Islam in China

Dear readers, I have just discovered a very nice blog and website about Islam in china. It gives the reader very interesting information, which many of us lack. It gives a very clear historical account about Islam and Muslims in the far East. I enjoyed visiting this site, and hope you will enjoy it as well

the address: http://islaminchina.info

Motherhood

Kizzi the cat became a mother for the first time on 22nd of March, which coincided with Mother's Day here in England. She gave birth to five lovely kittens. Amazingly kizi's personality has changed dramatically since then.

Kizzi used to spend more hours of her day outdoors hunting for mice, teasing birds, chasing leaves moved by the wind, or just sitting in the garden reflecting

Kizzi is very affectionate and grateful. She always rubs her nose against each of us. And she cannot start eating whithout giving me a kiss, her way of saying "thanks for the food, mum". During our meal-time, Kizi would come to the table to taste what we eat and remains in our company for sometime

Since giving birth to her babies, she spends nearly 22 hours breast feeding, licking and cleaning them and of course sleeping while the kittens feed on her milk. She would not go out more than once or twice, probably for her natural needs. As soon as she returns home, she gives us a short meow, her way of saying salam. Then, she rushes to her babies straightaway. Now, busy Kizzi hardly shares with us our food during our meal time.

Though very busy, she does not forget to give me my thank you kisses for the food. Actually, since being a mum, Kizzi became more affectionate and a lot more grateful! Amazingly, among all this hard work on her side, while the babies are sleeping she comes out from the nest to stretch her muscles and play with the children just for few minutes, then back again to her kittens. Peeping my eyes through to see her in her nest, I can see a very dedicated happy mother, who seems contented to play her role in life

Kizzi's behaviour is not like that of robots. Rather, she pauses when we offer her food to taste during meal time. She seems to think for few seconds, then makes up her mind to resume to her new job, looking after the babies. This dedication to her role in life brings to minds Qur'anic surah 20, verse 50:

"قال ربنا الذى أعطى كل شئ خلقه ثم هدى"

Moses said, 'Our Lord is He who gave everything its form, then gave it guidance

Reflecting on the dramatic change in Kizzi's behaviour; the sense of responsibility, the way she religiously attends to her babies, the way she balances her life according to her new responsibility make me wonder:

How honest, responsible and dedicated these animals are to the duties ordained upon them by Allah

Comparing Kizzi's dedication to her duities with some of the modern mums reminds me how has modern life changed the minds of many mothers and made them ignore their instinct, forget and detest their main role and duty in life?
This also reminds me of verse 72, surah 33

"إنا عرضنا الأمانة على السماوات والأرض و الجبال فأبين أن يحملنها وأشفقن منها وحملها الإنسان إنه كان ظلوما جهولا"

We offered the trust to the heavens, the earth, and the mountains, yet they refused to undertake it and were afraid of it; mankind undertook it - they have always been inept and foolish

Sincerity

The companion of the Prophet, Umar Ibn al-Khttab, may Allah be pleased with him narrated that the Prophet Peace be upon him said:

إنما الأعمال بالنيات وإنما لكل إمرء ما نوى، فمن كانت هجرته لله ورسوله فهجرته لله ورسوله ومن كانت هجرته لدنيا يصيبها أو إمرأة ينكحها فهجرته إلى ما هاجر إليه
Indeed, all actions are [done] by intentions, and for each individual is that which he intended for. So, whoever migrates for Allah and His messenger, then his migration is for Allah and His messenger, and whoever migrates to gain worldly matters or to marry a woman, then his migration is for that which he migrates for

Before explaining this teaching it is essential to clarify three key concepts:
1- al-niyyaat, is the plural of niyah, which means different motives, and intentions behind doing anything. In other words, it is what we deliberately intend in our hearts, either good or bad.

2- al-a'maal, is the plural of the Arabic word 'amal, which means any act in general. From the Islamic point of view, acts can be broadly classified into three categories:

• Wrong-doings or sins which incur punishment, if people meet Allah without repenting.
  
• Good deeds; include obligatory deeds of worship which one gets rewards for doing them and earns sins for ignoring them, and recommended deeds, which one earns rewards for doing them and no sins for not doing them
  
• Permissible acts such as habits or acts like eating, sleeping, having rest etc. Doing or ignoring these acts earns the individual no rewards or sins.

However, good and sincere intention can transform permissible acts into good deeds. On the other side, good intention cannot in any way transform wrongdoings or sins into good deeds.


3- al-ikhlas, means sincerity, which implies purifying one's intention for Allah's sake. So, al-ikhlas or sincerity in Islamic understanding means that one does things purely to please Allah and in accordance to what He the all-Mighty ordains.

Explanation of the previous hadith
Indeed, all actions are [done] by intentions,
This sentence implies lots of meanings;

• all actions of mature rational persons are done according to different motives or intentions. In other words, people have different intentions behind their actions.
• The accountability before Allah will be on actions that are founded by intentions. This is confirmed in the Qur'an in surah 2 verse 225:

لا يؤاخذكم الله باللغو فى أيمانكم ولكن يؤاخذكم بما كسبت قلوبكم والله غفور حليم
"Allah will not call you to account for oath you uttered unintentionally, but He will call you to account for what you mean in your hearts. Allah is most forgiving and forbearing."

and in surah 33, verse 5

ليس عليكم جناح فيما أخطأتم به ولكن ما تعمدت قلوبكم
"...You will not be blamed if you make a mistake, only for what your hearts deliberately intend"

• Allah's acceptance of any action depends on the intention and motive behind doing it, not just the nature or the category of that act.

'and for each individual is that which he intends for'
This sentence is not a repetition of the previous sentence. Rather it refers to the rewards for one's actions:

• This sentence implies that each individual should expect to get what he intends for by his actions. So, if he intends to please Allah by his actions, he expects to gain Allah's pleasure and consequently Paradise, provided that his actions are in accordance to Islamic rules and laws. But, if the person intends by his actions worldly gains, he should expect to get what he intends for. He should not expect to gain Paradise, which he did not work for. For example, if someone planted daffodil bulbs, logically he expects to get daffodils, not roses. Logically, if one studies at the school of medicine, he expects to graduate as a medical doctor not a lawyer or an engineer.

• It also implies that Allah's acceptance of deeds depends on the intention behind them not just their nature or classification. The good deeds that are done for reasons other than pleasing Allah do not count as good deeds in the hereafter. This meaning is reflected clearly in the previous verse 114 in surah 4. This fact is also confirmed in another teaching by the Prophet, who said:

إن الله لا يقبل من العمل إلا ما كان خالصا لوجهه
"Indeed, Allah accepts only the deeds that are done purely for seeking His pleasure"

In the other half of this hadith, the Prophet may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, confirms the meanings of the previous two sentences by giving us an example of the same act (migrating), which is done for different motives. The individual who migrated to please Allah and follow His messenger, he should expect to be rewarded by Allah. But the individual who migrated to earn worldly gains, or to marry a woman he should expect to get what he worked for. So, it is not sensible to work for your own worldly gain and expect to be rewarded paradise for it.

Thus, in order to be successful in our life and make the most of it we need to purify our intention and be sure that everything we do is purely done to please Allah. Then, we expect to be drawn nearer to the King of the Worlds, the owner of the Heavens and Earth, and the Owner of Paradise.