Page 4 The Islamic Bulletin Volume XXIV No. 28 treat each other, how do we help each other. So I’m going to dedicate my life to using my name and popularity to helping charities, helping people, uniting people…..we need somebody in the world to help us all make peace. So when I die, if there’s a heaven, I want to see it. The odds are everybody in this room, some of you gonna be dead 20 years from now, some of you gonna be dead 50 years from now. Some of you gonna be dead 30, some of you gonna be 60, 70 years from now. We all gonna die soon and if you live to be say 125 years old, which we don’t do, we don’t have but about 80 years on earth. This is a test to see where we will spend our life, heaven or hell; this is not the life now. Your real self is inside you, because your body gets old. Some of you go to look at the mirror and you don’t have teeth, your hair is leaving you, and your bodies are getting tired. But your soul and your spirit never die, that’s gonna live forever. So your body is just housing your soul and spirit. So God is testing us on how we treat each other and how we live to see where our real home will be in heaven. So this physical stuff don’t last for so long. So my car, this building is gonna be here when the man who built is dead. There have been many kings and queens of England, they all dead. After this one is gone another one comes. So we don’t stay here; we’re just trustees. We don’t own nothing. Even your children are not yours. If you think I’m lying, your wife is not yours. You don’t own your children and you don’t own your family. So what am I saying? The most important thing is what’s gonna happen when you die. Are you going to heaven or hell? And that’s eternity! How long is eternity?? Let’s imagine. Take the Sahara Desert. There’s a lot of sand on the Sahara Desert, right? Then imagine that one grain of sand represents 1000 years. And when you in hell burning, when you die and go to hell, you gonna burn forever and ever and ever. No end. How long is that? To give you an idea of how long eternity is, take the Sahara Desert and I told you to wait 1000 years and every 1000 years I want you to pick up a grain of sand until the desert is empty. Ok, wait 1000 years--pick up a grain, wait another 1000 years before you get the next grain, keep that up until there’s no more sand in the desert. I mean, America is not but 200 years old. We got 800 more years before 1000 so just scares me to think that I’m gonna die one day and go to hell. …………..so what am I gonna do when I’m through fighting? I only have 16 years to be productive and get myself ready to meet God and go to the best place. Does that make sense? Today Muhammad Ali is 72 years old and resides in Scottsdale, Arizona with his wife, Lonnie. He is suffering from Parkinson’s disease, which is a degenerating disease that affects a person’s muscle tone and central nervous system. We at the Islamic Bulletin ask that all Muslims around the world join us in making dua’ for Brother Ali and all the sick and suffering Muslims around the globe. Ameen Forgiving in Ramadan Forgiving is giving up your right to hate or hurt the person who hurt you. Hate hurts you physically, mentally and emotionally. Forgiveness gives you peace, tranquility and happiness. Allah described the believers and said: “And those who avoid the major sins and immoralities, and when they are angry, they forgive.” (Quran 42:37) The Prophet (P) said: “It is not permissible for a Muslim to abandon his brother for more than three days, each of them turning away when they meet.The better of them is the one who gives the greeting of salaam first.” The Prophet (P) also said: “The gates of Paradise will be opened on Mondays and on Thursdays, and every servant of Allah who associates nothing with Allah will be forgiven, except for the man who has a grudge against his brother. About them it will be said, ‘Delay these two until they are reconciled. Delay these two until they are reconciled. Delay these two until they are reconciled.’” Another hadeeth regarding forgiveness states that the Prophet (P), while sitting in the mosque with his Companions, pointed out a person who entered the mosque as being of those who would enter Jannah. He did this for 3 days, and every time, it was the same person who entered the mosque. Abdullah bin Amr (RA) wanted to know what quality this man possessed that made the Prophet (pbuh) say that about him, so he spent three nights with that man. He did not notice that the man prayed the optional night prayers during any of these nights, but if he woke up during the night, he would simply mention Allah. So before he left, he had to ask him what he did that was so special that the Prophet (P) identified him as a man of Jannah. The man replied: “My deeds are nothing more than what you saw, but the only thing I do is that I do not hold any grudge against any Muslim or envy anyone for what bounties Allah has granted them.” Thereupon ‘Abdullah Ibn Amr (RA) said to him: “This difficult quality to obtain is what granted you this rank.” When he entered the city of Makkah after the victory, the Prophet (P), had in front of him some of his staunchest enemies. Those who fought him for many years, persecuted his followers and killed many of them. Now he had full power to do whatever he wanted to punish them for their crimes. It is reported that the Prophet (P) asked them, “What do you think I shall do to you now?” They pleaded for mercy. “No blame on you today. Go, you are all free.” Subhanallah, soon thereafter they all came and accepted Islam due to his huge act of mercy. This Ramadan, let’s try and forgive everyone who has hurt us. It shows strength, self confidence and a desire to be forgiven by Allah. Let us forgive our parents, spouse, relatives, friends, and co-workers. During Ramadan, the doors of Allah’s (SWT) mercy and forgiveness are open. How can we raise our hands and ask Allah for forgiveness but not be willing to forgive another human being?
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