The First QUALITY OF A MUSLIM COMMANDER - True, constant and firm Faith

It is essential for a military man to have true and firm Faith in order to lead in the political and missionary spheres. A strong, firm and solid faith leaves a lasting and deep influence on the personality. This is a basic virtue that empowers the heart with courage, valor and a total lack of fear and ambition. Whether the army faces victory and glory or obstacles and defeat, intelligence and wisdom are never thrown off balance. In the battlefield whether faced with glorious triumph or humiliating defeat, only that army adopts a balanced viewpoint and mode of operation, which has the right faith and the right perspective.
It has often been seen in martial clustery that a victorious army and its general lose all sense of proportions and display a total loss of sense of proportion. It is intoxicated with it success and goes berserk. Civilians are killed, women are raped and human dignity is insulted and betrayed. The social system of the conquered territory is turned upside down, and social and moral values are eroded and destroyed.
But the Muslim generals regard victory with modesty and humility as a blessing and gift of Allah Almighty. This attitude is solely due to trust, faith and a right sense of values. When the Prophet entered Makkah triumphantly after conquering it, his head was bowed low down to the hump of his horse ingratitude to Allah Almighty, His Creator. He declared universal amnesty for all the people of Makkah. Similarly, a successful general who in war faces obstacles, problems and adverse conditions, instead of losing heart, turns and moves closer to Allah. He faces all difficulties with courage and bravery. This competence and ability is born of confident reliance on, and perfect and absolute trust in Allah Almighty.
This is the reason why the Prophet ,instead of losing hope in the disaster of the battle of Uhud led his injured Mujahedeen right up to Harnra' Al Asad in hot pursuit of the Quraish without giving them an opportunity to turn around and enter Al Madinah to celebrate their success. This shows that if the leading general is courageous and ambitious, he can recoup his losses and turn defeat into victory.Misfortunes and defeats fail to overcome his spirits and,ultimately it is this high morale which lifts up the sagging spirits of his soldiers and leads them to triumph.
One day the Commander in Chef of the Muslims, Messenger of Allah , was lying down in the shade of the Ka'bah, resting one of his most loyal Companion Khabbab bin Arait, who had suffered deeply from the Kuffar, asked him when Allah Almighty would help them; the suffering and cruelty had reached its utmost limits. The Prophet SAW sat-up and said: "0 Khabbab, Are you giving up so easily with just these little problems? Our predecessors who spoke up for the Truth and worshiped the Truth had suffered much more than us. Saws were used to tear them apart, and combs made of iron were used to rake their flesh, but they remained stubbornly adherent to the Truth. The greatest torture and tyranny failed to make them recant or retract an inch from their positions. 0 Khabbab, be patient and very soon you will see for yourself the gentle and halcyon days of peace everywhere. The land of Arab will become the cradle of loving and serene brotherhood. From San'a' to Hader Al Moat wayfarers will be able to travel in peace, with no fear of danger."
Calamities, misfortunes and problems have to be faced with patience and fortitude because they prove to be the forerunners of victory and success. And how does one inculcate these qualities? They are born of a deep and abiding faith in Allah Almighty; many a time, because of these qualities, events which be wilder man's powers of reason and logic occur in the battlefield. One of the greatest generals in the history of Islam, Khalid bin Waleed , right in front of the enemy fearlessly and boldly drank up a bottle of deadly poison. This lethal dose of poison did him no harm! This was because he had absolute faith that Allah Almighty could negate the effect of the poison. The enemy was "I did not fight in the battlefield for Amirul Mo'nliizeez 'Umarbin Khattab's; I fought to bring glory to Allah and Islam. I can continue to perform my duty even as an ordinary soldier. Therefore I do not regret receiving a letter of dismissal."Such an attitude can only be the result of the deep faith and a righteous viewpoint.

 

Entrepreneurship 

Beard In Islam

Beard

Shaikh 'Abdur-Rahman As-Sa'idi stated that the Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him ordered us to trim our mustaches

and grow our beards. He also informed us that to trim it (facial hair) is from the Majus and the polytheists; He warned his nation from following that misguided custom. So, truly it is strange that we see someone who believes in Allah and His Messenger, yet is stingy in following the example of the Prophet Peace Be Upon Him, the Companions, and the Tabi'een (successors of the Companions), Allah has honored men with beards and has made their beauty and character appears in it, so woe to the one who shaves it, for he has disobeyed his Lord openly, Do all of those that shave their beards think that they have achieved a handsome appearance? Surely, they have not, since it shames the face of a man and takes away from its nobility. Following the misguided example of others often makes evil things seem comely. Did the people of knowledge not say that if anyone attacked another by shaving his beard and that if it did not ever grow again, then upon the attacker is the responsibility of paying full blood money? This illustrates the honor and good that Allah (the Exalted) has placed in men who keep beards. In parallel to the previous example, imagine the state of one who assaults his own honor and dignity by removing his beard.

Muslim Contribution to Engineering

Engineering

- Windmills

-Axle

- Crankshaft

- Waterwheel

- Hydraulic Apparatus

- Magnetic Needle

-Dams

- Guns and Cannons

- Wind, Tidal and Steam Power

Many centuries before the Industrial Revolution in Europe, Muslims had already started on the path of innovation in the field of engineering and industrialization. There is ample evidence that suggests that Muslims were the first to make industrial uses of tidal power, wind power and steam power.

As for wind power, the Muslims were using windmills in the 7''' century CE to grind com and to draw water for irrigation. It is reported that windmills were widely used during the rule of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab", the second Khaleefah.

Building on the knowledge of the water flows, the Muslims invented water turbine, which had water wheels with curved blades onto which water flow was directed axially. This was first described in a 9th century CE Arabic text for use in a watermill.

The Muslims are noted as the first to invent various types of industrial mills. These include, hullers ", paper mills , saw mills, ship mills, stamp mills, steel mills, sugar mills and tide mills. By 11^th century CE, mills of all types were established across regions from Spain and North African to the Middle East and Asia.

In additional to the mills, many other industries were established for astronomical instruments, ceramics, chemicals, distillation technologies, clocks, glass, matting, mosaics, pulp and paper, perfumery, petroleum, pharmaceuticals, rope-making, shipping, shipbuilding, silk, textiles, weapons, and the mining of minerals such as sulfur, ammonia, lead and iron. The first large factory complexes were built for many of these industries. Knowledge of these industries was later transmitted to medieval Europe.

Another area of ingenuity of the Muslims can be seen in harnessing steam for power. Engineer Taqi al-Din described the first practical steam turbine as a prime mover for rotating a spit. In his book, AI- Turuq alSaniyya fi al-Alat al-Ruhaniyya (The Sublime Methods of Spiritual Machines), completed in 1551 CE, he wrote:

The Muslims' contributed greatly towards mechanical engineering as well. They worked on the mechanics of wheel, usage of axle, waterwheel, lever pulley, gears, toothed wheel, and other mechanical devices such as crank shaft.

Amongst the famous mechanical engineers of the 13th century CE was Abu al-'Isa Ismail ibn Razzaz Badi al-Zaman al-Jazari. He wrote amply on various mechanical engineering topics and invented a number of machines. His best work was published in 1206CE title AI-Jami bain al amwal-Amal al-Nafi fi Sinat 'at al-Hiyal (The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices), in which he described in great detail 50 mechanical devices. Amongst his work include water clocks, hand washing device (for making ablution), machines for raising water, double acting pumps with suction pipes, use of a crank shaft in a machine, calibration of orifices, lamination of timber to reduce warping, static balancing of wheels, use of paper models to establish a design and casting of metals in closed mould boxes with green sand.

Qaisar ibn Abu al-Qasim, a mathematician and astronomer (d. 1251 CE) made improvements on the waterwheels. Such improved types of water-wheels are still seen on Orontes10 and are among the landmarks of Hama. Muslims led the world at that time in making clocks. Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn Rustam al-Khurasani was a famous constructor of clocks, and as a result, he was called al-Sa 'ati (the clock maker).

The Muslims were also the first to use explosive material in guns and cannons. The purpose of this invention was to throw bullets at the enemy from a long distance. The Chinese used sodium nitrate only. But the penetrating power of explosives was discovered and used only by the Muslims. The earliest known military applications of these explosive gunpowder compositions were the explosive cannons first used by the Muslims to repel the Mongols at the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260 CEo The statement given by Ibn Khaldun in his History of Berbers also proves the use of the guns at the time of war.

Defining Taqawa

Defination of Taqawa for Quran and Ahadith of Prophet (PBUH)

Taqwa is an Arabic word which is explained as a shield against wrongdoing and further expounded as to be “conscious of Allah” or to have “fear of Allah” or to be “cautiously aware of Allah”.
This consciousness and fear of Allah is understood as a protection and a shield against wrongdoing. The abstention of evil through this fear, consciousness and establishing a cautious awareness of Allah, ultimately develops one’s love of Him.

The only basis of superiority and excellence that there is, or can be, between man and man is that of moral excellence. As regards birth, all men arc equal, for their Creator is One, their substance of creation is one, and their way of creation is one, and they are descended from the same parents. Moreover, a person’s is born in a particular country, nation, or clan is just accidental. Therefore, there is no rational ground on account of which one person may be regarded as superior to the other. The real thing that makes one person superior to others is that one should be more God-conscious, a greater avoider of evils, and a follower of the way of piety and righteousness. Such a man. Whether he belongs to any race, any nation and any country, is valuable and worthy on account of his personal merit. And the one who is reverse of him in character is in any case an inferior person whether he is black or white, born in the east or the west. These same truths that have been stated in this beef verse of the Qur'an, have been explained in greater detail by the Holy Prophet in his addresses and traditions. In the speech that he made on the conquest of Makkah, after going round the Ka'bah, he said: 'Thank God Who has removed from you the blemish of ignorance and its arrogance. O people, men are divided into classes: the pious and righteous, who arc honorable in the sight of Allah, and the sinful and vicious, who arc contemptible in the sight of Allah, whereas all men are the children of Adam and Adam had been created by Allah from clay." (Baihaqi, Tirmidhi). 

On the occasion of the Farewell Pilgrimage, in the midst of the Tashriq days, he addressed the people, and said: 'O people, be aware: your God is One. No Arab has any superiority over a non-Arab, and no non-Arab any superiority over an Arab, and no white one has any superiority over a black one, and no black one any superiority over a white one, except on the basis of taqva (piety). The most honorable among you in the sight, of Allah is he who is the most pious and righteous of you. Say if I have conveyed the Message to you?" And the great congregation of the people responded, saying: Yes, you have, O Messenger of Allah." Thereupon the Holy Prophet said: "Then Iet the one who is present convey it to those who are absent," ( Baihaqi) In a Hadith he has said: "You are all the children of Adam, and Adam was created from the dust. Let the people give'up boasting of their ancestors, otherwise they will stand more degraded than a mean insect in the sight of Allah." ( Bazzar) In another Hadith the Holy Prophet said: "Allah will not enquire about your lineage on the Day of Resurrection. The most honourable in the sight of Allah is he who is most pious. "(Ibn Jarir) In still another Hadith he said: "Allah does not see your outward appearances and your possessions, but He sees your hearts and your deeds." (Muslim, lbn Majah). These teachings have not remained confined to words only but Islam has practically established a universal brotherhood of the believers on the basis, which does not allow any distinction on account of color, race, language, country and nationality which is free from every concept of high and low, clean and unclean, mean and respectable, which admits all human beings with equal rights, whether they belong to any race and nation, any land or region.
“It is not taqwa that you turn your faces toward East or West, but it is taqwa to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book and the Messengers, to spend of your substance out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer and practice regular charity; to fulfill the contracts you have made; to be firm and patient, in pain and adversity. Those are the truthful and those are the muttaqun.” [Qur’an 2:177]
Taqwa in Ahadith
The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “The most common thing which leads people to Paradise is taqwa of Allah and good conduct, and the most common thing which leads people to the Hell Fire is the mouth and the private parts.” [Tirmidhi]
Tafseer ibn Kathir mentions that Atiyah As-Sa’di said the Propeht (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “The servant will not acquire the status of those with taqwa until he abandons what is harmless out of fear of falling into that which is harmful.” [Ibn Majah, Tirmizi]
"O ye who believe! Have taqwa of Allah and let every soul look to what provision he has sent forth for the tomorrow." [Al-Hashar, 59:18].

Taqwa (piousness) means, to fear, to refrain and to defend oneself from sins on account of fear of Allah. Muttaqi (pious) is a religious person who lives paying attention to taqwa.The first thought about taqwa is to refrain from harams (forbidden things). Refraining from Makrooh acts (abominable acts) comes after that. Makrooh means a disgraceful and abominable act, talk or behavior. Giving them up is also of taqwa. After that, we confront doubtful things. They have a relationship with harams like as makrooh acts. The suitable behavior in the name of taqwa, when confronting a doubtful, undefined matter, is to think its probability of being haram and to give it up. Then, Mubah (permissible) and Halâl (Lawful) acts and behaviors come. Enjoying them sufficiently and avoiding waste is also of taqwa.Allah’s Messenger (Peace and Blessings be Upon Him), in one of his Hadiths says:” Lawful things are defined, so are unlawful things. However, there are some suspicious things between these two. When a shepherd puts his sheep out to pasture near a forest, there is a possibility that sheep could enter into that forest at any time; similarly, the one who does not refrain from doubtful things could go into harams. “