Abu Darda, r.a., reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and
blessings be upon him, said, "Whoever travels a path in
search of knowledge, then Allah will make easy for him the
path to Paradise. Verily, the angels lower their wings for
the seeker of knowledge. Verily, the inhabitants of the
heavens and the earth, even the fish in the depths of the
water, will seek forgiveness for the scholar. Verily, the
virtue of the scholar over the worshiper is as the
superiority of the moon over the stars. Verily, the scholars
are the inheritors of the Prophets. They do not leave behind
gold or silver coins, but rather they leave behind
knowledge. Whoever has taken hold of it has been given an
abundant share."
Sunan Abī Dāwūd 3641
[With thanks to Sis. Kristi]
Impressive Facebook Statistics!
The April 21 issue of
New Trend has reached
112,042 people so far.
Articles in that Issue included:
Sis. Nadrat's article on Boston marathon & support for
Aafia Siddiqui.
Br. Kaukab's khutba on attacks on mosques around the
world with Israel as worst offender.
Pro-Iran Group of
SHI'ITES DISRUPTS PROCEEDINGS OF LAW MAKERS
By Abdulkabir Oyemomi
Proceedings in the lower chamber of Nigerian House of
Assembly was brought to an abrupt end with the invasion of
members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN).
The deputy speaker of House of Representatives, Lasun Yusuf,
on Wednesday, the 23rd of April, 2019 had to put off sitting
following the report of Shiites attempt to invade the house.
The Invaders were already at entrance of the chamber when
the announcement was made.
It was later gathered that the protest was premised on the
members' dissatisfaction over the continued detention of
their leader Ibrahim El- Zakyzaky.
The deputy speaker reportedly claimed that he suspended the
proceedings because he was not sure of adequate security to
handle the situation, knowing full well that members of
Shiite are known for adamancy in the area of obeying
constituted authority agents.
Zakyzaky has been in detention since December 2015 when his
followers clashed with troops of Nigerian Army in Zaria,
Kaduna State.
You will recall that Ibrahim El-Zakyzaky is facing trial
over allegations of culpable homicide, unlawful assembly,and
disruption of public peace.
News Within the U.S.
Deep Sickness in the Church.
April 26. According to the local Ellicott City, Maryland
paper [Patch], 23 more priests of the Catholic
Church have been added to the list of clerics
accused of sexual abuse.
Guidance by Sis. Yasmin.
Bismillahir Rehmanir Raheem'
Assalam Alaikum Wa Rehmath Ullahi Wa Barakatahu .
' If Allah helps you, none can overcome you: If He forsakes
you, who is there, after that, that can help you ?
In Allah, then, let Believers put their Trust.'
{Qur'an Surat 'Al-Imran' 3A #160}
Tie your Camel First !One day Prophet Muhammad (Peace and
Blessings be upon him) noticed a Bedouin leaving his camel
without tying it...!
so he asked the Bedouin... 'Why don't you tie down
your Camel' ?
The Bedouin answered...
'I put my Trust in Allah.'
The Prophet [Peace and Blessings be upon him] then
said...
'Tie your Camel first, then put your Trust in Allah'
Source~ Tirmidhi
~My 'Salaams' To All~
Y a s m i n.
Editorial
Sri Lanka:
Major attempt to create Muslim-Christian Conflict.
Without Investigation, Fake News can become part of Accepted
Narrative.
by Kaukab Siddique
On April 22, bombs exploded in three churches and two hotels
in Sri Lanka, a little country south of India.
Within hours. without any investigation, the Lankan
government claimed that a tiny Muslim group, hitherto
unknown, had carried out the bombings. It also claimed that
the attackers were "suicide bombers." Hence none of the
attackers were alive and could not be questioned.
The Prime Minister and President claimed that they had no
knowledge of the coming attacks but Sri Lanka intelligence
services knew about them but did not stop them [!}.
No Muslim group or individuals have claimed the attacks, so
the government version remained unchallenged. India's Prime
Minister Modi, known for his hatred of Muslims boldly
claimed that these were "terrorist" attacks.
Suddenly an announcement came allegedly from Amaq claiming
that the Islamic State was responsible for the attacks in
revenge for New Zealand. BBC noted that there was no
evidence that IS was involved. New Zealand's Prime Minister
Jacinta pointed out that her intelligence services show no
connection between New Zealand and the attacks in Sri Lanka.
Thus she debunked India's "terrorist" connection narrative.,
She has turned out to be the best friend of the Muslims.
A note on AMAQ: This was the name of the publicity branch of
the Islamic State [IS]. However a few years back its
leadership was killed in US air strikes. As the air strikes
continued, the second and third layers of AMAQ leadership
were also killed. Nowadays IS cannot report even from its
strongest positions in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Thus any
group can send out a message saying that it is AMAQ. Hence
the idea that AMAQ claimed that IS did Sri Lanka bombings is
far fetched and probably apocryphal.
Christians vs Muslims?: In Sri Lanka, there has never been
any Christian-Muslim violence. There have not even been
expressions of mutual hatred. The Qur'an gives high praise
to Christians as People of the Book. Mary [Maryam, peace be
on her], has a chapter of the Qur'an named after her. All
the miracles of Jesus, pbuh, are endorsed by the Qur'an.
NOWHERE DOES THE QUR'AN SAY THAT MUSLIMS SHOULD FIGHT
CHRISTIANS. It also sanctifies places of worship.
Muslims and Christians are tiny minorities in Sri Lanka,
less than 10%, spread out across the island, separate from
each other. The only conflict within Muslims has been
against Sufis and against "ahmadis" [qadianis], arriving
from Pakistan.
By contrast, Buddhists attacked Muslims last year, These
bomb attacks are meant to legalize the Buddhist regime's
attacks on Muslims. In fact, the Buddhist regime is putting
the label of IS on all activist Muslims. There has been a
wave of arrests, about 80 by now, and another 70 are being
searched for. Even a Muslimah from Baltimore [USA] was put
on the terrorist list and the police apologized after she
vehemently protested.
The Sri Lanka government is building up its case. Muslims
killed in the bombings, from highly educated elite families,
are being labeled as "suicide bombers." Of course they
cannot answer.
The latest is that the government is launching armed attacks
on Muslims. At least 15 have been killed. including 3
children and three women. The government says they blew
themselves up.
The propaganda of fear and danger is so strong from the
government Buddhist media that Christians cancelled their
Sunday sermons and stayed home for worship. By now
Christians have been led to believe that Muslims are their
worst enemies.
Sri Lanka seemingly wants to emulate Burma [Myanmer] to turn
Sri Lanks into a 100% Buddhist state.
Most Muslims depend on western media for their information
although the Qur'an warns them to be critical of news
brought by wrong doers.
May Allah forgive our sins and shortcomings.
PAKISTAN
Freely Elected Shoora of
JI. Unique in Pakistan.
Siraj Criticizes Military Courts and World Bank.
by Qaiser Sharif
LAHORE, Apr. 25; Ameer, Jamaat e Islami, Pakistan, Senator
Sirajul Haq, has said that the elements talking of the
presidential system were pushing the country towards chaos
and disintegration. He was addressing the opening session of
the newly elected central Shoora of the JI at Mansoora on
Thursday.
Sirajul Haq said that the 1973 constitution had been
unanimously adopted and if it was made controversial, the
nation could never agree on another constitution
He said that there were serious threats to the constitution
under the present government. He however agreed that there
were several flaws in the 18th amendment which should be
rectified.
He said that as a result of the 2018 general elections, the
situation in the country had gone worse instead of bringing
any improvement.
Sirajul Haq said that the country a present needed an
alternative leadership. However, he made it clear that the
JI would not be a party to the politics of the PPP or the
Muslim league.
" We believe that Pakistan needs the Islamic system of
government as much as it needs sunlight and water", he said.
However, he said, that dictatorship was the biggest hurdle
in the way of the Islamic system.
" What is the need for military courts when the civil courts
are functioning, " he asked. How can there be two judicial
systems and two parallel governments, he asked.
Continuing, Sirajul Haq said that the presidential system
implied the government of the World Bank technocrats and
such a government would neither have people's representation
nor it would attend to the voice of the masses, he
added.
He said the present government was a herd of opportunists
who had been brought together under one party. He said the
people had hoped that the PTI government would be able to
put the country on road to progress within three years time
after controlling price hike, poverty, unemployment and
energy crisis. However, he said, the government had
collapsed within nine months and the economic situation had
worsened. The country's politics had been held hostage and
the policy making institutions were idle, and watching the
helplessness of the people.
Sirjaul Haq said that the Muslim Ummah was facing numerous
challenges as the anti Islam forces wanted to divide the
Umamh on regional and sectarian grounds to weaken its unity.
He said the Muslims unity was being harmed by propagating
Sufi Islam and political Islam. Difficulties were being
created in the way of the Islamic movements. The Islamic
movement in Egypt and the Jamaat e islami in Bangladesh and
Kashmir were being crushed. Thousands of their workers and
leaders had been put behind the bars and several JI leaders
had been executed in Bangladesh. However, he said, the
Pakistan government had remained a silent spectator all the
time.
War News
Syria
Armed Clashes around Aleppo city. Russian air strikes
Continue. ISIS assembling in several areas Undisturbed.
April 21-28
April 27 In a battle with Assad troops, southwest of Aleppo
in the Khan Tuman area, 17 Assad troops were killed and 30
injured by mujahideen of Jaysh Omar ibn al-Khattab . Eight
of the mujahideen were also killed.
Tiny drones sent by al-Nusra dropped explosives on the
Russian air base near Tarsus. Explosions could be heard as
the Russian artillery tried to shoot down the drones but
missed. Damage on the air base has not been disclosed.
Three Russian air strikes hit al-Madiq town in the Sahl
al-Ghab area.
Regime artillery hit western Idlib provinces as well as
three areas of northern Latakia.
Air strikes hit places in the Islamic town of Lataminah
[Hama province]. In response mujahideen fired rockets at
regime forces in Suqaylabiyah town. Assad vs mujahideen
exchanged fire on the western side of Aleppo city. Six other
villages in Hama province were also struck by Russian jets,
killing 5 civilians.
South of Aleppo city in the Zammar area, Tahrir [al-Nusra]
fighters hammered Assad's troops killing and wounding
numbers of them. Also south of Aleppo, al-Nusra repeatedly
hit Assad forces in the al-Hader town.
In various towns and villages of Deir ez Zor province,
demonstrators came out against Kurdish forces deprivation of
basic rights of the people. SDF brought in armored vehicles
to disperse the protestors.
In Tayyana town, 4 SDF were killed in an Islamic State
ambush. In a village near Busayrah, SDF fired at random and
killed 4 people, including a pregnant woman.
Islamic State forces have successfully re-grouped in the
eastern Homs province and northern Suwaydah province.
There are reports that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been trying
to enter Iraq but presence of Baghdad border troops
prevented him.
Invitation to Think
[With thanks to Sis. Kristi.]
Praying for Believers who have Died: Is it allowed? Why do
we feel the need to pray for those who have died? Do we
believe our prayer will convince Allah to be more merciful
to our loved one than He would have been without our prayer?
Is our prayer for Mercy a sign that we don't trust Allah's
mercy for them?
Praying for the Believers who have died. Some support this
practice. Some feel it's forbidden, and a sign of doubting
Allah's Mercy. Below is a great article: We feel that if
this article is read with an open mind and read without
hostility, that the reader will see many awesome,
Allah-honoring truths:
Article, courtesy of Quran-Islam.org:
"Prayers for believers who died."
Do our prayers make a difference to their judgement on the
Day of Judgement?
As mentioned above, when we pray for a living relative or
friend (believer) we usually implore God to cure them of an
illness or to alleviate hardship off them. This kind of
prayer implores God's Mercy on them while they are still
live. We have seen how this prayer is encouraged in the
Quran.
Prayer for a loved one, who we believe to have died as a
believer, is categorically different, for here we are not
imploring God to cure them of their illness or assist them
in adversity, but we are imploring God to grant them mercy
on the Day of Judgement. Initially, the concept is improper.
If we accept that God is the Most Merciful, and that He has
decreed mercy upon Himself, why would be imploring Him to
show mercy?
Say, "To whom belongs what is in the heavens and the earth?"
Say, "To God." He has decreed mercy upon Himself. 6:12
Are we imploring God to amend, or improve the judgement He
decrees on a person on the Day of Judgement? What this means
in reality is that we are interceding with God to issue the
dead person a more favourable judgement! The concept of
intercession is categorically refused in the Quran:
O you who believe, you shall give from what We provided you
with before a Day comes in which there will be no trade, no
friendship and no intercession. The disbelievers are the
transgressors. 2:254
Many verses in the Quran make it very clear that on
Judgement Day, and in accordance with God's Absolute
Justice, no person shall be credited for anything other than
his/her own work, equally that no soul would carry the
burden of another:
No person benefits except from his own work, and no
burden-bearer bears the burden of another. 6:164
The human being will benefit from nothing other than his own
work. 53:39
On Judgement Day, no soul will benefit except from what it
has personally earned and not from the prayers of their
loved ones. All our prayers to a dead person will not alter
his/her judgement. Many practises undertaken by many Muslims
today for their dead parents or next of kin are utterly
useless. It is utterly useless to observe and dedicate a
Hajj or Umrah to a dead parent or relative; they shall not
receive the credit since they have not observed the Hajj
themselves. The same applies to fasting on behalf of a dead
person or giving Zakat on their behalf. All these acts are
totally useless. The Salat, Hajj, Fasting and Zakat are all
acts of worship, and God does not accept any acts of worship
by proxy!
Sura 82
It is the Day when no self possesses any power to help any
other self, and all matters on that day will be decided by
God alone. 82:19
The moment the human being dies his/her record is sealed and
nothing can alter it one way or another. Sadly many Muslims
reject these Quranic truths and prefer to believe baseless
hadith that advocate what is contrary to Quranic
teachings!
God's Infinite Mercy
When we analyse this issue closer, we note that to pray for
a dead person, even if they were good sincere believers, is
an indirect rejection of Quranic truth. Let us look at the
following verses:
Say, "O My servants who transgressed exceedingly against
themselves, do not despair of God's mercy, for God forgives
all sins; He is the Forgiver, the Merciful." 39:53
God does not forgive the setting up of partners with Him,
and He forgives other than that for whomever He wills.
4:48
By virtue of these two verses, as well as other Quranic
verses, we are given a glimpse of God's Infinite Mercy. God
would actually forgive all the sins of believers as long as
they avoid idol worship.
If we still pray that God would forgive the sins of dead
believers, would we not be guilty of disbelieving God's
promise in 39:53?
Commentary on some related verses: The significance of
14:41
Some writers have quoted 14:41 to claim that we are invited
in the Quran to pray for our parents and implore God to have
mercy on them on Judgement Day:
My Lord, forgive me, my parents and the believers on the Day
when the reckoning takes place. 14:41
Immediately, we note a very important difference between
17:24 (above) and 14:41. In 17:24, the prayer was for the
parents in their lifetime. However, in 14:41 the prayer for
forgiveness on the Day of Judgement, is not a prayer given
by God, it was a prayer spoken by Abraham.
Many would quickly say, "Is a prayer spoken by God's own
Prophet Abraham not good enough as a prayer that we should
follow?"
The answer to this question is as follows:
The prayer in 14:41 was a personal prayer spoken by
Abraham, thus it cannot be regarded as an instruction from
God for us to follow.
We are told later that Abraham was not to pray for his
father who was an idol worshipper. This indicates that this
prayer offered by Abraham (for his parents) could not have
been authorised by God. We learn later that this prayer of
Abraham was not accepted by God. We also read in 9:114 that
Abraham's prayer was unrighteous.
Just because a prayer was offered by a messenger does not
mean that we should follow it or that it is a prayer that
God would answer. In 11:74 we are read how Abraham attempted
to offer another prayer for the people of Lot, which was
also rejected by God (11:76). Similarly, the prayers of Noah
for his son (11:46) and of Muhammad for his relatives (9:80)
were all rejected by God.
If we examine 14:41 one more time, we would be able to
see how it stands in disharmony with other Quranic
words:
My Lord, forgive me, my parents and the believers on the Day
when the reckoning takes place. 14:41
It is necessary now to compare the above words to the
following Quranic words:
Intercession is of no use with Him except to those who are
already approved by Him. 34:23
These words are quite conclusive in asserting that on that
Day of Judgement, nothing will have any weight for our
judgement except own deeds and faith and not on how devoutly
others may have prayed for us.
The significance of 9:84
Before we analyse this verse a word has to be mentioned
about one of the rituals practised in Islamic countries
today when a Muslim dies. Shortly before the burial
proceedings, the dead person is taken in his/her coffin
inside a masjid and a salat is observed for the dead person.
Some have interpreted the words in 9:84 to be related to
this ritual which is known as "Salat Al-Janazah" (Funeral
Prayer). However, it can be shown that this is a
misinterpretation.
We read in 72:18 that the masjid serves only one purpose and
that is to worship God. The masjid is not for taking coffins
of dead people inside and offering prayers for them.
Moreover, the rule in 6:162 dictates that the Salat, as well
as all other worship practices, should be dedicated to
glorify the name of God and not for any other purpose. To
observe a Salat, to offer prayers for a dead person is in
violation of 6:162. It is also in violation of 20:14 which
defines the sole purpose of the Salat as being the
commemoration of God:
I am God, there is no god but Me. Therefore, you shall
worship Me and observe the Salat to commemorate Me.
20:14
The proponents of the un-Quranic Funeral Salat will argue
that it is not a Salat in the traditional sense since it has
neither bowing nor prostration and is much shorter. This
excuse is not acceptable simply because it is not the form
that validates a ritual or invalidates it; it is the heart
of the ritual and who it is dedicated to. Since this Salat
is observed and dedicated to the dead person, then it is
unlawful, whatever form it may take.
Now let us ponder on the words in 9:84:
'La tussallee ala ahadan minhum' (you shall not support any
of them) who died, ever, nor shall you stand at his grave.
They have disbelieved in God and His messenger and died in a
state of wickedness. 9:84
The key words in this verse with regards to our research are
"la tussallee ala ahadan minhum". These words have been used
in the Quran in a number of verses. They do not mean "do not
pray for them" (as some have interpreted). Neither do they
refer to the widely practised Funeral Salat. When we consult
a number of verses where these same words are used ( 33:43,
9:103, 33:56) we realise that these words simply mean "do
not support them". The following verses confirm this
meaning:
"He (God) is the One who "yussallee alaykum" (supports you),
as well as His angels, to lead you out of darkness into the
light. He is Merciful towards the believers." 33:43
It is clear here that neither God nor the angels observe a
Salat for the believers! Nor do the words mean to send
blessings since the angels have no authority to bless us;
all blessings come from God alone.
Take a charity from their money to cleanse and purify them
with it and 'sallee alayhum' (support them). Your support
provides them with tranquillity. God is Hearer,
Knowledgeable. 9:103
Once again, it is clear that the messenger is not to observe
a Salat dedicated to the believers!
God and His angels 'yussalloon ala al-nabi' (support the
Prophet). O you who believe you shall 'salloo alayhee'
(support him) and accept him fully. 33:56
Once again it is clear that neither God nor the angels
conduct a salat for the Prophet, nor are the believers
required to do so.
Consequently, it can be established that the prohibition in
9:84, which is related to the words "la tussallee ala ahadan
minhum" is a prohibition from supporting any dead
disbeliever. Support for a dead person can be in the form of
taking part in the funeral, taking part in the burial,
contributing to the cost of the funeral or memorials, and so
on.
The significance of 59:10
Some writers have quoted 59:10 and implied that the words in
this verse allow us to pray for the believers who came
before us and are now dead.
And those who came after them say, "Our Lord, forgive us and
our brothers who preceded us to the faith and do not place
any animosity in our hearts towards those who believe. Our
Lord, You are Benevolent, Merciful." 59:10
Indeed the above words indicate that the people spoken of in
59:10 were offering prayers for the believers who came
before them and would thus be dead at the time. Therefore,
should we say that 59:10 allows us to pray for the dead
believers? The answer is no. Not every narration given in
the Quran constitutes a law from God that we should follow.
In many verses God is simply narrating to us about what some
people said or have done.
In other verses, God would be narrating to us about various
sins committed by previous people who have long been dead.
This again does not mean that God is authorising us to
commit the sins mentioned.
One of the many such examples is the following:
And say, "My Lord, admit me an honourable admittance, and
let me depart an honourable departure, and grant me from You
a supporting authority." 17:80
The difference between the prayer in 17:80 and that in 59:10
is that the one in 17:80 is a prayer authorised by God for
us to say, this is apparent since the verse starts with the
word "Say", while the one in 59:10 is merely a narration of
words spoken by previous people.
The prayer of the people mentioned in 59:10 is useless for 2
reasons:
1- Just because these people offered a prayer for the dead
believers who came before them does not mean in any way that
it was a prayer that God would answer. Let us take the
following example where Abraham and Ismail said the
following prayer:
Our Lord, and make us submitters to You and from our
descendants a nation of submitters to You, and show us our
rituals and redeem us. You are the Redeemer, the Merciful.
2:128
Was that a prayer that God would answer? Is it possible for
God to create a whole nation of submitters when God tells us
consistently that the majority of the human race are either
disbelievers (12:103) or idol worshippers (12:106)?
In fact, God gives us Quranic evidence that Abraham's prayer
in 2:128 was not a prayer that could ever be answered by
God:
We sent Noah and Abraham and We placed among their
descendants the Prophethood and the Scripture. Some of them
were guided while many were wicked. 57:26
Why was this prayer one that could never be answered? It is
because the prayer itself was not in harmony with God's
grand purpose. God will not decree a nation to be submitters
simply because Abraham prayed for that to happen! Rather, a
nation can only be submitters if they themselves make the
right choice and choose to submit to God.
This is not any different than if any of us prays:
"Please God make my brother a submitter!"
This is a useless prayer because God does not make anyone a
submitter if others prayed for that to happen, instead
becoming a submitter is a choice that must come from the
person himself.
God tells us that had He willed He would have made all
people submitters.
Conclusion
We must have full faith in God's Mercy:
He said, "Who despairs of his Lord's mercy except the
misguided ones!" 15:56
Can we through prayers prompt God to exercise more mercy
on our beloved ones when He has decreed mercy on
Himself?
Say, "To whom belongs what is in the heavens and the earth?"
Say, "To God." He has decreed mercy upon Himself. 6:12
Since God forgives all sins for the believers (39:53),
what exactly would we be praying for when we pray for a dead
believer? Do we not believe 39:53?
Say, "O My servants who transgressed exceedingly against
themselves, do not despair of God's mercy, for God forgives
all sins; He is the Forgiver, the Merciful." 39:53
Can we ignore the truth of 53:19 and 6:164 and insist
that our loved ones will benefit from our prayers?
The human being will benefit from nothing other than his own
work. 53:39
No person benefits except from his own work. 6:164
Is it permissible to intercede on behalf of our loved
ones who died when the Quran states that there will be no
intercession on Judgement Day?
O you who believe, you shall give from what We provided you
with before a Day comes in which there will be no trade, no
friendship and no intercession. The disbelievers are the
transgressors. 2:254
Belief in the Quran and its teachings should lead all
believers to accept without any doubt that due to God's
Infinite Mercy, all believers will be ultimately pardoned,
not because others prayed for them, but because of God's
Infinite Mercy.
