Archive for Random Articles

The Difference between following Satan and following Satan’s footsteps.

December 26, 2007 at 8:39 pm · Filed under Random Articles, The Qur'an ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In the Name if Allah, the Kindest most Beneficial One.

 In the Name if Allah, the Kindest most Beneficial One. Al-Baqarah (The Cow) 2:168 O MANKIND! Partake of what is lawful and good on earth, and follow not Satan’s footsteps: for, verily, he is your open foe,

 يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ كُلُواْ مِمَّا فِي الأَرْضِ حَلاَلاً طَيِّباً وَلاَ تَتَّبِعُواْ خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ (2:168)   

Satan or Iblis rather is our open, most blatant and deceiving enemy; such an enemy that we cannot see with the power of sight Allah the Most Gracious has bestowed upon us, a favour of favours. Yet many of us fear him, and that itself is a form of shirk (likening or worshipping something or someone other than Allah (SWT)), for as Allah (SWT) states in Surah (chapter) Maryam (Mary), chapter 19 verse 44; Ibrahim (may Allah bestow upon him His peace and blessings) argues with his idolatrous father, telling him what Allah (SWT) commands of him, which says: 

19:44 “O my father! Do not worship Satan-for, verily, Satan is a rebel against the Most Gracious!

Satan – after rejecting and asking for respite from Allah (SWT) – did not bow down to the will of the Lord Allah (SWT), and Satan’s terms of respite were that he would lead Allah’s servants away, from the truth i.e. stopping them also from bowing down to the will of Allah (SWT). Yet Allah has warned us Muslims with reference to the ways which Satan has, shall and will deceive men/women from the truth. The Almighty Allah has mentioned many times that:

… and follow not Satan’s footsteps….. (Al Baqarah 2:208).

 What we, as the targets of the devil’s deception, need to acknowledge and understand is what is the difference between Satan’s footsteps and straight forward following Satan.

Following Satan

Allah (SWT) states in Surah Al-Hajj (the Pilgrimage) chapter 22 verse 3, that:

22:3 And yet, among men there is many a one who argues about God without having any knowledge [of Him], and follows every rebellious satanic force.

Although Allah (SWT) does not state many times in the Qur’an the ways of the devil’s deception without adding the word “footsteps,” there are such people whose hearts have been sealed from the truth, weather they have any knowledge or not. They – for the sake of it – follow whatever Satan decrees, giving not a single ounce of thought to it; whether it is morally wrong or against the law. These people don’t just give any thought, but agree to whatever dire thing they hear, and uphold it as though it be the truth. Their souls are blacker than the night itself, and they are the ones who uphold Satan’s regime of blasphemy and praise ignorance as if it be the saviour of the world. They follow their nafs, (soul or self) and care not what their heart and conscience tell, which in time becomes tainted itself to feel nothing when evil has been committed. They feel no happiness in this life nor will they in the hereafter, (unless they change their ways). 

People who follow without thought are straight forward followers of Satan. Following Satan in this manner is likened to the most beautiful man or women coming in front of you and asking, “Come spend a night with me in the hotel across the road, it’ll be nothing!”, or one of your mates says, “We’re havin a lager down at the pub tonight, we’ll also watch the match. I bet you 20 quid England’s gonna lose. Hah.

”Fornication (sexual intercourse before marriage), consuming alcohol and betting are all prohibited in Islam; they destroy societies and moral values.

The thoughtless people I have mentioned above will accept without a word, for they have no set purpose or aim in life, yet a person with a little Iman will turn the offer down. Avoiding following Satan directly is easily cast off, that is why Allah (SWT) constantly reminds us of Satan’s footsteps, the more deadly and undetectable ploys of the rejected.

Satan’s Footsteps

Allah (SWT) commands in Surah Al Baqarah (The Cow), chapter 2 verse 208 that:

2:208 O you who have attained to faith! Surrender yourselves wholly unto God, and follow not Satan’s footsteps, for, verily, he is your open foe.

Satan’s footsteps are subtlety designed, so that even the believer will give in. He first gives the suggestion which he makes out not to be harmful. Through various processes, Satan the accursed carries on making suggestions, but at a slightly higher level of immorality, but since the process has been on going, the person does not see any sin in his actions; thus becoming ensnared in a lofty degree of sin. Satan’s goal is to make a person perpetrate a sinful action of such a high degree, that because of that sin, the persons whole life before and after him has and is ruined, placing no value to it, and ultimately bringing the person down with him (Satan) to the depths of hell. And the ultimate goal of Satan to make a person commit shirk.

Remember: One major sin in this temporary life is enough to bring about your destruction.

Shirk is the biggest sin in the sight of almighty Allah. As it is stated in Surah Al Luqman, chapter 31 verse 13, it commands:

31:13 Behold, Luqman said to his son by way of instruction: “O my son! Join not in worship (others) with Allah. For false worship is indeed the highest wrong-doing.” 

And Satan’s goal is to bring the servants of Allah (SWT) down with him to hell.

Al-Hijr (The Rocky Tract)

15:39 [Whereupon Iblis] said: “O my Sustainer! Since Thou hast thwarted me, I shall indeed make [all that is evil] on earth seem goodly to them, and shall most certainly beguile them-into grievous error.

An example of Following Satan’s footsteps are; A man starts to speak to a young, attractive women over the phone, thinking in his head, “What’s the harm, I’m only talking!” They then go out to meet each other, and watch a film together. It’s a film, what harm can that be! They then go out for dinner in a romantic restaurant, and after sit down to watch the sunset together. Hence forth, they end up kissing and find themselves under the covers of a bed together in a hotel room they booked moments earlier.

Satan’s footsteps are the most deadly, and usually no one find any harm in the first stage which Satan puts the individual (s) through. This issue has to be addressed, as ignorance is what destroys societies, and it is ignorant to not know what the ploy/footsteps of the open enemy [1] is.

There is Hikmah (wisdom) in whatever Allah has created, made lawful and prohibited. If you create a car, you know it needs petrol, diesel or gas to run, so you cannot put water in the car and expect it to take you to your destination. So the petrol, diesel or gas is legal, but the water is prohibited. So do not you think that our creator – the creator of the whole universe, everything in it, universal laws and time – knows what is best for us, what should be legal and what should be prohibited for us people? A car will not run then and there, but we don’t realise that our “not running” or outcome will be on the day of resurrection. Do we “stop running”, i.e. go to hell or do we “keep running,” and go to heaven.

The following verses talk about the deception of Satan, what you should avoid i.e. is prohibited, and what Allah commands about the footsteps of Satan. Remember: Allah (SWT) did not create any verse in the Qur’an in vain, and volumes of books can be written on a single Ayat (verse). So a single word in a single verse has much more meaning then will immediately come to light. The more times you read the Qur’an, the more things, concepts and perceptions will be revealed to you. You should ponder over these extremely Holy verses for they contain everything, as Allah (SWT) commanded in Surah Muhammad, Chapter 47 verse 24:

47:24 Will they not, then, ponder over this Qur’an? – Or are there locks upon their hearts?

Remember: Satan’s footsteps are not to be followed in any case. His footsteps are a gradual build up to a higher, more unforgivable sin. Do not even let it start. Look around you and realise. Open your barriers of thought, and create a free thinking mind.

Also, remember, is Satan himself faced you, and commanded you to carry out a prohibited act, you would most definitely say “NO!” as you would understand and realise it is Satan. Yet if he gave you a gradual build up, starting with something minor, all the while keeping himself hidden, you might find yourself committing a great atrocity without even realising it. Satan has been alive since before man, so he most definitely will be one of the greatest deceivers in history, which he undoubtedly is.

But keep in mind, Satan is not your friend as he makes it out to be. He only shows you the way; it is you who take it. You accept his call. You commit the sins. The footsteps are his, yet you follow them. He himself takes no responsibility of your actions – which he himself declares, as it is stated in the Qur’an twice:

Al-Anfal (The Spoils of War)

8:48 And, lo, Satan made all their doings seem goodly to them, and said, “No one can overcome you this day, for, behold, I shall be your protector !” but as soon as the two hosts came within sight of one another, he turned on his heels and said, “Behold, I am not responsible for you: behold, I see something that you do not see: behold, I fear God-for God is severe in retribution !”

Al-Hashr (The Gathering)

59:16 the like of [what happens] when Satan says unto man, “Deny the truth!” – but as soon as [man] has denied the truth, [Satan] says, “Behold, I am not responsible for thee: behold, I fear God, the Sustainer of all the worlds!”

The verses that talk about Satan’s footsteps, what is prohibited and what should be looked out for and avoided are stated below.

Al-Ma’idah (The Table Spread)

5:90 O YOU who have attained to faith! Intoxicants, and games of chance, and idolatrous practices, and the divining of the future are but a loathsome evil of Satan’s doing: shun it, then, so that you might attain to a happy state!

Al-Ma’idah (The Table Spread)

 5:91 By means of intoxicants and games of chance Satan seeks only to sow enmity and hatred among you, and to turn you away from the remembrance of God and from prayer. Will you not, then, desist?

Al-Qasas (The Narration)

28:15 And [one day] he entered the city at a time when [most of] its people were [resting in their houses,] unaware of what was going on [in the streets]; and there he encountered two men fighting with one another – one of his own people, and the other of his enemies. And the one who belonged to his own people cried out to him for help against him who was of his enemies – whereupon Moses struck him down with his fist, and [thus] brought about his end. [But then] he said [to himself]: “This is of Satan’s doing! Verily, he is an open foe, leading [man] astray!”

Al-Baqara (The Cow)

2:208 O you who have attained to faith! Surrender yourselves wholly unto God, and follow not Satan’s footsteps, for, verily, he is your open foe.

Al-An’am (The Cattle)

6:142 And of the cattle reared for work and for the sake of their flesh, eat whatever God has provided for you as sustenance, and follow not Satan’s foot-steps: behold, he is your open foe!

Maryam (Mary)

 19:44 “O my father! Do not worship Satan-for, verily, Satan is a rebel against the Most Gracious!

Maryam (Mary)

19:45 O my father! I dread lest a chastisement from the Most Gracious befall thee, and then thou wilt become [aware of having been] close unto Satan!” 

 Al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage)

 22:3 And yet, among men there is many a one who argues about God without having any knowledge [of Him], and follows every rebellious satanic force

Al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage)

 22:4 about which it has been decreed that whoever entrusts himself to it, him will it lead astray and guide towards the suffering of the blazing flame!

 Al-Nour (The Light)

 24:21 O You who have attained to faith! Follow not Satan’s footsteps: for he who follows Satan’s foot­steps [will find that], behold, he enjoins but deeds of abomination and all that runs counter to reason. And were it not for God’s favour upon you and His grace, not one of you would ever have remained pure. For [thus it is:] God who causes whomever He wills to grow in purity: for God is all-hearing, all-­knowing.

Ya-Sin (Ya-Sin)

36:60 Did I not enjoin on you, O you children of Adam, that you should not worship Satan – since, verily, he is your open foe.

  [1] Surah Baqarah, chapter 2 verse 208. 

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Why “Allah” not “God?”

December 25, 2007 at 11:46 pm · Filed under Random Articles ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why is the word “Allah” given preference over the word “God”, in terms of speech and writing?

A person must understand that the word “Allah” is only given preference and is not compulsory to use when speaking or writing, either with a Muslim or a non-Muslim. But as I said, it is only given preference.

First of all, the word “God” is a general word and does not generally specify who you are talking about; although the word “Allah” is used in the Bible as “Eli.” It does not specify which God you are talking about being a general term, as it was mentioned in this sentence. When the word “Allah” is used, a person generally knows that the context in which the writing or conversation is taking or has taken place, is related to Islam and Muslims.

But the main reason for the preference of the word “Allah” over the word “God”, is because of the simple reason that the word “God” can be played, meddled and manipulated to mean something totally different.

When an “s” is added to God, it becomes gods.

When “dess” is added to God, it becomes goddess.

When “demi” is prefixed onto God, it becomes demigod.

When “Father” or “Mother” is suffixed to the word “God”, it becomes godfather or godmother.

There is no place for such additions in Islam, as it is out of respect. But it is purely preferred, and is not definite.

Remember, there is no Allah’s, or Allah-dess, or demi-Allah, or Allah-mother or Allah-father. The word Allah is unique. It cannot be changed.

You can use “God” when talking to a non-Muslim, but it is referred to use Allah, if they understand what you mean by it. Also, you get blessings and rewards, as for every letter you speak from the Qur’an or any authentic Islamic work such as Hadith, you will be blessed 10 times.

 

Allah is unique, and so is his name. Praise be to Allah, Master of the universe.

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Christmas: Christian or Pagan?

December 14, 2007 at 11:33 pm · Filed under General misconceptions, Random Articles ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Is Christmas a Christian festival. The answer is simply no. Christmas is a pagan festival, taken or adopted by the Christians at a time when they wanted to convert pagans to Christianity. When – in roman history – the empire had divided into two, the Christian church inside Rome adopted this idea, and from then on all the rituals and rites, right down to the symbolism has been stolen, taken by the Christians to celebrate the birth of Jesus. First of all, let’s refute this claim. In the bible, you will not find one place where it is mentioned that Christmas is a festival to be celebrated in honour of Jesus’ birth. Neither Abraham, nor Isaac or Jacob were required to celebrate this Christmas. Rather, as the world book encyclopaedia contains, “the early Christians did not celebrate his (Jesus birth)..because they considered the celebration of anyone’s birth to be a pagan custom.” No-where in the bible does it clearly suggest when Jesus was born. This festival was practised before the birth of Christ and moreover, early Christians did not celebrate Christmas as Christmas was taken from paganism after their period, but they celebrated the festivals talked about in Leviticus, chapter no. 23, which goes as follows.Leviticus chapter no. 23 verses 1-44 

1.      And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 

2.      Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. 

3.      Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings. 

4.      These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. 

5.      In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD’s passover.  

6.      And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. 

7.      In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. 

8.      But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. 

9.      And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 

10.  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest unto the priest: 

11.  And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. 

12.  And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD. 

13.  And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin. 

14.  And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 

15.  And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: 

16.  Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD. 

17.  Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals; they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the first fruits unto the LORD. 

18.  And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the LORD. 

19.  Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings. 

20.  And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest. 

21.  And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. 

22.  And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God. 

23.  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 

24.  Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. 

25.  Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 

26.  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 

27.  Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 

28.  And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.29.  For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people. 

30.  And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people. 

31.  Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 

32.  It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath. 

33.  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 

34.  Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD. 

35.  On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. 

36.  Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein. 

37.  These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day: 

38.  Beside the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the LORD. 

39.  Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. 

40.  And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. 

41.  And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 

42.  Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: 

43.  That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. 

44.  And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD.

Pagans celebrated Christmas in honour of their sun gods birth, 25thDecember also being the birthday of the Greek hero Dionysus. The sun gods name was mithras, and is known to be a roman god. He is referred to by pagans as the unconquered sun. it is generally known that this festival was slowly converted to Christmas as the sun gods worship rivalled Christianity in popularity.The 21stof December was marked as the day when the sun was reborn, also being the shortest day of the year. This time was sacred as you can see, as it had its association with the winter solstice. The pagans believed that the sun would “build up” till the midsummer’s solstice. The celebrations were given the name of yule, originating from the Anglo Saxon word for light and sun.The Christmas tree, hollies etc are all also taken and derived from this ancient pagan festival. Candles were burnt and placed around to mark this festival, while last years log was lit at sunset on the 25thof December are its ashes and remains were thought to have guarded their homes against fire or lightening. The remains were also placed around fields, a good luck charm fir next years harvest. The largest remaining part was kept for next year’s burning. The holly and ivy were thought to symbolise the “light” in the “darkness” of the winter days. Evergreens basically symbolised rebirth in winter. Also carols were sung and the use of trees is known, although it may have been introduced by Prince Albert in 1841.                                                                    

Santa Claus has over the years developed to be a man from the North Pole, sending presents to everyone in his slay pulled by reindeer. Santa Claus is actually based on st Nicholas who gave gifts to the poor and helpless, distributing the gifts wither through throwing then through windows or down chimneys.All of the above points are facts, and can be found or confirmed over the internet or in any reference library. Either way, the truth is the truth.                                                 

   Either way, just like Halloween and maybe Easter, are all derived from pagan festivals, and we should all be aware that are we doing what’s right? Or just following tradition.                                                                                                                     

 God sent down the holy books in order so that we could refer back to them for guidance and most importantly how to live our lives. Festivals are part of living ones life. Reference back to your holy scriptures, the backgrounds of them and general history are all needed to make a valid point and to be true to what you are saying, and how you behave.

“We wish you a merry yule, we wish you a merry yule, we wish you a merry yule, and a happy winter solstice.” 

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The Reality of this life

December 11, 2007 at 5:42 pm · Filed under Random Articles, Salah (Prayer), Supplication, The Reality of this Life ·Tagged , , , ,

In the Name of Allah the Kindest Most Merciful
Abu Huraira ( God Bless him) Narrates that once the Holy Prophet ( Peace & Blessings be upon him) said: “Let me show you the reality of this world.” I requested him to do that. He took me to a place of reuse outside Medina. There I saw human skulls scattered all around. Addressing me he said: “These are the human skulls that embodied brains filled with greed. These people were like many amongst you who live today. Like all of you they pinned their hopes on things worldly. These skulls are lying without skin after a few worldly days they will become part of the earth. They struggled hard to eat the spicy dishes only to swallow this filth today. The state in which they exist now cannot be tolerably seen by those who have eyes to see. The very sight of those who enjoyed the fragrance of tasty food makes you hate them. The dirty rags are the substitute for the gaudy dresses that made men proud. Now they are at the mercy of the winds which move them the way they like. And these are the bones of those animals that carried human beings only to make them fell proud. Anyone can shed a tear or two at their tragic end” Abu Huraira stated that the tears welled up in his eyes and he wept bitterly.
This is the harsh reality of life. The misconceptions, the smokescreen that have veiled your senses into numbness is going to be your downfall, lest you wake up and strive to the truth and fear god. We’re a mere traveller in this world and our ultimate abode is to sleep lower than the dust, upon which we spent our time enjoying ourselves, bringing ourselves one step closer to ultimate destruction. We are travelling towards this ultimate abode relentlessly and inevitably, just like this galaxy is hurtling through space at millions even trillions of miles per hour ( Signs of god in nature), yet we don’t feel it just like we don’t feel the real value and essence of the time we have been allocated on this earth. Yet we chose to spent it to “chill” not realising that the whole concept of “fun” is a ploy of the devil to bring you down with him into the burning depths of hell, of which the fire will be seventy times hotter than that of the earth. Be warned. Those people who lived in high castles and defied the word of the Almighty Allah will also one day roll in the dust, just like the rest of us. People have seizures at the mention of death, for they know that it is their ultimate abode and what ever they do, they cannot escape it. People understand that they have been sent onto this earth with a purpose, but what they conclude that purpose to be, they have got wrong. The purpose is to worship the almighty and serve him and to “submit” hence the word Islam. Start your search for the truth. I’m going to conclude part one with a hadith;
It is reported that Allah’s Apostle (Peace be upon him) said: “The world is captivatingly sweet and rosy in appearance. God created man as His deputy so that he could judge his behaviour. When the Jews, the followers of Moses, rose to power, women, gold and fine dresses became their weakness.”
Think for yourselves. Have we not fallen into the same snare that the Jews and other nations had fallen into, those nations that were ultimately destroyed because of their insolence and lust for life. And that what was forbidden they declared lawful. Remember death is inevitable.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!
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