Surah al-Alaq

Mishary Rashid al-Afasy - Surah al-Alaq



Learn Surah al-Alaq with the help of Mishary al-Afasy and the Arabic transliteration





1. Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists),

2. Has created man from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood).

3. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous,

4. Who has taught (the writing) by the pen [the first person to write was Prophet Idrees (Enoch)],

5. Has taught man that which he knew not.

6. Nay! Verily, man does transgress all bounds (in disbelief and evil deed, etc.).

7. Because he considers himself self-sufficient.

8. Surely! Unto your Lord is the return.

9. Have you (O Muhammad ()) seen him (i.e. Abû Jahl) who prevents,

10. A slave (Muhammad ()) when he prays?

11. Tell me, if he (Muhammad ()) is on the guidance (of Allâh)?

12. Or enjoins piety?

13. Tell me if he (the disbeliever, Abû Jahl) denies (the truth, i.e. this Qur'ân), and turns away?

14. Knows he not that Allâh does see (what he does)?

15. Nay! If he (Abû Jahl) ceases not, We will catch him by the forelock,

16. A lying, sinful forelock!

17. Then, let him call upon his council (of helpers),

18. We will call the guards of Hell (to deal with him)!

19. Nay! (O Muhammad ())! Do not obey him (Abû Jahl). Fall prostrate and draw near to Allâh!


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Surah Al Alaq







Surah Al Alaq With Translation

Seven Strategies to Train Kids/Children

a young child surat qaf 1 الجزء الاول ) طفل يقرأ سورة ق )




a young child reading the quran

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about Quran
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There are six thousand and eighty six verses (Ayats) grouped in one hundred and fourteen surah. The shortest Surah is of three Ayats like surat-ul-Kauthur, the longest one is surat-ul - Baqarah with 286 Ayats. An Ayat can consist of only one word like (Mud'ha'm'mata'n), it can even be only two letters like (t’h’). On the other hand, some Ayats can be quite long like Ayat-ul-Kursey, the longest Ayat in the Qur’an is that which deals with loan legislations in surat-ul-Baqara which is more than a full page. Some of the Surats were revealed on one occasion like Al-Ikhlas. Another example here is Surat Al-Anaam which was revealed in one go, this Surah consists of more than one Juzu (30 pages), it is in fact the fifth longest Surah in the Qur’an. Sometimes part of a verse was revealed on one occasion and the other part would follow on another

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Seven Strategies to Train Kids/Children


Holy Prophet Muhammad (saww): "No father has given a greater gift to his children than good moral training."

The many aspects of Ramadan - fasting, prayers, moral values, charity, Holy Quran, family, Eid - provide a valuable opportunity to train kids. Whether they are your own kids or kids you teach, education or training isn't an automatic or easy process. Children don't bring empty minds and fill them with what we say. Training requires effort, energy and a few techniques to take off.

Here are some training tips and techniques to transform your children's minds and memories this Ramadan:

Seven Strategies to Train Kids this RamadanLet them get their Hands Dirty

"The great aim of education is not knowledge, but action." Herbert Spencer

Children learn by "doing". On average, students retain 75 percent of a lesson when they learn through hands-on activities compared to five percent through a lecture or 10 percent through reading (Brunmer, Jerome, "The Process of Learning").

If, for example, you want to teach your kids the concept of Zakat, get them to help you calculate your Zakat, decide where to send the money, and mail the envelopes. Action and implementation can occur while children learn, not necessarily after!

Holy Prophet Muhammad (saww) used to take his daughter Fatima (sa) with him when he went for prayer at the Holy Kaaba in Makkah. Later, in Madinah, he would bring his grandchildren, Hassan and Hussain (as), to the Masjid as toddlers before they knew how to pray.

A concept becomes real and important to children when they experience it rather than simply read about it. They'll remember how to do it years later when you may catch them telling their friends, "I've been calculating Zakat since I was a kid!"

Involve their Emotions

When children get emotionally involved in an activity, they rarely want to leave it. Video games and TV shows target children's emotions. As parents and educators, we can use the same technique for training.

Stories, songs, skits, crafts and games grab children's emotions. Once a child is interested and excited, she is more likely to stay attentive till the end and get the message you want to give. Just as we remember events in our lives that were emotionally significant, children remember concepts learned through activities that were "fun", "funny", "exciting" or "different".

Don't be afraid to stir some fun into your training - you don't have to lose any content.

Write a song about Eid, create a Hadith treasure box, organize a Ramadan trivia night, or read a story about Ramadan in Madinah. If they enjoy it, the kids will come back for more!

Reveal the Purpose

We often hear students complain, "Why do we have to do this?" or "This math exercise is pointless". Unfortunately, we often hear responses like, "Because I'm telling you to," "Because you have to", or worse, "You'll get a new MP3 player if you finish the book".

Like us, if children don't see the purpose or importance of an action, they won't have the motivation to complete it. To avoid getting similar comments from your kids about prayer or fasting, make sure they understand the purpose. Before you begin any lesson, whether it's a story about the Companions of the Prophet or an Eid craft, explain exactly why you are the doing the activity and what benefits the children will gain from it.

Remind your children that they are doing acts of worship to please Allah (SWT), not you. Explain why we need to please Allah (SWT) and how every action, including washing dishes or math homework, will help us achieve that goal. If children are praying only to please you, when you leave, their motivation and prayers will disappear.

Seven Strategies to Train Children this RamadanIf children are motivated to fast Ramadan or complete the Holy Quran for a material incentive (like a MP3 player), they may never develop a love of Allah (SWT) or an intrinsic desire to perform the action. They may, instead, learn to value material rewards and when the rewards disappear, the actions may disappear with them.

Help your children understand that, for Muslims, rewards don't necessarily come in this life. They may have to wait for the bigger and better rewards of the hereafter.

Highlight the Big Ideas

"Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school." Albert Einstein

Ask yourself how many equations or formulas you remember from your Grade 12 Math textbook. It may be five or two or none. Let's be honest - most of us retained very little of the details we learned.

Children will not retain all the Fiqh rulings of Zakat or Wudu or Salah, and they won't need to! Make sure the little that they retain is exactly what you want them to remember. Focus on the big ideas, such as the awareness that Allah (SWT) is watching us, that we get our rulings from Holy Quran and the Sunnah, that prayer is a means of self-purification, etc. Repeat these ideas every day in different ways. While your children instill these principles in their minds, show them how to learn the rest on their own, when they need it.

Help your kids learn "how to learn". Teach them where to find the Fiqh information they need or how to do research on a topic and who to ask for information. They will be better prepared if they master the basics and know how to get the specifics. Memorizing every ruling will be a waste of their time and yours.

Let them Lead!

Children often take responsibilities more seriously than adults. Holy Prophet Muhammad (saww), appointed young adults like Ali, Anas and Usamah ibn Zaid, young adults, for important assignments that sometimes required them to lead even older and more experienced Companions.

Give children leadership over important tasks and step out of the picture. Assign one child to wake up all his siblings for Suhur. Let someone else be in charge of updating the Iftar time every evening. Allow the children to plan, budget and buy Eid gifts for all the relatives. Let them choose which task they want to "be in charge of".

Allow children to make mistakes and realize on their own what they should have done. Experience often trains better than instruction. Once a child goes out into the cold without a jacket, he'll remember, before you can remind him, to put on his jacket next time.

Train kids to be responsible for their own learning. If a child asks, "Does brushing teeth break my fast?" a simple "yes" or "no" may give her the answer, but won't provide any long-term training. Ask her instead, "Where can you look to find that answer? Let's do some research."

Begin the month of Ramadan by asking your children to do a research project on what breaks the fast and what does not. If they find the information themselves, they are likely to remember it and know exactly where to get it again next year.

"The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn and change." Carl Rogers

Holy Prophet Muhammad (saww)Get Excited!

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." W. B. Yeats

Kids catch on to your enthusiasm. Show some excitement and passion about the topic you're teaching. Show your kids that you "can't wait" for Ramadan to begin. Be cheerful at prayer times. Decorate the house in anticipation of Eid.

Holy Prophet Muhammad (saww), taught by example. His character and actions motivated people to love and emulate him. Be the example you want your kids to be. Make a genuine effort to love the activities you want your kids to love.

Combine Love with Learning

Al-Aqra b. Habis saw Holy Prophet Muhammad (saww), kissing Hassan (his grandson). He said: I have ten children, but I have never kissed any one of them, whereupon Allah's Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, said: He who does not show mercy, no mercy would be shown to him.

Show children that you love them, regardless of how they perform. Allow each child to progress at his own pace. Saying, "look at your cousin Aminah - she's already finished the fifteenth juz", will only lower your child's self-esteem and discourage what she's already accomplishing.

Excessive competition and comparison can often result in helplessness and lack of motivation for children who learn in different ways or at a slower pace. Allow children to judge their own progress and compare themselves to their former level rather than that of others.

Make this Ramadan the beginning of a memorable and long-lasting training experience for you and your children!

By: Shehnaz Toorawa


http://www.ezsoftech.com/ramadan/ramadan28.asp


source

MIRACLES OF THE QUR'AN

MIRACLES OF THE QUR'AN


book by http://www.harunyahya.com

here at


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Young child reading quran





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Once someone really studies Islam honestly from the inside and becomes familiar with all its aspects he or she will come to know that there isn’t anything similar to it. To tell you the truth, there are even Muslims who ignore certain aspects of Islam which make the religion stand out from other faiths. Having a wide knowledge on Islam and on the secrets that it covers would require serious studies and a degree of devotion to God. But with the intention to show the authenticity of Islam, I will outline here many religious events known through human's history, which can be used to define the truth about Islam.

First of all let’s clarify that Islam does not reject the revelation of Christianity, Judaism, or any previous revelation brought by a prophet of God (like Adam, Noah, Abraham…). Islam just points out that the Message of God (Allah) has always been the same since the beginning of creation; from the first man and messenger Adam to the last one Muhammad (peace be upon them). Differences came about after departure of the appointed messengers. The Quran explains this clearly; misguidance and confusion always occurs somewhere down the line in the decades that follow the message of Allah. Judaism, Christianity and Islam are all monotheist faiths that believe in the same God and the word Allah is one Arabic translation of it. If Islam is much unknown by the West, it has to do with the fact that this final revelation took place in a different land and from a different community (the Arabs). Christianity was another revelation to the Hebrews that confirms Judaism. Jesus (peace be upon him) just brought forth reforms that would clean up falsehood that people had made up after the departure of the prophet Moses (peace be upon him). The message of Jesus was obviously presented at a larger scale because mentality changes with time and humans gain more experience. Thus the message from Allah has also to take consideration of these factors. If the Jews descendants of Hebrews rejected Christianity it’s because they’ve mistakenly considered it as a deviation of Judaism. Yet it is known that the Jewish scriptures were reformed from the original writing. Some controversies came about when the Jewish temple built by the messenger Solomon (peace be upon him) was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC. People have considered that certain scriptures may have disappeared during that time of destruction; so revisions were made in the texts, with men’s words added without Divine revelation. Humans are always confronted to new situations as time goes, and if solutions are not presented to them in the religious laws then they’ll made up their own laws. In fact they will even overlook the religious laws sometimes if these laws do not benefit them. Now as far as the present Bible, we know that the individuals who wrote the New Testament could not possibly met Jesus because the four Gospels were written several decades after Jesus. These are all facts that any knowledgeable priest who knows the historicity of Christianity would agree with. In a sense these authors were more like historians/Christians disciples who attempted to retrace the history … Now let’s take a look at the particularity of Islam then we’ll come back on Christianity.

Islam appears in Arabia over 500 years after Jesus (p.u.h). The Quran has several similarities with the bible that anyone could notice reading it; in reality Islam relates to the Christian faith just like Christianity relates to Judaism. Before Islam came to Arabia, the Arabs had completely lost their monotheist belief. They were not familiar with Christianity or Judaism and most Arabs tribes were into idolatry. Moreover the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was unlettered before the revelation, so there is no way he could not invent these religious claims. Yet we notice that the quality of literature in this revealed Quran was never heard of. Thus what explanation can be given to this unusual phenomenon? How can the prophet possess knowledge suddenly without any previous learning? I think the answer should be straight forward. And this miracle is one of the reasons why some pagans Arabs who rejected Islam at the beginning thought that the prophet was involved in magic... Another significant fact that should really clear any doubts non Muslims may have about Islam is the Gospel of Barnabas; it’s an old Hebrew script written prior to the four Gospels. This manuscript (not included in the Bible) was found hidden at Rome (Italy) in the library of the Pope in the 14th century. It’s a Gospel from the Apostle Barnabas who knew Jesus (p.u.h) and was around him. This volume was rejected because of its major contradictions with the four gospels that remain in the Bible. Yet it was in circulation in the Churches of Alexandria up until 325 A.C and was recognized as a Canonical Gospel. Later on an edict was issued that anyone in possession of this Gospel or one of a similar nature will be put to death. In fact there are many Hebrew scripts that were destroyed by the Roman Empire because of contradictions with the Pauline Church. The Pauline Church was led by a self claim apostle by the name of St Paul. He never met Jesus, but because of his influence he is accountable for most of the New Testament. The idea of trinity in the Catholic Church was also originated by the Pauline Church. These are all historical events that can be verified. If the Gospel of Barnabas survives until now it's because in 325 A.C the pope had made a copy of it and kept it secretly in his private library. The scripture is available today to the public in English translation by the grace of God; you can occasionally find it on some libraries (especially Islamic centers), you can also order it through online.

By putting the Christian and Muslim scriptures on the scale, we would have on one hand the Bible (including Jewish text in an old Testament) that reflects a collection of works done after Christ (p.u.h) by disciples who narrate religious practices that are supposedly reported from close apostles of Jesus (or Hebrews followers of predecessor messengers). On the other hand, we have the Quran which is a text brought to Muhammad words by words by Gabriel (Angel in charged of bringing Divine Message to the prophets) then the Quran was recorded automatically by the scribes of Muhammad (p.u.h). Therefore the Quran was easier to fully preserved because the scribes were available right there, with a more advanced writing and material (we’re talking about more than 500 after Jesus), plus the Quran is a recital that is memorized generation by generation since the time of the prophet. Muslims all over the world take Quranic class at the very young age to start the memorization.

Now if we look at today's Christianity we'll notice that many subdivisions exist in it. First of all we have the Christians and Catholics, some of them believe in the trinity, while others reject it. Then we have the Protestants who broke off from the Catholic Church very early in history, and they have their own bible and laws. Jehovah witnesses also have their own version of Christianity; and in the midst of all of this, some people claim that Jesus is God and son of God (Subhanallah), while other view him as son of God only (Subhanallah). I personally met a lady who belongs to a Baptist faith (derivation of Christianity) and she explained me that in her community they consider Jesus as a messenger of God only. We can all see here that the confusion is very profound. With all these different attributes given to God, we’re talking about serious blasphemy. However in Islam there is no issue when it comes to following one same text and religious practices. The only issue you may find sometimes between some followers of Islam is a matter of personal conflict relating to leadership. This difference has to do with traditional misunderstandings in political opinions among groups from certain geographical locations. But the religious practice itself is not of a big difference since we all follow one universal Quran. Thus it is obvious that Islam has nothing to do with all these controversies in the media, it is just people actions that are wrongly attributed to Islam.

Now let’s analyze the following together… Dear friends/seekers of truth, if you consider that humans make mistakes, plus they have a tendency to follow their own desires; then it makes sense that they would need guidance from Allah. But because they have inner imperfections and temptations they will often fail to fully follow the guidance of their Lord and to pass it on, in a consistent manner to next generation. Consequently as time goes this guidance will be gradually neglected, until it reached a point where it gets loss. That’s why God by His grace renews the message through prophets. But because society changes, the method that each appointed prophet uses to convey his mission would differ from another one; nevertheless the core of message remains always the same. The three well known monotheist faith (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) talk about the same messengers of Allah who were sent to different nations (like Noah, Lot, Joseph and so on, peace be upon them). Now since it is proven that mankind looses the guidance due to inconsistency, then why the Jews cannot consider Jesus as a renewed messenger from God since his message confirms what’s in the Torah (Jews text) in an accurate way that clarifies errors and controversies which existed after the reform of the original Torah? Plus the miracles he accomplished were all additional proofs that reinforce this truth. Now as far as the situation of Christianity as known today, the history of Constantinople (Rome) and the Bible itself can clearly justify it. The first thing we want to look at here is the persecution of the very first disciples and true followers of Jesus. Let’s remember that Christianity was not mainstream at the beginning because it had to face the Jewish rejection, along with a bad Propaganda and hate that took roots within the Roman Empire (note the similarity between Christianity back then and Islam today). Thus Christianity had to wait several decades after Jesus to become mainstream within Constantinople. But the massive destruction of the Gospels that contradicted the main source of influence at that time (Pauline Church) is a concern that brought several doubts within Christianity. The teachings of the Pauline Church were the only ones accepted and recognized by the Roman authority of that time. And by the way the concept of Trinity may be adopted by the Catholic Church but what is surprising is that the word trinity itself is not mentioned once in the whole Bible. Numbers of Christians have rejected this idea of trinity, while the rest of them do not understand it. And for your info, there is no passage in the Bible reporting that Jesus (p.u.h) refers to himself as God or son of God (subhanallah). Note that Adam (p.u.h.) doesn’t have any parents and that didn’t make him son of God (Subhanallah); the same is also true with Eve (p.u.h) who like Jesus (p.u.h) was created from a single person. Yet the Bible does contain several contradictions of historical dates and facts between the four Gospels. While these facts are known by many informed individuals, the Church chooses to remain silent on this. Also contrary to the Quran which is universal, there are different versions of the Bible that are continuously being printed into new booklets with the claim to be holier or more complete than the previous writings; what's alarming here is it seems that these writers publish reformed scriptures like Divine revelation was at their hands. We will let our readers imagine how many versions of the Bible exist presently. You could also find out more about the contradictions between the four Gospels through online searches; and to be fair try to get a priest or reverend’s opinion regarding these errors. The true fact is some scientists and atheists have used these mistakes to reject the validity of religion. Anyone could see at least that many people take religion very slightly nowadays. And new generations are particularly indifferent to religious beliefs.
For interested folks, we'll suggest to do more investigation on Christianity by looking at the Roman history and its early conflict with Christianity; then do some background checks on the Pauline Church and the dislocation within Christianity that have led to all these deviations of Christian beliefs. If you take consideration of all those factors you’ll see that the issue within present Christianity is similar to the past situation of the Jews (i.e. issues raised concerning loss of Jewish scriptures and reform of religious text by men without Divine revelation). The confusion and misguidance that existed later on after Moses (peace be upon him) have appeared once again after Jesus (peace be upon him). So if this same scenario (lost of guidance) that has been happening in the past took place once again after Jesus (p.u.h), then why reject this renewed message of Muhammad (p.u.h) considering that he has confirmed what is in the past scriptures in a complete and accurate manner? Dear respected readers, we already told you about the Quran which clarifies the legitimacy of Muhammad, and once you read it and you’ll find out that everything falls right into place. After a good lecture of it, you will see the coherence in it, starting from the first messenger Adam to the last one Mohammad (peace be upon them). From there you’ll come to know that Muhammad (p.u.h) has presented to mankind the same pattern as the previous messengers. This similar pattern is no other than a unique message of continuity since day one. But it is manifest that humans have altered this message.

One aspect that I will quickly point out now is some of the miracles in the Quran. A non Muslim may be surprised to hear this but they are numbers of scientific innovations that are mentioned in this holy book as signs for mankind; the Quran also contains predictions of historical events that took place after the revelation and these signs are still occurring up until now. For this matter I will just give you the two following links that you can refer to regarding these prophecies. Note that scientists who came across the Quran have never reported any incoherence in it; yet they were amazed by the scientific discoveries that it revealed.

http://www.harunyahya.com/miracles_of_the_quran_p1_03.php
http://haq505.sulekha.com/blog/post/2007/03/predictions-in-the-noble-quran.htm

However the central question is why Islam is the final revelation? First all the holy Quran is fully well preserved; we’ve talked about the method that was used along with the memorization and recitation which is recommended for every Muslim. If we would agree right now to destroy all the religious texts and online databases in the world; then you would see that the Quran is the only one that will survive and it will be reprinted in a matter of few days because it is memorized by millions of Muslims who read it and recite it on prayers in the daily basis. However one major reason which justify Islam as the final revelation is the system inside of it. By reading the Quran you’ll know that the scripture does not preach only, but it also emphases on social life; for instance you’ll find in it different topics on how to conduct business; how laws enforcements should be done with integrity; it also talks about systems of administration and many others aspects of life. The prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) himself has given the examples on how to implement these practices in real life; many of his legacies are recorded on “Hadith” books by his companions (named Sahabas, peace upon them). True, society always changes, but the last messenger has left a heritage that will not be exhausted before the End of the time; and he said himself that if prophethood was a building then he would be the final stone of it, making the religion of God complete. Thus Muslims should always refer to the Quran and the prophet’s practices (teachings) as a model until the end of time. In all circumstances they are supposed to examine issues with an Islamic stratagem which is a fair model that can contribute in improving society if use rightfully… Notice that as the child grows up his or her height changes; but at one point he/she will reach the maximum height; that’s what Islam is for mankind. Once we reach our limit we can still buy new clothes but the length does not change. Therefore any future generation would fit within this same frame work. If certain Muslims countries have failed to establish a secure and exemplary Islamic society, it is only due to personal interests and lack of serious convictions among numbers of political leaders. But once again Islam is not responsible for people actions. Before I end I just want to say that 9/11 was a big turning point in history. Those attacks were very evil and far from the concept of Islam, but because God is the most merciful and His ability is without limit, He can turn tragedy to something positive. Today many people are curious about Islam. And to their big surprise they find out that this religion is actually very peaceful and totally the opposite of what we could think of it by looking at the media. Through the study of Islam, many people including priests have found the answers they were looking in the Bible or Torah. In the U.S alone 20,000 people convert to Islam every year since 9/11. You can check the link on these statistics from CNN right after the next short passage. And those conversions are also very significant in Europe; especially U.K, Germany and France...
I will end here and I seriously hope with God’s will that you’ll learn more about Islam. The more you show interest and conviction in finding the truth, the more God will guide you toward it. Therefore determination is the key you want to use in demonstrating that you are willing to get closer to God no matter what. The reason for this is because this present life is very short while the other life is eternal, and we only get rewarded from what we work for. We do not know how much time we have ahead of us, so may God guide you and all of us to the right path until the End A.S.A.P. Amin!



Click on the following link for videos on new converts
http://www.turntoislam.com/

Wassalam!

Posted by Talibé murid
http://www.realdin.blogspot.com/


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