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In the name of Allah most gracious most merciful.

Interacting with others

Written by: Sk Abd-Razzag Taher Farih

Translated by: Dr. Faheem Bukhatwa

27 January 2017

29 Rabee Al-Akhir 1438.

Dearly beloved,

Allah says: {And hold fast, all of you together, to the cord or line of Allah, and do not split or divided.} 3:103. Allah commands His slaves; that all of them to stick as a group to Allah’s rope. Ebn Abbas explained “The rope of Allah” meaning: Stick to the religion of Allah. And “do not split or divide” means stay in a group or union.

Allah Has honoured us with Islam. If we seek honour elsewhere then Allah will disgrace and dishonour us. Islam is the faith that Allah Has accepted for the inhabitants of the heavens and earth. Allah Has sent all His messengers starting from Noah to Muhammad ppbu with the religion of Islam. Allah Has made it clear that no other religion will be accepted except Islam. Allah says: {And whoever seeks as religion other than Islam it will not be accepted from him, and he will be a loser in the Hereafter} 3:85. It is a complete and comprehensive religion which misses nothing. No one can add or append anything to it or take a way anything. It is kept and protected with a promise and the word of Allah who says: {We, reveal the book or words, and We verily are its Guardian} 15:9.

“Stick to Allah’s rope” means hold on to your religion, and be proud of you Islam, and fulfil your belonging to this religion. Take the morals of the great Islam and make them your morals, such as politeness and mercy, forgiveness and tolerance. Doing what’s right and wisdom, generosity, sacrifice and hard work, gallantry, productivity. Dearly beloved, we need to take on the morals of this religion and with the morals of the prophet ppbu as showed us by saying: {I was sent to complement the honourable morals}. Let us first start with ourselves. Let us fix things between us. Let us give one another the benefit of the doubt in good faith. Let us talk to each other in good words and communicate nicely and respectably. Let us exchange salam greetings with one another. That is because good interaction increases goodness and increases brotherhood links. Let us open our hearts to our brothers, because when the heart is free from ill feelings it will be a cause to earn paradise. Allah says: {Those who control their wrath (or rage or anger) and are forgiving toward other people;} 3:134. That means they do not follow up their anger towards people, on the contrary, they stop and restrain from attacking and harming them. Those who forgive people who have done wrong against them, and they consider that a bonus in their favour with Allah. The prophet ppbu said: {When a slave of Allah forgives, Allah in return for that gives him honour. And whoever becomes humble for Allah’s sake then Allah will elevate him in status}. Anas (may God blessings be upon him) said the messenger ppbu told us one day: {the man who comes in now is one of the people of paradise}. Anas said then a man from Ansar (an original inhabitant of Madina) came in. The next day the messenger ppbu said the same thing, and the same man walked in. And on the third day the messenger ppbu said the same thing and the same man again walked in. Then Abd-Allah Ebn Omar Ebn el-Ass followed that man in order to find out what is it that he does that gave him this honour and status of being one of the people of paradise. He went as a guest to that man who brought him and hosted him for three nights. He watched him and did not find him to be doing any extra deed, so he quizzed him. He found out that he has no ill-feelings, no cheating and no envy towards any Muslim for anything which Allah had given them. Abd-Allah said: “that’s what got you this high status, and it is the very thing that we cannot tolerate to do”.

Dear Muslims, one of the best deeds you could do is to stop your tong off your brothers and off people. Musa al-Ash-ari asked the messenger ppbu about which of all Muslims is the best? The messenger ppbu said: {is the one that Muslims are safe from his tong and safe from his hands}, that is safe from his words and actions. The messenger ppbu also said: {Whoever guarantees me what is between his jaws and what is between his thighs then I will guarantee him paradise}.

Slaves of Allah, consider Allah into every word you say, and into every deed you do. Always say words which are straight and which are accepted and liked by Allah; and words which are not wrong and evil. When you talk to people only be kind and friendly. Allah says: {Tell My slaves to speak that which is kinder and better} 17:53. Shaikh Saadi said: “This comes from Allah’s mercy upon His slaves when He commands them to have good morals or manners in their actions and their words, and this will definitely bring happiness in this life and next”

Be amongst those who accept an apology,

and forgive people their shortcomings and mistakes

You, who have intelligence and logic,

Do not listen to bad thoughts and suspicions.

Allah does not like anyone with power who wants to be His peer,

Nor does He like a slave with a hard and cruel heart.

Remember a day you are certain to see one day,

When all your breaths; will cease to be.

The day of leaving this life and its beauty,

Tough and hard; that departure day.

The day you are placed in the barren and frightening grave,

And when under the dust cover; you shall lay.

And when we are all resurrected and the land is agitated,

And the sun is so hot and so near.

The day when people are in hunger and thirst, worries,

Misery and lacking everything.

They day when each shall run away from those he knew,

Do you remember this day or do you forget?

Allah shall send angels who say: Come over towards a Lord,

Who shall provide some food and something to wear?

Come on all of you to win forgiveness,

Come on to good tiding, safety, kindness and no more despair.

Where are those for whom Allah has good rewards?

They shouldn’t be so rare?

That day those who shall get up are and themselves they identify,

Are those who in this life give people forgiveness and give kind care.

I say this and I ask Allah’s forgiveness for you and I and for all Muslims from all sins. Do ask His forgiveness, He is the most Forgiving, the most Merciful.

Notes:

Adhan - The call to prayer.

Ahmad (Ahmed)- Another name for the messenger Muhammad (PPBU).

Allah - The Arabic word for "god." It is often used as a name for God in Islam.

Ansar (or Al-Ansar): The inhabitants of the city of Al-Medina that received and supported the messenger (PPBU) when he immigrated from Mekkah in the very early years of Islam.

Assalam Alaikum - The Islamic greeting, literately means: Peace be with you. Used when approaching or leaving. When used during approaching it will be like saying: I bring no harm to you . and when said during leaving somebody it will mean: No harm will come to you after I leave.

Aya (or Ayah): is a verse of the Koran. It also means a miracle or a sign from God.

Arafa (or Arafah or Arafat): is a mountain outside the city of Mecca that represents the climax of the Hajj worship. All doing Hajj must stay at this location on the same day.

Badr - The place of the first significant battle between the Muslims and the pagans of the Quraish. It is located in Saudi Arabia.

Caliph - A Muslim ruler. See: (Khalifa)

Dajjal - Antichrist or the False Massiah.

Dawah - The proliferation of Islamic teachings through word and deed.

Deen (Din) - Religion or way of life.

Duaa: a prayer in the form of talking to Allah; praising him and asking him for help.

Fatwa - Legal verdict given based on the Qur'an (Koran) and the Sunnah which are the recorded sayings and deeds of Muhammad.

Ferdose: is the highest level of the all the gardens of Eden or paradise.

Fiqh - Religious law.

Hadeeth: is something reported that the messenger have said. It includes all the speeches and ceremonies he gave. It is usually narrated or told by one of his companions. There is a list of hadeeths approximately 14000 that are reported and checked to be genuine. No more hadeeths are acceptably added to this list.

Hajar - The Black Stone set into the corner of the Ka'aba in Mecca. It is said to be a stone from Heaven.

Hajj - The pilgrimage to Mecca which takes place in the last month of the Islamic calendar. One of the five pillars of Islam.

Hasana or hasanas: is the reward for a good deed. a hasana is a point or a merit for a good deed.

Hadith - The sayings and not deeds of the prophet Muhammad recorded by his followers. Considered authoritative and perfect.

Hajj: is the worship of pilgrimage.

Hijra (or Hejrah): the event of the immigration of the messenger from Mekkah to Madina. This event marks the start of the Islamic calendar. the Islamic calendar has 12 months based on the lunar cycle, each is 29.5 days. Hijra is also used as a name for the Islamic dating system.

Ibadah - Worship. All the words and deeds with which Allah is pleased. These deeds could be prayer and charity.

Iblis - (Ibleese): On of Satan's names.

Ibn (Ebn): the son of. Used by Arabs as part of an individual's name. Example: Ali whose father is Omar or the son of Omar, would be called: Ali Ibn Omar.

Imam (or Emam)- The leader for a prayer. In the Shiaa sect, an Imam is the individual who has the religious authority.

Iman: belief or faith

Injil (Enjeel) - The Bible. The book inspired to Jesus for the Christians.

Islam - Submission, the religion of all the prophets of Allah culminating in Muhammad.

Jannah - The heavenly garden, Paradise. The place of the faithful in the afterlife.

Jihad: is striving in the line of Allah in many forms. Includes a very wide scope varying from improving oneself to fighting a defensive war in protection of Allah's word. The greatest Jihad is the fight one's self against temptations. It also means "holy war."

Jinn - Supernatural, invisible beings race of beings, below angels. They were made from fire. Like humans, there amongst them are the faithful and the non beleivers and Jinn shall be judged on Judgment Day.

Ka'aba: A cube shaped building in Mecca containing a stone laid there by Abraham and Ishmael. Some say Ka'aba was first built by Adam, and some say by Abraham. It is the holiest place for Muslims. It is where all Muslims face in their daily prayers. Ka'aba also makes a major part of the pilgrimage in a ritual known as Tawaf.

Khalifa: is the Muslim ruler. Head of the Islamic empire. Exact translation: "Successor".

Khutbah - A sermon given in a Mosque, usually on Friday.

Kufr - Denial or Disbelief. A term Muslims use for anyone who denies existence of Allah or the prophecy of Muhammed.

Koran - Also spelled Qur'an. The holy book of Islam revealed to Muhammad by Allah through the Archangel Gabriel. Koran literally means "the recital." It is the final revelation of Allah given to the prophet Muhammad. It consists of 114 surahs (or chapters.)

Madinah - (Medinah): A city in the Arabian peninsula (in the country known now as Saudi Arabia). A city where the messenger had to immigrate to. Then it was called Yathrib.

Masjid - A center for Muslim activity. It is referred to as a mosque.

Masiah - A sin, or a sinful act

Mecca or Makkah: **is the holiest city for Muslims. It contains the Ka'aba mosque with the famous black cubical shape. Mecca is the birth place of the messenger (PPBU).**

Mosque - A Muslim house of worship.

Muhajir - (Muhajireen) Immigrant, one who leaves his home town due to lack of religious freedom. It was first used to describe early Muslims immigrating from Mecca to Median and Ethiopia.

Muhammad - the final messenger and prophet of God whose message abrogated all previous revelations. He received the Koran through the angel Gabriel over a 23 year period. Born in Mecca and died in Medina at the age of 63. His full name: Muhammad ibn Abd-Allah

Muslim - One who holds faith to the religion of Islam.

Nafilah: a voluntary prayer other than the five obligatory prayers; performed at any time.

Nasara - Christians. Nasrani: A Christian individual. Nasraniah: Christianity.

Ommah: is the Arabic word for a nation. It usually refers to the Islamic nation unless otherwise specified.

Paradise - Another word for heaven. A garden of bliss, fruits, rivers and all forms of pleasures imaginable and imaginable. No suffering, disease or death. Service is provided by angels. All live in it an ever lasting youthful life. Promised by Almighty Allah to all faithful, true Jews, true Christians and True Muslims. Paradise is one of two places every person will go to, either Paradise or Hellfire.

PPBU (P.B.U.H.) : Peace and Prayers Be Upon him. A statement Muslims use any time they mention the name of the messenger or make a reference to him.

Qadar - Fate. Preordainment is the teaching that all things, good and bad, are preordained to occur.

Qadr - (night of Qadr): The night when the first revelation of the Koran took place. Most likely it happened during one of the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan. Or when the Koran was brought down to the nearest heaven in one go, and from there it was brought down in bits and few verses at a time over a period of 23 years. This night is considered the holiest night for Muslims with tremendous advantages.

Qibla - The direction which Muslims turn for daily prayers, towards Mecca.

Quraish - An ancient Arab tribe to which the messenger Muhammad belonged.

Ramadan - The ninth month of the Islamic calendar which is the month of the fast. The holiest month in the Muslim colander.

Salat - Prayers. Generally it covers all forms of worship, but more specifically refers to the Muslim rituals which is performed to worship Allah five times daily.

Shiaa: A sect of Islam that teaches that a religion leader (Imam) should be the political ruler and must be direct descendants of the messenger (PPBU). Therefore, disapproving of all Muslim leaders who ruled After the messenger (PPBU) except Ali, the messenger's grandson.

Shirk - Associating another god with Allah. Or associating anyone or anything with Allah. Or using anyone or anything as a medium to Allah. The opposite of Monotheism or Tawheed.

Siam or Soam- Fasting

Sunni: is a the title of those Muslims who are suppose to be following the life style of the messenger. This differentiates them from the Shiaa of Iran.

Sunna (Sunnah): Is how the Messenger PPBU lived, what he did or said. It includes the way he dressed, ate, drank, prayed, interacted with other people and fought. Basically, sunnah is the life style of the messenger PPBU. It is considered the second source of legislation in Islamic laws and it is considered to be an important reference to be used for concluding arguments and disputes. It is also a title give to the main stream Muslims who make 90% if all Muslims.

Surah - A chapter of the Koran.

Tawaf: part of the pilgrimage (Hajj) ritual. It involves walking round the Ka'aba Mosque in anti-clock wise direction a number of seven circles.

Tauhid - Tawheed - Monotheism, in Islam is the teaching that there is only one God who alone is worthy of worship. The first requirement of becoming a Muslim. It is included in the testimony of faith for new Muslims when declaring that God is one: (No God but Allah)

Taqwah - Proper fear and veneration of Allah. A divine spark that enables the person to understand God.

Taurat: The old Testaments and scriptures of Mosa.

Ummah - the word means: a Nation. Usually refers to the Islamic nation unless otherwise stated.

Umrah - (Amrah): A mini hajj. A Minor form of pilgrimage to Mecca. Unlike Hajj which can only be done on the 12th month of the Islamic year, Umrah can be performed at any time.

Wathoo (wadoo): a washing up ritual done by Muslims before each of the five daily prayers known as ablution.

Zaboor - The Psalms

Zakat - The third pillar of Islam. Alms giving, charity that is given to the poor.Zakat - The third pillar of Islam. Alms giving, charity that is given to the poor.

Faheem Bukhatwa, my email address is : faheemfb@gmail.com