Kufr (Infidelity): Its Definition and Types

Definition:
Kufr, linguistically means covering or concealing. Legally (in the Sharee'ah): antonym of Eemaan, for Kufr or infidelity is disbelieving in Allah and His Messenger (pbuh), whether the disbelief is associated with denial or not, rather with doubts, suspicion, aversion, jealousy, arrogance, or following some whims which deters from adhering to the Message. Even though the denier's infidelity is worse than others, so is the one who disbelieves and denies out of jealousy while he recognizes in his heart the veracity of the Messengers.

Types of Kufr:
The types of Kufr are two:

The first type: The greater Kufr which constitutes apostasy and is of five kinds:

1. Kufr of denial, as referred to in the following verse:

“And who is more unjust that he who forges a lie against Allah, or rejects the truth when it comes to him? Is there not an abode in Hell for those who disbelieve?” (Soorah  Al-Ankaboot Chapter 29 Verse 68)

 2. Kufr of arrogance with acknowledgement, as proven by the words of Allah, the Exalted:

“And when We said to the angels: 'Prostrate yourselves before Adam,' and they all prostrated except Iblees (Shaytaan), he refused and was proud and was on of the Kafireen (arrogant, disobedient to Allah).” ( Soorah Al-Baqarah Chapter 2 Verse 34)

 3. Kufr of doubtfulness, as mentioned in the Words of Allah:

“And he entered his garden while he was wronging himself (through arrogance). He said, 'I do not think this will ever perish; not do I think the Hour will ever come. And even if I am ever brought back to my Rabb, I shall, surely, find a better resort than this. His companion said to him while he was arguing with him, 'Do you disbelieve in Him Who created you from soil, then from a sperm-drop, then fashioned you into a perfect man? But as for me, I believe that Allah Alone is my Rub, and I will not ascribe a partner to my Rab.” (Soorah Al-Kahf Chapter 18 Verses 35-38)

Top 10 Fruits For Patients With Diabetes

According to the American Diabetes Association, 25.8 million Americans have diabetes and by 2020 half of all Americans will suffer from this disease.

Diabetes causes high blood sugar (glucose) levels due to lack of insulin production or function. It is mainly classified as either Type 1, in which the body fails to produce insulin, or Type 2, in which the body is not able to properly use the insulin it produces.

It is essential to control diabetes because it can lead to a host of health complications including kidney failure, nerve damage, blindness, heart attacks, strokes, poor blood circulation, hearing loss and many more.

A healthy lifestyle that includes a proper diet, exercise, proper sleep, less stress and so on plays a major role in controlling blood glucose levels. A diabetes diet plan should include foods that are high in nutrients, low in fat, moderate in calories and few sugary foods.

As fruits are generally sweet, people often think that a diabetic person should avoid eating them. But there are several fruits that are particularly effective at managing blood sugar. Packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients, fruits are a healthy addition to any diet.

Some fruits are better than others for diabetics. Moreover, diabetics also need to consider factors like glycemic index and glycemic load as they offer information on how different foods affect blood sugar and insulin levels.

Low glycemic index foods are believed to have a beneficial effect on blood glucose control as they do not significantly impact blood sugar levels. Usually, foods with a glycemic index score of 55 and below are classified as low glycemic index foods. Those with a glycemic index score of 70 and above are considered high glycemic index foods.

Here are the top 10 fruits for diabetics.

1. Apples
The crunchy, juicy and sweet apples may offer protection against diabetes. Apples are high in soluble fiber, vitamin C and antioxidants. They also contain pectin that helps detoxify the body and remove harmful waste products as well as lowers the insulin requirements of diabetics by up to 35%.
Plus, apples help prevent heart attacks, reduce the risk of cancer and ward off eye diseases among diabetic people.

Glycemic index: ranges from 30 to 50

Suggested serving size: One small to medium-sized apple daily is recommended.

2. Cherries
Cherries have one of the lowest ratings of any fruit on the glycemic index at 22. Cherries contain antioxidants, beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, iron, fiber and folate.
Plus, cherries contain anthocyanins that are known to help lower blood sugar by increasing insulin production by up to 50 percent. They also help fight heart disease, cancer and other diseases that are

Shirk - Definition and Types

Definition: Shirk is ascribing a partner to Allah in terms of His Rububiyyah and Uloohiyyah (worship). The common type of Shirk is the Shirk in Uloohiyyah, which entails supplicating others along with Allah , or dedicating to them worships such as, offerings, vows, reverence, fear, hope, and devotional love.

Shirk is the gravest of all sins due to the following:
1. It is resembling the creatures with the Creator in terms of the attributes of Divinity, for he who ascribes a partner to Allah ; he in effect resembles him with Him (Allah). This is the gravest injustice. Allah says:

“Verily, Shirk is gross injustice.” (Soorah Luqman  Chapter 31 Verse 13)

 Injustice signifies putting a thing in a wrong place. Thus, he who worships other than Allah , he places the worship in a place other than its own, and dedicates it to one who does not deserve it; hence, it is gross injustice.

2. Allah has stated that He does not forgive the one who does Shirk.
He says:

“Surely, Allah will not forgive (the sins of) ascribing partners to Him, but He will forgive whatever is short of that to whoever He wishes.” (Soorah An-Nisa  Chapter 4 Verse 48)

 3. Allah  has stated that a Mushrik (one who commits Shirk) shall be banned from Jannah (Paradise) and that he shall live in Hell-fire forever.

Aqeedah At-Tawheed ....The Introduction

Allah  has created the creatures to worship Him, and provided them with provisions to enable them to do that. Allah, the Exalted, said:

“And I have created Jinn and men only to worship Me. I want no sustenance from them, not do I want them to feed Me. Surely, it is Allah, Who is the Provider, The Powerful. (Soorah Az-Zariyat  Chapter 51 Verses 56-58).

 Man naturally acknowledges Allah’s divinity, loves Him, worships Him, and ascribes no partner to Him. But human and jinn devils who suggest to each other polished speech out of deception, corrupt his natural disposition, and lead them astray.

Tawheed (belief in the Oneness of Allah) is firmly instilled in human nature, while polytheism is accidental and intrusive Allah says:

“And remain steadfast on the religion of Islamic Monotheism, Allah's Fitrah with which He has created mankind. No change let there be in the religion of Allah, that is the straight religion.”(Soorah Ar-Rum Chapter 30 verse 30).

 Fitrah is the innate pure instinct inborn in every human, which recognizes the True Lord. Fitrah, if not corrupted leads one to the Belief in the Existence of Allah, the Exalted.

The Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) said:

“Every infant is born with Fitra but it is his parents who make him a Jew, or a Christian or a fire worshiper.” (Saheeh Al-Bukharee and Saheeh Muslim).

 Mankind in the beginning was a single nation upon true Tawheed. Subsequently and gradually Shaytan misguided them towards associating partners with Allah.

Polytheism and corruption in Aqeedah appeared first among the people of Noah (pbuh) who was the first Messenger of Allah.

According to a narration in Sahih Hadeeth:
Ibn Abbas (S) relates:
“Indeed these are five names of righteous men from the people of Nooh (pbuh). When they died
Shaytaan whispered to their people to make statues of them and to place these statues in their places
of gathering as a reminder of them, so they did this. However, none from amongst them worshipped
these statues, until when they died and the purpose of the statues was forgotten. Then (the next
generation) began to worship them.” [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (11/418) and Saheeh Muslim (18/52)]

Aa'ishah (pbuh) reported that Umm Habeebah  and Umm Salamah  mentioned about a church they
had seen in Ethiopia in which there were pictures. They told the Prophet (pbuh) about it, on which he said:
“If any religious man died amongst those people they would build a place of worship at his grave and
make these pictures in it. They will be the worst creature in the Sight of Allah  on the Day of
Resurrection.” [Saheeh Al-Bukharee (vol.1; no.419) and Saheeh Muslim (vol.1;no.1076)]

Jesus -- A Prophet Of God -- A Short Article To Clarify Issues Surrounding Jesus

Jesus is a figure who is loved and revered by billions of people around in world, yet there is much confusion surrounding this personality. Muslims and Christians both hold Jesus in high regard but view him in very different ways.
This Article aims to clarify the issues surrounding Jesus and the differences in the belief of Muslims and Christians. Some Important questions like:

• Was Jesus God, or was he sent by God?
• Who was the real historical Jesus? 

would be answered below.

Jesus- As God? 
Some Christians claim that "Jesus is God" or part of a trinity - that he is the incarnation of God on earth, and that God took on a human form. However according to Bible, Jesus was born, he ate, slept, prayed and had limited knowledge- all attributes making him a human and not befitting God.
God has attributes of perfection whereas Man is the opposite. How can anything be two complete opposites occur simultaneously.
Islam teaches that God is always perfect. To believe that God became a man is to claim that God is or was (at some point in time), imperfect. Those who believe that Jesus was God should ask themselves how is it possible for god to be a weak helpless child, who needs food and sleep etc, The answer is a Sure No.
Again one may ask ; '" If God can do anything, why can't he become a man? " The answer to this query is that by definition, God does not do ungodly acts, God does not do anything that would make Him, something other than God. if God became man and took on human attributes, he would, necessarily, no longer be God.
Some ambiguous verses of the Bible can be applied erroneously to show that Jesus is in some way divine, but if we look at the clear direct verses of the Bible, we see again and again that Jesus is being referred to as an extraordinary human being and nothing more. The Bible contains many verses in which Jesus speaks and behaves as if God is a separate being to himself
For example:

Jesus fell on his face and prayed (Matthew 26:39)

If Jesus was god , then would a god fall on his face and pray? and who would he be praying to?

The Bible calls Jesus a Prophet (Matthew 21:10-11), so how could Jesus be God and be God's prophet at the same time?

Jesus said: I am going to Father, because the Father is greater than me. (John 14:28)

Jesus said: I ascend unto my Father, and your Father, and to my God, and your God. (John 20:17)

If Jesus was God, then why would he say "to my God and your God" and who was he ascending to?

If Jesus was God , he would have clearly told people to worship him, and there would be clear verses in the Bible stating this, yet he did the opposite and disapproved anyone worshiping him.

 And in vain they worship me (Matthew 15:9)

Son Of God ?
Some Christians claim that Jesus is the son of God. What does this actually mean?Surely God is far removed from having a physical and literal son. Humans have human children, Cats have kittens, What does it mean for God to have a child?
Rather than being taken literally, we find the term " Son of God" is symbolically used in the earliest biblical languages for a 'righteous person' and has been used for David, Solomon and Israel, and not exclusively for Jesus.
In fact, anyone who is righteous is referred to as God's son.