Story of Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great is known as the most powerful military leader and
conqueror of the ancient world. Before he turned 30 years old he
conquered an empire stretching over 3,000 miles from Greece to India.
He was born in 356 BC in Macedonia, known today as northern Greece.

On his sickbed and during his last hour alive, Alexander the Great
told his generals "After my death, when you put my body in the casket,
let my arms hang over the edges with my palms wide open, so the public
can see my empty hands while I am leaving the world." After he died,
many dignitaries came to view the royal funeral and were very
surprised to see his arms hanging over the edge of the casket with his
palms wide open. They asked questions about this unique scene. A wise
man told them "O People, Alexander the Great is telling us that when
he ruled the world, great treasures of gold, silver and wealth came to
be under his possession. Yet, indeed he is leaving the world empty
handed."

Source: Partially extracted from the writtings of JC Pinkerton.

Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: Allah's
Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Three things follow the bier
of a dead man, two of them come back and one is left with him: the
members of his family, wealth and his good deeds. The members of his
family and wealth come back while his deeds alone are left with him.
(Sahih Muslim)

What Does Islam Say about Terrorism?

Islam, a religion of mercy, does not permit terrorism. In the Quran,
God has said:

"God does not forbid you from showing kindness and dealing justly with
those who have not fought you about religion and have not driven you
out of your homes. God loves just dealers." (Quran 60:8)

The Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him,
used to prohibit soldiers from killing women and children,[1] and he
would advise them: "...Do not betray, do not be excessive, do not kill
a newborn child."[2] And he also said: "Whoever has killed a person
having a treaty with the Muslims shall not smell the fragrance of
Paradise, though its fragrance is found for a span of forty years."[3]

Also, the Prophet Muhammad has forbidden punishment with fire.[4]

He once listed murder as the second of the major sins,[5] and he even
warned that on the Day of Judgment, "The first cases to be adjudicated
between people on the Day of Judgment will be those of
bloodshed.[6]"[7]

Muslims are even encouraged to be kind to animals and are forbidden to
hurt them. Once the Prophet Muhammad said: "A woman was punished
because she imprisoned a cat until it died. On account of this, she
was doomed to Hell. While she imprisoned it, she did not give the cat
food or drink, nor did she free it to eat the insects of the
earth."[8]

He also said that a man gave a very thirsty dog a drink, so God
forgave his sins for this action. The Prophet, may the mercy and
blessings of God be upon him, was asked, "Messenger of God, are we
rewarded for kindness towards animals?" He said: "There is a reward
for kindness to every living animal or human."[9]

Additionally, while taking the life of an animal for food, Muslims are
commanded to do so in a manner that causes the least amount of fright
and suffering possible. The Prophet Muhammad said: "When you slaughter
an animal, do so in the best way. One should sharpen his knife to
reduce the suffering of the animal."[10]

In light of these and other Islamic texts, the act of inciting terror
in the hearts of defenseless civilians, the wholesale destruction of
buildings and properties, the bombing and maiming of innocent men,
women, and children are all forbidden and detestable acts according to
Islam and the Muslims. Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy, and
forgiveness, and the vast majority have nothing to do with the violent
events some have associated with Muslims. If an individual Muslim were
to commit an act of terrorism, this person would be guilty of
violating the laws of Islam.

Footnotes:

[1] Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #1744, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #3015.

[2] Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #1731, and Al-Tirmizi, #1408.

[3] Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #3166, and Ibn Majah, #2686.

[4] Narrated in Abu-Dawood, #2675.

[5] Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #6871, and Saheeh Muslim, #88.

[6] This means killing and injuring.

[7] Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #1678, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #6533.

[8] Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2422, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #2365.

[9] Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2244, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #2466.

[10] Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #1955, and Al-Tirmizi, #1409.

Jihad and Islam

The word Jihad represents a concept which is much misunderstood in the
West. The concept is explained nicely by the Christian scholar Ira 6.
Zepp, Jr. in his book entitled A Muslim Primer on pages 133-135. We
adapt from his answer the following:

The essential meaning of Jihad is the spiritual, psychological, and
physical effort we exert to be close to God and thus achieve a just
and harmonious society. Jihad literally means "striving" or "struggle"
and is shorthand for Jihad fi Sabeel Allah (struggle for God's cause).
In a sense, every Muslim is a Mujahid, one who strives for God and
justice.

Al-Ghazali captured the essence of Jihad when he said: "The real Jihad
is the warfare against (one's own) passions. Dr. Ibrahim Abu-Rabi
calls Jihad "the execution of effort against evil in the self and
every manifestation of evil in society." In a way, Jihad is the
Muslim's purest sacrifice: a struggle to live a perfect life and
completely submit to God.

Another form of Jihad is the striving to translate the Word of God
into action. If one has experienced God and received guidance from the
Qur'an, one struggles to apply that guidance in daily life. So the
larger, more prevalent meaning of Jihad is the spiritual struggle of
the soul. In this case, Jihad is always present for the believer
whether there is an external enemy or not. We should never reduce
Jihad to violence.

A third level of Jihad is popularly known as "holy war." The classic
passage is found in the Qur'an:
Fight in the way of Allah those who fight against you, but transgress
not the limits. Truly Allah likes not the transgressors (Qur'an
2:190).

It is crucial to note here that what is condoned is defensive warfare;
Islam cannot justify aggressive war. Muhammad and the Tradition are
also against killing non-combatants, torturing of prisoners, the
destruction of crops, animals and homes. Adapted from Ira 6. Zepp,
Jr., A Muslim Primer (1992, Wakefield Editions, US) pp.133-135.

Robert Ellwood of the University of Southern California has the
following to say about the Muslim concept of Jihad:
Out of the community ideal of Islam comes the concept of jihad, or
holy war, which is designed to defend Islam and allow its social
practice, though not to force individual conversions, which is
forbidden. Since Islam in principle is a community as well as a
religion, presumably only an absolute pacifist would be able to reject
the theory of jihad out of hand, since other communities also fight to
defend or expand their ways of life. (Many Peoples, Many Faiths by
Robert S. Ellwood, 4th edition, Simon & Schuster, US, 1982, p.346)

The dwelling-places of the jinn

The jinn live on this earth where we do. They are mostly to be found
in ruins and unclean places like bathrooms, dunghills, garbage dumps
and graveyards. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) taught us to take precautions when entering such places, by
reciting the adhkaar (prayers) prescribed by Islam. One of these was
reported by Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him), who
said: "When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) entered the toilet, he would say, 'Allaahumma innee a'oodhu
bika min al-khubuthi wa'l-khabaa'ith (O Allaah, I seek refuge with You
from the evil ones, male and female).'" (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 142;
and Muslim, 375).

Al-Khattaabi explained that khubuth is the plural of khabeeth (evil or
dirty - masculine form), and khabaa'ith is the plural of khabeethah
(evil or dirty - feminine form), and that what is meant is male and
female shayaateen.

The food and drink of the Jinn

The jinn eat and drink. Ibn Mas'ood said: "The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: 'Someone from among
the jinn called me, and I went with him and recited Qur'aan for them.'
He took us and showed us the traces of where they had been and the
traces of their fires. They asked him for food and he said, 'You can
have every bone on which the name of Allaah has been mentioned that
comes into your possession, as meat, and all the droppings as food for
your animals.' The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said, 'So do not use [these things] for cleaning yourselves [after
relieving oneself], for they are the food and provision of your
brothers.'" (Reported by Muslim, 450).

According to another report: "A delegation of jinn from Naseebeen came
to me, and what good jinn they are! They asked me for food and I
prayed to Allaah for them, so that they would not pass by bones or
droppings, but they would find food on them." (Reported by
al-Bukhaari, 3571). The believing jinn may eat any bone on which the
name of Allaah has been mentioned, because the Messenger (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not permit them to have anything
on which Allaah's name has not been mentioned - those are for the
kuffaar among the jinn.

We all have a Jinn Companion

Every individual among the sons of Aadam has a jinn who has been
appointed to be his constant companion (qareen). Ibn Mas'ood said:
"The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said, 'There is not one of you who does not have a jinn appointed to
be his constant companion.' They said, 'And you too, O Messenger of
Allaah?' He said, 'Me too, but Allaah has helped me and he has
submitted, so that he only helps me to do good.'" (Reported by Muslim,
2814). Al-Nawawi said in his commentary on Muslim (17/175): "'He has
submitted' ... he became a believing Muslim. This is the apparent
meaning. Al-Qaadi said: Know that the ummah is agreed upon the fact
that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was
protected from Shaytaan, physically and mentally, and with regard to
his speech. This hadeeth contains a reference to the warning against
the fitnah (temptation, trial) and whispers of the qareen (constant
companion from among the jinn). We know that he is with us so we
should beware of him as much as possible."

Types of Jinns

Allaah has created different types of jinn. Among them are some who
can take on different forms, such as dogs and snakes; some who are
like flying winds with wings; and some who can travel and rest. Abu
Tha'labah al-Khushani said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: 'The jinn are of three types: a
types that has wings, and they fly through the air; a type that looks
like snakes and dogs; and a type that stops for a rest then resumes
its journey."

(Reported by al-Tahhaawi in Mushkil al-Athaar, 4/95, and by
al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, 22/214. Shaykh al-Albaani said in
al-Mishkaat (2/1206, no. 4148): al-Tahhaawi and Abu'l-Shaykh reported
it with a saheeh isnaad).

Do Jinns Exist?

The Qur'aan and Sunnah indicate that the jinn exist, and that there
is a purpose for their existence in this life, which is to worship
Allaah Alone, with no partner or associate. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meanings):

"And I (Allaah) created not the jinns and humans, except they should
worship Me (Alone)." [al-Dhaariyaat 51:56].

"O assembly of jinns and mankind! Did there not come to you Messengers
from amongst you, reciting unto you My Verses...?" [al-An'aam 6:130]

The world of the jinn is an independent and separate world, with its
own distinct nature and features that are hidden from the world of
humans. Jinns and humans have some things in common, such as the
possession of understanding and the choice between the way of good and
the way of evil. The word jinn comes from an Arabic root meaning
"hidden from sight". Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"...Verily he [Shaytaan] and his qabeeluhu [his soldiers from the jinn
or his tribe] see you from where you cannot see them..." [al-A'raaf
7:27]

Allaah has told us in His Book the essence from which the jinn were
created. He says (interpretation of the meaning):

"And the jinn, We created aforetime from the smokeless flame o fire."
[al-Hijr 15:27]

"And the jinns did He create from a smokeless flame of fire."
[al-Rahmaan 55:15].

According to a hadeeth narrated by 'Aa'ishah, the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The angels were created from
light, the jinn were created from fire, and Aadam was created from
that which has been described to you." (Reported by Muslim, 5314).

The Signs of QIYAMAH(Jugdement day)

The Minor Signs of the Last Day

by Mohammed Ali Ibn Zubair Ali

Qiyamah will come when...

Hadhrat Abu Musa Ash'ari (R.A.) narrates that Rasulallah (Sallallahu Alayhii Wassallam) said, "Qiyamah will come...

When it will be regarded as a shame to act on Quranic injunctions.

When untrustworthy people will be regarded as trustworthy and the trustworthy will be regarded as untrustworthy.

When it will be hot in winter.

When the length of days is stretched, i.e. a journey of a few days is covered in a matter of hours.

When orators and lecturers lie openly.

When people dispute over petty issues.

When women with children come displeased on account of them bearing offspring, and barren women remain happy on account of having no responsibility of offspring.

When oppression, jealousy, and greed become the order of the day.

When people blatantly follow their passions and whims.

When lies prevail over the truth.

When violence, bloodshed and anarchy become common.

When immorality overtakes shamelessness and is perpetrated publicly.

When legislation matters pertaining to Deen is handed over to the worst elements of the Ummat, and if people accept them and are satisfied with their findings, then such persons will not smell the fragrance of Jannat.

When the offspring become a cause of grief and anger (for their parents).


The following is part of a lengthy Hadith narrated by Hadhrat Abdullah Ibn Mas'ood (R.A.) when he inquired from Rasulallah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam) about the Signs of Qiyamah.

Music and musical instruments will be found in every home.

People will indulge in homosexuality.

There will be an abundance of illegitimate children.

There will be an abundance of critics, tale-carriers, back- biters and taunters in society.

People will establish ties with strangers and sever relations with their near and dear ones.

Hypocrites will be in control of the affairs of the community and evil, immoral people will be at the helm of business establishments.

The Masjid will be decorated, but the hearts of the people will be devoid of guidance.

The courtyards of Masjids will be built beautifully and high mimbars (pulpits) will be erected.

Gangsters and evil people will prevail.

Various wines will be consumed excessively.