Ramadan 2012, The 5th Day

Ramadan 2012, The 5th Day

He Who responds to the oppressed when they call on Him and removes their distress, and has appointed you as successors (khalif) on the earth. Is there another Allah besides Allah? How little you pay heed! (Surat an-Naml, 62)

The Prophet (saas) said: ‘The religion (of Islam) is easy. No one ever made it difficult without it becoming too much for him. So avoid extremes and strike a balance, do the best you can and be cheerful, and seek Allah’s help (through prayer) in the morning, and evening, and part of the night.’ (Sahih Bukhari)

People want you to teach them to pray and the ritual purifications. But do you believe in Allah first? Getting up and down is not praying. You must have faith first. There is no prayer without faith. Not, prayer first, then faith. Almighty Allah always speaks of faith in the Qur’an. Allah has created our minds as we can easily find faith and find Him if we do not strain ourselves. We have been created to be fully submitted. If someone regards faith as hard, then satan will infest him. (A9 TV, May 10, 2012)

While Praying To Allah For A Blessing, One Must Also Ask Him For The Moral Values With Which To Appreciate It

While reading the Qur'an, we see that the willingness to ask for forgiveness is a natural and unfailing attribute of the believers. On that account, we understand that believers never see themselves as beings purified of all sins and faults. On the contrary, they continually seek refuge in Allah's mercy. In the following verse, turning to Allah in repentance is regarded as one of the important attributes of a believer:

Those that turn to Allah in repentance; that serve Him, and praise Him; that fast in devotion to the cause of Allah; that bow down and prostrate themselves in prayer; that enjoin good and forbid evil; and observe the limit set by Allah, shall be richly rewarded. Proclaim the glad tidings to the believers. (Surat at-Tawba, 112)

The distinction between and inter-relatedness of the concepts of repentance and forgiveness should be carefully considered.

Asking for forgiveness of Allah is a regular aspect of worship for believers. Man can ask forgiveness of Allah all day long for all his sins, whether deliberately or unintentionally committed. Moreover, as well as asking for forgiveness for oneself, one can also do it for other believers, as stated in the Qur'an. In Arabic, the word for "asking for forgiveness' is "istigfar" which is "asking for Allah's attribute of Gafur.

(Gafur (G-F-R), in Arabic, means to "cover, protect, hide totally, recover.")

Thus, asking for forgiveness of Allah is like pledging to purify oneself and hence seeking refuge in the mercy and grace of Allah. In the Qur'an the believers pray saying, "Our Lord! Forgive us our sins, remove from us our iniquities, and take to Yourself our souls in the company of the righteous." (Surah Al’Imran, 193). The judgment of Allah regarding this is as below:

I am with you: if you (but) say your prayers regularly, practice regular charity, believe in My messengers, honor and assist them, and loan to Allah a beautiful loan, indeed I will rid you of your evils, and admit you to gardens with rivers flowing beneath; but if any of you, after this, denies Me, he will truly have wandered from the path of rectitude. (Surat al-Ma’ida, 12)

As mentioned above, praying for forgiveness of Allah may be both for sins, committed intentionally or unintentionally, as well as for the sins of other believers. This is the most important distinction between asking for forgiveness and repentance. Although praying for forgiveness is a regular prayer of the believers, repentance is the steadfast attitude taken towards a particular sin or fault, or the giving of a firm decision not to turn to that sin again.

Repentance is seeking refuge in Allah for one's sin, promising not to commit that sin again and, to this end asking the guidance and help of Allah. The exact meaning of repentance is "to turn back". Thus, repentance expresses an absolute commitment not to commit any particular sin again.

The intention behind repentance is not to repeat the same sin. Allah enjoins the faithful thus: "O you who believe! Turn to Allah with sincere repentance, in the hope that your Lord will remove from you your ills and admit you to Gardens beneath which Rivers flow..." (Surat at-Tahrim, 8)

However, this is not to say that a believer repents for a sin or fault only once. He may repent on one occasion, and then, in a moment of weakness, repeat the same sin. However, the mercy of Allah never ceases to encompass him. This is why he can still repent to Allah and seek refuge in Him.

Still, there is one kind of repentance Allah will not accept: the insincere repentance offered when death comes to a man. This is actually the moment a man meets the angels of death. Of this the Qur'an says:

Allah accepts the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and repent soon afterwards; to them Allah will turn in mercy: for Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom. Of no avail is the repentance of those who continue to do evil, until death faces one of them, and he says, "Now I have indeed; repented indeed" nor of those who die rejecting Faith: for them We have prepared a most grievous punishment. (Surat an-Nisa, 17-18)

Since repentance is essential to the eternal salvation of man, one should well be aware of its importance and observe this form of worship to the best of one's ability. Allah even forgives unbelievers and hypocrites who fought against Him and His Messenger, if they turn back to Allah with sincere and true repentance.

Asking forgiveness of Allah and repenting one's sins serve as pure expressions of being a sincere servant to Allah. In the Qur'an it is mentioned that praying for forgiveness and expressing repentance are ways to eternal salvation:

If it were not for Allah's grace and mercy to you, and that Allah is Forgiving and full of Wisdom, (you would indeed be ruined). (Surat al-Nur, 10)

Imaginary Mechanisms Of Evolution: Mutations

Mutations are defined as breaks or replacements taking place in the DNA molecule, which is found in the nuclei of the cells of a living organism and which contains all its genetic information. These breaks or replacements are the result of external effects such as radiation or chemical action. Every mutation is an "accident" and either damages the nucleotides making up the DNA or changes their locations. Most of the time, they cause so much damage and modification that the cell cannot repair them.

Mutation, which evolutionists frequently hide behind, is not a magic wand that transforms living organisms into a more advanced and perfect form. The direct effect of mutations is harmful. The changes effected by mutations can only be like those experienced by people in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Chernobyl: that is, death, disability, and freaks of nature…

The reason for this is very simple: DNA has a very complex structure, and random effects can only damage it. B.G. Ranganathan states:

First, genuine mutations are very rare in nature. Secondly, most mutations are harmful since they are random, rather than orderly changes in the structure of genes; any random change in a highly ordered system will be for the worse, not for the better. For example, if an earthquake were to shake a highly ordered structure such as a building, there would not be a random change in the framework of the building which, in all probability, would not be an improvement.(1)

Not surprisingly, no useful mutation has been so far observed. All mutations have proved to be harmful. The evolutionist scientist Warren Weaver comments on the report prepared by the Committee on Genetic Effects of Atomic Radiation, which had been formed to investigate mutations that might have been caused by the nuclear weapons used in the Second World War:

Many will be puzzled about the statement that practically all known mutant genes are harmful. For mutations are a necessary part of the process of evolution. How can a good effect - evolution to higher forms of life - results from mutations practically all of which are harmful?(2)

Every effort put into "generating a useful mutation" has resulted in failure. For decades, evolutionists carried out many experiments to produce mutations in fruit flies as these insects reproduce very rapidly and so mutations would show up quickly. Generation upon generation of these flies were mutated, yet no useful mutation was ever observed.

The same holds true for man. All mutations that have been observed in human beings have had deleterious results. On this issue, evolutionists throw up a smokescreen and try to enlist examples of even such deleterious mutations as "evidence for evolution". All mutations that take place in humans result in physical deformities, in infirmities such as mongolism, Down syndrome, albinism, dwarfism or cancer.

To summarise, there are three main reasons why mutations cannot be pressed into the service of supporting evolutionists' assertions:

l) The direct effect of mutations is harmful: Since they occur randomly, they almost always damage the living organism that undergoes them.

2) Mutations add no new information to an organism's DNA: The particles making up the genetic information are either torn from their places, destroyed, or carried off to different places. Mutations cannot make a living thing acquire a new organ or a new trait. They only cause abnormalities like a leg sticking out of the back, or an ear from the abdomen.

3) In order for a mutation to be transferred to the subsequent generation, it has to have taken place in the reproductive cells of the organism: A random change that occurs in a cell or organ of the body cannot be transferred to the next generation.

Briefly, it is impossible for living beings to have evolved, because there exists no mechanism in nature that can cause evolution. Furthermore, this conclusion agrees with the evidence of the fossil record, which does not demonstrate the existence of a process of evolution, but rather just the contrary.

(For further reading, see "The Evolution Deceit" by Harun Yahya)

(1) B. G. Ranganathan, Origins?, Pennsylvania: The Banner Of Truth Trust, 1988
(2) Warren Weaver, "Genetic Effects of Atomic Radiation", Science, Vol 123, June 29, 1956, p. 1159

The Increased Oppression Of Muslims

During the end times, the hadiths state that Muslim societies will suffer from the conflict, war, and injustice aimed at them. The conflicts and climate of chaos experienced in parts of the Islamic world, both now and in the recent past, as well as the oppression that has led to dictatorial regimes in certain Muslim countries, are some of the proofs that this time has begun.

Everyone bowing (ruqu`) and prostrating (sajda) themselves in prayer will be punished. Cruelty, malice, and vice will be produced; scholars and ascetics murdered; and many cities conquered. There will be hostility to Prophet Muhammad (saas), bloodshed and destruction will be legitimate. (al-Suyuti, Portents of the Mahdi, p. 37)

There will be caliphs after me, amirs after the caliphs, and cruel tyrants after the amirs. Finally, one from my line will appear. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi `Alamat al-Mahdi, p. 84)

Woe to this community because of those tyrannical rulers. These cruel ones frighten even the silent and submissive, apart from those who obey them. (Ibid., p. 13)

Every one out of three Muslim will be killed... (Ibid., p. 73)

2012-07-08 18:23:38