Who is Muhammad?

The Final Prophet

We believe that all Prophets received divine inspiration to propagate the message of “One God”. This includes Adam, Moses, Noah, David, Abraham, Jesus and Muhammad (being the final and seal of all prophets). We do not worship any of the prophets, nor do we say they wrote the messages, they are simply messengers chosen by God to spread the message.

Muhammad is the final Prophet and seal of all Prophets. And was a mercy to mankind, and a man of the highest moral standard.

“And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.” Quran 21:107.


“And indeed, you are of a great moral character.” Quran 68:4


We don’t worship our Prophets, we just follow their teachings, as they are not acting from their own interest, but from what God has inspired them.


“Say (O Mohamed): I am only a man like you. I have been inspired that your God is One God (Allah). So whoever hopes for the meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord.”

What Non Muslim Scholars have said
Sir George Bernard Shaw:

“I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving the problems in a way that would bring the much needed peace and happiness. Europe is beginning to be enamored of the creed of Muhammad. In the next century it may go further in recognizing the utility of that creed in solving its problems.”

Michael H. Hart of USA, compiled a ranking list of the 100 most influential persons in the history of the entire humanity, who authored book ?The 100 most influential persons”, published in 1978 by Hart Publishing Company Inc. He ranked Muhammad peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, as the number one, at the top of his list.

Following are brief excerpts from the chapter on Muhammad peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. “My choice of Muhammad to lead the best of the world?s most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels.

“The idea of the unity of God proclaimed amidst the exhaustion of the fabulous theogonies, was in itself such a miracle that upon it’s utterance from his lips it destroyed all the ancient temples of idols and set on fire one-third of the world. His life, his meditations, his heroic revelings against the superstitions of his country, and his boldness in defying the furies of idolatry, his firmness in enduring them for fifteen years in Mecca, his acceptance of the role of public scorn and almost of being a victim of his fellow countrymen… This dogma was twofold the unity of God and the immateriality of God: the former telling what God is, the latter telling what God is not; the one overthrowing false gods with the sword, the other starting an idea with words.”

“Philosopher, Orator, Apostle, Legislator, Conqueror of Ideas, Restorer of Rational beliefs…. The founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he?”.

Alphonse de LaMartaine in ‘Historie de la Turquie,’ Paris, 1854.

Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh)

The most perfect of the believers in faith are the best of them in morals. And the best among them are those who are best to their wives.

None of you believes (completely) until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.

The merciful are shown mercy by the All-Merciful. Show mercy to those on earth, and God will show mercy to you.

Smiling at your brother is charity…

Whoever believes in God and the Last Day (the Day of Judgment) should do good to his neighbor.

God does not judge you according to your appearance and your wealth, but He looks at your hearts and looks into your deeds.


Pay the worker his wage before his sweat dries.

Who Is Allah?

Allah means the one and only God who is worthy of worship. We believe God is one, indivisible, has no associates and has no partners. He is the First and the Last. He is the creator and owner of all things in the entire universe and He is the only One worthy of worship. There is nothing like Him.
The attributes of Allah are described in the Holy Quran, whereby Allah says:

“Allah – there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them, and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires Him not. And He is the Most High, the Most Great.” [Quran 2:255]

There is also other examples included Chapter 112 of the Holy Quran, whereby Allah says:

Say, “He is Allah , [who is] One, Allah , the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, Nor is there to Him any equivalent.” [Quran 112]
We believe the greatness of God is something we cannot imagine, because he was the creator of everything in this universe and more. We believe Allah is the God of all people, the same God of Jesus, the same of God of Abraham, the same God of all Muslims and Christians today, because God is One. Allah is the pinnacle and there is nothing before Him. Allah says in the Quran:
“Allah is He, than Whom there is no other god; Who knows (all things) both secret and open; He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.”

“Allah is He, than Whom there is no other god; the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace (and Perfection), the Guardian of Faith, the Preserver of Safety, the Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the Supreme: Glory to Allah! (High is He) above the partners they attribute to Him.”

“He is Allah, the Creator, the Evolver, the Bestower of Forms (or Colours). To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names: whatever is in the heavens and on earth, doth declare His Praises and Glory; and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.”

[Quran 59: 22-24]

We don’t say God is human, because the “human” is a creation, we say God cannot not have children because God does not have attributes of humans nor animals. Allah teaches us that there is nothing like Him at all.
“There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer” [Quran 42:11]

Awal Muharram

Awal Muharram (also called Maal Hijrah) celebrates the beginning of the Islamic New Year, and is also the beginning of ten days of remembrance for the martyrdom of Hussein ibn Ali, Prophet Mohammed’s grandson, who was killed in the battle of Karbala on the tenth day of Muharram in the year 680 AD.

Muharram, derived from the word haram, which means sinful, is a month considered most sacred of all besides the month of Ramadan. During this time, Muslims are forbidden to fight; hence, a time of mourning and peace.

This first month of the Islamic year coincides with the migration of Prophet Mohammed from Mecca to Medina in 622 AD and is therefore, considered a time for self-evaluation and a starting point for change.

Muslims celebrate this event all over the world. The Shia Muslims (Shi’ite) spend the day mourning – some even to the extent of flogging themselves – to commemorate the martyrdom of Hussein ibn Ali. The Sunni Muslims fast and celebrate the day according to the Sunnah of Mohammed, which is in honour of Moses’ recue of the people of Israel from Pharaoh, sometimes on the 10th day.

Also on the 10th day of Muharram, most Muslims start fasting when the sun rises and do not eat until later in the evening. Muslims cook sweet rice, also known as Bubur Asyura and share them among family members and friends during their break fast. It is also during this time that Muslims gather in mosques to usher in the new Hijri year.

   At the same time, various religious activities will be carried out such as spiritual singing, religious activities and the recitation of Koranic verses. Since special prayers and sermons are conducted in public halls and mosques, areas around mosques might be congested in the evenings and at night.

ISTIGHFAR

THE MEANING OF ISTIGHFAR

As humans, we sin. Think of it in this way, God created us as humans, not Angels. By doing so, He already knew that we would be inclined to sin and do wrong deeds. We have been created as weak, which is why we need Allah's help and support. Allah is Al-Hayyi and Al-Qayyyum. Meaning, He is the One Who brings into existence and supports what He has created. We have been told in the Qur'an to seek help from Allah:

Thee alone do we worship and Thee alone do we implore for help.

WHAT IS ISTIGHFAR?

   The root of istighfar is ghafar, meaning to cover up. Istighfar means to get strength from Allah to refrain from sin and evil, and to be able to display this strength to refrain from sin. It helps to suppress any feelings or thoughts that may distance one from Allah.

SIN AND ISTIGHFAR

  We should note that sin is not a prerequisite for Istighfar. As people, we wish to make Allah happy and in order to do so we want to become perfect beings. To achieve this perfection we ask Allah for strength. Even the Prophets neededIstighfar, so that no sin should be committed. Istighfar is also needed after an evil has been done. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) brought people who had completely gone astray to the highest point of civilization throughIstighfar.

In the Holy Qur'an, Istighfar is seen as drawing the strength and support of Allah which leads to attaining nearness to Allah and salvation. The Holy Qur'an states:

But surely the righteous will be in the midst of gardens and springs, receiving what the Lord will give them; for they used to do good before that. They used to sleep but a little of the night; and at the dawn of the day they sought forgiveness...[51:16-19]This verse shows that the one who does Istighfar is doing a righteous deed and is the recipient of countless blessings.Istighfar isn't to protect one from the torment of fire rather a part of goodness. For example, if one becomes a Mohsin he is at a stage where he is unable to sin. However, them doing Istighfar isn't necessarily to protect them from Hell, rather to get the necessary strength and support from Allah so that they stay firm on the right path and don't fall into the wrong path. Only because he knows that as a human, he can easily fall weak, and needs Allah's help.

What is Sedekah ?

   Another common thing and really encouraged in Islam is giving money or necessity items to the needy. In Malay we refer it as “sedekah”or donation in English. We don’t have to trouble ourselves by giving a big large of amount of money but it should be sincerely from bottom of your heart. There is pointless, for us to donate by it is by force.


   For example, a person named as Mila is persuading this man to donate for the charity organization and due to get ‘pahala’ this man without any hesitation give RM5 to her. Mila immediately refuse to receive this RM5 from this man unless this man willing to donate RM10 as a minimum of donation. In this case, there are couple of misconception of ‘sedekah’ occur. 1st, Mila should not put any condition in receiving the donation and she should accept any amount of money although it is a small amount of money.2nd, due to the condition that being imposed by Mila, the man feels that he has been forced to donate. Therefore, the sincerity is gone.


   The POWER of ‘sedekah’

   There are a lot of benefits of sedekah but people don’t realize it. Allah says we would not be poor if we keep donating. In fact, we would be getting richer!
Don’t be surprise of the fact. In my previous celoteh I have been talking about “pengantara rezeki”. The effectiveness of ‘pengantara rezeki’ is proven in this situation. If you keep donating to anyone with sincerity you would find that there would be unexpected ‘rezeki’ comes to you.


For instance,

• Suddenly you get promotion and increment in salary.
• You would receive additional money.
• Your life would not be as difficult as before and everything would be perfect and what you have expected it to be.
• You would be receiving whatever that you have wished before this.
• You would always be loved by Allah creatures no matter where you go.
• You would be respected by your friends and peers.

The greater that you’ve donated, the greater the rewards you would received. Have you ever heard this gold quote

“THE MORE YOU GIVE, THE MORE YOU GET”

Written by Errwin

Repentance

“A repentant person is like one who has no sin.”

   Allah, the Most High, sent us prophets in order to clarify the right path and explain what is lawful (halal), what is permitted for us to do, and what is forbidden (haram) and harmful which we should avoid, such as lying, murdering, gambling, stealing, being deceitful and other forbidden acts. Also he instructed us on what is obligatory (wajib) for us to perform such as prayer, fasting, helping the poor, respecting Prophet Muhammad (s) and his holy progeny (Ahlul-Bait) (peace be upon them all) and so on.

   Some people deliberately disobey Allah and His orders which are beneficial for mankind and the welfare of the society. They do the forbidden such as stealing another's property or oppressing people or doing harm to their parents, or giving up their duties which Allah made obligatory, like paying poor-rates (zakat) for the needy, not performing prayers, and behaving badly towards their parents.

   For whoever stops doing an obligatory duty or commits a forbidden act, it is obligatory for him to repent, take responsibility for his action and ask forgiveness from Allah by regretting the mistake. If someone takes their property unlawfully, then that person should apologise to them.

   Surely, Allah is Most-Merciful to His servants, therefore He accepts their repentance and forgives them if they regret for their evil deeds and want to make righteous people out of themselves again.

 Thus, repentance purifies the self from sin as water purifies clothes from dirt.

   Among the rights of Allah is to punish the disobedient and not accept their repentance but He is Most-Merciful with His servants and loves to help them by giving them opportunities to think and repent in order to set them on the right path towards reforming themselves and society.

 Repentance is “Giving up disobedience without repeating it again”

Mainpoint
1. Disobedience is to commit forbidden acts and give up obligatory ones.

2. Repentance is to give up disobedience and refrain from repeating it.

3. Allah is Most-Merciful with His servants. He accepts their repentance and forgives them if they regret their misdeeds.

4. It is obligatory for a man to ask Allah for forgiveness and to do the obligatory acts and give up the forbidden ones, and to regret his evil deeds.

Written by wan syafiq

Practising Good Manners

   The human soul is in need of developing educationally in order to become characterised by the best of morals and refrain from evil doings. This can be achieved by teaching ourselves the following points:

   Following in the footsteps and copying the examples of the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (s), his infallible household (Ahlul Bayt) and the most righteous among his companions. Studying their biographies and considering all aspects of their virtuous behaviour are essential ways of being led on the right path.

   Practice makes perfect and we should practise conducting ourselves with the best of morals, like truth, courage, generosity, mercy, benevolence and forgiveness. Whoever repeatedly does good deeds and behaves in a principled manner, such conduct will undoubtedly become habitual, whereas whoever commits misdeeds and ill-natured vices like hypocrisy, lying, deceiving ...etc. will accept them to such an extent that they will not feel their abomination and the damage they cause.

   Avoiding people characterised by bad manners and not making them friends, because not mixing with such people removes the danger of being misled and should also discourage their unprincipled behaviour.

   We should also ask the forgiveness of Allah in case of committing sins or doing evil deeds and should regret and repent for such actions. This can be done through reprimanding ourselves and feeling that such action is bad and should not be repeated.

Good Manners

1. Good manners surely indicate the goodness of the upright human soul while bad manners indicates that the soul of that man is evil and wicked. A good human soul is like a sweet flower from which fragrant perfume is emitted. Conversely one which is wicked can be likened to a poisonous smell that harms people.

2. Allah bids us towards the best morals and will reward us accordingly on the Resurrection Day and also forbids us against bad morals for which He will duly punish us.

3. Bad morals cause the destruction of society and the spread of corruption; he who has vices, his personality will be disliked and he will be liable to punishment, and people will avoid and humiliate him.

4. The man with good morals is considered the foundation on which the structure of a sound Islamic society is built, and is among the causes of giving strength to Muslims.

5. But if Muslim communities lose their good morals of justice, mercy and benevolence, they will be destroyed, and all the scientific progress and abundance of wealth can not prevent it. When moral principles are abandoned, the quality of life is disrupted and led astray.

Thus we see war, gross injustice and rising crime spreading in immoral societies.

Vices like lying, selfishness, greed, deceit and hypocrisy fester in the same way as germs destroy the human body.

6. The onus is on all Muslims to ensure good morals which are preserved by way of self-education and practising exemplary behaviour.

Written by wan syafiq