Basíc Englísh Grammar For All's Posts

Noun + To Be + Noun

Posted by Basíc Englísh Grammar For All on December 23, 2016

Noun + To Be + Noun

English Grammar Rules

Nouns are words that name things. Some common nouns include those used for animals, countries, food, languages, cities and countries.

When we are explaining things, we use Noun + To Be + Noun:

English is a language. (Noun + To Be + Noun)
A chicken is a bird. (Noun + To Be + Noun)

Singular Noun + IS + Singular Noun
We use IS between the two singular nouns.

Champagne is a drink.
Paris is a city.
France is a country.
French is a language.
Europe is a continent.

Note that we normally use an article (A / AN) before a singular noun.

Articles + Nouns
'A' or 'AN' are articles. In English we normally use articles before singular nouns.

A is used before a word that begins with a consonant.
AN is used before a word that begins with a vowel.

Vowels: A, E, I, O, U.
Consonants: B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, X, Y, Z.

For example:

Chile is a country. (A before consonant)
Santiago is a city. (A before consonant)
An apple is a fruit (A before consonant)
A dog is an animal. (AN before vowel)
A mosquito is an insect. (AN before vowel)
Qantas is an airline. (AN before vowel)

Plural Noun + Are + Plural Noun
Singular Noun + IS + Singular Noun
Plural Noun + ARE + Plural Noun

Note that we do not use an article (A / AN) with a plural noun.

For example:

A dog is an animal. (singular)
Dogs are animals. (plural)
Spanish is a language. (singular)
Spanish and Italian are languages. (plural)
Cities are places. (plural)
Countries are states. (plural)

Some Examples and expressions of Troublesome Words

Posted by Basíc Englísh Grammar For All on December 22, 2016

SOME EXAMPLES OF TROUBLESOME WORDS AND

EXPRESSIONS:

accept, except. Accept is a verb meaning “to approve” or “to receive”; except is usually a preposition meaning “not including.”

For example:

The gifted child accepted a donation from a generous parent.

All faculty members were promoted except the new ones.

adapt, adopt. Adapt means “to accommodate” or “to adjust to conditions”; adoptmeans “to accept” or “to use as one’s own.”

For example:

The class had a hard time adapting to the substitute teacher. The childless couple adopted a beautiful baby girl.

Advice, advise. Advice is a noun meaning “helpful suggestion, recommendation or counsel”; advise is a verb meaning “to give advice.”

For example:

The girl sought advice from the priest.

The Dean advised the teacher against taking a leave of absence.

Affect, affect. Affect is a verb meaning to “influence”; effect is usually a noun meaning “a result or consequences.”

For example:

His family problems have affected his work performance.

The serious effects of environmental degradation are unimaginable.

All ready, already. All ready means that everyone is ready; already means “previously ” or “by this time.”

For example:

The children are all ready for the evaluation next week.

Gordon has already settled his accounts.

All together, altogether. All together means “considered as a group”; altogethermeans “entirely” or “completely.”

For example:

They ate all together at the Japanese restaurant.

The mother felt altogether ecstatic when her son topped the exam.

allusion, illusion. An allusion is an indirect reference to something; an illusion is a false perception or unreal impression of something.

For example:

In her essay, she made an allusion to the 1987 Constitution.

It is believed that a magician's trick is just an illusion.

a lot (of), lots (of), alot, allot. A lot or lots are colloquial for many or much. Alot is a misspelling of a lot.

For example:

His godfather gave him lots of money last Christmas. (Colloquial)

His godfather gave him much money last Christmas. (formal)

Our math teacher has given us a lot of assignments. (Colloquial)

Our math teacher has given us many assignments. (Formal)

Allot means “to appropriate, assign, or distribute to a plan.”

For example:

Congress allotted twenty million pesos for infrastructure.

Alright. Nonstandard for all right. Do not use.

Anyone, any one. Anyone is an indefinite pronoun meaning “any person”; any onemeans “a single person or thing.”

For example:

Anyone can ask the speaker questions about the lecture.

You are required to answer any one of the questions.

Awhile, a while. Awhile is an adverb.

For example:

We stayed awhile in my sister’s house.

Do not use awhile as the object of a preposition (in, or, after); instead, use a while(a noun). For example:

The exam lasted for awhile. (nonstandard)

the exam lasted for a while. (formal)

Beside, besides. Beside is a preposition meaning “by the side of.” Besides is a preposition meaning “except” and an adverb meaning “in addition (to).”

For example:

I stood beside my dean at the convention. (by the side of)

She thought of no one besides him. (except)

Besides, she has what it takes to be a star. (In addition)

Burst, busted, bust. Burst is a verb meaning “to break apart or explode.” Its principal parts are burst, burst, and burst. The use of busted or bust is nonstandard and should be avoided.

For example:

We were asked to bust the balloon. (Nonstandard)

We were asked to burst the balloon. (standard)

Cite, sight, site. Cite means “to name or mention”; sight means “to see”; sitemeans “place” or “location’.

For example:

Writers of academic papers should cite sources of information.

The military sighted the fugitive in a remote province.

The site of the fast food restaurant is beside the university.

Coarse, course. Coarse means “rough in texture”; course refers to a unit of study or a path. For example:

The surface of the floor is coarse.

Two basic courses will be offered next term.

Environmentalists opposed the construction of the golf course.

Complement, compliment. Complement means “to complete or enhance.” Compliment means “to express praise.” Both words can be used as verbs or nouns.

For example:

His intelligence will complement her efficiency. (Verb)

For one to succeed, discipline is a complement for hard work. (noun)

The students complimented the chair for her organizational skills.

(Verb)

Responses to compliments may vary across cultures.

Noun)

Continual, continuous. Continual means “repeated frequently.” Continuous means “without interruption.”

For example:

There was continual laughter from the audience during the show.

The clock click continuously.

Council, counsel. Council is a noun that refers to an assembly of people. Counsel as a noun means “advice or guidance,” or refers to an attorney. Counsel as a verb means, “to advice” or “to give a helpful recommendation.”

For example:

The council of deans will meet on Thursday. (Noun)

The accused sat beside her counsel during the arraignment. (Noun)

The psychologist counseled the emotionally disturbed person. (verb)

Desert, dessert. Desert as a noun with the accent on the first syllable means “a dry, arid region of land.” Desert as a noun with the accent on the second syllable means “a deserved reward or punishment.” Desert as a verb (accent on the second syllable) means “to leave without any intention to return.” Dessert is a noun meaning “sweets served as the final course of a meal.”

For example:

Camels thrive on the desert.

Faculty members who work hard get their just deserts.

Soldiers who desert the military are punished accordingly.

A tray of assorted fresh fruits makes a great dessert.

Device, devise. Device is a noun meaning “a form of equipment.” Devise is a verb meaning “to invent.” For example:

She bought the device in the US.

Jeffrey devised a plan to motivate teachers to do more research.

Different than, different from. Different from is more acceptable. However, use different than when the word than is used to introduce a dependent clause. For example:

The teachers’ part in the program was entirely different from the students’.

The topics they were told to study were different than the things that came out in the exam. (than introduces dependent clause than the things that came out in the exam)

Disinterested, uninterested. Disinterested means “impartial, not influenced by personal bias.” Uninterested means “not interested.” For example:

A judge must be a disinterested party in a case. The students were making noise because they were uninterested in the lecture.

Dyeing, dying. Dyeing means “imparting color to a material.” Dying means “to cease to be alive.”

For example:

He is dyeing his shirt again. Pedro was beside his grandmother when she was dying.

Each other, one another. Each other refers to two people. One another refers to more than two people. For example:

Husband and wife should bring out the best in each other. The members of the group helped one another to get a high grade.

Emigrate, immigrate. Emigrate means “to have a country or region.” Immigrate means “to enter a country or a region.”

For example:

Several families emigrated from the southern region due to the deteriorating peace and order situation in the area.

Several families immigrated to the city.

Eminent, imminent. Eminent means “prominent in rank.” Imminent means “likely to occur.” For example:

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is an eminent person.

A coup d’ etat is imminent because of the current political crisis.

Farther, further. Farther means “to a more distant place.”; further means “to a greater extent” or “in addition.” For example:

The bus cannot go any farther than Quezon.

He said she cannot help him any further.

Fewer, less. Fewer refers to a number of things; less refers to an amount.

For example:

There were fewer participants than we had expected.

There is less water in the glass.

Formally, formerly. Formally means “in a proper form.” Formerly means “at a prior time.” For example:

She was formally introduced to his family.

The lady was formerly connected with the Accounting Division.

Hanged, hung. Use hanged as the past tense or past participle of hang only when it means “an execution.” in all other cases, use hung.

For example:

The criminal was hanged in public.

The entries in the lantern contest were hung for public viewing.

Hisself, ourself, theirselves, themselves. These are nonstandard forms of reflexive pronouns. Instead, use himself , ourselves and themselves.

He has no one to blame but himself.

If, whether. Use whether when there is an alternative or choice.

For example:

My chair asked me whether I took a service or availed myself of a sabbatical.

The President wanted to know if you finished your Ph. D. (Do not use or not after whether).

Imply, infer. Imply means “to suggest.” Infer means “to conclude based on a suggestion.” Therefore, writers and speakers imply (make a suggestion), whereas readers and listeners infer (draw conclusion).

For example:

The speaker implies that there is corruption in every agency of government.

From the given data we can infer that the case will prosper.

Irregardless. Nonstandard usage , instead, use regardless.

For example:

We should pursue our dreams regardless of the consequences.

Its, it’s. Its is the possessive form of the pronoun it. It’s is a contraction for it is.

For example:

Its length is 120 centimeters.

It’s a wonderful day today.

It’s me. Colloquial for it is I. Although the expression has become acceptable in informal conversation, it is better to use the proper form in writing. For example:

It’s me again. (Colloquial) It is I again. (Formal)

Kind of, sort of. Both expressions are colloquial. Better use somewhat or rather.

For example:

The poor are kind of disadvantaged. (Colloquial)

The poor are somewhat disadvantaged. (Formal)

Later, latter. Later, a comparative form of late, means “after the due time” or “tardy.”Latter is used to compare things; it refers to the last one mentioned.

For example:

She will see you later today.

Between love and career she chose the latter.

Lay, lie. Lay always takes an object complement. Lay means “to set or to place.” Lie never takes an object. Lie means “rest.”

For example:

She will lay her cards on the table during her meeting with the staff.

He usually lies down on the couch before dinner.

Loose, lose. Loose (rhymes with moose) is the opposite of tight. Lose (rhymes with shoes) means “to remove from one’s possession.”

For example:

She will always brings loose coins hen she travels.

You will lose your chance of getting a high grade.

Mad, angry. Mad means insane. In writing , do not use when the meaning is angry.

For example:

His teacher was mad at him. (Colloquial)

His teacher was angry at him. (Formal)

May be, maybe. May be is a verb phrase similar to might be. Maybe is an adverb that means perhaps.

For example:

You may be reprimanded for the lapse you have committed. (verb)

Maybe you should see me soon. (Adverb)

Most, almost. Almost is an adverb meaning nearly. Most is the superlative form of more. Do not use most when you mean almost.

For example:

Most all of the students have left the school. (Colloquial)

Almost all of the students have left the school. (Formal)

Myself, (herself, himself, ourselves, themselves, yourself. Do not use reflexive pronouns where a personal pronoun will fit.

For example:

The members of the committee are Juan, Pia, and myself. (Nonstandard)

The members of the committee are Juan, Pia, and I (Formal)

Passed, past. Passed (past tense of the verb pass) refers to a movement or successful completion. Past refers to a former time. As a preposition, past means “beyond”.

For example:

The boy passed the entrance exam given by the prestigious school.

He passed the ball to his teammate.

Our differences are all in the past.

They walked past the monument.

Personal, personnel. Personal is an adjective meaning “private.” Personnel is a noun meaning “workers” or “employees.”

For example:

A resume usually includes personal data about an applicant. The Director issued a memorandum to all personnel.

Principal, principle. Principal can be a noun (“a leader, a chief part, or a sum of money”) or an adjective (“highest in rank”). Principle is a noun meaning “a fundamental truth or law.”

For example:

The new high school principal met with the teachers.

She will pay the principal plus interest.

I admire people who do not compromise their principles.

Quiet, quite. Quiet (rhymes with diet) means “not noisy.” Quite (rhymes with right) means “very.”

For example:

She is looking for a quiet place where she can concentrate on her review.

The participants did quite well in the competition.

Reason is because, reason why. The reason is because is nonstandard usage. Instead, use the reason is that or just because.

For example:

The reason I was absent is because I was hospitalized. (Nonstandard) The reason I was absent is that I was hospitalized. (Formal)

I was absent because I was hospitalized. (Formal)

The reason why is redundant. Instead, use either why or the reason , but not both.

For Example:

You should know the reason why I was absent. (Colloquial).

You should know why I was absent. (Formal)

You should know the reason I was absent. (Formal)

Stationary, stationery. Stationary means “fixed, not moving.” Stationery is writing paper.

For example:

The boats were in a stationary position when the giant waves swept them.

She bought two packs of stationery at the bookstore.

Suppose to, supposed to. Suppose to is nonstandard. Always used supposed to.

For example:

We are supposed to abide by the Constitution.

Sure, surely. Sure is an adjective ; surely is an adverb. Colloquially, sure is sometimes used as an adverb.

For example:

Her siblings sure want her to graduate this year. (Colloquial) Her siblings surely want her to graduate this year. (Formal)

Than, then. Than is a conjunction used to make comparisons. Then is an adverb meaning “at that time”, or it can be an adverbial conjunction similar to therefore.

For example:

The lady basketball player is taller than you.

The teacher then moved on to the group activities.

It rained for a whole day; then roads were impassable.

Their, there, they’re. Their is a possessive pronoun meaning “belonging to them”

For example:

Sheila and Shirley turned in their assignments ahead of time.

There is an adverb meaning the opposite of here. Also, there can be used as the introductory word of a sentence.

For example:

I saw the cat there.

There are several causes of air pollution.

They’re is a contraction for they are.

For example:

They’re in Afghanistan as part of the UN peacekeeping mission.

To, two, too. To is a preposition.

For example:

He moved to Davao City three years ago.

Two is a number.

For example:

With her new diet she is losing two pounds a day.

Who’s, whose. Who’s is a contraction for who is or who has. Whose is the possessive form of who (“belonging to whom”). For example:

Who’s going to see the Dean tomorrow? (Who is)

Who’s got loose coins? (Who has)

Whose wallet is on the table?

Your, you’re. Your is the possessive form of you. You’re is a contraction for you are.

For example:

Your proposal has been turned down.

You’re the source of inspiration for so many students.

Causative Verbs

Posted by Basíc Englísh Grammar For All on December 22, 2016

Causative Verbs

Causative verbs

Causative structures indicate that one thing or person causes another thing or person to do something or be something.

Examples of causatives
Have (give someone the responsibility to do something)
I had John fix the car
I had my hair cut
Make (force someone to do something)
The teacher made the students work in groups
Our boss made us work extra hours
Get (convince or trick someone into doing something)
He got the mechanic to repair the machine.
She got him to read more.
Let (allow someone do something)
Jane let her son go out
They let the children play in the yard
Other causative verbs
Other causative verbs include:
allow, help, enable, keep, hold, force, require, persuade

Words of wisdom

Posted by Basíc Englísh Grammar For All on December 13, 2016

Words of wisdom

"Acquire knowledge, it enables its professor to distinguish right from wrong; it lights the way to heaven. It is our friend in the desert, our company in solitude and companion when friendless. It guides us to happiness, it sustains us in misery, it is an ornament amongst friends and an armour against enemies." (widely attributed to the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh))
"A Muslim who plants a tree or sows a field, from which man, birds and animals can eat, is committing an act of charity." (Muslim)
"There is a polish for everything that takes away rust; and the polish for the heart is the remembrance of Allah." (Bukhari)
"What actions are most excellent? To gladden the heart of human beings, to feed the hungry, to help the afflicted, to lighten the sorrow of the sorrowful, and to remove the sufferings of the injured." (Bukhari)
"The most excellent Jihad is that for the conquest of self." (Bukhari)
"If you put your whole trust in Allah, as you ought, He most certainly will satisfy your needs, as He satisfies those of the birds. They come out hungry in the morning, but return full to their nests." (Tirmidhi)
"When Allah created his creatures He wrote above His throne: 'Verily, my Compassion overcomes my wrath." (Bukhari & Muslim)
"Allah will not give mercy to anyone, except those who give mercy to other creatures." (Abdullah b. Amr: Abu Daud & Tirmidhi)
" 'Son, if you are able, keep your heart from morning till night and from night till morning free from malice towards anyone.' Then the Prophet said: 'O my son! This is one of my laws, and he, who loves my laws verily loves me.' " (Bukhari)
"Say what is true, although it may be bitter and displeasing to people." (Baihaqi)
"Kindness is a mark of faith, and whoever is not kind has no faith." (Muslim)
"When you see a person who has been given more than you in money and beauty, look to those, who have been given less." (Muslim)
"If you do not feel ashamed of anything, then you can do whatever you like." (Abu-Masud: Bukhari)
"O Lord, grant me your love, grant me that I love those who love you; grant me, that I might do the deeds that win your love. Make your love dearer to me than the love of myself, my family and wealth." (Tirmidhi)
"It is better to sit alone than in company with the bad; and it is better still to sit with the good than alone. It is better to speak to a seeker of knowledge than to remain silent; but silence is better than idle words." (Bukhari)
"Verily, a man teaching his child manners is better than giving one bushel of grain in alms." (Muslim)
"Whoever is kind, Allah will be kind to him; therefore be kind to man on the earth. He Who is in heaven will show mercy on you."(Abu Daud: Tirmidhi)
"It is difficult for a man laden with riches to climb the steep path, that leads to bliss." (Muslim)
"Once a man, who was passing through a road, found a branch of a tree with torns obstructing it. The man removed the thorns from the way. Allah thanked him and forgave his sins." (Bukhari)
"Who are the learned? Those who practice what they know." (Bukhari)
"Allah has revealed to me, that you must be humble. No one should boast over one another, and no one should oppress another." (Iyad b. Hinar al-Mujashi: Muslim)
"Who is the most favoured of Allah? He, from whom the greatest good comes to His creatures." (Bukhari)
"A true Muslim is thankful to Allah in prosperity, and resigned to His will in adversity." (Muslim)
"A Muslim who meets with others and shares their burdens is better than one who lives a life of seclusion and contemplation." (Muslim)
"Serve Allah, as you would if you could see Him; although you cannot see Him, He can see you. (Umar: Muslim)
"Allah does not look at your appearance or your possessions; but He looks at your heart and your deeds." (Abu Huraira: Muslim)
"The best richness is the richness of the soul." (at the field ofTabuk, Syria, Rajab 9 A.H.: Bukhari)
"Keep yourselves far from envy; because it eats up and takes away good actions, like a fire eats up and burns wood." (Abu Daud)
"Much silence and a good disposition, there are no two things better than these." (Bukhari)
"Verily, Allah is mild and is fond of mildness, and He gives to the mild what He does not give to the harsh." (Muslim)
"Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet him." (Bukhari)
"Once the Prophet was asked:'Tell us, which action is dearest to Allah?' He answered:'To say your prayer at its proper time.' Again he was asked: 'What comes next?' Mohammed said: 'To show kindness to parents.' 'Then what?' he was asked, 'To strive for the cause of Allah!' " (Ibn Masad: Bukhari)
"When two persons are together, two of them must no whisper to each other, without letting the third hear; because it would hurt him." (Bukhari & Muslim)
"Verily, it is one of the respects to Allah to honor an old man." (Bukhari)
"All Muslims are like a foundation, each strengthening the other; in such a way they do support each other." (Abu Musa: Bukhari & Muslim)
"Strive always to excel in virtue and truth." (Bukhari)
"You will not enter paradise until you have faith; and you will not complete your faith till you love one another." (Muslim)
"He, who wishes to enter paradise at the best gate, must please his father and mother." (Bukhari & Muslim)
"I am leaving two things among you, and if you cling to them firmly you will never go astray; one is the Book of Allah and the other is my way of life." (Farewell Pilgrimage: Muatta)
"Allah is One and likes Unity." (Muslim)
"The best of alms is that, which the right hand gives and the left hand knows not of." (Bukhari)
"The perfect Muslim is not a perfect Muslim, who eats till he is full and leaves his neighbors hungry." (Ibn Abbas: Baihaqi)
"He is not of us who is not affectionate to the little ones, and does not respect the old; and he is not of us, who does not order which is lawful, and prohibits that which is unlawful." (Ibn Abbas: Tirmidhi)
"No man is a true believer unless he desires for his brother that, what he desires for himself." (Abu Hamza Anas: Bukhari & Muslim)
"To strive for the cause of Allah from daybreak to noon and sunset is better than the goods and enjoyment of the whole worldly life." (Bukhari)
"Be not like the hypocrite who, when he talks, tells lies; when he gives a promise, he breaks it; and when he is trusted, he proves dishonest." (Bukhari & Muslim)
"The proof of a Muslim's sincerity is, that he pays no heed to that, which is not his business." (Abu Hureira: Tirmidhi)
"Do you know what is better than charity and fasting and prayer? It is keeping peace and good relations between people, as quarrels and bad feelings destroy mankind." (Muslims & Bukhari)
"Conduct yourself in this world, as if you are here to stay forever; prepare for eternity as if you have to die tomorrow." (Bukhari)
"The worldly comforts are not for me. I am like a traveller, who takes a rest under a tree in the shade and then goes on his way." (Tirmidhi)

THE SEVEN UNDER THE SHADE OF ALLAH (SWT)

Posted by Basíc Englísh Grammar For All on December 13, 2016

The Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) said:"There are seven whom Allah will shade in His Shade on the Day when there is no shade except His Shade: a just ruler; a youth who grew up in the worship of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic; a man whose heart is attached to the mosques; two men who love each other for Allah's sake, meeting for that and parting upon that; a man who is called by a woman of beauty and position (for illegal intercourse), but be says: 'I fear Allah', a man who gives in charity and hides it, such that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives in charity; and a man who remembered Allah in private and so his eyes shed tears.'"

(Abu Hurairah & collected in Saheeh al-Bukhari (English trans.) vol.1, p.356, no.629 & Saheeh Muslim (English trans.) vol.2, p.493, no.2248)

In this beautiful Hadith, the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) spoke about small acts of worship which result in such a huge reward: shade on the Day when there will be no shade except His Shade. This may not seem like much at first but then reflect upon the following Hadith: 'On the Day of Resurrection, the sun would draw so close to the people that there would be left a distance of only one mile. The people will be submerged in perspiration according to their deeds, some up to their ankles, some up to their knees, some up to the waist and some would have the bridle of perspiration and, while saying this, the Messenger of Allah put his hand towards his mouth.' (al Miqdaad ibn Aswad & collected in Saheeh Muslim (Eng. trans) vol.4, p.1487-8, no. 6852}.

And in another Hadith, some will be submerged in sweat 'seventy arm-lengths in the earth.' (Abu Hurairah and collected in Saheeh al-Bukhari (Eng. trans.) vol.8, p.353, no.539) and Muslim (Eng. trans.) vol.4, p.l487, no.6851)

So who would want more then, on this Day, than to be under the Shade and protection of Allah Azza wa Jall?

Let us examine now the characteristics and virtues of these seven categories of people who will be worthy of such an exalted position on the Day of Gathering:

1. 'A Just Ruler'

The concept of Justice in Islam is very important and it is something which the Muslim - Ruler and the ruled - must apply in all matters without exception. Justice means to give each the right he deserves: Muslim or non-Muslim, relative or stranger, friend or enemy. Allah says: '...And do not let hatred cause you to act unjustly, that is nearer to piety (al-Maa'idah 8).

Unfortunately, even if we admit this in theory, we quickly forget it in practice. So we find that when we speak about our friends and loved ones, we praise them beyond reason and when we speak about those whom we hold difference with, we can find no good in them and we just capitalize on their bad points. This is far removed from the justice which Allah loves and gives great reward for, as mentioned in the following Hadith: 'The doers of justice will be on thrones of light at Allah's Right Hand - and both of Allah's Hands are Right Hands"- those who were just in their Ruling, with their families and in all that over which they were given authority.

The Prophet assigning to Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud the open spaces in Madina between the dwellings and palm gardens of the Ansar, and when the Banu Abd Ibn Zuhrah said, "Remove from us the son of Umm Abd (Ibn Mas'ud)," replying, 'Why then did Allah send me? Allah does not bless a people among whom a weak man is not given his right.'" (Baghawi transmitted it in Sharh as-Sunnah. Sunan at-Tirmidhi no.3003)

The concept of justice is most important for the Ruler, since he is in charge of his people and the primary disposer of justice in the land. For this reason, the Ruler is given special mention as one of the seven who will be honored with Allah's Shade.

2 'A youth who grew up in the worship of Allah'

The great scholar, Ayyoob as-Sakhtiyaanee (d.131H) said, "From the success of a youth is that Allah guides him to a scholar of the Sunnah. (Hasan - Reported in Sharh Usoolis-Sunnah of al-Laalikaa'ee no.30).

Indeed, it is a great blessing from Allah for a youth to be guided towards worship and be befriended by the righteous, since it is in youth that a person is most vulnerable to the temptations of life and liable to drift away from the Islamic Path. This becomes apparent when we look at society around us and we see that most of the worldly distractions, such as music, games, clubs, fashion etc. are all specifically targeted at the young. "You're only young once!" they are told, which is why many Muslims nowadays waste their youth thinking that they will pray, wear Hijaab and go to Hajj, etc. when they are old, as if they have a guarantee of longevity from Allah! How well we would do to heed the Prophet's advice when he said: 'Take benefit of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your sickness, your wealth before your poverty, your free time before you are preoccupied and your life before your death.' Sahih - Narrated by Ibn Abbaas & collected in al-Haakim & others. Authenticated by Shaikh 'Alee ibn 'Abdul Hameed in Forty Hadith of the Call and the Caller.

3. 'A man whose heart is attached to the mosques'

There is great encouragement in the Sunnah for men to pray in the mosques and the reward associated with it is tremendous. Not only does it make the person eligible for Allah's Shade on the day of Judgment, but, 'he does not take a step towards the mosque except that because of it, he is raised by one rank and one sin is removed from him. Then when he prays, the Angels do not cease supplicating for him (for) as long as he remains at his place of Prayer (sayings): O Allah send blessings upon him, O Allah have mercy upon him...' (Abu Hurairah & collected in Sahih al-Bukhari (Eng. trans.) vol. 1 p.352 no.620).

It must be emphasized here however, that all the Hadith encouraging the men to be attached to the mosques are not intended to lead one to the conclusion that Islam is a religion which should be confined to the mosques, as many people imagine. Nonetheless, the mosque should be at the heart of the Muslim community, and the role of those in authority of the mosques is vital here. They are the ones mainly responsible for making the mosque a welcome refuge for the Muslims, rather than an arena for politics and power struggles as many seem to have become these days. And we seek Allah's refuge from this!

4. 'Two men who love each other for Allah's sake, meeting for that and parting upon that'

Having mutual love for the sake of Allah is one of the great doors leading to the good of the Hereafter and a cause of tasting the sweetness of Eemaan in this world. Loving one another for Allah's sake means that the Muslim does not love another except for the correctness of his Deen. So it does not matter what the person looks like, what he wears, how rich or poor he is, where he comes from, or what the color of his skin is - perhaps you dislike everything about him, but you love him for his Eemaan: this is loving for Allah's sake.

'Allah, the Mighty and Magnificent says: 'Those who have mutual love for the sake of My Glory will have pillars of light and will be envied the Prophets and martyrs.' (Sahih - Collected in Sunan at-Tirmidhee & Musnad Ahmad: 5/336-7).

Subhan Allah! Imagine being envied by Allah's chosen Messengers and those who were slain in His Path! Such is the reward of those who love one another for Allah's sake.

5. 'A man who is called by a woman of beauty and position but he says: 'I fear Allah'

This world is full of temptations which lead to burning in the Fire and amongst them is that which comes from women. Many a man has led his soul into destruction on account of the lure of a woman which is why the Prophet warned his Ummah specifically about this. He said, "The world is sweet and green and verily Allah is going to install you as successors upon it in order to see how you act. So avoid the allurement of women: verily the first trial for the Children of Israa'eel was caused by women." (Aboo Sa'eed al-Khudree & collected in Saheeh Muslim (Eng. trans.) vol.4, p.1432, no.6606)

The most important provision which we need to protect ourselves from this and all other temptations in life is the fear (khawf) of Allah. This fact is alluded to in the following Quranic Ayah: "And as for him who feared standing before his Lord and restrained himself from impure evil desires, verily Paradise will be his abode." (an- Naazi'aat:40-41)

6. 'A man who gives in charity and hides it, such that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives in charity'

This describes the type of person who goes to great lengths to protect himself from ar-Riyaa. Ar-Riyaa means to do deeds in order to earn the praise and recognition of people. This sin destroys all the benefits that lie in righteous deeds and brings on a serious punishment for the one who commits it. It is particularly dangerous because it is in man's nature to desire and enjoy the praise of others. Thus, great care has to be token to ensure that one's intentions begin and remain pure whenever good actions (such as charity) are being done. Not like what we see today where we have mosque notice boards announcing who gave what to whom, why and when! Allah warns: "O you who believe! Do not render vain your charity by reminders of your generosity or by injury, like him who spends his wealth to be seen of men and he does not believe in Allah nor in the Last Day." (al-Baqarah:264). May Allah preserve us from this.

7. 'A man who remembered Allah in private and so his eyes shed tears.'

Our noble Prophet (p.b.u.h.) informed us: "If you knew what l knew, you would laugh little and weep much." (Aboo Hurairah and Anas & collected in Saheeh al-Bukhari (Eng. trans.) vol.8, p.326-327, nos.492 and 493)

Crying is not a sissy thing to do. The Prophet, who was the best of all creations, would weep as would all of his Companions. Tears are a genuine expression of fear of Allah's Punishment and of our sincere love and awe of Him. But how often do we remember Allah in seclusion and are then moved to tears? How much do we laugh and how little do we weep? The Prophet said, 'There is nothing more beloved to Allah than two drops and two marks: A tear shed due to fear of Allah, and a drop of blood spilled in the path of Allah. And as for the two marks, then a mark caused in the path of Allah, and a mark caused by fulfilling one of the duties made obligatory by Allah." (Hasan - collected by at-Tirmidhee and al-Mishkaat: 3837)

Major Signs time of Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him's Birth

Posted by Basíc Englísh Grammar For All on December 12, 2016

» Every idol fell on its face.

» The magic of the sorcerers ended.

» The skill of the soothsayers (fortune-teller) departed.

» Lake Sawah (or Sivah) that was worshiped disappeared.

» A light appeared in Hijaz filling the whole world and moving eastward.

» On the morning following, the thrones of all the kings were found reversed.

» The palaces of Chosroes (Kisra), emperor of Persia, trembled, and fourteen of the towers fell.

» The fire of Fars, which had not been extinguished for a thousand years, were quenched that night.

» Stars lowering themselves and a light so bright appeared that nothing other than light could be seen.

» Iblis, the forefather of the devils, was blocked from the news of the sky so he rang out a very loud scream.

» The Valley of Samavah, where for a number of years no water had been seen, now flowed with that element.

» The devils were stricken with falling stars and were blocked from hearing any of the news exchanged by the angels in the sky.

» The wisest of the Magian clerics dreamed that a number of strong camels led the horses of Arabia across the Tigris into their territory.

» The sounds were heard from the idols in Makkah announcing the good news of the arrival of Prophet Muhammad (SallAllahu Alayhi wa Sallam).

» The animals talked and said, "We swear by the Lord of the Ka'bah! That Prophet is coming who is the guardian and protector of the entire world and is the sun of its people."
~
Extraordinary Events that Took Place When the Prophet was Born
The greatest event in the universe, for sure, is the birth of Prophet Mohammad, the Lord of the Universe.

This is because he is the seed of the tree of creation. If Allah had not willed his birth, there would neither be universe nor human beings now. Therefore, the door to the world of testing would not be opened. “If one looks at this great universe as if it were a book, the divine light of Prophet (pbuh) will be the ink of the pen of that book’s writer. If one considers this great universe as if it were a family tree, the divine light of Muhammad will be both its seed and fruit. If one considers the world a great living being, this divine light will be its spirit. If one considers it an enormous human being, that divine light will be its wit.” (1)

This is mystery to which the hadith “But for you, the dearest, I would not have created the skies (the universe)” indicates.

Moreover, Hazrat Muhammad’s prophethood is not particular to a specific community, but general and universal. Accordingly, some miraculous events would certainly occur when he honored the world with his arrival. And these events would make intelligent and sagacious people think.

During the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, the following miraculous events occurred:

A star was born at the night he was born

There were many scholars amongst Jews. They deduced from their books that the Messenger of Allah would come. They were expert in making conclusions from the movements of stars. At the night the Prophet was born, a star shone in the sky and Jewish scholars understood that the last Prophet was born.

Famous poet of the Prophet, Hassan bin Thabit describes it as follows:

“I was about eight years old. One morning a Jewish man was running crying out ‘Hey Jews!’ Jews gathered around the man saying ‘What is it? Why are you shouting?’ The man was crying out:

‘Let me give this news to you, Ahmad’s star was born tonight. Ahmad was born tonight.” (2)”

The following is narrated by Ibn al-Sa’d regarding the issue:

“There was a Jewish man living in Mecca. In the morning after the night the Messenger of Allah was born, he went and stood in front of the people of Quraish and asked: “Was a baby boy born tonight in your tribe?” People of Quraish answered: We do not know. Upon this answer, he continued his speech: “Go, search and seek; the prophet of this community was born tonight. He has got a sign on his back.”

People of Quraish went and made a search. They came to the Jewish man and gave the news: “Abdullah had a son tonight; he has got a sign on his back.”

The Jewish man went and saw the seal of prophethood. And he cried out as if he had lost his mind:

“Prophethood is not with Israelites anymore. The people of Quraish will be bestowed with such a great fame that it will be heard everywhere from east to west.” (3)

The sky was celebrating the birth of the Great Prophet with cressets of stars shining brightly.

Fourteen towers of Kisra’s Palace in the city of Madayin fell down

It was the night the Lord of the Universe was born. The clock struck the hour he was born.

The city of Madayin, which was in a deep sleep, woke up with a terrible crackling noise. The scene was terrifying and hectic. Fourteen towers of the Sovereignty Palace, which were so firm, had crackled and fallen down.

Kisra, who spent the night in fear, called religious leaders of the country for a meeting as soon as the morning broke. They would discuss about what happened that night in the meeting.

Kisra sat in his throne with his crown on. No sooner had they started the meeting than a man on horseback, running at a full gallop brought a letter. In the letter, it was written that the fires which had been burning brightly for thousands of years in Istahrabad died out.

This news added to Kisra’s fear and excitement.

At that time, Iran’s head qadi (judge), Mubezan, took the floor and told them a dream he had: “I saw that hundreds of roaring camels, with rearing Arabian horses before them, swam across the River Tigris and spread into the lands of Iran.”

Kisra found this dream of honest, knowledgeable and just Mubezan very meaningful. He grew nervous to the utmost. He wanted to solve this puzzle. He asked Mubezan, whose knowledge and wisdom he trusted: “Then, what does it mean?”

The head qadi’s answer was short and yet succinct: “It means that something very important will happen on the Arabian side.”

Upon this, Kisra wrote a letter to Numan bin Munzir, the governer of Hira. In the letter, he said ‘If there is anyone from the scholars there who are knowledgeable enough to answer my questions, send him here right away!”

Having received the letter, Numan understood the seriousness of the issue and sent a scholar named Abdul-Masih bin Amr to Madayin right away.

The ruler gave audience to the scholar right away. After telling the scholar what happened, Kisra asked him to explain them.

Abdul-Masih told him that he could not give information to Kisra about what happened and he added: “My uncle Satih, who lives near Damascus, has got enough knowledge to answer them.”

Upon this, Kisra assigned Abdul Masih to go and get information about the events from Satih.

Famous prognosticator of Damascus, Satih, was a freak of nature, his body being boneless and having almost no organs, his face being on his chest, and he was very old. He would lie on his back all the time. When he was called to a place, they would fold him like a packet. The news of the unknown and unseen he said was true and he was very popular with people of the time.

Abdul Masih covering a long, hard way, he arrived in his uncle Satih’s. Satih was living the last days of his life. He was suffering severely from a serious illness. The severity of the illness left him no strength to speak and he could neither salute him nor speak.

However, when Abdul Masih told him what happened, he suddenly changed. Satih, who was in throes of death in his bed, opened his eyes and started to cry out in excitement as if he was at the door of life and not of the grave: “O Abdul Masih! Divine revelation will be read more. The owner of the baton has been sent as a prophet. The Valley of Samawa had been flooded. The fire of the Persians has died out. And Damascus is not Damascus anymore for Satih. Keep in mind that the Unique Judge who can rule the time willed this and He tied up the both ends of the rope of prophethood.” He took a deep breath and added: “As many as the number of the towers that fell down, Rulers will come out from the Sasanids and then the promise will be realized.” (4)

Those words were the last words Satih spoke; as if he had waited to put this truth into words before dying. As soon as he finished speaking, he closed his eyes and submitted his soul to Allah.

Famous prognosticator Satih heralded the birth of The Last Prophet clearly with those words.

This event, which nothing like it was ever seen before, indicated that the sovereignty of Persia which was writhing in four dark beliefs of Mazdaism (5) would be swept away by the undying light which the prominent person who was born that night brought with himself. As a matter of fact; history witnessed it and what Satih foresaw occurred: the State of Persia was included into the lands of Islam by the Prophet’s army is Qadisiyya, after the sovereignty of fourteen rulers which lasted for 67 years.

Most of the idols, which covered the Qaaba with darkness and filthiness, broke and fell down

The idolaters of Quraish had covered the Qaaba with darkness of idols, which once was the place where Allah’s oneness had become an honored symbol for the first time. However, these idols which were clinched with lead, could not stand before the greatness of the birth of Great Prophet, the representative of the creed of Tawhid (Allah’s Oneness) and fell down.

This had an important meaning: The person who was just born would sweep away the idolatry as the duty assigned to him required. The creed of Tawhid, so pure and blissful, would bloom in peoples’ hearts.

The world witnessed it. The Honorable Prophet set the Qaaba free from those lifeless idols and also replaced the idols in hearts by the faith of Islam.

Enormous fire of Zoroastrians which had been burning for thousands of years in Istihrabad suddenly died out

Zoroastrians regarded that fire as their god. Upon the birth of the Prophet, that enormous fire died out like a simple fire killed by flood from the ocean.

That is to say; the person who was just born would sweep away Zoroastrianism, like Idolatry, too in a short time and would light up the earth with the cresset of Tawhid.

The famous Lake of Sawa (Tabariyya), which was deemed holy, dried up all of a sudden

It also indicated that the person who was just born would prohibit glorifying the things which Allah does not allow.

A divine light, which lit up the east and the west as if they had been a small room, was observed at the time of his birth

It meant that the religion which would be conveyed by the person who was just born would embrace the east and the west and would train and educate one fifth of humankind affectionately.

The Valley of Samawa disappeared under the floods

It was the night The Great Prophet was born.

Floods covered the Valley of Samawa and the city of Samawa. The people of the city sought refuge by climbing up the hills and mountains in horror. Then they wrote a letter to Kisra, explaining the situation, and asked for food and drink from him.

Stars fell down from the sky

Stars fell down from the sky like the leaves in autumn at the night the Prophet was born. (6)

That event indicated that the devil and the jinn would not be able to take information from the sky anymore. “As The Messenger was born with revelation, of course it was necessary to hinder prognosticators and the jinn who gave superficial information mixed with lies so that they would not mix doubts into revelation. Yes, prognostication was very wide-spread before the prophet. After the Quran was sent, it gave an end to them. Moreover, many prognosticators became believers, because they could not find their informants from the jinn anymore”. (7)

Of course, it was not coincidental that those events which had not been seen before occurred at the time the Prophet was born. They occurred with the will of the Eternal Might and heralded the world about the birth of the Last Prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh).

12. Stories from the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him)

Posted by Basíc Englísh Grammar For All on November 27, 2016

1. The Garbage Thrower: (a heart touching story)

2. THE HOLY PROPHET (peace be upon Him) AND THE SOUR GRAPES

3. SACRIFICE OF THE LAMB

4. THE HUMBLE ONE

5. HELPING HAND

6. The man who wanted to sell his camel

7. TYING THE CAMEL

8. SOME CHEERFUL MOMENTS FROM THE LIFE OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD

WHO WILL BUY THIS SLAVE

YOU ATE TOO MUCH DATES

CAMEL'S CALF

NO HEAVEN FOR OLD PEOPLE

COME ALONG WITH YOUR FULL BODY

ONE WITH TWO EARS

DONT IGNORE ME IN PEACE TIME

DREAMING FOR A FREE LUNCH

EVEN IF ABO ZAR DSESN'T WANT AND LIKE IT

WE ARE EVEN NOW

9. WEALTH AND POVERTY

10. The BEDOUIN AND THE PROPHET (S.A.W.)

11. THE PROPHET'S VISIT TO TAIF

12. IFTAR

13. The Orphan Boy

14. Mercy of our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) toward others

1. A Mercy Towards non Muslims and his Enemies.

2. The Prophet and the Appreciation of Women

3. What Prophet Muhammad Said About the Environment

4. A Mercy for Children

5. Mercy toward Animals

6. Conclusion

1. The Garbage Thrower: (a heart touching story)

She thought till late at midnight and finally decided how to take revenge from him. She could not sleep all night, because she was too eager to take revenge for the idols she worshiped. Even before the first ray of sunlight had entered her window, she was busy sweeping her house. She saved all the garbage in a basket, placed it on the roof of her house and proudly looked at it for a while, then with an impatient look on her face, she looked at the street that she lived on, and thought, "No one has ever seen him angry. Everybody will praise me when they will see him shouting at me and getting mad. They will laugh at him and make fun of him." She looked at the basket again and grinned.

Meanwhile, she heard footsteps, announcing the approach of the end of her waiting. "Finally my prey has arrived," she thought, as she saw a man dressed in clean, white clothes coming that way. She picked up the basket in her hands and threw all the garbage on him when he passed by. Much to the woman's disappointment, he did not say anything and continued on his way.

She did the same the following day thinking, "Maybe this time I will be able to annoy him." But he was too gentle to shout at a woman. She misinterpreted his attitude as fear and decided to repeat the same mischief everyday in order to keep him frightened, so that he might stop preaching the Oneness of God.

This gentleman whom the woman hated so much was Muhammad (pbuh), the last prophet of Allah Almighty. He did not want to disappoint the woman and so continued to walk down the street everyday, instead of picking an alternate route, and prayed for the woman to recognize the Truth.

One day, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did not find the woman to be on the roof of her house with the basket. This worried him, because he thought something must have happened to her for not being over there. So he knocked at the door. "Who is it?" asked a feeble voice. "Muhammad bin Abdullah," was the reply, "can I come in?" The woman feared, "I am sick, and too weak to fight or talk back, therefore Muhammad has come to take revenge for what I have been doing to him." But the permission to enter her house was in such a gentle voice that she allowed him in.

Muhammad (pbuh) entered the house and told the woman that not finding her on the roof had worried him and he thus wanted to inquire about her health. On finding out how ill she was, he gently asked if she needed any help. Hypnotized by the affectionate tone in the Holy Prophet's (pbuh) blessed voice, she forgot all fear and asked for some water. He kindly gave her some in a utensil and prayed for her health, while she quenched her thirst. This made her feel very guilty for being so cruel to him in the past and she apologized for her mean behavior. He forgave her and came to her house everyday to clean it, to feed her and to pray for her, till she was on her feet again. The kind attitude of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) inspired her into the recognition of the Truth, and his prayers were answered in the form of yet another addition into the growing number of Muslims.

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2. THE HOLY PROPHET (peace be upon Him) AND THE SOUR GRAPES

One day a poor man brought a bunch of grapes to the holy prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) as a gift.
The holy prophet (pbuhf) ate one, two, three and then the whole bunch of grapes by himself. He did not offer grapes to anyone present. The poor man who brought those grapes was very pleased and left. One of the companions asked, "O prophet of Allah (peace be upon Him) ! How come you ate all the grapes by yourself and did not offer to any one of us present?

The holy Prophet (peace be upon Him) smiled and said, "I ate all the grapes by myself because the grapes were sour. If I would have offered you, you might have made funny faces and that would have hurt the feelings of that poor man. I thought to myself that it's better that I eat all of them cheerfully and please the poor man. I did not want to hurt the feelings of that poor man."
Such were the manners of this most noble prophet of Allah.

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3. SACRIFICE OF THE LAMB

Just as the Prophet (S.A.W.), and his companions landed from their rides, and laid the loads down, it was decided that they would sacrifice a lamb for dinner.

One of the companions volunteered: "I will sacrifice the lamb."

Another: "I will skin it."

Third: "I will cook it."

Fourth: " I will...."

The Prophet (S.A.W.): "I will gather the wood from the desert."

The group: "O Messenger of Allah, it is not becoming of you to discomfort yourself as such. You rest. We will be honored to do all this on our own."

The Prophet (S.A.W.): "I know that you are eager to do it all, but Allah isn't pleased with the slave who distinguishes between himself and his companions, and considers himself better than others."

Then he went to the desert, and gathered some wood, and brought it to the group.

...........................................................................................................................................................

4. THE HUMBLE ONE

One day Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) was going somewhere at noon and it was too hot in the desert when He (S.A.W) saw an old woman carrying her luggage on her head. Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) helped her and took the luggage from the woman and carried it for her..

Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) asked the woman that where she was going and why? She said that I am leaving this town as I have heard that a magician named Muhammad (S.A.W) is in town.

As Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) was very patient and kind, He (S.A.W) didn't say a word and kept listening. The old lady kept complaining that why she was leaving the town.

In short the basic reason of her to leave the town was her misconception about Muhammad (S.A.W), who was walking beside her and she didn't knew it.

While walking with the Holy Prophet (peace be upon Him), that old women noticed that this young man have a brightness on his smiling and humble face. And she also noticed that His sweat is perfumed. She was very impressed.

When they reached the destination, Muhammad (S.A.W) put down the bag and was about to leave when the old woman said,"O, kind person! At least tell me your name!". Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) replied,"I am the person because of whom you left the town."The old lady was amazed to listen that and said that such a kind, helping and true person can never be wrong and therefore she also accepted Islam..

...........................................................................................................................................................

5. HELPING HAND

Once Muhammad (peace be upon him) saw a slave grinding some grain on a grinding mill driven by hand. As he ground the grains he was crying. On seeing this Prophet became anxious. He asked the slave the reason why he was weeping. The slave said, "I am sick. I cannot grind the grain. My master is very cruel and he will beat me if I cannot finish my job." At this, the Prophet stepped forward and ground the rest of the grain saying, "Always call me if you have any grain to grind. I will do it for you."

...

Another time, the Prophet (peace be upon him) saw an old man walking and trembling under the weight of water which he carried in a leather jacket. The old man walked a few steps and rested a bit. Seeing this, the Prophet took the load and carried it to his place.

...........................................................................................................................................................

6. The man who wanted to sell his camel

One day the holy Prophet of Allah was going somewhere when he met a man selling a camel.
The holy Prophet (peace be upon Him) liked the camel and bought it at an agreed price. The holy Prophet (peace be upon Him) did not have money on him at the time so he asked the camel dealer to follow him up to his home and he would pay him his due. The man agreed. As they were going, another man approached and asked
the camel dealer if he was selling his camel and for how much. He said that he had already sold the camel to the holy Prophet for such an amount. This man offered him better price and he agreed to sale the camel to him. The holy Prophet said to the camel dealer that since he had already sold the camel to him, it was wrong to break the agreement just like that. The man denied making any agreement.

Whilst all this was going on, the passers by stopped and wondered as to what was going on. The Apostle of Allah explained exactly what happened. Companions: O Prophet of Allah, do you have any witnesses to support your claim?" Holy Prophet (P): No. We have no witnesses as there was no one present when the agreement was made. Companions: Sorry, we don't think we can help you. How can we be sure who is telling the truth and who is lying? A very close companion of the holy Prophet happened to pass by and saw the holy Prophet (peace be upon Him) surrounded by the people. On inquiring about it, came to know what happened.

Companion: The Prophet (peace be upon Him) of Allah is telling the truth and the camel dealer is lying.

The holy Prophet: But you were not present when the agreement was made. So how can you judge without being there?

Companion: O Prophet of Allah, you said that there is Allah and we believed you, even though we haven't seen Him. You told us that Qur'an was the word of Allah and we believed you. You told us about angels, heaven and hell and we believed you, even though we haven't seen all these things. How is it possible that you would lie about such petty thing?

...........................................................................................................................................................

7. TYING THE CAMEL

The caravan had been traveling for few hours now. Signs of fatigue were obvious on their faces. They arrived at a point and stopped. The Prophet (S.A.W.) who was also in the caravan, stopped the camel, and landed. Prior to anything, they were in search of water to prepare for prayer.

The Prophet (S.A.W.) also started searching for water. But soon, returned to his camel, without saying anything to anyone. The companions were surprised that the Prophet (S.A.W.) had ordered stopping here, and now perhaps he would like to move again? Eyes and ears were awaiting his order. But the surprise of the group increased as they saw him approach his camel, and tied its knees, and returned back in search of water.

Noises were raised from every corner:

" O Prophet of Allah! Why didn't you order us to do this for you, and insteadyou put yourself in discomfort? We would have proudly done that service for you."

The Prophet (S.A.W.) responded: "Never seek others' help in your affairs, don't lean on others, even if it is a small piece of Miswak (the wood used for brushing teeth)."

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8. SOME CHEERFUL MOMENTS FROM THE LIFE OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD

WHO WILL BUY THIS SLAVE
Hazrat Anas says: A villager named Zaher bin Haram (r.z) used to bring good from his village to sell them in Madinah. He also used to bring some rural gifts for Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him). In return Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) also gave him some gifts made in Madinah.

He was a pious man, an Arab but African like personality. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) had respect and love for him and use to say "He is my rural friend, and I am his urban friend".

Once, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) saw him selling his goods in market. He quietly came from behind so that Zaher bin Haram could not see him, and to surprise him, He suddenly embraced him from behind. Zaher said, "Who is that? Free me." But when he realized that he is Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him), he tried to remain like that for more time (to have blessings).

The Prophet jokingly asked his companions, "Who will purchase this slave?". Laughing and still in Prophet's grip, Zaher said, "O messenger of Allah! you will be in loss (because due to my poor personality, no one will give you a good price)."

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) said, "(No Zaher), even if people don't give you due respect, but for Allah you are priceless and invaluable."
(Ahmad, Mishkaat)
......................................

YOU ATE TOO MUCH DATES
Once Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him), Hazrat Ali (rz) and few other companions were eating dates from a big plate.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) by way of jest put the seeds in front of Hazrat Ali (rz). When all finished eating, there were no seeds in front of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him), but a heap in front of Hazrat Ali (rz).
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) feigned surprise and asked, "O Ali, you ate so many dates?"
Hazrat Ali humbly replied, "O messenger of Allah! Today i realized that you eat dates with the seeds."
......................................

CAMEL'S CALF
Hazrat Anas (rz) says: Once a man begged Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) for a camel for conveyance purpose.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) was in jolly mood, so He said, "Yes i will give you, but a calf (baby camel).
That person could not understand and got surprised and said, "O messenger of Allah! what I will do with a calf of a camel?" (means how can i ride a calf).
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) said "Every camel is the calf of a camel (means even after getting matured for riding, it remains a child of camel)
(Tirmizi, Abo Dawood)
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NO HEAVEN FOR OLD PEOPLE
Hazrat Anas (rz) says: Once an old lady asked Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) to pray for her, so that Allah may bless her with heaven. Prophet said, "No old lady will enter heaven."
She was shocked, begin crying and asked, "Why old women will not enter heaven?"
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) said, "Did not you read the verse of Qur'an which says. Women of heaven will be of young age."
(Mean all people who died old will be made young first, then will enter heaven.)
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COME ALONG WITH YOUR FULL BODY
Hazrat Auf bin Maalik Ashari (rz) says: During the journey of Tabook, I went to meet Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) when He(Peace be upon Him) was relaxing in a leather tent. I greeted Him(peace be upon Him) (said Salam), He(peace be upon Him) replied. Then I asked permission to meet him. He gave me permission. then I asked, Shall i come inside tent along with my full body?
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) said, "Yes, come along with your full body."
So i entered the tent.
Hazrat Usman bin Abo Ataka says, the leather tent in which Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) was relaxing was too small. Hence Hazrat Auf Said, Shall I come along with full body?"
Hazrat Auf(rz) only by leaning inside tent, could have talked to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him), but both were in jolly mood, hence talked in terms of full and half body.
(Abo Dawood)
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ONE WITH TWO EARS
Hazrat Anas (rz) says: Once (in a pleasant mood), Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) called me as "O one with two ears!".
(Because Hazrat Anas (rz) use to hear what ever Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) said very carefully)
(Abo Dawood, Turmazi)
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DONT IGNORE ME IN PEACE TIME
Hazrat Nomaan bin Basheer (rz) says, Once Hazrat Abo Bakar went to the house of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) and sought permission to enter. But while standing at the door he heard a loud noice of his daughter, Hazrat ayesha (rz), who was arguing with Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him), Because of which Hazrat Abo Bakar became angry and when Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) allowed him to enter, first he raised his hand to slap his daughter, but the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) intervened and saved her. When Hazrat Abo Bakar (rz) could not punish her, in anger he left the house and did not see them both for some days (because of anger on his daughter and being ashamed of expressing his anger in front of the Prophet).

Then again, Hazrat Abo bakar went to the house of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) and sought permission to enter. After getting permission when he came inside, he saw Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) and Hazrat Ayesha (rz) in pleasant mood. He addressed them, "Include me in your peace, as you included me in your war."
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) said "of course we did, of course we did."
(Abo Dawood)
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DREAMING FOR A FREE LUNCH
Once Hazrat Abo Zar (rz) said to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him), I heard when Dajjal (anti criest) will appear, this world will be suffering from swear drought. So dajjal will present people with different types of food. If I also survive till his appearance, I will first eat his feast till i am satisfied and after i finish, I will deny his teaching."

After listening to the wishes of Hazrat Abo Zar (rz), Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) smiled and said "If you survive till Dajjal, Allah will not make you dependent on Dajjal."
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EVEN IF ABO ZAR DSESN'T WANT AND LIKE IT
Once Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) said, "who ever has a firm faith that on one is eligible to be worshiped except Allah, will enter heaven."

Hazrat Abo Zar (rz) was surprised and he asked, "O messenger of Allah! After having such faith can a person enter heaven even if he committed illegal sex and theft?'
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) said, Yes, he will enter heaven."

Then the second time Hazrat Abo Zar (rz) asked the same question, "O messenger of Allah! Can a person enter heaven even if he committed illegal sex and theft?"
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) said, "Yes, He will enter heaven."

The the third time Hazrat Abo Zar (rz) again asked with surprise the same question, "O messenger of Allah! can a person enter heaven even if he committed illegal sex and theft?"
This time Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) replied. "Yes, the person will enter heaven, even if Abo Zar doesn't want and like it."

After the death of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him), when ever Hazrat Abo Zar (rz) narrated this hadees, He always mentioned with pleasure the sentence, "Who ever has faith in one Allah, will enter heaven, even if Abu Zar doesn't want and like it."
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WE ARE EVEN NOW
Hazrat Aisha (rz) narrates: Once the Prophet (peace be upon Him) and I were on a journey. I was thin back then and not fat. The Prophet told the people around him:“Go ahead. We will catch you.”

When we were left behind far enough he told me:
“Let’s race!”

We raced and I won. He did not mention it again.
Thenl I gained some weight. Meanwhile I completely forgot about this incident. During another journey he told the people around him to go ahead.
When they went far away, he said to me, “Let’s race!”
This time he won and started to laugh saying “we are even now.”

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9. WEALTH AND POVERTY:
It was a usual meeting. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) was in his place and his companions gathered around him to hear the words of wisdom and guidance. Suddenly a poor man in rags appeared, saluted the assembly:

"Salamun Alaikum" (Peace be on you)
And finding a vacant place comfortably sat down.

The Prophet (S.A.W.) had taught them that all Muslims were brothers and in an assembly one should sit wherever one finds a place, regardless of any status. Now, it so happened that this poor man was seated next to a very rich man.

The rich man felt very disturbed and tried to collect the edges of his dress around himself, so that the poor man didn't touch them. The Prophet (S.A.W.) observed this and addressing the rich man he (S.A.W.) said:

" Perhaps you are afraid that his poverty would affect you?"

" No, O Messenger of Allah," he said.
"Then perhaps you were apprehensive about some of your wealth flying away to him?"

" No, O Messenger of Allah."
"Or you feared that your clothes would become dirty if he touched them?"
" No, O Messenger of Allah."
" Then why did you draw yourself and your clothes away from him?"
The rich man said:

"I admit that was the most undesirable thing to do. It was an error and I confess my guilt. Now to make amends for it I will give away half of my wealth to this Muslim brother so that I may be forgiven."
Just as he said this, the poor man rose and said,

" O Prophet of Allah, I do not accept this offer."
People present were taken by surprise, they thought that the poor man was a fool, but then he explained:

" O Prophet of Allah, I refuse to accept this offer because I fear that I might then become arrogant and ill-treat my Muslim brothers the way he did to me."

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10. The BEDOUIN AND THE PROPHET (S.A.W.):

The Bedouin entered Madina, and went directly to the Masjid, so that he may get some money or gold from the Prophet (S.A.W.). When he arrived, he saw the Prophet (S.A.W.) sitting among his companions. He asked his need.

The Prophet (S.A.W.) gave his something. He was not content, and moreover he used harsh and inappropriate language against the Prophet (S.A.W.). The companions became very angry, and were ready to hurt him. But the Prophet (S.A.W.) prevented them from haste.

The Prophet (S.A.W.) took the Bedouin to his home, and gave him some more. The Bedouin saw that the residence of the Prophet (S.A.W.) wasn't like those of the heads of governments, and there is no luxury in his home.

The Bedouin became content with the share, and thanked the Prophet (S.A.W.). At this time, the Prophet (S.A.W.) asked him: "You said a harsh word yesterday, which caused anger in my companions. I fear that they will hurt you. Would you be willing to show your appreciation in front of them, so that their anger be resolved, and they don't hurt you?" The Bedouin said: "Sure."

The next day, the Bedouin came to the Masjid. The Prophet (S.A.W.) addressed his companions: "This man says, he is content with his share, is it true?" The Bedouin said: "That is true." Then he repeated the appreciation that he had shared with Prophet (S.A.W.). The companions smiled.

The Prophet (S.A.W.) addressed the group: "The parable of me and these types of individuals is like that of the man whose camel was running away from him. With the [thought] they could help the owner, people were running after the camel. The camel was frightened and ran faster.

The owner called on the people, please leave my camel alone, I know better how to calm it. When the people stopped chasing the camel, the owner followed it calmly, with a fistful of grass. Then without the need for running, yelling, he showed the grass to it.

THE PROPHET (S.A.W.) AND EDUCATION:
The mosque of Medina was not only a place of worship. The believers assembled here to learn. When the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) was present they heard his words of wisdom, his elucidation on the verses of the Holy Qur'an and benefited from his counsel. And when he (S.A.W.) was not present, other faithful companions taught what they had heard from the Prophet of Allah.

Once the Prophet (S.A.W.) entered the Mosque before the prayer time. He found two groups in the Mosque. One group was busy with its own act of worship, some were reading the Qur'an while the others were supplicating. The other group was in a corner busy learning. They learnt how to read and write and discussed the teachings of Islam and their application to their daily lives.

Looking at both, the Prophet (S.A.W.) said: "They are both engaged in useful pursuits. But I am a teacher. I shall join the group assembled to learn."

And so he (S.A.W.) sat with the group of students.

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11. THE PROPHET'S VISIT TO TAIF:

Abu Talib and Khadija were the main supporters of the Prophet (SAW). It was so destined that they passed away within a few days of each other, leaving the Prophet (SAW) to lament the bereavement. He had lost a caring uncle and a loving wife.

The enemies were now relieved, because Abu Talib was no more to protect. A few days after Abu Talib's death, when the Prophet was once passing through a lane, a woman emptied her garbage from a window upon his head. He returned home with his head soiled. His young daughter Fatima sat beside him, consoling and washing off the dirt.

As things became intolerable in Makkah, the Prophet (SAW) decided to move to Taif where he thought he would convey the message of Allah to the tribe of Thaqeef. Taif was known for its pleasant climate and beautiful scenery.

The Prophet (SAW) knew very well that people at Taif were no different from Makkahns. They also worshiped idols and were in constant contact with the people in Makkah. But he did not despair. As he entered Taif, and proclaimed his prophet hood, people jeered at him. One said: "God did not find anyone else for His message except you?" Another said: "I must be naive or a thief if I believed you to be a prophet." And so it went on.

Then in order to prevent him from preaching Islam, people of Taif set a group of children and vagabonds behind him. They pestered him and threw stones at him. He started bleeding, blood from body came down to his feet. Tired, forsaken and wounded, he sought refuge in a nearby garden. It belonged to Atabah and Shaibab, two wealthy chiefs of Quraish. They were both there when the Prophet entered and sat under a distant tree. He was alone.

Then he raised his face towards heaven and prayed: "O Allah! I raise unto you my complaint for my weakness, my helplessness, and for the ridicule to which I have been subjected. O Merciful of all the Merciful s! You are the Master of all oppressed people, You are my God! So to whom would You consign me? To the strangers who would ill-treat me, or to the enemies who have an upper hand over me?

If whatever has befallen me is not because of Your wrath, then I fear not. No doubt, the field of Your security and care is wide enough for me. I seek refuge in Your light which illuminates darkness and straightens the affairs of this world and hereafter, that Your displeasure and wrath may not descend upon me. For the sake of Your pleasure, I remain pleased and resigned to my fate. No change in this world occurs without Your Will."

While he was sitting there, Angel Jabreel (AS) along with the angel of mountains came there and said "O Prophet of Allah! if you order us the we will grind the people of taif between mountains."
But SubhanAllah on mercy of our Prophet, He said "i am sent as the prophet of mercy, not to punish people" He further said "These people just dont know me" and "I hope that Allah will raise some one among these people who will serve islam" (Muhammad bin Qasim (who spread islam in sub continent was descendent of these taif people)

Atabah and Shaibah (owners of the garden) were watching. They sent for their servant named Adaas and gave him a plate full of grapes. "Take this to that man under the tree," they ordered.

Adaas was a Christian. He brought the grapes to the Prophet (SAW) and bid him eat. As the Prophet (SAW) picked a bunch he said: "Bismillahir Rahmaanir Rahiim," (In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate).

Adaas had never heard some on in arab saying this before. He was impressed by it, because the man was invoking mercy and compassion of Allah in spite of his desolate state.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I am the Prophet of God. Where do you come from?"

The servant said: I am Adaas, a Christian. I come from Nainava."

"Nainava? You come from a place where my brother Yunus b. Mati lived," the Prophet said. Adaas was surprised to hear the name.

"What do you know of Yunus? Here no one seems to know him. Even in Nainava there were hardly ten people who knew his father's name."

The Prophet said: "Yes, I know him because just like me, he was a Prophet of God."

Adaas fell on his knees before the Prophet, kissed his hand and embraced Islam. And when Prophet Muhammad was returning to Makka from Taif. There when he was reciting Quran in Fajar prayer a group of jinns heard it, embraced Islam and spread this msg among there tribe.

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12. IFTAR:
Anas Malik was one of the companions who had served the Prophet Muhammed (S.A.W.) for many years. He therefore knew the Prophet's habits very well.

When Hadhrat Muhammed (S.A.W.) observed a fast, he usually broke it with milk and dates, and in the small hours of the night, he would take simple food for his sahar.

One day, Anas knew that the Prophet (S.A.W.) was fasting; so he arranged for his iftar. He kept the milk and dates ready. At the time of iftar the Prophet (S.A.W.) did not appear, for the breaking of the fast. Anas thought that the
Prophet (S.A.W.) might have accepted an invitation and broken his fast elsewhere. So Anas ate the food himself and retired.

When Prophet Muhammed (S.A.W.) entered the house with another companion, Anas inquired from the companion whether the Prophet (S.A.W.) had already eaten. The Prophet (S.A.W.) had been dealing with some urgent work and was delayed, and he had not eaten. Anas felt so ashamed.

There was nothing left he could offer to the Prophet (S.A.W.), if he asked for food. Still he waited expectantly, ready to explain the situation to the Prophet (S.A.W.). Hadhrat Muhammed (S.A.W.) immediately sensed that Anas was hesitant, so he remained silent and retired to bed hungry.

Anas used to say: "The Messenger of God never mentioned this incident during his lifetime to anyone."

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13. The Orphan Boy
Rasulullah (SallallahuAlaihiWasallam) was going to Eid Salah, while going to Eid Salah, All the Sahabah were walking and they were all saying the Takbeer. "Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar". And the streets of Medina Munawara were echoing in "Allahu Akbar".
Everyone was excited and dressed nicely and everyone had their perfume on. Rasulullah (SallallahuAlaihiWasallam) while walking to the Eid Salah he sees this young child sitting on the side, And this young child has his face buried on his hand and he's crying away.
Rasulullah (Sallallahu AlaihiWasallam) stopped and told the companions" You guys continue, I'm coming".
He went to the child, he sat next to him on the side of the street, And he patted him on the back and he said
" Young child why are you crying?"
So the young child says that" Today is the day of Eid...And all the young children are holding their fathers hand and their going for their Eid Salah. My father was Matyred on the battle of Uhad, I have no father, theirs no fathers hand I can hold". And he sat there crying on the side of the street. And he said "Leave me alone, let me sit here and cry while the rest of the world enjoys itself".
Rasulullah (Sallallahu AlaihiWasallam) Said to this child "If you are crying, Muhammad will also not celebrate the day of Eid".
Rasulullah (SallallahuAlaihiWasallam) held the child's hand and he said while all the children are holding the hands of their fathers you will hold the hands of Muhammad (SallallahuAlaihiWasallam). And from today onwards you will never say you do not have a father. From today onwards Muhammed is your father and Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her) is your mother.
And Rasulullah (SallallahuAlaihiWasallam) walked with the child all the way up to the Eid Salaah and when Rasulullah (SallallahuAlaihiWasallam) was giving the Khutbah, He had this child sit on his thigh (in one narration he had the child sit on his shoulders).
This is the Mercy of Rasulullah (SallallahuAlaihiWasallam)

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14. Mercy of our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) toward others

"By the grace of Allaah, you are gentle towards the people; if you had been stern and ill-tempered, they would have dispersed from round about you"

[Quran, 3: 159]

1. A Mercy Towards non Muslims and his Enemies.

The prisoners of war taken captive at the battle of Badr were amongst his bitterest enemies. Nevertheless, he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) made sure that they were given the best of treatment. Among them was Suhayl bin 'Amr who was a fiery speaker and was denouncing the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ). 'Umar may Allaah be pleased with him one the Prophet’s closest companions, suggested that two of his lower teeth be pulled out so that he might not be so vile in his speeches. The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) replied: “Were I to do this, Allah would disfigure me on the Day of Judgement, despite the fact that I am His messenger.”

And the Prophet himself said, "Indeed, I am sent as a mercy." (Muslim)

When the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) went to Ta'if to invite its people to Islam they met him with denial and ridicule and encouraged street boys to throw stones at him until his feet bled. Even under such circumstances, when angels sought his permission to destroy the town, the Prophet refused saying. "i am sent as a mercy and not as a punishment"

His mercy was a general mercy; which included everyone, the non-believer as well as the believer. When Tufayl bin `Amr ad-Dausiy gave up hope on the guidance of his tribe he went to the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of God, the tribe of Daus has disobeyed and refused, so supplicate to God against them." The Prophet faced Makkah and raised his hands, and the people were certain that Daus would be destroyed. But the Prophet of Mercy only said, "O God, guide Daus and bring them [to Islam]." (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

And when he conquered Makkah, entering it with ten thousand soldiers, God gave him the decision concerning those who had abused and persecuted him, plotted his assassination, expelled him from his homeland, killed his companions and tortured them because of their religion. One of his companions said, "Today is a day of massacre." But the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) said, "No, but today is a day of mercy."

Then he went before the defeated people whose eyes were wide with fear and whose hearts were trembling, waiting to see what the victorious conqueror would do with them. Their own practice was that of revenge and murder. But the Prophet said to them, "O Quraysh, what do you suppose I should do with you?" They replied, "What is good. You are a generous brother and the son of a generous brother." The Messenger of God replied, "Go, for you are free."

Abu Huraira reported it was said to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him): Invoke curse upon the polytheists, whereupon he said: I have not been sent as the invoker of curse, but "I have been sent as mercy."

Muslim..vol 3..no 2112

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2. The Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) and the Appreciation of Women

Fourteen centuries ago, the Messenger of God declared through divine revelation that women were equal in humanity and faith with men.

The Messenger of God confronted many cruel and unjust practices against women during his time. Some of the Arabs, considering women inferior, would bury their daughters alive but the Prophet spoke out against such evil customs. The Qur'an describes it thus:

And when one of them is informed of [the birth of] a female, his face becomes dark, and he suppresses grief. He hides himself from the people because of the ill of which he has been informed. Should he keep it in humiliation or bury it in the ground? Unquestionably, evil is what they decide.

(16:58-59)

The Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) used to encourage kindness to women and girls. He said,“Whoever supports two daughters until they reach the age of puberty, he will come on the Day of Resurrection with me [like this], and he joined his fingers.” (Muslim)

Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace be upon him) emphasized kindness to mothers. Once a man came to him asking, "O Messenger of God, who is most entitled to my good companionship?" The Prophet said, "Your mother." The man said, "Who is next?" The Prophet said, "Your mother." The man asked again, "Who is next?" The Prophet once again repeated, "Your mother." The man asked for the fourth time, "Who is next?" The Prophet then said, "Your father."

The Messenger of God used to consult women, deal with them gently, support them in all situations and give them their complete rights in a way never dreamt of before. He was also concerned with educating women. He even appointed a day for them to assemble and would come to teach them from that which God had taught him. (Muslim)

He did not make women prisoners within the house, but allowed them to go out to take care of their needs, visit their relatives and the sick. He allowed them to buy and sell in the marketplace as long as they adhered to modest conduct and proper dress. He also allowed them to attend the mosque and forbade preventing them, saying, "Do not prevent your women from [coming to] the mosques." (Ahmad and Abu Dawud)

He prohibited beating women and said, "Do not strike the female servants of God." (Abu Dawud) And he urged kindness toward them with the words, "Be advised to be good to women." (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) This means good treatment, respect for her rights, concern for her feelings and avoidance of any kind of harm. And he told his companions, "The best of you is the best of you to your wives." (Ahmad and at-Tirmidhi)

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3. What Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace be upon him) Said About the Environment

The Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) recognized the importance of looking after the environment. He taught that human beings were God’s agents on the earth and it is their duty to protect it. On one occasion, he said: “The world is green and beautiful, and God has appointed you his guardian over it.” (Sahih Muslim).

He encouraged believers to plant trees and regarded it a sin to destroy them without a valid reason. He said: “There is none amongst the believers who plants a tree or sows a seed and then a bird, a person or an animal eats from it, except that it is regarded as a charity [for which he can expect God’s pleasure and reward].” (Sahih al-Bukhari)

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4. A Mercy for Children

Allah’s Messenger sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) was particularly compassionate towards children. When he saw a child crying, he sat beside him or her and shared his or her feelings. He felt the pain of a mother for her child more than the mother herself. Once he said: “I stand in prayer and wish to prolong it. However, I hear the cry of a child and cut the prayer short for the anxiety which the mother is feeling.” [Al-Bukhaari]

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah's Apostle kissed Al-Hasan bin Ali while Al-Aqra' bin Habis At-Tamim was sitting beside him. Al-Aqra said, "I have ten children and I have never kissed anyone of them," Allah's Apostle cast a look at him and said, "Whoever is not merciful to others will not be treated mercifully."

Bukhari. vol 3. no 955

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5. Mercy toward Animals

Naratted by hazrat Abdullah bin jaffar that "once Prophet Muhammad went to a Muslim's garden. There was a camel. When that camel saw Prophet Muhammad, it started crying. Prophet Muhammad went close to him and put his hand over its head and said "where is his master?" an ansari Muslim came forward and said "oh Prophet! this is my camel" Then Prophet Muhammad said "Allah made you owner of this camel, dont you fear Allah regarding this poor animal. He complained me that you don't give him enough to eat and take too much work"

Sunan abi Dawood, no 2549

Masnad Ahamd, 1754

Naratted by hazrat Anas bin malik that. once Prophet Muhammad passed by a group. They had hunted a deer and it was tied to a poal. That deer said some thing to Prophet Muhammad. Then Prophet Muhammad asked the group "who is the owner of this dear?". Group replied "we are her owner". Prophet Muhammad then said "free her, she want to feed her fawns and after that she will come back to you". People asked "oh Allah's Prophet who will take guarantee of her return?" Prophet Muhammad said "i take her guarantee". They freed the deer. she went..feed her fawns and came back. when she came back they tied her again. After some time Prophet Muhammad passed by that group again and then he asked. Who is the owner of this dear. That group said "we are". Prophet Muhammad asked. "would you sell this dear to me?" . The group said "oh Allah's Prophet "it is yours". Then Prophet Muhammad freed that deer.

Tabrani, Mojam ul owsat. no 5547

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Naratted by hazrat Abdullah bin Masood "once we were with Prophet Muhammad during a journey. We passed by a tree where a sparrow had two hosts (sparrow's babies). Some muslims took those hosts. That sparrow began circling the group and was saying some thing. Prophet Muhammad then asked "who took this sparrow's hosts and hurt her?" some people said "we did this". Then Prophet Muhammad ordered them to put those hosts back. And they did exactly that.

Bahaki, Dalail e naboowah..vol 1. no 321.

The Messenger of God (blessings and peace be upon him) once said:

“Whilst a man was walking on a road, he became very thirsty. He found a well, climbed down it, drank his fill, and then came out. He then saw a dog panting hard and eating the damp earth. So he said: ‘This dog is thirsty, like I was.’ So he again went down into the well and filled his leather sock with water. Holding his sock in his mouth, he came out of the well and then gave the water to the dog. Therefore, God appreciated the man and forgave him his sins.” The Companions asked: ‘O Messenger of God! Do we get reward for being kind even to animals?’ The Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) replied: ‘There is reward for showing kindness to every living thing.’”

(Al- Bukhari and Muslim)

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6. Conclusion

The love and compassion of Allah’s Messenger sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) for all kinds of creatures was not of the kind claimed by today’s ‘humanists’ and many Muslims too. He was sincere and balanced in his love and compassion. He was more compassionate than any other person. He was a Prophet raised by Allah, the Creator and Sustained of all beings, for the guidance and happiness of conscious beings - mankind and jinn - and the harmony of existence. Therefore, he lived not for himself but for others; he is a mercy for all the worlds.

“Indeed, in this [Quran] is notification for a worshiping people. And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.” [Quran: 21:106-107]

Narrated Jarir bin 'Abdullah: Allah's Apostle said, "Allah will not be merciful to those who are not merciful to mankind." Bukhari..vol 3..no 2275

Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As: The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: "The Compassionate One has mercy on those who are merciful. If you show mercy to those who are on the earth, He Who is in the heaven will show mercy to you". Abu Dawood..vol 3..no 1533

Narrated AbuHurayrah: I heard AbulQasim (peace_be_upon_him) who spoke the truth and whose word was verified say: "Mercy is taken away only from ill fated (Caitiff)."

An Interview With Shaytan (The Cursed One) By Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

Posted by Basíc Englísh Grammar For All on November 26, 2016

Once our beloved Prophet Mohammed (may the peace of Allah be upon him and his Progeny) was walking out with his As’haabs (companions) from the back side of the Jan’atul Baqi(Medina). As he was stepping out, he saw a very old man with a colourful hat on his head, colourful belt with diamonds on it was around his waist, with a bell in his left hand, and with a net in his right hand. This old man said ‘As salamu alaikum yah Rasool Allah‘ (O Prophet of Allah may the peace of Allah be upon you) to our beloved Prophet. Prophet didn’t reply to his salaam. This old man knew why our Prophet didn’t reply to his salaam. After all this old man was not like any other old man, he was Shaitan-the cursed one. Then Shaitan said, ‘Salaam ul-llahai Alaykum yah Rasool Allah’ (Allah’s peace be upon you O Prophet of Allah).Then, our Prophet accepted his salaam. Now, the As’haabs (companions) of Prophet understood that this was the cursed one Shaitan. All the As’haabs were surprised to see the cursed one personally. Shaitan (the cursed one) attempted to misguide even the Prophets and Imams. Shaitan-the cursed one used to meet with prophets to answer any questions of the Prophets. In fact, it was obligatory on him (the cursed Shaitan) to answer the questions of the Messengers of Allah.
Our beloved Prophet, though he had all the Knowledge, only for the sake of his companions, asked Shaitan-the cursed one the following questions:

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
O Shaitan, people are interested in your hat, tell me what is this hat?
Shaitan-the cursed one :
Shaitan the cursed one replied, o Prophet of Allah, my colourful hat is this materialistic worldly goods, perishable worldly benefits, and temporary worldly enjoyment. Once, any person get caught by this colourful hat of mine, then that person stays in my control and forgets all about the hereafter.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Shaitan, what is this belt you are wearing with gold and diamonds around your waist?
Shaitan-the cursed one:
O Prophet, this is my second weapon which keeps my back bone strong. O Prophet, those Momneens (believers) who do not get into my trap by my hat, I use this weapon.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
But what is it?
Shaitan the cursed one :
O Prophet this are the worldly behijaabs (un-veiled) woman/girl of this worlds. Through this behijaab (un-veiled) woman/girls I deceive the momineens (believers).

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
But what is this bell you are holding in your left hand ?
Shaitan the cursed one :
This is the bell through which I destroy the imaan (faith) of the believers.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
How do you do that ?
Shaitan the cursed one :
Whenever I see believers arguing with each other, getting into minor verbal antagonism or disagreement with each other, then I ring this bell. As I ring this bell, these believers get into major verbal fights and thy start saying things (such as backbiting, false accusations or uses bad language) to each other due to which there own imaan (faith) disappears from hearts.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
But what is this net you are holding?
Shaitan the cursed one :
When I see the believers not getting trap by any form of my weapons then I throw this net at them as my last weapon.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
But what is this net ?
Shaitan-the cursed one:
O Prophet of Allah, this is Riyah Kari (performing good deeds only to show people). Whenever, I see that a believer is performing all the good deeds and that person not getting caught by my weapon, then i throw this net at them. By stepping at this net, their good deeds which they were performing for Allah, becomes invalid. Because the believers gradually get ego in them while performing all their prayers, observing fast, performing Hajj, paying Zakat and Khums, and several other duties towards Allah. They (believers) perform all these and other good deeds, but after they get caught by my net, they show their good deeds to other and as though they have done favour on Allah by performing such good deeds. They tell people when they perform night prayers. they tell people when they fast, they tell people when they go to Hajj. They give money in charity but only to show off or for their personal interest. This is how they eventually feel superior to those people whom they know are not performing these good deeds. All these actions which take place after they step on my net makes their good deed go waste (void).

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Shaitan, tell me one more thing, now that you have spent so much of your time in this life with your bad deeds, do you have any friend, Do you have companion?
Shaitan-the cursed one:
Although, I visit all the houses and all the people in general, but I have 11 (eleven) types of people, that are my best friends and companions. And I have 15 (fifteen) types of people that I hate them the most. O Prophet, keep in mind that a person who is my friend is an enemy of Allah, and a person who is my enemy is a friend of Allah.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
O shaitan tell me who are your friends and who are your enemies?
(Then, Shaitan told our beloved Prophet a list of his friends and a list of his enemies. After he described his enemies our beloved Prophet asked his reasons. We have excluded the question of our beloved Prophet and simply listed the name or description of the enemy followed by his reason in some cases.)
Shaitan-the cursed one:
Shaitan said, O Prophet of Allah, first I have 15 (fifteen) enemies, and these are as follows:

ENEMIES OF SHAITAN (THE CURSED ONE)

O Prophet of Allah, my first enemy is you and your Ahlul-Bait (progeny) because if it wasn’t for you and your AhlulBait, my mission would be quite successful. There would have been not even a single believer (follower of right path shown by Allah). You bought the religion of Allah (al-Islam) to this world, You made people believers of Allah’s communication.
O Prophet of Allah my second enemy is that just ruler who rules a nation with complete justice.
O Prophet of Allah, my third enemy is that rich person who does not have any ego or feel superior to other poor people around him.
O Prophet of Allah, my fourth enemy is that business man who perform his business with justice.
O Prophet of Allah my fifth enemy is that Aalim (scholar) who fears Allah and practice what he preaches.
O Prophet of Allah, my sixth enemy is that specific Mo’min (believer) who work on showing other the path of truth. Who offer other the knowledge of Wajibats (obligatory) and Haram (forbidden) duties of Allah. This person is undoing all my hard work.
O Prophet of Allah, my seventh enemy is that person who does not listen to what is forbidden, does not see what is forbidden, and does not eat what is forbidden.
Comment by Maulana Sadiq Hasan Qibla: This person does not look any Na-Mehram women/men (a women with whom a man can marry or a man with whom a woman can marry), does not watches movies or shows. This person prevent himself or herself from listening to Music, Songs, lies, or Geebath (Backbiting). This person does not eat forbidden food (meat which is not cut according to the Islamic ways such as meat cut by non Muslim business men, etc.) and that food which is not purchased with the halal (allowed) earnings (such as earnings from selling alcohol, from gambling, from selling drugs and from many other sources which are forbidden in Islam.)
O Prophet of Allah, my eighth enemy is that believer who keeps himself clean all the time. A person who stays in Wuzu and who wears clean clothes.
O Prophet of Allah, my ninth enemy is that person who has a big heart. Who spents his/her money for the sake of Allah.
Comment by Maulana Sadiq Hasan: Once Prophet of Allah asked his companion did you know that one Dinar can be more than One Lakh (hundred thousand) Dinar? Prophet’s companions replied no O Prophet of Allah. Then, (our beloved) Prophet of Allah said, “If a person who owns for instance ten lakhs and gives one lakh in charity is less than that poor man who owns two dinnar and gives one dinnar in charity.”
O Prophet of Allah, my tenth enemy is that person who gives Sadqa (charity) only for the name of Allah.
o Prophet of Allah, my eleventh enemy is that person who reads, memorizes, and act according to Quran.
O Prophet of Allah, my twelfth enemy is that person who recites “Namaz-e-Shab” (prayers recited after the midnight and before namaz Fajr). I am always afraid of this person.
O Prophet of Allah, my thirteenth enemy is that person who offers his wajib (obligatory) Khums, wajib Zakat, and other wajib sadaqas.
O Prophet of Allah, my fourteenth enemy is that woman who observes Hijaab (Veil) and safeguards her Hijaab.
O Prophet of Allah, my fifteenth enemy is that who performs his “Ibadat” (such as prayers) without having thoughts except for the thoughts of Allah.

After hearing the list of fifteen enemies of Shaitan, our beloved Prophet of Allah (may the peace of Allah be upon him and his progeny) asked Shaitan to name his eleven friends. Upon which, the cursed Shaitan named the following eleven people:

THE FRIENDS OF SHAITAN (THE CURSED ONE)

The first friend of mine is that leader who is a oppressor (Zalim).
My second friend is that business man who does his/ her business by deceiving his / her customers.
My third friend is that “Mo’min” (believer) who drinks alcohol.
My fourth friend is that rich person who is proud of his wealth and who angrily refuses to give money in charity to poor and needy.
My fifth friend is that person who does backbiting (Geebat), who talks to people in such a way that enemity increases between people and who reveals the defects of people.
My sixth friend is that person who kill other human being for any reason other than for Allah.
My seventh friend is that person who snatches away the belongings (such as wealth) of an orphan.
My eighth friend is that person whose livelihood is based on collecting interest.
My ninth friend is that person who gives more important to his worldly life rather than giving important to his life after death. This friend of mine prefers to performs those deeds which he know, will bring benefits in this world but in hereafter such deeds will bring loss.
My tenth friend is that person who keep long hopes and delays in asking for forgiveness from Allah.
(Here Maulana gave the example of that person who delays in asking forgiveness from Allah. For instance he said, “people refuse to ask forgiveness from Allah because they say we are young and angel of death is not running after us yet. Therefore these people, who delay in asking for repentance, say we are not going to quit listening to music, we are not going to observe Hijab, or we are not going to keep the beard. These people say that they will do all this after ten or more years. These are the tenth friends of Shaitan, because they keep long hopes and delay in asking for forgiveness from Allah.”)
My eleventh friend is that person who helps women to increase their interest in performing “Jaadu” (magic) on people.

After naming his eleven friends Shaitan-the cursed one said, “these are my eleven friends who are the worst enemies of Allah”.
Now the interview of shaitan (the cursed one) was continued by Prophet Mohammed (may the peace of Allah be upon him and his progeny) as follows:

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Shaitan, tell us why you stop my followers from offering their prayers? What benefits you get out of it?
Shaitan-the cursed one:
Whenever your follower recites prayers, my body gets feverish and it starts to shiver, and with a sick body I can’t deceive your followers from obeying Allah.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Why do you stop my followers from observing fast (roza) during the month of Ramadhan?
Shaitan-the cursed one:
When they fast they put me in prison, and I can’t deceive them during the time they fast because I end up in prison and I can’t misguide them.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
When my flowers prepare to fight in Allah’s way, why do you stop them?
Shaitan-the cursed one:
When they go to fight for Allah’s sake, my hands get tight to my neck, and I can’t deceive them by having my hands tight to my neck.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Why do you prevent my followers from performing Hajj?
Shaitan-the cursed one:
When they go for Hajj, their movements of going towards Hajj ties my legs. And with legs tied, I cannot misguide your followers from obeying Allahs commands.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
why do you prevent my followers from reciting Holy Quran?
Shaitan-the cursed one:
When they recite the Holy Quran, my existence turns into nonexistence. And, without having my existence, how can I deceive your followers from living according to the will of Allah.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Why do you prevent my followers from offering “Doa” (praying to Allah)?
Shaitan-the cursed one:
When they recite Doa (such as Doa-e-Komail) I get deaf and dum. How can I deceive your followers without having the ability to speak and ability to listen.o prophet of Allah (s.a.w.) from living the life according to the will of Allah.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Shaitan, tell me why you prevent my followers from paying Sadaqha?
Shaitan-the cursed one:
O Prophet of Allah (s.a.w.), when your follower pay Sadaqha (giving money in charity), it is as that they cut me with a saw in two pieces and throw one pieces of mine in east and other piece in the west.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Why do you get such a strong blow when my followers pay Sadaqha? Why do you get cut into two pieces?
Shaitan-the cursed one:
Whenever a person gives his / her money in charity, that person receives three benefits from Allah. The first benefit such person receive is that Allah becomes his / her borrowers. The second benefit such person gets is that Allah makes Heaven in his / her inheritance (such that he / she will be called as an owner of heaven). And, the third benefit he / she receives is that such person gets 700 times increase in his / her wealth from Allah, which in turn this person uses his / her increased wealth for charity.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Shaitan, now tell me when does a person (who is my follower) gets under your total control?
Shaitan-the cursed one:
O Prophet of Allah, your followers gets under my total (absolute) control when they perform three things The first thing is that when your followers becomes stingy (“kanjoos”) he gets under my total control. Stingy is the root of all the sins which takes a person towards performing all types of other sins. The second thing is that when a person gradually start forgiving his / her sins. A person who perform such deeds which are against the will of Allah and then after performing such deeds that person does remember it and does not ask for any forgiveness, then that person gets under my absolute control. O Prophet of Allah, any person who performs these three deeds then that person gets under my absolute control.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Shaitan, you know that Allah gave my followers a strong weapon of forgiveness. Whenever, my followers, ask for true forgiveness with an intention of not repeating that sin, Allah forgives them. How do you deal with this problem?
Shaitan-the cursed one:
I know O Prophet of Allah, Allah has given them this strong weapon, but I have prepared myself to confront your followers with their strong weapon.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
What method do you have through which you prevent my followers from asking for forgiveness?
Shaitan-the cursed one:
O Prophet of Allah, to deal with this problem I have created four different units. Each unit deals with a different age groups of your followers. In each unit group I make your followers perform such deeds which make the repentance of your followers invalid (void).

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
What are these units?
Shaitan-the cursed one:
The first unit is that I involve your old men indulging in four sins. I make them lie, I make them accuse someone of something which they have not done, I make them testify falsely, and I make them perfrom without having the complete knowledge of the laws of performing prayers. O Prophet of Allah (s.a.w.) your old men will be offering doas, offering prayers, and reciting obligatory prayers, but if you talk to them you will hear them talking bad about other people, testing the bad deeds of other people without being their witness, and reciting obligatory prayers without knowing all the laws of the prayers. Your old men will not try to learn the laws of prayers because of their ego. Whenever some young men from your Ummat, try to explain the right way of performing Wuzu, your old men will say that you have just entered Islam and now you are trying to teach as how to perform Wuzu.
O Prophet of Allah, my second unit is that which takes care of your young man from your Ummath. I do not prevent your young man from reciting prayers, performing Hajj, or doing anything else except that I get them involved in two things. First thing I make them do is that they look at things which are forbidden for them, and they will listen to those things which are forbidden for them. (Here, by things these young men will look at which are forbidden are girls, and things that these young men will listen to is music/songs.)
O Prophet of Allah, my third unit is that which deceives your old ladies. I make your old ladies perform Geebath (backbiting), falsely accuse other people, destroy the character of other men and women, and get interested in doing magic on other men and women.
O Prophet of Allah, my fourth unit is not active, because it is suppose to take care of young girls of Ummath. Since all of your girls are already my soldiers and I have a strong hold over them, I do not get any hard time deceiving them. However, one in one thousand, I find such girl which I see her may be following your way of life, and I will not be able to do anything to deceive her.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Shaitan, tell me do you get upset when you see any of your soldier get out of your hand and follow Allah’s commands?
Shaitan-the cursed one:
No, O Prophet of Allah, I don’t get upset. I wait till that person performs any good deed, and then I go to that person again and deceive him / her so that he / she feels that he did a favour to Allah by performing such a good deed.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
You make that person feel that he did favour to Allah?
Shaitan-the cursed one:
Yes, O Prophet of Allah, that person goes around after performing a good deed and tells people what he did, such as that I recited namaz, I observed fast, I paid so much money to that person, or I helped that person in his bad times.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Shaitan, how do you deceive those followers of mine who try their best not to get deceived by you?
Shaitan-the cursed one:
Allah made one deed which if your followers performed it with right intention and at right time they can never get deceived by me. And that deed is Namaz (Salat/obligatory prayers). But, to solve this problem, what I did is that with every one of your followers I have assigned one of my soldier whose name is “Mutawaqee”. And, his job is to make your follower lazy and involved in such activities due to which your follower recites namaz at the last time. When your follower recites namaz (salat) in last minute, he / she recites it in such a way that his namaz is not acceptable to Allah.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Shaitan, since you know so much about Islam and its followers, why don’t you ask Allah for forgiveness?
Comment by maulana Sadiq Hasan: Here Shaitan the cursed one gave a true Satanic answer. He recited five Ayath from our Holy Quran and gave answer. Since we are not so much interested in why Shaitan is not asking for his forgiveness, and we are interested in why we don’t ask for forgiveness, I will skip the details of his answer.
Shaitan-the cursed one:
O Prophet of Allah, Allah does not want me to ask forgiveness. What can I do? (Here Shaitan used the illogical proof from Holy Quran. However, you will find some Muslims using such proves in defending themselves. Such as they argue that Allah does not call me to perform Hajj or to offer prayers.)

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Shaitan, I heard that sometimes you feel that as somebody threw a heavy stone on your head which breaks your head in several pieces?
Shaitan-the cursed one:
O Prophet of Allah, yes it is true, Whenever your followers truly ask Allah for true repentance, I feel like that.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
I heard that sometimes you feel like someone is slapping you?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
Yes, when your follower recite Quran with right pronounciation.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
When do you get to the bottom part of Hell?
Shaitan-the cursed one:
When your follower performs a good deed towards their parents or towards their family members.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
I heard that sometimes your whole body gets pain?
Shaitan-the cursed one:
Yes, when your follower pay in charity without showing off.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
I heard that sometimes you feel that someone is whipping you?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
That person who does not business with deceiving people.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
When do you get hurt the most?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
When your followers remember Allah during their hours of day and night.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
With whom do you fear the most?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
I fear those one who recite salat (prayers) in the first row of jamat.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Which people among my followers you have choosen them to be your permanent soldiers?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
Any of your follower who used any type of intoxicating beaverages.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Which person makes you laugh?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
That person who encourages other to commit sins. (Example : A person who invites
people to a party in which namehram men and women mixes without observing proper Hijaab.)

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
With whom do you speak the most?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
A person who lies the most.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Who is the most pleasing to you?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
Any man who gives divorce to an innocent women.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Do you have any more hands?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
Yes, that person who delays in offering his obligatory prayers.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Shaitan where do you stay the most?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
A place where Na-Mehram men and women get together without any separation or observing Hijaab, that is my place to stay.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Where do you meet people?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
Bazaars (shopping mails). I try to make buyers deceive sellers and sellers deceive buyers. I try to make men do their business with women and women to do business with men. I try to make people do all types of sins in Bazaars (shopping mails).

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
What do you read?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
I read songs.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
What is your way of calling people towards committing sins?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
Music and songs. Whenever your follower listens to music he / she comes towards me.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
What is your book?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
My books are playing cards.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Who is your helper?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
Any person who gives losses to Muslims.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
What do you eat?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
I eat everything which is earned by forbidden ways of earnings or by not paying the Khums.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
What do you drink?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
I drink Alcohol.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
What is your dessert (any sweet thing eaten after food)?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
Gheebat (back-biting).

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Do you have any desires?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
Every false commitment is my desire.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Are you thankful for anything?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
Yes, I am thankful to those men and women who indulge in sins after asking Allah for forgiveness.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Do you relax?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
Yes, when your followers misses Fajr (morning) prayers.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Do you get any rewards from my followers?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
Yes, whenever, your followers break their relationships with their relatives or neighbours.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Do you have any companions?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
Yes, that person who have sex with his wife without saying “Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem” ( Here sex reffers to Allowed Intercourse, ZINAA – Un Allowed Sex is Haraam Anyway) and that person whose earnings are though unislamic ways.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
What deed of my follower makes you angry?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
Any mother when she tries to make her son (or daughter) fast or offer prayers.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Are there any men among my followers whom you can not possibly misguide?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
Yes, any man who does not look at Na-mehram girl / woman intentionally.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Are there any women among my followers whom you can not possibly misguide?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
Yes, that women who observes Hijaab and that women who listens to her husband.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Shaitan, out of the men and women you have described, do you have any special men or women that you love the most?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
Yes! among women I love that women who do not observe Hijaab and among men who is proud and that men who is a sinful Aalim (religious scholar).

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Who is your most hateful men?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
Four men : a) Humble rich men. b) Aalim who practices what he preaches. c) Young men who ask for forgiveness. d) Old men who fear Allah.

Our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) :
Are you alone or do have any companions?
Shaitan – the cursed one :
Yes. I have some companions who are sitting at mosque to deceive its visitors. My companions make the visitors of Allah’s mosque talk about such thing which make these visitors get bad deeds instead of good deeds. Other companions of mine’s job is to make the wise followers of your’s think of their bad deeds as few and good deeds as many. Some companions of mine when they see someone giving money in charity or helping someone for Allah’s sake, make that person tell other people what he is giving in charity or what he is doing for others.
Then Shaitan – the cursed one said : O Prophet of Allah I have talked to you in much detail. I would like to tell you that you are working towards taking people to heaven and I am working towards taking people to Hell. Then after this Shaitan – the cursed one did his salaam to our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) and he disappeared.

Words of Wisdom "Indeed you are the people of wisdom,And it shall die with you"

Posted by Basíc Englísh Grammar For All on April 25, 2016

A girl at a bus stop spotted a handsome man and without hesitation went to him and said " you look cute.. I like you."....
The man out of shock simply placed his hand on her shoulder and said "My dear, this love and infatuation are all nothing. You are too young to be behaving like this. Please go home and study hard so that you can have a successful life."..
He then placed a piece of paper on her hand and said " I have written some words of wisdom for you. Read them before you go to sleep."
And then he walked away. The girl went back to her hostel in shame and before she slept she opened up the paper and read thus:
"Are you blind? My wife was standing behind me. Any way, this is my number. Call me anytime. ..... By the way, I like you too!" One words for him please.

To Get

Posted by Basíc Englísh Grammar For All on February 16, 2016

VERB TO GET

TO GET can be used in a number of patterns and has a number of meanings.

TO GET + DIRECT OBJECT = TO OBTAIN, TO RECEIVE, TO BUY

I got my passport last week. (to obtain)
She got her driving license last week. (to obtain)
They got permission to live in Switzerland. (to obtain)
I got a letter from my friend in Nigeria. (to receive)
He gets $1,000 a year from his father. (to receive)
She got a new coat from Zappaloni in Rome. (to buy)
We got a new television for the sitting room. (to buy)

TO GET + PLACE EXPRESSION = REACH, ARRIVE AT A PLACE

How are you getting home tonight?
We got to London around 6 p.m.
What time will we get there?
When did you get back from New York?

TO GET + ADJECTIVE = BECOME, SHOW A CHANGE OF STATE

I am getting old.
It's getting hotter.
By the time they reached the house they were getting hungry.
I'm getting tired of all this nonsense.
My mother's getting old and needs looking after.
It gets dark very early in the winter.
Don't touch the stove until is gets cool.

➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨➨ TO GET + PREPOSITION/ADVERB = PHRASAL VERBS WITH VARIOUS MEANINGS
TO GET ➨➨➨Meaning ➨➨➨➨Example

to get at➨➨➨try to express➨➨➨I think I see what you're getting at. I agree.

to get away with ➨➨➨escape punishment for a crime or bad action➨➨➨I can't believe you got away with cheating on that test.

to get by➨➨➨manage (financially)➨➨➨Sam doesn't earn much, but we get by.

to get down➨➨➨depress, descend ➨➨➨This rain is really getting me down.

to get off ➨➨➨leave a form of transport (train, bus, bicycle, plane)➨➨➨We got off the train just before the bomb exploded.

to get on ➨➨➨1. enter/sit on a form of transport (train, bus, bicycle, plane) ➨➨➨2. have a relationship with someone 1. He got on his bicycle and rode down the street. 2. Amy and I really get on well.

to get on with➨➨➨to proceed➨➨➨I have so much homework, I'd better get on with it.

to get out of➨➨➨avoid doing something, especially a duty ➨➨➨She got out of the washing-up every day, even when it was her turn.

to get over➨➨➨recover (from an illness, a surprise)➨➨➨Have you gotten over your cold yet?

to get through➨➨➨use or finish the supply of something➨➨➨We've got through all the sugar. Can you buy some more?

to get up➨➨➨leave your bed➨➨➨He gets up at 6.00 a.m. every morning.

to get up to➨➨➨do - usually something bad➨➨➨The children are very quiet. I wonder what they're getting up to. OTHER EXPRESSIONS WITH GET

Do you get it means do you understand. Do you get what the teacher was explaining in class?
He's getting dinner tonight means he's preparing the meal. You can relax. It's my turn to get dinner tonight.
I'll get the bill means I'll pay. Put your wallet away! I'll get the bill.
That really gets me! means that irritates me. It really gets me when my sister shows up late.
To get rid of something means to throw it away. I'm going to get rid of all these old newspapers.
To get out of bed on the wrong side means to be in a bad mood. He got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning and he's been horrible all day.
To get your own back means to have your revenge or punish someone. She's getting her own back for all those rude things you said at the party last night.

Your disability could turn out to be your blessing.

Posted by Basíc Englísh Grammar For All on February 6, 2016

The Story of the Tiny Frogs

There was once a bunch of tiny frogs, who arranged a running competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower. A big crowd gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants.

The race began…

No one in the crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower. They shouted, “Oh, way too difficult!!! They will NEVER make it to the top” and “Not a chance. The tower is too high”.

The tiny frogs began collapsing, one by one except for those who, in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher….

The crowd continued to yell, “It’s too difficult! No one will make it!”

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up… But one continued higher and higher. This one wouldn’t give up! And he reached the top.

Everyone wanted to know how this one frog managed such a great feat.

His secret? This little frog was DEAF!!

LESSON LEARN:

- Be DEAF when people tell you that it can't be done
- IGNORE the pessimism of others
- Stay POSITIVE
- Put your trust in ALLAH and make DUA to Him to help you achieve your dreams

Once upon a time (A conversation Between Almighty Allah and his messenger Mosa Peace Be Upon Him)

Posted by Basíc Englísh Grammar For All on February 2, 2016

Once upon a time
It`s a story Between Allah and his Prophet Mossa Peace be upon him
Once Mossa peace Be upon him onto his way to I guess "Busra"
During that journey,He was alone and got fever.
He fought hard and later when things started getting worse to worst,
He started praying to Almighty Allah
O Allah"I am Mossa peace Be upon him,Your Prophet"
O Allah"I am Mossa peace Be upon him,I am a passenger"
O Allah"I am Mossa peace Be upon him,I am ill(Going through fever)"
O Allah"I am Mossa peace Be upon him,O Allah I am alone.No friend I have to look after me"
O Allah"I am Mossa peace Be upon him,I have nothing to eat"
As Mossa Peace Be upon him Finished his conversation
Allah asked him back "Dear Mossa Peace be Upon him"Do you even know who is ill ""
Allah asked him back "Dear Mossa Peace be Upon him"Do you even know who is hungry ""
Allah asked him back "Dear Mossa Peace be Upon him"Do you even know who has no friend ""
Now Mossa Peace Be Upon Him Replied back
"O Allah How would I know who ill is"
"O Allah How would I know Who hungry is"
"O Allah How would I know Who has no friend"
Allah replied him back "O Dear Mossa Peace Be Upon You"
A hungry is one who does not have a LORD like me(Allah Is also known as Al Razzaq,The one who feeds)
An Ill is a person who does not have a LORD like me(Allah also known as Al Shafee One who gives Sifa/Health)
A friendless person is one who does not have a Friend like me(Allah is also known as Al Walee a Friend)

Subject and Verb Agreement

Posted by Basíc Englísh Grammar For All on January 27, 2016

Subject and Verb Agreement
1

The indefinite pronouns anyone, everyone, someone, no one, nobody are always singular and, therefore, require singular verbs.

Everyone has done his or her homework.

Somebody has left her purse.

Some indefinite pronouns — such as all, some — are singular or plural depending on what they're referring to. (Is the thing referred to countable or not?) Be careful choosing a verb to accompany such pronouns.

Some of the beads are missing.

Some of the water is gone.

On the other hand, there is one indefinite pronoun, none, that can be either singular or plural; it often doesn't matter whether you use a singular or a plural verb — unless something else in the sentence determines its number. (Writers generally think of none as meaning not any and will choose a plural verb, as in "None of the engines are working," but when something else makes us regard none as meaning not one, we want a singular verb, as in "None of the food is fresh.")

None of you claims responsibility for this incident?

None of you claim responsibility for this incident?

None of the students have done their homework. (In this last example, the word their precludes the use of the singular verb.

2

Some indefinite pronouns are particularly troublesome Everyone and everybody (listed above, also) certainly feel like more than one person and, therefore, students are sometimes tempted to use a plural verb with them. They are always singular, though. Each is often followed by a prepositional phrase ending in a plural word (Each of the cars), thus confusing the verb choice. Each, too, is always singular and requires a singular verb.

Everyone has finished his or her homework.

You would always say, "Everybody is here." This means that the word is singular and nothing will change that.

Each of the students is responsible for doing his or her work in the library.

Don't let the word "students" confuse you; the subject is each and each is always singular — Each is responsible.

3

Phrases such as together with, as well as, and along with are not the same as and. The phrase introduced by as well as or along with will modify the earlier word (mayor in this case), but it does not compound the subjects (as the word and would do).

The mayor as well as his brothers is going to prison.

The mayor and his brothers are going to jail.

4

The pronouns neither and either are singular and require singular verbs even though they seem to be referring, in a sense, to two things.

Neither of the two traffic lights is working.

Which shirt do you want for Christmas?

Either is fine with me.

In informal writing, neither and either sometimes take a plural verb when these pronouns are followed by a prepositional phrase beginning with of. This is particularly true of interrogative constructions: "Have either of you two clowns read the assignment?" "Are either of you taking this seriously?" Burchfield calls this "a clash between notional and actual agreement."*

5

The conjunction or does not conjoin (as and does): when nor or or is used the subject closer to the verb determines the number of the verb. Whether the subject comes before or after the verb doesn't matter; the proximity determines the number.

Either my father or my brothers are going to sell the house.

Neither my brothers nor my father is going to sell the house.

Are either my brothers or my father responsible?

Is either my father or my brothers responsible?

Because a sentence like "Neither my brothers nor my father is going to sell the house" sounds peculiar, it is probably a good idea to put the plural subject closer to the verb whenever that is possible.

6

The words there and here are never subjects.

There are two reasons [plural subject] for this.

There is no reason for this.

Here are two apples.

With these constructions (called expletive constructions), the subject follows the verb but still determines the number of the verb.

7

Verbs in the present tense for third-person, singular subjects (he, she, it and anything those words can stand for) have s-endings. Other verbs do not add s-endings.

He loves and she loves and they love_ and . . . .

8

Sometimes modifiers will get betwen a subject and its verb, but these modifiers must not confuse the agreement between the subject and its verb.

The mayor, who has been convicted along with his four brothers on four counts of various crimes but who also seems, like a cat, to have several political lives, is finally going to jail.

9

Sometimes nouns take weird forms and can fool us into thinking they're plural when they're really singular and vice-versa. Consult the section on the Plural Forms of Nouns and the section on Collective Nouns for additional help. Words such as glasses, pants, pliers, and scissors are regarded as plural (and require plural verbs) unless they're preceded the phrase pair of (in which case the word pair becomes the subject).

My glasses were on the bed.

My pants were torn.

A pair of plaid trousers is in the closet.

10

Some words end in -s and appear to be plural but are really singular and require singular verbs.

The news from the front is bad.

Measles is a dangerous disease for pregnant women.

On the other hand, some words ending in -s refer to a single thing but are nonetheless plural and require a plural verb.

My assets were wiped out in the depression.

The average worker's earnings have gone up dramatically.

Our thanks go to the workers who supported the union.

The names of sports teams that do not end in "s" will take a plural verb: the Miami Heat have been looking … , The Connecticut Sun are hoping that new talent … . See the section on plurals for help with this problem.

11

Fractional expressions such as half of, a part of, a percentage of, a majority of are sometimes singular and sometimes plural, depending on the meaning. (The same is true, of course, when all, any, more, most and some act as subjects.) Sums and products of mathematical processes are expressed as singular and require singular verbs. The expression "more than one" (oddly enough) takes a singular verb: "More than one student has tried this."

Some of the voters are still angry.

A large percentage of the older population is voting against her.

Two-fifths of the troops were lost in the battle.

Two-fifths of the vineyard was destroyed by fire.

Forty percent of the students are in favor of changing the policy.

Forty percent of the student body is in favor of changing the policy.

Two and two is four.

Four times four divided by two is eight.

12

If your sentence compounds a positive and a negative subject and one is plural, the other singular, the verb should agree with the positive subject.

The department members but not the chair have decided not to teach on Valentine's Day.

It is not the faculty members but the president who decides this issue.

It was the speaker, not his ideas, that has provoked the students to riot.

1. Personal Passive And 2. Impersonal Passive – It is said ...

Posted by Basíc Englísh Grammar For All on January 1, 2016

1. Personal Passive
When we put an object of an active sentence into passive, it becomes subject of the passive sentence.

Active sentence → The professor gave the students the books.
Passive sentence → The students were given the books.
We sometimes use a pronoun for the students or the books in its subject form (here: they).

Active sentence → The professor gave them the books.
Passive sentence → They were given the books.
We very often leave out the by-agent in the passive sentence (here: by the professor).

2. Impersonal Passive – It is said ...
The phrase It is said ... is an impersonal passive construction. We often use it in news.

Passive sentence 1 → It is said that children are afraid of ghosts.
Passive sentence 2 → Children are said to be afraid of ghosts.
The correct active sentence would be:

Active sentence → People say that children are afraid of ghosts.

#‎Will‬ ‪#‎Going‬ to or/Will #Will other uses ‪#‎Shall‬

Posted by Basíc Englísh Grammar For All on December 30, 2015

‪#‎Will‬ ‪#‎Going‬ to or/Will #Will other uses ‪#‎Shall‬
___________________________
Some people have been taught that 'will' is 'the future' in English. This is not correct. Sometimes when we talk about the future we cannot use 'will'. Sometimes when we use 'will' we are not talking about the future.

We can use 'will' to talk about future events we believe to be certain.

The sun will rise over there tomorrow morning.
Next year, I'll be 50.
That plane will be late. It always is.
There won't be any snow. I'm certain. It's too warm.
Often we add 'perhaps', 'maybe', 'probably', 'possibly' to make the belief less certain.

I'll probably come back later.
He'll possibly find out when he sees Jenny.
Maybe it will be OK.
Perhaps we'll meet again some day.
We often use 'will' with 'I think' or 'I hope'.

I think I'll go to bed now.
I think she'll do well in the job.
I hope you'll enjoy your stay.
I hope you won't make too much noise.
We use 'will' at the moment we make a new decision or plan. The thought has just come into our head.

Bye. I'll phone you when I get there.
I'll answer that.
I'll go.
I won't tell him. I promise
_________________________
#Going to or Will
When we want to talk about future facts or things we believe to be true about the future, we use 'will'.

The President will serve for four years.
The boss won't be very happy.
I'm sure you'll like her.
I'm certain he'll do a good job.
If we are not so certain about the future, we use 'will' with expressions such as 'probably', 'possibly', 'I think', 'I hope'.

I hope you'll visit me in my home one day.
She'll probably be a great success.
I'll possibly come but I may not get back in time.
I think we'll get on well.
If you are making a future prediction based on evidence in the present situation, use 'going to'.

Not a cloud in the sky. It's going to be another warm day.
Look at the queue. We're not going to get in for hours.
The traffic is terrible. We're going to miss our flight.
Be careful! You're going to spill your coffee.
At the moment of making a decision, use 'will'. Once you have made the decision, talk about it using 'going to'.

I'll call Jenny to let her know. Sarah, I need Jenny's number. I'm going to call her about the meeting.
I'll come and have a drink with you but I must let Harry know. Harry, I'm going to have a drink with Simon.
__________
#Will other uses
Older textbooks often refer to 'will' as 'the future tense' and this has confused a lot of learners.

It is important to remember that when we talk about the future we cannot always use 'will' and that when we use 'will' we are not always talking about the future.

Here 'will' is clearly referring to the future.

If I speak to her, I'll tell her about it.
I'll probably visit Sue when I go to Oxford.
Next birthday she'll be 32. Or so she says.
In these examples, however, 'will' is referring to events happening at the present.

The car won't start.
If that's the phone, I'll get it.
Will you have another cup of coffee?
When we use 'will' referring to the present, the idea being expressed is usually one of 'showing willingness' or 'will power'.

My baby won't stop crying. I've tried everything and I'm really exhausted.
I am the boss. You will do as I say.
I need quiet to write this but he will keep on talking to me. I wish he would leave me alone.
We use 'will' for requests, orders, invitations and offers.

Will you give me a hand?
Will you please take a seat?
Will you have some cake?
I'll help you.
We use 'will' to make promises or threats.

I'll do it at once.
I'll phone him back immediately.
I won't forget this.
I'll get my own back some day.
We use 'will' for habit.

A cat will always find a warm place to sleep.
My car won't go any faster than this.
We use 'will' for deduction.

I expect he'll want us to get on with it.
The phone's ringing. That will be Mark.
Look again at all of these examples of 'will'. They are all to do with the present or are 'timeless'.
____
#Shall
We don't use 'Shall' very frequently in modern English, particularly in American English.

It is used to make offers and suggestions and to ask for advice.

What time shall we meet?
Shall we vote on it now?
What dress shall I wear?
Shall I open the window?
You only really need to know that about 'shall' in modern English. Read the rest of this only if you want to know more about how some older speakers still use 'shall'.

Formerly, in older grammar, 'shall' was used as an alternative to 'will' with 'I' and 'we'. Today, 'will' is normally used. When we do use 'shall', it has an idea of a more personal, subjective future.

I shall go to see the boss and I shall ask him to explain this decision.
Notice that the negative of 'shall' can be 'shall not' or 'shan't' – though the second one is now very rare in American English.

I don't like these people and I shall not go to their party.
I shan't object if you go without me.

Verbs followed by the TO-infinitive or gerund with a difference in meaning

Posted by Basíc Englísh Grammar For All on December 28, 2015

::::::::::::TO-infinitive or gerund: FORGET, REMEMBER, REGRET, GO ON, STOP, TRY::::::::::::
After these verbs, a to-infinitive refers to the future, while a gerund expresses an earlier action, relative to the time of the verb in the main clause:

Don't forget to meet Mr Moriarty at 10 o'clock this morning. (You should meet Mr Moriarty at 10 o'clock this morning.)
I'll never forget meeting her for the first time. (I'll never forget when I met her for the first time.)
Did you remember to buy tea? (Did you remember that you should buy tea?)
I don't remember ever visiting this museum. (I don't remember that I have ever visited this museum.)
We regret to inform you that your application has been rejected. (We are sorry we have to inform you that your application has been rejected.)
I regret spending so much money last night. (I am sorry that I spent so much money last night.)
Whichever page you're on, go on to read the next chapter. (Continue with the next chapter.)
Go on reading the article. (Continue reading the article.)
We stopped to drink a cup of coffee. (We stopped in order to drink a cup of coffee.)
I stopped smoking years ago. (I gave up smoking years ago.)
I tried to reach her at work, but the line was busy. (I made an attempt to reach her at work.)
Why didn't you try calling her on her mobile? (Why didn't you call her on her mobile to see if you could reach her?)
_
::::::::::::TO-infinitive or gerund: LIKE, HATE, PREFER, CAN'T BEAR::::::::::::
The verbs like and hate express (dis)liking if they are followed by a gerund:

I like getting up early in summer. (I enjoy getting up early in summer.)
I hate dancing, so don't ask me to. (I don't like dancing.)
But if these verbs are followed by a to-infinitive, they express habitual preference, something that we do not necessarily like or enjoy but consider as useful, right or wise:

I like to be punctual. (It's important to be punctual and I am.)
I hate to lie, but sometimes I do. (It's not right to lie, but sometimes I do.)
If like is in the negative, a gerund refers to an action that we do but don't enjoy doing, while a to-infinitive means that we don't do something because we don't think it right to do:

I could tell that Sandra didn't like being photographed though she didn't say a word. (Sandra was photographed, which she didn't like.)
Sandra didn't like to be photographed, so she turned her back to the camera. (Sandra didn't want to be photographed, and she wasn't.)
Prefer and can't bear can also take a gerund or a to-infinitive:

I prefer walking to taking the bus. (I like walking better than taking the bus.)
If you prefer to walk, it will take you 30 minutes to school. (If you want to walk, it will take you 30 minutes to school.)
I can't bear seeing people being humiliated. (I don't like it when I see people being humiliated.)
I couldn't bear to see those animals suffer, so I looked away. (I didn't want to see them suffer, so I looked away.)
_
::::::::::::TO-infinitive or gerund: CONSIDER, IMAGINE::::::::::::
Consider and imagine can be followed by either (a) a gerund or (b) a noun phrase or pronoun + to-infinitive but with different meanings:

I am considering working abroad. (I am thinking of working abroad.)
Everybody considers him to be the best person for the job. (Everybody thinks that he is the best person for the job.)
Imagine living at 2,000 metres above sea level! (Imagine what it would be like to live at 2,000 metres above sea level.)
I imagined him to be much taller. (I expected that he would be much taller.)
_
::::::::::::::::::::::::TO-infinitive or gerund: MEAN, HELP:::::::::::::::
Mean and help can be followed by either a gerund or a to-infinitive but with different meanings:

In those days, being a student meant spending long hours in the library. (In those days if you were a student, it meant that you spent long hours in the library.)
I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. (I didn't intend to hurt your feelings.)
I can't help thinking that you are hiding something. (only in the negative: I have to think that you are hiding something.)
Could you help me (to) undo my shoelaces? My fingers are frozen. (Could you undo my shoelaces?)
Help can be followed by a bare infinitive or a to-infinitive.
_
::::::::::::TO-infinitive or gerund: NEED, REQUIRE, WANT::::::::::::
Need, require and want can be followed by the active or passive to-infinitives to express active or passive meanings, respectively:

I need to make a phone call.
Sometimes, people need to be told the truth.

My job requires me to handle many letters from abroad.
They required the information to be sent as soon as possible.

I wanted to stay for a few more days.
It was obvious that he wanted to be invited.

::::::::::::But active gerunds after these verbs express passive meanings:::::::::::::

Your hair needs cutting. (It should be cut.)
These photos require careful handling. (They should be handled carefully.)
The windows want cleaning. (They should be cleaned.)
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#Will be doing & #Will have done & #Will have been Ing

Posted by Basíc Englísh Grammar For All on December 24, 2015

__
#Will Be Doing
____________

We can use 'will be doing' to talk about something that will be in progress at a particular moment in the future.

This time next week, I'll be sitting on the beach in Barbados.
I'll be thinking about you all back in the office – and I'll be laughing.
We'll be enjoying ourselves too, boss. We won't be doing any work while you are not here.

We can use 'will be doing' to talk about future events that are fixed or decided.

I'll be visiting your country on a regular basis. In fact, I'm going to be coming next month.
He'll be looking after the factory until we can appoint a new manager.
They'll be thinking about this very carefully over the next few months.

We can use 'will be doing' to predict what is happening now.

Try phoning his hotel. He'll probably still be having breakfast.
They'll be deciding who gets the contract at this very moment. I'm very nervous.
She's not in her office. She'll be having lunch in the canteen.

We can use 'will be doing' to ask extremely politely, and with no pressure, about future plans.

Will you be eating with us this evening?
Will you be needing anything else?
Will they be joining us for dinner?

__
#Will Have Done
_________________
We can use 'will have done' to talk about what will have been achieved by a certain moment in time.

We'll have been in these offices for eight years next month.
She'll have visited ten countries in twelve days by the time she gets back.
I'll have finished this project by Friday.
If we want to emphasise the continuity of the activity, we can use the continuous form.

I'll have been working here for 35 years by the time I retire.
She'll have been driving for more than fifteen hours straight by the time she gets here.
They'll have been working with us for 15 years by the end of this year.
We can also use 'will have done' to predict what we think has already happened at present.

He'll have already read the report by now. Too late to change it.
She'll have boarded her plane. It's too late to contact her.
They'll have decided by now. We should hear the result today or tomorrow.

__
#Will have been Ing

The Future Perfect Continuous tense is like the Future Perfect tense, but it expresses longer actions or states extending up to some specific event or time in the future. For example:

Ram starts waiting at 9am. I am late and cannot arrive before 10am. Ram will have been waiting for an hour by the time I meet him.

Notice that the long action or state can start at any time in the past, present or future, but of course it always ends in the future.

Look at these examples:

He'll be tired when he gets here. He'll have been travelling all day.
How long will Jo have been working when he retires?
Next month I'll have been studying Chinese for two years.
Will you have been working when I arrive?
He won't have been studying long enough to qualify.
Next week Jane is going to swim from England to France. By the time she gets to France she'll have been swimming non-stop for over thirteen hours.

_FORM
The future perfect continuous is composed of two elements
the future perfect of the verb "to be" (will have been) + the present participle of the main verb (base + ing)
_FUNCTION
Like the future perfect simple, this form is used to project ourselves forward in time and to look back. It refers to events or actions in a time between now and some future time are unfinished. It is most often used with a time expression.

EXAMPLES

I will have been waiting here for three hours by six o'clock.
By 2050 I will have been living in London for sixteen years.
When I finish this course, I will have been learning English for twenty years.
Next year I will have been working here for four years.
When I come at 6:00, will you have been practicing long?

When British people say one thing, they often really mean the exact opposite!

Posted by Basíc Englísh Grammar For All on December 20, 2015

When British people say one thing, they often really mean the exact opposite! Any Brit will recognize themselves in this list. 1. 'I might join you later' — Translation: I'm not leaving the house today unless it's on fire. 2. 'Excuse me, sorry, is anyone sitting here?' — Translation: You have 3 seconds to move your bag before I get really annoyed. 3. 'Not to worry.' — Translation: I will never forget this! 4. Saying 'Sorry' as a way of introducing yourself. 5. 'Bit wet out there.' — Translation: You're going to need a snorkel because it's absolutely pissing it down out there! 6. Ending an email with 'Thanks'. — Translation: I'm perilously close to losing my temper! 7. 'Right then, I really should start to think about possibly making a move.' — Translation: Bye! 8. 'It's fine.' — Translation: It really couldn't get any worse, but it probably will do... 9. 'Perfect.' — Translation: Well that's ruined then! 10. 'A bit of a pickle.' — Translation: A catastrophically bad situation with potentially fatal consequences. 11: 'Not too bad, actually.' — Translation: I'm probably the happiest I've ever been. 12. 'Honestly, it doesn't matter.' — Translation: Nothing has ever mattered more than this. 13. 'You've caught the sun.' — Translation: You look like you've been swimming in a volcano. 14. 'That's certainly one way of looking at it.' — Translation: That's certainly the wrong way of looking at it. 15. Saying 'I have the 5p if it helps.' and never knowing if it ever does help. 16. 'If you say so.' — Translation: I'm afraid that what you're saying is the height of idiocy. 17. 'With all due respect...' — Translation: You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. 18. Saying 'You're welcome' as quietly as possible to people that don't say thank you, but using it as a form of punishment. 19. Meanings of 'I beg your pardon' — Translation: a) I didn't hear you; b) I apologise; c) What you're saying is making me absolutely livid! 20. 'It could be worse.' — Translation: It couldn't possibly be any worse. 21. 'Each to their own.' — Translation: You're wrong, but never mind. 22. 'Pop around anytime.' — Translation: Please stay away from my house. 23. 'I'm just popping out for lunch, does anyone else want anything?' — Translation: I'm getting my own lunch now, please don't ask me to get you anything! 24. Saying: 'I might get some cash out, actually', despite approaching the cash machine and being 100% certain of getting some cash out. 25. 'No, no, honestly it was my fault.' — Translation: It was absolutely your fault and we both know it! 26. 'No, yeah, that's very interesting!' — Translation: You are boring me to death! 27. 'No harm done.' — Translation: You have ruined everything! 28. 'Just whenever you get a minute...' — Translation: Now! 29. 'I'm sure it'll be fine.' — Translation: I fully expect the situation to deteriorate rapidly! 30. 'Sorry, I think you might have dropped something...' — Translation: You have definitely dropped that specific item! ...

#I stand with Tunisians

Posted by Basíc Englísh Grammar For All on November 24, 2015

May Allah bring peace to your country ameen
‪#‎I‬ Stand with Tunisia
‪#‎In‬ Solidarity with Tunisia
#‎JeSuisSousse‬

Categories of meaning expressed by modal

Posted by Basíc Englísh Grammar For All on August 29, 2015