Story Time Once Again

[onein6billion]

One of our pious predecessors, Thabit Bin Nu’man , was hungry and tired as he was passing through a garden that bordered a river. He was so hungry that he could hear his stomach growling, and so his eyes became fixed on the fruits he saw on the various trees of the garden. In a fit of desperation, he forgot himself and extended his hand to an apple that was within reach. He ate half of it and then drank water from the river. But then he became overcome with guilt, despite the fact that he had only eaten because of dire need.

He said to himself, “Woe unto me! How can I eat someone else’s fruits without his permission? I make it binding upon myself not to leave this place until I find the owner of this garden and ask him to forgive me for having eaten one of his apples.“

After a brief search, he found the owner’s house. He knocked on the door and the owner of the garden came out and asked him what he wanted.

Thabit Bin Nu’man said, “I entered your garden that borders the river, and I took this apple and ate half of it. Then I remembered it does not belong to me, and so I ask you now to excuse me for having eaten it and to forgive me for my mistake.“

The man said, “On one condition only I will forgive you for your mistake.“

Thabit Bin Nu’man asked, “And what is that condition?“

He said, “That you marry my daughter.“

Thabit Bin Nu’man said, “I will marry her.“

The man said, “But heed you this; indeed my daughter is blind, she does not see; mute, she does not speak;deaf, she does not hear.“

Thabit Bin Nu’man began to ponder over his situation; a difficult predicament indeed did he find himself in now; what should he do? Not get out of it, thought Thabit, for he realised that to be tested by such a woman, to take care of her, and to serve her, are all better than to eat from the foul matter of the Hellfire as a reward for the apple that he ate. And after all, the days of this world are limited.

And so he accepted the condition to mary the girl, seeking his reward from Allaah, Lord of all that exists. He was nonetheless somewhat anxious in the days prior to the marriage.

He thought, “How can I have intimate relations with a woman who neither speaks nor sees nor hears?“

So miserable did he become that he almost wished for the earth to swallow him up before the appointed date.

Yet despite such apprehensions, he placed his complete trust upon Allaah and he said, “There is neither might nor power except with Allaah. Indeed to Allaah do we belong and indeed to Him shall we al return.“

On the day of the marriage he saw her for the first time. She stood up before him and said, “Peace, mercy and blessings of Allaah be upon you.“

When he saw her grace and beauty, he was reminded of what he would see when he would imagine the fair maidens of paradise (i.e., the gorgeous hoor al-ayn). After a brief pause he said, “What is this? She indeed speaks, hears and sees.” He then told her what her father said earlier.

She said, “My father has spoken the truth. He said I was mute because I do not speak any forbidden word, and I have never spoken to any man who is not lawful to me (i.e., she has never spoken to any ghair mahrams)! And I am indeed deaf in the sense that I have never sat in a gathering in which there is backbiting, slander, or false and vain speech! And I am indeed blind, in the sense that I have never looked upon a man who is not permissible for me!“

[onein6billion]

Aboo ‘Abdillaah, the mu’adhdhin of the mosque of Banoo Haraam, said: “My neighbour was a young boy, whenever I called the adhaan and iqaamah for prayer, it would seem that he was standing at the nape of my neck. When he had prayed, he would put on his shoes and enter his house.

I would hope that he talk to me or ask me for something and one day he asked me, “Aboo ‘Abdillaah, do you have a mushaf that you could lend me that I may recite from?“

I gave him one, he took it and held it against his chest and said, “Something will happen to you and I today.“

That whole day I did not see him. I called the iqaamah for Maghrib but he did not come, and likewise for ‘Ishaa’, so I started having suspicions. I went to his house and all I saw there was a bucket and a washroom. There was a curtain on his door which I pulled back and saw him there, dead.

My mushaf was also there which I took and then called some people to help me lift him onto his bed. I spent the night thinking who I could ask concerning his burial sheet. I called the adhaan for Fajr and entered the masjid to see a light coming from the direction of the qiblah, I went to it and found a wrapped burial sheet there which I took, all the while praising Allaah, the Most High.

I put it in my house and then called the iqaamah; after prayer I found sitting on my right hand side Thaabit Al-Bunaanee, Maalik Ibn Deenaar, Habeeb Al-Faarisee and Saalih Al-Murree.

I said, “Brothers, what has brought you here?“

They said, “Has someone dies here this night gone by?“

I said, “A young boy who used to pray with me.“

They said, “Show us.“

When they entered the house, Maalik Ibn Deenaar removed the garment covering the deceased face and kissed his forehead on the place where he would prostrate and said, “May my father and mother be ransomed! You – Hajjaaj, if you became known in a particular place, you would move on to a place in which you were not known… come let us wash him!“

Each one of them had a burial sheet in which they wished to wrap him, I informed them of what had happened that morning and they agreed to bury him in the burial sheets I had found. We then left and could hardly lift up his bier for the great crowd of people who had gathered to attend his funeral!”

[onein6billion]

By Abdul Malik Mujahid


It was almost 4 p.m. and Aisha knew exactly what she was going to do.

Living and working in downtown Chicago, it was part of her daily ritual: whatever money she had earned at work, every weekday, she would use for food.

Not for herself. But for the homeless.

She would prepare sandwiches, put them in two large grocery bags, then walk around the tall buildings in downtown Chicago giving them out to the poor and homeless who otherwise would be scratching the garbage baskets outside fast-food places, collecting bits of food.

Aisha didn't make just any kind of sandwiches though. She was well aware of the needs of the homeless and needy. She knew what was necessary for their diet, what was good and bad for their digestion, and what kind of food she had to make for them.

Eventually homeless people figured out where her apartment was and they would sometimes also come by. Her apartment building's management was not happy about it. But it was Allah's pleasure Aisha was after.

She was known among the Muslims in Chicago as the mother of the homeless. I did not know how long she had been a Muslim.

The first time I met her was when we were thinking of starting a soup kitchen to be run by Muslims in Chicago.

She came by Sound Vision for a meeting. A well-to-do Muslim engineer who himself had just came out of a homeless shelter, losing everything to his former wife, was also present. We were both pleasantly surprised about Aisha's level of knowledge about the food habits of homeless people.

But it seems, no one was there to make sandwiches for Aisha when she became homeless herself.

From helping the homeless to becoming homeless

How could a person go from helping the homeless to becoming homeless herself?

Masjids go up. Schools get built. World disasters attract donations. But we failed to get that soup kitchen up in Chicago.

Masjids were reluctant to give space for this project and the cost of renting a place in downtown, where the homeless are found, was prohibitive. And very few of us were interested. We lost contact with each other.

The next time I saw Aisha was at an Islamic center in Chicago. I was there to drop off my wife to the Quran class she used to conduct there.

I saw some worried faces in a corner of the busy hallway of the Islamic center. It was a Sunday around noon: the prime time of activities in Islamic centers: very busy, hectic, meetings, kids, phones, cell phones, hugging, kissing, shouts of 'Salam' and loudspeakers with lectures. But these faces in the corner were distinctly alone.

I was wondering about them when I spotted Aisha. "What are you doing here?" It took her a few minutes to recognize me and open up.

These people were waiting for Zakat committee members to see them and process their applications. The committee members were nowhere to be found. Weekend Islam is a difficult business.

To my surprise Aisha was homeless herself and was looking for a loan.

She needed it to pay a one month advance so she could rent an apartment. She had already secured a new job. She wanted to pay back that money to the Islamic center as soon as she earned it.

How Aisha Became Homeless

Here's what happened: Aisha had met a fellow Muslim who expressed an interest in her. They married and he convinced her to stop working. She did.

But her husband later left for Tableegh, never to return, leaving her penniless, and eventually homeless. The dilapidated apartment building which was their home was eventually closed down by the city of Chicago because of a number of violations.

Aisha was left with no money and no shelter. She was alone. She was homeless. She was in need.

How the mosque's Zakat committee failed her

As a Muslim, Aisha turned to the first Muslim institution that is supposed to help people in need: the Masjid.

When she came to the Masjid for help, thankfully, this was one of the mosques that had a Zakat committee in place to help Muslims who were in situations like Aisha's. This is also a Masjid with a net worth of over $4 million, so its administration was definitely in a financial position to help the needy.

But she received no money from the committee. She had filled out the Zakat committee's application form to get some financial assistance. This was her third visit to the Masjid. The committee had difficulty meeting.

I had no reason to not believe Aisha, the Mother of Homeless in Chicago. I knew the Masjid.

Sometimes I give Friday Khutba (sermon) there as well. I started looking for its leaders. I learned that the Zakat Committee people were not there. The poor people would have to come back again. I offered the leadership my personal guarantee. But nothing worked.

Sometimes systems and processes become inhumane without us meaning to make them like this. I felt I should never give Khutba there anymore. I remembered to be patient.

Personal donations helped her out

Aisha did eventually get back on her feet that day, with the help of some personal donations from Muslims who didn't have enough even for themselves, but did have the heart and compassion to help her out immediately. No wonder the lowest income group pays the highest proportion of their income in charity as compared to better off people in society. May Allah reward them with the best and give Barakah (blessing) in their livelihood.

There are at least four lessons we can learn from Aisha's sad and true story.

One: behind the homeless and the hungry person you see in America, the land of abundance and opportunity, is a human being who never had any intention of becoming destitute and needy.

Two: our Islamic institutions have failed to adequately provide for the needs of those who are truly destitute and in dire circumstances. There has to be an organized, discreet and systematic way to run Zakah committees and the distribution of these funds to those who need them. There has to be immediate follow through on each case where someone in need asks for assistance.

Three: Sister Aisha's knowledge of the homeless, experience, talents, and confidence should have given her a place in the leadership of the community so she could guide us in establishing these programs for the poor.

Four: Imams, presidents, or whoever is most available in Masjids should be authorized to disperse some Zakat funds immediately for urgent needs without the committee processes which are subject to erratic volunteerism.

How many others Aishas are out there?

Where is Aisha today?

How can we know? We failed her.

May Allah reward her wherever she is. Allah never fails His servants.

[onein6billion]

Six year old Ahmed, decided one morning to make pancake for his parents. He found a big bowl and spoon; He pulled a chair to the counter, opened the cupboard and pulled out the heavy flour canister, spilling it on the floor.

He scooped some of the flour into the bowl with his hands, mixed in most of a cup of milk and added some sugar, leaving a floury trail on the floor which by now had a few tracks left by his kitten. He was covered with flour and getting frustrated.

He wanted this to be something very good for his parents, but it was getting very bad. He didn't know what to do next, whether to put it all into the oven or on the stove, (and he didn't know how the stove works!).

Suddenly he saw his kitten licking from the bowl of mix and reached to push her away, knocking the egg carton to the floor. Frantically he tried to clean up all mess but slipped on the eggs, getting his pajamas white and sticky.

And just then he saw Dad standing at the door. Big tears came in the boys eyes. All he did wanted to do was something good, but he did made a terrible mess. He was sure a scolding was coming, maybe even a spanking. But his father just watched him. Then, walking through the mess, he picked up his crying son, hugged him and loved him.

We try to do something good in life, but it turns into a mess. Our marriage gets all sticky or we insult a friend or we can't stand our job or our health goes sour.

Sometimes we just stand there in tears because we can't think of anything else to do. That's when Allah (SWT) picks us up and loves us and forgives us.

But just because we might mess up, we can't stop trying to "make pancakes" Sooner or later we will get it right, and then they will be glad to see that we at last tried.

Motivational Quote: "Success is not permanent and failure is not final. So, never stop working after success and never stop trying after failure."

[onein6billion]

The story of Umm Sulaym bint Milhan, a woman of the Ansar:

One of the best young men of Madinah, one of the best-looking, richest and strongest, came to seek her hand in marriage. This was Abu Talhah - before he became Muslim. Many of the young women of Yathrib liked him because of his wealth, strength and youthful good looks, and he thought that Umm Sulaym would joyfully rush to accept his offer. But to his astonishment, she told him, “O Abu Talhah, do you not know that your god whom you worship is just a tree that grew in the ground and was carved into shape by the slave of Banu so-and-so.” He said, “Of course.” She said, “Do you not feel ashamed to prostrate yourself to a piece of wood that grew in the ground and was carved by the slave of Banu so-and-so?” Abu Talhah was stubborn, and hinted to her of an expensive dowry and luxurious lifestyle, but she persisted in her point of view, and told him frankly: “O Abu Talhah, a man like you could not be turned away, but you are a disbelieving man, and I am a Muslim woman. It is not permitted for me to marry you, but if you were to embrace Islam, that would be my dowry (mahr), and I would ask you for nothing more.”


He returned the following day to try to tempt her with a larger dowry and more generous gift, but she stood firm, and her persistence and maturity only enhanced her beauty in his eyes. She said to him, “O Abu Talhah, do you not know that your god whom you worship was carved by the carpenter slave of so-and-so? If you were to set it alight, it would burn.” Her words came as a shock to Abu Talhah, and he asked himself, Does the Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) burn? Then he uttered the words: “Ashhadu an la ilaha ill-Allah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan rasul-Allah.”


Then Umm Sulaym said to her son Anas, with joy flooding her entire being, “O Anas, marry me to Abu Talhah.” So Anas brought witnesses and the marriage was solemnized.


Abu Talhah was so happy that he was determined to put all his wealth at Umm Sulaym’s disposal, but hers was the attitude of the selfless, proud, sincere believing woman. She told him, “O Abu Talhah, I married you for the sake of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) and I will not take any other dowry.” She knew that when Abu Talhah embraced Islam, she did not only win herself a worthy husband, but she also earned a reward from Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) that was better than owning red camels (the most highly-prized kind) in this world, as she had heard the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) say:


“If Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) were to guide one person to Islam through you, it is better for you than owning red camels.”

[onein6billion]

As-salam aalaykum

So who wants to hear a story ?? Seems pretty quite these days.

[onein6billion]

A man just got married and was returning home with his wife.

They were crossing a lake in a boat, when suddenly a great storm arose. The man was a warrior, but the woman became very much afraid because it seemed almost hopeless:The boat was small and the storm was really huge, and any moment they were going to be drowned. But the man sat silently, calm and quiet, as if nothing was happening.

The woman was trembling and she said, “Are you not afraid ?”. This may be our last moment of life! It doesn’t seem that we will be able to reach the other shore. Only some miracle can save us; otherwise death is certain. Are you not afraid? Are you mad or something? Are you a stone or something?

The man laughed and took the sword out of its sheath.

The woman was even more puzzled:What he was doing?

Then he brought the naked sword close to the woman’s neck, so close that just a small gap was there, it was almost touching her neck. He said,” Are you afraid ?”

She started to laugh and said,” Why should I be afraid ?,If the sword is in your hands, why I should be afraid? I know you love me.

”He put the sword back and said, This is my answer”.

I know Allah Subhanahu wa Taala Loves me, and the storm is in His hands
So whatsoever is going to happen is going to be good.

If we survive, good; if we don’t survive, good, because everything is in His hands and He cannot do anything wrong.

Allah (Subhanahu wa taala) say’s in the Quran “But it may happen that ye hate a thing which is good for you, and it may happen that ye love a thing which is bad for you. Allah knoweth, ye know not” (Quran, Chapter 2: Verse 216).

[onein6billion]

"My husband is an Engineer by profession, I love him for his steady nature, and I love the warm feeling when I lean against his broad shoulders.

Two years into marriage, I would have to admit, that I am getting tired of it. The reasons of me loving him before, has now transformed into the cause of all my restlessness.

I am a sentimental woman and extremely sensitive when it comes to a relationship and my feelings, I yearn for the romantic moments, like a little girl yearning for candy. My husband, is my complete opposite, his lack of sensitivity, and the inability of bringing romantic moments into our marriage has disheartened me about love.

One day, I finally decided to tell him my decision, that I wanted a divorce.

“Why?” he asked, shocked. “I am tired, there are no reasons for everything in the world!” I answered. He kept silent the whole night, seems to be in deep thought with a lighted cigarette at all times. My feeling of disappointment only increased, here was a man who can’t even express his predicament, what else can I hope from him? And finally he asked me:” What can I do to change your mind?”

Somebody said it right, it’s hard to change a person’s personality, and I guess, I have started losing faith in him. Looking deep into his eyes I slowly answered : “Here is the question, if you can answer and convince my heart, I will change my mind, Let’s say, I want a flower located on the face of a mountain cliff, and we both are sure that picking the flower will cause your death, will you do it for me?” He said :” I will give you your answer tomorrow….” My hopes just sank by listening to his response.

I woke up the next morning to find him gone, and saw a piece of paper with his scratchy handwriting, underneath a milk glass, on the dining table near the front door, that goes…. My dear, “I would not pick that flower for you, but please allow me to explain the reasons further..” This first line was already breaking my heart. I continued reading.

“When you use the computer you always mess up the Software programs, and you cry in front of the screen, I have to save my fingers so that I can help to restore the programs. You always leave the house keys behind, thus I have to save my legs to rush home to open the door for you. You love traveling but always lose your way in a new city, I have to save my eyes to show you the way. You always have the cramps whenever your “good friend” approaches every month, I have to save my palms so that I can calm the cramps in your tummy.

You like to stay indoors, and I worry that you will be infected by infantile autism. I have to save my mouth to tell you jokes and stories to cure your boredom. You always stare at the computer, and that will do nothing good for your eyes, I have to save my eyes so that when we grow old, I can help to clip your nails, and help to remove those annoying white hairs. So I can also hold your hand while strolling down the beach, as you enjoy the sunshine and the beautiful sand… and tell you the color of flowers, just like the color of the glow on your young face… Thus, my dear, unless I am sure that there is someone who loves you more than I do… I could not pick that flower yet, and die.. ”

My tears fell on the letter, and blurred the ink of his handwriting… and as I continue on reading… “Now, that you have finished reading my answer, if you are satisfied, please open the front door for I am standing outside bringing your favorite bread and fresh milk… I rush to pull open the door, and saw his anxious face, clutching tightly with his hands, the milk bottle and loaf of bread….

Now I am very sure that no one will ever love me as much as he does, and I have decided to leave the flower alone. "

That’s life, and love. When one is surrounded by love, the feeling of excitement fades away, and one tends to ignore the true love that lies in between the peace and dullness.

Love shows up in all forms, even very small and cheeky forms, it has never been a model, it could be the most dull and boring form... flowers, and romantic moments are only used and appear on the surface of the relationship. Under all this, the pillar of true love stands… and that’s our life… Love, not words win arguments.

[onein6billion]

The Husband Who Was Too Shy To Look At His Wife

This story was recounted by Prof. Khalid Al-Jubeir, consulting cardiovascular surgeon, in one of his lectures:

Once I operated on a two and a half year old child. It was Tuesday, and on Wednesday the child was in good health. On Thursday at 11:15 am – and I’ll never forget the time because of the shock I experienced – one of the nurses informed me that the heart and breathing of the child had stopped. I hurried to the child and performed cardiac massage for 45 minutes and during that entire time the heart would not work.

Then, ALLAH decreed for the heart to resume function and we thanked HIM. I went to inform the child’s family about his condition. As you know, it is very difficult to inform the patient’s family about his condition when it’s bad. This is one of the most difficult situations a doctor is subjected to but it is necessary. So I looked for the child’s father whom I couldn’t find. Then I found his mother. I told her that the child’s cardiac arrest was due to bleeding in his throat; we don’t know the cause of this bleeding and fear that his brain is dead. So how do you think she responded? Did she cry? Did she blame me? No, nothing of the sort. Instead, she said “Alhamdulillah” (All Praise is due to ALLAH) and left me.

After 10 days, the child started moving. We thanked ALLAH and were happy that his brain condition was reasonable. After 12 days, the heart stopped again because of the same bleeding. We performed another cardiac massage for 45 minutes but this time his heart didn’t respond. I told his mother that there was no hope. So she said: “Alhamdulillah. O ALLAH, if there is good in his recovery, then cure him, O my Lord.”

With the grace of ALLAH, his heart started functioning again. He suffered six similar cardiac arrests till a trachea specialist was able to stop the bleeding and the heart started working properly. Now, three and a half months had passed and the child was recovering but did not move. Then just as he started moving, he was afflicted with a very large and strange pus-filled abscess in his head, the likes of which I had never seen. I informed his mother of the serious development. She said “Alhamdulillah” and left me.

We immediately turned him over to the surgical unit that deals with the brain and nervous system and they took over his treatment. Three weeks later, the boy recovered from this abscess but was still not moving. Two weeks pass and he suffers from a strange blood poisoning and his temperature reaches 41.2°C (106°F). I again informed his mother of the serious development and she said with patience and certainty: “Alhamdulillah. O ALLAH, if there is good in his recovery, then cure him.”

After seeing his mother who was with her child at Bed#5, I went to see another child at Bed#6. I found that child’s mother crying and screaming, “Doctor! Doctor! Do something! The boy’s temperature reached 37.6°C (99.68°F)! He’s going to die! He’s going to die!” I said with surprise, “Look at the mother of that child in Bed#5. Her child’s fever is over 41°C (106°F), yet she is patient and praises ALLAH.” So she replied: “That woman isn’t conscious and has no senses”. At that point, I remembered the great Hadith of the Prophet (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wa Sallam): “Blessed are the strangers.” Just two words… but indeed two words that shake a nation! In 23 years of hospital service, I have never seen the likes of this patient sister.

We continued to care for him. Now, six and a half months have passed and the boy finally came out of the recovery unit – not talking, not seeing, not hearing, not moving, not smiling, and with an open chest in which you can see his beating heart. The mother changed the dressing regularly and remained patient and hopeful. Do you know what happened after that? Before I inform you, what do you think are the prospects of a child who has passed through all these dangers, agonies, and diseases? And what do you expect this patient mother to do whose child is at the brink of the grave and who is unable to do anything except supplicate and beseech ALLAH? Do you know what happened two and a half months later? The boy was completely cured by the mercy of ALLAH and as a reward for this pious mother. He now races his mother with his feet as if nothing happened and he became sound and healthy as he was before.

The story doesn’t end here. This is not what moved me and brought tears to my eyes. What filled my eyes with tears is what follows:

One and a half years after the child left the hospital, one of the brothers from the Operations Unit informed me that a man, his wife and two children wanted to see me. I asked who they were and he replied that he didn’t know them. So I went to see them, and I found the parents of the same child whom I operated upon. He was now five years old and like a flower in good health – as if nothing happened to him. With them also was a four-month old newborn. I welcomed them kindly and then jokingly asked the father whether the newborn was the 13th or 14th child. He looked at me with an astonishing smile as if he pitied me. He then said, “This is the second child, and the child upon whom you operated is our first born, bestowed upon us after 17 years of infertility. And after being granted that child, he was afflicted with the conditions that you’ve seen.”

At hearing this, I couldn’t control myself and my eyes filled with tears. I then involuntarily grabbed the man by the arm, and pulling him to my room, asked him about his wife: “Who is this wife of yours who after 17 years of infertility has this much patience with all the fatal conditions that afflict her first born?! Her heart cannot be barren! It must be fertile with Imaan!”Do you know what he said? Listen carefully my dear brothers and sisters. He said, “I was married to this woman for 19 years and for all these years she has never missed the [late] night prayers except due to an authorized excuse. I have never witnessed her backbiting, gossiping, or lying. Whenever I leave home or return, she opens the door, supplicates for me, and receives me hospitably. And in everything she does, she demonstrates the utmost love, care, courtesy, and compassion.” The man completed by saying, “Indeed, doctor, because of all the noble manners and affection with which she treats me, I’m shy to lift up my eyes and look at her. So I said to him: “And the likes of her truly deserve that from you.”

The End…

ALLAH says: And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient; Who, when calamity strikes them, say, “Indeed we belong to ALLAH, and indeed to HIM we will return.” Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided. (Surah Al-Baqarah 155-157)

Umm Salamah (the wife of the Prophet) said: I heard the Messenger of ALLAH (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) saying: “There is no Muslim who is stricken by a calamity and says what ALLAH has commanded him – ‘Indeed we belong to ALLAH, and indeed to Him we will return; O ALLAH, reward me for my affliction and compensate me with that which is better’ – except that ALLAH will grant him something better in exchange.” When Abu Salamah [her former husband] passed away, I said to myself: “What Muslim is better than Abu Salamah?” I then said the words, and ALLAH gave me the Messenger of ALLAH (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) in exchange. (Sahih Muslim)