2. The Emperor and the Seed

An emperor in the Far East was growing old and knew it was time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or his children, he decided something different. He called young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you."

The kids were shocked! But the emperor continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today. One very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next emperor!"

One boy named Ling was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his mother the story. She helped him get a pot and planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it carefully. Every day he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Ling kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks went by. Still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants but Ling didn't have a plant, and he felt like a failure. Six months went by-still nothing in Ling's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed.

Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Ling didn't say anything to his friends, however. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling told his mother that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But honest about what happened, Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his mother was right. He took his empty pot to the palace. When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other youths. They were beautiful-in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kinds laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, "Hey nice try."

When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the emperor. "Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!" All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. "The emperor knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!"

When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. "My name is Ling," he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down. He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd, "Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!" Ling couldn't believe it. Ling couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor? Then the emperor said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds which would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!"

The Prophet taught, "Truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. And a man keeps on telling the truth until he becomes a truthful person. Falsehood leads to Al-Fajur (i.e. wickedness, evil-doing), and Al-Fajur (wickedness) leads to the (Hell) Fire, and a man may keep on telling lies till he is written before Allah, a liar." [Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 8:116]

The danger of disrespecting your parents

The Holy Prophet (S) said. “One who displeases the parents, (it is as if) he has displeased Allah. One who angers both his parents (it is as if) he has angered Allah.” Elsewhere, it is mentioned, “One who hurts his parents, hurts me and one who hurts me has hurt Allah. And the one who hurts Allah is accursed.” Āq al-Walidayn is Not Eligible For Divine Forgiveness The wretchedness of the Āq al-Walidayn is sufficiently evident from the fact that the trustworthy Jibrīl (a.s.) has cursed him and said, “One who is blessed with parents but does not fulfill their (his parent’s) rights will not be forgiven (his sins) by Allah.” 3 When Jibrīl (a.s.) said this, the Holy Prophet (S) uttered, ‘Amen’! DONT disrespect, shout, ignore, annoy, disobey, disregard, disturb our parents. They were looking after us when we were nothing but an easy prey to anything around. They were awake during the nights to make us sleep and feel us secured. We may not remember a thing in the childhoo...

Medical, Scientific and religious Reasons for not Eating Pork:

People ask me all the time, Why don't you eat pork? ...Is it for religious reasons? ...Are you vegetarian? Are you a Muslim or a Jew ? Do you know that pork taste good ? Honestly, just today I was even asked for sound scientific evidence affirming the danger of eating pork. I will share a few findings with you. Medical and Scientific Reasons for not Eating Pork: This is a direct quote from "What the Bible Says About Healthy Eating" by Dr. Rex Russell. He attended Baylor School of Medicine in Houston, Texas and did his residency at the Mayo Clinic at Rochester, Minnesota. Let us watch this short video , let the conversation begin: "One reason for God's rule forbidding pork is that the digestive system of a pig is completely different from that of a cow. It is similar to ours, in that the stomach is very acidic. Pigs are gluttonous, never knowing when to stop eating. Their stomach acids become diluted because of the volume of food, allowing all kind...

An open letter to Jehovah Witness :

A letter to Jehovah Witness by Rachidm: Dear Jehovah’s Witnesses: I would like to share with you some biblical research based upon my discussions with Jehovah’s Witnesses friends. My wife used to be a Jehovah Witness. When we got married, I, as a Muslim told her ; "you have the right to practice your religion". I even offered to give her a ride if needed to the Kingdom hall ( Jehovah Witness place of worship ) . With an open mind, I supported her and told her I would never mind her practicing and preaching her religion. During our first couple years of blessed and happy marriage together, I was privileged to engage with my parents in law (upon their request) in a comparative study between Islam and their beliefs. Although they were discouraged from dialogue since they believe their way is the only correct way, I always enjoyed a good open discussion about religion in general. My Mom in law offered me a copy of the New World Translation...

Jehovah's Witness converts to Islam

“And no bearer of burdens shall bear another’s burden”. (Quran 35:18)

The idea of Jesus dying on the cross is central to the Christian belief. It represents the conviction that Jesus died for the sins of mankind. The crucifixion of Jesus is a vital doctrine in Christianity; however Muslims reject it completely. Before describing what Muslims believe about Jesus’ crucifixion, it may be useful to understand the Islamic reaction to the notion of original sin. When Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree in paradise, they were not tempted by a serpent. It was Satan who deceived and cajoled them, whereupon they exercised their free will and made an error in judgement. Eve does not bear the burden of this mistake alone. Together, Adam and Eve realised their disobedience, felt remorse and begged for God’s forgiveness. God, in his infinite mercy and wisdom, forgave them. Islam has no concept of original sin; each person bears responsibility for his own deeds. “And no bearer of burdens shall bear another’s bur...

Imam Abu Anas Abdulhadi of Masjid Al Furqan

THE DOCTRINE OF ORIGINAL SIN

Greetings of peace, This post is an answer to a new friend whom I recently met and respect , a devout Christian passionate about sharing his religion with others , who challenged me to provide some proofs regarding why Muslims don't accept the doctrine of original sin; a doctrine ( including the concept of trinity ) that was added by the Church at the Council of Nicaea some 325 years after Jesus left the earth. Notice I say left the earth ( meaning resurected alive by Allah ) and not died yet or crucify as some claims , but that is a topic for another day. Back to the doctrine of original sin. Are we born with so called Original sin or born innocent ? Is a Newly Born Baby really a Sinner? Islam Challenges The Concept of Original Sin. Let us found out why ? let's take a look at the following passages from The Bible: (Deuteronomy 24:16) “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children...

http://rachidm.blogspot.com/2010/12/listen2quran.html

Allah is the Most Generous by Dr. EL Sayed Ramadan , PhD

Please tune in today to your weekly radio program Islam4mankind starting from 1:07 to 2 pm live from radio station Laprimira1220 am station Allah is the Most Generous : Main Points 1. The Oneness of Almighty in His Lordship, Godhood and Attributes. 2. Allah's Attributes are expression of His Greatness and Love. 3. What the Qur'an says about Allah's Attributes. 4. What the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said about the Attributes of Allah, the Almighty God. 5. Allah is the Most Generous as emphasized by the Qur'an and the traditions of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) . 6. Manifestations of Allah's Generosity. 7. Our responsibility towards this great Attribute of the Almighty God. Was-Salamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullaahi Wa Barakatuh Dr. EL SAYED RAMADAN, PhD Lecturer at Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt Department Of Islamic Studies In English Imam of Masjid Fresno Islamic Center ...

Imam Johari Abdul Malik will be guest speaker next Thursday Radio Islam4mankind

Imam Abdul Malik serves as the director of Community Outreach for the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center. He was the first Muslim Chaplain installed at Howard University. The imam is the former chair of Government Relations for the Muslim Alliance in North America [MANA founded by Imam Siraj Wahhaj] and is the founding President of the Muslim Society of Washington, DC Inc. Known nationally for his fundraising efforts for masjids, schools and relief organizations, Imam Johari is a founding member of the Muslim Advocacy Commission of Washington, D.C. and “Muslim Men Against Domestic Violence” [MMADV] and has edited a book on “What Islam Says About Domestic Violence”. In his native Brooklyn community his mother kept the family busy with community service. From an Episcopal choir boy-who visited the deep southern Pentecostal “COGIC” holiness church during his summer vacations as youth-until at confirmation the teachings of the Ten Commandments exposed what he believed were contradictions wit...

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