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The King of the Body

The king is the one who rules over the land and has power over it. Every king has soldiers. If the king is righteous, then the soldiers are righteous; and if the king is evil, then the soldiers are evil.

And the body has a king, too--the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said: "There is a piece of flesh in the body; if it is righteous, the whole body is righteous; if it is evil, then the whole body is evil; indeed, it is the heart. Indeed, it is the heart. Indeed, it is the heart." [Saheeh Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim]

And the soldiers of the body are the limbs and the senses. Why do people commit haraam, when they know better? Why do brothers have wandering gazes that look at things they shouldn't? Why do we have tons and tons of music MP3s on our iPods and hard-drives?

The problem is not the eyes, or the ears! It is the heart--the heart, the root of it all.

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said: "When someone commits a sin, a black spot is placed on his heart; he keeps sinning until his whole heart becomes black." Rust on your heart! Ever notice how, listening to one song makes you more tolerant of music, makes you want to listen to more? Looking at one wrong thing makes it easier to look a the next? Black dots!

But fear not, because he then said: "When someone commits a good deed, a white spot is placed on his heart; he keeps performing good deeds until his whole heart becomes white." [Saheeh Muslim]

A pure, good and white heart, protected from black dots.

And perhaps that is the solution--leave your sins. Whatever they are, make the intention now to leave them, forever, and work for a white heart.

Because that is the only thing that will benefit you on the Day of Judgment--a pure and white heart. Allah does not look at your skin colour, your height, your language, your acne, or your too-small shoes; he looks at your heart.

May Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) grant us all a pure and white heart, protected from fitnah and from evil, ameen ya Controller of Hearts!

• Jum'Ah Khutbah. Ibrahim Hindy. Abu Huraira Center, North York, Ontario. 2008.
• "HADITH Sahih Muslim." IslamTomorrow. 21 June 2008 <http://www.islamtomorrow.com/books/sahih_muslim/Muslim.pdf>.

• The People of the Ditch (14): Belief
• The People of the Ditch (13): Your Purpose on Earth
• The People of the Ditch (10): Kings Suck
• The People of the Ditch (15): Tests and Purification
• The People of the Ditch (11): Torture and Flattery

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Qareen

What is a Qareen? A shaytaan, a devil, assigned to someone to mislead and misguide him. Someone to whisper to him in the light of day and the darkness of night. Allah says:

Translation: And whoever is blinded from remembrance of Ar-Rahman, we appoint for him a qareen, and he is to him a companion. [Surah Az-Zukhruf, verse 36]

Why is this important? You should know that you have an enemy; someone who's always watching you, taking notes on you, recording what you do; his goal is to mislead you and misguide you and drag you into the Hellfire. That's his full-time job, no vacation time and no breaks! Subhanallah! The Prophet says:

Translation: The Messenger of Allah once told his companions: Everyone of you has been assigned a companion from the Jinn. They asked: Even you, O Messenger of Allah! He replied: Yes, except that Allah has helped me against him, fa aslam. Now he only tells me to do good. [Saheeh Muslim]

What does fa aslam mean? Scholars give it two meanings. One meaning is that the Prophet's (صلى الله عليه و سلم) qareen became Muslim. Imam Nawawi and other scholars say, it means the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) was protected from his qareen.

Does this mean we, too, can make du'a and give da'wah to our qareen and try to make him or her Muslim? Unfortunately, scholars say it's specific to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم).

So what's the conclusion? Know you have an enemy. Recognize it. And struggle against it; because the one who has an enemy and struggles and overcomes him is better then one who has no enemy and is just "ok." Think about it! For every waswasa you turn away, you get a hassanah. For every sin you change your mind on, Allah credits you a good deed. For every sin you commit, you can repent, and scholars say the one who sins and repents is better than the one who never sinned.

So brighten up! Allah appointed you a qareen, yes; but this is a great and wonderful opportunity for you to attain mountains of deeds! Allahu akbar!

May Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) allow us to overcome our qareens and become people of Jannah, ameen!

Waleed Basyouni. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Rays of Faith.

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QMajd Issue 2: Route 114

QMajd has alhamdulillah published their second (or third, depending on how you count) newsletter! This one is all about Route 114, the sciences of the Qur'an. Insha'Allah check it out--it covers everything from notes on the Ameer (and how Majd managed to be the largest student body--800+ students) to crosswords to articles from our very own Ilm Fruits! So check it out insha'Allah, there's lots of 'ilm to benefit from.

[Route 114 Newsletter]

• QMajd Issue 1: Rules of Engagement
• Knowledge, Practice, Da’wah
• Zina
• Consultation (Shura): A Fundamental Leadership Technique
• Local or International Sighting?

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Where do you Stand with Allah?

Bismillah

Translation: Narrated 'Abdullah: The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said: Truthfulness (sidq) leads to righteousness (birr), and righteousness leads to Paradise. And a man keeps on telling the truth until he becomes and is written as a truthful person (siddeeq). And Falsehood/lying (kithb) leads to Al-Fajoor (wickedness, evil-doing), and Al-Fajoor (wickedness) leads to the Fire, and a man may keep on telling lies till he is written before Allah, a liar (kathaab). [Saheeh Bukhari, Book of Manners, #116]

Birr is from ba-ra-ra and it literally means a vast and open piece a land, with so many types of herbage and fruits. Birr means vastness of good deeds. Someone who is baarun (one who does birr) does all types of good deeds, and these people, al-abraar (plural of baarun), are those who are truly righteous. Next time you read the Qur'an, look for this word "al-abraar" (الابرار)and see which context these people are mentioned.

The hadeeth says that whoever is truthful, they will be lead to do these vast good deeds and then eventually they will be written as a "siddeeq". Notice this word, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) did not say a 'saadiq', but he said 'siddeeq'. A 'siddeeq' is way better than a saadiq. They not only tell the truth, they always speak the truth, and they stand by it and live by it until it becomes their nature. All they do is tell the truth, again and again. Think of Abu Bakr as-siddeeq (رضي الله عنه‏) and how he earned this name.

On the other hand, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said that the man who lies will be lead to "fujoor" and then is written as a kathaab. Al-Fujoor is from fa-jeem-ra and it means to break open, cross, and deviate (significance of words beginning with fa). Fujoor is also intensified and it shows that causing corruption and wickedness is embedded in this person's nature. Their actions are based on it and it is part of their character. Also, the word for liar used is a "kathaab", which is not just a kaathib (a liar), but a huge liar. One who is always lying until it's just second nature for lies to come out of his mouth. All they do is lie, again and again. Think of Musaylimah al-kathaab and how he earned this name.

So the question is, where do we stand with Allah (سبحانه وتعالى)? How are you written with Him? As a siddeeq or a kathaab? This reminder is for myself first and foremost.

Allahumma ijalnaa min as-siddeeqeen, wa la tajalnaa min al-khaathibeen. O Allah, make us among those who are always truthful, and do not make us among those who are liars. Ameen!

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