Are we true to the Holy Prophet’s teachings?

by Khaled Almaeena (Saudi Gazette)

Not a day passes without some depressing news from one Muslim country or another. Either it is a terrorist attack in Afghanistan or the Syrian Air Force bombing its own people. Iraq continues to be hit with violence of the most gruesome kind. Mali now joins the list of Muslim countries facing internal turmoil and external intervention. People continue to be killed in Pakistan either in drone attacks by the US or in inter-sectarian strife. Why?

I think no one who reflects on the worsening conditions in the Muslim world can fail to ask these questions: Is this the community envisaged by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who was born on 12 Rabi Al-Awwal, and is this the world we would have witnessed if Muslims had proved true to their religion and had lived according to the guidance provided by their Prophet (pbuh) and the teachings of the Holy Qur’an?

Muslims may complain of many things but they cannot complain that they have no role model. They have the perfect role model in their Prophet (pbuh).There is no other prophet on whose life so much light has been shed. Living in the full glare of history, his sayings and actions have been documented as no other prophet’s have. Recorded in minute detail, their authenticity has not been questioned by fair-minded scholars and honest historians.

It is extremely difficult for the Muslims of today to imagine and much less to endure the hardships that the Prophet (pbuh) and his companions underwent. In the ninth year of his mission, the Prophet (pbuh) — having been persecuted and terrorized by his people in Makkah — headed for Taif, home of the Banu Thaqif tribe. If anything, he was treated even more rudely by the tribal elders, who told him to leave the place and even sent street urchins after him to beat him and pelt him with stones. He bled profusely. His entire body was covered with blood and his sandals became clogged to his feet because of the severity of the beating and torture he was subjected to. Those who would resort to violence at what they perceive to be insults to the Prophet (pbuh) and Islam should realize that he bore no ill will toward his tormentors. Instead, he made a heartrending invocation to God Almighty beseeching mercy for the people who had persecuted him. Those Muslims who are intolerant and become violent at the slightest provocation are doing a great disservice to their religion and the principle of tolerance it espouses.

When Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) noticed the continued absence of a woman in Makkah who used to insult him and throw garbage on him as he walked the streets, he asked people about her and visited her after learning that she had fallen ill.

Over 14 centuries have gone by since he left us, but his message still lives on. It can lead us from darkness to light as it once led the Arabs from backwardness to the heights of success and glory. His life was one of mercy, compassion, care, consideration, kindness and tolerance for all. His sayings, known as Hadiths, bear testimony to this.

One particular theme he was never tired of stressing concerns the rights of women. You should look at what the Prophet (pbuh) said and did in order to realize what an honorable and respectable position Islam affords women. However, it is sad to see that many Muslims ignore this or behave in a way that gives a very wrong impression about women’s position in an Islamic society. “Fear Allah in respect of women,” the Prophet (pbuh) said. On another occasion he said: “The best of you are they who are best to their wives.”

Here is another Hadith: “A Muslim must not hate his wife, and if he be displeased with one bad quality in her, let him be pleased with one that is good.” According to him, “The more civil and kind a Muslim is to his wife, the more perfect in faith he is.”

In what was considered a revolutionary idea at that time, the Prophet (pbuh) taught his companions to remain in their mothers’ service, saying that Paradise lies beneath their feet.

Today, we violate the Prophet’s teachings over this and so many other things, which creates so many problems for us and brings a bad name to our religion.

Start with the self-appointed guardians of faith. They preach piety, but are they pious? Do they live by the tenets of Islam? They preach, but do not practice. What about those who spew hate, abuse and defame others – all in the name of religion? Have they not read about the Prophet’s attitude and behavior toward all those around him including the ones who abused him and tried to kill him?

Do people in authority follow the precepts of the Prophet (pbuh)? If they did, so many Muslim countries would not be in ferment, providing an opportunity for outsiders to intervene in their affairs or to set one section of the people against another.

Are our bureaucrats punctual and sincere? Do they cater to the public’s needs? The functioning of government departments throughout the Muslim world in the holy month of Ramadan tells its own story.

Most of our problems are self-inflicted. There is no point in crying that enemies are plotting our destruction or hatching conspiracies against us. Of course that is what enemies everywhere have been doing throughout history. The question is whether we should help enemies by our own actions or inaction.

Take, for example, scientific progress and economic development. Muslims once led Europe in science and the pursuit of knowledge. All experts agree that without the Arabic numbering system, which included decimals and the cipher (zero), modern science and business would have been impossible. The first university of Europe was established by Muslims in Spain. From the 8th to the 10th centuries, Baghdad flourished as the world’s most civilized city. Its university was attended by 6,000 students from all over the world.

Aristotle and Plato were rediscovered by Muslim scholars who translated many Greek manuscripts into Arabic. Even non-Muslim historians admit that Muslims were the originators of modern chemistry, meteorology, mathematics, sociology and geography. Muslim surgeons were also the first to dissect the human body. The first known telescope was built for a Muslim ruler.

We should remember that we are the followers of a Prophet (pbuh) who said that one should seek knowledge even if it means traveling as far as China.

Today, as we stumble through a confused and turbulent world and as uncertainly and depression grip large parts of the Muslim world, we should go back to the teachings of the Prophet (pbuh). This is the only way to get rid of the social ills from which we suffer.

Unfortunately, we say one thing and practice something else. The Holy Qur’an says: “Allah will never change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves.” Surah Al-Ra’d - Ayah 11 (13:11).

Let us teach ourselves and our children about the life of the Prophet (pbuh) with a firm resolve that we will use it in our daily lives. Let us be more tolerant, more forgiving and show compassion to all people irrespective of their race or religion. This is the best way to show our love and respect for our Prophet (pbuh).

Source:

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20130124150436

DIVORCING SAUDI STYLE - Part 2

http://free-infotainment.blogspot.com/2010/03/divorced-cakes.html- Picture

Staying on the theme of divorce, after reading the article I posted a few days ago many of you out there felt pity for Saudi women as they seemed to be the poor victims whilst Saudi men took on the character of being the dominant villains. Sorry to burst your bubble folks but this scenario is definitely not true. As I mentioned earlier there is always two sides to a story. Let us now examine some of the weird and bizarre reasons why a Saudi woman would divorce her husband. Whilst surfing the internet I once again came across some really hilarious articles.

A wife put an end to her husband’s romantic conduct when she filed for divorce after he kissed her in front of their children, Riyadh daily reported.

According to the wife, for years she had suffered from her husband’s overrated romance. She said that she had warned him many times not to be over romantic with her in front of the kids.For five years, she said, she had condoned his behavior, until he kissed her recently in front of the children again. She then filed for divorce.

"A Saudi Arabian woman filed for divorce after her new husband left her at an airport because shed been on the toilet for too long. The couple were returning from their honeymoon in Malaysia when he returned home from Kuala Lumpur airport because she had been in the bathroom for too long. Im not sure how long constitutes too long and an acceptable reason to leave without her."

After 30 years of marriage, cynics might say most husbands and wives would have seen quite enough of each other, thank you very much.But not in the case of one Saudi Arabian man who managed to live with his wife for three decades without setting eyes on her face.Not that he had much choice about it. His 50-year-old wife followed the tradition of her native village near the south-western city of Khamis Mushayt and kept her features veiled at all times.Until one night last month, that is, when the husband was finally overcome by curiosity and tried to lift his wife's veil as she slept to take a look at her face.

Tradition: In the village in South West Saudia Arabia, women keep their features veiled at all times.It was an error he is unlikely to be given a chance to repeat for his outraged wife woke up during his sneak peek and is now demanding a divorce.

'After all these years, he tries to commit such a big mistake,' she told Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadh after leaving the house in disbelief.

She said her husband apologized and promised never to do it again, but she insisted she wanted a divorce. It is not the first example of Saudi husbands with wives forever shrouded in mystery.There was the case of Ali al-Qahtani whose wife had been wearing a face veil for the entire ten years of their marriage. When he tried to take it off she threatened to leave and only decided to stay after he swore never to try again.And neither the husband or children of Om Rabea al-Gahdaray, 70, have ever seen her face. It was a family tradition, also followed by her mother and sisters, which her husband accepted and never tried to change, she said. When asked how she could have children without her husband ever seeing her face, she replied: "Marriage is about love, not faces."Many Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran require women to cover their faces in public but in the privacy of their homes there is no such compulsion.But always remaining veiled - even in front of your husband - is not an Islamic practice, but a very old tradition practiced by a tiny minority of women in remote areas of Gulf countries.Most examples of it are in Saudi, one of the most conservative of countries.

Saudi courts should grant divorce for a woman who discovers that her husband is a smoker and that she is harmed by his habit, a judge in the Gulf Kingdom was reported on Thursday as saying.“A wife should be granted divorce and separated from her husband in case she discovers that he is a smoker,” judge Ibrahim Al khudairi told the Saudi Arabic language daily Al Watan.“If the woman tells the court that she has been hurt by her husband’s smoking, like suffering from allergy or chest problems, then she should be divorced.”

Furious after her husband stores her name on his cellular phone as Guantanamo, a Saudi woman files divorce after the notorious American prison, saying it is enough of a reason to end a 17-year marriage.The unnamed woman, 30, reportedly called her husband on his mobile phone, which he had forgotten at home, and saw the word "Guantanamo" appears on the screen, Saudi's al-Watan newspaper reported.The furious wife, who lives in Jeddah, immediately filed for divorce and argued that the nickname shows her husband, is a tyrannical person that she could no longer live with despite 17 years of marriage. The husband, however, defended himself by claiming that the nickname was not about how he sees her, but rather to maintain his own privacy."I don't want people sitting around me to know that this is my wife calling," he told local papers.The controversial Guantanamo Bay detention center, managed by the U.S. military in Cuba, became the symbol of torture and oppression in George W. Bush's "war on terrorism" launched after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.For other Saudi husbands it is common practice to create alias' for their wives on their phones in a bid to secure their privacy.Saudi-resident Khaled al-Maliki chose the nickname "criminal" for his wife because he says she stresses him out and calls him all the time to ask where he is. Maliki also cites privacy as the reason for giving his wife the nickname."Sometimes my friends use my mobile phone or might be next to me when she calls," he told Asharq al-Awsat. "I don't want anyone to know my wife's phone number."Khaled Omar said he stored his wife "salary" because "she has no mercy when it comes to spending."Abu Sultan decided to store his wife under a common Arabic man's name "Saeed al-Hindi" so that people will not know his wife is calling.But for Dr. Mohamed al-Motawaa, professor of psychology at the al-Imam Mohamed bin Saud Islamic University, these names are provocative and insulting."These names indicate the type of relationship between husband and wife," he told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper. "These names are like a bullet aiming at the woman's heart, especially if the kids hear them," he said. "This is has a negative impact not only on the wife, but also on the kids when they grow up."

A colleague and I were both laughing in stitches after reading the last article. I then asked him what nickname would he use for his wife and whilst still very much in a fit of laughter he replied 'Hitler'. So gentlemen out there what pseudonym or alias would you create for your wife on your mobile phone? This ought to be an interesting one.

Makkah Museum (Mat7af al Haramain) - Part 2

Replica of the hajr aswad (Black stone)

The way the cloth of the Ka3ba use to be woven in the past

One of the pillars of the Holy ka3ba with its wooden base and crown dating back to the construction of Abdullah ibn az Zubair in 65 H. A rocky base was holding the pillar in the holy Ka3ba dating back to the construction of Abdullah ibn Az Zubair in 65 H

A copy of the original othmani musshaf which was written in the era of othman bin affan

Door in Medina- Prophets Mosque

A mouth piece of the well of zamzam with its ring and lid.

A pulley for lifting zam zam water dating back to the end of the 14th century of Hijrah.

A brass bucket which use to be in the well of zam zam dating back to 1299 H 

A diagram explaining how zamzam water flows. The water flows from below hajre aswad on one side and two sides from safa. If any one of the openings is closed, the water will not flow. It pumps water at exactly the same level and depth over and over....

A marble midday timer used to determine prayer times before the printing of the Hijri Calendar.

Brother Abdulla with my family......

TAKING A BOLD STEP TOWARDS A WORTHY CAUSE

Unable to bear the famine and malnutrition in other poor impoverished countries around the world, one Saudi restaurant owner has decided to take matters into his own hands by enforcing levies on all patrons of his restaurant that do not finish all the food that they have ordered. He has signs posted in his restaurant stating that if any customer does not finish their meal, leaving food on their plate, they will be charged an additional fee. The additional monies collected are placed in a box and when sufficient funds are collected it is then distributed to various charity organizations. The restaurant owner hopes that all other restaurants in Saudi Arabia would follow suit.
I personally believe that this is an excellent initiative. I have noticed lots of food wastage here in the Middle East especially during the fasting month. Hotels and restaurants prepare elaborate five course meals and after dinner most of the left over foods are simply thrown away into a garbage bag.Mind you I guess this is also bound to happen simply because the food portions per person are quite large in most Saudi restaurants. Usually when I go to a restaurant I tell the waiter to pack the remainder of the food as a take away and I usually eat it the next day of give it to my domestic worker. It pains me to see food thrown away into the garbage bin when there are people out there who have no idea where their next plate of food is coming from. However, in many countries around the world restaurants as well as citizens of the country are not allowed to distribute left over foods to the poor by law due to health and safety hazards.So what do you think, should all restaurants across the globe follow this Saudi gentleman's example by charging an additional fee to customers who do not finish their meal? Do you think that this will decrease the problem of food wastage in restaurants? Would this initiative curb the 'eyes are bigger than the stomach' syndrome?