Ibn Atta on How to Deal with People’s Praise

 

In his well-known book, Al-Hikam (Words of Wisdom), sheikh Ahmad Ibn `Ataa’illah As-Sakandari says:

When people praise you for what they assume about you, blame yourself for what you certainly know about yourself. The most ignorant is the one who denies what he really knows about himself and believes what others assume about him.

While journeying to Allah Almighty we will be put to many tests. One of those tests pertains to people’s praise for what they assume about us. This word of wisdom answers the following question: How does one deal with people’s praise?

A dangerous trap

People’s praise is a serious danger. A man praised another greatly before the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The Prophet said, “Woe on you! You have cut the neck of your friend“. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), repeated this sentence many times and said:

“If you have to praise someone, then he should say,

‘I think that he is so-and-so’, if he really thinks that he is such. Allah is the One Who will take his accounts as He knows his reality and no one can confirm that anybody is already commended by Allah.” (Al-Bukhari)

In another tradition, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

“When you see those who shower praise upon others, throw dust upon their faces.” (Muslim)

People’s praise may change one’s intentions from pleasing Allah to pleasing people, earning their praise or avoiding their criticism. It also discourages one to do more good deeds if he really believes that he is perfect and has done great actions.

A barrier to self-criticism

Another negative aspect of praise is that it makes one overlook his flaws and, instead, look at his merits.

In this word of wisdom, the Sheikh says:

“When people praise you for what they assume about you, blame yourself for what you certainly know about yourself”.

People praise me based on assumptions about me and what they know from the outlook they see. But I know myself and my flaws better than others.

Remember that the Sheikh had said:

“Trying to discover the flaws within you is better than trying to discover the worlds hidden from you”.

Now that you know many of your flaws, and if you are highly praised by people, you should turn to yourself and blame it for the flaws you know. This will make you pray to Allah to forgive your sins and fix your flaws.

This reminds me again of Imam Ali’s great speech on the pious ones (may Allah be pleased be with him). He described the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) in that famous sermon as follows:

“If someone praises one of them, he says, “I know myself better than others, and my Lord is more knowledgeable of me than myself. O Allah, don’t take me to task for what they say, and make me better than what they think of me, and forgive me for those sins which they are unaware of”.

According to Imam Ali’s description, when someone praised one of the Prophet’s Companions, he responded to him saying: “I know myself better than others [know me]”. This is the same meaning given by Ibn `Ataa here.

The Companion added: “And my Lord is more knowledgeable of me than myself”, i.e. Allah is more knowledgeable of my flaws, sins, and mistakes than myself.

Finally, the Companion ends his response by praying to Allah: “Make me better than what they think of me.” They think good of me, so make me better than this. “O Allah, forgive me for those sins which they are unaware of”.

Sometimes people’s praise takes away the reward promised by Allah for a certain good deed. Because this praise is actually the reward that one was seeking, as his intention was not to please Allah, but to please people. This is hypocrisy, by definition.

The Sheikh says: “If the believer is praised, he should feel ashamed of Allah that people praise him for things which are not in him. The most ignorant is the one who denies what he really knows about himself and believes what others assume about him.”

Should I leave what I know for sure about myself and believe what people assume about me?

A positive attitude

In some other cases, people’s praise is glad tidings for the believer. Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased him) reported: It was said to Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): What is your opinion about the person who has done good deeds and the people praise him? The Prophet said:

“It is the immediate glad tidings for a believer”. (Muslim)

The Quran mentions the same meaning:

{For them there is the glad tiding [of happiness] in the life of this world and in the life to come}. (Yunus 10: 64)

Therefore, a believer should thank Allah for the difference that people thought he/she made in their lives. Yet, he/she should not forget their own flaws.

- aboutislam.net

Dealing With Arguments In Marriage

Often times in marriage, couple tend to hold onto arguments just to make their spouse feel miserable! But this is a childish behaviour. Click on this video to learn from Sheikh Hamza Yusuf as he has a very good advice for dealing with arguments in marriage. - aboutislam.net

These Practices Will Grant You Contentment & Happiness

The pursuit of happiness – we all hear of it. But what does this really mean for a Muslim?

The pursuit of happiness indicates that happiness is somewhat a destination – a goal that is yet to be achieved, and often times, it sounds like one of monetary in nature.

More contemporary ideas suggest to do away with this pursuit, and be happy with the journey as we travel by it, living by the day, finding contentment in the route paved with good intentions. But why can’t it be both?

Muslims are told that in this world, though a place of obstacles and challenges, should also eat, drink, and enjoy – without transgressing limits.

Prophet Muhammad was a content being, although he knew more of the problems of humanity as compared to anyone else. And of course, he – of all people – had his sights on the eternal happiness of Paradise.

So what does a Muslim today make of the concept of happiness? And how can this constant state of contentment and tranquility be achieved?

Here are a few ideas.

Practice the Law of Attraction

What could this possibly mean?

Contemporary thought denotes that if a person is constantly imbued in positive thoughts, he or she will attract positivity in his or her life through the cyclical nature of the Universe – what goes around, comes around; positive thoughts beget positive results.

Obviously, for Muslims, the Universe does not “cater” for us, but this does not mean the Law of Attraction cannot apply. Rather, Allah tells us in a Hadith Qudsi to have good hopes in Him.

Positive hope in Allah is a reflection of our relationship with Him. If we constantly have meek and dull hopes and expectations of Allah, it is a telling sign that we have forgotten that He calls Himself Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim, the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful.

Even more so, Allah even asks us to ask of Him – through du’a, through remembrance, through prayer. So having a positive mindset and attitude towards Allah will bring about returns in leap and bounds.

This doesn’t mean that everything we ask for will fall into our lap. Not at all. In fact, the etiquette of the ‘Muslim’ Law of Attraction involves a few things (amongst others):

With Du’a Comes Plenty of Effort

It is not enough to make du’a and expect ‘wishes’ to come true. A du’a is not the same as a wish. A du’a is a sincere call to Allah’s Greatness, for His help and His help alone. As Allah has told us that He will burden his slave with more than he or she can bear, it also serves as a reminder that Allah has given us the tools to get through these hardships.

Whether it is looking for a new job, asking a friend for a consult through a personal problem, or looking for assistance with a challenging child; the tools are all around us, and we too have innate wisdom to deal with them. A quiet du’a will put matters into perspective and help endorse the goals that we set out to achieve.

Having plenty of gratitude:

Allah tells us in the Quran that He will increase those who are in the constant state of gratitude. Those who are grateful recognize even the most seemingly minute blessings, such eggs on toasts for breakfast. They also recognize the blessings that are often forgotten, like efficient lungs, and the ten fingers and toes.

They even recognize blessings that come in the form of trials, like missing out on a job promotion or catching the flu. This type of gratitude is all in the form of well-knowing that Allah has a plan greater beyond one’s understanding and imagination.

• The acknowledgement of trials and sadness:

As an elaboration to the point before, those who practice the Law of Attraction, do not belittle the trials in this world, but acknowledge them as part of their journey towards Jannah. Without trials, desperation, hardship, blood, and tears, it would make it difficult for someone to put positivity in perspective.

Imagine pretending that difficulties do not exist, we would be skipping around in this world without a plan to better ourselves as our own desires and temptations would get the better of us, consume us, and lead us to believe that there is nothing better than living an immortal life in this world.

• Understanding that everything in the dunya is temporary:

Only those who are constantly reminded (on their accord) of the temporariness of the dunya, will truly be able to appreciate the benefits of the “Law of Attraction.”  

When du’as are not answered immediately, or are sometimes answered in a different manner, it is easy to become disheartened and start harboring the feelings of abandonment, especially when some hardships become extremely taxing.

However, the grand reminder that Justice prevails on the Day of Judgment: and all accounts will be balanced out to the point that those who have been transgressed or oppressed will be compensated to the point that they will wish to return to the dunya for further oppression, and Jannah will be rewarded to those who withstood trials and difficulty with patience and good hopes, will keep a believer’s heart content, even throughout hardship. 

Practice the Law of Abundance

Truly happy people are those who love to give. In fact, if you look at those who are stingy and swim around in miserliness, you will see the complete opposite – they ace loneliness, constant despair, worry, and often remain in a warped mindset of negativity. In fact, they will also constantly view others with a negative lens.

The Law of Abundance denotes to keep giving without fear of “losing out.” This goes perfectly with our deen as we are constantly reminded to help remove the hardship of another person, to wish for our brothers or sisters the same as we would like for ourselves, to give in charity with the right hand, so much so, that our left hand is left unaware!

The list goes on. But the more we give, the more we receive, as long as we give for the sake of pleasing Allah. This is also an important reflection of the gratitude that we have, because giving indicates that we are confident that Allah will increase us in our own wealth.

-aboutislam.net

About Maria Zain

Maria Zain AboutIslam.net author who passed away in December 2014.

Do Angels Enter a House with Picture?

 

The question of angels entering or not entering houses belong to the unseen realities. The hadiths that speak of images and pictures should be understood in their specific context.

It was a milieu steeped in polytheism and idol worship. So, the Prophet (peace be upon him) warned against images and pictures as they were associated with such beliefs and practices which Islam came to eradicate. Islam sought to restore pure tawhid or monotheism.

In this spirit, the Prophet initially prohibited visiting grave grates. However, he later allowed it after the belief in tawhid became rooted, and the people moved away from polytheism.

Images or statues without such polytheistic associations cannot be deemed as wholly forbidden. Otherwise, how would Allah allow his Prophet Sulaiman (peace be upon him) to employ workers to make statues?

For this reason, some scholars view that there is no harm in paintings even if they have images on them as long as they do not induce reverence for them, leading to shirk or polytheism.

Hanging family pictures or pictures of one’s friends cannot have any such associations. So there is nothing haram about them. However, one should not hang them in the direction of qiblah while offering prayers.

Therefore, I would advise you what you are doing is enough: if you have doubts about them, remove them from your bedroom.

Bring the angels in by regularly practicing dhikr and reading the Quran, for angels will descend upon us when we practice dhikr as well as when we read the Quran.

Almighty Allah knows best.

- aboutislam.net

About Sheikh Ahmad Kutty

Sheikh Ahmad Kutty is a Senior Lecturer and an Islamic Scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada

3 Dimensions of Moderation in Quran

 

One characteristic of the Qur’an is moderation or harmony between the divine and human, the spiritual and the material, the individual and the collective, and so on.

The Quran pays due attention to all facts of life and all needs of man. It deals with them in such a way as to help man to realize the noble objectives of his being.

For this approach of moderation, the Qur’an calls the Muslims a “middle nation” (Al-Baqarah 2:143). With this “middleness” they are called the best people ever evolved for mankind, as they enjoin the right, combat the wrong, and believe in God (Aal `Imran 3:110). 

Moderation in Quran: Inward, Outward and Upward

The Qur’anic wisdom functions in three principal dimensions: inwardly, outwardly, and upwardly.

Inwardly, it penetrates into the innermost recesses of the heart and reaches the farthest depths of the mind. It aims at the healthy cultivation of the individual from within.

This inward penetration is different from and far deeper than that of any other legal or ethical system. That is because the Qur’an speaks in God’s name and refers all matters to Him.

The outward function of the Qur’an embraces all walks of life; it covers the principles of the entire field of human affairs from the most personal matters to the complex international relations.

The Qur’an reaches areas unknown to any secular system of law or code of ethics and inaccessible to any popular doctrine of religion. What is remarkable about the Qur’an in this respect is that it deals with human transactions in such a way as to give them a divine flavor and a moral touch.

It makes the presence of God felt in every transaction and acknowledges Him as the first source of guidance and the ultimate goal of all transactions. It is man’s spiritual guide, his system of law, his code of ethics, and, above all, his way of life.

In its upward function the Qur’an focuses on the One Supreme God. Everything that was, or that is, or that will be, must be channeled into and seen through this focus, the active presence of God in the universe. Man is merely a trustee in the vast domain of God; and the sole purpose of his creation is to worship God.

A Call for Isolation?

This is no pretext for seclusion or passive retirement from life. It is an open invitation to man to be the true embodiment on earth of the excellent qualities of God.

When the Qur’an in its upward attention focuses on God, it opens before man new horizons of thought, guides him to unexemplified standards of high morality, and acquaints him with the eternal source of peace and goodness.

Realizing God alone as the ultimate goal of man is a revolution against the popular trends in human thought and religious doctrines, a revolution whose objective is to free the mind from doubt, liberate the soul from sin, and emancipate the conscience from subjugation.

Conclusive Wisdom

In all its dimensions the Qur’anic wisdom is conclusive. It neither condemns nor  tortures the flesh, nor does it neglect the soul.

It does not “humanize” God, nor does it deify man. Everything is carefully placed where it belongs in the total scheme of creation. There is a proportionate relationship between deeds and rewards, between means and ends.

The Qur’anic wisdom is not neutral. It is demanding and its demands are joyfully welcomed by all those blessed with appreciation and understanding.

The wisdom of the Qur’an calls for truth in thought and piety in action, for unity in purpose and goodwill in intent:

{That is the Book; there is no suspicion about it, a guidance to the pious} (Al-Baqarah 2:2).

{This is a Book which We have revealed unto you, in order that you might lead mankind out of the depths of darkness into light} (Ibrahim 14:1).

---

Excerpted with some modification from the author’s book Islam in Focus. The text is taken from WAMY website.

Slavery and freedom

 

The only option for man is to choose between two slaveries: slavery of his Creator, or slavery of all else. The prevalent Western thought today is essentially atheistic in nature, for it traces its origins to a reaction against the Church authority in medieval Europe, which subsequently became a reaction against religion in general. The effort was really to formulate a philosophical basis independent of religion, which was to become the foundation of the new scientific, political, economic, social and psychological thought.

This does not imply that all the details of knowledge thus produced are false, but that in essence, the foundation of all such knowledge is frail.

Often we mistakenly isolate the Western thought from its original environment and its secular and atheistic roots, considering it sound human thought valid for all times and places. Quite often, we even naively go on to claim, about one or another aspect of this thought, that our own Deen (religion) asserts precisely the same, or at least there is no contradiction.
In this article, I give an example of the concept of freedom, that is more or less agreed upon in the contemporary world that illustrates my point.

A free person is one whose freedom is absolute with no bounds whatsoever. He acts as he wills and does what he wills. However, any act necessitates knowledge, motivation and ability. An absolutely free man, thus, must possess absolute knowledge, perfect motivation and limitless ability. This is outright impossible. No actor can possess absolute knowledge, motivation and ability unless he is totally independent and self-sufficient of others and needs no knowledge or skill from others, for that would violate absolute freedom.

Hence, the claim of the advocates of democracy that man cannot be free if he obeys a law that is not of his own making, is essentially correct. However, they admit that man must live in a society, and this social life necessitates the existence of a State that commands, prohibits and watches; and the laws whereby the State carries out all these activities cannot be made by all the constituents of society.

Though the participation of individuals in a democratic system is more, than in alternative systems, the enactment of laws is inevitably the work of a minority of individuals who constitute the legislative system. It follows that even in a democracy, the people are not really free except to a small extent.

In fact, we argue that even participation in the enactment of laws is not a guarantee, for individual freedom for the individuals will invariably be dictated by the desires of their lower selves.

An individual who deprives himself of Divine guidance ends up doing all that his lower desires demand or his lust dictates -- like engaging in excess in food, drinking wine, drugs and obscenity. Such a human being -- and the likes of this abound in the West today -- is not free. True, he may not ostensibly be a slave of another human being, but he is a slave of his own low desires.

What is the way out of this slavery? The kind of freedom demanded by Western philosophies, in fact, is outright impossible. All people, including the atheists, admit that man is not his own creator, or his own sustainer; his knowledge is earned, not essential, and imperfect, and that he must depend for his life on factors out of his control. Sunlight comes from sun, water from rain, vegetation from the land, and he needs all that, without controlling any of it. So how is freedom possible? How can he be self-sufficient?

The faithful believe that Allah is the Creator, the Omniscient and Omnipotent, Who does as He pleases, and needs no one. Man, on the other hand, is created, and by virtue of this, is owned by his Creator. The one owned is a slave, not free. This essential fact of creation points to man being a slave, not a free entity.

However, he is a slave of the Creator and not of creation like himself. This slavery to his Creator is the very essence of his being, whether he likes it or not. In all that he does, he is bound and limited by the Will of his Creator.

True, man too has a will and freedom of action, but it is his Creator who decided to give him this freedom of will. Man's will, therefore, is not absolute, but limited by the Will of his Creator. If the Creator has the absolute Will, man may will what does not actualize, and may encounter what he does not like.

The Creator who made for His creation natural laws that are beyond the domain of human will, also made the laws of Sharee'ah -- a code for a life of willing submission to Allah, without which true success -- worldly or heavenly -- is impossible.

Doing what you will against the will of Allah even with your own property is a challenge to His authority, as mentioned in the Quran (which means): "They said: O Shu'ayb! Does your salah (prayer) enjoin you that we should forsake what our fathers worshipped or that we should not do what we please with regard to our property?" [Quran 11:87]

Pharaoh also thought his opinion superior and dictated it to his people, as mentioned in the Quran (which means): "Pharaoh said: 'I do only show you what I see, and I do but guide you to wise policy'." [Quran 40:29]

But the Creator Lord says (what means): "No just appraisal of Allah do they make when they say: 'Allah sends down nothing to man (by way of revelation).'" [Quran 6:91]

And (what means): "Does man think that he has been left aimless?" [Quran 75:38]

And (what means): "Say: 'See what things Allah has sent down to you for sustenance? Yet you hold some things unlawful and others lawful (without authority from Allah).' Say: 'Has Allah indeed permitted you, or do you attribute lies to Allah?'" [Quran 10:59]

We conclude that the assertion that man is free or must be free, in the absolute sense used widely in the West, is utterly falsified by reality. Furthermore, such an assertion negates belief that man is a slave-servant to Allah and must obey His decrees. Even some Christian authors seem to have realized this, among them the famous English author Lewis who said, roughly: 'I was not born to be free, rather to listen and obey.' - islamweb.net

By: Dr. Ja'far Shaikh Idris

Is There Relief With Every Difficulty?

I understand that when someone is suffering or in pain, they do not always mean everything they say.

Everyone faces problems at some time in their life. They never really go away. But Allah says in the Quran what means:

{So verily with every difficulty there is relief. Verily with every difficulty there is relief.} (Al-Inshirah 94:5-6)

This is part of life. It is never always easy, nor is it always bad.

Good and bad times come and go. We have to hold on to what we know is true and will never go away, Allah and His mercy.

If we are born with a disfiguration or a disease, we must consider this a test of our determination or faith, not as a ruthless act by God Almighty.

There is Always Hope

We must remain optimistic that our lives will improve and always remember that no matter how bad things may become it is never bad enough to give up our faith!

There is an old saying that says: “every cloud has a silver lining”. It is possible that something we dislike, or even a disaster, can have great benefit in it, but we don’t see it at the time.

On the other hand, something we like can be harmful, while we don’t realize it.

Allah knows best what is good for us and what harms us.

Our knowledge is quite limited so we need to keep our faith in Allah that He will never leave us when we are in need of Him and He will only give us what benefits us.

Also, He will never lay a burden on us that we cannot bear. The Quran reads what means:

{…On no soul doth Allah place a burden greater than it can bear…} (Al-Baqarah 2:286)

This instills us with great hope that our situation will improve, eventually.

The improvement may come quickly or take some time. It may never improve.

It doesn’t really matter because if we hold on firmly to our belief in God and in His mercy, our patience will be rewarded many times over for every obstacle or suffering we endured in this life.

Matters of Faith

So never give up your faith in Him.

God commands what is good and forbids what is harmful. It is not His fault if we disobey His commands. They are for our benefit, not His.

If we follow His guidance, there is great benefit to us in this life and a never-ending reward in the next life. If we disobey, we will suffer in this life and the next.

We should not put the blame on God for everything. Why do we not do something about human suffering when it is totally within our abilities as human beings, individually or collectively, to do so?

-aboutislam.net

Is It Haram to Take Your Husband’s Last Name?

 

Your wife may take your surname if she needs it for legal reasons. It’s not the same as the practice of claiming a false filial lineage, which is haram.

Islam considers the customs and conventions as long as they do not contradict the categorical imperatives of the Shariah. 

Our scholars have already established the rule that fatwa changes according to time. 

A wife taking on her husband’s family name in cultures where the practice is prevalent does not fall in the category of prohibition. The prohibition aims at claiming a false parentage; no one in these cultures ever thinks of such changes as false attribution of parentage.

Allah says, “Call them after their fathers. That is more equitable before God. And if you do not know their fathers, then they are your brethren in religion and your clients. There is no blame upon you for being mistaken therein, but only for what your hearts intended. And God is Forgiving, Merciful.” (Al-Ahzab 33:5)

Ibn Ashur, the eminent scholar, and Mufassir, explains this saying:

“This verse proceeds to abolish the practice of adoption prevalent at the time whereby a false filial lineage was practiced as the adoptive parents claimed the adopted child as their offspring.”

So the verse was revealed to correct this corrupt practice. It established that adoption does not change the reality of the biological lineage.

That does not apply to a wife taking on her husband’s family name, for it is not a false claim of change of lineage; it is simply an affiliation. 

We have precedents that show affiliation as opposed to a change of filial lineage is acceptable in Islam. For example, Wala, or affiliation to a person or a clan, was a common practice among Arabs; it continued in Islam. According to this practice, it was common for a freed person to take on the clan name of the ‘master.’ 

Another example is the practice of adopting a Kunya. Aishah, the beloved wife of the Prophet (peace be upon him), had the Kunya of Umm Abd Allah. However, she never had a son or daughter; Abd Allah was her nephew. Nevertheless, the Prophet (peace be upon him) called her Umm Abd Allah. No one mistook it as Aishah making a false claim of being the mother of Abd Allah. 

Still another example is the Prophet’s statement referring to Umm Ayman, his foster mother. He said she was ‘my mother’ after my mother. He did not mean to imply that Umm Ayman was his birth mother in any sense of the word. 

In light of the above, it is not objectionable for your wife to add your family name along with her own. 

I pray to Allah to bless us with discernment and rectitude in words and deeds.

Almighty Allah knows best.

Source: Askthescholar.com

Siwak: Preventive Medicine For Your Teeth

 

One of the best ways to protect one’s teeth is siwak. The Prophetic Sunnah contains several mentions of it. Siwak are cleaning wicks. They get their name from the Arabic word “yudlik”. Its rough translation is “massage” (i.e., massage the mouth). It means more than “tooth brush.”

The best type of siwak is that which comes from the araak tree. The siwak of the Prophet (PBUH) was from that tree.

Siwak is a natural twig fortified with natural minerals that help clean the teeth, other inhibitors that prevent gums from bleeding, cleaning agents that kill microbes and germs and a scent that gives breath a naturally fresh smell.

Siwak is an ideal, natural brush that has been endowed with more than any artificial toothpaste could ever have.

Siwak is a teeth cleaning twig made from the Salvadora persica tree known as arak. A traditional and natural alternative to the modern toothbrush, it has a long, well-documented history and is reputed for its medicinal benefits.

Like a toothbrush, the wicks on  siwak clean between the teeth and do not break under any amount of pressure; rather, they are flexible and strong. The small wicks bend to the appropriate shape to get plaque and leftover food out from in between teeth while avoiding any damage to the gums.

The Prophet (PBUH) taught us more than 1,400 years ago to use  siwak to clean our teeth and mouth and give it a nice scent.

Anas quoted the Prophet (PBUH) as saying: “Whenever the Angel Gabriel would visit me, he would advise me to use the siwak.”

The leftovers of food found between teeth provide an excellent environment for the festering of millions of bacteria, which can lead to painful and bloody gum disease and cysts. In the worst cases, there can be inflammation of the jawbones.

Bacteria also produce damaging enzymes that eat away at the calcium of the teeth, which causes cavities. In severe cases, the bacteria produce gases that emit nasty stenches from the mouth.

Modern scientific studies have found that siwak has natural minerals that kill microbes and germs and remove plaque.

The Prophet (PBUH) used to rub t siwak over his tongue, teeth and gums. Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari said, “I visited the Prophet, peace be upon him, and  siwak was at the edge of his tongue.”

Chemical Breakdown of A Siwak

Siwak has 19 beneficial ingredients in it. Most important among them are:

• Antibacterial acidic inhibitors that fight decay and diarrhea. They are natural disinfectants which can stop bleeding. They disinfect the gums and teeth and close any microscopic cuts that may have existed in the gums. On first usage, siwak will taste harsh and maybe even burn, because of a mustard-like substance found in it, but this is the ingredient that fights decay in the mouth and kills germs.
• Minerals such as sodium chloride, potassium, sodium bicarbonate and calcium oxides. These clean the teeth. For instance, the American Dental Association considers sodium bicarbonate to be a preferred ingredient in toothpastes.
• Natural scented oils that taste and smell nice, give the mouth a nice smell. They make up about 1% of
• Enzymes that prevent the buildup of plaque that causes gum disease. Plaque is also the no. 1 cause of premature loss of teeth.
• Anti-decay and anti-germ ingredients that act as a penicillin of sorts, decreasing the amount of bacteria in the mouth, which means cleaner teeth and cleaner air when breathing through the mouth.

Some researchers have found that dry brushes cause rapid tooth decay. Actually, wetting one’s toothbrush mitigates the damage. So siwak should be dampened before usage. If there is no alternative, one’s saliva will suffice to dampen the stick.

Siwak also has chemicals that cause the mouth to produce extra saliva, which is the mouth’s organic defense and cleaning mechanism. - aboutislam.net

The articles of faith

 

There are six pillars of Faith in Islam:

1. Belief in Allah (God),

2. Belief in His Angels,

3. Belief in His Books,

4. Belief in His Messengers,

5. Belief in the Last Day, and:

6. Belief in the Divine Preordainment and Divine Decree (Qadhaa' and Qadr).

1- Belief in Allah:

This article means to believe that Allah is the One God, to whom worship is due; that He is the Creator and the Sustainer of everything; that it is He who gives life and causes death, and that He is Unique in His Names and Attributes.

2 - Belief in His Angels:

Allah has created the angels from light. They are honorable slaves of Allah; they obey Him and execute His Commands; Allah describes them by saying: "…They do not disobey Allah in what He commands them but do what they are commanded." [Quran: 66:6]

Allah created them to worship Him, and only Allah knows how many they are in number. Among them are:

- Jibreel (Gabriel) who is charged with delivering Divine revelations to the Prophets and Messengers of Allah,

- Meekaa'eel (Michael) who is charged with sending the rain,

- The Angel of Death who is charged with collecting human souls,

- The bearers of the Throne of Allah and

- The guards of Paradise and Hell.

Besides these, there are angels who guard humans, others who record people's deeds and utterances, and still others who are charged with various other duties and tasks.

3 - Belief in His Books:

Belief in His Books is believing that Allah the Exalted did in reality reveal Books to His Messengers to convey them to their people. Those Books comprise the Speech of Allah. These were doubtlessly pure at the point of revelation, and whenever a Book or Scripture was revealed, it abrogated the preceding one. The known Divine Scriptures are:

1. The Torah, the Book that Allah revealed to Moosa (Moses), may Allah exalt his mention.

2. The Psalms, the Book revealed to Daawood (David), may Allah exalt his mention.

3. The Gospel, revealed to 'Eesa (Jesus), may Allah exalt his mention.

The Books in the hands of the Christians and Jews today, that is the Torah and the Bible with the Old and the New Testaments, are not authentic because they have been distorted, altered and tampered with. Moreover, they have been abrogated by the last of Allah's Books, the Quran.

4 - Belief in His Messengers:

Muslims attest that Allah did send Messengers to every nation inviting them to worship Him Alone. This belief also entails denouncing all gods that are worshipped besides Allah or instead of Him, and that all Messengers were truthful and discharged their duty in the best manner. Allah sent many messengers, and only Allah knows how many. It is incumbent upon all Muslims to believe in all the Prophets and Messengers. He who denies one of them denies all. The first messenger that Allah had sent to mankind was Nooh (Noah), may Allah exalt his mention and the last one was Muhammad . Allah says (what means): {And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying]: 'Worship Allah and avoid Taaghoot (i.e., false deities)...} [Quran: 16:36]

All Prophets and Messengers were human beings. Allah distinguished them by commissioning them as Prophets and Messengers and supported them with miracles. They had no Divine qualities, and had no access to the Unseen world. However, Allah sent Prophet Muhammad  to all mankind; Allah says (what means): {Say [O Muhammad]: 'O mankind! I am the Messenger of Allah to you all....'} [Quran: 7:158]

Of all the Messengers, there are five who were the most persevering and determined to do what Allah had enjoined upon them. They were Nooh, Ibraheem (Abraham), Moosa, 'Eesa and Muhammad . Muhammad  was the last and the best of them all, and remains the best of all human beings.

5 - Belief in the Last Day:

Muslims attest to the truth of everything Allah or His Messenger  said about death. Allah has not created His creation in vain. He created men and jinn to worship Him and promised paradise as a reward to those who obey Him and His Messengers, and promised Hellfire to those who disobey Him or His Messengers. He has set a certain period for the whole universe, whose end will be the Final Hour. During the Final Hour, humans will be questioned about their deeds in this world. Those deeds will be weighed for them. One whose good deeds overweigh his evil deeds will prosper, while him whose bad deeds outweigh his good ones will be condemned to Hellfire - unless he died in the state of Islam. Then, Allah would either forgive him or punish him, and eventually he would enter paradise. Islam is the precondition for the acceptance of any good deed.

The Description of Paradise:

Paradise, or Jannah in Arabic, is the abode that Allah has prepared for believers. It holds means of everlasting bliss that no eyes have ever seen, no ears have heard of and no human has imagined. In it are pure female mates, rivers of milk, rivers of wine, rivers of pure honey and every kind of delicious fruit and meat. Its residents will not experience exhaustion, boredom or death.

The Description of Hell:

Hellfire is the abode that Allah has prepared for the infidels who deny Him and His Messengers. Its food is intolerantly bitter, and its drink is the pus exuding from the skins of its inmates. Its depth is unfathomable. The infidels and the hypocrites will live in it forever.

6 - Belief in the Divine Preordainment and Divine Decrees (Qadhaa' and Qadr):

Doom (Qadhaa') is the general Decree of Allah that every human shall die, whereas a Divine Decree (Qadr) is a particular Decree of Allah or the execution of Qadhaa', that a certain person is to die at a particular time and place. Hence, believing in this article entails believing that Allah has created everything and has foreordained its proper measure.

The Facets of Qadr:

1. Allah is well acquainted with everything taking place, and His Knowledge encompasses everything.

2. Allah has pre-assigned portions of everything in the Preserved Tablet.

3. Nothing takes place in the heavens or on the earth without the Will of Allah and His Wish. Whatever Allah wills, takes place and whatever He does not will, does not take place.

4. Allah is the Creator of all things. There is no other creator beside Him.- islamweb.net