The Islamic Bulletin Volume X No. 23 Page 2 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor, I would like you to know that I love your newsletter and would like to share an article which I wrote, “Our Own Kahf”, with your readers. “For they, if they should come to know you, will stone you or turn you back to their religion; then ye will never prosper.” (Surat-Al-Kahf Ayat 20) This particular ayat in Surat Al-Kahf, or The Cave, is referring to a group of young men who had dwelled in a cave for some time. When one of these young men went into the city with a silver coin to buy food he was warned of the people therein who would turn him “…back to their religion…” if they should come to know of him. Some might read this story, in particular this ayat, and view it as a time far off and distant, but upon deeper probing and a pinch of reflection one will see the relation to our present day and age, our present situation. Let me explain. Kahf means a “Place of refuge; protection from trouble, danger, or pursuit; place to hide; place to go into hiding; cavern; cage; refuge.” Now, when we are in our homes (or a Mosque for that matter) are we not in our own personal place of refuge? Our own “Cave”? I think it is safe to say yes. However, eventually we must venture out of our homes (or the mosque), out of our refuge into the city, into the populace. When we do so we are amongst men (and women) of different religions-- whether it be the religion of gangs, the religion of drugs, the religion of lust and sexual sin, or even the religion of hate. It is proven that none of these “religions of man” bring true happiness and peace; quite the contrary they give birth to misery and pain some sooner, some later. As the saying goes: “misery loves company”, and in light of this we conclude that when we (Muslimun) are amongst them (Kafirun) they will proceed to cast their religion of choice on us, or at least attempt to. Several things can then occur but two jump to mind immediately. The first, after exhaustively searching for ways to “convert” you (and altogether failing) in a bout of loathing and seething, they strike against you (really against what you stand for: Islam) hence, they “…will stone you…” The second (and by far worse), in their pernicious effort to cajole you into their wicked system of belief you strike against them, not out of justice but out of hate. And with that they have succeeding in turning “…you back to their religion…”in this instance, hate. Allah (SWT) goes on to say “…then ye will never prosper.” For if we give into the religion(s) of Kafirun we will by then have forsaken our own, and when we abandon our Islamic values we become of the Shayatin. When we are in our place of refuge, our “Cave”, we should be building and strengthening our Faith, our Islam, so when we do have to wander into the city, Inshallah, we will be able to ward off the Kafirun and the Shayatin. We will be able to take on the position of the moon in respect to Allah’s sunlight: a reflection of purity and perfection. Luqman Muzzamil, San Quentin, California Dear Editor, I have saved every issue of the Islamic Bulletin and they have helped me tremedously. I read this story and would like to share it with you. It has a powerful message. He remembered his grandmother's warning about praying on time: "My son, you shouldn't leave prayer to this late time". His grandmother's age was 70 but whenever she heard the Adhan, she got up immediately and performed Salah. He, however could never win over his ego to get up and pray. Whatever he did, his Salah was always the last to be offered and he prayed it quickly to get it in on time. Thinking of this, he got up and realized that there were only 15 minutes left before Salat-ul Isha. He quickly made Wudhu and performed Salat-ul Maghrib. While making Tasbih, he again remembered his grandmother and was embarrassed by how he had prayed. His grandmother prayed with such tranquility and peace. He began making Dua and went down to make Sajdah and stayed like that for a while. He had been at school all day and was tired, so tired. He awoke abruptly to the sound of noise and shouting. He was sweating profusely. He looked around. It was very crowded. Every direction he looked in was filled with people. Some stood frozen looking around, some were running left and right and some were on their knees with their heads in their hands just waiting. Pure fear and apprehension filled him as he realized where he was. His heart was about to burst. It was the Day of Judgment. When he was alive, he had heard many things about the questioning on the Day of Judgment, but that seemed so long ago. Could this be something his mind made up? Could it be a dream? No, the wait and the fear were so great that he could not have imagined this. Two angels grabbed his arms and led him forward. He walked with unknowing eyes through the crowd. The angels brought him to the center and left him there. His head was bent down and his whole life was passing in front of his eyes like a movie. He opened his eyes but saw only another world. The people were all helping others. He saw his father running from one lecture to the other, spending his wealth in the way of Islam. His mother invited guests to their house and one table was being set while the other was being cleared. He pleaded his case, "I too was always on this path. I helped others. I spread the word of Allah. I performed my Salah. I fasted in the month of Ramadan. Whatever Allah ordered us to do, I did. Whatever he ordered us not to do, I did not." He began to cry and think about how much he loved Allah. He knew that whatever he had done in life would be less than what Allah deserved and his only protector was Allah. He was sweating like never before and was shaking all over. His eyes were fixed on the scale, waiting for the final decision. At last, the decision was made. The two angels with sheets of paper in their hands, turned to the crowd. His legs felt like they were going to collapse. He closed his eyes as they began to read the names of those people who were to enter Jahannam. His name was read first. He fell on his knees and yelled that this couldn't be, "How could I go to Jahannam (Hell-fire)? I served others all my life, I spread the word of Allah to others". His eyes had become blurry and he was shaking with sweat. The two angels took him by the arms. As his feet dragged, they went through the crowd and advanced toward the blazing flames of Jahannam.
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