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The reason behind Muslims' backwardness is their weak faith:
Dear brother, this is lesson No. 36 of the series Aqeedah and the Inimitability of the Quran. Man 
sometimes enquires about the impermissible matters in order to avoid them:
((Narrated Hudhaifa bin Al-Yaman, "The people used to ask Allah's Apostle, peace be upon him, about the good but I used to ask him about the evil lest I should be overtaken by them."))
Today's lesson is about a topic related to faith, given Aqeedah and faith are related to one another. The big question is why are Muslims in such a bad situation? Some people refer Muslims' backwardness to their weak faith, and had their faith been strong they would have been strong, coherent, cooperative and supernal. I see that there are a lot of symptoms of one disease which is having a weak faith. Hence, most Muslim's problems, such as daunting and being worn out are the effects of their weak faith, while all the virtues and courage of the Companions are the outcomes of their strong faith.
The manifestations of the weakness in Muslims' faith:
In this meeting I would like to discuss the manifestations of the weak faith, given the bitter truth is much better than the comfortable delusion.
1- Laziness towards offering the acts of worship as they should be:
If we start with the acts of worship we will notice that there is laziness in offering them as they
should be. For instance, some people arrive late to perform Jumu'ah Salah (Friday prayer), other people perform their Salah while they are thinking about many things assuming that Salah is just standing, reading Ayat, bowing down and prostrating, so they think this is how Salah should be performed. Other people miss Fajr Salah without feeling guilty as if it is something normal. In fact, whose faith is strong considers the minor sin a great one, while whose faith is weak considers whatever sin he commits a trivial, and he says, "Well, this is normal." ((Whoever offers the dawn (Fajr) in congregational Prayer will be under the Protection of Allah till the night, and Whoever offers night Salah (Isha') in congregational Prayer will be under the Protection of Allah till the dawn.))
I am trying to highlight the manifestations of the weak faith so that we may avoid them, following by that the steps of our Master Hudhaifah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
((…but I used to ask him about the evil lest I should be overtaken by them.))
The prudent is the one who puts aside worldly concerns during his Salah:
Salah is Silah (establishing a connection with Allah). Therefore, one should leave behind all his 
concerns that might distract him while he is offering Salah. Also, during Jumu'ah Salah, and when the Khatib climbs the Minbar (pulpit), one should know that the angels sit and listen to the Khutbah after they close all their books.
((Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) said, "Any person who takes a bath on Friday like the bath of Janabah and then goes for the prayer (in the first hour i.e. early), it is as if he had sacrificed a camel (in Allah's cause); and whoever goes in the second hour it is as if he had sacrificed a cow; and whoever goes in the third hour, then it is as if he had sacrificed a horned ram; and if one goes in the fourth hour, then it is as if he had sacrificed a hen; and whoever goes in the fifth hour then it is as if he had offered an egg. When the Imam comes out (i.e. starts delivering the Khutbah), the angels present themselves to listen to the Khutbah."))
Whoever arrives while people are offering the second Raka'h of Friday Salah misses all the Khutbah, but he thinks that he offers Friday Salah, which is not true. Missing Friday Khutbah is a manifestation of the weak faith. The majority of scholars agreed upon an opinion with regard to the following Ayah:
﴾O you who believe (Muslims)! When the call is proclaimed for the Salat (prayer) on the day of Friday (Jumu'ah prayer), come to the remembrance of Allah [Jumu'ah religious talk (Khutbah) and Salat (prayer)] ﴿
Allah refers to the Khutbah by "remembrance of Allah", and the scholars agreed upon interpreting "remembering Allah" as Khutbah which is considered an educational act of worship.
The one whose faith is weak leaves offering the Sunnan of Salah (voluntary prayers), and he offers
only the Fards (the five obligatory prayers). Also, he abandons reciting the Quran and does not read it daily, given reading it is an act of worship. It is recommended to read at least five pages or one Surah every day. In addition to abandoning reciting the Quran, the one whose faith is weak abandons making Du'a and Adhkar (invocations)
Dear brother, the tongue is blessed and gets wet by remembering Allah. Some people feel nothing upon reading the Quran, and they read half a page of the Quran and that is it. They cannot go on reading more than one page, because there is a veil between them and Allah, and this veil is their weak faith. There is another grave phenomenon which is manifested in valuating any action according to the reward or the punishment one might get, and if there is no punishment for doing something then it is fine to do it. Thus, those Muslims consider only the minimum of everything, but they overlook that falling into doubtful matters lead to Haram.
This is how the weak faith is manifested in performing the acts of worship. As I said earlier, whose faith is weak never reauthors Adhkar, never makes Istighfar (asking for Allah's Forgiveness), never makes Du'a (supplication), never reauthors the Quran properly and never performs Sunan, and if he performs Fards he does that improperly, such as arriving late to attend Jumu'ah Salah after the Khatib finishes his Khutbah, or missing Fajr Salah. Hence, when the acts of worship are offered in a way that is far from the performance of the Prophet, peace be upon him, offered them, this indicates having a weak faith
2- Lack of devoutness:
Whose faith is weak is not pious in his behavior, and he has no problem with anything:
((Two Rak'at (of Prayer performed) by a pious person are far better than a thousand Rak'at by someone who mingles (good deeds with evil ones).))
There is no piety.
3- Ignoring Halal (permissible matters) and Haram (prohibitions) in words and actions:
The one whose faith is weak is not keen on checking the nature of his actions and words whether they are permissible or forbidden. Thus, it is easy for him to backbite, spread calumnies, spread scandals and making fun of people sometimes.
4- The imperfect performance of tasks:
Whoever has weak faith performs his work and tasks imperfectly. For example, he breaks his
promise if you ask him to finish something to you saying that he needs more time: ((The craft has been destroyed by saying: tomorrow and the day after tomorrow (by delaying the jobs).))
Breaking promises due to postponing the tasks you should do weakens faith in the heart. As a result, man starts to neglect some essential matters in religion, so he becomes indifferent if Allah's Limitations are violated, and he stops enjoining Al-Ma'roof (goodness) and forbidding Al-Munkar (wrongdoings) because he is keener on his safety, although enjoining Al-Ma'roof and forbidding Al-Munkar are the reasons of being the best Ummah (Islamic nation):
﴾You [true believers in Islamic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and his Sunnah (legal ways, etc.)] are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin Al-Ma'ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam has ordained) and forbid Al-Munkar (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden), and you believe in Allah.﴿
5- Being irresponsible for this religion (Islam):
Having a weak faith makes man irresponsible for this religion. For instance, whose faith is weak does not get angry about publishing the offending cartoons or about offending the Quran. He just
says that people have no sense of goodness, and that there is a fierce attack against religion, without reacting positively. He does not defend his religion by words, feelings or actions, and he even does not make Du'a for it. Moreover, whose faith is weak practises his daily life with comfort, he has parties and meetings with people and he is careless towards those who are dying out of starvation due to the siege they are in and the lack of medicine, water, power and oil. He considers himself a Muslim, although it never crosses his mind to convince another person with this religion or to bring him to the Masjid or even give him a CD of religious sessions. He just keeps saying, "There is no goodness in people any more". Whose faith is weak is but a quitter, since he avoids performing good deeds. Furthermore, he watches on TV what might displease Allah. All of these things are manifestations of the weak faith which is a very serious matter.
Backwardness, backsliding and falling at the end of time are aspects of weak faith:
The superiority Muslims achieved at the first three periods of early Islam is due to the strong faith.
﴾(It was said to his son): "O Yahya (John)! Hold fast the Scripture [the Taurat (Torah)]."﴿
On the other hand, the reason of Muslims' backwardness, failure and being lagged behind other nations at the end of days is due to the weak faith. One of the manifestations of this weak faith is being vulnerable when a woman passes by a Muslim, so he sets his eye on her claiming that he cannot help it, and saying, "What should I do with my eyes?". Allah says:
﴾Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope.﴿
Whose faith is weak talks softly to women, he throws jocks to make them laugh and he is very kind with them, but in his house, he is very harsh on his wife, given the believer should be very kind with his wife and very careful (in choosing words) while dealing with other women. He should be very attentive in selecting the proper words while talking to strange women and should never talk to them in a way that triggers their emotions:
﴾He said: "What is the matter with you?"﴿
When Musa, peace be upon him, talked to the two women he just said:
﴾He said: "What is the matter with you?"﴿
The girl answered him, saying:
﴾ She said: "Verily, my father calls you that he may reward you for having watered (our flocks) for us." ﴿
Had she said to him, "My father is inviting you to be our guest today", he, peace be upon him, would have said, "Why?" A long conversation would have taken place between the two, but she said:
﴾ She said: "Verily, my father calls you that he may reward you for having watered (our flocks) for us." ﴿
﴾He said: "What is the matter with you?"﴿
6- Cmmitting errors in mixed-gender meetings and assemblies:
You are not allowed to exceed your limits with the female stranger, so you should be very careful in
dealing with her and talking to her. Besides, you are not permitted to attend mixed-gender assemblies, meetings or parties where there is Laghw (dirty, false, evil vain talk):
﴾And those who turn away from Al-Laghw (dirty, false, evil vain talk, falsehood, and all that Allah has forbidden).﴿
Whose faith is weak spends his time in evil vain talks, in discussing endless silly topics, and matters with which the soul never exalts, in burning the midnight oil, in night chats, in entertaining himself, in backbiting, in gossiping and in mocking other people. The chats of people whose faith is weak have nothing spiritual, and they only discuss materialistic matters, such as the prices of houses and commodities and their negative effects on Muslims. Believe me sometimes one cannot even stand up because of the burden some people put on his shoulder after talking about the dark future awaiting, forgetting that Allah exists, and that everything is in Allah's Hand. If only people or even you alone turn to Allah, they or you will get a special Divine Treatment. You should always remember that Allah exists:
﴾ And thus We do deliver the believers (who believe in the Oneness of Allah, abstain from evil and work righteousness). ﴿
Islam is anindividual and collective religion, so its fruits can be reaped individually:
Dear brother, the best thing in our religion is that it is practised individually and collectively. Accordingly, its fruits can be reaped by the Ummah upon applying it, but in case the Ummah declined to apply it, then you should apply it yourself, and this is indicated in the following Ayah:
﴾ O you who believe! Take care of your ownselves, [do righteous deeds, fear Allah much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allah much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)]. If you follow the right guidance and enjoin what is right (Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do) and forbid what is wrong (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden) no hurt can come to you from those who are in error. ﴿
When people go astray, when they are indulged in sins, when they disobey Allah and when they stay at home just to watch soaps on TV to such an extent that these soaps become as an act of worship to them, every Muslim should apply religion individually regardless those heedless people:
﴾ O you who believe! Take care of your ownselves, [do righteous deeds, fear Allah much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allah much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)]. If you follow the right guidance and enjoin what is right (Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do) and forbid what is wrong (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden) no hurt can come to you from those who are in error. ﴿
People's tendencies are materialistic, interest-oriented and competitive. Is there a house which does not have any gatherings at least once a week? All families have gatherings, picnics, meetings and the like, so one should ask this tough question, what are the issues raised and discussed in these meetings? Are they mundane? Are they painful? Do they make you hopeless? The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
((There are no people who rise from a gathering in which Allah was not mentioned but that it is as if they are rising from the carcass of a donkey, and it will be a cause of regret for them.))
Mentioning the selfish have negative effects on assemblies:
Mean attitudes cause discomfort to the people in any gathering, and the stories of oppressors and bad people have the same influence, whereas the stories of pious and good people enlighten the gatherings. I advise you not to leave any gathering which is about negative things without mentioning the positive ones. Attending these kinds of gatherings is like standing before a garbage container. What do you expect to find in such a container? You will get only rotten food, leftovers, houses' garbage and bad smell. Everything in it is worse than the other.
Unfortunately, some of the issues discussed by Muslims are about the reality of Muslims today 
which breaks the heart. The Muslims suffer from backwardness, and in Muslims' societies, the rich become richer and the poor become poorer, and while the rich man spends his money on meaningless things, the poor one is short in everything. Let alone, mercy is missing in societies.
((When your rulers will be the best men, and your rich men will be philanthropic amongst you, and your affairs will be done with consultation among yourselves, then your living on the surface of the earth will be better for you than its bottom. And when your rulers will be the worst of you and your rich men will be the misers among you, and your affairs will be in the hands of your women, then the bottom of the world will be better for you than its surface.))
At the end of days, the mercy will be lifted from the hearts of the rulers, whereas the chivalry will be lifted from men. Man has no chivalry any more, for he accepts to go out with his wife while she is wearing her makeup and exposing her body, better yet he is proud of her. He also does not object exposing her body when she stands on the balcony wearing a transparent nightgown.
Muslims today are keen on enjoying life forgetting about death:
Dear brother, do not blame Allah for the contemptible reality of Muslims. The first word revealed to Muhammad, peace be upon him, in the first Ayah is "Iqra'" (read). However, these days the prevailing word is "Dance". 86 million phone calls are placed in the program Super Star in order to choose one of the two female singers. How can she be the best Ummah? Our lands are occupied, our enemy is fierce and five Islamic states have been invaded, whereas Muslims are competing with one another over money:﴾But the Mercy (Paradise) of your Lord (O Muhammad, peace be upon him) is better than the (wealth of this world) which they amass.﴿
"Khairun Mimma Yajma'oon" (Is better than what they amass), the pronoun they in this refers to the majority of people who are so keen on enjoying the worldly pleasures, in their food, clothes, drinks, furniture and residences.
((The people will soon summon one another to attack you from every horizon…))
Enemies of Islam are plotting against Muslims in Iraq, in Afghanistan and in Lebanon:
((The people will soon summon one another to attack you from every horizon as people when eating invite sh3er to share their dish. We asked, "Will that be because of our small numbers at that time?" He, peace be upon him, replied, "No, you will be numerous at that time, but you will be scum and rubbish like that carried down by a torrent, and Allah will take fear of you from the breasts of your enemy and last wahn (enervation) into your hearts." They asked, "What is wahn (enervation)?" The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, replied, "Love of life and dislike of death."))
The poor man dreams of becoming rich, the rich one looks up to those who are richer than him and the employee who occupies a low position aspires for occupying the position of the other employee which is higher than his, saying to himself, "When am I going to take his position?" People yearn for the vanity of the worldly life, and they forget that death puts an end to every living creation.
7- Neglecting teaching children their religion:
The weak faith also is manifested in neglecting teaching children Islamic knowledge, faith or the
acts of worship. The father's main concern is teaching his children English language which is good, but it is a big problem when it turns into the only concern. Watching sport programs and matches are considered an act of worship by some families. The couples in some cases fight over the teams they encourage. I once went to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah (Umrah in Islamic terminology, means paying a visit to Ka'bah, performing Tawaaf (circumambulation) around it, walking between Safaa and Marwah seven times. A performer of 'Umrah puts off his Ihraam by having his hair shaved or cut. 'Umrah can be performed along with Hajj and in other days as well. 'Umrah can be performed during anytime in the year, there is no fixed time for 'Umrah.), so I took a taxi from Makkah to Jeddah, and though the driver is originally a Bedouin, he was very angry about a goal scored by the team he hates, and he was outrageous to the extent that he was about to have an accident. It seems that sport is considered an act of worship by some people.
Can you imagine that in one of the Islamic countries, the Members of the Parliament had a meeting to demand the Minister of Information to postpone the soap which was scheduled to be presented during Taraweeh (voluntary prayers of the nights of Ramadan which are prayed in pairs of two and the minimum amount is 8 while the maximum amount is 20) Salah till after Taraweeh, so that Muslims could attend Taraweeh in Masajid? This is a manifestation of having a weak faith.
8- Favoring narcissism:
When the father comes back home in the evening, all he asks about is whether his children ate well, whether they did their homework and whether they are well. He never asks whether they pray Isha' or reauthor the Quran. Their health, studies and superiority in the worldly life are the only priorities of father, and this manifests his weak faith. Because of the father's secular priorities, the children will no longer honor the Divine Symbols. In fact neglecting the Divine Symbols makes people lack tolerance and forbearing amongst them and makes their relation full of stress, disputes and wronging one another. Not to mention, they will start accuse one another of Kufr (disbelieving),
Shirk (polytheism) and abandoning religion because narcissism is magnified. ((…if you see overwhelming stinginess, desires being followed, this world being preferred (to the Hereafter), every person with an opinion feeling proud of it,…))
Every person says, "I am the center of the world, and I do not accept this or that" Well who are you in the first place? Are you a law-giver to accept or to refuse? Making a thing permissible or forbidden is not up to personal opinions, and doing so is a proof of having a weak faith. Longing for showing off, standing up against the other and craving to rule will reduce spending on the poor and the needy. Furthermore, people will become more stingy and penny-pinching. Thus, the love of spending for Allah's Sake will decrease, while the fear of diseases and afflictions will increase.
The first step to solve the problem of the weak faith is to acknowledge it:
Dear brother, it is a heart breaking reality, but acknowledging this reality is the first step to
overcome it, for discovering a problem is the first step to solve it. The same goes for treating a disease. For example, treating the high blood pressure starts with knowing that the patient suffers from it. This is the proper way of dealing with problems. Therefore, beware of self-praising like saying, "We are the Ummah of Islam", "We are the Ummah of the last Prophet, peace be upon him", "We are the Ummah of Tawheed (monotheism)", "We are the Ummah of the Quran and Sunnah" or "We are the Ummah of the Master of Prophets, peace be upon them", well this praising will do us any good:﴾And (both) the Jews and the Christians say: "We are the children of Allah and His loved ones." Say: "Why then does He punish you for your sins?" Nay, you are but human beings, of those He has created,﴿
When we relinquish the mission of enjoining Al-Ma'roof and forbidding Al-Munkar, we will turn into a nations just like any other nations created by Allah, and we will not be privileged at all.
(("How will it be for you when you stop enjoining Al-Ma'ruf and forbidding Al-Munkar?" The Companions asked inquisitively, "Will it happen, O Messenger of Allah?" The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, "Yes, and worse than that is going to happen." The Companions asked again, "What can be worse than that, O Messenger of Allah." The Messenger, peace be upon him, replied, "How will it be for you when you enjoin Al-Munkar and forbid Al-Ma'ruf." The Companions asked, "Will it happen, O Messenger of Allah?" The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Yes, but worse than that." The Companions asked, "What is worse than that, O Messenger of Allah?" The Messenger, peace be upon him, said, "How will it be for you when you perceive Al-Ma'ruf as Munkar and Al-Munkar as Ma'ruf?"))
By Allah dear brother, the upright believer is estranged in the worldly life:
((Islam began as something strange and it will return to being strange, so blessed are the strangers))
Strange here means that the pious people are very rare among lots of bad people.
9- Lacking the forgiving attitude among people:
Those whose faith is weak are less likely to forgive or tolerate sh3er. The weak faith causes the lack for patience and forgiveness, and the prevalence of harshness and rudeness. 
Also, mercy will diminish among people and the children will not fulfill their duties towards their parents, kin and neighbors properly. A woman said to me that her brother had not visited her for two years. Some people neglect visiting the poor sister who lives in the suburb, while they visit only the rich one, given visiting the rich and the powerful people is a worldly deed, whereas visiting the poor is a deed performed for the Hereafter.
10- The poor trust in Allah:
Having poor trust in Allah indicates having a weak faith. Thus, whose faith is weak puts his trust in a worldly party, thinking that it can maintain him peace. He is distressed when he applies Allah's Orders (he finds it difficult to abide by them), so he prefers to be supported by a powerful party, and this reflects Shirk. This man is forgetful of the essential fact that Allah, Glorified and Sublime be He, is the Ever-Affluent, the Ever-Powerful, the Preventer, the Bestower of Honor and the Humiliator. Some people favor pinning hopes on other strong people and powerful figues, and cringing before them in humiliation, but they refuse to be humble before their Lord while prostrating in Salah. Moreover, they have craving (greed) towards whatever the sh3er own. Imam Al-Basri once was asked, "How did get your exalted rank?" He said, "By doing without the world of people and by their need of my knowledge".Self-respect and dignity mark the believer:
Dignity is one of the characteristics of the believer. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
((Seek the things you need with self-respect and dignity (bi 'izzati anfus), for all matters run according to Divine Ordainment.))
The believer never humiliates himself because he has dignity. It was said, "If you show him how badly you need him, you will be his slave, if you dispense with him, you will be his match and if you are helpful to him, you will become his prince." The Umayyad Khalifah, Soulaiman bin Abdul Malik met a venerable scholar outside Allah's Ancient Sacred House. The Khalifah said, "You may ask me for anything you need." The scholar replied, "I did not ask the One Who owns my needs, so how come that I should ask the one who does not own them?" However, when the Khalifah insisted that the scholar had to ask him for anything he needed, the scholar said, "Alright! I ask you to admit me into Paradise." The Khalifah said in amazement, "Such a thing does not belong to me!" The scholar said, "Then, I need nothing of you!" This is the self-respect of the believer. It has been said, "How wonderful the charity of the rich towards the poor is, and how wonderful the self-respect of the poor is.
By Allah some poor people have self-respect and dignity that are greater than the ones the rich people have, because of the former's strong faith.
((The more you take from this worldly life, the more concerns you will have.))
((Whoever takes from this mundane life more than what suffices him, unintentionally takes what causes his destruction.))
((Whoever humbles himself before a rich man (seeking worldly interests), loses two thirds of his faith.))
Abdullah bin az-Zubair was once playing with other children when Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, passed by. The children, struck with awe, ran away and dispersed. Only Abdullah bin az-Zubair remained, attracting thus Umar's attention. He asked: "Why did you not flee with those who fled, child?" He answered: "O Emir, you are not an oppressor so that I should fear your oppression; nor am I guilty of anything to fear your punishment; and the road is wide enough for you and me."
One day, Imam Abu Hanifah entered upon Ja'far Al-Mansour for a certain matter. Ja'far was very pleased to receive such a venerable scholar in his palace and said, "O Abu Hanifah! Why do you not always visit us! It is a great honor for us to receive you! You are most welcome!" Abu Hanifah said, "O Commander of the Believers, why should I visit you?! I do nothing that makes me fear you. Does he not who visit you have anything which makes him fear you? O Commander of the Believers, if you make me closer to you (ask me to visit you frequently), you will afflict me, and if you keep me far from you (prevent me from visiting you), you will cause me misery."
11- The prevalence of complaining and nagging:
People become ungrateful by complaining and nagging a lot. The Almighty Allah says:﴾and You will not find most of them as thankful ones (i.e. they will not be dutiful to You)."﴿
A businessman said once, "This country is poisoned, for the business transactions in it are dead".
Imagine, his annual profits were 12 million that year, but he said so because they were 15 million the year before. His complaint was about being short 3 millions from the profits of the previous year! He considered it a loss, while it was not since his business was still profitable.
A brother told us also about a friend of his who used to complain a lot, and he swore to Allah before me that he was about to give him financial help, but after his friend died, he knew that he left 100 million Liras to his heirs, so what was he complaining about? Allah says:
﴾and You will not find most of them as thankful ones (i.e. they will not be dutiful to You)."﴿
The believer's acts of heroism in life:
The believer is satisfied with the good health he has, a 60 square meter house and a wife who loves him and he loves her, and he praises Allah for these graces. By Allah dear brother, a brother told me a story saying, "I paid a visit to a very rich merchant whose financial standing worth 5 billion dollars, but he complained about everything till I was not able even to stand up". He did not like the country, the selling, the trading, his children or his wife, and he went on and on complaining about all that. On the other hand, this very friend went to his store in Hariqah (a market in Old Damascus) where he found a Muslim woman with Hijab (a scarf on her head) waiting for him, for he was the manager of a non-profit organization. She said, "Some people told me about you, and all I need is 1000 Syrian Liras every month to pay the rent of the house." Her house was in Dariyah (a city in Damascus Countryside), so he asked her to wait for him in the evening because the organization was in her neighborhood. Having finished his meeting in the org, he asked the members to take him to her house, and upon arriving, he found one room under the stairs with a very small yard. It was divided as follows: the upper part was a sleeping room then the kitchen and then the bathroom. Her 
children were very clean and her husband was bed-ridden. This friend said to me that the house was barely a house, yet it was like paradise and it was very spiritual. He said to her, "We will give you 2000 Liras every month", but she refused saying that she would like to take only 1000, "We can manage our food and drink and we e only need 1000 Liras to pay the rent". She refused to take 2000 saying that 1000 Liras is enough.
A doctor said to me, "I have never felt so insignificant (given he is a cardiologist) as I felt in front of a man whose son was in dire need of a surgery. The operation cost 350. 000, and he could not afford it. I felt sorry for him, and I mentioned his story in front of a charitable man who was ready to pay for the operation, but upon calling him, he refused the help and said, "I have a sewing workshop and I will sell it, so give the money to someone who has nothing to sell". At that moment I was so insignificant before that man."
Let me tell one last story. A charitable man from Maidan (an avenue in Damascus) wanted to build a Masjid, so he found a suitable land which was facing Qiblah at a suitable price. He signed a contract and paid half of the amount to the poor land owner who had eight children and whose income was 4000 Syrian Pounds, for he worked as an orderly in a school, but he inherited that land. The poor man asked, "Where is the rest of the money?" The charitable man answered, "You need to renounce the land at the Department of Religious Endowments, so that we can build the Masjid on it, and after that I will pay you the rest of the money." The poor man was surprised, and he said, "A Masjid!!!" He torn the contract and said, "By Allah I am ashamed before Allah to sell a land to become a Masjid. I am more entitled than you to donate it for Allah's Sake." The charitable man, who owned hundreds of millions, said, "I have never been belittled but before that orderly." This is how some heroic acts are manifested.
The manifestations of the weak faith are symptoms of one disease:
These are some of the manifestations of the weak faith. Keep the following fact in mind: All the problems which Muslims have are but symptoms of one disease which is turning away from Allah.
All Muslims' quarrels, conflicts, harshness, rudeness, selfishness and all other despicable matters are but symptoms of one disease which is turning away from Allah, or they are the symptoms of having a weak faith. Horses:
Dear brother, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:((Goodness is tied to the forelocks of horses until the Day of Resurrection.))
[Agreed upon, by Urwah Ibn Al-Ja'd]
This subjugated pet (the horse) can hear the sounds of the steps from a distance of 7 kilometers, while man cannot see who is coming if he is farther than 5 kilometers:
((Goodness is tied to the forelocks of horses until the Day of Resurrection.))
Horse's qualities
Horses breed and they never lose their ability to breed no matter how old they get. We cannot imagine an 83 old pregnant woman, for she passed her menopause, whereas the female horse can get pregnant at an old age. If one of you owns a car, will he see a baby car after a year? No way!((Goodness is tied to the forelocks of horses until the Day of Resurrection.))
The wounds of the horses are healed quicker than the wounds of mankind. Horses eat very little but they work a lot. Also, the horse can hold quarter its weight and run for long distances without food or water. Besides, the horse has a sharp memory which enables it to remember the places. Therefore, if his owner faints, the horse can get him home safely without being directed by his owner. This quality was used by smugglers, for they use mules to smuggle goods without riding them. Once the customs caught a mule with a washing machine on its back ridden by no body, so they follow it till it reached a house, and they took the owner of the house to the court, but the lawyer of the man said to the judge, "I feel sorry for you that your only witness is a mule".
Hence, the horse can get home by its own, and it recognizes the voice of its owner though it might not see him. It knows him from the way he rides it, or from his smell. The horses' reactions are very quick to their owner's orders to such an extent that I have never thought about, and they respond quickly to their owners' orders. Once one of our brother rode a horse and pulled back the rein so the horse started going backward as if it was a car, and upon being poked on its belly from the right, the horse turned to the right, and when the poke was from the left side, it turned to the left side, as if he was riding a modern car.
A deceased relative of mine used to have a noble horse, and his daughter was on that horse once. His house was directly along the main street where there was a train railway, and it seemed that the sound of the train made the horse wince, but it knew that the daughter of its owner was on top of it, so it leaned down to the ground, pushed the daughter off and then ran away.
Horses are among the Signs which indicate Allah's Greatness:
Another brother said to me, "I used to have a horse which I loved so much, but I sold it, and upon meeting it once, it wept". The horses are very loyal to their owners. One of our brother, who lives in America, watched a program on TV about riding horses, in which they said that riding horses prevents diseases of the heart, the liver and the kidneys, whereas being addicted to riding a car brings diseases of the heart, the liver and the kidneys. The shaking of riding a horse is Divinely
designed: Antarah Al-Absi (a poet in the pre-Islamic era), once said few verses about his horse during a war where lances were hitting everywhere:
The horse leaned from lances received in its chest
It complained to me through a tear and neigh
If this horse knew how to speak it would complain
If it had the ability to talk, it would say words
There is a special sentimental connection between the horse and its rider. This relation cannot be established between you and your car, because it is made of iron, whereas the horse is a living creature. The horse sometimes realizes that there is an arch which might hit its rider, so it ducks preventing the arch from hitting the rider. Also, upon seeing a coming person, the horse alerts its owner lest this man might be his enemy. The relation between the horse and its owner is wonderful, and as you know the horse is one of the most intelligent and loyal animals, as it is indicated in the Hadith of the Prophet, peace be upon him:
((Goodness is tied to the forelocks of horses until the Day of Resurrection.))
Nowadays, the horse costs millions, and I have overheard that in the Gulf during the camel race, one of the camels was sold at 150 million Liras, because it is a race camel. Also, it is fed peanuts, cashew and honey every day, and it is served by many people. Let me repeat one last time: One of the greatest Signs of the Greatness of Allah is the creation of the horses:
((Goodness is tied to the forelocks of horses until the Day of Resurrection.))
