BaKhabar, January 2013, Page-3

OUR JOURNEY TO THE DAY OF RESURRECTION, Part- XIX [Stage of “Qantarah”]

-- By Gheyas S Mahfoz Hashmi, Jeddah (hgheyas@albatool.com.sa)

… Continued from previous issues

Below are links to all the previous parts for the convenience of readers and those who are seeking Jannah.

Part-1 || Part-2 || Part-3 || Part-4 || Part-5 || Part-6 || Part-7 || Part-8 || Part-9 || Part-10 ||Part-11 || Part-12|| Part-13 || Part-14 || Part-15 || Part-16 || Part-17 ... contd.

The next stage is “Qantarah”. It is situated at the end of the Sirat (Bridge) connected to Jannah (Mazhari). Believers will be stopped here before entering Jannah in order to settle their personal issues. Since Paradise is a place where ill-feelings and misunderstandings have no meaning, the people of Jannah will be purified here. These may not be actual enmity or hatred but due to differences of opinion on issues. According to some narrations, they will reach a stream of water, and will drink from it. By drinking, all malice and ill-feelings of their hearts will go off forever. So, they will enter Jannah as brothers.

Its brief description is mentioned in Quran (Al-Hijr/47 & Al-Araf/43). After reciting these verses Ali bin Talib (R) said, “I hope that we - Uthman, Talha and Zuba and me – shall be among those whose hearts will be cleaned of malice before entry into Paradise”. (Ibn Kathir).

The Prophet (S) said, “When the believers cross the Hellfire, they will be stopped at a small arched bridge (Qantarah) before entering the paradise and will be given retribution for injustices between them until they become purified. (Then) they will be permitted to enter Jannah. So, by the One in Whose Hands is my soul, they will know their way to their homes in Jannah, better than they know their ways to their homes in Dunya.” [Bukhari at the authority of Abu Sa’eed Al Khudree).

The Prophet (S) said ,”There will be two men from this Ummah that will come before Allah (ST). One man will say, “so and so has transgressed against me and I want from his good deeds.” Allah will tell him, “do you see this great palace in paradise?” And the man will look at the palace, and Allah will say to him, “it will belong to you if you forgive your brother today.” And the man will forgive him. Rasulullah (S) said at the end of this hadith “Safeguard yourselves from Allah, and reform and reconcile amongst yourselves, indeed Allah will reconcile between the believers (Hakim).

… to be continued, Allah willing.

Treating Christmas with Respect

.... By Abdul Malik Mujahid

Christmas is an annual Christian religious holiday commemorating the birth of Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him. For many Muslims who even do not celebrate the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, it becomes an issue of what stand they should take.

There have been a number of legitimate criticisms of the holiday from Muslims and non-Muslims based on theological and cultural considerations. However, this cannot be used to disregard the holiday as merely an exercise in ancient pagan practices, for instance, or excessive consumerism. Muslims have to remember that for practicing Christians, Christmas really is about Jesus.

Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was so accommodating of Christians that according to the two earliest Islamic historians, Ibn e Saad and Ibn Hisham, the Prophet even allowed a delegation of 60 Byzantine Christians from Najran in Yemen to worship in his own mosque in Madinah. Lead by their bishop (Usquf), they had come to discuss a number of issues with him. When time of their prayer came, they asked the Prophet's permission to perform this in the mosque. He answered, "conduct your service here in the mosque. It is a place consecrated to God."

The visit of Najran Christians:

God expects us to stay away from mocking the religious beliefs of others, no matter how much we disagree with them.

He says in the Quran: "And insult not those whom they (disbelievers) worship besides God, lest they insult God wrongfully without knowledge. Thus We have made fair-seeming to each people its own doings; then to their Lord is their return and He shall then inform them of all that they used to do" (Quran, 6:108).

We also have to remember that even if for many nominal Christians, the celebration is not really about participating in religious traditions, Christmas is a time for families to get together. In a number of cases it is the only time of year families get together, either because family members are scattered in different parts of the country or the world, because of communication and relationship problems, or because in America today, the family unit is becoming weaker and weaker.

Christmas is a great time to relate to our neighbors. We should not forget though, that "relating" does not mean "preaching". Dawah cannot be made in a rude manner.

Allah says in the Quran: "Invite (all) to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful advice, and reason with them by ways that are the best and most gracious: because your Lord knows best, (those) who have strayed from His Path, and those who receive guidance " (Quran, 16:125).

In particular, when dealing with Jews and Christians, Allah says: "Do not argue with the People of the Book unless it is in the politest manner, except for those of them who do wrong. Say: 'We believe in what has been sent down to us and what has been sent down to you. Our God and your God is [the same] One, and we are Muslims before Him'" (Quran, 29:46).
This may not be an occasion to emphasis the differences as much as the commonality of our beliefs, unless someone is really asking you about them.
A starting point for a discussion about Christmas could be the Islamic belief in all Books revealed by Allah and all Prophets sent by Him. In this discussion, special emphasis could be made on Prophet Jesus. Non-Muslims are often surprised to discover that Muslims also believe in their noble Prophet and his great mother Mary (peace be upon her).
source: Click here.