Dawah (Inviting to the way of submission and surrender to Allah)

 Every Friday afternoon, after the Jummah service at the Central

Mosque, the Imam and his eleven year old son would go out into their town and hand out "Path to Paradise" and other Islamic literature.

This particular and fortunate Friday afternoon, as the time came for the Imam and his eleven year old son to go to the streets with their booklets, it was very cold outside, as well as pouring rain.

The boy bundled up in his warmest and driest clothes and said, 'OK, dad, I am ready!' His 'Al Mualim' dad asked, 'Ready for what?'

'Dad, it's time we gather our tracts together and go out.' Dad responds, 'Son, it's very cold outside and it's also pouring rain.'

The boy gives his dad a surprised look, asking, 'But Dad, are not people still going to hell, even though it's raining?' Dad answers, 'Son, I am not going out in this weather.'

Despondently, the boy asks, 'Dad, can I go? Please?' His father hesitated for a moment then said, 'Son, you can go. Here are the booklets. Be careful son.' 'Thanks, Dad!'

And with that, he was off and out into the rain. This eleven year old boy walked the streets of the town going door to door and handing everybody he met in the street a pamphlet or a booklet.

After two hours of walking in the rain, he was soaking, bone chilled wet and down to his very last booklet. He stopped on a corner and looked for someone to hand a booklet to, but the streets were totally deserted.

Then he turned toward the first home he saw and started up the sidewalk to the front door and rang the door bell. He rang the bell, but nobody answered. He rang it again and again, but still no one answered. He waited but still no answer.

Finally, this eleven year old Dawah (Inviting to the way of submission and surrender to Allah) expert turned to leave, but something stopped him. Again, he turned to the door and rang the bell and knocked loudly on the door with his fist. He waited, something holding him there on the front porch!

He rang again and this time the door slowly opened. Standing in the doorway was a very sad looking elderly lady. She softly asked, 'What can I do for you, son?'

With radiant eyes and a smile that lit up her world, this little boy said, "Ma'am, I am sorry if I disturbed you, but I just want to tell you that 'Allah really loves and cares for you' and I came to give you my very last booklet which will tell you all about God, the real purpose of creation, and how to achieve His pleasure."

With that, he handed her his last booklet and turned to leave. She called to him as he departed. 'Thank you, son! And God Bless You!'

Well, the following Friday afternoon after Jummah service the Imam was giving some lectures. As he concludes the lectures, he asked, 'Does anybody have questions or want to say anything?'

Slowly, in the back row among the ladies, an elderly voice was heard over the speaker. As the voice went on, a hint of glorious gaiety and contentment was plainly evident in it even though she was not to be seen, "No one in this gathering knows me. I have never been here before. You see, before last Friday I was not a Muslim. My husband passed on some time ago, leaving me totally alone in this world. Last Friday, being a particularly cold and rainy day, it was even more so in my heart that I came to the end of the line where I no longer had any hope or will to live.

So I took a rope and a chair and ascended the stairway into the attic of my home. I fastened the rope securely to a rafter in the roof then stood on the chair and fastened the other end of the rope around my neck. Standing on that chair, so lonely and broken hearted I was about to leap off, when suddenly the loud ringing of my doorbell downstairs startled me. I thought, I will wait a minute and whoever it is will go away.

I waited and waited, but the ringing doorbell seemed to get louder and more insistent and then the person ringing also started knocking loudly. I thought to myself again, 'Who on earth could this be? Nobody ever rings my bell or comes to see me.' I loosened the rope from my neck and started for the front door, all the while the bell rang louder and louder.

When I opened the door and looked I could hardly believe my eyes, for there on my front porch was the most radiant and angelic little boy I had ever seen in my life. His smile, oh, I could never describe it to you! The words that came from his mouth caused my heart that had long been dead to leap to life as he exclaimed with a cherub like voice, 'Ma'am, I just came to tell you that Allah really loves and cares for you!' Then he gave me this booklet, 'Path to Paradise' that I now hold in my hand.

As the little angel disappeared back out into the cold and rain, I closed my door and read slowly every word of this book. Then I went up to my attic to get my rope and chair. I would not need them any more.

You see, I am now a happy vicegerent of the One True God. Since the address of your congregation was stamped on the back of this booklet, I have come here to personally say Thank You to God's little angel who came just in the nick of time and by so doing, spared my soul from an eternity in hell.

There was not a dry eye in the mosque. And as shouts of Takbir! Allahu Akbar (God is the greatest)! rented the air, even among the ladies.

The Imam (dad) descended from the pulpit to the front row where the little angel was seated. He took his son in his arms and sobbed uncontrollably.

Probably no Jamaat (Assembly) has had a more glorious moment and probably this universe has never seen a Papa that was more filled with love and honor for his son, except for one, this very one.

You are the best community evolved for mankind; you enjoin the right conduct and forbid indecency and you believe in Allah. Noble Qur'an (3:110)

Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious. Noble Qur'an (16:125)

Cheap Ticket to Paradise: Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon him) in dream

A man from a respectable background came to Balkh which is situated in the south of Iran, accompanied by his wife and daughters. Shortly after their arrival the man fell ill and later died, leaving his wife and daughters. Without his support they became poor and suffered. So fearing the mockery of enemies, she fled Balkh with her daughters to Samarkand.

On the day she arrived the weather was very cold, so she left her daughters in a mosque and went out in search of food. She passed by two groups of people. One was gathered around a Muslim who was the Sheikh and the other group around a Zoroastrian (Majusi) who was the security officer of the city.

She first went to the Muslim Sheikh and described her situation saying, "I am a woman of a respectable family, with daughters whom I have left in the local mosque and I have come in search of food." He asked her, "Bring me proof that you are from a respectable family." She replied, "I am a stranger in this town and therefore do not know anyone to testify for me." She departed from him broken hearted. She then went to the Zoroastrian and explained her situation to him, telling him about her noble background and her orphaned daughters who were, waiting her return in the local mosque. She also mentioned to him how the Muslim Sheikh had treated her. The Zoroastrian stood up and sent some womenfolk to bring her daughters and took all of them to his house. There he showered them with honour and generosity. He fed them fine food and clothed them in rich garments.

That night the Muslim Sheikh saw in a dream the Day of Resurrection and the banners were unfurled around Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon him). Ahead of him, was a green palace made of emeralds, its balconies of pearls and rubies and domes of pearls and corals. He asked Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon him), "Messenger of Allah, for whom is this palace?" Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon him) replied, "For a Muslim." The Muslim Sheikh replied, "I am a Muslim!" Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon him) said, "Prove to me that you are a Muslim?" At that, the Muslim Sheikh was dumbstruck. Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon him) then said, "You asked a woman to produce proof of her respectability and therefore my question to you is, can you produce proof that you are a Muslim?" At this point the Muslim Sheikh felt remorse about his treatment towards the woman and her orphaned daughters.

In the morning, he immediately set out to find the woman. He learnt she was staying with the Zoroastrian and so called for him. When the Zoroastrian arrived, the Muslim Sheikh requested that he sends the woman and her daughters to him. The Zoroastrian replied, "Under no circumstance! I have received great blessings from her." The Muslim Sheikh said, "Take a thousand dinars from me and bring them to me." Zoroastrian shouted, "Impossible! The one who showed you the palace in your dream has made it (the palace) for me. Are you surprised because I am not a Muslim? By Allah (SWT), I did not sleep last night, before I and my family accepted Islam at that noble woman's hand and I dreamt something similar to what you dreamt; Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon him) asked me, "Is that noble woman and her daughters with you?" I replied: "Yes, Messenger of Allah." Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon him) said, "This palace is for you and your family. Allah (SWT) created you a believer in eternity." At that the Muslim Sheikh remained sorrowful and grieved for the missed opportunity of earning a lofty position in Paradise, due to his neglect of the widowed woman and her daughters.

Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon him) has said, "The one who strives on behalf of the widow and the needy is like a warrior in the path of Allah". (Bukhari and Muslim) May Allah guide us to what is right for indeed, He is Generous, the most Kind, and the most Merciful!

I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like!

An Angel was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, "Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like?"

The Lord sent the Angel to two doors. The Angel opened one of the doors and looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew which smelled delicious and made the Angel's mouth water.

The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.

The Angel shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.

The Lord said, "You have seen Hell. Now go to the next door."

The Angel went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the Angel's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.

The Angel said, "I don't understand."

"It is simple" said the Lord, "it requires but one skill. You see, they have learned to share by feeding each other, while the greedy think only of themselves."

Moral of the story: Its people's attitude that makes our place of work, a hell or heaven! 'Help and Seek Help' this makes all the difference to each individual's life and makes our lives hell or heaven. Success and happiness is all about effective team-work make it a great place to work.

Sharing and team-work is in nature's way

When two goats meet upon a narrow bridge over deep water, how do they behave?

Neither of them can turn back again, neither can pass the other, because the bridge is too narrow; if they should thrust one another, they might both fall into the water and be drowned.

Nature, then, has taught them, that if the one lays himself down and permits the other to go over him, both remain without hurt.

Moral of the story: Even so, people should rather endure to be trod upon, than to fall into debate and discord one with another! It is better to yield than to come to misfortune through stubbornness.