In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the All-Compassionate "May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon You" Praise be to Allaah, we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu
Cyclone: A Sign of the Power of Allaah By Asma bint Shameem We all heard about Cyclone approaching the GulfCoast. Then we all watched in horror as it made landfall and hit Land….HARD. No one expected the kind of destruction it brought in….no one was prepared for its wrath, its fury….its devastation. As the winds came crashing down…. As the buildings were lifted and tossed like straw in the wind… Then hurled on to the ground….. I thought about the people of LUT alayhes Salaam Then as the skies poured forth their waters……. As the clouds let loose their rains…. As the rivers swelled and overflowed…. And as the levees broke…. I thought about the people of NUH alayhes Salaam And as the people were trying to save themselves by trying to scramble onto roof tops and high buildings…. I thought about the conversation between Nuh alayhes Salaam and his son… “The son replied: I will betake myself to some mountain: it will save me from the water. Nuh said: "This day nothing can save any, from the command of Allah, but those on whom He hath mercy! " And the waves came between them, and the son was among those overwhelmed in the Flood.” (Surah Hud: 43) Subhaan Allaah! Within a matter of hours almost an entire city was submerged under water… Within a matter of hours a hustling, bustling city was reduced to rubble and debris Buildings were shattered….Bridges were utterly destroyed The very semblance of a normal life….annihilated And all it took was one hurricane…. named Cyclone SUCH IS THE POWER OF ALLAH. “To Allah belongs the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth. Allah has Power over all things.” (Surah Aal-Imraan: 189) Shivers of fear ran down my spine when I thought of the similarities in some of our Prophets stories and modern day destruction of whole towns and cities in the name of natural disasters. However, these natural disasters, the hurricanes, the winds, the floods, the rains… These are only some of the soldiers of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Taala and He deploys these soldiers of His,…however….whenever He deems fit. He, Subhaanahu wa Taala, causes fear in the hearts of those whom He wills, teaches lessons to whom He wills and punishes whom He wills. "And none can know the Forces of your Lord, except He." (Surah al-Mudaththir:31) "For, to Allah belong the Forces of the heavens and the earth." (Surah al-Fath:7) SUCH IS THE POWER OF ALLAH. “Surely, in that there are signs for those who contemplate.” (Surah al-Hijr: 75) With events such as these, Allah, Subhanahu wa Taala, makes clear to His servants a plain reality…. The reality that the kingdom of the heavens and the earth is in His Hands, and that He is the Irresistible, the All-Powerful and Dominant over His servants. The reality that we are nothing ….absolutely NOTHING Just insignificant, little beings…..absolutely helpless, absolutely weak and vulnerable, Unaided….dependant on our Lord, the Mighty…the Majestic. And yet…. yet….we DARE to disobey Allaah, the Almighty. We DARE to defy Him. We continue to break the rules….we refuse to comply. “Yet every time a sign comes to them from the signs of their Lord, they turn away from it.” (Surah al-Anaam: 4) When WILL we learn lessons from the signs of our Lord? When WILL our heedlessness end? Brothers and Sisters…We need to turn back to Allaah and make sincere Taubah We need to mend our ways and reflect on our transgressions We need to rectify ourselves before it is too late. Because today it is New Orland or Oman…. Who knows….tomorrow could be Houstonor your neighborhood ….. Have fear and consciousness of Allah and ponder over the events that happen around you. Learn lessons from them and remember….for the intelligent one is HE who remembers and takes admonition. “This is but one of the mighty (portents); A Warning to mankind. To any one of you that chooses to press forward or to follow behind; (Surah al-Mudaththir: 35-37) “And all of you beg Allaah to forgive you, O believers, that you may be successful.” (An-Noor 24:31) “Do you not know that to Allah belongs the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth? He punishes whom He will and forgives whom He will. Allah has power over all things.” (Surah al-Ma‘idah: 40) “He shows you His signs. Now which of the signs of Allah do you disbelieve?” (Surah Ghaafir: 81) What we need to do: So stand up for the Sake of Allaah and help out your neighbor….. be it Muslim or Non-Muslim FOR, NOW IS THE TIME FOR REAL DAWAH Go out there and GET INVOLVED Show them what TRUE ISLAM STANDS FOR Show them that Muslims care…..that we are part of the Community Show them that WE ARE NOT TERRORISTS All the average American knows about Islaam is the distorted, ugly lies that is portrayed in the media. PROVE THE MEDIA WRONG… That we are not all sleepers…. Rather, we are honest, sincere, caring, responsible individuals who contribute to the community, and that this caring IS PART OF OUR PERFECT RELIGION A Religion that teaches love and understanding and tolerance and peace. Donate your money, your time, your effort, your skills…. THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO STAND UP FOR ISLAAM YOUR ACTIONS WILL SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS Permission is granted to circulate among private individuals and groups, to post on Internet sites and to publish in full text and subject title in not-for-profit publications. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveIslam_LiveIslam/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]