Do nightmares foretell of pending punishment?

August 22nd, 2010

I have nightmares. Is God angry with me and showing me in my dreams His pending punishment?

We know from Chapter 12 that some dreams foretell the future in a mysterious or symbolic way. God does not tell ordinary people if they are going to Paradise or Hell except at the moment of death when the dying person sees his seat there. The only time it happened was when the Prophet (PBUH) told ten Sahaaba (his fellows) that they are going to Paradise. May you, us and our loved ones join them there.

I have become paranoid about this and my depression fuels my confusion, is it just all in my head?

I am worried and scared.

That is Satan scaring you. Expel him and put your faith in God.

If one commits sin, repents but gets weak and repeats the same sin does Allah get annoyed and stop loving you, is there no hope, how many times does Allah forgive before he stops giving you chances. I did this twice in Ramadhan and I am feeling a lot of despair right now and beginning to think all sorts about dreams.

How many times does God accept repentance? As many times as you are alive! God says that He loves the “oft-repenting” (2:222) and one of His beautiful Attributes is At-Tawwaab (The oft Accepting of repentance). God praised David in 38:17, Solomon in 38:30 and Job  in 38:44 that each of them was Awwaab (keeps going back to God).

From Surat Yusuf (Chapter 12), does that mean ordinary people don’t get future telling dreams etc? That’s what I’ve been paranoid about thinking that the scary ones I’ve had may be from future? That’s whats put me in despair, I just hope its all in my head?

No. Ordinary people can get foretelling dreams, e.g., the king of Egypt in the story of Joseph (PBUH), but interpretation of dreams is not a science, it’s a gift from God. You cannot assume your dreams foretell your future. They most likely are random ramblings exasperated by your paranoia.

If you are unable to calm down with Quran recitation, faith, prayer and supplication, then you must consult a doctor. May God grant you His tranquility.

Can you tell me whether it is possible for Jinn/Satan to show you future events in your dreams, i.e. they travel very fast and them getting images from the future and then putting them in ones mind, is that possible?

No, it’s not, because they don’t know it and cannot know it. God emphasizes that in the Quran in many verses, for instance,

“Say: None in the heavens and earth knows the Beyond but God.” (27:65)

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Anything for depression?

August 22nd, 2010
I suffer from depression and have had some bad dreams lately. Is there a prayer I can say?

May God alleviate your suffering. Whenever that happens, recall what Ja`far As-Saadiq, may God have been pleased with him, once said. He said: I am amazed at one who is depressed but does not recite,

“There is no deity except You; sanctified are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers.” (21:87)

That’s because I heard God say afterward,

“So We responded to him and saved him from the depression. And thus We rescue the believers. ” (21:88)

Posted in Emotions, Supplication | No Comments »

The benefits of fasting in Ramadan

August 21st, 2010

I know, and have experienced the physical benefits of fasting in Ramadan. Talk to me about the non-physical benefits.

When God told us we have to fast, He did not mention any physical benefit, though there are many. Check out Dr. Ahmad Sakr’s books on fasting for much of that.

God, however, gave us the purpose of fasting: Taqwa (piety). That is the inevitable result of a thoughtful fasting. A non-thoughtful fasting is the kind the Prophet, peace be upon him, referred to when he said, “There may be one who fasts but does not get out of his fasting except hunger and thirst!” Reported by Ibn Hanbal. A thoughtful fasting, on the other hand, is abstaining from sin, big and small, in addition to abstaining from food and water. That discipline is what fasting is all about and it is what leads to piety.

A thoughtful fasting is one where the person does it out of faith, not custom, and then counts it with God (Ihtisaab). That means you leave the reward to God. Indeed, He said in a Qudsi hadeeth, “All of man’s work is for himself except fasting; it’s for Me and I reward it.” Reported by Muslim, An-Nasaa’i, Ibn Hanbal and Ad-Daarimi.

The hadeeth continues, “For the fasting person are two joys: one when he breaks the fast and the other is when he meets his Lord!” May we all be among those fortunate ones.

Piety is a moral value, but it leads to the spiritual benefit of fasting: closeness to God. This is revealed in 2:186. In a recent Friday prayer sermon, the Imam (preacher)  drew our attention to the fact that in 2:186, God did not say: when My servants ask you about Me, tell them I’m near, He said instead, “When My servants ask you about Me, I am near.” God is so near and we have direct access to Him that there is no need for any one to intercede with Him.

In his book Kitabul-Ilm, the late Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen, may God bless his soul, wrote, “Piety is a means for strengthening understanding, and strong understanding assists in increasing knowledge.” Another non-physical benefit of fasting! If we do reach the plateau of Taqwa as Ramadhaan promises, we stand a good chance of acquiring knowledge as a bonus. Two for the price of one.

I know the look of piety. It is a look of beauty. What are the degrees of piety?

I don’t know if there are degrees of piety, but I particularly like one definition of it, by Ali ibn Abi-Taalib, may God have been pleased with him,

التقوى هي الخوف من الجليل والعمل بالتنزيل والرضا بالقليل والاستعداد ليوم الرحيل

Translation: Piety is fear of the Majestic One, complying with the Revelation, contentment with little, and preparing for the day of departure.

Posted in Fasting, Ramadan | No Comments »

Does God deliberately misguide some people?

August 18th, 2010

In this verse, it sounds like God deliberately misguides some people. Please explain,

“Those whom Allah (in his plan) wills to guide – He opens their breast to Islam; those whom He wills to leave straying – He makes their breast close and constricted, as if they had to climb up to the skies; thus does Allah (heap) the penalty on those who refuse to believe.” – 6:138

I highlighted the answer to your question!

The will of God is not arbitrary; it’s meritoriously targeted. God makes that point over and over and over in the Quran. For example,

“So that God may torment the hypocrite men and hypocrite women and the men and women who associate others with Him in worship; and that God may accept repentance from the believing men and believing women. And ever is God Forgiving and Merciful.” (33:73)

And

“How shall God guide a people who disbelieved after their belief and had witnessed that the Messenger is true and clear signs had come to them? And God does not guide the wrongdoing people. ” (3:86)

And God emphasizes His fairness over and over. For instance,

“Indeed, God does not do injustice, [even] as much as an atom’s weight; while if there is a good deed, He multiplies it and gives from Himself a great reward. ” (4:40)

And

“Do the disbelievers await [anything] except that the angels should come to them or there comes the command of your Lord? Thus did those do before them. And God did not wrong them not, but they had been wronging themselves. ” (16:33)

My question was, the meaning of WILLS in this context.

For example, can some people not be Muslim because of Allah’s WILL?

God’s will is not random. He does not will people at random to be guided and other people at random to go astray. That would be unjust and He does not do an atom’s weight of injustice.

His will has been that those who accept Him He will guide and those who reject Him He will leave astray. He does that because it has been His will to let man have a free will. As a result of that, and because He does not do injustice to anybody, His will has been in response to man’s will.

Hope that makes it clearer.

Posted in Faith, Fate, Free will | No Comments »

Is Islamophobia justified?

August 14th, 2010

If Islamophobia is defined as ‘a (irrational) fear, prejudice, hatred against Muslims and Islamic culture’, it makes me wonder.

Is there any such a thing as a rational, legitimate fear of Islam?
And is there anything in correct Islamic teachings that can be a threat to non-muslims?

There is no rational or legitimate fear of Islam, but there is rational, legitimate fear of some Muslims. How some Muslims have interpreted the Quran and the Sunna is scary, even to fellow Muslims.

Most of the people who criticize Islam do so out of ignorance. However, some of them quote what some Muslims wrote and said publicly as their argument for attacking Islam. That’s no argument for attacking Islam, but it is legitimate argument for attacking those Muslims. Islam is what the Quran and the authentic Hadeeth have taught, not what Muslims opined. That is the issue the article probably skipped over.

I personally find those particular attacks a blessing in disguise! Why? Because they open our eyes to the dangers implied by those radical writers. We need to know that some Muslims wrote weird interpretations of the Quran and the authentic Hadeeth and made some terrible conclusions as a result. For the large part, that went unnoticed and ignored for centuries by the mainstream because it was not very well known. But once the Internet became widespread, all those ugly writings became available world-wide. They cannot be ignored anymore. It is the duty of mainstream scholars, IMHO, to expose those writings, refute them and clear up the image of Islam. From many recent books and articles I read, I see that already starting to happen, Thank God.

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Are Muslims poor because of their religion?

August 14th, 2010

I live in the United States and am a revert.

Everyone for the most part who is not Muslim I talk to thinks Islam is in countries that are poor and backward.

Poverty is the result of injustice or laziness. It has nothing to do with ones’ religion. Muslims were once the richest and most advanced people on earth and now look at them. The West was once poor and dirty and now they are rich and powerful.

When you pursue a progress agenda seriously, you will get there regardless of whether you worship the One True God, or an idol or none at all. If you don’t do what it takes to advance, you won’t, even if you are the most beloved of God. That is Sunnatullah (God’s way) which He instituted in this life.

Muslims not only abandoned science and technology, which they revolutionized and pioneered, they also abandoned much of Islam, keeping only appearances. The result is that they sunk relative to other countries in material accomplishment and citizen welfare, and God withdrew His blessings from them so they now fight and kill each other and themselves.

The solution is simple but hard: understand Islam correctly, follow it closely and pursue a progress agenda.

Posted in Muslims, Poverty | No Comments »

What is the best translation of the Quran?

August 13th, 2010

I know that the Quran cannot be truly translated, but short of that, what is the best English translation of the Quran?

No one translation is sufficient. I always recommend to people to check out multiple translations, because each has something valuable to offer. Some sites that offer multiple translations are:

Posted in The Quran, Translation | No Comments »

Is playing video games allowed in Islam?

August 11th, 2010

There is nothing wrong with playing any game unless the game involves, or leads to something prohibited. For instance, playing poker is fine unless it’s played for money. Playing video games is fine unless they distract you so much you miss the prayer.

The issue is not the game nor is it the playing; it’s what is played, what is involved in it, and what it leads to.

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Why were there no female prophets?

July 10th, 2010

I don’t know for sure, but my guess is that women have been isolated from life outside the home throughout history. In order for a prophet to call his people to the way of God, he must be able to mingle with them freely and argue with them. He also had to fight to defend himself and his followers. That would have been impossible for a woman to do.

Furthermore, men dominated all aspects of society. Therefore, God’s message was to be delivered to men, who are then required to convey it to their women and children. Society simply has always been structured that way, so men would only listen to other men and look up only to other men. Even then, most prophets were belied and fought and many were killed. No woman in the past would have a chance in such mire.

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Can logic and reason be used in religion?

July 9th, 2010

I’ve noticed that in many of your articles, you use logic and critical thinking, but can they be used in religion? I’ll give you an example. Prophet Muhammad Went from Mecca to Jerusalem in one night, can you explain to me how this is logically possible? We know also Angel Gabriel took Prophet Muhammad’s heart out and cleansed it and put it back when he was little. Can you logically prove this? And Allah turned some Jews from among the Children of Israel into apes and swines, Can you explain this to me as well?

That’s easy! Let me start with the night journey. An object will move at a speed proportional to the force that pushed it, the stronger the force, the faster the move. That is why airplanes get us to our destination faster than automobiles and faster than walking. God has infinite power, therefore, He can push any object any distance in no time at all.

Creatures differ in their abilities. A horse can live and build muscles from a diet of grass and hay, but man can’t. Birds can fly but man can’t. Likewise, angels have powers that man doesn’t have.

And because God has infinite creation powers, He can turn any creation into any other creation. It’s the same logic with which a worm, the caterpillar, which can only crawl, has many legs and looks creepy, turns in three weeks into another species, an insect, a butterfly, which can fly thousands of miles, has only two legs and looks beautiful. The same logic that turns a seed into a palm tree, or a fertilized egg into a baby. Glory be to God.

What about God settling on His Throne? Where is the logic here?

It’s a metaphor, a figure of speech. The Arabs use metaphors all the time. You can see that a lot when you read their poetry. Exegesis books have pointed that out too about the Quran in abundance.

Posted in Angels, Creation, Logic, Miracles | No Comments »

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