one’s house five times a day” (Bukhari)

·           Unity – “A family that prays together stays together”

·           Obligated even in battle

·           Angels praying all the time – Not even 4 finger breadth space in heavens without an angel praying (Tirmidhi)

·           First thing to be judged on the Day of Judgement

·           Controversy

Problem With Today’s Ummah

So How Can We Teach Others About The Importance Of Prayer?

Possible solutions

1.      Lead by example

2.      Make du’a

3.      Consider environment

4.      Never despair of Allah’s mercy

5.      Give info!

People On Whom Prayer Is Obligated

1.      Muslim

2.      Adult

3.      Sane

Perform Salaah on Time!

·           QUR’AN – “Verily the prayer is enjoined upon the believers at the appointed times” (Sura Nisa v103)

·           HADITH – “The thing most beloved to Allah swt is to pray at the earliest possible time”. (Bukhari)

·           Time vs cleanliness

·           If catch even 1 sajood in prayer time then have caught the prayer.

Exception

Combining prayers due to Travel, hajj or imminent and extreme difficulty

-            Dhuhr with Asr

-            Magrib with Isha

Qada

Only permissible:

·           Forget

·           Oversleep

PRIORITY - Doing Qada has more priority than doing other voluntary prayers such as sunnah or nafil

FILL THE HOLES - Important to always do sunnah and nafil prayers to compensate for any deficiencies in Fard prayers

Adhaan And Iqamah

One of the greatest signs of Islam – done all over the Muslim world 5 times per day

Seen by Abdullah ibn Zaid in a dream (Abu Dawood)

Adhaan done 15-20mins before prayer to CALL TO PRAY

Iqamah done straight before prayer to

- straighten lines                                                           

- fill the gaps                                                                                                    

- Prepare To Go Before the Greatest Being Allah Swt

Benefits

- Shaitan runs away on hearing it

- If read following dua immediately after adhaan, Prophet (saw) will do intercession for you on the Day of Judgement inshaAllah: “Oh Allah, the Lord of the perfect call and the Prayer that will be established, give Mohammad the highest place in jannnat and the highest station and give him the praiseworthy position that You have promised him” (Bukhari)

           

Travelling

Recommended to do adhaan and iqaamah even when travelling alone (This is not an obligation on women)

If Travel > 83km and < 4-15 Days Can Shorten Prayers

Six Preconditions Of Prayer

1.      SPIRITUAL PURITY – have wadu

2.      PHYSICAL PURITY – wear clean clothes and place of prayer

3.      COVER AWRAH

4.      PRAY AT CORRECT TIME – avoid makroo times or sunrise, zenith, sunset

5.      FACE THE QIBLAH

6.      INTENTION – does not need to be voiced

Walking To The Masjid

·           Reward for every step take to the masjid – Bukhari and Muslim (esp if have difficulty but not if you create the difficulty yourself!)

·           Etiquette of walking to masjid

·           Arrive early – front row, teaches punctuality

·           Enter masjid with Right foot and do du’a of entering mosque

·           Do Tayatul Masjid but do not do sunnah for sake of Fard

·           Benefit of starting prayer with Imam and ending with him until he turns away.

12 Pillars Of Prayer

1.      Standing up

2.      Takbir utul ihram

3.      Reciting surah Fatiha

4.      Ruku – bowing

5.      Standing

6.      Prostration on the 7 parts of the body

7.      Sitting up between prostrations

8.      Possessing tranquillity and calmness during the prayer

9.      The final Tashahud

10.    The final sitting

11.    The first Taslim

12.    Praying in the order recorded by the Prophet (saw)

When to offer prostration of forgetfulness?

OMISSION – Before Taslim

ADDITION – After Taslim

DOUBT – Before Taslim

Khushu

Defined as intense concentration in prayer with fear and awe of Allah swt with no distractions in worldly matters (Story of Sahaba and Lion)

Prophet (saw) said the first thing to be lifted from the Ummah will be khushu (Tabarani)

If do not have khushu – salaat will still be valid but may not get much reward

Reward of 2 rakaat with full khushu – to have all sins forgiven (Bukhari)

Reality Check!

TEST – 5 x per day we are tested to see if our hearts turn more to Allah swt or worldly matters.

DEATH – When die, body remains but soul taken by angels

Your family, who loves you the most, rush to place you in the ground.

You leave all your worldly goods behind

The only thing you can take with you is your good deeds

On the Day of Judgement the first thing to be judged will be our salaat (Tirmidhi)

Means Of Developing Khushu – Top Ten Tips!

1.      Prepare – wudu, clothes (Remember going in front of Allah swt)

2.      Time – do at earliest times

3.      Clear mind of worldly matters

4.      Remember in direct communication with Allah swt 5x per day

5.      Remember death and can only take good deeds with you on day of judgement

6.      Think of the giants of Islam – Khushu they had in their prayers

7.      Make du’a before start to have khushu in salaat

8.      Recite different surahs from Qur’an – hadith on the 3 quls

9.      Remove all distractions

10.    Remember 2 rakaat with complete khushu will wash away all your sins inshaAllah.

Remember Only Approx ½ Hr In Salaat A Day Will Grant You Admission Into Paradise InshaAllah!!!

VIDEO

Remember!

Remember Never To Miss Any Namaaz

Remember To Pray Before You Are Prayed Over

Remember If Miss One Prayer

·           It will never come back

·           Imagine on Day of Judgement your balance of Good and Bad deeds are completely balanced and just need one more salaat to avoid Hell fire and enter jannat forever!

Story:

He remembered his grandmother’s warning about praying on time: “My son, you shouldn’t leave prayer to this late time.” His grandmother’s age was 70 but whenever she heard the Adhan, she got up like an arrow and performed Salah/Namaz/prayer. He, however could never win over his ego to get up and pray. Whatever he did, his Salah was always the last to be offered and he prayed it quickly to get it in on time. Thinking of this, he got up and realized that there were only 15 minutes left before Salat-ul Isha. He quickly made Wudhu and performed Salat-ul Maghrib. While making Tasbih, he again remembered his grandmother and was embarrassed by how he had prayed. His grandmother prayed with such tranquility and peace. He began making Dua and went down to make Sajdah and stayed like that for a while.

He had been at school all day and was tired, so tired. He awoke abruptly to the sound of noise and shouting. He was sweating profusely. He looked around. It was very crowded. Every direction he looked in was filled with people. Some stood frozen looking around, some were running left and right and some were on their knees with their heads in their hands just waiting. Pure fear and apprehension filled him as he realized where he was.

His heart was about to burst. It was the Day of Judgment. When he was alive, he had heard many things about the questioning on the Day of Judgment, but that seemed so long ago. Could this be something his mind made up? No, the wait and the fear were so great that he could not have imagined this. The interrogation was still going on. He began moving frantically from people to people to ask if his name had been called. No one could answer him. All of a sudden his name was called and the crowd split into two and made a passageway for him. Two people grabbed his arms and led him forward. He walked with unknowing eyes through the crowd. The angels brought him to the center and left him there. His head was bent down and his whole life was passing in front of his eyes like a movie. He opened his eyes but saw only another world. The people were all helping others. He saw his father running from one lecture to the other, spending his wealth in the way of Islam. His mother invited guests to their house and one table was being set while the other was being cleared.

He pleaded his case; “I too was always on this path. I helped others. I spread the word of Allah. I performed my Salah. I fasted in the month of Ramadan. Whatever Allah ordered us to do, I did. Whatever he ordered us not to do, I did not.” He began to cry and think about how much he loved Allah. He knew that whatever he had done in life would be less than what Allah deserved and his only protector was Allah. He was sweating like never before and was shaking all over. His eyes were fixed on the scale, waiting for the final decision. At last, the decision was made. The two angels with sheets of paper in their hands, turned to the crowd. His legs felt like they were going to collapse. He closed his eyes as they began to read the names of those people who were to enter Jahannam/Hell. His name was read first. He fell on his knees and yelled that this couldn’t be, “How could I go to Jahannam? I served others all my life, I spread the word of Allah to others.” His eyes had become blurry and he was shaking with sweat. The two angels took him by the arms. As his feet dragged, they went through the crowd and advanced toward the blazing flames of Jahannam. He was yelling and wondered if there was any person who was going to help him. He was yelling of all the good deeds he had done, how he had helped his father, his fasts, prayers, the Qur’an that he read, he was asking if none of them would help him. The Jahannam angels continued to drag him. They had gotten closer to the Hellfire. He looked back and these were his last pleas. Had not Rasulullah [saw] said, “How clean would a person be who bathes in a river five times a day, so too does the Salah performed five times cleanse someone of their sins?” He began yelling, “My prayers? My prayers? My prayers?”

The two angels did not stop, and they came to the edge of the abyss of Jahannam. The flames of the fire were burning his face. He looked back one last time, but his eyes were dry of hope and he had nothing left in him. One of the angels pushed him in. He found himself in the air and falling towards the flames. He had just fallen five or six feet when a hand grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back. He lifted his head and saw an old man with a long white beard. He wiped some dust off himself and asked him, “Who are you?” The old man replied, “I am your prayers.”

“Why are you so late! I was almost in the Fire! You rescued me at the last minute before I fell in.” The old man smiled and shook his head. “You always performed me at the last minute, and did you forget?” At that instant, he blinked and lifted his head from Sajdah. He was in a sweat. He listened to the voices coming from outside. He heard the adhan for Salat-ul Isha. He got up quickly and went to perform Wudhu.

QUIZ: Boys/Men Vs Girls/Women

Get designing those Harborne Islamic Study Circle logos:

See last week's logos on the blog (no new ones submitted)

10 January 2013


Summary
Lives of the Prophets:
We study the Lives of the Prophets because:
- Allah commanded the Prophet* to tell these stories
- So we can reflect on these
- We should follow their advice (as role models)
- So we learn to love them
Nabi (plural Ambiya) are Prophets from Allah (124,000)
Rasool (plural Musul) are special Prophets that have also been given a Law for people to follow
Everything was written down by Allah 50,000 years before the creation of the Heavens and Earth

Main Topic: Short video reminder on Surah al-Asr
Allah says:
- Time is Running Out
- Man is in Drowned in Deep Loss
- Except:
- Those who Believe
- (that they are in Loss, hence they try to reconcile the situation by swimming = DOING GOOD DEEDS to correct the situation)
- And Tell Others the Truth (over and over again)
- And keep Persistently doing these with Patience (Sabr)
Hence all 4 conditions required to SURVIVE!

LOGO
Don’t forget to design a LOGO for the Harborne Islamic Study Circle
Something that will go on all handouts and the website….Get designing.
Winning entries to be chosen by the group!!

Lives of the Prophets:
Lives of the Prophets: Introduction
Why should we talk about the Lives of the Prophets? It’s not just history….Benefits of Talking about the Prophets include:
1. Because Prophet Muhammed*  was commanded to do so. Allah says “relate unto them the stories.” This is a command from Allah to the Prophet*. It becomes a duty upon us to convey the message of the Prophets of Allah and their stories. So this is first an ‘ibaadah – a worship.
2. “Relate and convey to them so that they may reflect.” (TMQ 7:176) These stories are not for entertainment; they are to derive lessons, deeply reflect and contemplate. At the time of the Prophet* the Quraish would try to distract the people with other ‘stories’ from Persia. These stories do not have the details you will find in JKRowling or Tolkien books!
3. Allah says: “They are those whom Allah had guided. So follow their guidance.” (TMQ 6:90) Allah is instructing the Prophet*. It is very important to have role models. You find that every human being has role models. If they aren’t good, they are going to be bad. It is our make up as human beings – we have to have people that we look up to. If we don’t provide our children and youth with the role models of the sahabah and Prophets, they will find role models somewhere else. If Allah is telling the Prophet* to follow the example of the Prophets, then what about us? We need to study the lives of the Prophets so that they become our role models.
4. To love them – if you do not know someone, you cannot love them. We all claim that we love the Prophets of Allah. If we do not know them, what they went through, how could we have respect for them?

Terminology: Nabi (Prophet) vs. Rasool (Messenger)
Abu Dharr came to the Prophet* and asked him, “What is the total number of Prophets?” The Prophet* said, “The number of ambiya (Prophets) is 124,000 and the Rusul (Messengers) among them are 315.” We are translating Nabiy as Prophet and Rasool as Messenger.
They are two different things: nabiy and rasool. The plural of nabiy is ambiya. The plural of rasool is rusul.
So what is the difference between the Prophet (nabiy) and Messenger (rasool)? There are a few opinions about this: the rasool is the nabiy that is given a law. But the nabiy, who is not a rasool, is following the law of another rasool. So every rasool is a nabiy, but not every nabiy is a rasool.
If a Prophet is given a new law, he is a rasool and a nabiy. If he is not given a new law, he is just a nabiy. An example of this: Musa (Moses) is a Rasool – a Prophet – because he was given the Taurah. Haroon is just a Nabi, because he is following the law of his brother.
 
The Story of Creation
Before we start talking about Adam, let’s look at the story of creation. Narrated in Bukhari, ‘Imran ibn Hussain said, people from Yemen came to the Prophet* and said, “We have come to you to learn our religion and ask how all of this started.” The Prophet* said, “There was Allah, and nothing before Him and His Throne was on water. And He wrote everything in the tablet, and He created the heavens and the earth.” [Also see Bukhaari, 9/93/514]  The Prophet* says, “The first thing Allah created was the pen, then Allah ordered it to write. So it wrote everything that will happen until the day of judgment.”
We worry about our rizq – our sustenance. We have a problem of paranoia of rizq. We are always in a state of despair, when it comes to wealth. The Prophet* says, in a hadith narrated by Muslim, “Allah wrote down the sustenance of the creation 50,000 years before He created the heavens and the earth.” Everything that you will get is already written down – not 50,000 year before this day – but 50,000 years before the creation of the heavens and the earth. What you will get is already written down as well as how long you will live.
Time, after all, is your currency of life and we need to spend it wisely. Hence, we will have a reminder about Surah al-Asr…

Surah al-Asr (Reminder Video) by Nouman Ali Khan

(click on the link below or click HERE)

Highlights from the short clip:

You are Drowning and you are Unconscious

Time is running out

Asr literally means time that is running out last part of the day when the day is running out , or like when juice they squeezed out  - time that's being squeezed out like a cloth drenched in water and to squeeze it out.

4 parts to Survival:

1. What do you need to do to survive = WAKE UP. (Even if your having a great dream!)

If you go back to sleep you would be insane! Only blame yourself!

2. Hence – you would SWIM (or try to!)

Pulled back down by a sleeping cousin chained to you!

You try to wake him up (for yourself) but he wants to stay asleep. So both try to swim…

3. TELL OTHERS THE TRUTH

4. Have Patience and Persevere

Allah says:

-       Time is Running Out

-       Man is in Drowned in Deep Loss

-       Except:

-       Those who Believe

-       (that they are in Loss, hence they try to reconcile the situation by swimming = DOING GOOD DEEDS to correct the situation)

-       And Tell Others the Truth (over and over again)

-       And keep Persistently doing these with Patience (Sabr)

Hence all 4 conditions required to SURVIVE!

 




Children's Feedback

How to start doing Dawah
Study Circle history
What I have leaned from the Study Circle
Hoe the Study Circle has helped me

Information about the London Trip to British Library Mughal Exhibition

Link to the Exhibition - click HERE

Also, we are looking for interest in this Spring’s Study Circle trip. It has been suggested we go to London again for a short exhibition on Mughal India at the British Library.

See: http://www.bl.uk/mughalindia/

This is titled ‘Mughal India: Art, Culture and Empire’ and the Exhibition runs until 2 April 2013. We would like, if possible, to take a coach with children & adults to London for the day where we would see the Library Exhibition in the morning, have lunch or a picnic, then do some other activity before returning to Birmingham in the evening. For last year’s trip see the photos on the following link: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150650782640938.388706.666745937&type=1&l=5e6185db67

Prices = Adults £9; Under 18s FREE; Over 60s £7; Students £5

We haven’t booked the coach but that could cost about £10-£15 per person.

If you are interested – please:

1. Check the British Library website to more information (http://www.bl.uk/mughalindia/). The exhibition usually takes 2 hours or so.
2. Also, let us know if you want to take your own sandwiches/picnic or would prefer us to organise catering for food.
3. Tell us what dates you would like to go: Saturday Saturday 23 March
4. Finally, suggestions for what to do / where to go after lunch. Such as Kew Gardens, or a local mosque or other attraction...

An example of the exhibits: http://www.bl.uk/whatson/exhibitions/mughalindia/zoomifycrown.html 

 

Homework:
- Lives of the Prophets: What was Adam made from? What are the different terms used in the Quran to describe what Adam (mankind) is made from? 
- Any questions on Evolution?