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Category: Enthusiasm and Zeal

The Muslim student puts his trust in Allaah when facing the tests of this world, and he seeks His help whilst following the prescribed means, in accordance with the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “The strong believer is better and is more beloved to Allaah than the weak believer, although both are good. Strive to attain that which will benefit you and seek the help of Allaah, and do not feel helpless.” (Saheeh Muslim, hadeeth no. 2664)

Among those means are the following:

- Turning to Allaah by making du’aa (supplication) in any way that is prescribed in Islam, such as saying, “Rabbiy ishrah li sadri wa yassir li amri (O my Lord, expand my chest and make things easy for me).”

- Getting used to sleeping early and going to exams on time.

- Preparing all required or permitted equipment such as pens, rulers and setsquares, calculators and watches, because being well prepared helps one to answer questions.

- Reciting the du’aa’ for leaving the house: “Bismillaah, tawakkaltu ‘ala Allaah, wa laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa Billaah. Allaahumma inni a’oodhu bika an adilla aw udalla, aw azilla aw uzalla, aw azlima aw uzlama, aw ajhala aw yujhala ‘alayya (In the name of Allaah, I put my trust in Allaah, and there is no strength and no power except with Allaah. O Allaah, I seek refuge with You lest I should stray or be led astray, lest I slip (commit a sin unintentionally) or be tripped, lest I oppress or be oppressed, lest I behave foolishly or be treated foolishly).” Do not forget to seek your parents’ approval, for their du’aa’ for you will be answered.

- Mention the name of Allaah before you start, for mentioning the name of Allaah is prescribed when beginning any permissible action; this brings blessing, and seeking the help of Allaah is one of the means of strength.

-Fear Allaah with regard to your classmates, and do not be affected by their anxiety or fear just before the exam, for anxiety is a contagious disease. Instead, make them feel optimistic by saying good words as prescribed in Islam. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was optimistic when he heard the name of Suhayl (which means “easy”) and he said: “Things have been made easy for you.” He used to like to hear the words ‘Yaa Raashid", when he went out for any purpose. So be optimistic that you and your brothers will pass this exam.

- Remembering Allaah (dhikr) dispels anxiety and tension. If something is too difficult for you, then pray to Allaah to make it easy for you. Whenever Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) found something too difficult to understand, he would say, “O You Who taught Ibraaheem, teach me; O You Who caused Sulaymaan to understand, cause me to understand.”

- Choose a goodplace to sit during the exam, if you can. Keep your back straight, and sit on the chair in a healthy manner.

- Look over the exam first. Studies advise spending 10% of the exam time in reading the questions carefully, noting the important words and dividing one’s time between the questions.

- Plan to answer the easy questions first, then the difficult ones. Whilst reading the questions, write notes and ideas which you can use in your answers later.

- Answer questions according to importance.

- Start by answering the easy questions which you know. Then move on to the questions which carry high marks, and leave till the end the questions to which you do not know the answers, or which you think will take a long time to produce an answer or which do not carry such high marks.

- Take your time to answer, for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Deliberation is from Allaah and haste is from the Shaytaan.” (A hasan hadeeth. Saheeh al-Jaami, 3011).

- Think carefully about the answer and choose the right answer when answering multiple-choice questions. Deal with them in the following manner. If you are sure that you have chosen the right answer, then beware of waswasah (insinuating whispers from the Shaytaan). If you are not sure, then start by eliminating the wrong or unlikely answers, then choose the correct answer based on what you think is most likely to be correct. If you guessed at a correct answer then do not change it unless you are sure that it is wrong – especially if you will lose marks for a wrong answer. Research indicates that the correct answer is usually that which the student thinks of first.

- In written exams, collect your thoughts before you start to answer. Write an outline for your answer with some words which will indicate the ideas which you want to discuss. Then number the ideas in the sequence in which you want to present them.

- Write the main points of your answer at the beginning of the line, because this is what the examiner is looking for, and he may not see what he is looking for if it is in the middle of the page and he is in a hurry.

- Devote 10% of the time for reviewing your answers. Take your time in reviewing, especially in mathematical problems and writing numbers. Resist the desire to hand in the exam papers quickly, and do not let the fact that some people are leaving early bother you. They may be among the people who have handed in their papers too early.

- If you discover after the exam that you answered some questions incorrectly, then take that as a lesson in the importance of being well prepared in the future, and not rushing to answer questions. Accept the will and decree of Allaah and do not fall prey to frustration and despair. Remember the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “If anything befalls you, do not say, ‘If only I had done such and such.’ Rather say, ‘Qadar Allaah wa maa sha’a kaan (the decree of Allaah and what He wills happened),’ for saying ‘if only’ opens the door for the Shaytaan.” (Saheeh Muslim, and the first part of this hadeeth was mentioned above).

- Note that cheating is haraam whether it is in foreign language tests or any other tests. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Whoever cheats is not one of us.” It is wrongdoing and it is a haraam means of attaining a degree or certificate, etc., that you have no right to. The consensus is that cheating is a kind of cooperation in sin and transgression. So do without that which is haraam, and Allaah will suffice you from His bounty. Reject all offers of haraam things that come to you from others. Whoever gives up a thing for the sake of Allaah, Allaah will compensate him with something better. You have to denounce and resist evil, and tell the authorities about any such thing that you see during the exam, or before or after it. This is not the forbidden kind of slander rather it is denouncing evil which is obligatory.

Advise those who buy or sell questions or post them on the Internet etc., or who prepare cheat notes. Tell them to fear Allaah, and tell them of the ruling on what they are doing and on the money they earn from that. Tell them that the time they are spending in preparing these haraam things, if they spent it in studying, or answering previous exams, or helping one another to understand the subject before the exam, that would be better for them than doing these haraam things.

- Remember what you have prepared for the Hereafter, and the questions of the examination in the grave, and how to be saved on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever is saved from the Fire and admitted to Paradise will indeed have succeeded.

We ask Allaah to make us succeed in this world and cause us to be among those who are victorious and saved in the Hereafter, for He is the All-Hearing Who answers prayer.

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Category: Enthusiasm and Zeal

1) Six Etiquettes of Learning [2] 

Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim - rahimahullâh - said,

2) Fruits of Humility

Ibn al-Qayyim - rahimahullâh - said,[4] "One of the Salaf (Pious Predecessors) said,

‘Indeed a servant commits a sin by which he enters Paradise; and another does a good deed by which he enters the Fire.’

It was asked, ‘How is that?’ So he replied,

‘The one who committed the sin, constantly thinks about it; which causes him to fear it, regret it, weep over it and feel ashamed in front of his Lord - the Most High - due to it. He stands before Allâh, broken-hearted and with his head lowered in humility. So this sin is more beneficial to him than doing many acts of obedience, since it caused him to have humility and humbleness – which leads to the servant’s happiness and success – to the extent that this sin becomes the cause for him entering Paradise. As for the doer of good, then he does not consider this good a favour from his Lord Upon him. Rather, he becomes arrogant and amazed with himself, saying, 'I have achieved such and such, and such and such'. So this further increases him in self adulation, pride and arrogance – such that this becomes the cause for his destruction.’”

3) Purifying the Heart

Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullâh) said,

“There is no doubt that the heart becomes covered with rust, just as metal dishes – silver, and their like – become rusty. So the rust of the heart is polished with dhikr (remembrance of Allâh), for dhikr polishes the heart until it becomes like a shiny mirror. However, when dhikr is abandoned, the rust returns; and when it commences then the heart again begins to be cleansed. Thus the heart becoming rusty is due to two matters: sins and ghaflah (neglecting remembrance of Allâh). Likewise, it is cleansed and polished by two things: istighfâr (seeking Allâh’s forgiveness) and dhikr.”[5]

4) Jihâad Against the Self

“Jihâd (striving) against the soul has four stages:

Firstly: To strive in learning guidance and the religion of truth, without which there will be no success. Indeed, there can be no true happiness, nor any delight in this world and in the Hereafter, except through it.

Secondly: Striving to act upon what has been learnt, since knowledge without action will not benefit, rather it will cause harm.

Thirdly: Striving to invite others towards it and to teach those who do not know, otherwise he may be considered from those who hide what Allâh has revealed of guidance and clear explanation. Such knowledge will neither benefit, nor save a person from the punishment of Allâh.

Fourthly: Striving to be patient and persevering against those who oppose this da‘wah (call) to Allâh and those who seek to cause harm - patiently bearing all these hardships for the sake of Allâh.

When these four stages are completed then such a person is considered to be amongst the Rabbâniyyûn. The Salaf were agreed that a Scholar does not deserve the title of Rabbânî until he recognises and knows the truth, acts upon it, and teaches it to others. So whosoever has knowledge, acts upon it, and teaches this knowledge to others, is considered from the Rabbâniyyûn.”[6]

5) Trials of the Heart

Ibn al-Qayyim said, whilst commenting upon the following hadîth, “Trials and tribulations will be presented to hearts, as a reed mat is interwoven stick by stick. Any heart which absorbs these trials will have a black mark put in it. However, any heart that rejects them will have a white mark put in it. The result is that hearts will be of two kinds: one white like a white stone, which will not be harmed by trials as long as the heavens and earth endure; and the other dark and rusty, like an over-turned vessel; not able to recognise the good, nor reject evil, but rather being absorbed with its desires.” [7]

“The fitan (trials) which are presented to the hearts - and which are the cause of its weakness - are,

(i) the trials relating to shahwah (false desire) and
(ii) the trials relating to shubhah (doubt)... so the first causes intentions and will to be corrupted, whilst the second causes knowledge and beliefs to be corrupted”.[8]

Speaking about such trials, he (rahimahullâh) said,

"Hearts - when exposed to such fitân (trials) – are of two types, 

[The first type]: A heart, which, when exposed to such trials, absorbs it like a sponge that soaks-up water, leaving in it a black stain. Such a heart continues to soak-up the various trials that are presented to it, until it becomes dark and corrupted - which is what is meant by “an over-turned vessel.” So when this occurs, two dangerous and deadly diseases take hold of it and plunge it into destruction:

Firstly: confusing good with evil, so it neither recognises the good, nor rejects the evil. This disease may take hold of it to such an extent that it believes good to be evil; and evil to be good, Sunnah (Prophetic Guidance) to be bid‘ah (innovation), and innovations to be the Sunnah; and the truth to be falsehood: and falsehood the truth.

Secondly: judging by its whims and desires, over and against what Allâh’s Messenger  came with being enslaved by its whims and desires and being led by them also.

[The second type]: A white heart in which the light of eemaan (faith) is bright and its radiance is illuminating. So when trials are presented to such a heart, it rejects and turns away from them. This further increases its light and illumination and its strength.”[9]

6) Four Principles of Worship

“The verse “You alone do we worship.” [Sûrah al fâtihah 1:5] is built upon four principles,

Ascertaining what Allâh and His Messenger love and are pleased with, from, 

i. the sayings of the heart 

ii. the tongue

iii. actions of the heart

iv. actions of the limbs.

So al-‘Ubûdiyyah (servitude and slavery to Allâh) is a comprehensive term for all these four stages. The one who actualises them has indeed actualised, “You alone do we worship.”

The saying of the heart: It is I‘tiqâd (belief) in what Allâh, the Most Perfect, informed about His Self; concerning His Names, His Attributes, His Actions, His Angels, and all that He sent upon the tongue of His Messenger.

The saying of the tongue: It is to inform and convey (what Allâh has revealed), to call to it, defend it, to explain the false innovations which oppose it, to establish its remembrance and to convey what it orders.

The action of the heart: Such as love for Him, reliance upon Him, repenting to Him, having fear and hope in Him, making the Deen (religion) purely and sincerely for Him, having patience in what He orders and prohibits, having patience with what He decrees and being pleased with it, having allegiance and enmity for His sake, humbling oneself in front of Him and having humility in front of Him, becoming tranquil with Him and other than this from the actions of the heart which are actually connected to the action of the limbs ... and actions of the limbs without the action of the heart is of little benefit if any benefit at all.

The action of the limbs: Such as Prayer and Jihâd, attending the Jumu‘ah and being with the Jamâ‘ah (the main body of the Muslims), aiding those who are unable and displaying goodness and kindness to the creation, and other than this.”[10]

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Footnotes:

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Category: Enthusiasm and Zeal

I stood and wondered how I could set her free
So I asked if she knew where they’d hidden the key.
She wiped away tears and looked over at me
With pity that I assumed it would be so easy!

She said: “Buried inside pages of distant past
With a heritage of lions, so rich and so vast
You’ll find the key with Sumayyah, when to faith she held fast
As they speared her chastity, and she breathed her last.

And it’s the finger of Bilal, the heroic black slave,
The sign of Tawhid that in their faces he’d wave
As he lay tied down in a hot desert grave
Their harming of him made him all the more brave.

And it’s the pledge of ‘Ikrimah, enemy turned warrior
Who changed his life to make the truth superior.
Khalid himself could not hold him back from more
When his pledge at Yarmuk left the Romans so sore.

It is the back with shredded flesh and torn skin
Of Ahmad bin Hambal, who refused to give in.
He answered their whips with the truth and a grin
To protect our religion, he would not let them win.

And it is the bittersweet dust of the land of Hittin,
That once engulfed the knights of Salah ad-Din
From the filth of dishonor, he made that dust clean
And for the respect of the world did he set the scene.

It was the rope around the neck of the desert’s lion
‘Umar Mukhatar, who would bow down to no Italian.
Refusing to live in a state of humiliation
His chin high to the end, with no fear of the Creation.

The rope was passed on to Sayyid’s waiting head
With one last chance for him to be spared from this dread.
And from the choicest fruits, they promised he would be fed
But his index finger led him to another door instead.

The same finger that pointed up as Malcolm X lay still
Ending a life of honor, that was one struggle uphill.
He left a life of crime, transforming himself until
He spoke bitter truth with eloquence and skill…”

She sat in the jail where we left her behind
Indeed this key will be difficult to find
But it is you if you refuse to be blind
And decide to free yourself from the colonized mind.

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Category: Enthusiasm and Zeal

When news of the Christian army that had prepared on the horizons to wipe out Islam reached him, Abu Qudaamah Ash-Shaamee moved quickly to the Mimbar of the Masjid.  In a powerful and emotional speech, Abu Qudaamah ignited the desire of the community to defend their land, Jihad for the sake of Allah.  As he left the Masjid, walking down a dark and secluded alley, a women stopped him and said,

"As salamu alaykum wa Rahmatullaah!"

Abu Qudaamah stopped and did not answer. She repeated her salaam again, adding, "This is not how pious people should act."

She stepped forward from the shadows.  "I heard you in the Masjid encouraging the believers to go for Jihaad and all I have is this…"

She handed him two long braids.

"It can be used for a horse rein.  Perhaps Allah may write me as one of those who went for Jihaad."

The next day as that Muslim village set out to confront the crusader army, a young boy ran through the gathering and stood at the hooves of Abu Qudaamah's horse. 

"I ask you by Allah to allow me to join the army."

Some of the elder fighters laughed at the boy.  "The horses will trample you," they said.  But Abu Qudaamah looked down into his eyes as he asked again, "I ask you by Allah, let me join." Abu Qudaamah then said, "On one condition, if you are killed you will take me with you to Jannah amongst those you will be allowed to intercede for." That young boy smiled.  "It's a promise."

When the two armies met and the fighting intensified, the young boy on the back of Abu Qudaamah's horse asked, "I ask you by Allah to give me 3 arrows."  "You'll lose them!" The boy repeated, "I ask you by Allah to give me them." Abu Qudaamah gave him the arrows and the boy took aim. "Bismillaah!" The arrow flew and killed a Roman. "Bismillaah!" The second arrow flew, killing a second Roman. "Bismillaah!" The third arrow flew, killing a third Roman. An arrow then struck the boy in the chest - knocking him off the horse.  Abu Qudaamah jumped down to his side, reminding the boy in his final breaths, "Don't forget the promise!" The boy reached into his pocket, extracted a pouch and said, "Please return this to my mother."  "Who's your mother?" asked Abu Qudaamah.

"The women that gave you the braids yesterday."

Think about this Muslimah.  How did she reach this level of taqwaa (Allah-consciousness) where she would sacrifice her hair when today other women do the same to imitate kaafir (disbelieving) icons, and her son when other women would die so long as their son stayed home.  Indeed, she spent her life in the obedience of Allah, and when exam time came, she passed. Not only did she pass herself, but her children shone with that same beauty of eemaan (faith), children that she herself raised.

Very often - and perhaps in our times when we have forgotten much of the Sunnah (Prophetic Guidance)- the lectures, khutbahs, and talks are all directed to the Muslim men.  We forget that from the hady – guidance and way – of Rasoolullah (sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam) was that he would allocate a specific day of the week to teach the women. Women would come up to him in Hajj, in the street, even in his home and ask him questions about the Deen.  At the Eid Salaah, after addressing the men, he would take Bilal and go to the women section and address the women.  Allah revealed an entire Surah by the name of Surah An-Nisaa' – the Women.  And another by the name of – Maryam.  And a third by the name of al Mujaadalah – the women who pleads.

Dear Sister, Dear Mother, Dear Daughter.  Everyone is looking for happiness and fun, and I am sure you are not excluded.  Where is that happiness and fun though?  And where and when do you want that happiness?  Do you want happiness, do you want to have `fun' in this life at the expense of the hereafter?  Or is it in the hereafter, when you meet Allah that you want to be happy?

Every where you go you shall find a swarm of people and media and culture swearing to you that happiness is the happiness of the Dunyaa (this world). Is it really happiness though?  On the day of Repayment, Allah shall take the most `happiest' disbeliever of this world and dip him in Jahannam – Hellfire.  Then he shall ask him, "Have you ever seen any happiness?" The disbeliver will say, "Never!"

Nay, the happiness is only the happiness of the hereafter no matter what happens in this world.  Allah shall bring on the Day of Repayment the most tested human and dip him in Jannah – Paradise.  He shall then ask him, "Have you ever seen sadness?" And that person shall say, "Never!"

And don't think that this happiness and fun is exclusive to the hereafter.  It is very much tied to this life as well.  Listen to and understand the words of Allah,

{Whoever works righteousness, whether male or female, while he (or she) is a true believer verily to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter).} [Surah An-Nahl (16/97)]

Dear Sister, you have to understand that you or anyone may enter Hellfire!  By Allah, we are not better than Faatimah, the daughter of Rasoolullah (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam).  The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said to her, "O Fatimah the daughter of Muhammad, ask me whatever you wish from my wealth, for I shall avail you nothing to Allah." Meaning that it doesn't matter if you're my daughter, if you don't work for Jannah, saying to Allah that my father is so-and-so will not help you in anyway.

Islam is filled with many Mu'minahs (believing women) that completed their taqwaa (Allah-consciousness) of Allah.  When the other girls put up posters of non-Muslim singers and disbelieving athletes and non-Muslim actresses, you should put up posters in your heart of Fatimah and many other Mu'minahs.

Aasiyah, the wife of Fir'own (Pharoah). Her eeman (faith) in Allah thrived under the shadow of someone that said, "I am your Lord, Most High!" When news reached Fir'own of his wife's eeman he beat her and commanded his guards to beat her. They took her out in the scalding noon heat, tied her hands and feet and beat her perpetually. Who did she turn to? She turned to Allah! She prayed, "My Lord, build for me a home with you in Paradise and save me from Fir'own and his deeds and save me from the transgressive people."

It was narrated that when she said this, the sky opened for her and she saw her home in Paradise. She smiled. The guards watched astonished - she's being tortured and she smiles? Frustrated, Fir'own commanded a boulder to be brought and dropped on Aasiyah, to crush her to death. But Allah took her soul before the boulder was brought and she became an example for all the believing men and women till the end of time:

{And Allah has set forth an example for those who believe: the wife of Fir'own (Pharaoh) – when she said, "My Lord, Build for me a home with You in Paradise, and save me from Fir'own and his deeds, and save me from the transgressive-disbelieving people.”} [Tahreem [66]:11]

When we talk about Jihaad and Shuhadaa' - martyrs, do you know who was the first Muslim in Islam to be killed in the path of Allah?  It was Summayah, the mother of Ammar.  When Abu Jahl heard of her Islam and her husband Yaasir and her son Ammar, he whipped them all and beat them. So much so, that Rasoolullah would pass by them as they went through this test of their eemaan and would say to them, "Be patient O family of Yaasir, for you have a date set (when you shall enter) Jannah!"

As Abu Jahl beat Sumayyah one day, she refused to recant her faith, something that enraged Abu Jahl. He took a spear as she lay on the burning sand, looking up to the sky, and he speared her through her midsection.  She was the first of her family and the entire Ummah to meet Allah as a Martyr.

Dear Sister, our role models come from the Qur’aan.  You may have heard the story of the boy and the king. When the entire village became Muslim by the death of that young boy, the king ordered that an enormous fire be kindled and that all those who would not recant their religion be burnt alive.  A Mu'minah, stood with her baby over the fire. She looked at her baby, and seeking her child's weakness and innocence, she considered turning her back.  The baby said to her, "What are you waiting for mother.  Go forward for you are on the truth!" She nodded.  Then with her baby in hand she was pushed to her death.

{And they ill-treated them for no other reason than that they believed in Allah, Exalted in Power, Worthy of all Praise!- * Him to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth! And Allah is Witness to all things.} [Surah AlBuruj, 8,9]

And dear sister, your role models come to you from today.  As her son tells us, a senior women in a Muslim land decided that all the vanity that normally happens in the gatherings of women was not for her.  She turned to Salaah and praying at night, and in her old age, she found herself calling out to her son from her prayer room.  Her son says, "I came in and she was in Sajdah (prostration) saying that she was paralysed!" Her son took her to the doctors and she began a cycle of rehabilitation, but there was little hope. She then commanded her son to take her back home, take her back to her prayer room, take her back to that Sajdah.  As she prayed to Allah in her sajdah, the night came when she called to her son,

"Astawdi'ukallaah alladhee laa yadee'u wa daa'i'uh”

I leave you in the trust of Allah, and whenever something is left in Allah's trust it is never lost.)

She passed away in her Sajdah.  Her muscles froze in that position and so they had to wash her body as she was in Sajdah. They then prayed Janazah (the funeral prayer) for her while her body was in Sajdah and carried her to the graveyard in that state. They then buried her as she was in Sajdah.

The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) has said that we shall all be resurrected on what we died on, she shall be resurrected on the day of judgement in Sajdah to Allah (a'zza wa jall)- because that it how she lived and died.

There are many other stories that we know about of powerful believing mothers, wives and sisters and many, many that Allah only knows about. Whenever a halaqah (Islamic Circle) is going on, the Muslim women outnumber the men. At the American Open University, the overwhelming majority of students are Muslim women.  Go to an Islamic teachers/schools conference, attend a lecture and you shall see the mismatch of sisters to brothers.  Sometimes it is sad to see all these brothers lacking the motivation that many Muslimahs have.  But if there is a beautiful sign in all this, it is that, Allah willing, those sisters are going to raise an army of believing men and women in the coming generation. Allahu akbar (And Allah is the Greatest)!

When Imam Ahmad was still young, his father died.  He would tell his students of the work his mother went through in raising him, and he would pray for her.  In the cold Baghdad nights, she would wake long before him to warm the water so that her son Ahmad could make wudhoo’ (ablution) for Fajr.  Then she would wrap him in blankets, herself cloaked in her Jilbaab, and guide him through the dark, cold alleys to reach the main Masjid, long before Fajr so that her son could get a good seat in class.  Her son Ahmad - at that age in grade 2 or 3 - would sit all day long studying Qur’aan and Sunnah, and she would wait for him to finish so that she could drop him home safely.  At the age of 16, she prepared money and food for him and told him,

"Travel for your search of knowledge."

He left for Makkah and Madinah and many other places and met many great scholars.  She raised Ahmad to become one of the four greatest Imams in Islam.

Dear sister, after all this, ask a non-Muslim what it is that he wants from you?  Does he want you to be liberated?  Liberated from what? From Allah and his Messenger?  From the Qur’aan and the Sunnah?  From Jannah?  From this way of life that Allah chose for you?

And what is he going to give you in return?  Happiness?  By Allah, he does not own happiness in order to give it.  Is he going to give you love and protection from punishment in the grave and from the gate keepers of hellfire and from death?  Why is it that they want to liberate young beautiful women?  Why don't they liberate the seniors?  Why don't they liberate the indigenous?  Why don't they liberate the inmates?  Why is their target audience a young and skinny and tall women (their definition of beauty) between the age of 13 – 28?  And why is their first call for you to take off your Hijaab?

Remember that friend – if you consider him so –without any doubt, by Allah - he shall be your bitterest enemy on the day of Repayment, {Friends on that day will be foes, one to another - except the Righteous} [Surah Zukhruf [43]:67)]

One non-Muslim woman summed up exactly what they think of women,

"It's not who you are, it's what you wear and what you look like!"

And listen to Fabian, a french `model', as she spit on the fashion industry.

"Fashion houses made me into a mannequin, a wooden idol.  The mission: to manipulate hearts and alter minds.  I learnt how to be worthless, nothing on the inside, cold.  We lived in a world of filth, in all that filth means."

When the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) stood on the plain of 'Arafah and gave his farewell speech he said to the Ummah (Muslim Nation), "Treat the women kindly!" History records that in Europe in the same year, at the same time that Islam was saying this, the Christian clergy were arguing whether a women was a human or an animal!  Those clergymen are the ancestors of those non-Muslims that now want to `liberate' you.

There is much more than can be said.  I shall conclude with the advice of Rasoolullah (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) to every Muslim mother, daughter, and wife, "If the women prays her five (Salaah), fasts her month (of Ramadan), protects herself (from committing Zina), and listens to her husband, it will be said to her, 'From any door you wish, enter Paradise!'" Sister, that is where you want to be.

Allah and His Messenger are calling you to life.  Dear Sister, reply!