God is Hearer, Knower

"That is because Allah never change the grace He hath bestowed on any people until they first change that which is in their hearts, and (that is) because Allah is Hearer, Knower." (al Qur'aan al Anfal (8) :53)*

*According to Muhammad Asad: "In its wider sense, this is an illustration of the divine law of cause and effect which dominates the lives of both individuals and communities, and make the rise and fall of civilizations dependent on people's moral qualities and the changes in "their inner selves".

"It is not for any soul to believe save by the permission of Allah. He hath set uncleanness upon those who have no sense." (al Qur'aan Yunus (10):100)*

*According to Muhammad Asad: "i.e., by virtue of God's guidance and within the compass of what He has decreed to be man's nature, comprising the ability to discriminate between right and wrong. Since man's freedom of moral choice expresses itself in his willingness or unwillingness to conform to his true, God-willed nature, it can be said to depend, in the last resort on God's grace."

Those whom Allah (in His plan) willeth to guide, He open their breast to Islam; those whom He willeth to leave straying, He maketh their breast close and constricted, as if they had to climb up to the skies: thus doth Allah (heap) the penalty on those who refuse to believe. (al Qur’aan al An’am(6):125)

Ibn Mas'ud narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, explained the following words of Allah, the Exalted: "The hearts of those whom Allah wills to guide, He opens to Islam." (Qur'an 6.125) This means, the Messenger explained, that, "When the light (of truth) enters the heart it expands and opens up." The Companions asked: "Is there any evidence of this (in the life of a Muslim)?" He replied: "Being ever mindful of the eternal life of the Hereafter, and remaining at guard in this life of delusion, and preparing oneself for death before it comes." This is reported by Ibn Jarir through different chains each of which strengthens the other.

"Those whom Allah (in His Plan) willeth to guide He openeth their breast to Islam; those whom He willeth to leave straying He maketh their breast close and constricted as if they had to climb up to the skies: thus doth Allah (heap) the penalty on those who refuse to believe."(6:125)

God's Universal Plan is the Qadha wa Qadr, which is so much misunderstood. That Plan is unalterable, and that is His Will. It means that in the spiritual world, there are laws of justice, mercy, grace, penalty, etc., which work as surely as anything we know. If, then, a man refuses Faith, becomes a rebel, with each step he goes further and further down, and his pace will be accelerated; he will scarcely be able to take spiritual breath, and his recovery, -in spite of God's mercy which he has rejected,-will be as difficult as if he had to climb up to the skies. On the other hand, the godly will find, with each step, the next step easier. (Yusuf Ali)

And whomsoever it is Allah's will to guide, He expandeth his bosom unto the Surrender, and whomsoever it is His will to send astray, He maketh his bosom close and narrow as if he were engaged in sheer ascent. Thus Allah layeth ignominy upon those who believe not. (Marmaduke Pickthall)

And whomsoever God wills to guide, his bosom He opens wide with willingness towards self-surrender [unto Him]; and whosoever He wills to let go astray, his bosom He causes to be tight and constricted, as if he were climbing unto the skies: it is thus that God inflicts horror upon those who will not believe. (Muhammad Asad)

Everyone will come to a point in their life when they realised the need for change; except for those whom Allah Almighty has decreed otherwise.
These changes they wrought upon themselves and their lives will reflect the degree of knowledge they have of Islam and their belief in Islam as way of life. If it is still compartmentalise (secular), the change will be partial. He or she will begin to pray, fast during the month of Ramadan, pay zakat and go on a pilgrimage to Mecca. This is the most common change in an individual we will see within our community and it determines the level of change the community itself will achieve.

When Muhammad s.a.w., brought the message of Islam to the people in Mecca, with the help of Allah the community was ready for total change and so Islam was established.

The Holy Qur'an

Read in the name of thy Sustainer, who has created -

created man out of a germ-cell!

Read - for thy Sustainer is the Most Bountiful One

who has taught [man] the use of the pen -

taught man what he did not know.

 With these opening verses of the 96th surah - with an allusion to man's humble biological origin as well as to his consciousness and intellect - began, early in the 7th century of the Christian era, the revelation of the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessing be upon him) destined to continue during the 23 years of his prophet-hood and to end, shortly before his death, with verse 281 of the 2nd surah:

And be conscious of the Day on which you shall be brought back

unto God, whereupon every human being shall be repaid in full for

what he has earned, and none shall be wronged.

 Between these first and last verses (chronological order of their revelation) unfolds a book which, more than any other single phenomenon known to us, has fundamentally affected the religious, social and political history of the world. No other sacred scripture has ever had a similarly immediate impact upon the lives of the people who first heard its message and, through them and the generations that followed them, on the entire course of civilization. It shook Arabia, and made a nation out of its perennially warring tribes; within a few decades, it spread its worldview far beyond the confines of Arabia and produced the first ideological society known to man; through its insistence on consciousness and knowledge, it engendered among its followers a spirit of intellectual curiosity and independent inquiry, ultimately resulting in that splendid era of learning and scientific research which distinguished the world of Islam at the height of its cultural vigour; and the culture thus fostered by the Qur'an penetrated in countless ways and by-ways into the mind of medieval Europe and gave rise to that revival of Western culture which we call the Renaissance, and thus became in the course of time largely responsible for the birth of what is described as the "age of science": the age in which we are now living.

(The above is the first and second paragraphs of the Forward in The Message of The Qur'an, Translated and Explained by Muhammad Asad.)

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith No. 1.118

Let me begin by quoting this hadith narrated by Abu Huraira r.a.:

People say that I have narrated many Hadiths (the Prophet's  narration). Had it not been for two verses in the Qur'an, I would not have narrated a single Hadith, and the verses are:

"Verily those who conceal the clear (Signs) and the guidance which We have sent down and after We have made it clear for the people in the book on them shall be Allah's curse and the curse of those who are entitled to curse*. Except those who repent and make amends and openly declare (the truth) to them I turn; for I am Oft-Returning Most Merciful." (2.159-160).

And no doubt our Muhajir (emigrant) brothers used to be busy in the market with their business (bargains) and our Ansari brothers used to be busy with their property (agriculture). But I (Abu Huraira) used to stick to Allah's Apostle contented with what will fill my stomach and I used to attend that which they used not to attend and I used to memorize that which they used not to memorize.

*Those entitled to curse: i.e., angels and mankind: the cursed ones will deprive themselves of the protection of God and of the angels, who are the Powers of God, and of the good wishes of mankind, because by contumaciously rejecting Faith, they not only sin against God but are false to their own manhood, which God created in the "best of moulds" (Q xcv. 4).

Dedication

Dear Friends,
 

We’re all travelers on a journey toward the same destination, the Day of Judgment.
 

We need all the help we can get; we learn new things and discard those that are wrong.
 

Muslims are guided by the holy Qur’an and Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings be upon him), the Messenger of Allah.
 

Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (hafidhahullaah) said in Sharhul-Aqeedatil Waasitiyyah (p.8): “Bearing witness that he is the Messenger of Allaah requires having faith (eemaan) in him; obeying him in what he commanded; keeping away from what he prohibited; believing in whatever he informed; and following him in what is prescribed as Law.”
 

The majority of Muslims in this world is those born within the folds of Islam and practice the religion as taught by their parents and/or grandparents and teachers (Ustaz) according to the school of Islamic thoughts (mazhab) within their community.
 

On the other hand, the majority of reverts to Islam studied the Qur'an, Seerah (history) of Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings be upon him), and practiced Islam, accordingly.
 

"Our Lord! Let not our hearts deviate from the truth after You have guided us, and grant us mercy from Yourself. Indeed, You are the Bestower. Our Lord! Indeed it is You who will gather mankind on the Day about which there is no doubt. Indeed Allaah never breaks His Promise.” [Soorah Aal-’Imraan 3:7-9]