In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the All-Compassionate

 

"May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon You"

 

Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah

                       As-Salaam Alaykum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakaatuh

             ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kufr, Shirk, Haraam, Makroov

Most of the Muslims of today do not know the difference between Kufr and Shirk. They think that both are the same. In Islam, we have halaal and haraam. For every 99% that is made halaal, we have 1% that is haraam. Remember, the amount of halaal food that we can get, the halaal lives we can eat, and that which is made haraam is certainly of a very small quantity in comparison.  Just like Adam (as) was allowed all the fruits of the garden and was supposed to refrain from just one tree ; likewise, we are given plenty of halaal food and a small quantity is made haraam, which is to be prohibited; first and foremost because they are harmful to us and also to see whether we adhere to the commandments of Allah(s.w.t). Again, we should know that when we take our rizzack through halaal means, all our virtues are accepted by Allah and are stored for us for Aakhira, which would be of great help and a great boon & blessing to our life in paradise. We should remember that Allah has ordained for the Prophet and the common man including Satan, a small portion of paradise and a small portion of hell;

Imam al-Nawawi (d. 676 A.H.) comments on these narrations;

?????   ???   ??????   ??   ???   ??   ????   ???   ?????   ???  ??? ???? ?? ????? ????? ?? ????? ??????? ??? ??? ????? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ????????? ??? ????? ????? ????? ?? ????? ??? ??? ????? ????? ????? ???? ????? ??? ???? ????? ??? ??? ???? ?????? ???? ????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ????? ?? ???? ?????? ????????

And the meaning of this Hadith is like what is reported in a narration from Abu Hurayrah that, “For everyone there is a place in Paradise and a place in Hell”……………………..
(Sharah al-Nawawi, Dar Ehia al-Tourath al-Arabi, Beirut 1392 A.H.vol.17 p.85)

 At this juncture, it is very very important to point out that Allah(s.w.t) has not ever created any of His creations for the hell fire – it is only the deeds that we do ourselves that make us worthy of the hell fire or Paradise – Allah(s.w.t) has created each and everyone including Satan for Paradise only; to such an extent that even the child born to a prostitute is born with eeman (belief in Allah). It is only the wrong upbringing of the parents that changes them from a believer to an unbeliever.

 The funeral prayer should be offered for every child even if he were the son of a prostitute as he was born with a true faith of Islam. If his parents are Muslims, particularly the father, even if his mother were a non-Muslim, and if he after the delivery cries (even once) before his death (i.e. born alive) then the funeral prayer must be offered. And if the child does not cry after his delivery (i.e. born dead) then his funeral prayer should not be offered, and he will be considered as a miscarriage. Abu Huraira, narrated that the Prophet said, "Every child is born with a true faith (i.e. to worship none but Allah Alone) but his parents convert him to Judaism or to Christianity or to Magainism, as an animal delivers a perfect baby animal. Do you find it mutilated?" Then Abu Huraira recited the holy verses: "The pure Allah's Islamic nature (true faith i.e. to worship none but Allah Alone), with which He has created human beings." (30.30).

Sahih Bukhari Volume 002, Book 023, Hadith Number 440.

 It is we and the virtues or sins that we send, they go a long way in magnifying, enlarging  and glorifying or degrading our hell or heaven as to the virtues and the sins we send.

"Because of (the deeds) which your (own) hands sent forth: for Allah is never unjust to His servants. Quran- 8:51

Each and everyone of us is given a separate and an exactly same portion of hell or heaven that the others were given; whether we develop the hell or paradise is left to our complete freedom and freewill – Rizzack, we know very well was predestined by Allah(s.w.t) even before our birth into this world, but the freedom to obtain it in a dignified Halaal manner or the Haraam or Kufr manner is our complete and total freedom and Allah(s.w.t) would never ever interfere with it.  If we go by the ways shown by Allah and His messenger, we decorate, enlarge, and beautify our Paradise. If we follow satan or his likes, we disgrace, pervert,  and corrupt our hell and make it drastic, deadly and heinous. We should also understand that when a person does makroov (that which is hateful), as long  as he does not harm any other person, then the sins are minor and a complete and sincere ablution; Inshaallah, would clear him of all his sins. If he harms someone else, then that someone must forgive him for only then Allah forgives. Many Alims today say that 40 makroovs would make a haraam – I would like to ask them whether 40 donkeys would ever make a pig? If this is not possible, then a world full of makroov will never never never be a haraam. Similarly, a world full of haraam will never equal a shirk and similarly, a world full of shirk will never equal a kufr. Meaning; when a person has emaan in Allah and does all the haraams in the world and if he is thrown into hell for his sins, he will one day be brought out of it to be given paradise. Similarly, if a person does all the shirk in the world and also if he does a lot of good deeds, his good will be taken into account and some of his punishments in hell would be wavered off as in the case of Abu Talib, who was the uncle of Prophet (s.a.w.) and he helped the Prophet(s.a.w) a lot and gave him protection. Though Abu Talib was  a mushrik, Prophet (s.a.w.) said the good he did will be taken into account and the least of punishment would be given to him in hell. That would be a shoe/slipper of fire that he will be made to wear and the heat from this would make his brain boil. So we know, the mushriks though they belong to the hell permanently, the good deeds they do on earth are taken into account to decrease their punishment in hell.

On the other hand, as for kufr, it is a sin that is unforgivable. This is the greatest of sins. Allah says in the Quran, those who involve in kufr will never never have their sins forgiven and none of their good deeds would ever be taken into account however great they might be. They will be blown like dust in the wind, not a single good act or virtues of theirs would ever ever be taken into account,:

And We shall turn to whatever deeds they (the Kafirs) did (in this life) and We shall make such deeds as floating dust scattered about. (not a single act of virtue of theirs would be taken to account however great the virtue or act of virtue might be). Quran: 25-23 unless in their lifetime, they take honest effort and come out of kufr and seek forgiveness with Allah and become a believer. In which case, all of the sins that they have committed while in kufr, will be changed to virtues for their effort to become a believer.

On the authority of Masruq(r.a), who said:
"We asked Abdullah bin Masud about this verse: And do not regard those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead, rather they are alive with their Lord, being provided for. [Quran, Surah Ale-Imran(3), Verse 169]. He said: We asked about that and he (the Prophet SAW) said: Their souls are in the insides of green birds having lanterns suspended from the Throne, roaming freely in Paradise where they please, then taking shelter in those lanterns. So their Lord cast a glance at them and said: Do you wish for anything? They said: What shall we wish for when we roam freely in Paradise where we please? And thus did He do to them three times. When they saw that they would not be spared from being asked [again], they said: O Lord, we would like for You to put back our souls into our bodies so that we might fight for Your sake once again. And when He saw that they were not in need of anything they were let be."
It was related by Muslim, Tirmidhi, An-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah.
The person, who dies as a shaheed, sells his soul to Allah. When this person dies, his soul is taken with great dignity and honor to a place like paradise with numerous fruit trees. His soul gets into a green bird and flies about most joyously and blissfully till judgment day along with other Shaheeds, who are also like him. They enjoy the various fruits of paradise and would never need anything for all that they want would be furnished to them, and after judgment day, without any questions being asked, they would be taken to the highest paradise to live with the Prophets and other very Pious persons, who adhered to Allah’s commands completely and died as a true believer.

 Whereas a person, who seeks help from satan, sells his soul to satan in exchange to the help he receives from satan, which would definitely be a great deceivement and a great disappointment on those who went to receive help from satan. Allah says in the Quran they sold their souls to satan for a miserable price.

And vile was the price for which they did sell their souls(to satan) if they but knew!   Quran-2:102

 It was indeed a miserable price. For they should understand, satan could give them nothing which Allah has not predestined it for them. Had they been patient, they would have received it in a more dignified and honorable way from Allah Himself if it was destined for them. What was not destined for them, none can give; even satan cannot give them. This is just a hallucination and satan is bound to deceive them for a surety.  A lot of people are in a dilemma and want to know whether the Meccan unbelievers were Musriks of Kafirs – Well, they were both; some like Abu Talib were Musriks, and some other unbelievers and munafiqs were Kafirs; for they resort to Satan for advice and help, for Allah says:

Hast thou not turned thy vision to those who declare that they believe in the revelations that have come to thee and to those before thee? Their (real) wish is to resort together(along with the unbelievers & their leaders) for judgment (in their disputes) to the Evil One(Satan) though they were ordered to reject him. But Satan's wish is to lead them astray far away (from the Right). Quran- 4:60

And those that took Satan’s help are Kafirs.

When a person sells his soul to satan, at the time of death, his/her soul would be taken by satan and used in the most evil, degrading, and perverted manner as satan’s slave till the end of world. After judgment day these souls would be taken to the most horrible and most drastic of hells, most grievious of punishment and will be thrown into this Jahannam in the very very bottom of this along with satan and his group. This Kufr will be the most wicked and degraded of all sins. There is no sin greater than this - a person who succumbs to this kind of sin, disbelieves in the Almighty God, His Angles, His Prophets, His revelations, hell and heaven. Only then, such a wicked person alone will seek satan’s help after Allah (s.w.t.) has gifted him with such rizzack, facilities, and faculties only meant to worship Him, the Almighty Lord and Him alone, but alas! They succumbed to Satan to be thrown into the most wretched and drastic hell. What a horrible and  disgusting home to end in.

Verily Satan is an enemy to you: so treat him as an enemy.  He only invites his adherents that they may become Companions of the Blazing Fire. Quran:35-6

"Then they will be thrown headlong into the (Fire) they and those straying in Evil  
"And the whole hosts of Iblis together.

"They will say there in their mutual bickerings:   
" `By Allah we were truly in an error manifest: Quran: 26 - 94,95,96,97

As You Think So Are You

 

Golfer Arnold Palmer has won hundreds of trophies, but he never flaunts them. In his office is only one trophy on display. It is a small cup he received at his first professional win at the Canadian Open in 1955.

 

On his office wall is a lone framed plaque that reads:

 

     If you think you are beaten, you are.

     If you think you dare not, you don't.

     If you'd like to win but think you can't,

        it's almost certain you won't.

     But sooner or later, the man who wins

        is the man who thinks he can.

 

Life's battles, challenges, successes and/ or failures are all fought, won or lost in the mind.

 

For what the mind dwells on, the body acts on. If you don't believe this, think how temptation works. First a thought, then we dwell on it and keep thinking about it, rationalize it in our mind, and act on it. It is all too true: What the mind dwells on the body acts on.

 

Compiled, edited and adapted by Khalid Latif, www.thekhalids.org

 

 

 

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