There was a pious man among the Banu Israel who always remained busy in the worship of Allah. A group of people came to him and told him that a tribe living nearby worshipped a tree. The news upset him, and with an axe on his shoulder he went to cut down that tree. On the way, Satan met him in the form of an old man and asked him where he was going. He said he was going to cut a particular tree. Satan said, “You have nothing to be concerned with this tree, you better mind your worship and do not give it up for the sake of something that does not concern you.” “This is also worship,” retorted the worshipper.

Then Satan tried to prevent him from cutting the tree, and there followed a fight between the two, in which the worshipper overpowered the Satan. Finding himself completely helpless, Satan begged to be excused, and when the worshipper released him, he again said, “Allah has not made the cutting of this tree obligatory on you. You do not lose anything if you do not cut it. If its cutting were necessary, Allah could have got it done through one of his many Prophets.” The worshipper insisted on cutting the tree. There was again a fight between the two and again the worshipper overpowered the Satan. “Well listen,” said Satan, “I propose a settlement that will be to your advantage.” The worshipper agreed, and Satan said, “You are a poor man, a mere burden on this earth. If you stay away from this act, I will pay you three gold coins everyday. You will daily find them lying under your pillow.

By this money you can fulfil your own needs, can oblige your relative, help the needy, and do so many other virtuous things. Cutting the tree will be only one virtue, which will ultimately be of no use because the people will grow another tree.” This proposal appealed to the worshipper, and he accepted it. He found the money on two successive days, but on the third day there was nothing. He got enraged, picked up his axe and went to cut the tree. Satan as an old man again met him on the way and asked him where he was going. “To cut the tree,” shouted the worshipper. “I will not let you do it,” said Satan. A fight took place between the two again but this time Satan had the upper hand and overpowered the worshipper. The latter was surprised at his own defeat, and asked the former the cause of his success. Satan replied, “At first, your anger was purely for earning the pleasure of Allah, and therefore Almighty Allah helped you to overpower me, but now it has been partly for the sake of the gold coins and therefore you lost.”

This is the most detailed and fascinating story in the Quran, involving both human weaknesses such as jealousy, hatred, pride, passion, deception, intrigue, cruelty, and terror as well as noble qualities such as patience, loyalty, bravery, nobility, and compassion.

It is related that among the reasons for its revelation is that the Jews asked the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to tell them about Joseph (pbuh) who was one of their old prophets. His story had been distorted in parts and marred in others with interpolation and exclusions. Therefore it was revealed in the Book of Allah (Quran), complete in its minute and careful details.

Allah the Almighty declared: We relate unto you (Muhammad) the best of stories through Our Revelations unto you, of this Quran. And before this (i.e. before the coming of Divine Inspiration to you), you were among those who knew nothing about it (the Quran). ( Ch 12:3 Quran)

Almighty Allah also decreed: thus We relate to you (O Muhammad) some information of what happened before, And indeed We have give you from Us a Reminder (this Quran). Whoever turns away from it (this Quran--i.e. does not believe in it, nor acts on its orders), verily they will bear a heavy burden (of sins) on the Day of Resurrection. They will abide in that (state in the Fire of Hell), and evil indeed will it be that load for them on the Day of Resurrection.(Ch 20:99-101)

The story of Joseph (pbuh) moves in a stream from beginning to end; its substance and form are equally coherent. It inspires you with a feeling for the depth of Allah's power and supremacy and the execution of His rulings despite the challenge of human intervention. And Allah has full power and control over His Affairs, but most of men know not. (Ch 12:21)

This is what the story of Joseph (pbuh), confirms categorically, for it ends with comfort and marvels.

Joseph lived all his life confronting schemes made by the people closest to him. His brothers plotted to kill him, but they amended it to exiling him. This happened to him while he was a boy. He was sold into the slave market in Egypt, where he was bought for a nominal sum. Then he fell victim to the attempted seduction by a great man's wife who, when her wish was foiled, sent him to prison, where he remained for some time. In spite of all of this, he at length approached close to the Egyptian throne and became the king's chief minister. He then began his call to Allah from the position of the ruling authority.

Allah's plans were carried out, and the matter ended. This is the substance (theme) of the story. As for the form (style) in which it is presented, it is a landmark of wonder.

The story is presented in a sequence of episodes. It gives you scene after scene and the transition is inspiring, informative, and stirring to the imagination. There are also artistic loopholes, which leave it to the imagination of the reader to complete the sense, as well as the depth of the picture, the like of which no human artist can bring forth.

The story begins with a dream and ends with its interpretation. As the sun appeared over the horizon, bathing the earth in its morning glory, Joseph (pbuh), son of the Prophet Jacob (pbuh) awoke from his sleep, delighted by a pleasant dream he had had. Filled with excitement he ran to his father and related it.

"O my father! Verily, I saw (in a dream) eleven stars and the sun and the moon, I saw them prostrating themselves to me." (Ch 12:4)

His father's face lit up. He foresaw that Joseph would be one through whom the prophecy of his grandfather, Prophet Abraham (pbuh), would be fulfilled, in that his offspring would keep the light of Abraham's house alive and spread Allah's message to mankind.

Therefore, it was narrated that Allah's Messenger Muhammad (pbuh) was asked: "Who is the most honorable amongst the people?" He replied: "The most God-fearing." The people said: "We do not want to ask you about this." He said: "The most honorable person is Joseph Allah's prophet, the son of Allah's prophet, the son of the faithful friend of Allah (Abraham)." (Sahih Al-Bukhari)

However, the father was well aware of the jealousy of Joseph's brothers, so he warned him against telling his dream to his brothers. "O my son! Relate not your vision to your brothers, lest they arrange a plot against you. Verily! Satan is to man an open enemy! Thus will your Lord choose you and teach you the interpretation of dreams (an other things) and perfect His Favor on you and on the offspring of Jacob, as He perfected it on your fathers, Abraham, and Isaac aforetime! Verily! your Lord is All-Knowing, All-Wise." (Ch 12:5-6)

Joseph heeded his father's warning. He did not tell his brothers what he had seen. It is well known that they hatred him so much that it was difficult for him to feel secure telling them what was in his heart and in his dreams.

Joseph was eighteen years old, very handsome and robust, with a gentle temperament. He was respectful, kind and considerate. His brother Benjamin was equally pleasant. Both were from one mother, Rachel. Because of their refined qualities, the father loved the two more than his other children, and would not let them out of his sight. To protect them, he kept them busy with work in the house garden.

The scene of Jacob and his son closes. Another opens on Joseph's brothers plotting against him. "Truly, Joseph and his brother (Benjamin) are loved more by our father than we, but we are Usbah (a strong group). Really our father is in a plain error. Kill Joseph or cast him out to some other land, so that the favor of your father may be give to you alone, and after that you will be righteous folk (by intending repentance before committing the sin)."

One from among them said: "Kill not Joseph, but if you must do something, throw him down to the bottom of a well, he will be picked up by some caravan of travelers.">> (Ch 12:8-10)

The pages of the Old Testament say that Joseph told them his dream, whereas the Quran does not say that happened. Had it been so, the brothers would have said so themselves. The Old Testament claims they had lost their own rights by him, and so they would kill him. Indeed Joseph kept his father's order and did not tell his brothers about his vision.

In spite of this, his brothers sat down to conspire against him. One of them asked: "Why does our father love Joseph more than us?"

Another answered: "Perhaps because of his beauty."

A third said: "Joseph and his brother occupied our father's heart."

The first complained: "Our father has gone all astray."

One of them suggested a solution to the matter; kill Joseph.

"Where should we kill him?"

"We should banish him away from these grounds."

"We will send him to a distant land."

"Why should we not kill him and have rest so that the favor of your father may be give to you alone?"

However, Judah (Yahudh), the eldest and most intelligent among them, said: "There is no need to kill him when all you want is to get rid of him. Look here, let us throw him into a well and he will be picked up by a passing caravan. T hey will take him with them to a distant land. He will disappear from your father's sight and our purpose will be served with his exile. Then after that we shall repent for our crime and become good people once again."

The discussion continued on the idea of dropping Joseph into a well, as it was seen as the safest solution. The plan to kill him was defeated; kidnap into a distant land was approved. It was the cleverest of ideas.

Their next movement opened the scene between them and their father Jacob (pbuh): They said: "O our father! Why do you not trust us with Joseph, when we are indeed his well wishers? Send him with us tomorrow to enjoy himself and play, and verily we will take care of him."

He (Jacob) said: "Truly, it saddens me that you should take him away. I fear lest a wolf should devour him, while you are careless of him."

They said: "If a wolf devours him, while we are Usbah (a strong group) (to guard him), then surely we are the losers.">> (Ch 12:11-14)

Jacob suggested a point, which had not occurred to them in their discussion: he feared that desert wolves would eat him! ithe wolves within them, or did he mean the wild wolves? No one but Allah knows. They coaxed their father to send Joseph with them; he agreed under their pressure.

They were excited that they could now get rid of Joseph for after this they could stand a better chance of receiving their father's affection. On leaving home, they went directly to the well, as they had planned, on the pretext of drinking water. One of them put his arms around Joseph and held him tightly. Startled by this unusual behavior, Joseph struggled to free himself. More brothers rushed to hold him. One of them removed his shirt. Some more joined in to lift Joseph up and cast him into the deep well. Joseph's piteous pleas made no difference to their cruel hearts.

Then Allah revealed to Joseph that he was safe and should not fear, for he would meet them again some day to remind them of what they had done.

There was water in the well, which buoyed Joseph's body, so he was not harmed. He sat lonely in the water, then clung to a rock ledge overheard and climbed on top of it. his brothers left him in this desolate place.

Then they killed a sheep and soaked Joseph's shirt in its blood. One brother said that they should swear to keep their deed a close secret. All of them took the oath. And they came to their father in the early part of the night weeping. (Ch 12:16)

The scene here is dark night, broken by the crying of ten men. The father is sitting in his house when the sons enter, the darkness of night covering the darkness of their hearts and the darkness of their lies struggling to come out. Jacob wondered aloud: "Why this weeping? Has anything happened to our flock?" They answered crying: "O our father! We went racing with one another, and left Joseph by our belongings and a wolf devoured him; but you will never believe us even when we speak the truth. (Ch 12:17)

"We were surprised after returning from the race that Joseph was in the belly of the wolf."

"We did not see him!"

"You will not believe us even though we are truthful! we are telling you what happened!"

"The wolf has eaten Joseph!"

"This is Joseph's shirt. We foiled it soiled with blood, and did not find Joseph!"

They brought his shirt stained with false blood. (Ch 12:18)

Deep down in the heart Jacob knew that his beloved son was still alive and that his other sons were lying. He held the blood stained in his hands, spread it out and remarked: "What a merciful wolf! he ate up my beloved son without tearing his shirt!" Their faces turned red when he demanded more information, but each swore by Allah that he was telling the truth. The brokenhearted father burst into tears: "Nay! But your ownselves have made up a tale. So for me patience is more fitting. It is Allah Alone whose Help can be sought against that which you assert." (Ch 12:18)

The father acted wisely by praying for mighty patience, which is free of doubt, and by trusting in Allah for help against what they had plotted against him and his son. This scene dims, and the scene opens in the well with which Joseph had been thrown.

In the dark well Joseph managed to find a stone ledge to hold onto. Around him was total darkness and an eerie silence. Fearful thoughts entered his mind: what would happen to him? Where would he find food? Why had his own brothers turned against him? Would his father know of his plight? His father's smile flashed before him recalling the love and affection he had always shown him. Joseph began to pray earnestly, pleading to Allah for salvation. Gradually his fear began to subside. His Creator was testing the young man with a great misfortune in order to infuse in him a spirit of patience and courage. Joseph, surrended himself to the will of his Lord.

The next scene shows the wide desert. At the horizon is a long line of camels, horses, and men; a caravan on its way to Egypt. The caravan of merchants halted at this famous well for water. A man lowered in his bucket. Joseph was startled by the bucket hurtling down and grabbed hold of it before it could land in the water. As the man began to haul he felt the load unusually heavy, so he peeped into the well. What he saw shocked him; a man was clinging to the rope! He held the rope tightly and shouted to his friends: "Better give me a hand fellows! Looks like I found real treasure in the well!"

His companions rushed to the well and helped him to pull out the stranger holding onto the rope. Standing before them was a healthy, handsome youth, beaming with an angelic smile. They saw in him a handsome prize, for money was all that mattered to them. Immediately, they clapped iron shackles on his feet and took him along to Egypt, far away from his beloved homeland of Canaan.

All over the Egyptian city the news spread that an unusually handsome, robust young slave was on sale. People gathered by the hundreds at the slave market. some were spectators, others were bidders the elite and the rich, each one craning his neck to view the handsome specimen. the auctioneer had a field day as the bidding went wild, each buyer trying to outbid the other. Eventually, the Aziz, the chief minister of Egypt, outbid all the others and took Joseph to his mansion.

The Quran describes this scene as follows: And there came a caravan of travelers; they sent their water drawer, and he let down his bucket into the well. He said: "What a good news! Here is a boy." So they hid him as merchandise (a slave). And Allah was the All Knower of what they did.

They sold him for a low price, for a few Dhirhams (for a few silver coins). They were of those who regarded him insignificant.

he (the man) from Egypt who bought him said to his wife: "Make his stay comfortable, may be he will profit us or we shall ado[t him as a son." Thus did We establish Joseph in the land, that We might teach him the interpretation of events. (Ch 12:19-21)

See how Allah the Almighty reveals the substance of this long story from its beginning: And Allah has full power and control over His Affairs, but most of men know not. (Ch 12:21)

The chains of slavery have closed on Joseph. He was cast into the well, deprived of his father, picked from the well, made a slave, sold at the market, and made the property of this man, the Aziz, the chief minister. The hazards followed in quick succession, leaving Joseph helpless.

What we see as hazards and slander is the first step of the ladder on Joseph's way to greatness. Allah is decisive in His action. His plan is carried out despite the plans of others and while theirs are still being made. So He spoils their plan, and Allah's promise is realized. Allah has promise Joseph prophethood. Love for Joseph was thrust into the heart of the man who bought him, and he was a man of no mean position. He was an important personage, one of the ruling class of Egypt.

Therefore, Joseph was pleasantly surprised when the chief minister of Egypt ordered his men to remove the heavy shackles from his swollen feet. He was also surprised when he told Joseph not to betray his trust; he would not be ill-treated if he behaved himself. Joseph smiled at his benefactor, thanked him, and promised to be loyal.

Joseph felt at ease, for at last he was sheltered and would be well cared for. He thanked Allah over and over and wondered at the mysterious of life. Not so long ago he had been cast into a deep, dark well with no hope of ever coming out alive. Next he was rescued, then enslaved in iron shackles, and now he was moving freely in a luxurious mansion with enough food to enjoy. However, his heart ached with longing for his parents and brother Benjamin, and he shed tears daily.

Joseph was made the personal attendant of the chief minister's wife. He was obedient and ever-obliging. With his pleasant manners and charming behavior, he won everybody's heart.

Joseph's handsomeness became the talk of the town. People referred to him as the most attractive man they had ever seen and wrote poetry about him. His face carried immaculate beauty. The purity of his inner soul and his heart showed in his face, increasing his beauty. People from afar came to the city to have a glimpse of him. The prettiest of maidens and the richest of ladiesnursthe to possess him, but not once did he show haughtiness or conceit. he was always humble and polite.

The days passed and Joseph grew. Almighty Allah said: And when he (Joseph) attained his full manhood, We gave him wisdom and knowledge (the Prophethood), thus We reward the doers of good. (Ch 12:22)

He was given wisdom in affairs and knowledge of life and its conditions. He as given the art of conversation, captivating those who heard him. He was given nobility and self restraint, which made him an irresistible personality. His master soon knew that Allah had graced him with Joseph. He understood that Joseph was the most honest, straightforward and noble person he had met in his life. Therefore, he put Joseph in charge of his household, honored him, and treated him as a son.

The wife of the chief minister, Zulaikha, watched Joseph from day to day. She at with him, talked with him, listened to him, and her wonder increased over the passion of time.

Joseph was soon confronted (with his second trial). The chief minister's wife, Zulaikha could not resist the handsome Joseph, and her obsession with him caused her sleepless nights. She fell in love with him, and it was painful for her to be so close to a man, yet be unable to hold him. Yet, she was not a wayward woman, for in her position she could get any man she desired. By all accounts, she must have been a very pretty and intelligent lady, or why would the chief minister have chosen her of all the pretty women in the kingdom? Although she bore him no child, he would not take another wife, as he loved her passionately.

The Quran raises the curtain on the scene of this fierce and devouring love on the part of the lady. Allah the Almighty told us: And she, in whose house he was, sought to seduce him (to do an evil act), she closed the doors and said: "come on, O you." He said: "I seek refuge in Allah (or Allah forbid)! Truly he (your husband) is my master! He made my stay agreeable! (So I will never betray him). Verily, the Zalimun (wrong, evildoers) will never be successful." Indeed she did desire him and he would have inclined to her desire had he not seen the evidence of his Lord. Thus it was, that We might turn away from evil and illegal sexual intercourse. Surely, he was one of Our chosen, guided slaves. (Ch 12:23-24)

Commentators are unanimous about her intention of disobedience but disagree about his own intention. There are those who say that she tempted him and he tempted her to sin, although he did not follow through with his intent. Others say that she merely wanted him to kiss her, and he attempted to strike her. Yet others say that this anxiety had been there before this incident. There was a psychological disturbance in Joseph when he reached adolescence, which Almighty Allah rid him of.

The safest commentary for us is that there is temptation and resistance in the verse, for He Most High stated: And indeed she did desire him and he would have inclined to her desire... (Ch 12:24)

Abu Ubaidah said that this is a temptation and resistance meaning that she had tried to seduce him; had he not seen the proof of Allah, he would have been seduced. This is in keeping with the infallibility of prophets, as it suits the words, which immediately follow: Thus it was that We might turn away from him evil and illegal sexual intercourse. surely, he was one of Our chosen, guided slaves. (Ch 12:24)

This verse proves that Joseph was an upright worshipper of Allah; it also testifies to his rescue from the authority of Satan. The Almighty said to the devil (Iblis) on the Day of Creation, "Certainly, you shall no authority over My slaves, except those who follow you of the Ghawin (Mushrikeen, and those who go astray, criminals, polytheists, and evildoers, etc)" (Ch 15:42)

Joseph's refusal only heightened her passion. As he moved to the door to escape, she ran after him and caught hold of his shirt, like a drowning person clinging to the boat. In her tugging she tore his shirt and held the torn piece in her hand. They reached the door together. It opened suddenly, there stood her husband and a relative of hers.

Almighty Allah said: So they raced with one another to the door, and she tore his shirt from the back. They both found her lord (her husband) at the door. (Ch 12:25)

As he opened the door, he saw her husband standing in front of him. The sly woman immediately changed her tone to anger, and, showing the torn piece of the shirt in her hand, asked her husband: "What is the recompense (punishment) for him who intended an evil design against your wife, except that he be put in prison or a painful torment?" (Ch 12:25)

She was now accusing Joseph of molesting her, to give the impression that she was innocent and a victim of Joseph's sexual desire. Though bewildered Joseph denied it: "it was she that sought to seduce me." (Ch 12:26)

The shirt was passed from hand to hand, while she watched. The witness (her cousin) looked at it and found that it was torn at the back. The evidence showed that she was guilty. The disappointed husband remarked to his wife: "Surely, it is a plot of you women! Certainly mighty is you plot!" (Ch 12:28)

The wise and just Aziz apologized to Joseph for his wife's indecency. He also instructed her to beg Joseph's forgiveness for accusing him falsely. Allah the Almighty narrated this incident thus: He (Joseph) said: "It was she that sought to seduce me," and a witness of her household bore witness saying: "If it be that his shirt is torn from the front, then her tale is true, and he is a liar! but if it be that his shirt is torn from the back, then she has told a lie and he is speaking the truth!"

So when he (the husband) saw his (Joseph's) shirt was torn at the back; (her husband) said: "Surely, it is a plot of you women! certainly mighty is your plot! O Joseph! turn away from this! (O woman)! Ask forgiveness for your sin. Verily, you were of the sinful."(Ch 12:26-29 Quran).

An incident like this cannot remain a secret in a house filled with servants, and the story spread. Women began to see her behavior as scandalous. They remarked: "The wife of Al-Aziz is seeking to seduce her (slave) young man, indeed she loves him violently; verily, we see her in plain error." (Ch 12:30)

Naturally their gossip distressed Zulaikha. She honestly believed that it was not easy for any women to resist a man as handsome as Joseph. To prove her helplessness, she planned to subject the women to the same temptation she faced. She invited them to a lavish banquet. No one so invited would want to miss the honor of dining with the chief minister's wife; besides, they secretly harbored the desire to meet the handsome Joseph face to face. Some of her close friends jokingly said they would come only if she introduced them to Joseph.

The invitation was restricted to ladies. The banquet began, laughter and mirth abounded. Etiquette dictated that the ladies not mention the topic of Joseph. They were shocked, therefore, when Zulaikha opened the topic. "I have heard of those who say I have fallen in love with the young Hebrew man, Joseph." Silence fell upon the banquet. At once all the guests hands stopped, and all eyes fell on the chief minister's wife. She said, while giving orders for the fruit to be served: "I admit that he is charming fellow. I do not deny that I love him. I have loved him for a long time."

if you want to finish this story, please e-mail me and I will send you it inshallah!

"There are five things you need to know," the Pencil Maker told the Pencil, "Before I send you out into the World. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best Pencil you can be."

1. "You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone's hand."

2. "You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you will need it to become a better Pencil."

3. "You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make."

4. "The most important part of you will always be what's inside."

5. "On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write."

The Pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.

Now replacing the place of the Pencil with you. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.

1. "You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Allah's (SWT) hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess."

2. "You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems in life, but you will need it to become a stronger person."

3. "You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make."

4. "The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside."

5. "On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties."

Moral: Allow this parable on the Pencil to encourage you to know that you are a special person and only you can fulfill the purpose to which you were born to accomplish.

Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot make a change.

Obstacle in our Path - Struggle and Emerge

In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it.

Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the big stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded.

As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many Gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the Gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many others never understand.

Moral: Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one's condition.

Eagle Story: Change is Inevitable, Changes for Survival

Eagle has the longest life-span of its' species. Eagle can live up to 70 years, but to reach this age, the Eagle must make a hard decision in it's' 40's

Its' long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey which serves as food, its' long and sharp beak becomes bent.

Its' old-aged and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers, become stuck to its' chest and make it difficult to fly.

Then Eagle is left with only 2 options: die or go through a painful process of change which lasts 150 days for survival.

The process requires that Eagle fly to a mountain top and sit on its' nest. There the Eagle knocks its' beak against a rock until it plucks it out. After plucking it out, Eagle will wait for a new beak to grow back. When its' new talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking its' old-aged feathers and after 5 months, eagle can take its' flight of rebirth and lives for 30 more years.

Moral: Many times, in order to survive, we have to start a change process. We sometimes need to get rid of old memories, habits and other past traditions. Only freed from past burdens, we can take advantage of the present and future.

Even though you may want to move forward in your life, you may have one foot on the brakes. In order to be free, we must learn to let go. Release the hurt and fear, refuse to entertain your old pain. The energy it takes to hang on to that part is holding you back from a new life. If we stay imprisoned by fear and judgement of our human nature, we will miss out on the whole reason for being here!

Survival Story - Eagle Story

Eagle Story is about a wounded Eaglet who was rescued by a kind farmer. Farmer found Eaglet in one of his fields, and so took him home, tended to his wounds, and then placed him outside in the barnyard to recover.

Strangely enough, Eaglet soon adapted to the habits of all the barnyard chickens. Eaglet learned to walk and cluck like chickens. Eaglet learned to drink from a trough and peck the dirt for food, and for many years Eaglet peacefully resigned himself to this new life on the farm and grow up to become beautiful Eagle.

But then one day, one of the farmer's friends spotted the Eagle and asked, "Why in the world is that Eagle acting like a Chicken?" The farmer told him what had happened, yet the friend could hardly accept the situation.

"It's just not right," said the friend. "The Almighty Creator made that Eagle to soar in the sky, not scavenge in the barnyard!" So he picked up the unsuspecting Eagle, climbed onto a nearby fence post, and tossed him into the air. But the confused Eagle just fell back to earth and scurried off in search of his feathered friends.

Undaunted, the friend then grabbed the Eagle and climbed to the top of the barn. As he heaved him off the roof, the Eagle made a few halfhearted squawks and flaps before falling into a bale of hay. After shaking his head a few times, the Eagle then made himself comfortable and began mindlessly pecking at pieces of straw.

The friend went home that night dejected, and could barely sleep as he remembered the sight of those powerful talons caked with barnyard mud. He couldn't bear the thought, so the very next day, he headed back to the farm for another try. This time he carried the Eagle to the top of a nearby mountain where the sky unfolded in a limitless horizon.

He looked into the Eagle's eyes and cried out, "Don't you understand? You weren't made to live like a Chicken! Why would you want to stay down here when you were born for the sky?" As the man held the confused Eagle aloft, he made sure the Eagle was facing into the brilliant light of the setting sun. Then he powerfully heaved the bird into the sky, and this time the Eagle opened his wings, looked at the sun, caught the updraft rising from the valley, and disappeared into the clouds of sky.

Moral: Do you know that we, too, were born for some high purpose in this life? The Almighty Creator has called us to live in the heights, yet too many of us have huddled together in the barnyard, not struggling to search for our own Islamic identity and the purpose of Islamic life?

Elephant Story

As I was passing the elephants, I suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.

I saw a trainer near by and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. "Well," he said, "when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it's enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free."

I was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn't, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?

Moral: Failure is part of learning; we should never give up the struggle in life.

Life is full of things to learn and a lot of knowledge that hasn't yet been acquired but truth be told the limitless of knowledge is eternal.

I think that many Muslims in the world have gone very educated to the point where a lot of knowledge and wisdom is lost through negligence and this comes from not really understanding the true beauty of Islam.

A non-believer (non-Muslim) who can write and speak volumes about the life of the Prophet Mohammed (SAW), the teachings He left behind, the steps of life He walked, the poetry He spoken and yet a practising Muslim will go out of his way to educate himself/herself about a non-believer who accomplished materialistic advances of life.

What I am getting at and my main point is knowledge can be learnt through all angles of life, may it be from the great scientist of history or the current era, but the far most superior knowledge can only be obtained from the routes of the Prophet Mohammed (SAW).

The greatest scientists we read about today, study and find out how they walked there lives, did they not have Islamic influence over them, did they not learn anything from the world of Islam, do they not learn mannerism from Islam, did they not get answers from Islam.

These are just the basics of what we neglect in our everyday life, we just think it all happens for a reason and that westernisation is the way forward because it teaches us theories that are the solutions to the future.

This is for students who have studied business or are studying business, Taylorism teaches us about motivation in the work place and argues that bonus pay, increase pay, and performance related pay or which ever the scientific management teaches you, it concentrates on how the psyche of a human can react to money, but don’t you think that this man/woman who works so hard more than normal to get this money is really doing it for the materialistic gains afterwards.

I conclude this part by saying, work is just something that we need to do in order to nourish ourselves as well as our families and not to try and gain social advances, triumph our prides and having excessive money for materialistic needs.

There are thousands of rich people in the world, think of any of them or even the latest rich person who died and really think deep inside do you think they died happy or did they die in sadness that money or any of the above really made them happy, see for yourselves and think have they?

Advanced engineering, lets talk about something that happened about 50+ years ago the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, the greatest Engineering Architects who built this bridge couldn’t even last for long after many years it collapsed, look at the history of Islam and the greatest mosques and buildings that have been built by the engineering from Islam for over thousand years where has all these things come from.

Mathematics, where do you think Algebra originate, these are small little examples compared against what the non-believers have accomplished.

The moral of this article is that if you just look at the history of Islam, we can identify that Islam has a hand in everything we study in Universities and the facts of life, but we all fail to look into the teachings of Islam and neglect to practice Islam as majority of the basis of the way we live our lives is through the brilliance of Islam.

I am not saying we should not go out and seek knowledge elsewhere but merely saying that we should further investigate what we as Muslims have at our disposal, look in to the life of our Prophet Mohammed (SAW), look through the Quran and the Haddiths to find out the simplest answers in the world we live in.

I will ask you one question and the answer is within yourself, do you think ISLAM is the right way of life, is it then prove it by doing just the five pillars of Islam, then look in to the way our Prophet Mohammed (SAW) lived his life and the Sahaba’s in the Prophets time, look how they lived, you think it is really hard to do all this, have you even ATTEMPTED it, you think you can just give up and not fight it?

We all do the most we can, but is it enough?

Greed

The evil routes of all human beings come from greed, without a doubt it can ruin lives and also it can also be the killer to the human race.

If you don’t believe me look at the current events that is occurring as we speak, the wars and so on, Greed is the core of everything that is happening in this world.

I would like to remind you all who read some of my work, in life who doesn’t dwell on greed, everyone does to certain lengths but I am saying if you can limit yourself a little when it comes to wanting things.

Some of you might say it is absurd that what I am saying might not be true, but think about it, desires, ambition and also seeking status amongst each other in this world, let be with friends or family but it does exist and you can’t deny it.

I am not going to carry on giving you examples of greed but to remind you that, in life we should not dwell on what people would say or not but to dwell on the fact that in this world nothing is accomplished without the guidance of Allah (SWT) and that we submit ourselves to Him and Him only.

He gives what all you want, just to see if you appreciate what He has given to all of us, one way or the other, Allah has a hand in every thing and if we neglect this we will never build our IMAANE (Faith).

Believe me or not, Allah created Shaytan (Satan) and from him came greed, with greed we forget all our duties in this world, we will sit down and think of many ways to do something which is unnecessary such as wanting things that are not required, but only doing so because others around you have it, this is also a term of greed.

People will argue that in one of the verses in the Quran Allah stated “Live according to your wealth” how many people do you all know live according to there wealth, I am not going to say if I know any or not, ask yourself do we spend lavishly when we don’t need to? Of course we do, the only way we can overcome all this is by wanting less in this world and ask for more in the Hereafter and we can all achieve this by not surrendering ourselves to Greed (EVIL).

Please brothers and sisters be generous to all the brothers and sisters in Islam and try to give as much as you can, it doesn’t have to be money it can be anything such as your time, your advice, your patience, your guidance and the important thing your presence in a time in need.

I know I have only written very vaguely about this topic only to be further discussed via e-mails. More detailed explanations can be discussed as this topic is a very good one and hopefully can raise a few eyebrows.

Thanks for your time reading this blog entry.

This is my e-mail address keyaz@hotmail.com

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.fullscreen&videoid=1380469430

Some of the lessons learnt from Quran that apply to our general
living!

1. Respect and honour all human beings irrespective of their religion,
colour, race, sex, language, status, property, birth, profession/job
and so on [17/70]


2. Talk straight, to the point, without any ambiguity or deception
[33/70]

3. Choose best words to speak and say them in the best possible way
[17/53, 2/83]


4. Do not shout. Speak politely keeping your voice low. [31/19]


5. Always speak the truth. Shun words that are deceitful and
ostentatious [22/30]


6. Do not confound truth with falsehood [2/42]


7. Say with your mouth what is in your heart [3/167]


8. Speak in a civilised manner in a language that is recognised by the
society and is commonly used [4/5]


9. When you voice an opinion, be just, even if it is against a
relative [6/152]


10. Do not be a bragging boaster [31/18]


11. Do not talk, listen or do anything vain [23/3, 28/55]


12. Do not participate in any paltry. If you pass near a futile play,
then pass by with dignity [25/72]


13. Do not verge upon any immodesty or lewdness whether surreptitious
or overt [6/151].


14. If, unintentionally, any misconduct occurs by you, then correct
yourself expeditiously [3/134].


15. Do not be contemptuous or arrogant with people [31/18]


16. Do not walk haughtily or with conceit [17/37, 31/18]


17. Be moderate in thy pace [31/19]


18. Walk with humility and sedateness [25/63]


19. Keep your gazes lowered devoid of any lecherous leers and
salacious stares [24/30-31, 40/19].


20. If you do not have complete knowledge about anything, better keep
your mouth shut. You might think that speaking about something without
full knowledge is a trivial matter. But it might have grave
consequences [24/15-16]


21. When you hear something malicious about someone, keep a favourable
view about him/her until you attain full knowledge about the matter.
Consider others innocent until they are proven guilty with solid and
truthful evidence [24/12-13]


22. Ascertain the truth of any news, lest you smite someone in
ignorance and afterwards repent of what you did [49/6]


23. Do not follow blindly any information of which you have no direct
knowledge. (Using your faculties of perception and conception) you
must verify it for yourself. In the Court of your Lord, you will be
held accountable for your hearing, sight, and the faculty of reasoning
[17/36].


24. Never think that you have reached the final stage of knowledge and
nobody knows more than yourself. Remember! Above everyone endowed with
knowledge is another endowed with more knowledge [12/76]. Even the
Prophet [p.b.u.h] was asked to keep praying, "O My sustainer! Advance
me in knowledge." [20:114]


25. The believers are but a single Brotherhood. Live like members of
one family, brothers and sisters unto one another [49/10].


26. Do not make mockery of others or ridicule others [49/11]


27. Do not defame others [49/11]


28. Do not insult others by nicknames [49/11]


29. Avoid suspicion and guesswork. Suspicion and guesswork might
deplete your communal energy [49/12]


30. Spy not upon one another [49/12]


31. Do not backbite one another [49/12]


32. When you meet each other, offer good wishes and blessings for
safety. One who conveys to you a message of safety and security and
also when a courteous greeting is offered to you, meet it with a
greeting still more courteous or (at least) of equal courtesy [4/86]


33. When you enter your own home or the home of somebody else,
compliment the inmates [24/61]


34. Do not enter houses other than your own until you have sought
permission; and then greet the inmates and wish them a life of
blessing, purity and pleasure [24/27]


35. Treat kindly
" Your parents
" Relatives
" The orphans
" And those who have been left alone in the society [4/36]


36. Take care of
" The needy,
" The disabled
" Those whose hard earned income is insufficient to meet their needs
" And those whose businesses have stalled
" And those who have lost their jobs. [4/36]


37. Treat kindly
" Your related neighbours, and unrelated neighbours
" Companions by your side in public gatherings, or public
transportation. [4/36]


38. Be generous to the needy wayfarer, the homeless son of the street,
and the one who reaches you in a destitute condition [4/36]


39. Be nice to people who work under your care. [4/36]


40. Do not follow up what you have given to others to afflict them
with reminders of your generosity [2/262].


41. Do not expect a return for your good behaviour, not even thanks
[76/9]


42. Cooperate with one another in good deeds and do not cooperate with
others in evil and bad matters [5/2]


43. Do no try to impress people on account of self-proclaimed virtues
[53/32]


44. You should enjoin right conduct on others but mend your own ways
first. Actions speak louder than words. You must first practice good
deeds yourself, then preach [2/44]


45. Correct yourself and your families first [before trying to correct
others] [66/6]


46. Pardon gracefully if anyone among you who commits a bad deed out
of ignorance, and then repents and amends [6/54, 3/134]


47. Divert and sublimate your anger and potentially virulent emotions
to creative energy, and become a source of tranquillity and comfort to
people [3/134]


48. Call people to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful
exhortation. Reason with them most decently [16/125]


49. Leave to themselves those who do not give any importance to the
Divine code and have adopted and consider it as mere play and
amusement [6/70]


50. Sit not in the company of those who ridicule Divine Law unless
they engage in some other conversation [4/140]


51. Do not be jealous of those who are blessed [4/54]


52. In your collective life, make rooms for others [58/11]


53. When invited to dine, Go at the appointed time. Do not arrive too
early to wait for the preparation of meal or linger after eating to
engage in bootless babble. Such things may cause inconvenience to the
host [33/53]


54. Eat and drink [what is lawful] in moderation [7/31].


55. Do not squander your wealth senselessly [17/26]


56. Fulfil your promises and commitments [17/34]


57. Keep yourself clean, pure [9/108, 4/43, 5/6].


58. Dress-up in agreeable attire and adorn yourself with exquisite
character from inside out [7/26]


59. Seek your provision only by fair endeavour [29/17, 2/188]


60. Do not devour the wealth and property of others unjustly, nor
bribe the officials or the judges to deprive others of their
possessions [2/188]

Problems in life!

Well I have problems and I am certain everyone has too.

Let see how I can tackle a small portion of the problems we face in our daily life.

Financial problems

Well this may be one aspect we can all relate to, first of all it is the society we live in, may it be Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia or England or even the USA, but it all boils down to “what society tells you to do”, you beg to differ?

Of course you would as you are neglecting this issue as you can’t see it from the roots of your upbringings. The thing is, society teaches us to compete with each other also to this fact, is that it also tells you what to do or not. If you do it intentionally or unintentionally but it is the case!

Some examples of what you or people in general will say

• If I wear this colour or wear that style/fashion what will people say?
• If I bought this less expensive piece of garment what will people say?
• If I own a reasonable business or work in a reasonable paid job, if I bought a car would the people like it?
• If I bought this car will it be better than the next person?
• If I took this bag to school or work will it be better than his/her bag?
• If I wore this jacket will it look better than his/her jacket?
• Is my car better than his/her car?
• Is my house bigger than his/her?

These are just prime examples I have given you and I haven’t gone into it too deep as you may understand where I am coming from, but we are doing it in our every day life and it has come to a state that we are not even aware that we are even doing all this as it has become our daily routine.

The message I am trying to give out here is that we put ourselves in this position and we all fall into financial problems.

Okay some of you guys might think that we don’t have the money so how can we do what you are just saying, but you fail to realise that even if you don’t have the money you are still dreaming of the things I have just mentioned above. Where do you get financial problems when you don’t really have much money or owe any companies or people money? It comes from “Wanting”

Let me explain “Wanting” to you, you see that the society puts pressure on you so that you think psychologically that financial gain is a must indeed to achieve some levels or ranks within society, so automatically you will say that you have financial problems.

Now let me tell you a small famous story of one of our Sahaba’s at the time when he was a Khalifha. May Allah forgive me if I have written a different account of the story as I have not made it up on my own accord and I have not intentionally tried to fabricate this story, merely to get a point out? May Allah forgive me and guide me to the right path.

Hadrat Umar (Radyallaho Anho) who leads the Friday Jammath (Also known as Salaath ul Jumma) who led the Friday Jammat very late. Now this is Hadrat Umar (Radyallaho Anho) at the time he was the Khalifh and him being really late for the most important Salaath which he leads is very highly unlikely, everyone at the time presumed that something bad must have happened to Hadrat Umar (Radyallaho Anho) as it is not usual for him to do such thing. So people started talking and so on until someone asked him the question:

The Person Asked “How come you were late”

Hadrat Umar (Radyallaho Anho) replied “My shirt was not ready”

The person asked another question “Why didn’t you just wear another one”

Hadrat Umar (Radyallaho Anho) replied “I only have the one”

Hamdullilla this is a Khalifha who was the leader of the Muslim Umma after our Prophet Mohammad (SAW) and Hadrat Abu Bakr (Radyallaho Anho).

If you did not understand the logic behind this story, then I will try to explain to you as much as I can, I don’t think we can even match what the Sahabah’s did at there time but we should at least consider it in our minds that we do not really need all the things that you see outside your own house. So what I am saying is we should be happy with what we have got and not dwell on the fact what society wants from us.

There is more I want to discuss but I have left up to here, so that I can discuss such issues with people.

Well obviously you all know what my e-mail address is so if you want to counter attack my article, please e-mail me, I will be delighted to converse in such beautiful topics.

Thanks for taking your time reading.

My e-mail address keyaz@hotmail.com

Allah Haffiz

All about relationships!

So why does a relationship fail?, well to be honest from my opinion and talking from experience as well as seeing relationships through my eyes I would have to say it is always the both who are to be blamed. But I won’t be getting into it deep as other factors could also be reasons for failed relationships.

Before answering to the question at hand, let me go through what a relationship is.

A relationship is something where two people meet; they discuss matters which turn into closeness, then you get affectionate with each other, then some kind happiness is a result to all this.

Relationship is easy to fall into but there is a lot of hard work involved in making a relationship work.

First of all being a Muslim you need to understand that being in a relationship is part of fate, but fate can also be changed as you are all aware that Allah has sent us here in this world to test us until the day of judgement. So Allah knows best and we can’t take everything for granted.

Well let me see what kinds of things are required in a relationship:-

• Commitment
• Sacrifices
• Forget and Forgive
• Hardship
• Understanding
• Praying

There is more but I will be talking about the main aspects of the list I just provided above.

Commitment

In all relationships you need to know if you are in a position to enter in a relationship, before you can assess if he or she is right or not you need to find out if you as the individual can commit yourself to him or her. So in all fairness it is the seriousness of yourself before you consider anything.

Sacrifices

Well in life without sacrifices there wouldn’t really be a relationship, as people think that in a relationship it is easy to maintain a relationship without the need of sacrifices. I am telling you there is a need but what goes wrong is when you start evaluating who has done more sacrifices than the other, this should not happen unless one is doing all the sacrifices while the other is just mocking him or her (playing with them). What you have to realise is that if you are in true love one should be able to sacrifice for the other without hesitation, if there is hesitation then that means there is something. If one can identify this and can work it out with each other, then Subhanallah! In most cases sacrifice should be done for the better of the future what ever you think is necessary.

Forget and Forgive

This one is the one I really like to talk about as this maybe one of the keys to a successful relationship. Let me tell you that forget and forgive may look simple but it is not. People fail to realise the true meaning of this and really every single one of us male or female we do need to implement this no matter what, or else you are not fit enough to be in a relationship. The core of relationships has to be evolved around this essential key to everlasting relationship.

Hardship

Hardship in anything pays dividends regardless of what it is, but hardship in a relationship is something where both parties need to do in order to have a good relationship. Now if one works hard and the other one sits around thinking his materials or her beauty is enough work then I am sorry but it doesn’t work like that, both need to work hard and what you guys fail to remember is sometimes one will work hard than the other or the other would work harder than the other. But the core of it is that hardship is an element that needs to be done by both parties in question.

Understanding

Now I know you are thinking why I wrote understanding, well let me tell you one thing in life you are born with a little logic, use it to understand what a person you are in a relationship is going through and try to determine what can possibly make him or her happy when they are in this kind of situation. Instead of being narrow minded and think that oh let him or her just be, they will get around it, but sometimes it needs your understanding to help each other and build towards a stronger relationship.

Praying

Now this is the hardest task out of all, we all take things for granted like we do as usual nothing new there. But really what you all have to consider is that Allah has connected two loved ones in a relationship so you have to pray to Allah that this relationship is blessed and that he protects both of you from doing bad things or going away from each other. So I will say again pray to Allah as Allah himself gave you this relationship that brings happiness to you and he can also take it away from you without warning, Allah knows best and you should know this from the first time you start a relationship.

Oh my god I wrote all this without giving some of my experience as examples, well I am sorry as I want to but that will just make me dig up the past and really I don’t want to be doing that.

So why do relationships fail, it is simple, what I wrote all this time is something which you all know but practicing all the things you know is what I am talking about, no one does this and majority of the time it leads to one thing and that is failure in relationships. Even though we all know what I have written we need to practice all these in order to have a prosperous relationship.

I may be chatting garbage as it is really late and I am in dire need of sleep and not forgeting that I was suffering from a migrain attack that led me taking some really strong pain killers.

What is life all about?

Living life is easy but appreciating it is hard, people will straightaway disagree to what I am saying now. Let me give you a little insight how I see life and how it is easy and why it is hard to appreciate life.

When we wake up in the morning we go brush our teethes then we wash our face, but do you consider that waking up from bed alive isn’t a miracle and that our faith tells us to appreciate what Allah does for us.

When we have our breakfast we eat to our hearts contents, but do we consider that there are less fortunate people out there who haven’t had breakfast for 2 – 3 days, so it is our Allah who provides for us.

When we start getting ready to put our clothes on to go to work or school, but have you ever considered that there are people in the world who haven’t got clothes to put on to keep them warm in a cold atmosphere, Allah gives us warmth.

When we walk or drive to work or school we have arms and legs to reach our destination, but have you considered that there are people who have no limbs and how hard they find to cope in life without limbs, Allah protects us from being hurt.

When we are at work or at school and feel so hot that we drink refreshments to keep us comfortable, but have you considered that are some parts of the world that there isn’t any water for people to drink, Allah provides comfort for us.

When we have money to pay for petrol or a bus ride home, have you considered that there are people out there who can’t afford to pay for medication for a deadly disease, again Allah provides for us.

When we come home we have our loved ones caring for us, but have you considered all the orphans have no one to care for them, Allah keeps us together.

When we start watching TV in much excitement with so much desire, but have you ever considered at the same moment that some poor person is watching his family suffering, Allah gives you happiness.

When we listen to music and watch music videos in so much joy and happiness we dance too, have you considered that there are people out there who have to listen constantly to the screams of pains from the loved ones and there’s nothing that they can do but listen in distress, Allah gives us joy.

When we talk on the phone or communicate over the internet to our loved ones, have you ever considered that there is a poor family out there who can’t even tell there loved one that they are in a very bad state or situation, see how Allah makes it easy for us to stay in touch?

When we receive presents or things we need or desire, have you considered that there are people with no legs out there who need a pair of walking sticks and there’s no one to provide them this, again Allah provides for us.

When we have a beloved/friend who tells us that they love you, have you ever considered that there are people out there who have no one to comfort them when they are lonely; Allah gives us a partner/friend to accompany us through life.

I can carry on saying more and more but the fact of the matter remains that we should value one and another and appreciate what Allah gives us. Life is not always what it seems but in fact it is only a test given by Allah. Appreciating what people do for you and showing them you care and this is what Allah wants us all to do and also wants us to remember Allah by praying to him for the things he does for us. In one of the HADDITHS it says do not hurt another human being (sorry I can’t reference this Haddith) but instead love them and show them that you love and care for them and make them feel appreciated as Allah has given us a code of practice and Allah would be happy if you followed that practice what ever the differences there is between one and other. Allah understands us as he is our creator but it’s our inner self that needs to show Allah not you but the inner self that is your intentions in life not the materials you earn. Allah gives you life and it’s up to you how you see it and how you want to live it, Allah says that the most important thing in life is how you live your life as a family not what you will be doing and what materials you will be achieving.  So it is your best interest how you consider your life should be and not about the materials as when you die you can never take the materials with you but your soul and it is your families prayers that will help you to the doors of heaven.

I appreciate life because I was lucky to be born in the UK where it is nicknamed the land of eternal opportunities. If I wasn’t born in the UK I would have been born in Bangladesh and my cousins would have been here writing this piece of work to you and I would have lived a life of strife and financial hardship also a very bad way of life, so I thank Allah for me being born in the UK. I have that much confidence in me now that I can live anywhere and in any state as I know there is MY ALLAH looking out for me.

So to finish it off, without Allah we are nothing!