Stabbed to death 18 times in court for 8 minutes without any intervention! 

Marwa Shirbini (32years) was stabbed 18 times and killed in court. The three month pregnant mother of one, Egyptian born Marwa was a pharmacist in the German town of Dresden . She was continually harassed by her assailant (identified as Alex W.), and at least once physically attacked by him when he forcefully removed her Hijab in a school playground.

Marwa appeared in a court hearing to testify against him on July 1st. During the hearing, he produced a knife and viciously attacked Marwa, stabbing her 18 times in front of her 3 years old son before anyone successfully intervened.

Her husband attempted to shield her, and was also stabbed and then mistakenly shot by an armed guard who thought he was the attacker.

Alex W. is now being held on ’suspicion’ of murder. Her Funeral gathered thousands of her supporters and friends in Egypt last Monday.

Please also read these articles and pass them on to others if you wish.

http://www.aboujahjah.com/?p=202

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/07/20097612424648553.html

Can you imagine a life without hope?  

What would life be if the feeling of hope was absent from our heart?

Why do we need hope in our life? 

S2:v218:  ‘Verily those who have believed, and those who have emigrated and have striven hard in the Way of Allah, all these hope for Allah’s Mercy.  And Allah is oft-forgiving, Most Merciful’

Once our beloved Prophet (pbuh) visited a man on his deathbed and asked him ‘How do you feel?’.  The young man said, ‘I have much hope from Allah but I also fear for my sins’. The Holy Prophet said, ‘The believer who has these two ideas simultaneously at such time, Allah fulfils his hopes and grants him security from fear.’ (Tirmidhi).

The human race is made up of a mix of different types of people with differing characteristics and behaviour.  All of whom are tested in different ways;

• through ill health

• loss of a loved one

• financial problems

• emotional problems

• sadness/grief

• and much more

Without hope how would someone in such a state survive and what would their life be like?  It’s possible their individual states could lead them to despair and lose hope. 

During Ghazwa-e-khandaq (Battle of the Trench) the Companions were faced with a huge trial.  A possible attack was looming from the Quraysh who were stationed on the outskirts of Madina but internally, one of their allies had turned against them too.  So, for several days and nights, the Companions, along with the Prophet (pbuh) were surrounded on all sides by the enemy, from outside and within.

Can you imagine what they were going through….the nights were cold, food was scarce, they were tired and exhausted due to sleep depravation….and on top of this they were even afraid to go and relive themselves when nature called!   

Allah says ‘When they came upon you from above you and from below you, and when the eyes grew wild and the hearts reached to the throats, and you were harbouring doubts about Allah.  There, the believers were tried and shaken with a mighty shaking’ (s33:v10-11)

The Companions asked the Prophet (pbuh) ‘Where is the help of Allah?’  

Despite their circumstances and constant fear, they never lost hope in Allah and continued to strive in His Cause.  So of course, Allah sent His help to them.  This trial had a two-fold effect on the Companions; increasing them in submission and in closeness to Allah.

Ibn Al Qayyim said: ‘the believer is like a bird whose body is love and its wings are hope and fear which direct him towards his Lord’.  He says success is not achieved by merely loving Allah, or fearing Him or hoping for His Mercy all independently of one another or in isolation of one another but by developing a balance of all three states in our life. So we should love Allaah, have hope in His Mercy and fear His Punishment.

Hope lives in our hearts, alongside our faith….the faith that moves us to do the right thing and act positively when the need arises and to make a positive change in our circumstances.

Hope is for the believer who strives hard in Allah’s cause, never forgetting Him no matter what.  It is a means to bring the believer closer to Allah.

To hope for anything also requires the need for action otherwise its just wishful thinking.  Ibn Al Qayyim also said being hopeful also means being fearful; fearing that you may miss the goal you hope for.

Let’s work together to achieve our common goals and continue to give each other hope.