Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem
Surprised? It's true. Essa (as) as we call him WILL, indeed, return. Here's an explanation of what we believe, better than I could ever put it! What will happen? How will it happen? Whether christian or muslim, you're bound to enjoy this.
Subhaan'Allah !
Friday, December 28, 2012
What is love?
Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem
Time flies, and when I look again, I'm almost 40. Where did time go? Where did life go? The person I am today is so very, very different to the person I thought I'd be, growing up. I think if we live life with our eyes open, we remember every moment, or most, that marks us. I know I do. I'm more comfortable with the me that I am than with the me I thought I would be, or thought I wanted to be.
I'm grateful for all the lessons that have softened me, that have moulded me, that have brought me to this place where I can learn without feeling as though being wrong is a threat to myself. Youth does that - it makes us want to defend ourselves from anything and anyone that shows us the error of our ways. I'm not talking about youth in years, but youth versus maturity.
I've learnt to learn, learnt to argue with myself, to debate, to seek, to be wrong, to be right with grace, to speak, and above all, I've learnt the value of silence. Sometimes being silent is the only right choice. NOT speaking your mind can save you many tears but SUBR is not an easy thing to do; that patience plus endurance plus faith...I've learnt, also, what is love, for me.
And what is love, to me - human love? Love is so "commonplace" nowadays. It's easy to say I love you, easy to use the word "love" in many different contexts. To me, love is a singluar experience, it is a feeling, an attitude, and a choice that determines what you say and how you say it because when you love someone you do not use your words as weapons or as manipulation. LOVE, to me, means loving not just with my heart, but my soul, it is enduring difficult times because you know the love is worth it. It is rejoicing in good times with every fibre of my being, no holds barred. LOVE, is the quiet moments between a man and a woman who are one in the eyes of Allah, and saying nothing - it is feeling that glorious sense of "all is right with the world" which flows from the divine through our soul to touch the other person.
Love, is expressed by the eyes more than by words, but words are necessary. Love is expressed by the soul more than by the body, yet the body is an exquisite method of expression within the halaal.
Love is, essentially, the reason for creation; Allah loves beauty and creates beauty, loves growth and allows growth, loves US and sees in us all the potential he placed there. LOVE is the heartbeat of the world, in my opinion, and the love of our Nabi (saw) for his Ummah means we are able to draw near to the creator.. So, for the next 40 years, I make duah that Allah be with me, increase me in love and increase love in me and in those I love. From love, flows growth, and kindness, and, insh'Allah, peace.
To love ALLAH is the greatest love. To love his Nabi (saw) is to recognise Allah's love for the world.
Subhannallah.
I am humbled. By Allah. and by Love.
Time flies, and when I look again, I'm almost 40. Where did time go? Where did life go? The person I am today is so very, very different to the person I thought I'd be, growing up. I think if we live life with our eyes open, we remember every moment, or most, that marks us. I know I do. I'm more comfortable with the me that I am than with the me I thought I would be, or thought I wanted to be.
I'm grateful for all the lessons that have softened me, that have moulded me, that have brought me to this place where I can learn without feeling as though being wrong is a threat to myself. Youth does that - it makes us want to defend ourselves from anything and anyone that shows us the error of our ways. I'm not talking about youth in years, but youth versus maturity.
I've learnt to learn, learnt to argue with myself, to debate, to seek, to be wrong, to be right with grace, to speak, and above all, I've learnt the value of silence. Sometimes being silent is the only right choice. NOT speaking your mind can save you many tears but SUBR is not an easy thing to do; that patience plus endurance plus faith...I've learnt, also, what is love, for me.
And what is love, to me - human love? Love is so "commonplace" nowadays. It's easy to say I love you, easy to use the word "love" in many different contexts. To me, love is a singluar experience, it is a feeling, an attitude, and a choice that determines what you say and how you say it because when you love someone you do not use your words as weapons or as manipulation. LOVE, to me, means loving not just with my heart, but my soul, it is enduring difficult times because you know the love is worth it. It is rejoicing in good times with every fibre of my being, no holds barred. LOVE, is the quiet moments between a man and a woman who are one in the eyes of Allah, and saying nothing - it is feeling that glorious sense of "all is right with the world" which flows from the divine through our soul to touch the other person.
Love, is expressed by the eyes more than by words, but words are necessary. Love is expressed by the soul more than by the body, yet the body is an exquisite method of expression within the halaal.
Love is, essentially, the reason for creation; Allah loves beauty and creates beauty, loves growth and allows growth, loves US and sees in us all the potential he placed there. LOVE is the heartbeat of the world, in my opinion, and the love of our Nabi (saw) for his Ummah means we are able to draw near to the creator.. So, for the next 40 years, I make duah that Allah be with me, increase me in love and increase love in me and in those I love. From love, flows growth, and kindness, and, insh'Allah, peace.
To love ALLAH is the greatest love. To love his Nabi (saw) is to recognise Allah's love for the world.
Subhannallah.
I am humbled. By Allah. and by Love.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Why say NO to Christmas?
Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem
It is the "Silly Season" and let's face it, it's no secret that christians are so divided among themselves that they cannot agree on even the most basic of principles from wether or not a woman can preach to wether a christmas tree is "scriptural". There's no need to re-invent the wheel and try to find the answers to various christmas related questions. So here's an article written by a christian to christians, regarding christmas. Erm... need I say more?
PLEASE NOTE: I do not advocate the beliefs the writer advocates, I include extracts of his article here, simply because it is well researched and basically shows how the bible itself speaks against "christmas"..
All rights of the extracts of this article to its author David C Pack .
"Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911 edition, under “Christmas”: “Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church…the first evidence of the feast is from Egypt.” Further, “Pagan customs centering around the January calends gravitated to Christmas.” Under “Natal Day,” Origen, an early Catholic writer, admitted, “…In the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his birthday. It is only sinners (like Pharaoh and Herod) who make great rejoicings over the day in which they were born into this world” (emphasis mine).
The Encyclopedia Americana, 1956 edition, adds, “Christmas…was not observed in the first centuries of the Christian church, since the Christian usage in general was to celebrate the death of remarkable persons rather than their birth…a feast was established in memory of this event [ Jesus's birth] in the fourth century. In the fifth century the Western Church ordered the feast to be celebrated forever on the day of the Mithraic rites of the birth of the sun and at the close of the Saturnalia, as no certain knowledge of the day of Christ's birth existed.”
It was 300 years after Christ before the Roman church kept Christmas, and not until the fifth century that it was mandated to be kept throughout the empire as an official festival honoring “Christ.”
"Christ" said, “But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matt. 15:9). Christmas is not a command of God—it is a tradition of men. "Christ" continued, “Full well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your own tradition” (Mark 7:9). Every year, throughout the world, on December 25th, hundreds of millions do just that!
We will see that God plainly commands, “Follow not the way of the heathen.” But most people do not fear God, and He allows them to make their own decisions. Human beings are free moral agents—free to obey or disobey God! (...)
Luke 2:8 explains that when "Christ" was born, “there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.” Note that they were “abiding” in the field. This never happened in December. Both Ezra 10:9-13 and the Song of Solomon 2:11 show that winter was the rainy season and shepherds could not stay on cold, open fields at night.
Numerous encyclopedias plainly state that "Christ" was not born on December 25th! The Catholic Encyclopedia directly confirms this. In all likelihood, "Christ" was born in the fall! A lengthy technical explanation would prove this point.
Since we now know that December 25th was nowhere near "Christ's" actual birthdate, where did the festival associated with this date come from?
Now read this quote under “Christmas”: “In the Roman world, the Saturnalia (December 17) was a time of merrymaking and exchanging of gifts. December 25 was also regarded as the birthdate of the Iranian mystery god Mithra, the Sun of Righteousness. On the Roman New Year (January 1), houses were decorated with greenery and lights, and gifts were given to children and the poor. To these observances were added the German and Celtic Yule rites when the Teutonic tribes penetrated into Gaul, Britain and central Europe. Food and good fellowship, the Yule log and Yule cakes, greenery and fir trees, gifts and greetings all commemorated different aspects of this festive season. (..)” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th ed., vol. II, p. 903).
A final quote about the selection of December 25th as the birthdate of "Christ" is necessary. Note an article in The Toronto Star, December 1984, by Alan Edmonds, entitled, “We owe a lot to Druids, Dutch”: “The Reformation cast a blight on Christmas. By then, of course, clever ecclesiastical politicians had adopted the Pagan mid-winter festival as the alleged birthdate of Jesus, of Nazareth, and thrown in a few other Pagan goodies to make their takeover more palatable.”
December 25th was not selected because it was the birth of "Christ" or because it was even near it. It was selected because it coincided with the idolatrous pagan festival Saturnalia—and this celebration must be carefully examined. In any event, we do not know the exact date of "Christ's" birth. (...)
Some years ago, a priest in New Jersey told his Sunday school class that Santa was a myth. The outrage from parents and his supervisors was swift. He had “killed Santa!” He had “destroyed family tradition!” He had “usurped family authority,” the article continued. He was officially censored by his superiors for being “overzealous and insensitive.”
His crime? He told the truth!
According to Langer's Encyclo-pedia of World History, (article “Santa”), “Santa” was a common name for Nimrod throughout Asia Minor. This was also the same fire god who came down the chimneys of the ancient pagans and the same fire god to whom infants were burned and eaten in human sacrifice among those who were once God's people.
Today Santa Claus comes from “Saint Nicholas.” Washington Irving, in 1809, is responsible for remaking the original old, stern bishop of this same name into the new “jolly St. Nick” in his Knickerbocker History of New York. (Most of the rest of America's Christmas traditions are even more recent than this.) “Old Nick” has long been recognized as a term for the devil.
In Revelation 2:6 and 15, we read about a “doctrine of the Nicolaitanes,” which Christ twice tells His Church “[He] hates.” Let's analyze the word Nicolaitane. It means “follower of Nicholas.” Nikos means “conqueror, destroyer.” Laos means “people.” Nicolaitanes, then, are people who follow the conqueror or destroyer—Nimrod. If you have believed that following Christmas is an innocent Christian custom, let this truth sink in!
The Bibliotheca Sacra states, “The interchange of presents between friends is a like characteristic of Christmas and the Saturnalia, and must have been adopted by Christians from the pagans, as the admonition of Tertullian plainly shows” (Vol. 12, pp. 153-155).
Like every other aspect of Christmas, the shocking truth is that even this supposed Christian custom does not come from the Bible. It is an irony that people love to believe they are following the custom of the wise men giving to Christ, when actually they are giving almost exclusively to each other! What hypocrisy! Christ is completely forgotten.
The Bible actually teaches that Christians should not keep birthdays. Numerous scriptures make this principle clear. (...) However, what if you went to a birthday party that had been prepared for you and everybody gave gifts to each other and you were left out? The idea is ridiculous! If this happened, you would say that people were being selfish and forgetting you. In fact, most people give to others on Christmas merely because they expect to receive gifts themselves!
Let's briefly return to the “wise men” who gave gifts to Christ. The scripture describing this is Matthew 2:1-11: “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews?…And when they were come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”
It is commonly supposed that these were birthday presents for “baby Jesus.” But is this what the Bible actually says? Absolutely not! First, it is important to note that they did give the gifts to Jesus. They did not stand in his presence and exchange gifts among themselves or give them to others. The gifts were “presented unto Him.” Also, they arrived well after his “birthday.” This is another reason these could not have been “birthday presents.” (...)
The following demonstrates what the Babylonians believe about the origin of the Christmas tree: “An old Babylonish fable told of an evergreen tree which sprang out of a dead tree stump. The old stump symbolized the dead Nimrod, the new evergreen tree symbolized that Nimrod had come to life again in Tammuz! Among the Druids the oak was sacred, among the Egyptians it was the palm, and in Rome it was the fir, which was decorated with red berries during the Saturnalia!” (Walsh, Curiosities of Popular Customs, p. 242).
Frederick J. Haskin's Answers to Questions states, “The Christmas tree is from Egypt, and its origin dates from a period long anterior to the Christmas Era.” Did you know this—that the Christmas tree long preceded Christianity?
Most aspects of Christmas are not referred to in the Bible. Of course, the reason is that they are not from God (The reader should remember this article was written by a christian writer, not by the blogger yesimmuslimdealwithit) (...) The Christmas tree, however, is directly mentioned in the Bible! Turn to Jeremiah 10:2-5, “Thus says the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen…For the customs of the people are vain: for one cuts a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.”
This plain description of the modern Christmas tree is clear. (The bible )directly refers to it as “the way of the heathen.” Just as directly, He commands His people to “learn not the way of the heathen,” calling these customs “vain.” Verse 23 adds a remarkable and powerful statement: “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walks to direct his [own] steps.” God must teach people how to live. Man simply cannot figure out God's ways for himself. (Note from yesImMuslimDealwithit - please read this again - Christians will tell muslims that they do not need laws because they are set free.. so no, I'm not agreeing with the writer in all he says, but I want readers to note what christians themselves say about christmas - their OWN bible denounces it.)
There is no room in Jeremiah 10 to believe, as some have tried to suggest, that because these trees are powerless of themselves, it is not really forbidden to have a Christmas tree. God condemns the putting up of pagan (Christmas) trees with this plain Bible command!
The Encyclopedia Americana states, “The holly, the mistletoe, the Yule log…are relics of pre-Christian time.” In other words, paganism! The Yule log was commonly used in a rite of Teutonic nature worship.
Frederick Haskin further states, “The use of Christmas wreaths is believed by authorities to be traceable to the pagan customs of decorating buildings and places of worship at the feast which took place at the same time as Christmas.”
The Encyclopedia Britannica, under “Celastrales,” exposes the origin of the holly wreath: “European pagans brought holly sprays into their homes, offering them to the fairy people of the forests as refuge from the harsh winter weather. During the Saturnalia, the Roman winter festival, branches of holly were exchanged as tokens of friendship. The earliest Roman Christians apparently used holly as a decoration at the Christmas season.”
There are dozens of different types of holly. Virtually all of them come in male and female varieties—such as “Blue Prince and Blue Princess” or “Blue Boy and Blue Girl” or “China Boy and China Girl.” Female holly plants cannot have berries unless a nearby male plant pollinates them. It is easy to see why the holly wreath found its way into pagan rituals as a token of friendship and fertility!
Christmas is incomplete to many unless it involves “kissing under the mistletoe.” This pagan custom was natural on a night that involved much revelry done in the spirit of drunken orgies. Just like today, this “kissing” usually occurred at the beginning of any modern Saturnalia/Christmas celebration. I will never forget having to always kiss my friends' mothers upon entering each of their houses every Christmas. It was the first thing that we did. I hated it—but it was something I “had to do”! Mistletoe was considered to have special powers of healing for those who “reveled” under it.
The Encyclopedia Britannica, under “Santalales,” states, “The European mistletoe is thought to have had special ritual significance in Druidical ceremonies and lives in folklore today, its special status as the Christmas mistletoe having come from Anglo-Saxon times.” Mistletoe is a parasite that lives on oak trees. (Recall that the Druids worshipped in oak tree groves.) The ancient Celtics (associated with the Druids) used to give mistletoe as an herbal remedy to barren animals to make them fertile. It is still referred to as “all healer” in Celtic. (Yesimmuslimdealwithit comment - and yes, it is a medicinal herb, but it should not be used for any spiritual purpose for only ALLAH heals!)
Like mistletoe, holly berries were also thought to be sacred to the sun god. The original “sun log” came to be called the yule log. “Yule” simply means “wheel,” which has long been a pagan representation of the sun. No wonder people today commonly speak of the “sacred yule-tide season.”
Human beings do not want to obey God (Rom. 8:7). They would rather follow their own “imagination.” They do not understand that God wants their lives to go “well.” He wants happiness, joy and blessings to flow into people's lives. All these are the results of obeying Him.
God inspired Moses to warn parents of the grave responsibility that they have in what and how they teach their children. Notice His instruction in Deuteronomy 6:1, 6-7, 20-21, 25: “Now these are the commandments…which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you go to possess it…And these words, which I command you this day, shall be in your heart: And you shall teach them diligently unto your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up…And when your son asks you in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord our God has commanded you? Then you shall say unto your son, We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand…And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us.”
God took Israel out of Egypt—out of the customs of the world around them and revealed His Law to them. He does not want His people going back to the traditions, customs and ways from which He has called them. (note by yesimmuslimdealwithit - the writer sounds like a muslim, doesn't he? After all, he's basically saying one should submit to the laws of Allah, as written in the thorah, right? Submission to Allah's will, to the will of God, has a name - its translated in arabic as "ISLAM".)
When all of the interconnected traditions, filled with the symbolism of worshipping an ancient pagan, humanly devised god, are taught, this is not worshipping the true Creator.
The prophet Isaiah was inspired to write, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet, and show My people their transgression” (58:1). I have done this.
Notes from yesimmuslimdealwithit - why would the writer weep for the transgressions of the christians, aren't christians free from all transgressions because of "the cross" - oh wait - the cross is also a pagan symbol - !!
Wether you are christian or not, christmas is not. Wether you are christian or not, you should not be hanging up christmas trees, exchanging gifts or participating in anything remotely christmassy. May our muslim brothers and sisters who participate "FOR THE FUN OF IT" take heed - Shirk is not a game, and since christmas is actually orignated in PAGAN and IDOLATROUS beliefs, is it not, then, idolatry? May Allah guide us all, and grant us the truth, always, for truly if the christians believed that the truth would set them free, they would seek the truth. CONVENIENCE is not the same as faith.
It is the "Silly Season" and let's face it, it's no secret that christians are so divided among themselves that they cannot agree on even the most basic of principles from wether or not a woman can preach to wether a christmas tree is "scriptural". There's no need to re-invent the wheel and try to find the answers to various christmas related questions. So here's an article written by a christian to christians, regarding christmas. Erm... need I say more?
PLEASE NOTE: I do not advocate the beliefs the writer advocates, I include extracts of his article here, simply because it is well researched and basically shows how the bible itself speaks against "christmas"..
All rights of the extracts of this article to its author David C Pack .
"Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911 edition, under “Christmas”: “Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church…the first evidence of the feast is from Egypt.” Further, “Pagan customs centering around the January calends gravitated to Christmas.” Under “Natal Day,” Origen, an early Catholic writer, admitted, “…In the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his birthday. It is only sinners (like Pharaoh and Herod) who make great rejoicings over the day in which they were born into this world” (emphasis mine).
The Encyclopedia Americana, 1956 edition, adds, “Christmas…was not observed in the first centuries of the Christian church, since the Christian usage in general was to celebrate the death of remarkable persons rather than their birth…a feast was established in memory of this event [ Jesus's birth] in the fourth century. In the fifth century the Western Church ordered the feast to be celebrated forever on the day of the Mithraic rites of the birth of the sun and at the close of the Saturnalia, as no certain knowledge of the day of Christ's birth existed.”
It was 300 years after Christ before the Roman church kept Christmas, and not until the fifth century that it was mandated to be kept throughout the empire as an official festival honoring “Christ.”
Can "Christ" Be Honored by Christmas?
The most common justification that one will hear regarding Christmas is that people have replaced old pagan customs and intents by asserting that they are now “focusing on Christ.” I have heard many say that they are “honoring Christ” in their Christmas-keeping. The problem is that God does not say this is acceptable to Him! Actually, He plainly commands against it! Keeping Christmas dishonors Christ! He considers everything about it to be an abomination! We will soon see why."Christ" said, “But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matt. 15:9). Christmas is not a command of God—it is a tradition of men. "Christ" continued, “Full well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your own tradition” (Mark 7:9). Every year, throughout the world, on December 25th, hundreds of millions do just that!
We will see that God plainly commands, “Follow not the way of the heathen.” But most people do not fear God, and He allows them to make their own decisions. Human beings are free moral agents—free to obey or disobey God! (...)
Was "Christ" Born on December 25th?
"Christ" was born in the fall of the year. Many have mistakenly believed He was born around the beginning of winter—December 25th! They are wrong! Notice the Adam Clarke Commentary, volume 5, page 370, New York edition: “It was custom among Jews to send out their sheep to the deserts about the Passover [early spring], and bring them home at the commencement of the first rain.” The first rains began in early-to-mid fall. Continuing with this same quote: “During the time they were out, the shepherds watched them night and day. As…the first rain began early in the month of March-esvan, which answers to part of our October and November [begins sometime in October], we find that the sheep were kept out in the open country during the whole summer. And as these shepherds had not yet brought home their flocks, it is a presumptive argument that October had not yet commenced, and that, consequently, (Jesus) was not born on the 25th of December, when no flocks were out in the fields; nor could He have been born later than September, as the flocks were still in the fields by night. On this very ground, the nativity in December should be given up. The feeding of the flocks by night in the fields is a chronological fact…See the quotations from the Talmudists in Lightfoot.”Luke 2:8 explains that when "Christ" was born, “there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.” Note that they were “abiding” in the field. This never happened in December. Both Ezra 10:9-13 and the Song of Solomon 2:11 show that winter was the rainy season and shepherds could not stay on cold, open fields at night.
Numerous encyclopedias plainly state that "Christ" was not born on December 25th! The Catholic Encyclopedia directly confirms this. In all likelihood, "Christ" was born in the fall! A lengthy technical explanation would prove this point.
Since we now know that December 25th was nowhere near "Christ's" actual birthdate, where did the festival associated with this date come from?
Now read this quote under “Christmas”: “In the Roman world, the Saturnalia (December 17) was a time of merrymaking and exchanging of gifts. December 25 was also regarded as the birthdate of the Iranian mystery god Mithra, the Sun of Righteousness. On the Roman New Year (January 1), houses were decorated with greenery and lights, and gifts were given to children and the poor. To these observances were added the German and Celtic Yule rites when the Teutonic tribes penetrated into Gaul, Britain and central Europe. Food and good fellowship, the Yule log and Yule cakes, greenery and fir trees, gifts and greetings all commemorated different aspects of this festive season. (..)” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th ed., vol. II, p. 903).
A final quote about the selection of December 25th as the birthdate of "Christ" is necessary. Note an article in The Toronto Star, December 1984, by Alan Edmonds, entitled, “We owe a lot to Druids, Dutch”: “The Reformation cast a blight on Christmas. By then, of course, clever ecclesiastical politicians had adopted the Pagan mid-winter festival as the alleged birthdate of Jesus, of Nazareth, and thrown in a few other Pagan goodies to make their takeover more palatable.”
December 25th was not selected because it was the birth of "Christ" or because it was even near it. It was selected because it coincided with the idolatrous pagan festival Saturnalia—and this celebration must be carefully examined. In any event, we do not know the exact date of "Christ's" birth. (...)
What About Santa Claus?
Parents reason that they owe the whole Christmas myth to their children! Christmas traditions are focused primarily on kids, and they are certainly the center of most of what happens. I know because I kept seventeen Christmases. My older sister and younger brother and I were the recipients of much and the givers of very little on that day—and it all started with the Santa Claus lie.Some years ago, a priest in New Jersey told his Sunday school class that Santa was a myth. The outrage from parents and his supervisors was swift. He had “killed Santa!” He had “destroyed family tradition!” He had “usurped family authority,” the article continued. He was officially censored by his superiors for being “overzealous and insensitive.”
His crime? He told the truth!
According to Langer's Encyclo-pedia of World History, (article “Santa”), “Santa” was a common name for Nimrod throughout Asia Minor. This was also the same fire god who came down the chimneys of the ancient pagans and the same fire god to whom infants were burned and eaten in human sacrifice among those who were once God's people.
Today Santa Claus comes from “Saint Nicholas.” Washington Irving, in 1809, is responsible for remaking the original old, stern bishop of this same name into the new “jolly St. Nick” in his Knickerbocker History of New York. (Most of the rest of America's Christmas traditions are even more recent than this.) “Old Nick” has long been recognized as a term for the devil.
In Revelation 2:6 and 15, we read about a “doctrine of the Nicolaitanes,” which Christ twice tells His Church “[He] hates.” Let's analyze the word Nicolaitane. It means “follower of Nicholas.” Nikos means “conqueror, destroyer.” Laos means “people.” Nicolaitanes, then, are people who follow the conqueror or destroyer—Nimrod. If you have believed that following Christmas is an innocent Christian custom, let this truth sink in!
Is It "Scriptural" to Exchange Gifts?
Merchants regularly report that over 60% of their annual retail sales occur during the Christmas shopping season. This represents a tremendous amount of gift buying. Most today believe that gift-giving comes from the Bible example of the “three wise men” (the Bible gives no number) presenting gifts to Christ. Is this true? Where did exchanging gifts come from, and what does God's Word say about it?The Bibliotheca Sacra states, “The interchange of presents between friends is a like characteristic of Christmas and the Saturnalia, and must have been adopted by Christians from the pagans, as the admonition of Tertullian plainly shows” (Vol. 12, pp. 153-155).
Like every other aspect of Christmas, the shocking truth is that even this supposed Christian custom does not come from the Bible. It is an irony that people love to believe they are following the custom of the wise men giving to Christ, when actually they are giving almost exclusively to each other! What hypocrisy! Christ is completely forgotten.
The Bible actually teaches that Christians should not keep birthdays. Numerous scriptures make this principle clear. (...) However, what if you went to a birthday party that had been prepared for you and everybody gave gifts to each other and you were left out? The idea is ridiculous! If this happened, you would say that people were being selfish and forgetting you. In fact, most people give to others on Christmas merely because they expect to receive gifts themselves!
Let's briefly return to the “wise men” who gave gifts to Christ. The scripture describing this is Matthew 2:1-11: “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews?…And when they were come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”
It is commonly supposed that these were birthday presents for “baby Jesus.” But is this what the Bible actually says? Absolutely not! First, it is important to note that they did give the gifts to Jesus. They did not stand in his presence and exchange gifts among themselves or give them to others. The gifts were “presented unto Him.” Also, they arrived well after his “birthday.” This is another reason these could not have been “birthday presents.” (...)
Origin of the Christmas Tree
No article about Christmas is complete without some explanation of the “Christmas tree.” We have touched on it without directly focusing on it. The modern Christmas tree originated in Germany. But the Germans got it from the Romans, who got it from the Babylonians and the Egyptians.The following demonstrates what the Babylonians believe about the origin of the Christmas tree: “An old Babylonish fable told of an evergreen tree which sprang out of a dead tree stump. The old stump symbolized the dead Nimrod, the new evergreen tree symbolized that Nimrod had come to life again in Tammuz! Among the Druids the oak was sacred, among the Egyptians it was the palm, and in Rome it was the fir, which was decorated with red berries during the Saturnalia!” (Walsh, Curiosities of Popular Customs, p. 242).
Frederick J. Haskin's Answers to Questions states, “The Christmas tree is from Egypt, and its origin dates from a period long anterior to the Christmas Era.” Did you know this—that the Christmas tree long preceded Christianity?
Most aspects of Christmas are not referred to in the Bible. Of course, the reason is that they are not from God (The reader should remember this article was written by a christian writer, not by the blogger yesimmuslimdealwithit) (...) The Christmas tree, however, is directly mentioned in the Bible! Turn to Jeremiah 10:2-5, “Thus says the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen…For the customs of the people are vain: for one cuts a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.”
This plain description of the modern Christmas tree is clear. (The bible )directly refers to it as “the way of the heathen.” Just as directly, He commands His people to “learn not the way of the heathen,” calling these customs “vain.” Verse 23 adds a remarkable and powerful statement: “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walks to direct his [own] steps.” God must teach people how to live. Man simply cannot figure out God's ways for himself. (Note from yesImMuslimDealwithit - please read this again - Christians will tell muslims that they do not need laws because they are set free.. so no, I'm not agreeing with the writer in all he says, but I want readers to note what christians themselves say about christmas - their OWN bible denounces it.)
There is no room in Jeremiah 10 to believe, as some have tried to suggest, that because these trees are powerless of themselves, it is not really forbidden to have a Christmas tree. God condemns the putting up of pagan (Christmas) trees with this plain Bible command!
The Source of Holly Wreaths, Yule Logs and Mistletoe
The Encyclopedia Americana states, “The holly, the mistletoe, the Yule log…are relics of pre-Christian time.” In other words, paganism! The Yule log was commonly used in a rite of Teutonic nature worship.
Frederick Haskin further states, “The use of Christmas wreaths is believed by authorities to be traceable to the pagan customs of decorating buildings and places of worship at the feast which took place at the same time as Christmas.”
The Encyclopedia Britannica, under “Celastrales,” exposes the origin of the holly wreath: “European pagans brought holly sprays into their homes, offering them to the fairy people of the forests as refuge from the harsh winter weather. During the Saturnalia, the Roman winter festival, branches of holly were exchanged as tokens of friendship. The earliest Roman Christians apparently used holly as a decoration at the Christmas season.”
There are dozens of different types of holly. Virtually all of them come in male and female varieties—such as “Blue Prince and Blue Princess” or “Blue Boy and Blue Girl” or “China Boy and China Girl.” Female holly plants cannot have berries unless a nearby male plant pollinates them. It is easy to see why the holly wreath found its way into pagan rituals as a token of friendship and fertility!
Christmas is incomplete to many unless it involves “kissing under the mistletoe.” This pagan custom was natural on a night that involved much revelry done in the spirit of drunken orgies. Just like today, this “kissing” usually occurred at the beginning of any modern Saturnalia/Christmas celebration. I will never forget having to always kiss my friends' mothers upon entering each of their houses every Christmas. It was the first thing that we did. I hated it—but it was something I “had to do”! Mistletoe was considered to have special powers of healing for those who “reveled” under it.
The Encyclopedia Britannica, under “Santalales,” states, “The European mistletoe is thought to have had special ritual significance in Druidical ceremonies and lives in folklore today, its special status as the Christmas mistletoe having come from Anglo-Saxon times.” Mistletoe is a parasite that lives on oak trees. (Recall that the Druids worshipped in oak tree groves.) The ancient Celtics (associated with the Druids) used to give mistletoe as an herbal remedy to barren animals to make them fertile. It is still referred to as “all healer” in Celtic. (Yesimmuslimdealwithit comment - and yes, it is a medicinal herb, but it should not be used for any spiritual purpose for only ALLAH heals!)
Like mistletoe, holly berries were also thought to be sacred to the sun god. The original “sun log” came to be called the yule log. “Yule” simply means “wheel,” which has long been a pagan representation of the sun. No wonder people today commonly speak of the “sacred yule-tide season.”
What Should You Do?
Finally, let's examine what God told His people they should do and the way they ought to teach their children.Human beings do not want to obey God (Rom. 8:7). They would rather follow their own “imagination.” They do not understand that God wants their lives to go “well.” He wants happiness, joy and blessings to flow into people's lives. All these are the results of obeying Him.
God inspired Moses to warn parents of the grave responsibility that they have in what and how they teach their children. Notice His instruction in Deuteronomy 6:1, 6-7, 20-21, 25: “Now these are the commandments…which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you go to possess it…And these words, which I command you this day, shall be in your heart: And you shall teach them diligently unto your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up…And when your son asks you in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord our God has commanded you? Then you shall say unto your son, We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand…And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us.”
God took Israel out of Egypt—out of the customs of the world around them and revealed His Law to them. He does not want His people going back to the traditions, customs and ways from which He has called them. (note by yesimmuslimdealwithit - the writer sounds like a muslim, doesn't he? After all, he's basically saying one should submit to the laws of Allah, as written in the thorah, right? Submission to Allah's will, to the will of God, has a name - its translated in arabic as "ISLAM".)
When all of the interconnected traditions, filled with the symbolism of worshipping an ancient pagan, humanly devised god, are taught, this is not worshipping the true Creator.
The prophet Isaiah was inspired to write, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet, and show My people their transgression” (58:1). I have done this.
Notes from yesimmuslimdealwithit - why would the writer weep for the transgressions of the christians, aren't christians free from all transgressions because of "the cross" - oh wait - the cross is also a pagan symbol - !!
Wether you are christian or not, christmas is not. Wether you are christian or not, you should not be hanging up christmas trees, exchanging gifts or participating in anything remotely christmassy. May our muslim brothers and sisters who participate "FOR THE FUN OF IT" take heed - Shirk is not a game, and since christmas is actually orignated in PAGAN and IDOLATROUS beliefs, is it not, then, idolatry? May Allah guide us all, and grant us the truth, always, for truly if the christians believed that the truth would set them free, they would seek the truth. CONVENIENCE is not the same as faith.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Things that go BUMP in the night..
Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem
JINN
Geenies, Poltergeists, shapeshifters, fairies, goblins, ghouls, spiritual mediums, psychics, and apparitions. The world is fascinated with all that appears paranormal. There are dozens of societies and associations out there which try to communicate, exhorcise, attract or manipulate what they explain as spirits of the dead, demons, etc. If the truth will set you free, then what ARE these, in reality?
The Holy Quran tells us that in the beginning God created man, yes, but unlike other religions, the full picture is disclosed. You see, Allah (who is ONE God, the ONE that IS) did indeed create Adam (as) from dirt (dust, clay), but first he created two other types of beings; angels, and jinn. Angels are made of light. Even a young christian will tell you that angels are gender-less beings with NO choice or self-will. In both christian and Islamic faith, angels are both beautiful and fearsome beings that protect mankind and carry out the will of God. Angels have no self-will, the bible says. Hence, they cannot "Fall from grace" or the idea of "no self-will" would actually not stand. Nonetheless, that's a topic for another day.
We know what humans are and we know what angels are. So what are Jinn? Jinn were created before Adam (as). They were made of smokeless fire, are a "people" with choice to follow good or evil, and live within our world, unseen unless they choose to be seen. Like humans, they can be muslim,christian, hindu, etc. etc. etc. but unlike humans, they can shapeshift, and unlike angels, they CAN fall "out of grace" because they CAN choose to disobey Allah. Jinns are typically MASSIVE creatures (yes, you may think Nephalum from the bible with their six fingers and toes and their gigantic appearance)
Paranormal societies have for many years tried to find out if there are such things as those mentioned in paragraph 1; yet the answer to alllll these questions lies openfaced in the Quran..
Question: What are demons?
Answer: Jinn who have chosen to follow the shaytaan (devil, also a Jinn, because angels don't fall - they can't..)
Question: How do fortunetellers know what has happened?
Answer: Jinn - they can move through the dimensions and they evesdrop on people, situations, and even conversations among angels- they evesdrop on instructions given to angels.
Question: But I saw my dead grandfather/uncle/aunt - was it them?
Answer: no, it was a Jinn - they are shapeshifters. (There is another alternative - souls that hover because they die a tragic death or have committed suicide - a topic for another day)
Question: what are hauntings, poltergeists, ghosts, moving tables, chairs, etc?
Answer: Jinn manifestations. Jinn, like humans, can be playful, naughty, evil, deceptive or kind..human personality qualities exist in Jinn, too..
Question: Where do Jinn live?
Answer: In amongst us, in a "parallel" dimension. If we can see 3D and cats can only see 2D, how can you deny what's in 4D? - Scientists are discovering how to "see" 4D.
Makes sense, doesn't it? Do posessions exist? yes. How? There is a jinn "companion" to every human being - but this is a subbject for another day. How much senseless time is spent chasing ghosts!! Mediums can thus be people who are able to "see" or "hear" jinn; but it is far more likely that because of their propensity to believe in the "paranormal" they are chosen by Jinn as people to whom they manifest. Why? Well... didn't pride come before the fall?.. indeed..
Jinn taught mankind all sorts of things; magik, spells, good and evil. Who built the pyramids? Aliens? Jinn, more likely.
Can Jinn be enslaved to man? - ah.. now that is a question worth asking. Yes. They can. They can be trapped, and unfortunately they can also choose to work for evil people with evil intentions. Why would they do that? Because, if the intent of the devil (shaytaan) is to mislead mankind, that what better distraction is there than sorcery, fortune telling, and even outright witchcraft. Man has a greedy side, a proud side. "Two paths lay ahead, life and death - choose life" Is that not what the bible says? LIFE was given by Allah, so choosing to submit to Allah's will, to go to HIM to ask for help or advice is to seek to make Him a companion. Where there is TRUTH, LIGHT and LIFE, the fruit of our life is good and pleasing. How do we know if we are in LIGHT and LIFE? Well, if we submit to the will of our Creator, who is light and life and truth then we are, indeed, of the rightly guided.
What is the verb (not noun) for "Submitting to the Will of the Creator"? - there is a word, it is ISLAM, directly translated as submitting to the will of the Creator. That's all Islam is; an explanation of life, and a guide for life. SO simple, and we complicate it by questioning every aspect of it. Does that will allow you to murder or commit suicide? NO. Does it say you're allowed to mess with Jinn? No.
More on Jinn in a future blogpost. For now.. here are extracts from the Quran and Sunnat.
"And I (Allaah) created not the jinns and humans, except they should worship Me (Alone)." [al-Dhaariyaat 51:56].
"O assembly of jinns and mankind! Did there not come to you Messengers from amongst you, reciting unto you My Verses...?" [al-An'aam 6:130]
The world of the jinn is an independent and separate world, with its own distinct nature and features that are hidden from the world of humans. Jinns and humans have some things in common, such as the possession of understanding and the choice between the way of good and the way of evil. The word jinn comes from an Arabic root meaning "hidden from sight". Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"...Verily he [Shaytaan] and his qabeeluhu [his soldiers from the jinn or his tribe] see you from where you cannot see them..." [al-A'raaf 7:27]
Allaah has told us in His Book the essence from which the jinn were created. He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And the jinn, We created aforetime from the smokeless flame o fire." [al-Hijr 15:27]
"And the jinns did He create from a smokeless flame of fire." [al-Rahmaan 55:15].
According to a hadeeth narrated by 'Aa'ishah, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The angels were created from light, the jinn were created from fire, and Aadam was created from that which has been described to you." (Reported by Muslim, 5314).
JINN
Geenies, Poltergeists, shapeshifters, fairies, goblins, ghouls, spiritual mediums, psychics, and apparitions. The world is fascinated with all that appears paranormal. There are dozens of societies and associations out there which try to communicate, exhorcise, attract or manipulate what they explain as spirits of the dead, demons, etc. If the truth will set you free, then what ARE these, in reality?
The Holy Quran tells us that in the beginning God created man, yes, but unlike other religions, the full picture is disclosed. You see, Allah (who is ONE God, the ONE that IS) did indeed create Adam (as) from dirt (dust, clay), but first he created two other types of beings; angels, and jinn. Angels are made of light. Even a young christian will tell you that angels are gender-less beings with NO choice or self-will. In both christian and Islamic faith, angels are both beautiful and fearsome beings that protect mankind and carry out the will of God. Angels have no self-will, the bible says. Hence, they cannot "Fall from grace" or the idea of "no self-will" would actually not stand. Nonetheless, that's a topic for another day.
We know what humans are and we know what angels are. So what are Jinn? Jinn were created before Adam (as). They were made of smokeless fire, are a "people" with choice to follow good or evil, and live within our world, unseen unless they choose to be seen. Like humans, they can be muslim,christian, hindu, etc. etc. etc. but unlike humans, they can shapeshift, and unlike angels, they CAN fall "out of grace" because they CAN choose to disobey Allah. Jinns are typically MASSIVE creatures (yes, you may think Nephalum from the bible with their six fingers and toes and their gigantic appearance)
Paranormal societies have for many years tried to find out if there are such things as those mentioned in paragraph 1; yet the answer to alllll these questions lies openfaced in the Quran..
Question: What are demons?
Answer: Jinn who have chosen to follow the shaytaan (devil, also a Jinn, because angels don't fall - they can't..)
Question: How do fortunetellers know what has happened?
Answer: Jinn - they can move through the dimensions and they evesdrop on people, situations, and even conversations among angels- they evesdrop on instructions given to angels.
Question: But I saw my dead grandfather/uncle/aunt - was it them?
Answer: no, it was a Jinn - they are shapeshifters. (There is another alternative - souls that hover because they die a tragic death or have committed suicide - a topic for another day)
Question: what are hauntings, poltergeists, ghosts, moving tables, chairs, etc?
Answer: Jinn manifestations. Jinn, like humans, can be playful, naughty, evil, deceptive or kind..human personality qualities exist in Jinn, too..
Question: Where do Jinn live?
Answer: In amongst us, in a "parallel" dimension. If we can see 3D and cats can only see 2D, how can you deny what's in 4D? - Scientists are discovering how to "see" 4D.
Makes sense, doesn't it? Do posessions exist? yes. How? There is a jinn "companion" to every human being - but this is a subbject for another day. How much senseless time is spent chasing ghosts!! Mediums can thus be people who are able to "see" or "hear" jinn; but it is far more likely that because of their propensity to believe in the "paranormal" they are chosen by Jinn as people to whom they manifest. Why? Well... didn't pride come before the fall?.. indeed..
Jinn taught mankind all sorts of things; magik, spells, good and evil. Who built the pyramids? Aliens? Jinn, more likely.
Can Jinn be enslaved to man? - ah.. now that is a question worth asking. Yes. They can. They can be trapped, and unfortunately they can also choose to work for evil people with evil intentions. Why would they do that? Because, if the intent of the devil (shaytaan) is to mislead mankind, that what better distraction is there than sorcery, fortune telling, and even outright witchcraft. Man has a greedy side, a proud side. "Two paths lay ahead, life and death - choose life" Is that not what the bible says? LIFE was given by Allah, so choosing to submit to Allah's will, to go to HIM to ask for help or advice is to seek to make Him a companion. Where there is TRUTH, LIGHT and LIFE, the fruit of our life is good and pleasing. How do we know if we are in LIGHT and LIFE? Well, if we submit to the will of our Creator, who is light and life and truth then we are, indeed, of the rightly guided.
What is the verb (not noun) for "Submitting to the Will of the Creator"? - there is a word, it is ISLAM, directly translated as submitting to the will of the Creator. That's all Islam is; an explanation of life, and a guide for life. SO simple, and we complicate it by questioning every aspect of it. Does that will allow you to murder or commit suicide? NO. Does it say you're allowed to mess with Jinn? No.
More on Jinn in a future blogpost. For now.. here are extracts from the Quran and Sunnat.
"And I (Allaah) created not the jinns and humans, except they should worship Me (Alone)." [al-Dhaariyaat 51:56].
"O assembly of jinns and mankind! Did there not come to you Messengers from amongst you, reciting unto you My Verses...?" [al-An'aam 6:130]
The world of the jinn is an independent and separate world, with its own distinct nature and features that are hidden from the world of humans. Jinns and humans have some things in common, such as the possession of understanding and the choice between the way of good and the way of evil. The word jinn comes from an Arabic root meaning "hidden from sight". Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"...Verily he [Shaytaan] and his qabeeluhu [his soldiers from the jinn or his tribe] see you from where you cannot see them..." [al-A'raaf 7:27]
Allaah has told us in His Book the essence from which the jinn were created. He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And the jinn, We created aforetime from the smokeless flame o fire." [al-Hijr 15:27]
"And the jinns did He create from a smokeless flame of fire." [al-Rahmaan 55:15].
According to a hadeeth narrated by 'Aa'ishah, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The angels were created from light, the jinn were created from fire, and Aadam was created from that which has been described to you." (Reported by Muslim, 5314).
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