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vintage-miseries · 5 years

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The CCB

There’s little magic left to be found in England, and that which remains is squirreled away into small, secret places and is guarded most jealously. Humans, despite their voracious love for fairy tales, parlour tricks, and boy wizards do not react the best when they come nose to nose with real magic. Real magic, here, is not David Blaine or Copperfield, or even that warm, honey-in-your-gut sensation you get when you see particularly mesmerizing fireworks. Real magic in this case comes in multiple forms, but none of them particularly awe-inspiring. Rather, most of them are beyond terrifying and cause immediate trouser-soiling.

The last magic in the world (and what a peculiarly sad notion that was!), did not come in the form of waving wands, unicorns, or flying carpets, but rather in the daily press and shuffle of the local population. As a certain (and terribly human writer herself) author might say, the _Muggle _population was entirely unaware of what went on just under their noses. This second, secret world was not invisible, but integrated. So used to hiding in plain sight is magic that it has made the daily grind into a costume, into a habit, and most sadly, into a lifestyle.

Would it intrigue you to know just how many creatures, of this world but unknown, shuffle themselves into human form just to pass their days? This magic, magic being a broad, broader, and broadest of terms, is not so much a thing as it is many things. It is, logically speaking, an umbrella term for anything that falls into a human’s definition of something that is non-sensical, defying explanation, or just downright bizarre.

This ideology, however, has caused much debate amongst the Magical community, with many arguing that not everything “non-sensical” is actually magical, and that “bizarre” is not specific enough to fit into the terminology, so really a lot of things considered to be magic are just, well, not.

For instance, many of the older magics insist that Aliens, while definitely bizarre, are not in fact magic, but more of Science. Of course, as with any ethnic argument, this debate hit rather heavily with both the Fresno Nightcrawler community, as well as with the Flatwoods Monster.

“We exist, we’re here,” The Flatwoods Monster, who goes by day by the name of Carol, said in one interview. “To deny us our place in the Umbrella term is to say that we don’t belong. Well, I’ve been here just as long as most of them, if not longer. How can you say I don’t belong? Just because I’m not from this planet, that means I’m not Magic? You have no idea what I was on my planet. None!”

The Fresno Nightcrawlers could not be reached for comment.**

It is tepidly agreed upon by many, that any with access to the CCB (The Creature Control Board), can call themselves magic. The CCB, otherwise known simply as ‘The Board’, has its main building of operation in California. Several smaller, though no less important branches find themselves in Toronto, Ireland, Brussels, Russia, Australia, Peru, and Cairo. There are also outlier stations across the globe, though their google reviews have never risen above 3.5 stars.

The history of the CCB has varied from decade to decade, but it’s purpose has always remained the same. Opened in 1855, it was meant to be a communal hub for the world’s magic. Hot meals were served, advice was given, human visages were constructed, and jobs were allocated. It attracted several thousand in its first month, and subsequently shut a month later due to over-demand. A year later it reopened, armed and ready, and over the years grew into what it is today.

The CCB is now a focal point for the magical community. A community centre, healthcare professional, and Job centre all in one, it is the foundation for all magical life on earth. Magicals come from across the globe seeking guidance or aid, and the CCB delivers. Last year, a total of over 600,000 appointments were made, it is expected that this number will double within the next decade.

Of course, while the vast majority of Magicals are happy to seek out the CCB for aid, there are plenty who are happy to keep themselves separate. Many claim it to be a generational issue, with older Magicals refusing aid or even acknowledging the resource entirely. A poll conducted in 1985 revealed that while 80% of the world’s Magic did indeed use the service, a whopping 20% chose not to. Many of those polled refused to give comment, though a later census revealed that a good number of that fifth were in fact Cairn Creatures.

Cairn Creatures, an unofficial title, are any Magicals born before the approximate date of 1200 CE. They are often assumed to be an offshoot of the Fae world, many having been human in some variation before undergoing magical transmutation. Though they are near extinct in number, these Cairn Creatures walk the line between the mortal world, and that of the Seelie/Unseelie.

It is purported that fewer than one hundred remain in the world, with many of those still residing in either Europe, England, or in Africa.

“It’s a load of p***. This whole classification system is shit. Why would I bother? Are you asking me to join a union? I’m just fine by myself, cheers. Never needed some poxy doctor in a suit to help me mind my own business, ta. Know how to do that myself.” Cat Sidhe, known as Illiver Kash, 1998 CE

One major issue for the CCB has always been management. Prior to its creation in 1855, there was little in the way of policing Magicals. An uncertain set of laws, somewhat akin to Christianity’s Ten Commandments existed amongst the community, though these were treated more as guidelines than as strict policy. So it was in 1859 when the CCB faced its second major hurdle, this time in the instituting of the RRMC. The RRMC, or the _Rules & Regulations for Magical Continuity _was a strict, 6 rule code that each Magical was expected to adhere to. These rules evolved with time, though their core structures have remained the same since their original incarnation. They are as follows:

I. Kill only as necessary; Your survival is based on more than hunger

II. Order first; Adhere to law both Magical and human, for it keeps your secret

III. Purpose in Power; your strength makes you exemplary, but do not forget that you are other

IV. Understand restraint; retribution always comes with a price, if not to you then to your kin

V. Understand Balance; spend your days under guise, the night time is for you

VI. Bond of kin; do no harm to your fellows, for it is the blackest of crimes

As of 2017 CE, the RRMC has evolved into a 260 page manual. This manual has seven key chapters, the first being an introduction, and the latter seven each pertaining to one of the key tenets. Though the original rules remain in place, each now hosts several sub classes and all fall under regulation and moderation policies.

For instance, tenet I, kill only as necessary has been heavily edited, with kill licenses granted to only a select few. These licenses are known most commonly as K-factors, and allow anywhere from one to six human kills a year depending on necessity. At present, less than 25 members of the CCB hold a K6 license.

It is not a stretch to say that these rules were deeply unpopular in their initial years, though as with most policy changes, the community did eventually settle into compliance. There are a few, however, that did not. When the RRMC was put into place, it came with much discussion on the method of dealing with those who did not comply, especially as their sixth tenet explicitly banned the killing of Magicals. In the end it was decided that permissions would be redacted, and sharply, for any who broke the code. In modern times, these permissions would extend to travel permissions, state arrest, and narrowed territories, as well as lessened monetary allowance.

Those that persist despite these allowances are usually allowed ultimatums in the form of banishment. One such case can be traced back to 1976, during the brief trial of Azelgore, known more commonly by humans and other Magicals as the Loch Ness Monster. Though he was initially granted a K6 license, his quota overpassed his allowance by a harrowing degree, and the CCB had no choice but to remove him from his territory. He accepted banishment to the Fae plane, and has since returned only a handful of times on specialised (supervised) allowance.

For most historians working amongst the CCB, its short history is still a colourful one, and one that has markedly improved the lives of most creatures who make use of its services.

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christianstevefinnell · 3 years

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Why Are There So Many Churches?

by David Vaughn Elliott

Why are there so many different churches? When did all the religious confusion begin? Some would say it began with Martin Luther. However, the truth of the matter is that religious confusion started in the Garden of Eden. God said, "Don't." Satan said, "Do." If you are a student of the Bible, you know that religious confusion continued unabated from the offerings of Cain and Abel to the harlot and bride of Revelation.

It is nothing unusual, therefore, to hear this prediction via Paul: "Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of demons; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats" (1 Tim. 4:1-3). Two false doctrines are named. Both prohibit what God has not prohibited. The abstinence might seem to be spiritual by denying pleasures of the flesh. However, they are actually demonic prohibitions.

Discussing the issue of teachings which do not come from God, Jesus once said: "These people draw nigh unto me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Matt. 15:8-9). At the end of the Bible we read this warning: "If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book" (Rev. 22:18). One way of adding to God's Word is to prohibit what God has not prohibited. And, as Jesus said, if we teach such human (demonic) doctrines, our worship of God is in vain, empty, futile.

We can find specific fulfillment of 1 Timothy 4 in the second century among the Gnostic sects. Irenaeus (A.D. 130 to 202) said this about some Gnostics: "Many offshoots of numerous heresies have already been formed from those heretics we have described. This arises from the fact that numbers of them—indeed, we may say all—desire themselves to be teachers... they insist upon teaching something new... To give an example: Springing from Saturninus and Marcion, those who are called Encratites (self-controlled) preached against marriage, thus setting aside the original creation of God, and indirectly blaming Him who made the male and female for the propagation of the human race. Some of those reckoned among them have also introduced abstinence from animal food, thus proving themselves ungrateful to God, who formed all things" ("Against Heresies," Book I, Chap. 28).

Let's make some important distinctions. In Romans 14:2-3, Paul teaches: "For one believes that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eats herbs. Let not him that eats despise him that eats not; and let not him which eats not judge him that eats: for God has received him." This upholds a Christian who has a personal conviction against eating meat -- as long as he does not judge his brother. But, according to the Timothy text, if a person makes a doctrine of it and teaches that nobody is permitted to eat meat, that person is guilty of teaching a demonic doctrine.

The same distinction is true with regard to marriage. Paul was not married, and under certain situations he says it may be best not to marry (1 Cor. 7:26-28). However, he makes it clear that "should you marry, you have not sinned." So anyone can decide to stay single and even advise people that under certain situations it may be better to stay single. However, to prohibit marriage is demonic.

Why are there so many churches today? Because men and women teach their own doctrines (demons' doctrines) rather than God's doctrine. They prohibit what God has not prohibited and they command what God has not commanded. It all started in Eden, as Satan fought against God; and it will not end until Jesus returns and casts Satan into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10). In this world, there has always been religious confusion and always will be. It is up to each one of us to behave as the Bereans did when we hear anybody's teaching. They were "examining the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so" (Acts 17:10-11). Let's do the same. That's how I see it. How about you?

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IT MUST BE FALSE BY STEVE FINNELL

If the majority disbelieves it, then it must be false. There are over 7 billion people in the world and only 2.2 billion believe that Jesus is the Son of God, does it mean it is false to say Jesus is the Son of God? No, it does not. Why would anyone place their belief on majority opinion?

Of the 2.2 billion who claim Jesus as Lord and Savior the majority do not believe in the New Testament terms for pardon, does that make God's terms for pardon untrue? No, it does not.

Mark 16:16 He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. (NASB)

The majority of believers in Christ do not believe what Jesus said in Mark 16:16, does that make it false doctrine?

Example: Many say you do not have to be baptized in water to be saved.

Example: Many say you can be saved and have your sins forgiven before you believe; because as an unbelieving infant you were baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and added to the body of Christ.

All non-believers and most believers in Christ deny God's terms for pardon.

1. Faith, John 3:16

2. Repentance, Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19, Luke 24:47

3. Confession, Romans 10:9, Acts 8:36-37

4. Immersion in water, Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16, Colossians 2:11-13, Galatians 3:27, Romans 6:3-7, 1 Peter 3:20-21, John 3:5, Ephesians 5:25-27, Titus 3:5

DOES DENYING GOD'S TERMS FOR PARDON MAKE THEM FALSE DOCTRINE?

THE ABSURDITY OF ORIGINAL SIN BY STEVE FINNELL

Original Sin: a depravity, or tendency to evil, held to be innate in humankind and transmitted from Adam to all humans in consequence of his sin. [Ref:Dictionary .com]

The doctrine of original sin is that all men inherited the guilt of Adam's sin and are sinners at birth.

It gives absurdity a bad name to suggest that all men are born with a sinful spiritual DNA, of which they inherited from Adam and are therefore guilty of sin at birth.

If men are born sinners, then they are born as fornicators, sodomites, drunkards, thieves, homosexuals, extortioners, murders, sorcerers, pedophiles and idolaters. Would God create men guilty of these sins, due to no fault of their own, and then condemn them to hell? It is not only irrational, but contrary to Scripture.

Men are guilty of sin because they sin. They are not guilty of sin because of Adam's sin.

Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the word, and death spread to all men, because all sinned---(NKJV)

Spiritual death spread to all men, BECAUSE ALL SINNED.

Physical death spread to all men because Adam sinned.

No one is guilty of sin until they commit sin.

The unborn and small children are not capable of committing sin.

The doctrine of original sin is absurd, nonsensical, irrational, illogical, and most importantly contrary to the doctrine of God.

ORIGINAL CHRISTIANITY? BY STEVE FINNELL

Are the Christians today the same as the first century Christians? Do contemporary Christians believe the New Testament, as it was

originally written or do they believe it is a living, breathing document? All Scripture contain in the Bible was completed by AD 100 .

Jude 1:3 Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. (NKJV) (NOTE: Jude was written in AD 65 )

The common salvation was handed down to all the Christians. There was not a new faith handed down nor was the faith amended to fit the will of individual churches.

Acts 2:42 They continually devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching...(NKJV)

They did not devote themselves the teaching of the scribes, the Pharisees nor the Judaizers.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (NKJV)

The apostles doctrine was all Scripture. That was all that was needed for teaching. The original Christians not need the doctrine of the Roman Catholic catechism, the writings of John Calvin, Martin Luther, John Knox, Charles Spurgeon, nor John Wesley in order to know and practice God's truth, that was presented by the apostles.

Acts 20:27 For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. (NKJV)

The apostle Paul knew the whole purpose of God, he did not have to consult with Billy Graham, the Pope, Rick Warren, Max Lucado, nor John Piper.[NOTE: None of those even understand the correct terms of pardon.]

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Revelation after the first 100 years of, original Christianity, is not found in the Bible; because everything Christians need for faith and practice in found in the 66 books of the Bible.

Proverbs 30:6 Do not add to His words Or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar. (NKJV)

DOCTRINES ADDED TO GOD'S WORD

1. Water baptism is not essential for salvation.

2. Water baptism is for a testimony of faith, not in order to the forgiveness of sins.

3. Men are saved by grace alone. God causes men whom He has selected for salvation to have faith so they will be saved.

4. Sprinkling and pouring are just other modes of baptism.

5. Men are saved by faith alone. Immersion in water is a work, therefore is not required in order to be saved.

6. All men are sinners at conception because Adam and Eve sinned. Non-believing infants can have the sin of Adam as well as all future sins wash away by being baptized. In other words sin can be forgiven without faith in Jesus Christ.

7. Jesus is one of many ways to enter heaven.

8. Men can live a unrepentant sinful lifestyle and still enter the kingdom of God.

9. God approves of many denominations, even though they teach different terms of pardon.

10. Denominations have the right to man-made doctrines even if they are contrary to Scripture, because God will not judge sincere people.

#read more at steve-finnell.blogspot.com

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thetruthseekerway · 5 years

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Abdullah ibn Rawahah: A Symbol of Heavenly Justice

New Post has been published on https://www.truth-seeker.info/jewels-of-islam/abdullah-ibn-rawahah-a-symbol-of-heavenly-justice/

Abdullah ibn Rawahah: A Symbol of Heavenly Justice

By Spahic Omer

Abdullah ibn Rawahah: A Symbol of Heavenly Justice

A “Just” Companion

Abdullah ibn Rawahah was a leading companion of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). He was from the rank of Ansar (the Helpers, or the local inhabitants of Madinah). Moreover, he was a scribe and poet. During the battle of Mu’tah in the 8th year after Hijrah against the forces of the Byzantine Empire, he was third in command. He was killed in the same battle.

After the battle of Khaybar in the 7th year after Hijrah against the renegade Jews, the Jews were defeated and an agreement was signed. According to the agreement, the Jews were allowed to remain on their lands and in their fortresses, while obliging them to pay half their agricultural yield to the Prophet’s state.

The Prophet (PBUH) then appointed Abdullah ibn Rawahah to estimate the agricultural produce of the Jews and to make sure that the taxes were duly paid, as per the agreement.

However, the Jews attempted to bribe Abdullah ibn Rawahah, most probably with the jewelry of their women, so that he would estimate the amount of their harvests less, and would generally go easy on them.

When he realized what the Jews were up to, Abdullah ibn Rawahah got upset and said to them: “By Allah! I have come to you from the one who is the dearest of all creation to me (Prophet Muhammad), and you are the most unpleasant creatures of Allah in my view (especially now after this evil attempt of yours). What you offer me is bribery, which is illegal. We never accept it.”

Then, immediately after that, he told them something unheard of: “However, (you can rest assured that) neither my excessive love for him (the Prophet), nor my excessive hatred for you will prevent me in the slightest from being just with you.”

In other words, Abdullah ibn Rawahah indicated to the Jews that his judgment will in no way be affected by his emotions, or any other internal or external factors. He was taught that justice must be relationships and emotions-blind. It must transcend the levels of human intrinsic and acquired variability. After all, justice, both as a concept and human way of life, is honorable and pure and must be preserved as such. It is divine. Only by promoting and practicing authentic justice, can humans and their societies be elevated to higher planes of meaning, proficiency, and experience.

Concept of Justice

Thus, according to the Qur’anic vocabulary and spirit, justice is always associated with piety, goodness, truth, and victory, while injustice is associated with falsehood, malice, and spiritual as well as moral darkness and bankruptcy.

Through the holy prophets, justice was presented to man as one of the greatest heavenly gifts. Man is not, and cannot be, the source of justice. God and His revelations are. Conceiving and actualizing absolute justice greatly outweigh man’s abilities. Hence, man can only be the target and conduit of divine justice. All forms of human justice are but shadows, or offshoots, of God’s justice.

When the Jews heard the words of Abdullah ibn Rawahah, they were stunned. What they just witnessed and heard was jaw-dropping stuff. People of the Book (ahl al-kitab), together with the Christians knew more about faith and virtue than others from those who did not follow the Prophet (PBUH). They were closer to the secrets of the truth-related treasures than anybody else, notwithstanding their actual relationship with the same truth.

The impact was so powerful and overwhelming that the Jews could not hide their amazement. Instantaneously, they retorted, rather intuitively: “This is the foundation upon which the heavens and earth were created (and are sustained).”

What did the Jews, in reality, hear and see, what was so spectacular about it, and what did they actually mean by their response?

The answer is twofold.

First, the Jews saw in Abdullah ibn Rawahah an embodiment of Almighty Allah’s final revelation to mankind through Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). They saw a phenomenon and realm. The last thing they saw was a biological being called Abdullah ibn Rawahah.

People As the Source of Good and Evil

As it is known, the Prophet (PBUH) aimed primarily to create or develop people (human capital). Everything else was secondary and in the service of people. The Prophet (PBUH) knew that it was people who would create and sustain or undermine and destroy, civilizations. It was people furthermore from whom all good and evil could originate, and to whom all the consequences, good or bad, were to return.

Man and his overall well-being topped the priorities. Everything was subjected to the stimulating and facilitating of the noble life mission and purpose of man. No surprise that the dignity of man in relation to his life, property and other human rights, is the holiest and most sanctified thing in Islam.

Justice is an instrument of preserving and elevating human honor and dignity. Since the latter is established by nobody else but Allah, the former, too, needs to be from the same metaphysical source. It needs to match the heavenly character of human distinctive qualities and to satisfy their delicate requirements.

The Jews witnessed in Abdullah ibn Rawahah an epitome and physical representation of this extraordinary worldview. The whole philosophy was transported from the world of abstract ideas to the world of palpable realities, and so effectively through the behavioral model of only one person.

The case of Abdullah ibn Rawahah also served as an example and evidence of the triumph of Prophet Muhammad’s entire prophet-hood mission. Apart from being his envoy, Abdullah ibn Rawahah was also a prototype of the Prophet’s above all spiritual and moral conquests.

Against the backdrop of Abdullah ibn Rawahah’s personality and conduct, one could discern the spiritual and moral deficiencies of the Jews, who stood for the antitheses of everything Abdullah ibn Rawahah exemplified. Everything that Abdullah ibn Rawahah was, the Jews were not but were supposed to be.

Second, the Jews saw in Abdullah ibn Rawahah the true meaning of justice, which is universal and all-pervading. It permeates the whole universe (the heavens and earth), cascading down to, and manifesting itself perhaps most impressively at the plane of human relationships and their daily interactions.

Balance, Measure, and Scale

What this furthermore means could be extracted from the Qur’anic chapter (surah) al-Rahman, verses 7-9.

In it, Allah firstly reveals, in verse 7, that He has raised high the firmament (the skies or heaven) and set up the measure or the balance of justice (mizan). This denotes that justice is a heavenly virtue and that the heavens have been created and are sustained on the basis of both mathematical and spiritual balance.

The word used is mizan, which means balance, measure, and scale. Thereby it is meant justice because justice is to place and keep things in their rightful places, and to allow them to function to the best of their capacities. Justice is synonymous with balance, measure, equilibrium, and perfect harmony. Yet, it is their clearest indicator. That is how the scale became a symbol of law and justice; hence, the concept of the lady of justice.

Then in verse 8, Allah says that He did what He did so that truth and justice could abound throughout His creation. The creation of the heavens set a template for man, Allah’s vicegerent on earth, putting the onus on him to comprehend, promote, sustain, and extend the same existential pattern to the spheres of not only his customary but also highest relations.

Allah says: “In order that you may not transgress due balance (mizan) (the measure of what is right and just)” (al-Rahman, 8).

It stands to reason that this is the most consequential form of what we call today sustainability and sustainable development. This principle marks the beginning and end of all authentic sustainability drives.

The same idea is further reinforced by the succeeding verse: “So establish weight with justice and fall not short in the balance (mizan)” (al-Rahman, 9).

This implies that in accordance with the heavenly mathematical and spiritual pattern, and the implications of his honorable status as the vicegerent of earth, man is bidden to be just and truthful in all his dealings and transactions: with his own self, other people, the rest of creation, and of course in his obedience to Allah’s commandments.

This is the only way for the human world to be just, balanced, harmonious, and peaceful, just as it is the case with the heavenly realm. Man is to replicate the justice, balance, and equilibrium of the heavens down on the earth.

Abdullah ibn Rawahah – like the other companions (sahabah) in their capacity as the products of the Prophet’s school and development system – was a microcosm and living example of that sophisticated paradigm. The Jews knew that and could not hide their astonishment. So, they reacted the way they did.

In passing, some examples of what Tanakh or Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) says about total justice and the precision, balance and harmony of the world are found, for example, in: Isaiah 40:12, 51:4-5, Deuteronomy 16:20, Leviticus 19:15, Psalms 33:5.

Finally, this extraordinary Islamic view of justice is best summed up in these two Qur’anic verses: “O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for Allah, witnesses in justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is acquainted with what you do” (al-Ma’idah, 8).

And,

“O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allah is more worthy of both. So follow not (personal) inclination, lest you not be just. And if you distort (your testimony) or refuse (to give it), then indeed Allah is ever, with what you do, acquainted” (al-Nisa’, 135).

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Adapted with editorial adjustments from islamicity.org.

#Abdullah ibn Rawahah: A Symbol of Heavenly Justice #balance #Equity #Faith #Featured #Islam #Prophet Muhammad #sahabah

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