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Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Prohecies, Predictions and Past Events

 

by Abdur-Raheem Greene

I myself was influenced by my knowledge of the Bible to accept the Prophethood of Muhammad ♥رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسـلم♥, and have had two Jewish rabbis admitting to me in Speaker's Corner that Muhammad ♥رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسـلم♥ was the Prophet spoken of in their books. It has long been recognized that a sure sign of the truth of a claim to Prophet-hood is the ability of that individual to accurately and consistently predict future events. This is especially true of Christians who often demand "what did Muhammad prophecy?". This is because the Bible lays down this as a means to distinguish a true Prophet from a false . Everybody is able to predict the future sometimes, some are able to get it right a lot of the time, but only someone who is receiving information from the One who has complete knowledge of the future can get it right every time. There are many predictions both in the Qur'an and the authenticated sayings of the Prophet Muhammad ♥رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسـلم♥ that have been fulfilled.
The Qur'an says: "Ye shall enter the Sacred Mosque, if Allah wills, secure, heads shaved, hair curt short, and without fear" (48:28). This passage was revealed after the Prophet ♥رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسـلم♥ had been stopped by the Quraish from making 'Umrah (the Minor Pilgrimage) and a treaty was made between the Muslims and pagans at Hudaybia, six years after the Prophet's emigration from Mecca. From this position of weakness, in merely two years the verse was fulfilled, Mecca was captured, and the Muslims performed the pilgrimage, shaving their heads, and some cutting their hair.
The Qur'an says: "Allah has promised to those of you who believe, and do good deeds, that He will surely grant them in the land inheritance of power as He granted it to those before them; that He will establish in authority their religion which He has chosen for them. And that He will change their state after fear to one of security and peace. They will worship Me alone and not associate aught with Me." (24:55) And also: "Say to those who deny faith, soon you will be vanquished." (3:12) and "When comes the help of Allah and Victory, and you see the people enter Allah's religion in multitudes . . ." (110:1-2) The first verse was revealed at a time of the Muslim's weakness, promising the righteous victory, and the second predicting the peoples entering into Islam in crowds, and so it came to pass, after the capture of Mecca, and in the time of the Caliphs Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman and 'Ali, who were from the most pious companions of the Prophet, were established by Allah in the land, defeating the Persian and Roman empires, so that Islam was established from Spain to parts of China in a mere twenty years. This, in part, fulfills another prophecy of the Qur'an: "It is He who has sent the Messenger with guidance, and the religion of truth, to make it triumphant over all religions." (9:32) Christianity, Judaism, paganism have never regained any lasting dominance, physically and intellectually since the coming of Islam. The secular philosophies of communism and capitalism are in the process of being dealt death blows. At the present rate of #growth_Islam will over take Christianity by 2025 in terms of numbers. See also Qur'an 48:18-21 and 1:13, which promise victory and the taking of booty - which were also fulfilled.
The Qur'an says: "The Roman Empire has been defeated in a land close by; but they, even after this defeat, will gain victory in a few years. Allah's is the command, in the past and in the future. On that day shall the believers rejoice, with the help of Allah, He helps whom He wills. And He is the mighty and the most Merciful. It is the promise of Allah. Allah never departs from His promise: but most men understand not. They crave for the outer things of life, but of the hereafter they are heedless." (30:1-7) The Eastern Roman (i.e. Byzantine) Empire suffered a massive defeat at the hands of the Persians who captured Jerusalem in 614, and after that Egypt and Syria fell, and Constantinople was laid siege to - ("a land close by"). The pagan Arabs delighted in this, as it seemed to signal to them the success of idolatry over the followers of revelation. When this verse was revealed it seemed impossible that Rome would recover. The word, translated "a few", is bid'a, which actually means from three to nine years. Ubayy, a pagan Arab, wagered Abu Bakr one hundred camels that this would never occur. By the year 623, Heraclius, the Byzantine Roman Emperor, took to the field and vanquished the Persians in a series of battles, culminating in the battle of Niveveh in 627. Ubayy had been killed, so his relatives paid the dept. At this same time the Muslims had been victorious over the pagan Quraish and were rejoicing, as the Qur'an foretold.
In part of a long narration found in the two authoritative books of Hadith, the Prophet ♥رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسـلم♥  was sitting in a garden. 'Uthmaan ibn Afan walked in and the Prophet ♥رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسـلم♥ asked Abu Musa 'Ashari (the narrator) to inform him of the good news of paradise, and also that the people would mutiny against him. The Prophecy was fulfilled in that 'Uthmaan became the leader of the Muslims, and secondly some of the people rose against him and slew him.
'Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth Rightly Guided Caliph, had also been informed by the Prophet ♥رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسـلم♥ of his assassination in such detail that he knew the man who was going to kill him, and identified him and pointed him out to the people. They asked 'Ali why he did not kill the man and he replied: "Then who will kill me?" The night preceding his assassination 'Ali had come out, and gazed at the sky and said: "By Allah he never told a lie, nor was a lie ever told to him." The next day the same man killed 'Ali, and his blood spilled down his beard, as the Prophet had described.
Whilst the Muslims were fighting the Jews in Khyber, after some days of attempting to besiege the fortress, the Prophet said that the next morning he would entrust the flag to a man to whom Allah would give victory. He gave the flag to 'Ali, and the same day the fortress was conquered under Ali's command.
The Prophet ♥رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسـلم♥ saw 'Ali and Zubair one day laughing together, and he asked Ali if he loved Zubair. Ali replied: "How could I not love him since he is my nephew and co-religionist." The Prophet asked Zubair the same question, who gave a similar response. The Prophet then told Zubair that he would fight 'Ali, and that he would be the oppressor. So in the Battle of Jamal, when Ali and Zubair, in opposing camps came face to face. 'Ali reminded Zubair of the incident, and Zubair recalled, and said that he had forgotten, and he immediately left the battle field. So the battle took place as the Prophet had predicted, and Zubair was the oppressor, since Ali was the Rightful Caliph, and to oppose him with violence was wrong.
The Prophet ♥رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسـلم♥ said: "The Caliphate(Khilafah) will last for thirty years, then there will be a biting kingship." So it happened. The rule of the Rightly Guided Caliphs was exactly thirty years: Abu Bakr for two, 'Umar for ten, 'Uthman for twelve, 'Ali for two and a half and Hassan three and a half. After that evil spread and kingship was established.
The Prophet also predicted the capture of Egypt, and told his companions to treat the people well, and that they would seize the treasures of the Persian Choseros (Emperor), who lives in the white palace, all of which they accomplished, and that Suraqa Bin Malik (one of the companions) would have the bracelets of Caesar put on his hands. So it happened that some such bracelets fell into the possession of 'Umar and he called Suraqa, and placed the bracelets on him, reminding him of the Prophet's words.
A narration in the most authoritative of the Hadith books, Saheeh al-Bukhari, told Auf bin Malik to look for six incidents before the last day(End Times): "The first,my(Prophet Muhammad) death; the second the conquest of Jerusalem; third, an epidemic among them; fourth, the abundance of wealth so that a man would not gladly accept one hundred dinars even if given it; fifth, a trouble that would involve all Arab families without exception; sixth, a treaty with the Christians, which the Christians would violate, etc... Jerusalem was captured, and after this in 16 A.H. an epidemic broke out in Umwas and seventy thousand died. Wealth became plentiful, especially during the Caliphate of 'Uthman, and after that in the time of 'Umar ibn AbdulAzziz, when the collectors of zakat found no one poor enough to receive it. Also the rebellious war arose in the time of 'Uthman and became worse after his murder, so none of the Arabs families were not involved in some respect.
The Prophet ♥رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسـلم♥  mentioned that the Muslims would conquer both Rome and Constantinople. He was asked which would fall first, and the Prophet ♥رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسـلم♥ said: "The city of Heraclius", i.e. Constantinople. Constantinople was taken by the Muslims in the fifteenth century. Rome still remains to be conquered, as it will be. So the order is correct, and rest still to be fulfilled. What is noteworthy about these statements of the Prophet is that they were made at a time when no one could imagine that a small city state, permanently under siege by the pagan Arabs, would reach such heights of power and strength, and that these predictions are not couched in some vague terminology open to various interpretations, like the Bible's Book of Revelation's "Beast of 666", and monsters with horns and little horns, or the meanderings of Nostradamus. The language is clear, their assertions direct, and often with specific names and dates.
The Prophet ♥رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسـلم♥ also predicted the dividing of the Muslims into many sects and mentioned some of their characteristics. The Prophet ♥رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسـلم♥ mentioned that some people would do to 'Ali what the Christians did to Jesus. This clearly refers to the Shi'a, who exaggerate in love and praise of 'Ali. One of the Shi'a sects, the Nusaria, actually worship him as the manifestation of Allah. The Prophet also mentioned that a group would arise who will deny Allah's Qadr (Divine Decree) and He called them the "Magians of the Ummah", and so it happened, and they were called the Qadaria. He also mentioned the appearance of those who would claim the Qur'an is created, and of those who would tell people to take only from the Qur'an and ignore the Sunnah (Prophetic Tradition), and these things have all come to pass. The Prophet ♥رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسـلم♥  also predicted that from the tribe of a certain individual a group would arise who would used the verses of Qur'an pertaining to unbelievers on the believers, and that they should be fought and killed. So it happened that the first of the deviant sects to arise was the Khawarij, who said that 'Ali and Muawiya were unbelievers, and whoever did not believe this, then they also were unbelievers, and they would slaughter the Muslims, and they arose from the tribe of Tamim, as the Prophet had said.
The Prophet ♥رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسـلم♥ mentioned that there would be signs forewarning the approach of the last day. Among those that have clearly come to pass are:
The barefooted Bedouins competing in building tall buildings. Today we find in the Arabian Peninsula, the Arabs who used to be impoverished herders of camels and sheep, are competing in building the tallest tower blocks.
The Mosques would be like palaces. This is clearly the case, even though the Prophet ♥رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسـلم♥ ordered simplicity in the houses of Allah, the mosques have become more and more fantastic, with golden domes, marbled floors, lavish carpets and chandeliers.
Disappearance of trustworthiness, so much so that one would only be able to say: "I know a trustworthy person in such-and-such town."
The increase in killing, so that the one who kills does not know why he killed, and the one killed does not know why he was killed(Illegal Drone Attacks, Killings by CIA operatives). I was recently sent an article from the Washington Post about the rise of gang warfare. Part of the initiation ceremony was for a new gang member(some times as young as eleven) to shoot someone. The second highest cause of death from fifteen to thirty five in the US are gun related. The massacre of civilians in the Vietnam War by American troops who had little idea why they were there, and the increase of such conflicts, is further illustration of the fulfillment of this prophecy. As are the rise of insane mass murders, of children killing children, such as Jamie Bulger.
The increase of the use of riba (usury/interest in Banking) so that no one will able to escape being tainted by it. This clearly the state of the world economy today.
The enemies of the Muslims dividing the Muslim's wealth and lands between them, the Muslims abandoning jihad, and concerning themselves only with the worldly matters. We have already mentioned this.
The increase of literacy.
The decrease of religious knowledge due to the disappearance of scholars.
The increase of musical instruments, and the Muslims making it lawful even though the Prophet has forbidden them.
The increase of sexual promiscuity(Having casual sexual relations frequently with different partners; indiscriminate in the choice of sexual partners), and new diseases that people had not herd of before spreading amongst them as a consequence of that. This is clear, with the arrival of AIDS, and other previously unheard of viruses.
Appearance of Dajjals 
Nakedness of women while still being dressed.
The drinking of wine becoming common, and the Muslims making it lawful by calling it another name.
Shouting in the mosques.
The worst and most ignorant will become leaders and they will be oppressors.
A man will obey his wife and disobey his mother, and treat his friends kindly and shun his father.
Men will wear silk and gold, and the making of it lawful by the Muslims even though the Prophet ♥رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسـلم♥ had forbidden it for the men of his 'Ummah (nation).
People will abandon the religion for a small worldly gain, and keeping to the religion will be like holding two hot coals.
So these are just some of the numerous prophecies of Muhammad ♥رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسـلم♥, that have clearly come true, and some have been fulfilled in this age in which we live, all adding weight to the evidence in favor of his claim.
The Qur'an also provides accurate knowledge of the past. This is also information which Muhammad ♥رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسـلم♥ was unable to receive except from Allah. Some examples of this are:
The Qur'an mentions about the ark of Noah: "The Ark came to rest upon Mount Judi" (11:44). Recent archaeological research has discovered a boat shaped object with exactly the same dimensions as those of the Ark on Mount Judi. The Bible claims that the Ark came to rest twenty miles away on the Mountains of Ararat. This is not possible, since these mountains are a recent geological formation, and did not exist at the time of Noah. The Qur'an also refers to the flood as a localized event, destroying only Noah's people. The dates and time offered by the Bible for the flood, and its claim that it was a world wide cataclysm, has been proven false by all archaeological evidence.
The Qur'an describes the ruler of Egypt being addressed as "King" in the time of Joseph, whilst Moses addresses the ruler as "Pharaoh". This is a small but telling accuracy, for in the time of Joseph the rulers were from the Hykos Dynasty, and were Semites. They did not refer to themselves as "Pharaohs". The term was used by the native Egyptian dynasties that supplanted the Hykos, in the time of Moses. The Bible again proves inaccurate on this point referring to both as "Pharaoh". The Qur'an also correctly describes aspects of the ancient Egyptian religion, in particular the worship of Pharaoh as a god.
The Qur'an refers to the early followers of Jesus as "Nazarenes". This is historically accurate. The word "Christian" was actually a nick name used by the Romans sometime after Jesus - Acts 11:26 "The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch."
The Qur'an makes reference to a city Iram, which Allah destroyed for its evil doings. Until recently there was no record of this city, and it was believed to be only a legend. In 1973, in North-Western Syria, the 4300 year old city of Ebla was excavated. On the cuneiform clay tablets, a record was found of all the cities with who they used to do business. Among them was Iram.

Ref: www.islamawareness.net/Prophecies/greene.html

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

The City Of Madinah holds Prophet Muhammad in its Heart

The City of Madinah

The City Of Madinah holds Prophet Muhammad in its Heart

*Madinah Munawarrah (“ #the_enlightened_city”) ranks as the #second_most_holiest place in Islam after #Makkah. It is the city that gave refuge to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and the early Muslims upon their migration from Makkah and where lies the burial place of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him).

*The city of Madinah was originally known as #Yathrib, an #oasis_city dating as far back as the 6th century BCE. During the war between Jews and Romans in the third century CE many Jews fled #Jerusalem and migrated to their ancestral place of Yathrib (present Madinah). #Nero sent massive #Roman_force under #Petra_Lenidas to Madinah to massacre the #Jews in 213 CE. A community survived and by the time the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) had migrated there was a large #Jewish presence around the city.

*The Jews were eagerly waiting for the #arrival_of_a_Prophet who, according to their scriptures, would appear in Madinah. They used to taunt the local Arabs that when He did arrive, according to their prophesies, the Jews would destroy the pagans as the ancient people of Aad and Thamud had been destroyed for their idolatry. However, when they realized that the final Prophet was chosen among the #Arabs rather than from the Jews their pride got the better of them and they rejected Him even though as the Quran mentions (in 2:146) they recognized Him as they recognize their sons. In spite of this there were some Jews who #embraced #Islam, most notably Hussain bin Salam, one of their most learned #Rabbis. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) changed his name to Abdullah bin Salam.

*The city of Madinah was not unfamiliar to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) when He emigrated there. His father #Abdullah was buried there and when He was six years old He had travelled with his mother #Aminah and their devoted slave girl #Barakah (later to be known as #Umme_Ayman). In later life he recounted how He had learned to swim in a pool which belonged to his kinsmen with whom they had stayed, and how the boys taught him to fly a kite. However, not long after they had set out for the return journey His mother fell very ill, and died a few days later at Abwa, not far from Yathrib and there she was buried. Barakah did what she could to console the boy, now doubly an orphan and brought Him back to Makkah.

*About a year before the #migration, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) had dispatched Mus’ab bin Umair (may Allah be pleased with him) on a mission to propagate Islam (Tableegh) to the people of Madinah. Many of the #Ansar became Muslims at his hands.

*Madinah is 210 miles (340 km) #north_of_Makkah. At the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him), Madinah was approximately the size of the present Masjid and the surrounding white tiled area.

*Narrated Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): Whenever the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) returned from a journey and observed the walls of Madinah, He would make his mount go fast, and if He was on an animal (i.e. a horse), he would make it gallop because of His love for Madinah [Bukhari]. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him): “ #For_the_believer, Madinah is the #best_place. If only they could understand it’s virtue fully, they would never leave it, and whoever departs from Madinah, having become disenchanted with it, Allah will send someone better to replace him. And whoever bears patiently the ordeals of Madinah, for him shall I be an intercessor(or witness) on the Day of Qiyamat / #DayOfJudgment. ” [Muslim]

*It is narrated by Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her): When we came to Madinah, it was an unhealthy, uncongenial place. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) fell sick and Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) also fell sick; and when Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) saw the illness of his Companions He said: “O Allah, make Madinah as beloved to us as you made Makkah beloved or more than that; make it conducive to health, and bless us in its sa’ and mudd’ (two standards of weight and measurement) and transfer its fever to Juhfa.” [Bukhari]
It is stated in another hadith: “There will be no town which Ad-Dajjal (the #AntiChrist) will not enter except Makkah and Madinah, and there will be no entrance (road) but the #angels will be standing in rows guarding it against him, and then Madinah will shake with its inhabitants thrice and Allah will expel all the #nonbelievers and the #hypocrites from it.” [Bukhari]

*Narrated Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him): The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said, “Verily, Belief returns and goes back to Madinah as a snake returns and goes back to its hole (when in danger).” [Bukhari]


References: History of Madinah Munawwarah – Dr. Muhammad Ilyas Abdul Ghani, Wikipedia, Muhammad – Martin Lings
From website: www.islamiclandmarks.com