“O Allah, Make us of Your ‘Few’ Servants!”

Taken from www.suhaibwebb.com

From Kitab al-Zuhd by Ahmad bin Hanbal | Translated by Jinan Bastaki

When Umar bin al-Khattab radi allahu `anhu (may God be pleased with him) was walking in the market, he passed by a man who was supplicating, “O Allah, make us of Your ‘few’ servants! O Allah make us of Your ‘few’ servants!”
So ‘Umar said to him, “Where did you get this du`a’ (supplication) from?” And the man said, “Allah in His Book says ‘And few of My servants are grateful.’(Qur’an 34:13)” So ‘Umar wept and admonished himself, “The people are more knowledgeable than you, O Umar! O Allah make us of Your ‘few’ servants.”
Sometimes when you advise someone to leave a sin, they respond with “But most people do it, it’s not just me!” But if you look for the words “most people” in the Qur’an, you will find that most people “do not know” (7:187), “do not give thanks” (2:243) and “do not believe” (11:17). And if you look for “most of them”, you will find that most of them are “defiantly disobedient” (5:59), “ignorant” (6:111), “turning away” (21:24), “do not reason” (29:23), and “do not listen” (8:21).
So be of the “few”, whom Allah says about them:

“And few of My servants are grateful.” (34:13)

“But none had believed with him, except a few.” (11:40)

“In the Gardens of Pleasure, A [large] company of the former peoples, And a few of the later peoples.” (56:12-14)

Ibn al-Qayyim (ra) said, “Go on the path of truth and do not feel lonely because there are few who take that path, and beware of the path of falsehood and do not be deceived by the greatness of the perishers.”

Poetry 3

Palestine

Israel aint on my map, nor in my heart.
It aint even there, as much as our enemy tears us apart.
It’s army are killers, deserving no title of…soldiers.
Sick minds built to shed our blood with their folders.

Cowards, scream like women, confronted by stones.
Their tactics for information gain, to break and crumble bones.
Targets are babies, prisoners are boys and old men,
Using same old excuses, again and again.

They have no name where I am concerned,
For the horror and pain over years I have learned.
Animals, dogs have more morals and guilt.
For they don’t destroy lives innocently built.

Many may ask, well what about Palestinians?
My answer is this, most are civilians!
Those who bomb and those who shoot,
Have more likely been under ‘Israel’s’ boot.

Now tell me this, and be honest with me.
If you were their victim, then would you agree?
If they raped your sister in her own bed,
Shot your brother in the head,
Forced you too see one color, just red.
All you love, because of them are dead.

Then tell me, is attack of Gaza justified?
If you say yes, I know you have lied.
Is it fair? Is it ok? Is it ‘just’ a war?
What are these civilians dying for?

No human, no sane mind, can be comfortable with death,
Gaza massacred, children fighting for a final breath.
Protests are great and prayers are heard, but what now?
Who takes a stand and please tell me how?

If freedom loving America avoids this like the plague,
The fighters of terrorism, who know what’s on the next page.
If leaders remain quite, to this horror, this riot,
The people will search for a guide and supply it.

How long do you think the Muslims will slumber?
For when they come, they’ll bring down thunder.
And when they march they will strike fear.
And sad to say that time is near.

And when every Muslim feels an anger, the world will surely know.
This nation look out for each other, and they won’t always keep their profile low.

because if your home is invaded, surely you rise and fight.
You would not allow a killer to take down your family in the night.

And we call ourselves the strangers, the Muslims will unite.
And when and if the time will come, it will be a fair and equal fight.
No mercy will be shown, to ruthless forces who feel they can,
Delete the lives of every Muslim, woman child and man!

Gaza we are with you, Gaza we can see.
No media propaganda blinds the free.
You call on your brothers, your Ummah are here.
Allah chose the time, the location and year.

God is great…..and justice will be done without the help

of Islam’s enemies

Courtesy: www.Islamicpoem.com (by repenter86)

Selfie Syndrome – How Social Media is Making Us Narcissistic

What is Narcissism?

● Narcissistic personality disorder involves a preoccupation with self and how one is perceived by others. Narcissists pursue gratification from vanity and the admiration of their own physical and intellectual attributes.
Signs of narcissism:
○ Unilateral listening
■ Instead of listening in order to respond, narcissists listen in order to dismiss, negate, ignore, minimize or otherwise make someone else’s concerns irrelevant
○ Preoccupied with self
■ Narcissists act selfishly and, even if being generous, are generally only responsive to their own concerns
○ Being above the rules
■ Narcissists feel that they are above others and that the rules don’t apply to them
○ Inability to take criticism
■ While narcissists have an inflated idea of their own importance, they can be quickly deflated by negative criticism
○ Refusal to take responsibility
■ Narcissists have a tendency to blame others for things that go wrong
○ Quick to anger
■ Narcissists may become easily angered by critical comments or being ordered what to do
Negative Effects of Social media:
● According to research from California State University: Excessive use of social networking may be connected to psychiatric problems
○ Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
○ Depression
○ Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
○ Narcissistic Personality Disorder
○ Hypochondriasis
○ Schizoaffective and Schizotypal Disorders
○ Body Dysmorphia
○ Voyeurism
○ Addiction
The Effects of Popular Platforms:
● Facebook- The Social Mirror
○ People who use Facebook the most tend to have more narcissistic or insecure personalities
○ Those with higher narcissism scores were frequently updating statuses, posting pictures of themselves and using quotes or mottos to glorify themselves
○ Based on a study of Facebook users ages 18-25 using the Narcissism Personality Inventory and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale.
○ A 2012 survey of divorce lawyers showed that Facebook had been implicated in ⅓ of all divorce filings the previous year
● Twitter- The Social Megaphone
○ In a University of Michigan study of college undergraduates, it was found that those who scored higher in narcissism also posted more often on Twitter
○ Young people are using Twitter to broaden social circles and broadcast views. This usage leads people to over evaluate the importance of their opinions
Is narcissism an inevitable reaction to our social culture?

Courtesy :
www.bestcomputerscienceschools.net