Alcohol Leaflet

The Punishment

The punishment for a drink that will not be able to quench the thirst felt in Jahanam:

The Prophet of Allah (may peace & blessings be upon him) said,

“Whoever drinks wine, Allah will not accept his prayers for 40 days. If he seeks forgiveness then Allah will forgive him. And if he repeats it again Allah will not accept his prayers for 40 days. If he seeks forgiveness Allah will forgive him. And if he repeats it again Allah will not accept his prayers for 40 days. If he seeks forgiveness Allah will forgive him. if he repeats it a fourth Allah will not accept his prayers for 40 days. If he seeks forgiveness from Allah, Allah will NOT forgive him and he will be made to drink the water of impurities (of the inmates of hell). [Tirmidhi, ibn Majah, Nasai’]

The Messenger of Allah (may peace & blessings be upon him has also said, “There are three that will not enter paradise: a habitual DRINKER, one who cuts blood ties (relations) and one who believes in sorcery. [Ahmad]

In another hadith, the Prophet (May peace & blessings be upon him) has said, “There are three on whom Paradise is forbidden. A habitual drinker, one disobedient to parents and a careless husband who establishes impurity in his family.

And if a person dies drinking alcohol, then he will stand before his Lord just like the one who ascribes partners to Him and the one who ascribes partners to Allah will never be forgiven!

The Muslim youth are drinking alcohol to such much that it is becoming a huge addiction. Remember, the taste is only on the tongue but the consequences will remain in the Hereafter. What will you say, when you stand before your Lord, on a day which is like no other. The situation of mankind will be such, that the Hadiths narrate,
“There will be no veil between man and Allah on that day (Qiyamah)”

Know, that alcohol stays within the body for 40 days and if in these 40 days you happen to die, say your car happens to crash, you happen to get run over, you happen to fall over and breathe your last. You will be raised before Allah like the one who commits the sin which is not worthy of forgiveness, Shirk! There will be no translator on that day, man will abandon his brothers, his mother and his father, his wife and his children and he will not move till he has answered the question,

“What did you do with your youth?”

If you are not able to provide a sufficient answer to Allah then you must prepare for the torment of Hell for Paradise is forbidden for habitual drinker. Let us forget about the questioning on that day, let us question ourselves with the same question right now, as we are reading this.

“What am I doing with my youth?”

Because if your life from the time you were small up to the age of 20 or so is full up with nothing but sin and you have no goodness to show Allah on the Day of Reckoning, then prepare to be thrown impetuously into the fire of Hell.

The habit should stop now for death is around the corner and after we breathe our last, we cannot come back and do more. Imam Ghazzali gives a beautiful example, he says:

A man was walking in the jungle when suddenly, a lion began to chase him. As he ran away he fell into a well and as he fell he grabbed onto a rope. He thought he was safe but below him there was a huge serpent with its jaws wide open, waiting for him to fall. Then as he was holding onto the rope, a black mouse and a white mouse began to nibble away at the rope. This man began to panic and became very scared until he saw a honeycomb on the side of the well. So he put his finger into it and then placed it on his tongue. For a second, he forgot about everything and enjoyed the taste. He had nothing to worry about but reality soon came crashing back to him, he was going to die.

Imam Ghazzali mentions that,
The lion is death that we all run away from.
The serpent is the grave which we all must fall into.
The rope is our life.
The black mouse and the white mouse are the night and the day which nibble away at our lives.
And the honeycomb is the dunya (world) that we are in, which is so fruitful in our eyes that we expect to live forever but as Allah the Almighty says in the Qur’an:

“Every soul has to taste death. It is on the Day of Judgement that you shall be paid your reward in full. So whosoever has been kept away from the Fire and admitted into Paradise has really succeeded. The worldly life is nothing but anillusionary enjoyment.” Surah Imran 3:185

In your life, what have you done? What is on your CV to present to Allah? The Employer of Jannah? What makes you think your so special that you deserve a place in these high ranked positions. Never lose hope and feel Allah will not forgive you, that is a major sin. Allah says,

“O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me, and hope in Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds in the sky and were you to then ask forgiveness of Me, I shall forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with a world full of sins and you were then to face Me, without having ascribed anything with Me, I shall grant you a world of pardon.” [Tirmdhi]

Lets Leave It In The Past

Sometimes a person needs to make a mistake to become better. However, not everybody understands this statement and often we find people who live very tough lives because of the criticisms they receive from others with regards to their ‘past’; their days of ignorance. This is a problem which is destroying society and causing severe harm to the hearts of young Muslim boys and girls who want to change but are caught out by envious, hate filled colleagues. This article will probably be lengthy but I urge you to read it in its fullest so that you may understand that the great, early Muslims who came before us also slipped up to become better. I begin by putting forth a Hadith which must be carried out by every Muslim,

"A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim. So he should not oppress him nor should he hand him over to (evil). Whoever fulfils the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfil his needs; whoever removes the troubles of his brother, Allah will remove one of his troubles on the Day of Resurrection; and whoever covers up the fault of a Muslim, Allah will cover up his fault on the Day of Resurrection". (Bukhari)

This Hadith deals with a few issues that need to be highlighted:

1. To oppress another Muslim and beckon him towards evil is completely Haram.
2. Whoever helps his brother with regards to anything good, Allah will help him.
3. This is very important: whoever covers the sin of another, Allah will cover his sin on the day of Qiyamah.

Some from amongst us have led an alternate life prior to their reformation and recognition of Allah. They have lead a life full of various sins ranging from fornication, drugs, alcohol, assault, gang wars and many other vices of evil. However the guidance of Allah is such that He mentions,

“So, whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He makes his heart wide open for Islam, and whomsoever He wills to let go astray, He makes his heart strait and constricted, (and he feels embracing Islam as difficult) as if he were climbing to the sky.” 6/125

When a person changes himself so that he may befriend Allah, he needs the full support of all of his friends. Often we see that when a person does decide to change himself, all of his friends turn against him and they feel that he is a hypocrite. If he urges them to pray their salaat or advices them in relation to Islam, he becomes severely hated and he gets interrogated,

“Who are you?! Who gave you the right to speak to us about Islam when you had a girl, drunk alcohol, done drugs?! Go sort yourself out you hypocrite.”

Sisters suffer similarly, when Allah gives them the ability to cover themselves with the Hijab, Abaya and Niqab, they will not be encouraged by their one time friends but they will be mocked and ridiculed as being those people who would take pictures of themselves excessively and bathe in perfume and make up. There are people in the community who like to raise their fingers and point at others saying Astagfirullah but they never ever question their own wrong doing. These people are such that they will happily exploit the past sins of their brothers and sisters but not ever recognise the simple fact that, while they themselves have stayed corrupt, their friends have exceeded them in matters of religion and are now firm believers. This is something that needs to be erased from society as we must all help one another change. There is a perception that,

“If you are bad once, you are always bad.”

This is not the case at all, this is the intellect kept by a bewaqoof. Let us look at the lives of those people who came prior to us.

Hazrat Fuzail ibn Iyaaz (May Allah have mercy upon him) was the chief of a band of highway robbers. He was alive in the time of the Tabi’een (a nation that came after the Sahaba (may Allah be pleased with them) and were known to be blessed). He operated in the desert looting and attacking passing caravans. He was a real stud and had a girlfriend who he was in love with too. However, even while a bandit, he wore simple garments and woollen topi. A tasbeeh was always strung around his neck and he always performed prayer in congregation. Infact he would banish any member of his clan who did not pray in congregation. He was deeply in love with his girlfriend and would send her his share of the looted wealth. One day he went to meet her in the sacred city of Makkah and on his way, he heard the verse of the Qur’an being recited,

أَلَمۡ يَأۡنِ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ أَن تَخۡشَعَ قُلُوبُہُمۡ لِذِڪۡرِ ٱللَّهِ وَمَا نَزَلَ مِنَ ٱلۡحَقِّ

“Has the time not yet come for those who believe that their hearts should be humble for the remembrance of Allah and for the truth that has descended (through revelation)?”

This verse pierced the heart of Hazrat Fuzail and he began to weep terribly whilst saying,

“Alas! How long will I continue to ruin my life? The time has come to travel in the path of Allah.”

He flipped his life around and he soon after came to be known as the ‘Aabidul Haramayn (Worshipper of the Two Sacred Mosques) because there was not a portion in either mosque where his tears did not fall out of the fear of Allah. Abdullah ibn Mubarak (may Allah have mercy upon him) mentions,

“When Fuzail ibn Iyaaz died, the heavens and the earth wept. An eerie silence was perceived.”

This was a person who would rob people of their wealth and had a relationship with a girlfriend but look at the reformation. Are we going to call him a hypocrite for changing and then advising people to change also? Let us look at Hazrat Bishr Haafi (May Allah have mercy upon him).

Hazrat Bishr Haafi had a problem that many of the youth suffer from today – alcohol. He would walk the roads slumbering and falling over completely intoxicated. He would drink all day long and one day he was walking when he saw the name of Allah on a piece of paper which had been dropped on the floor. Hazrat Bishr was a true lover of Allah and His Messenger (may peace and blessings be upon him) and so he picked up the piece of paper, perfumed it and placed it on a high shelf before proceeding towards the pub. In the same locality there was a respected buzrug (elderly wise person), that night when he went to sleep, Allah came into his dreams and said,

“Go to Bishr and tell him: You have perfumed and honoured My Name, I shall cleanse you of your sins and elevate you.”

The buzrug thought that this dream was shaytaani (influenced by shaytaan) and thus did wudhu, performed 2 rak’aat nafl and then went back to sleep. He had the same dream again and again performed wudhu and prayed as he could not ever imagine Hazrat Bishr befriending Allah. It was then when he fell asleep the third time that he had the same dream again and he realised that he had to go find Hazrat Bishr in the early hours of the morning so that he could convey the message of Allah. He searched for Hazrat Bishr everywhere until he found him... in the pub... lying knocked out on the floor. When the buzrug conveyed the message, Hazrat Bishr left all of his sins and continued to tread upon the path of perfection.

Hazrat Bishr became so loved by his Allah that it is narrated from Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (May Allah have mercy upon him),

“When his hand would touch any unlawful thing it would not cooperate (his hand would become momentarily paralysed, in this way Allah would protect him from doubtful matters.)”

After Hazrat Bishr’s death, he came in to a buzrug’s dream. Thereupon the buzrug asked Hazrat Bishr,

“How did Allah deal with you?”

Hazrat Bishr replied,

“He reprimanded me and said, ‘Bishr, why did you fear me so much? Were you not aware that I am the All Merciful, the Very Merciful?”

My friends, this was the situation of another great ‘Aabid from the time of the tabi’een, are we going to remember him for his drinking or for his worship? Today we see brothers and sisters wanting to change but the second they try to do so, the people in the community begin to highlight the people ‘they were’ and refuse to accept the people ‘they are’ now. Are we going to label Hazrat Bishr a hypocrite for he was once a drunkard but he rectified himself so much so that he was one of the greatest Wali’s (friends of Allah, saints) to have ever lived. Finally, we recall the life of Abdullah ibn Mubarak (may Allah have mercy upon him).

Hazrat Abdullah ibn Mubarak was a man who had another ailment that many young Muslims suffer from today. He was in love. In his neighbourhood there was a beautiful young maiden whom he had fallen in love with intensely. His love for her continued for a very long time and it was of a very deep, passionate nature. One winter night, he stood near her house hoping to get a glimpse of her. He stood watching the entire night until morning but his efforts were in vain as he did not get to see her. By being rejected, he felt so much anguish and sorrow that he said to himself,

“If I had spent the night in worshipping Allah, it would have been a thousand times better than what I have done.”

Allah’s mercy then opened his heart and that perishable love was replaced by Divine Love. He no longer felt the need to embark on a relationship with this beautiful maiden. Hazrat Sufyan Thawri (may Allah have mercy upon him) once came into the dreams of a buzrug where he was asked,

“How did Allah deal with you?”

Hazrat Sufyan replied,

“Allah Ta’ala forgave me.”

It was then said,

“What about Abdullah ibn Mubarak?”

He replied,

“Allah has included him in that group of His devotees who are daily admitted into the Divine presence.”

My friends, can we not see the trend in these people? Prior to their reformation, they lived lives which were completely against the essence of Islam. However we remember them today in the highest opinion because of their change. In Hazrat Fuzail we had a bandit who robbed people, in Hazrat Bishr we had a alcoholic, in Hazrat Abdullah ibn Mubarak we had an intense lover but after their reformation we found great Friends of Allah. If this was the situation of people who lived in a time which foretold to be blessed by the Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) then who are we today to ridicule and deride those people who have suffered from similar ailments? Who are we to bring up the past of a person when he/she has left that life? It is very sad that we see people around us upset and depressed because they are being persecuted by people with animalistic behaviour. When a person reforms himself to become a slave of Allah then everyone should take that person as an example. It is quite disgusting that we see people hating on those who have become reformed and thinking themselves as better. I ask you, who is better, the sister who has committed sins but repents and puts on her Hijab so that she can advise others to do the same or that sister who looks at sisters with a ‘bad past’ and then exploits them? Hazrat Molana Saleem Dhorat Saheb mentions,

“Look into yourselves my friends, what are you?

Imagine a big beautiful garden, with thousands of wonders to view and smell. However somewhere in the garden a dog has come and relieved itself. Now if you went into the garden would you pay any attention to the excrement? Definitely not!

However, if a pig were to stroll in, it would miss out all the flowers and beauty and would certainly trace the excrement”.

A person who always looks for faults in others has the similitude of an animal. Who are we to degrade those who are higher in Imaan and in the sight of Allah than we are? A lot of questions need to be asked to ourselves, the phrase Astagfirullah rolls of the tongue so easily but if a person were to look in the mirror and assess his own self, he would not be able to enumerate his istigfaar.

My final advice to brothers and sisters who may be suffering from these problem is this: Never let the perception of others be the perception that you keep of yourself because everyone struggles at different levels but people will never understand as people are unforgiving but Allah is the Oft-Forgiving; so continue to forgive people as many times as you expect Allah to forgive you. Sometimes... a person needs to make a mistake to become better and Hazrat Fuzail, Hazrat Bishr, Hazrat Abdullah are all examples of this.

“All of the son of Adam are sinners but the best amongst those who sin, are those who repent.”

I urge those of you who read this to copy and paste this and turn it into a forwarded email so that many people can benefit from this. Please make sure you add the link to the website so that it can be accessed by many other people. May Allah give us the ability to live life without making major mistakes but also give us the ability to rectify ourselves. Ameen.

Diamond Under The Hijab

It is well known that Allah guides whomsoever He wills and if a person is guided by Allah then it is also correct to say that He is loved by Allah. Thus we have the conclusion that Allah guides who He loves.

Allah created men rough, broad and aggressive in structure and conduct. These qualities were given to men so that they can carry out those purposes that they were created for. Using these and many more characteristics - a man is able to work, build, farm and provide for his family. However, from within this man, Allah created an opposite... A diamond in the rough.

Allah has made women tender, soft, caring, loving and more compassionate than men. These features will enable them in future to become beautiful spouses, mothers and people who contribute to the survival of society. Men have been made strong and tough but women have been made beautiful and elegant. It is due to this elegance that they are considered diamonds in the eyes of Allah. And so accordingly a diamond must be kept hidden and treasured.

This is why Allah has laid down the order in the Qur’an for all believing women to cover themselves. The command is for all believing women but if we observe our communities, not too many people wear the Hijab (Abaya and headscarf). The people who do wear it are truly beloved to Allah because just like the way we would provide our most adored item with the utmost protection... Allah has provided His treasured diamonds with the ability to cover themselves. Therefore, whomsoever Allah has given the ability to wear the Hijab is truly loved by Allah.

Allah’s guidance only comes to those who want it,

لَهُ ۥ مُعَقِّبَـٰتٌ۬ مِّنۢ بَيۡنِ يَدَيۡهِ وَمِنۡ خَلۡفِهِۦ يَحۡفَظُونَهُ ۥ مِنۡ أَمۡرِ ٱللَّهِ‌ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوۡمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُواْ مَا بِأَنفُسِہِمۡ‌ۗ وَإِذَآ أَرَادَ ٱللَّهُ بِقَوۡمٍ۬ سُوٓءً۬ا فَلَا مَرَدَّ لَهُ ۥ‌ۚ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِۦ مِن وَالٍ

For every one (from among you) there are angels replacing one another, in front of him and behind him, who guard him under the command of Allah. Surely, Allah does not change the condition of a people unless they change themselves. When Allah intends evil for a people, there is no way to turn it back, and for them there is no patron other than Him.

Allah does not change the condition of a person till she changes the condition of herself. Allah mentions in a Qudsi Hadith,

“O My Servant, If you take one step towards Me, I will take ten towards you.”

At the end of the day, it is only a cloth... a thin sheet which could determine the love of Allah or the wrath of Allah.

We pray that Allah makes it easy for every sister to cover herself in accordance with the Qur’an & Sunnah. May He give our beloved sisters the ability, strength -and most importantly - the courage to carry out all deeds of great virtue. Ameen.

The Destruction of Nations (part 2) 'Aad

The Sublime had fulfilled His promise to Nuh (peace be upon him) and once again the world renounced polytheism. Then the people of ‘Aad came into being. They were the first people to worship idols after the punishment faced by the people of Nuh (peace be upon him). They had three main idols: Samd, Samud and Hara (Qasas al Anbiya). The people of ‘Aad were given immense favours by Allah. They were huge in their stature and their bodies were like steel. They lived a life of great splendour and pomp and would rejoice in their own evil doings. They would put terror into the hearts of others and would do things which are against the essence of humanity. Allah had blessed them with beautiful lands, lush with greenery and he had placed them in an area (Yemen) which had great, natural bounties. They had mass cattle and due to their huge figures, they would construct houses in the mountains (top right)! It was a great display of strength and might but these houses would be left empty. It was then when this nation steeped into complete disobedience that Allah sent a messenger among them by the name of Hud (peace be upon him).

Hud (peace be upon him) said to his people,

قَالَ يَـٰقَوۡمِ ٱعۡبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَڪُم مِّنۡ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيۡرُهُ ۥۤ‌ۖ إِنۡ أَنتُمۡ إِلَّا مُفۡتَرُونَ (٥٠) يَـٰقَوۡمِ لَآ أَسۡـَٔلُكُمۡ عَلَيۡهِ أَجۡرًا‌ۖ إِنۡ أَجۡرِىَ إِلَّا عَلَى ٱلَّذِى فَطَرَنِىٓ‌ۚ أَفَلَا تَعۡقِلُونَ (٥١) وَيَـٰقَوۡمِ ٱسۡتَغۡفِرُواْ رَبَّكُمۡ ثُمَّ تُوبُوٓاْ إِلَيۡهِ يُرۡسِلِ ٱلسَّمَآءَ عَلَيۡڪُم مِّدۡرَارً۬ا وَيَزِدۡڪُمۡ قُوَّةً إِلَىٰ قُوَّتِكُمۡ وَلَا تَتَوَلَّوۡاْ مُجۡرِمِينَ (٥٢)

“He (Hud) said, ‘O my people, worship Allah. You have no god other than Him. You are nothing but fabricators. O my people, I ask you no reward for it. My reward is only on the One who created me. Do you, then, not understand? O my people, seek forgiveness from your Lord, then turn to Him in repentance, and He will release the heavens pouring upon you, and will add strength to your strength, and do not turn away like sinners.’”

The people of ‘Aad were indulged in eating, drinking, fun and games; they had no reason to stop this ‘lavish’ style of living. Thus they turned to Hud (peace be upon him) and said,

قَالَ ٱلۡمَلَأُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِن قَوۡمِهِۦۤ إِنَّا لَنَرَٮٰكَ فِى سَفَاهَةٍ۬ وَإِنَّا لَنَظُنُّكَ مِنَ ٱلۡكَـٰذِبِينَ (٦٦

“Said the chiefs of his (Hud's) people who disbelieved, ‘Indeed, we see you in folly, and we believe you are one of the liars.’”

After a lengthy encounter which is mentioned in Surah Hud and Surah A’araf. Allah had stopped giving the people of ‘Aad bounties and had stopped the rain from falling upon their lands. Consequently, the people of ‘Aad suffered from poor harvest and became in dire need of rainfall but their arrogance prevailed and they did not place belief in Allah.

Hazrat Mufti Ahmad Sa’eed Palanpoori Saheb damat barkatuh mentions in his tafseer, ‘Hidayatul Qur’an’ the following:

“In the beginning of this Surah, Rasulullah's (may peace and blessings be upon him) blessed tongue is made to emphasise the very same message, ‘Turn towards your Lord in repentance and attend to Him. He will give you a good, blissful life.’ Hazrat Hud (peace be upon him) informed his tribe that if they inclined towards Allah, He would remove all their problems away from them; and that Allah will increase them in their property and their strength. He advised them that Allah would bless their offspring and that their harvest will also improve. However they will only attain this once they stop their ignorance.”

And so a long commentary can be written about the arrogance and pride of the people of ‘Aad but the outstanding issue is this that they did not take heed of the punishment of the people that came before them and they too were on the brink of being destroyed. The people of ‘Aad would continue to build their extravagant houses up in the mountains and Hud (peace be upon him) would continue to admonish them and say,

أَتَبۡنُونَ بِكُلِّ رِيعٍ ءَايَةً۬ تَعۡبَثُونَ (١٢٨) وَتَتَّخِذُونَ مَصَانِعَ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَخۡلُدُونَ (١٢٩) وَإِذَا بَطَشۡتُم بَطَشۡتُمۡ جَبَّارِينَ (١٣٠) فَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ (١٣١) وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَمَدَّكُم بِمَا تَعۡلَمُونَ (١٣٢) أَمَدَّكُم بِأَنۡعَـٰمٍ۬ وَبَنِينَ (١٣٣) وَجَنَّـٰتٍ۬ وَعُيُونٍ (١٣٤) إِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ عَلَيۡكُمۡ عَذَابَ يَوۡمٍ عَظِيمٍ۬ (١٣٥

“Do you erect on every height a monument, having no sound purpose, and take the objects of architecture as if you are going to live forever, and when you seize (someone) you seize as tyrants? So fear Allah and obey me. And fear the One who has supported you with what you know. He has supported you with cattle and sons, and with gardens and springs. In fact I fear for you the punishment of a horrible day.”

This wisdom encapsulated in the speech of Hud (peace be upon him) is a lesson for us today. We find ourselves adhering to the same principles of the people of ‘Aad. We are never satisfied with what we have and we always want to have more. My beloved Shaykh mentions all the time, “When you are not satisfied with a Ni’mat (bounty) that Allah has given to you and you keep on trying to get more and more... Allah will remove that Ni’mat altogether and you will be left with nothing.” We like ‘Aad oppress people like tyrants; forget the sustenance and family we are blessed with along with our properties and wealth. Soon the punishment of Allah may come upon us the way it came upon the people of ‘Aad. As it is mentioned...

One day, the people of ‘Aad looked towards the sky and saw clouds materialising. The people had an intense need for rain and the people began to scream and dance chanting,
ﺮﻄﻤ ﺔﺒﺎﺤﺳﻩﺬﻫﺮﻄﻤ ﺔﺒﺎﺤ

“THESE ARE CLOUDS OF RAIN!”

And like Nuh (peace be upon him), Hud (peace be upon him) called out to his Lord and said,

قَالَ رَبِّ ٱنصُرۡنِى بِمَا كَذَّبُونِ (٣٩) قَالَ عَمَّا قَلِيلٍ۬ لَّيُصۡبِحُنَّ نَـٰدِمِينَ (٤٠) فَأَخَذَتۡہُمُ ٱلصَّيۡحَةُ بِٱلۡحَقِّ فَجَعَلۡنَـٰهُمۡ غُثَآءً۬‌ۚ فَبُعۡدً۬ا لِّلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ (٤١)

“He (Hud) said, ‘My Lord, help me, for they have rejected me.’ He (Allah) said, ‘In a little while they will have to be remorseful.’ So the Cry seized them according to the true (promise), and We turned them in to scum. So, away with the wrongdoers.”

The people began to taunt Hud (peace be upon him) and say, “Where is the punishment of your Lord? We await it with great eagerness!” and they began to deride him to a great degree. They were not just taunting a prophet...they were challenging the Creator of Mankind. They had now pronounced imminent, inevitable destruction upon themselves...

Allah’s punishment upon these people began by stopping their bounties and then placing drought and famine upon them as well as the intense desire for rain. This proved to be a mental block for the people of ‘Aad for when they saw the clouds form they began to scream and dance with a lot of joy, however this was not a cloud of mercy but a cloud of immense torment. It was contrary to their desire and hope... it was a rain of destruction, punishment and death! A flurry of fire balls came crashing down upon them. Ibn Kathir mentions,

“This is why Allah has said: ‘Now this is that you were asking to be hastened!’”

A huge wind overtook them and the world became darkened and gloomy. Children began to hold onto their mothers and men began to hold onto the mountains that served them so well. The mountains they used to make a show out of were being held onto as they themselves were becoming the 'show'. This wind raged against them for seven nights and eight days continuously. Allah says,

وَأَمَّا عَادٌ۬ فَأُهۡلِڪُواْ بِرِيحٍ۬ صَرۡصَرٍ عَاتِيَةٍ۬ (٦) سَخَّرَهَا عَلَيۡہِمۡ سَبۡعَ لَيَالٍ۬ وَثَمَـٰنِيَةَ أَيَّامٍ حُسُومً۬ا فَتَرَى ٱلۡقَوۡمَ فِيہَا صَرۡعَىٰ كَأَنَّہُمۡ أَعۡجَازُ نَخۡلٍ خَاوِيَةٍ۬ (٧)

“And as for Ad, they were destroyed by a violent windstorm that He imposed on them for seven nights and eight consecutive days; so you could see them thrown on the ground, as if they were trunks of hollow palm-trees.”

In this verse the people of ‘Aad are compared with the stumps of palm trees. The wind was so severe that it would seize them and then hurl them so that they land with their heads downwards. When they eventually landed, these huge people with bodies likened to steel would have their heads smashed into pieces and their bodies left with no heads. Thus they would resemble the stumps of palm trees and this is why Allah gives this analogy.

These people had proclaimed, “Who is the mightier than us?”... He who is in the heavens duly replied.

Next up in part 3, the people of Saleh (peace be upon him).

The Abstinence of S’ad (may Allah be pleased with him)

The Abstinence of S’ad

S’ad ibn Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) along with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had to endure torrid times during their stay in Makkah. The conditions that they were living in were extremely severe but they accepted it. Today we find ourselves in many predicaments and we begin to doubt our Creator and forget the verse of the Qur’an in which Allah says,

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱسۡتَعِينُواْ بِٱلصَّبۡرِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ‌ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ

“O you who believe, seek help through patience and prayer. Surely, Allah is with those who are patient.”

The Sahaabah were an embodiment of this verse, S’ad (may Allah be pleased with him) relates,

“Whenever difficulties came, we accepted it, prepared for it and exercised patience.”

The truth is that the likes of S’ad (may Allah be pleased with him) understood this verse very well as one night he left the company of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to pass urine. As he began to pass urine, he heard something make a noise as his urine fell upon it. It came to the knowledge of S’ad (may Allah be pleased with him) that it was a piece of camel leather. He instantly picked it up, cleansed it and then toasted it. He then grinded it till it was powder and then swallowed the substance. S’ad (may Allah be pleased with him) himself relates,

“This gave me strength for three days.”

Such was the direness in the situation at times that S’ad ibn Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) says,

“I was the first Arab to fire an arrow in the path of Allah. When we used to fight battles with the Messenger of Allah , the only food we had were the leaves of the acacia (right) and lotus (top left) trees. In fact, whenever any of us relieved himself, his droppings resembled those of a goat because it was at all sticky"