Direct Answers-ISLAM

Understanding the Muslim Youth

2010-07-25T05:37:00.003-07:00

by AbuSharmin

The youth of today are excellent in their secular knowledge. They have achieved much in terms of education, sports and socializing. They think broadly and have found new platforms of interaction such as Facebook, YouTube, etc. All these platforms emerged in the last 5 years or so. Inadvertently, these interactions have exposed our Muslim youth to globalization esp. westernization.

Instead of applying western methods to promote Islamic concepts, the youth of today have taken western concepts and methods per se. Take for example, the applications in mobile phones. Very few download Quran apps like uQuran that would help them recite Quran on the bus or in the comfort of their rooms. They do not use Google maps to identify the nearest masjid for congregational prayers. They do not say Assalamualaikum in their SMS messages. Very few use the YouTube to listen to Islamic lectures. Youth are wasting their young years in idle chats, attempts to meet and impress the opposite sex, fashionable clothes that expose their awrah and finding comfort in things that make them look 'cool' in the eyes of their peers.

It is our duty and responsibility to educate the youth in Islamic moral behaviour. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) placed utmost importance in educating the youth. In an article on youth education, Dr Seyfullah Kara points out 4 methods Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him) used in the education of the youth.

1. Addressing the emotions of the young people

2. Avoiding embarrassing young people

3. Being tolerant and gentle towards young people

4. Attracting their attention by asking questions

We hardly take note of the emotions of the youth. We usually take a disciplinarian role in the education of the youth. We fail to understand why they are behaving in such manner. How many of us have sat with youth and listened to them? Most of the time, we are only interested in telling them what to do and even how and when to do. We hardly ask what they would like to do or how they would like to proceed..

There have been cases of elders admonishing youth with tattoos when they come to the masjid for prayers. Result? Such youth have stopped coming to masjids. In worst case scenarios, they have converted to other religions which are willing to accept them. Have we not heard of a Hadith where the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) accepted a man into the folds of Islam even when he conditioned that he will not stop drinking alcohol or womanizing? By listening to the Prophet's (peace be upon him) words and advice, that man became a good Muslim in time. Have you ever heard of the Prophet (peace be upon him) using rude or harsh words when educating or correcting someone? Where is that patience in us today? We say we are emulating the Prophet (peace be upon him) as best as we can but we lack patience.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was gentle-mannered and he remained calm even in situations that made him angry. He (peace be upon him) did not rebuke or scold when educating the young. Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) served the Prophet (peace be upon him) for 10 years. He (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "I served the Prophet (peace be upon him) for 10 years. He never once sighed in exasperation about me. He never scolded me for an action, saying "Why did you do this?" Morally, he was the most perfect of humans." (Al Tirmidhi)

See how tolerant and gentle the Prophet (peace be upon him) was. We, on the other hand, are quick to judge and admonish the behaviour of our young Muslims.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) attracted the attention of youth by asking questions. For example, when teaching Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) what to say when in difficulty the Prophet (peace be upon him) first asked him "O Ali! Shall I tell you what to say when you are in a difficult situation?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) then told him: "Say ‘Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, wala Hawla wala Quwatta Illa Billahi'l-Al'yyi'l-Azim' and this will prevent all troubles that might come to you."

In another example, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, "Do you know who will go first on the Day of Resurrection to the shade of Allah? Those who when given what is right accept it, when asked for something give freely and who judge in favour of others as they do for themselves." (Al-Tirmidhi)

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, "Shall I tell you who are the best among you? The best of you are those who when seen are a means of Allah being brought to mind." (Al-Tirmidhi)

See how gentle the Prophet (peace be upon him) was in giving advice. How do we give advice? "Hey don't do that." "Why in the world are you doing this?" "Are you insane? What are you doing?" In worst case scenarios, "Hey Shaitan, why are you like this?" Are we emulating the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the education of our youth? Can we blame globalization or westernization as the sole cause of our youth's waywardness?

Our Muslim youth are looking for a listening ear, proper guidance and answers. As a first step in engaging the youth, are we prepared to listen to them?

Source: AbuSharmin (http://abusharmin.blogspot.com)

Not losing hope in the Dua’s that we make

2010-05-20T20:11:00.003-07:00

One of the common complaints of many of us Muslims is that when we make Dua, we don’t see its immediate effects. As a result, we get disheartened and lose hope in the effectiveness and powers of our Dua. The post below highlights a passage written by Ibn Al-Jawzi (may Allah have mercy on him) where he discusses this topic.

For those of us who don’t know, Abu’l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi (508 AH – 597 AH) is known to be one of the most prolific authors in Islamic history. According to a research conducted on the extent of his research works, the number of Ibn al-Jawzi’s books is more than 376 texts. Some even say that he is the author of more than 700 works.

About the matter of Dua’s not being answered. Ibn al-Jawzi in one of his books commented the following:

"I think part of the test is when a believer supplicates and receives no response, and he repeats the dua for a long time and sees no sign of a response. He should realize that this is a test and needs patience.

What a person experiences of waswaas (whispers from shaytan) when the response is delayed is a sickness which needs medicine – I have experienced this myself. A calamity befell me and I supplicated and did not see any response, and Iblees started to lay his traps. Sometimes he said: The generosity (of Allah) is abundant and He is not miserly, so why is there a delay?

I said to him: Be gone, O cursed one, for I have no need of anyone to argue my case and I do not want you as a supporter!

Then I told myself: Beware of going along with his whispers, for if there was no other reason for the delay except that Allah is testing you to see whether you will fight the enemy, that is sufficient wisdom.

My soul (nafs) said: How could you explain the delay in the response of Allah to your prayers for relief from this calamity?

I said: It is proven with evidence that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, is the Sovereign, and the Sovereign may withhold or give, so there is no point in objecting to Him.

The wisdom behind that is proven in definitive evidence. I may think that something is good, but wisdom does not dictate it, but the reason for that may be hidden, just as a doctor may do things that appear outwardly to be harmful, intending some good purpose thereby. Perhaps this is something of that nature.

There may be an interest to be served by delay, and haste may be harmful. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “A person will be fine so long as he does not become impatient and says, ‘I prayed but I did not receive any answer.’”

The response may be withheld because of some fault in you. Perhaps there was something dubious in what you ate or your heart was heedless at the time when you said the dua, or your punishment is being increased by means of your need being withheld, because of some sin from which you have not repented sincerely. So look for some of these reasons, so that you might achieve your aim.

You should examine the intention behind this request, because attaining it may lead to more sin, or prevent you from doing some good, so withholding it is better.

Perhaps losing what you have missed out on will cause you to turn to Allah and getting it will distract you from Him. This is obvious, based on the fact that were it not for this calamity you would not have turned to Him, because the real calamity is what distracts you from Him, but what makes you stand before Him is good for you and is in your best interests.

If you ponder these things you will focus on what is more beneficial for you, such as correcting a mistake or seeking forgiveness or standing before Allah and beseeching Him, and forget about what you have missed out on."

End quote. Source: Sayd al-Khaatir (59-60). (This publication is in three volumes containing aphorisms and wise counsels)

About the issue of Dua’s being accepted, the following two sayings by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) are also very noteworthy:

It was narrated that Faddalah ibn ‘Ubayd said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) heard a man making dua after his prayer, but he did not send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “This man is in a hurry.” Then he called him and said to him or to someone else: “When any one of you has finished praying (and makes dua), let him start by praising Allah, then let him send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), then after that let him ask for whatever he wants.” Al-Albani said: it is a saheeh hadeeth. (Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 2765.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The slave will receive a response so long as his dua does not involve sin or severing of family ties, and so long as he is not hasty.” It was said, “What does being hasty mean?” He said: “When he says, ‘I made dua and I made dua, and I have not seen any response,’ and he gets frustrated and stops making dua.” Narrated by al-Bukahari, 6340; Muslim, 2735.

— Finally, for those of us who have abandoned the practice of Dua, we may be missing something quite important. Wishing is not the same thing as making a Dua. We may keep wishing our wishes but we have a better chance of seeing them materialized when we actually make the effort to enter the state of Dua and asking Him what we want.

Source: http://www.iqrasense.com/islamic-topics/not-losing-hope-in-the-duas-that-we-make.html

Visiting a Shrine

2010-02-11T00:53:00.001-08:00

Imam Ahmad Rida Khan
Translated by Abdul Naim Azizi

Question: When we visit a Wali’s shrine, how do we pray [the fatiha] there and what should be [further] recited in the prayer?

Answer:
To visit shrines of Awliya, go from the foot of the shrine and stand facing the head of the shrine at a distance of about six feet, and [then] greet them respectfully with a voice neither loud nor quiet, saying: ‘assalamu `alaykum ya Sayyidi wa- rahmatullahi wa-barakatuh.’ Then recite durud ghawsiyya (Allahumma salli `ala Sayyidina Muhammadin ma’dan al-judi wal karami wa `ala ahlihi wa-sahbihi wa-barik wa-sallim) thrice, al-hamd sharif once, Ayat al-Kursi once, Surat Ikhlas seven times and if there is enough time [left], recite Surat Mulk and Surat Ya Sin too.

And pray to Allah Ta`ala,

‘Oh Lord, Give as much reward for this recitation as is worthy to your Grace and not as much that is worthy of my action, and convey it to your favorite slave as an offering.’

After this du`a for your lawful [and] good desires, make the Wali sleeping in this shrine a means in the court of Allah Ta`ala. And then, after offering the greeting, return in the same way. Don’t touch the shrine or kiss it. Circumventing it is unanimously forbidden, and prostration is purely haram.

And Allah Ta`ala knows best!

Source: http://www.marifah.net

Is it haraam to urinate standing up?

2010-02-08T00:36:00.006-08:00

Question:
What is the Shari ruling regarding standing while urinating?
There is a hot debate here regarding this. While some claim that it is permissible others claim it is haram. Their argument is that there is a hadith in which Aisha (ra) says that whoever tells you that the Prophet (pbuh) urinated while standing do not believe him. Please clarify the issue.
Praise be to Allaah.

Answer:
It is not haraam for a man to urinate standing up, but it is Sunnah for him to urinate sitting down, because ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “Whoever tells you that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to urinate standing up, do not believe him. He only ever used to urinate sitting down.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, al-Tahaarah, 12; he said, this is the most saheeh report on this topic.

And because this is more concealing, and it reduces the risk of any drops of urine splashing up onto him.

It was narrated from ‘Umar, Ibn ‘Umar and Zayd ibn Thaabit (may Allaah be pleased with them) that it is allowed to urinate standing up on the condition that there is no risk of drops of urine splashing onto one’s body or clothes, and that one does not expose one's ‘awrah,

Al-Bukhaari and Muslim narrated from Hudhayfah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to a garden belonging to some people, and urinated standing up.

There is no contradiction between this and the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), because it is possible that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did that because he was in a place where he was unable to sit down, or he did that to show the people that it is not haraam.

This does not contradict the basic principle mentioned by ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), that he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) urinated sitting down, because it is Sunnah, it is not something waajib (obligatory) which it is forbidden to go against.

And Allaah knows best.

Fatawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 5/88 .

Seeing Allah in dreams, waking, and the afterlife

2009-09-29T03:13:00.003-07:00

Question:

What is the position of Islamic scholars on seeing Allah in dreams, waking, and the
afterlife

Answer:

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

The position of the mainstream Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah (Asha'ira and Maturidiyya)is that the vision of Allah Most High with the eyes of the head is rationally (aqlan)possible and that the believers will be blessed with this vision in the hereafter. This vision, however, will be without encompassment (ihata) or delimitation (tahdid) within any given limit (hadd), whether from the front, the back, above, below, right, or left. Allah Most High will be seen (unlike any material being) not in place or in a direction so far as being confronted, nor by the conjunction of the rays of light, nor by a certain definite distance between the one who sees and Allah. In other words, the believers will see Allah Most High in Paradise without our specifying how and in a manner Allah knows best. It is impossible and wrong to draw analogy for the unseen from the seen. This vision of Allah is certainly unlike the vision of material things in this world, for vision in this world requires the seen to be in a place, direction, at a specific distance, etc, whilst the vision of Allah Most High in the hereafter will be free from such restrictions. Allah Most High will enable the believers to see His esteemed self.

(Culled from Mulla Ali al-Qari's Sharh Fiqh al-Akbar P: 245-246, Taftazani's Sharh al-Aqa'id al-Nasafiyya P: 131, Nuh Ali Suleyman's commentary on Jawhara al-Tawhid P:
113 and Bajuri's commentary on the Jawhara P: 114)

The above is the position that the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah scholars have always maintained. The Mu'tazila and some other groups such as the Shi'a held that Allah Most High could not be seen at all, even on the Day of Resurrection or in Paradise. They interpreted certain verses of the Qur'an erroneously, rejected some sound hadiths claiming that such vision necessitated a physical body for Allah and a direction, which He Most High is free from. However, the position of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah is supported by many evidences of the Qur'an and Sunnah, of which some are presented below:

1) Allah Most High says:

"Some faces, that day, will beam (in brightness and beauty), looking towards their Lord."(Surah al-Qiyama, V: 22-23)

2) Allah Most High says regarding the Prophet Sayyiduna Musa (Peace be upon him): "When Moses came to the place appointed by Us, and his Lord addressed him, He said: "O my Lord! Show (Yourself) to me, that I may look upon You." Allah said: "By no means can you see Me (direct); But look upon the mount; if it abides in its place, then you shall see Me..." (Surah al-A'raf, V: 143)

In the above verse, Sayyiduna Musa (peace be upon him) requested to see Allah Most High. Had the vision of Allah been impossible, the request of Sayyiduna Musa (peace be upon him) would have been out of ignorance or foolishness or he would be making a request for the impossible, whereas all the Prophets of Allah are far removed from such things. Secondly, Allah Most High connected the vision with the abiding of the mountain firm in its place, which is something that is possible in itself. Hence, that which is connected to the possible is also possible. (Taftazani and Nasafi, Sharh al-Aqa'id al-Nasafiyya, P: 127-128)

3) Allah Most High says:

"There will be for them therein (in Paradise) all that they wish, and more besides in Our presence."(Surah Qaf, V: 35)

The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) interpreted "more" saying that it referred to the vision of Allah Most High. (Narrated by Muslim and others)

4) Allah Most High says regarding the disbelievers:

"Verily, from their Lord, that Day, will they be veiled."(Surah al-Mutaffifin, V: 15) This verse explains that the disbelievers will be deprived from the vision of Allah; hence by contrast, it implies that the believers will be blessed with this vision. Thus, Sayyiduna Imam Shafi'i (Allah have mercy on him) said:

"Allah Most High's veiling Himself from a people (disbelievers) due to His displeasure indicates that a group (believers) will see Him due to His pleasure. By Allah, had Muhammad ibn Idrees (Shafi'i himself) not been convinced that he will see his Lord in the hereafter, he would not have worshipped him in this world!" (Bajuri, Tuhfat al-Murid)

5) Sayyiduna Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the people(companions) said: "O Messenger of Allah! Shall we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?" He replied: "Do you have any doubt in seeing the full moon on a clear(not cloudy) night?" They replied: "No, O Messenger of Allah" He said: "Do you have any doubt in seeing the sun when there are no clouds?" They replied in the negative. He said: "You will see Allah (your Lord) in the same way...." (Sahih al-Bukhari, no:773)

6) Sayyiduna Jarir ibn Abd Allah (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that we were sitting in the company of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) on a fourteenth night (of the lunar month), and he looked at the (full) moon and said: "You will see your Lord as you see this moon. You have no trouble in looking at it. So, whoever can should not miss the offering of prayers before sunrise (Fajr prayer) and before sunset (Asr prayer)." Then the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) recited: "And celebrate the praises of your Lord, before the rising of the sun and before (its) setting." (Sahih al-Bukhari, no: 4570 and others)

7) Moreover, the occurrence of the vision of Allah has been narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, Sayyiduna Huzayfa ibn al-Yaman, Sayyiduna Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud, Sayyiduna Abd Allah ibn Abbas, Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari and many others (Allah be pleased with them all). No Companion (sahabi) of the Messenger of Allah is reported to have rejected the vision of Allah; hence there is complete consensus of the Companions on this. (Sharh al-Aqa'id al-Nasafiyya, P: 131 & Tuhfat al-Murid Sharh al-Jawhara, P: 115)

As far as the verse "Visions comprehend Him not, but He comprehends (all) vision" (6: 139) is concerned, it refers to encompassing Allah Most High with our vision. Vision and encompassment are two different things, the latter is rejected in this verse, in that the visions of humans will not be able to encompass Allah most High (even in the hereafter), whilst the former (vision) has been proven in many verses of the Qur'an and many Hadiths. (ibid)

The vision of Allah Most High in this world

The above few evidences were relating to the possibility of seeing Allah and the believers seeing Him Most High in the hereafter. As far as seeing Allah Most High in this world is concerned, there are two situations here. Seeing Him whist awake and secondly seeing Him in sleep.

a) Seeing Allah whilst awake

There is, more or less, a consensus amongst the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah scholars that, though logically possible, nobody is able to see Allah Most High in this world in the state of being awake. However, there is a difference of opinion as to whether the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) saw Allah Most High in the night of ascension (me'raj) or not.

The renowned Hadith scholar and Hanafi jurist, Mulla Ali al-Qari (Allah have mercy on him) states: "There is an agreement among the Muslims (scholars) that no believer will see Allah Most High with his eyes in this world. The scholars only differed with regards to the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) seeing Allah during his ascension to the heavens." (Sharh Fiqh al-Akbar, P: 354) Mulla Ali al-Qari then said, there is a consensus on the fact that the vision of Allah cannot take place in this world for other than the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace). He quoted Ibn al-Salah and Abu Shama saying that the one who claims to have seen Allah whilst being awake will not be believed, for this (vision of Allah whilst being awake) is something that even Sayyiduna Musa (peace be upon him) was prevented from when Allah Most High said to him: "By no means can you see Me".

However, there is a difference of opinion whether this vision occurred for the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace). (ibid) Some scholars went to the extent of considering such a person, who claims to have seen Allah whilst awake, a Kafir, although most scholars were precautions and did not consider such a person to be an outright Kafir. However, there is no doubt that this person will be considered to have severely deviated. (ibid) Hence, no individual (besides the Messenger of Allah) is able to see Allah Most High whilst being awake in this mortal world.

As far as the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) is concerned, the Companions differed as to whether he (Allah bless him & give him peace) saw Allah in the night of Isra' and Me'raj or not. Sayyiduna Abd Allah ibn Abbas and others (Allah be pleased with them all) related that he did, whilst Sayyida A'isha, Sayyiduna Abd Allah ibn Mas'ud and others (Allah be pleased with them all) were of the opinion that he did not see Allah with the eyes of his head during his ascension to the heavens. As a result, the scholars of the Ahl al-Sunnah also have conflicting views on this issue.

Imam al-Bukhari relates that Sayyiduna Abd Allah ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him)said regarding the statement of Allah: "And We granted the vision (Ascension to the heavens) which We showed you, but as a trial for men..." (17.60): He said: "The sights which the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) was shown on the night he was taken to Bayt al-Maqdis (i.e. Jerusalem) were actual sights, (not dreams).And the cursed tree (mentioned) in the Qur'an is the tree of Zaqqum." (Sahih al-Bukhari,no: 3675)

Imam Tirmidhi has also related some narrations from Abd Allah ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) wherein he states that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) did see his Lord in the night of Isra' and Me'raj. (See: Sunan Tirmidhi, chapter on the commentary of the Qur'an, Surah al-Najm)

On the other hand, Sayyida A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) has rigorously denied that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) saw Allah Most High with the eyes of his head. The following is the narration expressing her viewpoint:

Imam al-Bukhari (Allah have mercy on him) narrates from Masruq that the latter said: "I said to A'isha: "O my mother! Did Muhammad (Allah bless him & give him peace) see his Lord?" She replied: "My hair stands on end because of what you said. Have you no idea of three things? Whoever tells them to you is lying. Whosoever tells you that Muhammad (Allah bless him & give him peace) saw his Lord, is lying." She then recited: "Visions comprehend Him not, but He comprehends (all) vision. He is the Subtle, the Aware" and "And it is not fitting for a man that Allah should speak to him except by inspiration, or from behind a veil". (Secondly), whosoever tells you that he knows what shall happen tomorrow is lying." She then recited: "No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow" And (thirdly) whosoever tells you that he (Allah bless him & give him peace) concealed something, is lying." She then recited: "O Messenger. Proclaim the (message) which has been sent to you from your Lord" "However, he (Allah bless him & give him peace) did see (the angel) Jibra'il (peace be upon him) in his actual form twice." (Sahih al-Bukhari, no: 4574).

Some scholars explained that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace)had a vision with the eyes of the heart, and not with the eyes of his head. This is elucidated by Ibn Abbas' other narrations in Sahih Muslim and elsewhere where he said:

"He saw him with his heart." Hence, in this way, the two opinions may be reconciled. (Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari, 8/430)

Imam al-Bajuri (Allah have mercy on him) said that the preferred position according to the Ulama is that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) did see his Lord in the night of al-Isra' and al-Me'raj with the eyes of his head. The Hadith of Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) will be given preference over the position of Sayyida A'isha (Allah be pleased with her), as the principle states "Affirmation (ithbat) takes precedence over the negation (nafi)". Hence, the position of Ibn Abbas and others (Allah be pleased with them all) will be given preference and it will be said that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) was blessed with the vision of his Lord in the night of al-Isra' and al-Me'raj. (Bajuri, Tuhfat al-Murid, P: 117-118)

The best statement on the issue is of Shaykh Muhyi al-Din ibn Arabi (Allah have mercy on him). He said: This world is that which is below the heavens and anything above the heavens is considered to be part of the next world (akhira). Hence, the vision of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) will not be considered a vision of this world; rather it is a vision of the next world, and there is no disagreement concerning the vision of the hereafter. Hence, this vision of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) was also a type of the vision of the hereafter. (See: Ma'arif al-Qur'an, 3/412)

b) Seeing Allah in a dream

As far as the vision of Allah Most High in a dream is concerned, Imam al-Taftazani (Allah have mercy on him) states in his commentary of Imam Nasafi's al-Aqa'id:

"As far as the vision of Allah in sleep is concerned, it is something that has been related from many predecessors (salaf). And there is no doubt that this is a type of observation by the heart rather than the eye." (Sharh al-Aqa'id al-Nasafiyya, P: 135)

Mulla Ali al-Qari (Allah have mercy on him) states in his renowned Sharh Fiqh al Akbar:

"The majority of the scholars are of the view that the vision of Allah Most High in sleep is possible, without any given description of modality (kayfiyya), direction (jiha) or quiddity (hay'a). It is recorded that Imam Abu Hanifa (Allah have mercy on him) said: "I saw Allah Most High 99 times whilst asleep." Then he saw Him the hundredth time also, the story of which is long and not feasible to be mentioned here. It is recorded that Imam Ahmad (Allah have mercy on him) said: "I saw Allah Most High in a dream, I said: "O Lord! How is it possible to achieve closeness to You?" He replied: "By the recitation of my speech (Qur'an)." I said: "O Lord! Recitation with understanding or (even) without understanding?" He replied: "With or without understanding." It is also narrated from the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) that he said: "I saw my Lord in my sleep." Hence, the vision of Allah in sleep is recorded from many predecessors (salaf) and it is a type of observation by the heart observed by noble people..." (Sharh Fiqh al-Akbar, P: 356 357)

Imam al-Bajuri (Allah have mercy on him) states:

"As far as seeing Allah Most High in sleep, it is narrated from Qadhi Iyadh that there is no difference of opinion regarding its occurrence and truth, for the Satan cannot take the form of Allah Most High like he cannot take the form of the Prophets(peace be upon them)..... (Tuhfat al-Murid, P: 118)

The above-mentioned few texts of the scholars indicate clearly that Allah Most High can be (and has been) seen in a dream. It is something that His noble and pious servants are blessed with, and one cannot deny its occurrence. Indeed some Ulama did deny the possibility of seeing Allah in sleep, but that is a minority position not accepted by the majority of the scholars.

Imam al-Bajuri (Allah have mercy on him) has mentioned some additional notes regarding the vision of Allah in sleep in his commentary of Jawhara al-Tahid. He states that, if one sees Allah in a manner that is not impossible for Allah, then one has surely seen Him. However, if one sees Him in a form that is impossible for Him such as seeing Him in a form of a specific individual, then that is not Allah rather it is the creation of Allah, and the dream will need to be interpreted by those qualified to do so.

Some scholars said that even in such a case, one did actually see Allah, but the form seen is not the reality of Allah; rather, it is reflecting the mind of the one having the vision. (Tuhfat al-Murid Sharh Jawhara al-Tawhid, P: 118)

Imam Ibn Sirin (Allah have mercy on him), a major classical scholar considered to be a master in the science of interpreting dreams, states in his renowned book, The Interpretation of Dreams: (This book incidentally covers over 900 dreams with their meanings explained. It explains what facts are to be taken into account when interpreting a dream, when is a dream regarded as true or false, etc.)

"Sayyiduna Daniyal (peace be upon him) relates that if a believer was to see Allah Most High in his dream unequalled and incomparable, as is related in the verses of the Qur'an and in the Hadiths, he will be blessed with the magnificent sight of Allah Most High (in the hereafter) and his needs will also be fulfilled. If an individual was to see a dream in a manner that he was standing before Allah Most High and that He Most High was watching him, then the dream is a sign of his piety and spiritual well-being. He will be chosen for forgiveness, and if he is sinful he will repent." (Ta'bir al-Ru'ya, P: 67)

Imam Ibn Sirin then goes on to mention many types of dreams in which one sees Allah Most High and gives their interpretations. For example, if one sees that Allah Most High is talking secretly with one, then this means one is close to Allah Most High. If one sees that Allah Most High is advising one and giving one Nasiha, then this alludes to the fact that Allah Most High is not completely happy with one's actions. A glad tiding from Allah is a sign of His pleasure and admonition from Allah is a sign of His wrath and anger (ibid). For more details, one may refer to Imam Ibn Sirin's above-mentioned book, but one should consult a reliable scholar of knowledge, piety and wisdom before coming to any sort of conclusion.

To sum up, the vision of Allah Most High is rationally possible and the believers will be blessed with this vision in the hereafter. However, no one is able to see Allah in this world whilst in a state of being awake besides the Messenger of Allah(Allah bless him & give him peace), and regarding the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) too, there is a difference of opinion amongst the Companions (Allah be pleased with them all). As far as seeing Allah in sleep is concerned, this is possible and is related from many pious servants of Allah, saints and scholars.

And Allah knows best

Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari
Darul Iftaa, Leicester, UK
www.daruliftaa.com

Source: http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=7&ID=6259&CATE=24

Taraweeh 8 raka'ats or 20 raka'ats?

2009-08-19T01:20:00.000-07:00

Taraweeh

Taraweeh During The Era of Nabi (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) and the Sahabah (R.A.):

Ibn Abbass (R.A.) states that during the month of Ramadhaan, Nabi (s.a.w.) performed twenty rakaats (Taraweeh) and thereafter performed the witr salaat.
-Baihaqi and Musannaf Ibn Abie Shaiba.

Ubay bin Ka’ab (R.A.) led the Taraweeh prayers and offered 20 rakaats and three rakaats waajib salaat.

Umar (R.A.) commanded the Imaam to perform twenty rakaats Taraweeh salaat for the congregation.

Rasulullah did in fact perform the Taraweeh salaah in Jama’ah, but only curtailed this practice due to the fear that it might be made compulsory (fardh) on the Ummah and this would put them into difficulty. In the era of Umar (R.A.) this fear remained no more, therefore following the original practice of Rasulullah (sa.w.), Umar (R.A.) re-introduced Taraweeh salaah in Jama’ah behind one Imaam. Hence this act of Hazrath Umar (R.A.) is based on the Sunnah of Rasulullah (s.a.w.).

Hazrat Umar (R.A.) during his Caliphate had directed that Taraweeh salaat be performed collectively in the Masjid, lest the practice gradually dissipates from the Ummah. He did not introduce the number of rakaats on his own accord. To believe that the twenty rakaats is an innovation of Umar (R.A.) IS TO UNDERMINE THE INTEGRITY OF Umar (R.A.) and all the Sahabah who were present at that time!

Views of The Scholars:

Imaan Qurtubie (R.A.) states: “ Twenty rakaats Taraweeh and three rakaats witr is the most authentic narration.”

Imaam Nawawie (R.A.) states: “Taraweeh is a unanimously accepted Sunnah of the Muslims. It is twenty rakaats”.

Tahajjud not Taraweeh

The proponents of eight rakaats Taraweeh quote the following Hadeeth of Ayesha (r.a.) as stated in Bukhari Shareef.

Ayesha (r.a.) was asked about the salaat of Nabi (s.a.w.). She replied by saying that Nabi (s.a.w.) did not exceed eleven rakaats in Ramadhaan nor in any other month…".

This hadeeth apparently indicates that Nabi (s.a.w.) performed eight rakaats Taraweeh and three rakaats Witr. However the words ‘nor in any other month’ clearly indicates that this was with reference to Tahajjud salaat and not Taraweeh salaat. The fact that Imaam Bukhari (r.a..) himself has not mentioned this hadeeth under the caption of Taraweeh salaat is clear proof that the salaat in question refers to Witr and not Taraweeh salaat.

Sha’ban: Merits, Do’s, and Dont’s

2009-07-29T20:54:00.004-07:00

By Mufti Taqi Usmani

Sha’ban is one of the meritorious months for which we find some particular instructions in the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam. It is reported in the authentic ahadith that Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, used to fast most of the month in Sha’ban. These fasts were not obligatory on him but Sha’ban is the month immediately preceding the month of Ramadan. Therefore, some preparatory measures are suggested by Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam. Some of these are given below:

1. The blessed companion Anas, Radi-Allahu anhu, reports that Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, was asked, “Which fast is the most meritorious after the fasts of Ramadan?” He replied, “Fasts of Shaban in honor of Ramadan.”

2. The blessed companion Usama ibn Zaid, Radi-Allahu anhu, reports that he asked Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam: “Messenger of Allah, I have seen you fasting in the month of Sha’ban so frequently that I have never seen you fasting in any other month.” Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, replied: “That (Sha’ban) is a month between Rajab and Ramadan which is neglected by many people. And it is a month in which an account of the deeds (of human beings) is presented before the Lord of the universe, so, I wish that my deeds be presented at a time when I am in a state of fasting.”

3. Ummul Mu’mineen ‘Aishah, Radi-Allahu anha, says, “Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, used to fast the whole of Sha’ban. I said to him, ‘Messenger of Allah, is Sha’ban your most favorite month for fasting?’ He said, ‘In this month Allah prescribes the list of the persons dying this year. Therefore, I like that my death comes when I am in a state of fasting.”

4. In another Tradition she says, “Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, would sometimes begin to fast continuously until we thought he would not stop fasting, and sometimes he used to stop fasting until we thought he would never fast. I never saw the Messenger of Allah, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, fasting a complete month, except the month of Ramadan, and I have never seen him fasting in a month more frequently than he did in Sha’ban.”

5. In another report she says, “I never saw the Messenger of Allah, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, fasting in a month so profusely as he did in the month of Sha’ban. He used to fast in that month leaving only a few days, rather, he used to fast almost the whole of the month.”

6. Ummul-Mu’mineen Umm Salamah, Radi-Allahu anha, says: “I have never seen the Messenger of Allah fasting for two months continuously except in the months of Sha’ban and Ramadan.”

These reports indicate that fasting in the month of Sha’ban, though not obligatory, is so meritorious that Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, did not like to miss it.

But it should be kept in mind that the fasts of Sha’ban are for those persons only who are capable of keeping them without causing deficiency in the obligatory fasts of Ramadan. Therefore, if one fears that after fasting in Sha’ban, he will lose strength or freshness for the fasts of Ramadan and will not be able to fast in it with freshness, he should not fast in Sha’ban, because the fasts of Ramadan, being obligatory, are more important than the optional fasts of Sha’ban. That is why Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, himself has forbidden the Muslims from fasting one or two days immediately before the commencement of Ramadan. The blessed Companion Abu Hurairah, Radi-Allahu anhu, reports Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, to have said, “Do not fast after the first half of the month of Sha’ban is gone.”

According to another report Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam has said: “Do not precede the month of Ramadan with one or two fasts.”
The essence of the above-quoted ahadith is that Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, himself used to fast most of the month of Sha’ban, because he had no fear of developing weakness or weariness before the commencement of Ramadan. As for others, he ordered them not to fast after the 15th of Sha’ban for the fear that they would lose their strength and freshness before Ramadan starts, and would not be able to welcome the month of Ramadan with enthusiasm.

The Night of Bara’ah

Another significant feature of the month of Sha’ban is that it consists of a night which is termed in Shariah as “Laylatul-bara’ah” (The night of freedom from Fire). This is the night occurring between 14th and 15th day of Sha’ban. There are certain traditions of Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, to prove that it is a meritorious night in which the people of the earth are attended by special Divine mercy. Some of these traditions are quoted as follows:

1. Ummul-Mu’mineen ‘Aishah, Radi-Allahu anha, is reported to have said, “Once Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, performed the Salah of the night (Tahajjud) and made a very long Sajdah until I feared that he had passed away. When I saw this, I rose (from my bed) and moved his thumb (to ascertain whether he is alive). The thumb moved, and I returned (to my place). Then I heard him saying in Sajdah: ‘I seek refuge of Your forgiveness from Your punishment, and I seek refuge of Your pleasure from Your annoyance, and I seek Your refuge from Yourself. I cannot praise You as fully as You deserve. You are exactly as You have defined Yourself.’ Thereafter, when he raised his head from Sajdah and finished his salah, he said to me: ‘Aishah, did you think that the Prophet has betrayed you?’ I said, ‘No, O Prophet of Allah, but I was afraid that your soul has been taken away because your Sajdah was very long.’ He asked me, ‘Do you know which night is this?’ I said, ‘Allah and His Messenger know best.’ He said, ‘This is the night of the half of Sha’ban. Allah Almighty looks upon His slaves in this night and forgives those who seek forgiveness and bestows His mercy upon those who pray for mercy but keeps those who have malice (against a Muslim) as they were before, (and does not forgive them unless they relieve themselves from malice).’”

2. In another Tradition Sayyidah’ Aishah, Radi-Allahu anha, has reported that Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, has said, “Allah Almighty descends (in a manner He best knows it) in the night occurring in the middle of Sha’ban and forgives a large number of people more than the number of the fibers on the sheep of the tribe, Kalb.”

Kalb was a big tribe the members of which had a very large number of sheep. Therefore, the last sentence of the hadith indicates the big number of the people who are forgiven in this night by Allah Almighty.

3. In yet another Tradition, she has reported Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, to have said, “This is the middle Night of Sha’ban. Allah frees in it a large number of the people from Fire, more than the number of the hair growing on the sheep of the tribe, Kalb. But He does not even look at a person who associates partners with Allah, or at a person who nourishes malice in his heart (against someone), or at a person who cuts off the ties of kinship, or at a man who leaves his clothes extending beyond his ankles (as a sign of pride), or at a person who disobeys his parents, or at a person who has a habit of drinking wine.”

4. Sayyidna Mu’adh ibn Jabal, Radi-Allahu anhu, reports that Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, has said: “Allah Almighty looks upon all those created by Him in the middle Night of Sha’ban and forgives all those created by Him, except the one who associates partners with Him or the one who has malice in his heart (against a Muslim)”.

Although the chain of narrators of some of these traditions suffers with some minor technical defects, yet when all these traditions are combined together, it becomes clear that this night has some well founded merits, and observing this night as a sacred night is not a baseless concoction as envisaged by some modern scholars who, on the basis of these minor defects, have totally rejected to give any special importance to this night. In fact, some of these traditions have been held by some scholars of hadith as authentic and the defects in the chain of some others have been treated by them as minor technical defects which, according to the science of hadith, are curable by the variety of their ways of narration. That is why the elders of the ummah have constantly been observing this night as a night of special merits and have been spending it in worship and prayers.

What should be done in this Night?

In order to observe the Night of Bara’ah, one should remain awakened in this night as much as he can. If someone has better opportunities, he should spend the whole night in worship and prayer. However, if one cannot do so for one reason or another, he can select a considerable portion of the night, preferably of the second half of it for this purpose, and should perform the following acts of worship:

(a) Salah. Salah is the most preferable act to be performed in this night. There is no particular number of Rak’at but preferably it should not be less than eight. It is also advisable that each part of the Salah like qiyam, rukoo’ and sajdah should be longer than normal. The longest surahs of the Holy Qur’an one remembers by heart should be recited in the Salah of this night. If someone does not remember the long surahs, he can also recite several short surahs in one rak’ah.

(b) Tilawa. The recitation of the Holy Qur’an is another form of worship, very beneficent in this night. After performing Salah, or at any other time, one should recite as much of the Holy Qur’an as he can.

(c) Dhikr. One should also perform dhikr (recitation of the name of Allah) in this night. Particularly the following dhikr is very useful:
One should recite Salah (durood) on Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, as many times as he can. The dhikr can also be recited while walking, lying on bed and during other hours of work or leisure.

(d) Dua. The best benefit one can draw from the blessings of this night is prayers and supplications. It is hoped that all the prayers in this night will be accepted by our Lord, insha-Allah. Prayer itself is an ‘Ibadah, and Allah Almighty gives reward on each prayer along with the fulfillment of the supplicator’s need. Even if the purpose prayed for is not achieved, one cannot be deprived of the reward of the prayer which is sometimes more precious than the mundane benefits one strives for. The prayers and supplications also strengthen one’s relation with Allah Almighty, which is the main purpose of all kinds and forms of worship.

One can pray for whatever purpose he wishes. But the best supplications are the ones made by Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam. These are so comprehensive and all-encompassing prayers that recitation of the Qur’an and dhikr should be performed in this night individually, not collectively. The Nafl Salah should not be performed in Jama’ah, nor should the Muslims arrange gatherings in the mosques in order to celebrate the night in a collective manner.

On the contrary, this night is meant for worshipping Allah in solitude. It is the time to enjoy the direct contact with the Lord of the Universe, and to devote one’s attention to Him and Him alone. These are the precious hours of the night in which nobody should intervene between one and his Lord, and one should turn to Allah with total concentration, not disturbed or intermitted by any one else.

That is why Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, observed the acts of worship in this night in total seclusion, not accompanied by anyone, not even by his favorite life companion Sayyidah ‘Aishah, Radi-Allahu anha, and that is why all forms of the optional worship (Nafl Ibadah), are advised by him to be done in individual, not in collective manner.

Fast of the 15th Sha’ban

On the day immediately following the Night of Bara’ah, i.e. the 15th of Sha’ban, it is mustahabb (advisable) to keep fast. Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, is reported to have recommended this fast emphatically. Although the scholars of hadith have some doubts in the authenticity of this report, yet it is mentioned earlier that the fasts of the first half of Sha’ban have special merits and Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, used to fast most of the days in Sha’ban. Moreover, a large number of the elders (salaf) of the Ummah have been observing the fast of the 15th of Sha’ban. This constant practice indicates that they have accepted the relevant hadith as authentic.

Therefore, it is advisable to fast the 15th of Sha’ban as an optional (nafl) fast. One can also keep a fast of qada on this day and it is hoped that he can also benefit from the merits of this fast.

Islamic Clothing

2009-05-30T17:58:00.005-07:00

In Islam both men and women are told by Allah to dress modestly. In the Quran Allah commands both the men and women not to let Satan tempt them into divesting them of their clothes. In today's society people walk around half naked and the overwhelming usage of female imagery in advertising is evidence enough of the exploitation and lack of respect for women in society. Islam encourages covering up since the woman is to be recognized, respected and honored for her personality and intelligence, not because of her body, which then becomes the center of attention of all men, leading to no respect only lust.

What do the Qur'an and Hadith have to say about Muslim Clothing?

The Quran tells both women and men to be modest. The Quran tells men that they should not wear silk or gold jewelry to show off their wealth. Clothing should not attract attention or be worn to show off. Clothing must cover the entire body; only the hands and face may remain visible for women. The material must not be so thin that one can see through it. Clothing must hang loose so that the shape of the body is not shown off. The woman's clothing must not resemble the man's clothing, nor should the man's clothing resemble the woman's. Women shouldn't artificially lengthen their hair with wigs or weaves, nor have tattoos. A Muslim should not wear clothing to look like a non-Muslim. (For example, the Persians were known for wearing red, many silk robes, and their men's robes had long trains which dragged behind them. The Prophet Muhammad was against Muslims copying these styles.)
Men's robes should not be so long as to trail behind on the ground.

While praying in a mosque, clothing should be plain and not be distracting.
A man's hair might be criticized if it was shoulder-length or longer. The Prophet Muhammad preferred men to wear their hair neat and cut a little below the ears.

Seven Conditions For Women's Dress in Islam

Hijab is a word that indicates not just the headscarf but clothing in its entirety which meets the following conditions :

1. Clothing must cover the entire body, only the hands and face may remain visible (According to some Fiqh Schools) .

2. The material must not be so thin that one can see through it.

3. The clothing must hang loose so that the shape / form of the body is not apparent.

4. The female clothing must not resemble the man's clothing.

5. The design of the clothing must not resemble the clothing of the non believing women.

6. The design must not consist of bold designs which attract attention.

7. Clothing should not be worn for the sole purpose of gaining reputation or increasing one's status in society.

The reason for this strictness is so that the woman is protected from the lustful gaze of men. She should not attract attention to herself in any way. It is permissible for a man to catch the eye of a woman , however it is Haram (unlawful) for a man to look twice, so the modesty is two sided, not just for the woman but also for the man.

Islam protects the woman. It is for this reason that Allah gave these laws. In today's society womankind is being exploited, female sexuality is being openly used in advertising, mainly to attract the desires of men and therefore sell the product. Is the woman really free in today's society ? The answer is obviously no, the constant bombardment by the media as to how the ideal woman should look and dress testifies to this.

Hijab (compulsory) vs Niqab (optional)
Some women choose to even hide their faces for their own protection and for extra modesty. This was a practice of the wives of the Prophet and many Muslim women choose to cover their faces out of their love for the Prophet and his wives who were the best Muslims and examples for all others.

An Example of a dress for Muslim women covering the whole body. Islam doesn't put restrictions on women or men to wear beautiful clothing at all. The only requirements are modesty and the body to be covered properly not displaying everything.

Islam liberated woman over 1400 years ago. Is it better to dress according to man or God ?

Allah has stated in the Quran that women must guard their modesty.

Al-Quran, Chapter 33 Al-Ahzab, Verse 59

In the Name of Allah, The Benevolent, The Merciful

"O Prophet! tell thy wives and daughters and the believing women that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): that is most convenient that they should be known (as such) and not molested: and Allah is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful."

~~~~~~~~

Al-Quran, Chapter 24 Ibrahim, Verse 30-31

In the Name of Allah, The Benevolent, The Merciful

"Say to the believing man that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty ; that will make for greater purity for them, and God is well acquainted with all they do."

"Say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty ; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear thereof."

The main concept behind the covering is modesty. However Allah has made it easy for women past a certain age to discard their outer garments if they wish whilst still observing modesty in their dress and behavior:

Al-Quran, Chapter 24 An-Nur, Verse 60

In the Name of Allah, The Benevolent, The Merciful

"Such elderly women as are past the prospect of marriage there is no blame on them if they lay aside their (outer) garments provided they make not a wanton display of their beauty: but it is best for them to be modest: and Allah is One Who sees and knows all things."

Allah has given us guidance through the Quran and Sunnah, He also given us the logic and commonsense to apply these in our everyday life. However, Allah is not unreasonable and understands the mankind’s weakness as stated in Sahih Al-Bukhari.

Narrated (Abu Huraira):
The Prophet said, "Religion (Islam) is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded; and gain strength by offering the prayers in the mornings, afternoons and during the last hour of the night." [1:38-O.B.]

Islamic Dress for Men

Many often forget in their discussion of clothing within the guidelines of Islam, to speak of the issue of Islamic Dress for Men. While the dress code of women is often the discussion of newspaper articles and magazine stories and academic writings, you hardly ever will see a word written about the issue of Islamic dress of Men.

Men too, in Islam, have a religiously based dress code, that is designed to provide tools for societal interaction and protection. This dress code, like that of women, is loosely defined. In the case of men, it is the mandatory covering of the lower torso & upper legs, from the navel to the knee in loose garment that conceals the shape of the body. In addition, it is recommended that Muslim men wear a beard, no longer than a fist length and keep their hair in a managed format. Adding to this, there is the preferences known as Sunnah, where in the Prophet recommended such items as the Tunic or Long Shirt, and the turban. Within the loosely defined requirements of dress is the mandate that the clothing is kept clean, as much as possible, and that it be mended and not be of a style that is below one's means.

Thus Muslims should not dress to look poorer than they really are, so as to make themselves look pious (ie like some religious sects of other faiths do). Muslim men are also commanded to dress in a fashion that distinguishes them from the non-Believer. Due in large part to the loosely defined dress code, we often will find Muslim men in a variety of dress styles.

Some of the practices of the Prophet in his own dress code included:
- Loose clothing
- The body parts did not used to be visible separately (legs etc)
- Covering of the head
- Clean and nice smelling clothes
- The Prophet often used to wear white

Some examples of types of men clothing

An Example of Muslim clothing worn in Pakistan - In Arab regions people prefer to wear long gowns like the ones on the left

Prohibition on Certain types of Clothing for Men

While we were with 'Utba bin Farqad at Adharbijan, there came 'Umar's letter indicating that Allah's Apostle had forbidden the use of silk for men except this much, then he pointed with his index and middle fingers. To our knowledge, by that he meant embroidery.
[Sahih Al-Bukhari HadithHadith 7.718 Narrated byAba Uthman An Nahdi]

However if one has an allergy to other types of materials like cotton, polyester, velvet, etc then Islam gives allowance for men to wear silk as seen by this hadith:

The Prophet allowed Az-Zubair and 'Abdur-Rahman to wear silk because they were suffering from an itch.
[Sahih Al-Bukhari HadithHadith 7.730 Narrated byAnas]

Gold jewelery is not permitted for men, however they may use silver rings. But the usage of Gold and silver Utensils (drinking glasses, bowls, etc) is forbidden for both men and women. Wearing of Silk and saffron colored clothing is also forbidden for men only.

.... Allah's Apostle said, 'Gold jewelery and utensils, silver utensils, silk and Dibaj (a kind of silk) are for them (unbelievers) in this world and for you (Muslims) in the hereafter.' -
[Sahih Al-Bukhari HadithHadith 7.722 Narrated byIbn Abi Laila]

The Prophet said, -Whoever (of men) wears silk in this world shall not wear it in the Hereafter."
[Sahih Al-Bukhari HadithHadith 7.723 Narrated byAnas bin Malik]

Yahya said that he heard Malik say, "I disapprove of youths wearing any gold because I heard that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade wearing gold rings, and I disapprove of it for males old or young."
[Al-Muwatta Hadith Hadith 48.4]

Once while referring to men wearing gold jewelry the Prophet said:

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: If anyone wants to put a ring of fire on one he loves, let him put a gold ring on him: if anyone wants to put a necklace of fire on one he loves, let him put a gold necklace on him, and if anyone wants to put a bracelet of fire on one he loves let him put a gold bracelet on him. Keep to silver and amuse yourselves with it.
[Sunan of Abu-DawoodHadith 4224 Narrated byAbuHurayrah]

From the above Hadith we can see that he permitted usage of silver rings, etc.

The Prophet forbade us to use seven things:
He forbade using gold rings, silk, Istabraq, Dibaj, red Mayathir, Al-Qassiy, and silver utensils. He ordered us to do seven other things. To pay a visit to the sick; to follow funeral processions; to say, "May Allah be merciful to you" to a sneezer if he says "Praise be to Allah"; to return greetings, to accept invitations; to help others to fulfill their oaths and to help the oppressed ones.
[Sahih Al-Bukhari HadithHadith 7.753 Narrated byAl Bara bin Azib]

The usage of saffron for men was also clearly prohibited.

The Prophet forbade men to use saffron.
[Sahih Al-Bukhari HadithHadith 7.737 Narrated byAnas]

While dressed the Prophet recommended the Muslim men to have the lower part of their garment above the ankles.

The Prophet said, "The part of an Izar which hangs below the ankles is in the Fire."
[Sahih Al-Bukhari HadithHadith 7.678 Narrated byAbu Huraira]

Seven Conditions For Men's Dress in Islam

1. Clothing must cover from the navel up to the knees

2. The material must not be so thin that one can see through it.

3. The clothing must hang loose so that the shape / form of the body is not apparent.

4. The male clothing must not resemble the female's clothing.

5. The design of the clothing must not resemble the clothing of the non believing men.

6. Silk, and gold cannot be worn by Muslim men, however a very small amount of silk may be used for embroidery.

7. Clothing should not be worn for the sole purpose of gaining reputation or increasing one's status in society.

In conclusion, the main point behind the covering up of both men and women in Islam and the seemingly strict dress code, is only for the benefit of the individual. It is for self protection and to be taken seriously in society and not to be viewed as sex objects, but as respectable individuals.

Source: http://path-to-peace.com/clothing.html

The Position of the Friday Khutbah In Islam

2009-04-03T20:35:00.005-07:00

Introduction

'Ibaadah worship in Islam in its specific since has a special form which has been imparted to the Ummah by Rasulullah Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim. While the Islamic acts of 'Ibaadah have names with general for literal mean, their forms a specific,. Thus, Salaah, Sawm, Hajj, etc. while having literal means have specific forms which are not subject to logic nor to man's mind. All acts of 'Ibaadah a by Divine command and their specific forms were revealed to Rasulullah Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim through the agency of Wahi .

The Jumu'ah Khutbah is one such act of 'Ibaadah which is not the result of man's endeavors. The Sahaabah Ridhwaanullahu ta 'ala alaihim ajma'een did not formulate the Khutbah out of their minds. It's form and method were for directly by Rasulullah Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim. The Jumu'ah Khutbah is thus and act of pure 'Ibaadah. It is therefore utterly fallacious to describe it has a mere lecture which could be subjected to mans' whims and fancies. It is an act of Divine 'Ibaadah which has to be retained in its' original form. It's purity cannot the adulterated by human interpolation. If this process of modernistic and baatil interpolation has to be allowed, then in a while all Shar'i acts of 'Ibaadah will become distorted beyond recognition. Bid'ah will replace the original Sunnah forms of 'Ibaadah. It is precisely for this reason that Rasulullah Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim said that a votary of Bid'ah is engaged in digging at the foundations a the Deen. Muslims should therefore jealousy and zealously guard the originality of Shar'i practices whether such practices are fardh, waajib, Sunnah for Mustahab. Our Deen does not tolerate interference or deviation from the path laid down by Rasulullah Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim. Those who seek to introduce the English language into our acts of 'Ibaadah are in fact the enemies of the Deen, even though they may not be aware of it.

The Khutbah is a act of pure Dhikr and Dhikr has to be in the Arabic language just as Tilaawat and Salaah and the athaan have to be in Arabic . Tomorrow the modernists who argue that since the purpose of the athaan is to call the people to the Masjid, it is better to recite it in English or the language which is understood by the people. Such arguments have no validity in Islam. Such arguments cannot be entertained.
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A Deceptive Argument

Those who advocate that the Jumu'ah Khutbah be in English or some other language, mislead people by their argument that the Shaafi' Madhdhab permits the Khutbah to be recited in a language other than Arabic. This argument is baseless and deceiving.

While according to the Shaafi' Madhdhab the Khutbah will be valid if certain parts are in Arabic, it ( the Shaafi' Madhdhab) does not advocate the recital of the Khutbah in English or a other language besides Arabic. All Madhdhabs are unanimous that the Jumu'ah Khutbah has to be in the Arabic language. This has been the standing practice of the Ummah for the last fourteen hundred years, right from the time of the Sahaaba Ridhwaanullahu ta 'ala alaihim ajma'een.

The question of validity should not be misconstrued. A practice may be valid, but not necessarily advocated or encouraged. According to the Hanafi Madhdhab, if the Khatib mounts the mimbar and says only Subhanalllah the Khutbah is valid. After having mentioned only Subhanalllah, if the Khatib steps down and starts the Jumu'ah Salaah, the Jumu'ah is valid and discharged. However, but such a validity does not mean that the Hanafi Madhdhab advocates the Khutbah to be confined to the mere utterance of Subhanalllah.

Similarly, Salaah will be valid if a person come to the Masjid dressed only in a cloth which covers him from navel to the knees. The rest of his body can be exposed, but his Salaah will be valid. However, it cannot be argued from such validity that the Hanafi Madhdhab or in other Madhdhab advocates or encourages the performance of Salaah in such scanty dress.

Thus, the validity of the Khutbah as long as certain parts are in Arabic, doesn't mean it is permissible to recite the Khutbah or even part of the Khutbah in English or any other language. It is sinful to depart from the established practice of the Ummah. No authority of the Shari'ah advocates the Khutbah in English or any other language besides Arabic. People should, therefore not be misled by the devious arguments presented by non-entities and the juhala.

It must be clearly understood that the sources of Islamic law are only four, viz.

1. Kitaabullah ta 'ala
2. Sunnah of Rasulullah Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim,
3. Ijma', ( Consensus of opinion of the Sahaaba Ridhwaanullahu ta 'ala
alaihim ajma'een and Jurists)
4. Qiyaas ( Analytical reasoning of the Sahaaba Ridhwaanullahu ta 'ala
alaihim ajma'een and the jurists.

The defective and false reasoning of our modern, so-called mujtahideen who cannot even recite Qur'an properly is no source of Islamic law. The Knowledge of these modern "reformers", in most cases is limited to a couple of English books written by authors of dubious distinction and character and, of course, to a translation of the Qur'an by Yusuf 'Ali. If they have a value case we say to them: "present your proof on the basis of the four Proofs of Islamic law. We and all Muslims are not interested in your fancy type of reasoning which is nothing but the unfortunate and illegitimate consequence of western influence and skepticism. About such people Rasulullah Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim said:

Dhallu wa adhalloo
" They are astray and lead others astray."
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The Jumu'ah Khutbah is Dhikr.

Basically the Friday Khutbah is a form of Dhikrullah and it is absolutely necessary for the 'Ibaadah of Dhikr to be executed in the language of the Qur'an. Allahu ta 'ala says in the Qur'an:

O believers, when you are called for Salaah on the day of Jumu'ah
hasten to the Dhikr of Allah. (Suratul Jumu'ah)

The above mentioned verse was sent down to decree that Jumu'ah Salaah and Jumu'ah Khutbah are a fardh 'Ibaadah, a fardh Dhikr which has to be done according to the Sunnah of Rasulullah Sall Allahu alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallim. None of the Illustrious Companions Ridhwanullahu ta 'ala alaihim ajma'een ever delivered the Khutbah in another language even when they left Arabia and spread deen throughout the world. Allahu ta 'ala uses the term "Dhikr" to describe Salaatul Jumu'ah and Khutbatul Jumu'ah. One would not think of doing the Dhikr "Subhanallah" after salaah by saying "Glory be to Allah" 33 times. Imam Abu Hanifah Rahmatullahu ta 'ala alaih as well as other jurists maintain that the Friday Khutbah is a Dhikr and they all substantiate their claim on the basis of the above mentioned ayah of Qur'an. The opinion of Imam Abu Hanifah Rahmatullahu ta 'ala alaih summed up in the following quote:

"If the Khatib shortens the Khutbah to a brief Dhikr ( Remembrance of Allahu ta 'ala such as saying Al Hamdulillah ) ,it is permissible according to Imam Abu Hanifah Rahmatullahu ta 'ala alaih." (Hidayah)

The opinion of Imam Abu Yusuf Rahimuhumullah and Imam Muhammad Ash Shaybaani Rahimuhumullah as well as other jurists is contained in the following quotation:

"And they ( Imams Abu Yusuf and Muhammad Ash Shaybaani Rahimuhumullah) state that (for the purpose of the Khutbah) a lengthy Dhikr could be described as a Khutbah if necessary." (Hidayah)
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The Shari' meaning of the Jumu'ah Khutbah

According to the Shari'ah the Friday Khutbah is not regarded as an ordinary lecture or talk. Allahu ta 'ala refers to it as Dhikrullah.

Hadhrat Sa'eed ibn Musayyib Rathiallahu anhu states:

"It( the Dhikr mentioned in the Ayah) is the sermon of the Imam, (i.e. the khutbah)"
In Tafseerul Mazhaari we read:

"The best meaning (of the term Dhikr mentioned in this ayah) is that it refers to both the Jumu'ah Salaah and the Khutbah because the term can correctly be applied to both."

In Tafseerul Baidhaawi we read:

"This Dhikr is the khutbah, and it has also been said that it refers to the Salaah.
( fas'aw ila Dhikrillah}"

Shamsul Aimmah Sarakhasi Rahmatullah alaih says:

"The ayah establishes that it (the khutbah) is Dhikr, for Allahu ta 'ala
says: "And hasten to the Dhikr of Allah."

Finally from Sharhul Ihyaa al 'Uloom:

"The correct version is that the recital of the whole khutbah (both Khuthabs) in Arabic is a Shart ( Compulsory condition for the validity of the khutbah). Therefore, if among the people there is none who can recite Arabic, the khutbah shall then be given in non-Arabic, and it becomes waajib for them to learn Arabic. If they do not, they become sinners and there is no jumu'ah."
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Copyright © 2003 Al Adaab: Living Islam According to the Minhaj of the True Salaf as Salihoon

Muharram 10: Day of Ashura

2009-01-12T21:40:00.005-08:00

Although the month of Muharram is a sacred month as a whole, the 10 th of Muharram is the most sacred among all its days. The day is named ‘Ashurah'. It is one of the most important and blessed days of Allah in the Islamic calendar.

According to the Holy companion, Ibn Abbas Radhiallaho Anhu, when the Holy Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam migrated to Madinah, he found that the Jews of Madinah used to fast on the 10 th day of Muharram. They said that it was the day on which the Holy Prophet Musa Alayhis Salaam and his followers crossed the Red Sea miraculously, and the Pharaoh was drowned in its water. On hearing this from the Jews, the Holy Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam said, “We are more closely related to Musa than you.” So the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam directed the Muslims to fast on the day of Ashura. (Abu Dawood). According to another Hadith, it is more advisable that the fast of Ashura should be either preceeded or suceded by an additional fast. It means that one should fast two days: the 9 th and 10 th of Muharram or the 10 th and 11 th . The reason of this additional fast as mentioned by the Holy Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam is that the Jews used to fast on the day of Ashura alone, and the Holy Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam wanted to distinguish the Islmaic-way of fasting from that of the Jews. Therefore, he advised the Muslims to add another fast to the day of Ashura.

Some Ulama (scholars) are of the opinion that before the fasts of Ramadhan were made compulsory, the fast of the day of Aashora was compulsory upon the Ummah. This is stated in a Hadeeth reported by Hazrat Aisha (Radhiyallahu-Anha): "that the Holy Prophet Sallallahu-Alayhi-Wasallam) ordered the observance of the fast of Aashora. However, when the fast of Ramadhan became compulsory, then whosoever wished, kept this fast and whosoever desired did not observe this fast." (Bukhari)

But, nevertheless the Prophet (Sallallahu-Alayhi-Wasallam) continued to fast this day and encouraged his Companions to do the same.

Ref: http://www.inter-islam.org/Miscellaneous/muharramreyaz.htm

Significance of Ashura for Sunni Muslims

According to Sunni Hadith, Ashura was already known as a commemorative day during which some Meccans used to observe customary fasting. In Hijrah event when Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) led his followers to Medina, he found the Jews of that area likewise observing fasts on the day of Ashura. At this, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) affirmed the Islamic claim to the fast, and from then the Muslims have fasted on combinations of two or three consecutive days including the 10th of Muharram (e.g. 9th and 10th or 10th and 11th).

A companion of the prophet, Ibn Abas reports that the prophet went to Medina and found the Jews fasting on the tenth of Muharram. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) inquired of them, “What is the significance of this day on which you fast?” They replied, “This is a righteous day. On this day God saved the Israelites from their enemy. Therefore Moses fasted on this day.” Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, “I am more worthy of Moses than you.” (taken from Muslim).

From then, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) fasted on the tenth of Muharram. The Shariah law however, shuns acts that resemble Jews and Christians. Thus it is reported in Mishkaat that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, “Fast on the day of Ashura and oppose the Jews regarding it. Thus fast on the day before it and on the day after.” (Taken from The Significance of Muharram by Rafique Valli, lecturer at the Islamic University for Girls, Johannesburg)

All Sunni Muslims believe that the fast on Ashura is optional. The Ashura is commemorated for the following occasions which may have happened on the 10th Day of the Muharram:

· God had mercy on Adam
· The deliverance of Noah from the flood
· Abraham was saved from Nimrod’s fire
· Jacob’s blindness was healed after Joseph’s shirt was brought to him on this day (Quran)
· Job was healed from his illness
· The Israelites were saved from Pharaoh’s army.
· Jesus was brought up to heaven after attempts by the Romans to capture and crucify him failed.
· Martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

All the above incidents are not confirmed to have taken place on Ashura in the Koran, nor by any strong Hadith. Some of these have been reported in the weaker Hadith, but are nevertheless regarded possible by majority of the Sunni Muslims. The most authentic is the 5th incident where God saved Moses and the Israelites from Pharaoh. This is the reason why many Muslims fast on the 10th of Muharram.

Today, Sunnis regard fasting during Ashura as recommended, though not obligatory, having been superseded by the Ramadan fast.

1430 Hijrah

2009-01-12T21:37:00.001-08:00

The Day of Arafah

2008-12-05T21:42:00.002-08:00

by
Ilm Seeker

The Prophet (saw) said: "Hajj is Arafah." [Sunan Abu Dawud, book 10, #1944] How true that is – if you go to Arafah, but miss everything else, your Hajj is sound; and if you do everything else, but miss Arafah, your Hajj is not valid.

How much more important can you get than that? So how can you make the best use of the Day of Arafah, while you're in Arafah?

The Prophet (saw) said: "The best du'a you can make is the du'a on the day of Arafah." [Malik's Mutawatta, Book 10, #20.76.255]

So this is it -- your chance to change the world Insha Allah, because the du'a you make on Arafah will be accepted, bi idhnillah. And you have about five hours to do it. And remember -- when you make du'a for someone who's not around, the angels make the same du'a for you!

The Prophet (saw) said: "He who makes du'a (for others in their absence), the Angel commissioned (for carrying supplication to his Lord) says: Ameen, and it for you also (something similar)." [Saheeh Muslim, Book 35, #6589]

The best preparation you can make for the Day of Arafah is to write a du'a list. Write it out ahead of time, and make it long -- at least twenty pages! What are some of the benefits of doing it ahead of time?

You can think of anything you want in this life and the next, and add that; you won't forget anything. You can plan ahead, see where you want to be in 5, 10, 50 years, in the
akhira, and incorporate that in your du'a list. You have time to make du'a for all your brothers and sisters in Islam and your close relatives.

You can ask your friends and relatives what they want you to make du'a for, on their behalf. They will be extremely happy if you tell them you made du’a for them on the Day of Arafah! And trust me, twenty pages is not enough -- if you squeeze every ounce, every second, of your time on Arafah making du'a -- as you should -- you can easily cover your du'a list a few times. So make it long, as long as possible.

Here are some ideas to help get you started on your du'a list – just some things to think about. Think up your own additional categories and personalize your list more.

Du’a List:
1. Your eeman
2. Your rank in Jannah (and Al-Firdaus)
3. Your knowledge of Islam
4. Your memorization of The Qur'an
5. Your health
6. Your wealth
7. Your job
8. Your children and spouse - -their eeman and akhira, health, etc.
9. The ummah at large
10. Those oppressed in Palestine, Chechnya, Somalia, and worldwide
11. People you want to become Muslim -- including Presidents and world leaders
12. Countries you want to become Muslim -- including your current residence
13. Guidance for every human being on the planet
14. Your Islamic work and projects
15. People who you know who aren't very practicing, to become more practicing
16. People you know who are practicing, to become better and more practicing.
17. Any weakness you have -- any sin you commit -- to be overcome

This is just a list to get you started. Work on it, and Insha Allah you'll find ideas flowing.

Before that day, brush up on and make sure you know the etiquettes of du'a -- praise Allah, glorify Him, thank Him, and send salaam and salawaat on His Prophet (saw).

Call Him by His great names -- including Allah, Al-Hayyu, and Al-Qayyum -- then ask what you want.

We ask Allah to accept our Hajj and the Hajj of all the Hujjaj, and to make Hajj easy for everyone who goes or intends to go. Ameen.

©Ilm Fruits

WAHHABISM: UNDERSTANDING THE ROOTS AND ROLE MODELS OF ISLAMIC EXTREMISM

2008-11-17T19:00:00.002-08:00

by Zubair Qamar
condensed and edited by ASFA staff

Introduction

The most extremist pseudo-Sunni movement today is Wahhabism (also known as Salafism). While many may think that Wahhabi terror is a recent phenomenon that has only targeted non-Muslims, it will surprise many to know that the orthodox Sunni Muslims were the first to be slaughtered in waves of Wahhabi massacres in Arabia hundreds of years ago. One only has to read the historical evolution of Saudi Arabia to know the gruesome details of the tragedy – a tragedy in which thousands of Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims perished at the hands of Wahhabi militants.

The extremist interpretations of Wahhabism, although previously confined to small pockets of people in Arabia, has survived to this day under the protection, finance, and tutelage of the Saudi state religious organs. This has transformed Wahhabism – and related Salafi groups that receive inspiration and support from them – from a regional to a global threat to be reckoned with by the world community. To a Wahhabi-Salafi, all those who differ with them, including Sunni Muslims, Shi’ite Muslims, Christians, and Jews, are infidels who are fair targets.

Do the majority of Sunnis support Wahhabism? Are Sunnis and Wahhabis one and the same?

For the full article: http://www.sunnah.org/articles/Wahhabiarticleedit.htm#authoremail or you may email me for a copy at nasiraldeen@yahoo.com

New Convert: Should I change my name to a Muslim name?

2008-10-11T21:05:00.004-07:00

Generally, the names of Muslims have positive or sublime meanings, and may serve as the basis for developing one’s identity and personality. Some Muslim children may be named after important persons in Muslim history, such as the Prophets, their companions and relatives, or successful leaders, scientists, or poets. Other names may reflect an attribute of God, with the prefix Abd (servant) designating the named person, as in Abd al-Rahman, “servant of the Most Merciful”. Still other names may imply a characteristic, such as patience. Having an Arabic name, however, is not required by Muslims, nor is it a prerequisite for one who decides to become Muslim. In fact, many Muslims have non-Arabic names, such as Jennifer (English), Shabnam (Persian), and Serpil (Turkish).

Muslim converts are perfectly entitled to keep their name as long as the name does not carry polytheistic connotations, and is a dignified, respectable name. There is no problem with keeping their birth name.

Why is adopting a Muslim name so important upon conversion?

Two important reasons are given below, but otherwise, adopting a Muslim name is not necessary.

· For the sake of identification as a Muslim
· When a Muslim wants to enter Makkah and Madinah to perform Hajj or Umrah, he has to produce documents to show that he is a Muslim as Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter these cities.

Can converts retain their previous names?

Yes he/she certainly can do so. Here are examples of names of people who have converted:
Hassan Guy Eaton previously known as Guy Eaton, Ruke Aldeen Smith, Aisha Gouverneur, Abdel Rashid Skinner, Ahmed Holt, Murad Aldeen, Ibrahim Hewitt, Ahmad Bullock, Ahmed Thomson, Jodi Anway, Mohammadzadeh, Susan Elsayyad, Jamilah Kolocotronis Jitmoud
Islam emphasizes that Muslims should have good names and give good names to their children. It is reported in a hadith that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "You will be called on the Day of Resurrection by your names and the names of your fathers, so have good names." (Reported by Abu Dawud)

During the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when people used to accept Islam, he would not require all people to change their names. He used to change only those names that carried wrong meanings or un-Islamic ideas and concepts. The Prophet's wife `A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said about the Prophet, "He used to change bad names." (Reported by at-Tirmidhi)

For instance, `Umar had a daughter whose name was "`Asiyah" (meaning disobedient or rude). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) changed her name to "Jamilah" (the Beautiful- see Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith no. 4301) Abu Dawud has mentioned many names of people and places that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) changed because they had bad meanings. (see Hadith no. 4305) Imam al-Bukhari mentioned that Sa`id ibn al-Musayyib said that when his grandfather came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the Prophet asked him about his name. He said, "Hazn" (meaning Hard). The Prophet said, "You are Sahl. (meaning soft, easy)." The man said, "I do not want to change the name that my father gave me." His grandson Sa`id used to regret and say afterwards that they kept on experiencing the hardness in their family. (Reported by al-Bukhari)

One can only change one's own name, but one cannot change the family name or name of one's parents, unless they are alive and accept the change. So the new Muslims should change their first names, if they contain wrong or bad meanings. As far as their last names are concerned they should not be changed, because it is also forbidden in Islam to take the name of someone other than one's own biological father. Allah says in the Qur'an, "Proclaim their real parentage. That will be more equitable in the sight of Allah. And if you do not know their fathers, then they are your brothers in the faith…" (Al-Ahzab: 5)

References:

1. http://www.themodernreligion.com/convert/islam_conversion_main.htm
2. http://www.islamawareness.net/Names/names_fatwa003.html

What is the ruling on so-called test-tube babies?

2008-08-17T08:24:00.004-07:00

Praise be to Allaah.

This matter has been studied by the Islamic Fiqh Council (Majma’ al-Fiqh al-Islami), who issued the following statement:

One: The following five methods are forbidden according to sharee’ah. They are forbidden either in and of themselves, or because of their consequences such as mixing lineages, not knowing who the child’s mother is, or other reasons that are objectionable according to sharee’ah.

1. When fertilization takes place between sperm taken from the husband and an egg taken from a woman who is not his wife, then the embryo is placed in his wife’s womb.

2. When fertilization takes place between sperm taken from a man who is not the husband, and an egg taken from the wife, then the embryo is placed in the womb of the wife.

3. When fertilization is done externally between the sperm and egg of the couple, then the embryo is placed in the womb of a woman who volunteers to carry it (“surrogate motherhood”).

4. When fertilization is done externally between the sperm of a man who is not the husband and the egg of a woman who is not the wife, then the embryo is placed in the womb of the wife.

5. When fertilization is done externally between the sperm and egg of the two spouses, then the embryo is placed in the womb of another wife (of the husband).

Two: The sixth and seventh methods are acceptable as a last resort in cases of necessity, when it is certain that all necessary precautions have been taken. These two methods are:

6. When the sperm is taken from the husband and an egg is taken from the wife, fertilization is done externally, then the embryo is planted in the womb of the wife.

7. When the sperm of the husband is taken and injected into a suitable place in the cervix or womb of the wife so that fertilization may take place internally.

Other reservations that pose a concern in this matter include: the uncovering of the woman’s ‘awrah and most private parts; the possibility of mistakes in the laboratory; the possibility that some weak-minded people in some hospitals may breach their trust and deliberately switch eggs or sperm in order to make the operation a success and earn more material gains. So we have to be extremely cautious when dealing with this matter. And Allaah knows best.

Al-Majma’ al-Fiqhi, p. 34. (http://www.islam-qa.com/)

Islam briefly.....

2008-06-04T22:20:00.001-07:00

The basic belief in Islam is the Oneness and Incomparability of God the Lord of Creation. Except for God, everything else is part of Creation. Islam teaches that only God has the right to be worshipped. Worshipping others whether they be Prophets, angels, sages or saints is a grave sin. Muslims are however not allowed to revile other objects of worship. In Islam, any good action is considered part of worship.

A Muslim is one who submits to the Will and Laws of God in order to establish peace within himself, his family, society and the world. The revelations that Prophet Muhammad received from God is collectively called the Quran. It collates and restates the wisdom of past revelations to Messengers of God who were sent to people living in different parts of the world at different times in history. Muslims learned how to worship God through the teachings of Prophet Muhammad. To believe in Prophet Muhammad is to believe in all the Prophets and Messengers of God who preceded him. Muslims also believe that Prophet Muhammad is the last of the mighty chain of Prophets and Messengers of God.

For many centuries from the eighth century C.E. onwards, Muslims demonstrated a creative and innovative zeal by, categorically speaking, holding the torch of civilisation and balanced science and knowledge. They believed that humanity has reached a stage where humankind should be mature enough to relate God’s Guidance to new situations, new forms of knowledge, new discoveries and to science and technology.

There are five fundamental principles of Islam. They are:

• There is nothing worthy of worship but God and that Muhammad is the Prophet of God
• Praying five times a day
• Fasting from dawn to dusk during the month of Ramadan. This is to teach self-restraint, empathy for the poor and hungry and enables one to shun vices and enhance one’s humanitarianism and spirituality
• Paying the social welfare (obligatory) tax on wealth known as Zakat
• Performing the pilgrimage to the House of God, “Ka’bah” in Mecca, if able to do so.

Islam is also a religion of peace and the Prophet has said that Muslims should pray daily (constantly) for world peace. Islam only allows wars in self-defence and to help a community that appeals for help against oppression. All forms of aggression are otherwise strictly prohibited. When the earlier Muslims had to defend themselves they did so ethically by not resorting to scorching the earth policy, damaging the environment, destroying crops, mutilating bodies, attacking non-combatants, women, children or monks.

Position of Women in Islam

Islam considers both man and woman as equals. God only accepts taqwa or piety as the criteria for merit. Islam values marriages and encourages family life. Monogamy is the norm while polygamy is allowed under difficult or special circumstances. A Muslim woman also retains her maiden name after marriage and is free to enter into contracts in her own name.

Today, Muslims form the majority in more than 50 countries. Muslims also have their own collective organisation known as the Organisation of Islamic Conference (O.I.C).

In Singapore, Muslims form 15 percent of the population and the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore is responsible for the religious affairs of the Muslims such as administrating more than 70 mosques, Islamic schools (“madrasahs”) and endowments (“waqaf”).

Source: http://www.nhb.gov.sg/PE/FOF_2003/religions_islam.html

Is Islam intolerant of other religions?

2008-05-04T07:12:00.014-07:00

Myth: Islam is intolerant of other religions because

the Qur'an condemns the other religions as false

The Creator has taught us in the Qur'an and Sunnah that all other `religions' and ways of life are unacceptable to Him if a person is aware of Islam. The Qur'an states (translation),

"And whoever desires a religion other than Islam, it shall not be accepted from him, and in the hereafter he shall be one of the losers."[3:85]

However, even though the Creator has clearly specified that no other way of life is acceptable to Him except Islam (i.e. submission to Him as embodied in the Qur'an and Sunnah), He has also commanded the Muslims to be tolerant of people who espouse other creeds. From the Sunnah, specifically in the study of the Sunnah called Al-Awsat by Al-Tabarani, we find regarding those non-Muslims living in the Islamic state,

The Messenger of Allah (saas) said, "One who kills a non-Muslim person under protection (Arabic: dhimmi) will not even smell the fragrance of Paradise."

Also from the Sunnah, specifically in a report from Al-Khatib, we find that the Messenger of Allah (saas) also said:

Whoever hurts a non-Muslim person under protection, I am his adversary, and I shall be an adversary to him on the Day of Resurrection.

In short, Islam is intolerant of false ideas, however it is tolerant of the people who hold to those ideas. One historical example of Muslims living up to the standard of Islam can be found from the time of the Spanish Inquisition. During that disaster sprung by misguided Catholics, some Spanish Jews fled to Muslim Turkey and to this day, there is a community of Spanish-speaking Jews in Turkey. Another example may be found during one of the Crusader invasions from Western Europe. Some of the the Catholic Western European knights were so likely to rape, murder, and pillage the Jews and Orthodox Christians, that when the Muslims won, they were treated as a liberating force by those non-Muslims.

The dealings of the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, with other religions can best be described in the verse of the Quran:

“To you be your religion, to me be mine.”

The Arabian Peninsula during the time of the Prophet was a region in which various faiths were present. There were Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, polytheists, and others not affiliated with any religion. When one looks into the life of the Prophet, one may draw on many examples to portray the high level of tolerance shown to people of other faiths.

Marmaduke Pickthall, whose translation of the meanings of the Qur'an remains one of the most popular today, also commented on the subject:

In Spain under the Umayyads and in Baghdad under the Abbasid Khalifas, Christians and Jews, equally with Muslims, were admitted to the Schools and universities - not only that, but were boarded and lodged in hostels at the cost of the state. When the Moors were driven out of Spain, the Christian conquerors held a terrific persecution of the Jews. Those who were fortunate enough to escape fled, some of them to Morocco and many hundreds to the Turkish empire, where their descendants still live in separate communities, and still speak among themselves an antiquated form of Spanish. The Muslim empire was a refuge for all those who fled from persecution by the Inquisition.

The Western Christians, till the arrival of the Encyclopaedists in the eighteenth century, did not know and did not care to know, what the Muslim believed, nor did the Western Christian seek to know the views of Eastern Christians with regard to them. The Christian Church was already split in two, and in the end, it came to such a pass that the Eastern Christians, as Gibbon shows, preferred Muslim rule, which allowed them to practice their own form of religion and adhere to their peculiar dogmas, to the rule of fellow Christians who would have made them Roman Catholics or wiped them out.

If Europe had known as much of Islam, as Muslims knew of Christendom, in those days, those mad, adventurous, occasionally chivalrous and heroic, but utterly fanatical outbreak known as the Crusades could not have taken place, for they were based on a complete misapprehension.

It was not until the Western nations broke away from their religious law that they became more tolerant; and it was only when the Muslims fell away from their religious law that they declined in tolerance and other evidences of the highest culture. Before the coming of Islam it had never been preached as an essential part of religion.” (Madras Lectures on Islam)

In this age of racial profiling and targeted killings directed at Muslims this, Islam's, true attitude towards religious tolerance may sound other-worldly.

WORD For WORD: Is ‘mosque’ derived from ‘mosquito’?

2008-04-01T20:51:00.001-07:00

In these days of paranoia, one hears Muslims say that the English word “mosque” should be laid aside because it has been derived from “mosquito”. Nothing could be farther from the truth

A reader asked from the wonderful Lahore journal “Renaissance” if the English word mosque was derived insultingly from mosquito. He had read it in a book titled “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Understanding Islam”.

The book said that during the Crusades, King Ferdinand of Spain had said that he would swat the Muslims like mosquitoes, and that was the origin of the word mosque, the place where the “mosquitoes” prayed.

As the title suggests the book was a spoof. The definition given there is also a spoof and anyone taking it seriously runs the risk of being an idiot. Adnan Zulfiqar of “Renaissance” gave a very appropriate reply: the word had come from Spanish mezquita meaning mosque and became current long after King Ferdinand had had his day.

The Spanish-Portuguese civilisation that confronted the Arab conquest twisted the Arab words around quite a lot. Spain saw some of the most beautiful mosques being built on its soil. The place was called masjid by the conquerors and was taken as mesquita by the locals, which is mezquita in modern Spanish.

There is something to be said about the way Arabs themselves pronounce the sound “j”. We are told that Arabic doesn’t have the “g” sound. We have two versions of the word Gilani. The Arabs will say Jilani. Golan Heights are Jolan Heights in Arabic.

But there are Arabs that naturally convert “j” into “g”. For instance, Jemal Nasser is Gemal Nasser in Egypt. How would the Egyptians say masjid? While the spelling remains the same, the word will come out masgid. That’s not difficult to convert into mesquita.

English etymology makes it clear that mosque came into English in the 17th century from Italian moschea and French mosquee. The resemblance with mosquito is accidental. Mosquito came from Spanish as a derivative of mosca (fly).

Look at what we have done to masjid in Punjabi. The word is maseet and there is classical Punjabi poetry which you can read only if you pronounce masjid as maseet. After that you can’t blame the Russians when they call it mechet.

For the Russian version you have to blame the Turks who coined their version of it as mescit. Of course the Turkish “c” has to be pronounced “j” but you can’t control how others adapt to the pronunciation. The Turks themselves convert “d” to “t” in Muslim names: Najmuddin is Necmettin.

If the Americans have an idiot’s dictionary about mosque, we too have our idiot’s dictionary saying picnic is actually pick a nigger, explaining how in the South the whites hanged blacks while having an open-air snack. The word in fact has come from French pique-nique.

The Spanish gave us another word by twisting the Arabic original. (In fact there are hundreds of such words.) The word for Muslim is moro, which is how we label the Muslims of the old Spanish-owned Philippines. The origin was Moravidun, the North African Muslim dynasty that ruled Spain.

In fact the moravids were old inhabitants of North Africa. We find the Greeks also calling them mauros, the word from which the name of the country Mauritania (and probably also Morocco) is derived. English word moor for North Africans has been applied to describe all Muslims. Morris dance in English is actually moorish dance and the dark-skinned cherry morello also comes from there. Proper name Maurice indicates origin from Africa.

From specific to generic is a natural trend in languages. Look what we did to Franks, the inhabitants of France, out on their first crusade to the Middle East. We made Farangi out of Frank in Persian and then applied farangi to all white men, including the British. Farang is not France but all the West. *

- Khaled Ahmed

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_9-2-2003_pg3_7

Halal vs Haram

2008-02-25T21:01:00.002-08:00

The Problem is not Islam

2007-12-17T16:58:00.000-08:00

There is a misperception in the west that Islam promotes terror, women repression and backward thinking. I don’t blame westerners for viewing Islam the way Muslims portrayed it; I blame Muslims for misbehaving in the name of Islam. There has never been a greater enemy to Islam than Muslims themselves; Muslims misrepresented Islam and made it look like that.

I believe that one of the lessons that a lot of people missed, is that religion evolves. Two examples to point out; first, Muslims believe in all prophets from Abraham to Mohammed - including Moses and Jesus - and the revelations given to them by the one God (Allah). We know that it’s all about good and evil, and we also know that the rules and guidelines changed – or to be more specific, increased - from one prophet to the next depending on the circumstances, but why? Since God knows everything, the rules and guidelines could have been given more or less the same to all of them! But the rules change with time and depending on the circumstances; i.e. they evolve.

Second example is alcohol. God banned alcohol in stages; first, Muslims were not allowed to pray while drunk; but then after that rule was broken, God forbidden alcohol. It could have been easily banned in the first revelation; but it had to evolve. These are clear indications that Islam - or any religion for that matter – should evolve, as long as it doesn’t offend God (Allah).

It’s all about interpretation! The rules and guidelines can be interpreted differently, as we have different sectors within Islam that have different interpretations, depending on the way it’s been look at and who looked at it. Therefore, these rules and guidelines should also be interpreted differently depending on the time and place.

There are three factors that contributed to Islam’s bad image:

1. Tribal culture

The tribal culture is a serious problem; albeit, many Arabs have been urbanized, their culture is derived from the tribal culture, especially when it comes to women and honour. Women were repressed before Islam; but many were also repressed after Islam! The reason is not Islam, it is the tribal traditions!Islam advocated equality between human beings regardless of race and gender. But because the gender issue can be argumentative, I will say - for argument sake - that Islam differentiated between men and women; but even then, Islam undoubtedly gave women more rights than what women had anywhere else at that time - 1400 year ago - which should’ve been embraced and progressed not regressed; only tribal mentality didn’t give up all traditions that easily. Female infanticide was one of the tribal traditions that Islam prohibited!

Honour killing is not an Islamic practice, it’s a tribal tradition to preserve the honour of the tribe/family; yet many justify this act as an Islamic law! Islam does not distinguish between men and women when it comes to punishment, whether it’s for unlawful sex or any other reason. But to justify honour killing as an Islamic law, all you need to do is to look at the rules and guidelines with a tribal mentality.Therefore, it is important to differentiate between Islamic culture and the Middle East culture. For example, Islam prohibit sex before marriage for both men and women; whereas the ME culture only prohibit women! Non-Muslims in the ME are part of ME culture which is influenced by tribal culture; therefore, they consider honour - and other values - same way their Muslim neighbours consider it.

2. Fundamentalists

If you accept that Islam can be interpreted differently depending on how you look at it; then you will accept that fundamentalists can justify what they advocate! To be honest, I find it hard to understand how they justify killing innocents in the name of Islam!The problem of many fundamentalists is that they are retrogressive; now that makes all the blinded followers retrogressive too. They either look back at the Caliphate's era or the Prophet’s era, and they dream of making today look like centuries ago! Therefore, their actions and interpretations are not of today, but of centuries ago. For example, Wahhabists want to make today’s world look like the Prophet’s era, they want to make it look like 1400 years ago and they don’t want to move on!

There is no need for me to talk about the roots and reasons for terrorism as it is irrelevant to this subject; however, what is relevant is the damage caused by terrorism. Terrorism damaged Islam and Muslims more than anything else; the impact of 9/11 on the Muslim community around the world was gigantic; Muslims became target of racism and hatred; Westerners looked at them differently after that day; Islam became a feared religion, a religion that export terrorism and oppress women! And I don’t blame westerners because they love their freedom and democracy and want to protect it, I blame the fundamentalists and their followers who don’t want to evolve!

3. Leaders of Muslim countries

Most of the leaders don’t care about Islam more than they care about their own people! However, what they care about is the chair and for that they need to justify their existence, the emergency laws, the oppression, etc; and what can do the job better than pro-Arabism, anti-Imperialism and anti-Zionism!Pro-Arabism, anti-Imperialism and anti-Zionism, that sounds like the Islamic fundamentalists agenda! Exactly! They have the same agenda and for their survival, they have to encourage the retrogressive fundamentalists! Could that backfire?Furthermore, they persecute, oppress, torture and unjustly kill their own people; women - and human - rights are appalling; justice is merely a tool used to protect themselves and Islam is the excuse!

I think history repeats itself; I always compare the Arab Muslim world today with the European Christian world few centuries back, i.e. in the Middle Ages. The Church was powerful then, and later were in a power struggle with the state; but what happened when the church was powerful? Were there any human - and women - rights? How about anti-Semitism? What about justice? Sort of similar to what we have now in the Muslim world! We are just few centuries behind! But it looks like we are catching up.

Islam is being abused by Muslims and that’s why it has a bad image. Justice for Muslims and Islam would be served best if we get rid off tyranny, fundamentalism and tribal mentality and replace them with secularism, freedom and democracy.

Ahmad Wednesday, March 30, 2005
http://iraqiexpat.blogspot.com/

Understanding Madhhabs: A Beginner's Guide and FAQ

2007-12-09T20:51:00.000-08:00

By Umm Nabeel
(article from: modernmuslima.com)

The issue of the schools of Islamic law, called madhhabs or mathhabs, is often a subject of great confusion for new Muslims when it doesn't have to be. Some contemporary Islamic movements have tried to make the issue into a confusing one causing division between Muslims. However, it is actually a very simple issue. Islam has four such juristic schools, each one named for its founder: Hanafi (pronounced hana-fee) named for Imam Abu Hanifa, Shafi'i, (pronounced shaa-f'ee) named for Imam Shafi'i, Maliki (pronounced maa-likee), named for Imam Malik, and Hanbali (pronounced han-balee), named for Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal.

What is a Madhhab?

A madhhab is, first and foremost, a precise methodology which scholars use to derive Islamic rulings. Each madhhab differs slightly in its methodology, and this causes them to have slightly different rulings in some cases, however the differences are usually on minor and secondary points. All four agree on the basic belief system of Islam, and on the majority of their rulings, and they do not constitute separate sects, denominations, or groups within Islam. They also agree on the basic beginnings of their methodology: that the primary sources of Islamic rulings are the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace be upon him. Their differences come over more minute and difficult issues, many of which are not possible to resolve. For example: how to reconcile apparent contradictions between two texts, when there is more than one acceptable interpretation of an Arabic word, or when there is an issue (especially contemporary issues) which no text in the Qur'an and Sunnah explicitly addresses. In some cases, scholars within a particular madhhab can have different opinions as well.

Many people, however, conceptualize madhhabs as just collections of rulings, mainly because people in search of an answer to a particular question of Islamic law such as whether something is halal (permissible) or haram (forbidden) will consult the rulings of the particular madhhab they follow. Some incorrectly believe they are a merely collection of the "opinions" of the Imam for whom it was named. On the contrary, a madhhab is a collection of rulings based on the Qur'an and Sunnah, using the sophisticated methodologies for deducing these rulings that were developed by the Four Imams. So when a person looks for a ruling "of a particular madhhab," he is actually looking for the rulings that have been deduced by scholars who are applying the methodology of that madhhab.

These rulings were not just compiled over a short period of time. The methodologies and the rulings have been reviewed and refined by the scholars over hundreds of years, up to and including the present day.

Do I have to follow a madhhab?

Unfortunately for many new Muslims, finding information about the different madhhabs can be extremely difficult. This is due primarily to the fact that in many Muslim communities people follow a wide variety of different schools or none at all, as well as to the fact that literature on Islamic law and rulings in English is almost non-existent. If you are unable to find information that can help you choose and follow a madhhab, don't worry-whether or not you follow a madhhab is not an issue that determines whether or not you are a Muslim or even if you are a good Muslim. In fact, the vast majority of American Muslims find this difficult and many times practice Islam based on what they can learn from the hodgepodge of sources they have available to them: books, lectures, the Imam of the local mosque, and Muslim friends.

There are various opinions on this issue but the vast majority of our respected scholars do say that it is preferable or even required to pick one madhhab and follow it for one simple reason: personal consistency. It is better and more consistent (and common sense) for a person to stick to rulings that are all based on the same methodology. This also prevents you from following your hawaa' (desires) and allowing yourself to "shop around" for the opinion that most suits you rather than just taking an opinion based on sound scholarship.

However, if you have a genuine need, and something of your chosen madhhab is going to cause you hardship, then you are permitted to take a dispensation from another madhab. It is also true that there are sometimes different opinions on things within the same madhhab and going outside of your chosen school isn't necessary. Keep in mind, however, that going outside one's madhhab technically requires consultation with a shaykh who will verify your need to do so and instruct you in the best and most careful way to take a different opinion, again to help you stay consistent. However, because most Muslims in the West do not have access to a Shaykh who can help them, it is best to stay with one madhhab if at all possible and to seek outside opinions with great caution in extraneous situations.

How do I choose?

Choosing one madhhab over another does not mean that you believe that one is more correct and the others less correct. In fact, the consensus (ijma'ah) of all of the scholars of the Ummah is that all four are equally correct and valid. There is no one madhhab or one opinion that is "closer to the Sunnah". Choosing which madhhab to follow is not a life-or-death decision and you can always change. If you have access to advanced information, you can study in detail and pick the one that is most appealing to you in terms of its methodology, but it is easier to choose the one that has rulings that are easiest or most appropriate for you and your situation. For example, some people believe that scholars of the Hanafi madhhab have spent more time constructing rulings appropriate for people who live in non-Muslim countries. Others believe the Shafi'i madhhab to be somewhat more strict in some issues, and therefore more "careful".

You can also pick based on yours or your spouse's family/country situation. It is much easier to have your whole family following the same madhhab because this means your family will all do things exactly the same way, and if there is a religious disagreement between you, you will agree on which sources to consult for your answer. Likewise, it is easier to be the same madhhab as the majority of people in your or your spouse's home country. It is also worth considering if you ever plan to study or live in a particular Muslim country to find out which madhhabs are most prevalent there.

What About People Who Follow Other Madhhabs?

There was a time in Islamic history when people treated different madhhabs as different sects of Islam, making prayer behind a person of another madhhab or marriage to a person of another madhhab unlawful. This was due to ignorance of the correct way to follow a madhhab and the correct way to regard people who follow a madhhab other than one's own. Even today in many places, you may encounter a person in a mosque who will try to tell you that the way you are praying is wrong. As mentioned before, there is consensus of the scholars of Sunni Islam for hundreds of years that all four madhhabs are equally correct and valid. This means that as long as you are following a valid opinion, you need not worry that what you are doing or what somebody else is doing is wrong.

This also means that in many cases, there is more than one right way to do something, such as how to put your hands while your pray, and that it is okay to pray behind an imam who makes his wudu in a slightly different way. Such differences usually arise because the Prophet himself (peace be upon him) usually did things in several different ways and these minor differences do not affect the validity of a person's wudu or prayer.

One classic example: In the Maliki madhhab, people move their finger constantly when they recite tashahhud. But in the Shafi'i madhhab they do not move their finger, and in addition, more than two movements is considered to invalidate the prayer. This does NOT mean that the prayer of a person who follows the Maliki madhhab and who moves his finger during his prayer is invalid in the eyes of a person who follows the Shafi'I madhhab. One does not apply his or her own madhhab to other people. Instead, each person's prayer is valid according to the methodology they themselves follow, as long as each person is following a methodology that is recognized as valid by the scholars of our Ummah.

Some Muslims Told Me I Shouldn't Follow a Madhhab Because it's "Blind Following". What Does This Mean?

Recently, some Muslims have taken the opinion that following a madhhab is "blind following" because one follows the rulings of the madhhab without knowing what the reasons for the rulings are in the Qur'an and Sunnah. However, the vast majority of Muslims don't possess the level of technical knowledge required to make rulings. Many of us may not even have the ability to access or understand the often complex reasons behind the rulings. Thus, this taqleed or "following" is necessary, in fact required, for the vast majority of Muslims because we simply can't all be scholars. Some groups call this "blind following" and make it sound like a bad thing, but the fact is that all Muslims of any madhhab or self-professed manhaj who are not themselves scholars are "blind following" or rather, making taqleed of someone. Non-scholars need to take knowledge and rulings, mostly without understanding the reasons behind the rulings, from scholars for reasons that will now be discussed.

What do I do if I Read a Hadeeth That Seems to Contradict A Ruling of My Madhhab?

Keep doing what you are doing-following your madhhab. When you read a Hadeeth, you are reading it in isolation, without knowledge of the other texts that relate to it, what other scholars have said about it, alternate or similar versions of the Hadeeth. If you're a new Muslim, you probably don't even know what the original Arabic text of the Hadeeth itself was and what the various meanings of the key words are in Classical Arabic. Realize that making rulings on issues is a complex process that entails consideration of numerous factors. Although we are all encouraged to read the Qur'an and read sayings of the Prophet (peace be upon him) for inspiration and information, we are not entitled to make rulings for ourselves based on what we read in our limited knowledge, not to mention in translation.

Why Can't I Just Read the Qur'an and Hadeeth and Find Out the Rulings For Myself?

Our scholars set high standards for themselves and for other scholars. A vast amount of knowledge was required of somebody before he or she reached the level of being able to make ijtihaad -- to deduce rulings directly from the Qur'an and Sunnah. This is because making rulings is a complex process not to be attempted by just anyone. Such a vast level of knowledge is almost incomprehensible to many of us today, and there is debate over exactly how many people are still alive who are at such a level. By most accounts the number can be counted on one hand. Qualifications for making rulings directly from the Qur'an and Sunnah are high because of the huge number of variables that have to be known and taken into account by the scholar, some of which were mentioned above.

Some beginning qualifications for a scholar are:

· Start with a detailed, intimate knowledge of the "Classical" Arabic language-fusHaa, NOT Modern Standard Arabic or any of the regional dialects. As all of the texts of the Qur'an and Sunnah are in this language, one must be a scholar of language itself before he or she can become a scholar of Islam. Not only does one need to be able to speak, read, and write the language fluently, one must have a detailed knowledge of the linguistic sciences of the Arabic language. This includes grammar encompassing phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics. One must also have memorized the treatises on these topics written by the great scholars of the language. In addition, one must be intimately familiar with pre-Islamic Arabic poetry, which is a source of word meanings, as is knowledge of the dialects that existed among people at the time of the revelation of the Qur'an. There is also a huge corpus of Arabic dictionaries, many of them highly specialized, compiled by our Islamic scholars.

Most people in the world today do not even meet this primary criterion, let alone the more advanced ones:

· to have memorized the whole Qur'an (all seven readings included)

· to have memorized thousands of ahadeeth with their chains of narration and the books

dedicated to the biographical information of the people in those chains memorization of (not just reading or possessing) hundreds of classical texts of ahadeeth

· history of the life of the Prophet, peace be upon him (called seerah)

· sayings of the Companions of the Prophet

· authentic tafaseer (explanations) of the Qur'an

· the detailed methodological principles of the madhhabs

· Scholars even considered knowledge of the spiritual disciplines to be essential even for a scholar who specialized in technical issues, because the knowledge also has a spiritual dimension.

All of this knowledge is required for a scholar to make a fully informed decision on an issue before he or she can come to a solid conclusion which is as close to the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace be upon him as humanly possible. Although this does not guarantee that mistakes will not be made, the Prophet himself (peace be upon him) mentions in a famous Hadeeth that scholars who make an honest effort and come up with a wrong answer will still be rewarded for their honest effort. Also, the peer-review process of other scholars considering the rulings of their colleagues and catching mistakes is what has refined the madhhabs into the fine-tuned systems they are today.

For all these reasons, it is wrong for a non-scholar to attempt to make rulings for themselves, and such an attempt will inevitably result in a ruling that is further, not closer, to the Sunnah. In that light, we may now understand following a madhhab to be, as Abdul Hakim Murad says, a "sophisticated technique for avoiding innovation (bid'ah)".

Muslims and Jews: a historical perspective that reveals surprises

2007-10-28T02:36:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, a widely circulated Jewish document described Islam as "an act of God's Mercy".

Also, Jews in the near East, north Africa and Spain threw their support behind advancing Muslim Arab armies.

No, these aren't fairy tales or propaganda. The relationship between Muslims and Jews really was that cooperative and marked by peaceful coexistence.

Just ask Khalid Siddiqi of the Islamic Education and Information Center in San Jose, California where he also teaches Islamic Studies and Arabic at Chabot College and Ohlone College. Siddiqi notes that the first quote above is from S. D. Goitein's book Jews and Arabs. The second is from Merlin Swartz's 'The Position of Jews in Arab lands following the rise of Islam' (reprinted from The Muslim World. Hartford Seminary Foundation LXI1970).

Swartz also says the Muslim Arab conquest marked the dawn of a new era. Those forces that had led to the progressive isolation and disruption of Jewish life were not only checked they were dramatically reversed.

In an interview with Sound Vision, Siddiqi gave numerous examples of Jews flourishing under Muslim rule in places like Spain, Morocco, North African in general and various parts of the Middle East.

Siddiqi points out that Islam as a religion has given specific guidelines for the followers of Islam to base their relationship with any non-Muslim. These include People of Scripture, like the Jews, people who belong to other religions, and even atheists. Non-Muslims must be treated on the basis of Birr (kindness) and Qist (justice), as referred to Surah 60 verse 8 of the Quran.
It started at the time of the Prophet Mohammad (peace and blessings be upon him)

The peaceful coexistence of Muslims and Jews began at the time of the Prophet.

Siddiqi notes that the Jews welcomed the Prophet when he arrived in Madinah at the time of Hijrah (migration), along with the rest of the city's inhabitants. But the Prophet had begun the step towards good relations with Jewish and other communities in Madinah even before getting there.

After receiving an invitation to Madinah from one of the city's tribes that had accepted Islam, the Prophet signed treaties with the city's Jewish, Christian and polytheist tribes before he arrived there.

These treaties clearly laid out responsibilities of each of the parties. It was based on these that the Prophet established the Mithaq al Madinah, the constitution of Madinah.

Siddiqi says this was the first constitution of the world and one of the greatest political documents ever prepared by any human being. It is the oldest surviving constitution of any state.

Under this constitution, any Jew who followed the Muslims was entitled to their assistance and the same rights as anyone of them without any injustice or partisanship.
It said the Jews are an Ummah (community of believers) alongside the Muslims. The Jews have their religion and the Muslims theirs. As well, it noted that each will assist one another against any violation of this covenant.

Jews during the Muslim era

Despite this early breach of contract, there are still numerous examples from Muslim history of Muslim-Jewish cooperation and coexistence. Siddiqi gave examples of how Muslim Spain, which was a "golden era" of creativity and advancement for Muslims was also one for Jews.

While Europe was in its Dark Ages and Jews were reviled there, Muslims in Spain during the same period worked side by side with Jews in developing literature, science and art. Together, they translated classical Greek texts into Arabic. This task later helped Europe move out of the Dark Ages and into the Renaissance. Jews flourished under Muslim rule in Egypt as well, where they achieved very high positions in government.

Siddiqi quotes some lines from an Arab poet of that time, to illustrate: 'Today the Jews have reached the summit of their hopes and have become aristocrats. Power and riches have they and from them councilors and princes are chosen'.

Today: the forced expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland has destroyed good Muslim-Jewish relations

So what happened?

Although not the only cause, a large part of the deterioration in Muslim-Jewish relations comes from the emergence of Zionism, the forced expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland by Zionist Jews and British colonizers, as well as their continuing oppression.

Siddiqi says, "while this reaction results in anti-Jewish feeling it must be seen in its proper historical context. It must be remembered that anti-Jewish sentiments in so far as it is to be found in the contemporary Arab world is strictly a modern phenomenon and one that runs counter to the time honored Islamic tradition of fraternity and tolerance.

"The very widespread popular notion that present day Arab-Jewish hostility is but another chapter in a long history of mutual animosity is totally false. If there is one thing the past makes clear it is precisely that Arabs and Jews can live together peacefully and in a mutually beneficial relationship. History also makes it very clear that they are the heirs to the Islamic tradition of
openness and tolerance."

The key to reestablishing good relations between Muslims and Jews again is justice, notes Siddiqui. This principle is foreign to neither Islam nor Judaism. In Islam, standing up for justice, he points out, must be done even if it is against ourselves, our parents, our kin, the rich or the poor. This is clearly mentioned in the Quran (4:135).

Siddiqi points out that the emphasis on justice is also mentioned in Jewish scripture in the prophecies of Michael in chapter three: "Zion shall be redeemed with justice and by those who will come to her with righteousness."

The Concept of Bid’a in the Islamic Shari’a

2007-10-18T02:45:00.000-07:00

©Nuh Ha Mim Keller 1995
The following is the text of a talk given by Shaikh Nuh Ha Mim Keller at Nottingham and Trent University on Wednesday 25th January 1995.

In the name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate.

There are few topics that generate as much controversy today in Islam as what is sunna and what is bida or reprehensible innovation, perhaps because of the times Muslims live in today and the challenges they face. Without a doubt, one of the greatest events in impact upon Muslims in the last thousand years is the end of the Islamic caliphate at the first of this century, an event that marked not only the passing of temporal, political authority, but in many respects the passing of the consensus of orthodox Sunni Islam as well. No one familiar with the classical literature in any of the Islamic legal sciences, whether Qur’anic exegesis (tafsir), hadith, or jurisprudence (fiqh), can fail to be struck by the fact that questions are asked today about basic fundamentals of Islamic Sacred Law (Sharia) and its ancillary disciplines that would not have been asked in the Islamic period not because Islamic scholars were not brilliant enough to produce the questions, but because they already knew the answers.

My talk tonight will aim to clarify some possible misunderstandings of the concept of innovation (bida) in Islam, in light of the prophetic hadith, “Beware of matters newly begun, for every matter newly begun is innovation, every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in hell.”

The sources I use are traditional Islamic sources, and my discussion will centre on three points:

The first point is that scholars say that the above hadith does not refer to all new things without restriction, but only to those which nothing in Sacred Law attests to the validity of. The use of the word “every” in the hadith does not indicate an absolute generalization, for there are many examples of similar generalizations in the Qur’an and sunna that are not applicable without restriction, but rather are qualified by restrictions found in other primary textual evidence.
The second point is that the sunna and way of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) was to accept new acts initiated in Islam that were of the good and did not conflict with established principles of Sacred Law, and to reject things that were otherwise.

And our third and last point is that new matters in Islam may not be rejected merely because they did not exist in the first century, but must be evaluated and judged according to the comprehensive methodology of Sacred Law, by virtue of which it is and remains the final and universal moral code for all peoples until the end of time.

Our first point, that the hadith does not refer to all new things without restriction, but only to those which nothing in Sacred Law attests to the validity of, may at first seem strange, in view of the wording of the hadith, which says, “every matter newly begun is innovation, every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in hell.” Now the word “bida” or “innovation” linguistically means anything new, So our first question must be about the generalizability of the word every in the hadith: does it literally mean that everything new in the world is haram or unlawful? The answer is no. Why?

In answer to this question, we may note that there are many similar generalities in the Qur’an and sunna, all of them admitting of some qualification, such as the word of Allah Most High in Surat al-Najm,

“. . . A man can have nothing, except what he strives for” (Qur’an 53:39),

despite there being an overwhelming amount of evidence that a Muslim benefits from the spiritual works of others, for example, from his fellow Muslims, the prayers of angels for him, the funeral prayer over him, charity given by others in his name, and the supplications of believers for him;

Or consider the words of Allah to unbelievers in Surat al-Anbiya,

“Verily you and what you worship apart from Allah are the fuel of hell” (Qur’an 21:98),

“what you worship” being a general expression, while there is no doubt that Jesus, his mother, and the angels were all worshipped apart from Allah, but are not “the fuel of hell”, so are not what is meant by the verse; Or the word of Allah Most High in Surat al-Anam about past nations who paid no heed to the warners who were sent to them,

“But when they forgot what they had been reminded of, We opened unto them the doors of everything” (Qur’an 6:44), though the doors of mercy were not opened unto them; And the hadith related by Muslim that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “No one who prays before sunrise and before sunset will enter hell”, which is a generalised expression that definitely does not mean what its outward generality implies, for someone who prays the dawn and midafternoon prayers and neglects all other prayers and obligatory works is certainly not meant. It is rather a generalization whose intended referent is particular, or a generalization that is qualified by other texts, for when there are fully authenticated hadiths, it is obligatory to reach an accord between them, because they are in reality as a single hadith, the statements that appear without further qualification being qualified by those that furnish the qualification, that the combined implications of all of them may be utilized.

Let us look for a moment at bida or innovation in the light of the sunna of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) concerning new matters. Sunna and innovation (bida) are two opposed terms in the language of the Lawgiver (Allah bless him and give him peace), such that neither can be defined without reference to the other, meaning that they are opposites, and things are made clear by their opposites. Many writers have sought to define innovation (bida) without defining the sunna, while it is primary, and have thus fallen into inextricable difficulties and conflicts with the primary textual evidence that contradicts their definition of innovation, whereas if they had first defined the sunna, they would have produced a criterion free of shortcomings.

Sunna, in both the language of the Arabs and the Sacred Law, means way, as is illustrated by the words of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), “He who inaugurates a good sunna in Islam [dis: Reliance of the Traveller p58.1(2)] …And he who introduces a bad sunna in Islam…”, sunna meaning way or custom. The way of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) in giving guidance, accepting, and rejecting: this is the sunna. For “good sunna” and “bad sunna” mean a “good way” or “bad way”, and cannot possibly mean anything else. Thus, the meaning of “sunna” is not what most students, let alone ordinary people, understand; namely, that it is the prophetic hadith (as when sunna is contrasted with “Kitab”, i.e. Qur’an, in distinguishing textual sources), or the opposite of the obligatory (as when sunna, i.e. recommended, is contrasted with obligatory in legal contexts), since the former is a technical usage coined by hadith scholars, while the latter is a technical usage coined by legal scholars and specialists in fundamentals of jurisprudence. Both of these are usages of later origin that are not what is meant by sunna here. Rather, the sunna of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is his way of acting, ordering, accepting, and rejecting, and the way of his Rightly Guided Caliphs who followed his way acting, ordering, accepting, and rejecting. So practices that are newly begun must be examined in light of the sunna of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and his way and path in acceptance or rejection.

Now, there are a great number of hadiths, most of them in the rigorously authenticated (sahih) collections, showing that many of the prophetic Companions initiated new acts, forms of invocation (dhikr), supplications (dua), and so on, that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) had never previously done or ordered to be done. Rather, the Companions did them because of their inference and conviction that such acts were of the good that Islam and the Prophet of Islam came with and in general terms urged the like of to be done, in accordance with the word of Allah Most High in Surat al-Hajj,

“And do the good, that haply you may succeed” (Qur’an 22:77),

and the hadith of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), “He who inaugurates a good sunna in Islam earns the reward of it and all who perform it after him without diminishing their own rewards in the slightest.”

Though the original context of the hadith was giving charity, the interpretative principle established by the scholarly consensus (def: Reliance of the Traveller b7) of specialists in fundamentals of Sacred Law is that the point of primary texts lies in the generality of their lexical significance, not the specificity of their historical context, without this implying that just anyone may make provisions in the Sacred Law, for Islam is defined by principles and criteria, such that whatever one initiates as a sunna must be subject to its rules, strictures, and primary textual evidence.

From this investigative point of departure, one may observe that many of the prophetic Companions performed various acts through their own personal reasoning, (ijtihad), and that the sunna and way of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) was both to accept those that were acts of worship and good deeds conformable with what the Sacred Law had established and not in conflict with it; and to reject those which were otherwise. This was his sunna and way, upon which his caliphal successors and Companions proceeded, and from which Islamic scholars (Allah be well pleased with them) have established the rule that any new matter must be judged according to the principles and primary texts of Sacred Law: whatever is attested to by the law as being good is acknowledged as good, and whatever is attested to by the law as being a contravention and bad is rejected as a blameworthy innovation (bida). They sometimes term the former a good innovation (bida hasana) in view of it lexically being termed an innovation , but legally speaking it is not really an innovation but rather an inferable sunna as long as the primary texts of the Sacred Law attest to its being acceptable.

We now turn to the primary textual evidence previously alluded to concerning the acts of the Companions and how the Prophet, (Allah bless him and give him peace) responded to them:

(1) Bukhari and Muslim relate from Abu Hurayra (Allah be well pleased with him) that at the dawn prayer the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said to Bilal, “Bilal, tell me which of your acts in Islam you are most hopeful about, for I have heard the footfall of your sandals in paradise”, and he replied, “I have done nothing I am more hopeful about than the fact that I do not perform ablution at any time of the night or day without praying with that ablution whatever has been destined for me to pray.”

Ibn Hajar Asqalani says in Fath al-Bari that the hadith shows it is permissible to use personal reasoning (ijtihad) in choosing times for acts of worship, for Bilal reached the conclusions he mentioned by his own inference, and the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) confirmed him therein.

Similar to this is the hadith in Bukhari about Khubayb (who asked to pray two rakas before being executed by idolaters in Mecca) who was the first to establish the sunna of two rak’as for those who are steadfast in going to their death. These hadiths are explicit evidence that Bilal and Khubayb used their own personal reasoning (ijtihad) in choosing the times of acts of worship, without any previous command or precedent from the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) other than the general demand to perform the prayer.

(2) Bukhari and Muslim relate that Rifa’a ibn Rafi said, “When we were praying behind the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and he raised his head from bowing and said , “Allah hears whoever praises Him”, a man behind him said, “Our Lord, Yours is the praise, abundantly, wholesomely, and blessedly therein.” When he rose to leave, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) asked “who said it”, and when the man replied that it was he, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “I saw thirty-odd angels each striving to be the one to write it.” Ibn Hajar says in Fath al-Bari that the hadith indicates the permissibility of initiating new expressions of dhikr in the prayer other than the ones related through hadith texts, as long as they do not contradict those conveyed by the hadith [since the above words were a mere enhancement and addendum to the known, sunna dhikr].

(3) Bukhari relates from Aisha (Allah be well pleased with her) that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) dispatched a man at the head of a military expedition who recited the Qur’an for his companions at prayer, finishing each recital with al-Ikhlas (Qur’an 112). When they returned, they mentioned this to the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), who told them, “Ask him why he does this”, and when they asked him, the man replied, “because it describes the All-merciful, and I love to recite it.” The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said to them, “Tell him Allah loves him.” In spite of this, we do not know of any scholar who holds that doing the above is recommended, for the acts the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to do regularly are superior, though his confirming the like of this illustrates his sunna regarding his acceptance of various forms of obedience and acts of worship, and shows he did not consider the like of this to be a reprehensible innovation (bida), as do the bigots who vie with each other to be the first to brand acts as innovation and misguidance. Further, it will be noticed that all the preceding hadiths are about the prayer, which is the most important of bodily acts of worship, and of which the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Pray as you have seen me pray”, despite which he accepted the above examples of personal reasoning because they did not depart from the form defined by the Lawgiver, for every limit must be observed, while there is latitude in everything besides, as long as it is within the general category of being called for by Sacred Law. This is the sunna of the Prophet and his way (Allah bless him and give him peace) and is as clear as can be. Islamic scholars infer from it that every act for which there is evidence in Sacred Law that it is called for and which does not oppose an unequivocal primary text or entail harmful consequences is not included in the category of reprehensible innovation (bida), but rather is of the sunna, even if there should exist something whose performance is superior to it.

(4) Bukhari relates from Abu Said al-Khudri that a band of the Companions of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) departed on one of their journeys, alighting at the encampment of some desert Arabs whom they asked to be their hosts, but who refused to have them as guests. The leader of the encampment was stung by a scorpion, and his followers tried everything to cure him, and when all had failed, one said, “If you would approach the group camped near you, one of them might have something”. So they came to them and said, “O band of men, our leader has been stung and weve tried everything. Do any of you have something for it?” and one of them replied, “Yes, by Allah, I recite healing words [ruqya, def: Reliance of the Traveller w17] over people, but by Allah, we asked you to be our hosts and you refused, so I will not recite anything unless you give us a fee”. They then agreed upon a herd of sheep, so the man went and began spitting and reciting the Fatiha over the victim until he got up and walked as if he were a camel released from its hobble, nothing the matter with him. They paid the agreed upon fee, which some of the Companions wanted to divide up, but the man who had done the reciting told them, “Do not do so until we reach the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and tell him what has happened, to see what he may order us to do”. They came to the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and told him what had occurred, and he said, “How did you know it was of the words which heal? You were right. Divide up the herd and give me a share.”
The hadith is explicit that the Companion had no previous knowledge that reciting the Fatiha to heal (ruqya) was countenanced by Sacred Law, but rather did so because of his own personal reasoning (ijtihad), and since it did not contravene anything that had been legislated, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) confirmed him therein because it was of his sunna and way to accept and confirm what contained good and did not entail harm, even if it did not proceed from the acts of the Prophet himself (Allah bless him and give him peace) as a definitive precedent.

(5) Bukhari relates from Abu Said al-Khudri that one man heard another reciting al-Ikhlas (Qur’an 112) over and over again, so when morning came he went to the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and sarcastically mentioned it to him. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “By Him in whose hand is my soul, it equals one-third of the Qur’an.” Daraqutni recorded another version of this hadith in which the man said, “I have a neighbor who prays at night and does not recite anything but al-Ikhlas.” The hadith shows that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) confirmed the persons restricting himself to this sura while praying at night, despite its not being what the Prophet himself did (Allah bless him and give him peace), for though the Prophets practice of reciting from the whole Qur’an was superior, the mans act was within the general parameters of the sunna and there was nothing blameworthy about it in any case.

(6) Ahmad and Ibn Hibban relates from Abdullah ibn Burayda that his father said, I entered the mosque with the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), where a man was at prayer, supplicating: “O Allah, I ask You by the fact that I testify You are Allah, there is no god but You, the One, the Ultimate, who did not beget and was not begotten, and to whom none is equal”, and the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “By Him in whose hand is my soul, he has asked Allah by His greatest name, which if He is asked by it He gives, and if supplicated He answers”. It is plain that this supplication came spontaneously from the Companion, and since it conformed to what the Sacred Law calls for, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) confirmed it with the highest degree of approbation and acceptance, while it is not known that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) had ever taught it to him (Adilla Ahl al-Sunna wa’al-Jamaa, 119-33).

We are now able to return to the hadith with which I began my talk tonight, in which the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “. . . Beware of matters newly begun, for every innovation is misguidance”. And understand it as expounded by a classic scholar of Islam, Sheikh Muhammad Jurdani, who said: “Beware of matters newly begun”, distance yourselves and be wary of matters newly innovated that did not previously exist”, i.e. things invented in Islam that contravene the Sacred Law, “for every innovation is misguidance” meaning that every innovation is the opposite of the truth, i.e. falsehood, a hadith that has been related elsewhere as: “for every newly begun matter is innovation, every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in hell” meaning that everyone who is misguided, whether through himself or by following another, is in hell, the hadith referring to matters that are not good innovations with a basis in Sacred Law. It has been stated (by Izz ibn Abd al-Salam) that innovations (bida) fall under the five headings of the Sacred Law (n: i.e. the obligatory, unlawful, recommended, offensive, and permissible):

(1) The first category comprises innovations that are obligatory , such as recording the Qur’an and the laws of Islam in writing when it was feared that something might be lost from them; the study of the disciplines of Arabic that are necessary to understand the Qur’an and sunna such as grammar, word declension, and lexicography; hadith classification to distinguish between genuine and spurious prophetic traditions; and the philosophical refutations of arguments advanced by the Mu’tazilites and the like.

(2) The second category is that of unlawful innovations such as non- Islamic taxes and levies, giving positions of authority in Sacred Law to those unfit for them, and devoting ones time to learning the beliefs of heretical sects that contravene the tenets of faith of Ahl al-Sunna.

(3) The third category consists of recommended innovations such as building hostels and schools of Sacred Law, recording the research of Islamic schools of legal thought, writing books on beneficial subjects, extensive research into fundamentals and particular applications of Sacred Law, in-depth studies of Arabic linguistics, the reciting of wirds (def: Reliance of the Traveller w20) by those with a Sufi path, and commemorating the birth (mawlid), of the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) and wearing ones best and rejoicing at it.

(4) The fourth category includes innovations that are offensive, such as embellishing mosques, decorating the Qur’an and having a backup man (muballigh) loudly repeat the spoken Allahu Akbar of the imam when the latter’s voice is already clearly audible to those who are praying behind him.

(5) the fifth category is that of innovations that are permissible, such as sifting flour, using spoons and having more enjoyable food, drink and housing. (al Jawahir al-luluiyya fi sharh al-Arbain al-nawawiyya, 220-21).

I will conclude my remarks tonight with a translation of Sheikh Abdullah al-Ghimari, who said: In his al-Qawaid al-kubra, “Izz ibn Abd al-Salam classifies innovations (bida), according to their benefit, harm, or indifference, into the five categories of rulings: the obligatory, recommended, unlawful, offensive, and permissible; giving examples of each and mentioning the principles of Sacred Law that verify his classification. His words on the subject display his keen insight and comprehensive knowledge of both the principles of jurisprudence and the human advantages and disadvantages in view of which the Lawgiver has established the rulings of Sacred Law.

Because his classification of innovation (bida) was established on a firm basis in Islamic jurisprudence and legal principles, it was confirmed by Imam Nawawi, Ibn Hajar Asqalani, and the vast majority of Islamic scholars, who received his words with acceptance and viewed it obligatory to apply them to the new events and contingencies that occur with the changing times and the peoples who live in them. One may not support the denial of his classification by clinging to the hadith “Every innovation is misguidance”, because the only form of innovation that is without exception misguidance is that concerning tenets of faith, like the innovations of the Mutazilites, Qadarites, Murjiites, and so on, that contradicted the beliefs of the early Muslims. This is the innovation of misguidance because it is harmful and devoid of benefit. As for innovation in works, meaning the occurrence of an act connected with worship or something else that did not exist in the first century of Islam, it must necessarily be judged according to the five categories mentioned by Izz ibn Abd al-Salam. To claim that such innovation is misguidance without further qualification is simply not applicable to it, for new things are among the exigencies brought into being by the passage of time and generations, and nothing that is new lacks a ruling of Allah Most High that is applicable to it, whether explicitly mentioned in primary texts, or inferable from them in some way. The only reason that Islamic law can be valid for every time and place and be the consummate and most perfect of all divine laws is because it comprises general methodological principles and universal criteria, together with the ability its scholars have been endowed with to understand its primary texts, the knowledge of types of analogy and parallelism, and the other excellences that characterize it. Were we to rule that every new act that has come into being after the first century of Islam is an innovation of misguidance without considering whether it entails benefit or harm, it would invalidate a large share of the fundamental bases of Sacred Law as well as those rulings established by analogical reasoning, and would narrow and limit the Sacred Laws vast and comprehensive scope. (Adilla Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jamaa, 145-47).

Wa Jazakum Allahu khayran, wal-hamdu lillahi Rabbil Alamin.

Gaining Taqwa in Ramadan

2007-09-24T20:42:00.000-07:00

Ibn Juzayy said in his dictionary of terms from the introduction to his tafsir:

"Taqwa's meaning is fear, clinging to obedience to Allah and abandoning disobedience to Him. It is the sum of all good."

by Imam Zaid Shakir

The Virtues of Laylatul Qadr

2007-09-24T18:37:00.000-07:00

Allah Ta'ala says in the Quran: "The night of power is better than a thousand months." This means that the reward for engaging in ibaadah in this night is so great that if a person had to engage in ibaadah for a thousand months apart from this night, he will not receive the same reward as that of engaging in ibaadah in this one night.

In explaining the reason for the revelation of this verse, Imam Suyuti rahmatullahi alayh mentions in his book "Lubaabun Nuqool" that once Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam mentioned a person from among the Banu Isra'eel who had waged jihad in the path of Allah Ta'ala for 1000 months. Upon hearing this, the Sahabah were astonished and at the same time they became very despondent on the basis that how will they ever be able to accomplish such a feat. So Allah Ta'ala revealed the following verses:

"Most certainly, We have revealed it (the Quran) in the night of power. And what will give you an understanding of what the night of power is? The night of power is better than a thousand months."

In other words, this night is better than the thousand months which that person had spent in the path of Allah Ta'ala.

It is mentioned in another Hadith that there was a person from the Banu Isra'eel who used to be engaged in the ibaadah of Allah Ta'ala from the evening till the following morning. And from the morning till the evening he used to wage jihad in the path of Allah Ta'ala. He did this continuously for a thousand months. So Allah Ta'ala revealed this verse: "The night of power is better than a thousand months." That is, this night is better than the thousand months which the person had spent in ibaadah and jihad.

Dear brothers and sisters! Value this night and just imagine the great reward one receives for a little effort. Duas are readily accepted on this night. If you cannot remain awake the entire night, then stay awake for a part of the night. Do not deprive yourself completely through sheer laziness.

1. It is mentioned in a Hadith that this month of Ramadaan has dawned upon you. In it is a night which is better than a thousand months. The person who deprives himself of the blessings, obedience and ibaadah of this night has in fact deprived himself of all good. And no one will deprive himself of the blessings of such a night except an extremely bereft person. In other words, the person who does not receive any blessings from such a blessed night by not engaging in any ibaadah in this night is an extremely deprived person for foregoing such a golden opportunity.

2. It is mentioned in a Hadith that if Allah wanted, he would have informed us as to when this night will fall. But because of some wisdom known only to Him, He did not inform us. So search for this night in the last seven nights of Ramadaan. In other words, there is a high possibility of experiencing this night in one of these seven nights. Searching for this night means that we have to remain awake and engage ourselves in ibaadah in these seven nights, perhaps we will be blessed with this night.

3. It is mentioned in a Hadith that laylatul qadr occurs every Ramadaan.

4. It is mentioned in a Hadith that laylatul qadr occurs on the 27th night of Ramadaan.

There are many differences in opinion as to when laylatul qadr occurs. The popular opinion is that it occurs on the 27th night of Ramadaan. However, if a person has the strength and determination to do so, he should engage in ibaadah in the last ten days of Ramadaan. When searching for laylatul qadr in these ten nights, it is not necessary that the person has to see or notice something. Whether he sees something or not, he should continue with his ibaadah and thereby gain all the blessings. This is the object of laylatul qadr, i.e. the person must earn all the blessings and rewards that have been mentioned. To see or notice something is not the aim and objective.

- Author: Moulana Ashraf Thanvi, Book: Behashti Zewar
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IMAN - The Greatest Favor of Allah

2007-09-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

by Shahul Hameed Faizee's Sheikh

All praise is to Allah, who has made us to believe in Him. All praise is to Allah, who has showered His greatest blessings on us by making us the Ummath's (followers) of Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam).

Iman (belief) is accepting Allah, His Prophet Muhammad pbuh and their words without any doubt and being steadfast in it. That we have been blessed with this night (lailathul bara'ath i.e., midnight of shaban) is Allah's great blessing and mercy on us. We have been told by Allah and His Prophet Muhammad pbuh that this night is special. So, we have to have the hurmath (respect) of this night in our heart. Night comes after every day but, this night is not the same as any other night. This night is something special. If we think this night as the same as any other night, then we are not respecting this night, as we have been told by our Lord and His Prophet pbuh. So, do have the hurmath of this night in your kalb (heart). If we respect what we are ordered to respect, we will be respected.

Allah has made some nights special over other nights. This night (lailathul Bara'ath) is one of them. The other nights that are special are Lailathul Kadhr (in Ramzan), Lailathul Ashura (in Dhul Hajj) and the two nights of Eid. On this night (midnight of shaban), Allah allocates the jobs to the angels, for the next one year. Allah has all the matters in His ilm (knowledge). He lets it known to the angels on this night regarding the happenings in this world till the next lailathul bara'ath. Each man's hayath (life), his success, failures, ordeals, victories, rizk (food and other necessities) till the next year are all determined and the job is given to the angels. We spend this night awake and beg Allah that He prolong our life, so that we can become better, a better Muslim, a better slave. It is left to Allah's wish that He changes the destiny. He says in the Quran "ALLAH effaces and establishes what HE wills, and with HIM is the source of all commandments." (Quran 13:40). If He changes something in it, it is not against the Thakdheer (destiny). It is 'iyne thakdeer' (part of destiny). It would be in the thakdeer (destiny) that this person who was to die this year would cry on the night of lailathul bara'ath and Allah will prolong His life, by His mercy.

Whatever Allah does is good for us. We have been asked to spend this night awake and beg Allah for a long life, safety from bala (disaster, misfortune) and a unhindered rizk. So, it is our duty to beg. It is His wish to give.

It is Allah's blessing that we have got this night. Just think if Allah had taken our lives yesterday. We would not have attained the barakas of this night. But, Allah has blessed us with this night so that we could repent to Him for our sins and return to Him as people with good deeds. If we have had a headache or a running fever, we would not be awake and spending the night in Allah's remembrance. So, it is His fazl (grace) that we are here in His remembrance.
We people thank Allah for the money, assets and other worldly things He has provided. But, the greatest of all His ni'math (blessing) is the blessing of Islam. This belief which we have in Allah is His charity and grace. It is not by our talent that we are Muslims. It is by His grace that we are Muslims. In the Quran Allah narrates the incident of some people who came to the Prophet pbuh and said that they have accepted Islam. They thought that they were helping or doing a favor to the prophet pbuh by embracing Islam. But, Allah said that it was His blessing to them. The Quranic verse is self explanatory:"They presume to regard it a favor to you (prophet pbuh) that they have embraced Islam. (Oh! prophet) Say , `Deem not your embracing Islam as a favor unto me. On the contrary, ALLAH has bestowed a favor upon you in that HE has guided you to the true Faith" (Quran 49:18).

So, it is Allah's favor on us. We should be very grateful to Allah for this great favor He has bestowed on us, without ever asking Him. We are unhappy that we don't have what we want. We want money, gold, houses etc. And we have discontent for our lord till our throat. Tell me has He left any of you starving. He has given you all that is sufficient for you. We are not content with what we have. It is our bad habit that we compare us with others. We have gone to the extent that we compare ourselves with the Kafirs (unbelievers). We question, "What Allah has given so much to those who don't believe in Him but is not giving me anything even though I am perfect in my worship?". This is wrong. Please change your thoughts and attitudes. What can any money or asset come equal to this favor of Iman (belief).

This habit of looking at other's wealth is not new. Allah narrates in His Quran, the story of Karoon. When Karoon (Korah)walked in all pomp with the gold and other assets around, some of the followers of Prophet Moosa (Moses) pbuh were desirous of the wealth. Allah narrates in the Quran, "So he (Karoon) went forth before his people in all his pomp. Those who were desirous of the life of this world said, `Would that we had the like of what Karoon has been given ! Truly, he is the master of great fortune.' But those who had been given knowledge said, `Woe unto you, ALLAH's reward is best for those who believe and do good works; and it shall be granted to no one except those who are steadfast.' Then WE (Allah) caused the earth to swallow him (Karoon)up and his dwelling; And he had no party to help him against ALLAH, nor was he of those who can defend themselves. And those who had coveted his position the day before began to say, `Ruin seize thee ! it is indeed ALLAH Who enlarges the provisions for such of HIS servants as HE pleases and straitens it for whom HE pleases. Had not ALLAH been gracious to us, HE would have caused it to swallow us up also. Ah ! the ungrateful never prosper.' (Quran. 28:78-80)
So, From the above verse we understand that people who understand the Iman (belief) as greater than these worldly wealth are the people with true knowledge.

What if Allah had given us the wealth of Karoon and had not given us the wealth of Iman (belief)? It would be the greatest loss to us. We would have faced the same fate of Karoon. In another verse Allah says that had it not been that the Muslims would also turn to disbelief, He would have made the stairs and doors of disbelievers in Silver and gold. The verses: " And were it not that all mankind would have become one type of people, WE would have given to those who disbelieve in the Gracious God roofs of silver for their houses, and silver stairways by which they could ascend; And doors of silver to their houses, and couches of silver, on which they could recline, And even of gold, but all that is nothing but a temporary provision of the present life. And the comfort of the Hereafter with thy Lord is for the righteous. (Quran 43:34-36).

It is infact, to save our belief that Allah has kept the wealth of disbelievers in check. The truth is that we don't understand how big is this ni'math of Belief (iman). There is a riwayath in a book Nashru Theeb by Thanawi RA : Prophet Moosa pbuh, was talking with his Rabb (lord), Allah. At that instance, Allah told the Prophet about a ummath (people) and their superiority. The Prophet Moosa pbuh asked Allah was their anything more special about the ummath. Allah replied, "Heaven (jannath) is prohibited to all other ummath, until they enter." Upon hearing the greatness of the Ummath (people), the Prophet Moosa pbuh asked Allah, "Make me the Prophet of that people". Allah replied, "you have come very much earlier, Moosa pbuh. They are the people of Prophet Muhammad pbuh". On hearing this, prophet Moosa pbuh asked, "Allah, make me a member of that ummath". And Allah replied, "your time is this and you can't become a member of that".

Oh! My friends! Prophet Moosa pbuh was a prophet, One of the great five prophets and had the distinction of talking with Allah, wanted to be a member of this Ummath. He was ready to sacrifice his prophet hood for the sake of becoming a member of this ummath. But, pity that we don't understand this favor of Allah on us. He has made us a member of this ummath without we asking it.

Allah certainly has given us a lot. He knows our needs and He is fulfilling them as much as it is required. Our attitude is to get the whole lot and keep in our custody. If we earn 10,000 per month, we don't keep all the amount at home. We put it in bank. We withdraw the required amount as and when it is required. We don't worry that we don't have money in our hand as it is in the bank. Similarly, all our requirements are with Allah. He will give it to us as and when it is required. It is said that Allah said to Moosa AS, "Did I ask your people to perform the tomorrow's salath today? Then why do they want now that is required to them tomorrow". Allah is true. We have belief in Him. He will give what ever is required for us at the right moment.

If a wife is true to her husband, she wouldn't ask him to give her all the wealth. She asks her husband what ever is required in the hour of need. She has so much belief in her husband, that he will give her whatever she needs. Even if her husband gives her some amount and asks her to keep for emergency purposes, she replies, "it is enough that you are healthy. I will get from you, when it is necessary". Because, she knows that as long as he is alive and healthy, he will take care of her. If a wife is not true, her intention would be to accumulate as much of her husband's wealth as she can, so that she can get rid of him at the earliest. Are we good slaves of Allah or do we want to run away from Him? We are good slaves. We want to be with Him. Then let Him have all the money. He will give it to us when it is required.

The Sahabas (companions of the Prophet pbuh) did not enjoy as we are enjoying today. In the deserts, to safeguard their legs from burning, they used just the torn clothes as their footwears. They had nothing but their hands to give themselves a shadow. But, they were happy that they were Muslims. They understood that it was the greatest blessing. They were ready to sacrifice their wealth and relations, for Iman (belief).

We don't understand the greatness of Iman. Once we die, we will know the real worth of Iman. When we see in our eyes the punishment given to the disbelievers, we will know what Allah has bestowed on us. In the hell, apart from the disbelievers, there would also be some Muslims for the sins they have committed. (Islam saves a person only from eternal hell fire. If Allah wishes, some will be put in hell fire for his sins for some years. Then they will be taken out and allowed in heaven). On seeing them, the disbelievers would say in satire, "You people said that Islam would save you from hell fire. But, you are also with us, inspite of your belief in Allah". On hearing this, Allah would say, "what, those who believed in me and those who didn't are equal?" and take all those who had believed in Him from hell and put them in heaven. On seeing this, the disbelievers would say, "Oh! shouldn't we also have become Muslims". Has not Allah saved you from that disenchantment and disillusionment on the day when nothing else could save you but belief in Allah?

Allah says that if we are grateful to Him for His favor, He will increase it for us (Quran 14:8). We are grateful to Allah for the worldly things He has given us and He is certainly increasing it. But, if we are grateful to Him for the "Iman " He has bestowed on us, He will increase our Iman. What else we want. So, on this day cultivate the happiness that Allah has given you "Iman", the greatest of favors. Be happy that He has given you Iman. If anything in this world saddens you, tell yourself that you have Iman in the Lord of the worlds and drive away the sorrow. Be grateful to your lord for giving you the invaluable Iman.

May Allah make our heart grateful to Him.

In the Footsteps of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)

2007-09-12T21:45:00.000-07:00

Much of the criticisms and opposition to Islam stems from the lack of knowledge of Islam among Muslims. The Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) has taught us Islam and how to live by it. More and more Muslims are not following the way the Prophet (p.b.u.h) taught us. Day by day, year after year, Muslims are being influenced by their environments, people around them and are losing their patience.

Listen to Brother Hamza Yusuf as he talks about living in the footsteps of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h). Only 3 minutes video.

May Allah (s.w.t) Guide us on the path of Islam. Ameen.

Misconception: Islam tolerates the killing of innocents

2007-05-02T01:50:00.000-07:00

Islam tolerates the killing of innocents because:

1. Muslims can be terrorists

2. Muslims engage in `holy wars' (jihad)

3. Islam spread by the sword

4. it has a harsh and cruel judicial system

This misconception is one of the most widely held misconceptions about Islam today. And yet in the Qur'an, the Creator unambiguously states (translation),

[17:33] Nor take life - which Allah has made sacred - except for just cause. And if anyone is slain wrongfully, we have given his heir authority (to demand retaliation or to forgive): but let him not exceed bounds in the matter of taking life, for he is helped (by the Law)

Based on this verse, it is Islamically unlawful to murder anyone who is innocent of certain crimes. It is well to remember at this point the distinction made above between Qur'an and Sunnah, and the Muslims: only the Qur'an and Sunnah are guaranteed to be in accordance with what the Creator desires, whereas the Muslims may possibly deviate. Hence, if any Muslim kills an innocent person, that Muslim has committed a grave sin, and certainly the action cannot be claimed to have been done "in the name of Islam."

It should be clear, then, that "Muslim terrorist" is almost an oxymoron: by killing innocent people, a Muslim is commiting an awesome sin, and Allah is Justice personified. This phrase is offensive and demeaning of Islam, and it should be avoided. It is hoped that as the general level of public awareness and understanding of Islam increases, people will keep "terrorism" and "Islam" separate from each other, not to be used in the same phrase.

Another reason advanced in support of the misconception is that the Creator has imposed `jihad' on us. The term "holy war" is from the time of the Crusades and originated in Europe as a rallying cry against the Muslims in Jerusalem. Jihad is an Arabic word meaning struggle, but in the context of many verses in the Qur'an, it carries the meaning of military struggle, or war. Allah gradually introduced the obligation of military struggle to the Muslim community at the time of the Messenger (saas). The first verse ever revealed in that connection is as follows (translation),

[22:39] Permission (to fight) is given to those upon whom war is made because they are oppressed, and most surely Allah is well able to assist them;

This verse lays down the precondition for all war in Islam: there must exist certain oppressive conditions on the people. The Creator unequivocally orders us to fight oppression and persecution, even at the expense of bloodshed as the following verse shows (translation),

[2:190-192] And fight in the cause of Allah with those who fight with you, and do not exceed the limits, surely Allah does not love those who exceed the limits. And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from where they drove you out, and persecution is severer than slaughter, and do not fight with them at the Sacred Mosque (in Makkah) until they fight with you in it, but if they do fight you, then slay them; such is the reward of the unbelievers. But if they desist, then surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. And fight with them until there is no persecution, and religion should be only for Allah, but if they desist, then there should be no hostility except against the oppressors.

As one might imagine, the method of military struggle has been clearly and extensively defined in the Qur'an and Sunnah. Since this subject is a huge one, we simply summarize part of it by noting that it is unlawful to kill women, children, the infirm, the old, and the innocent. From the Sunnah, specifically in the study of the Sunnah called Sahih Bukhari, we find:

[4:52:257] Narrated 'Abdullah: During some of the Ghazawat of the Prophet a woman was found killed. Allah's Apostle disapproved the killing of women and children.

A related misconception to jihad is often propagated by Muslims who say that "Jihad is only for self-defense of physical borders." The Qur'an and Sunnah refute this notion categorically. As the verses cited above show, jihad is obligatory wherever there is injustice, and Muslims need not acknowledge imaginary lines around the earth when it comes to upholding this obligation. The Messenger of Allah (saas) has also commented on this extensively in the Sunnah. From the study of the Sunnah called Sahih Bukhari, we find that,

[4:52:65] Narrated Abu Musa: A man came to the Prophet and asked, "A man fights for war booty; another fights for fame and a third fights for showing off; which of them fights in Allah's Cause?" The Prophet said, "He who fights that Allah's Word (i.e. Islam) should be superior, fights in Allah's Cause."

Hence, the Creator obligates us to fight wherever people are being grossly deprived of freely hearing or practicing the Message of Allah as contained in the Qur'an and Sunnah. Sayyed Qutb, a famous Muslim scholar eloquently discusses the notion of jihad and self-defense in his book Milestones,

"If we insist on calling Islamic jihad a defensive movement, then we must change the meaning of the word `defense' and mean by it `defense of man' against all those elements which limit his freedom. These elements take the form of beliefs and concepts, as well as of political systems, based on economic, racial, or class distinction."

A third reason often cited for the misconception about Islam which says that this way of life tolerates the killing of innocents is that the judicial system of Islam is unnecessarily harsh. This reason is weak in two respects. First, it presupposes that human beings are more just and more merciful than the Creator, and therefore we can change the law. Second, it is often based on gross oversimplifications of Islamic law, such as saying "all thieves get their hands cut off."

The Qur'an and Sunnah make it clear that the law of retaliation (or equality) governs us for murder and physical injury, but forgiveness is better as the following verses from the Qur'an show (translation),

[2:178] O you who believe! the law of equality is prescribed to you in cases of murder: the free for the free, the slave for the slave, the woman for the woman. But if any remission is made by the brother of the slain, then prosecution (for the bloodwit) should be made according to usage, and payment should be made to him in a good manner; this is an alleviation from your Lord and a mercy; so whoever exceeds the limit after this he shall have a painful chastisement.

[42:40-43] The recompense for an injury is an injury equal thereto (in degree): but if a person forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah: for (Allah) loves not those who do wrong. But indeed if any do help and defend themselves after a wrong (done) to them, against such there is no cause of blame. The blame is only against those who oppress men and insolently transgress beyond bounds through the land, defying right and justice: for such there will be a grievous penalty. And whoever is patient and forgiving, these most surely are actions due to courage.

The Creator ordained the law of retaliation on us knowing full well that we might question it. In many non-Muslim societies today, there are ongoing debates about the death penalty. In Islam, this discussion is moot: the Creator has decided the matter for us. He has however given us an interesting verse in the Qur'an which advises to consider the matter carefully if we want to understand it (translation follows),

[2:179] And there is life for you in (the law of) retaliation, O people of understanding, that you may guard yourselves.

Most people are also unaware of the stringent conditions which must be met for the law of retaliation to be applicable. The Sunnah is full of examples of the Messenger of Allah showing us when the law's preconditions were fulfilled. For example, a thief is only liable to lose his or her hand if the item stolen exceeds a certain value, and if it is proven that the item was taken from its normal resting place. Stealing food is not punishable by the loss of one's hand, and other items are exempt as well. This is just an example of how gingerly the law is applied in Islam.

Finally, another reason advanced for this prevalent misconception is that Islam `spread by the sword'. It should be clear by now that we must always distinguish between the Qur'an and Sunnah and the Muslims when it comes to determining what the Creator has asked of us. Allah has stated clearly in the Qur'an (translation),

[2:256] There is no compulsion in religion; truly the right way has become clearly distinct from error; therefore, whoever rejects Satan (and what he calls to) and believes in Allah, he indeed has laid hold on the firmest handhold, which shall not break off, and Allah is Hearing, Knowing.

Hence, it is impossible to accept Islam under duress. Even if misguided Muslims were to try to `force' Islam somehow on others, it would not be accepted by the Creator based on this verse.

Historical arguments that try to demonstrate that Muslims did not `convert others by force' are actually secondary to the argument given above. However, it is worth noting that historically, Islam did spread by peaceful means. The Message of the Creator was conveyed to Africa and to southeast Asia by trading Muslims, and today the largest Muslim country in the world is Indonesia. The military expeditions that led to the conquest of large swathes of territory in Europe and central Asia were all marked by tolerance of other creeds and faith.

Again, it is important to remember that Allah declares it IMPOSSIBLE that Islam can be forced on a person, hence Muslims find it useless to try!

The issue of women leading salat is one of social norms or religious law?

2007-03-14T23:52:00.000-07:00

The Hadith of Umm Waraqa – used by some to justify women leading prayers:

Response by: Sister Hina Azam, an incoming Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Her specialty is Islamic law.

Because the arguments in favor of women leading jumu'ah, and mixed congregations generally, is being made using traditional sources and methodology, let me explain why I think their argument is flawed.

1. Salat al-jumu'ah and the requirements of the imamah are issues of worship ('ibadat), and thus should not be modified.

Some might ask, is the issue of women leading salat one of social norms or religious law?

Answer: In a nutshell, the laws of Islam have been divided by the scholars into two broad categories, those that have to do with the rights of God, and those that have to do with the rights of human beings. Certain acts are purely in fulfillment of one, and some the other, and some fulfill both. Prayer, as one of the 'ibadat (forms of worship) has been considered to be almost purely in the category of rights of God. This is in distinction to social, economic and political activities, which are seen as having to do with the rights of human beings.

The jurists gave human interpretation very little scope in modifying the rules regarding the forms of worship. They reasoned as follows: The elements of salat Û its physical format, the formulae read within it, the specifics of the surahs that may be read, the rules regarding special types of salat (such as jumu'ah, eid, janaza), the rules regarding what constitutes tahara (ritual purification), the number of raka'at in each type, the times of day, the alignment of men and women, the khutab Û all of these were established during the life of the Prophet under divine guidance. We simply do not know the reasons for their form. Furthermore, because salat is so critical to proper practice of Islam, it is not an area that one may tamper with.

Thus, the scholars operated according to the principle that the rule (asl) in social laws (mu'amalat) is permissibility (ibahah), and the rule in religious observance ('ibadat) is prohibition (tahrim). In ordinary language, this means that in the area of ordinary life (social and individual), we may assume that a lack of evidences (dala'il) regarding an activity indicates that we can do it. In the area of the ibadat, however, we are to take the opposite approach: Unless there is a dala'il indicating that something is permissible, we are to assume it is prohibited. It is a very conservative approach to the ibadat, undoubtedly, and I believe for good reason.

The consensus among the scholars on the issue of leadership of salat (imamah), both in terms of leading the actual salat and of delivering the khutba, falls under the laws of 'ibadah, and is not simply a question of social norm. We submit to the form of the salat that the Prophet did, and pray as he did. Just as we cannot decide that the ritual aspect is old-fashioned and we now want to pray sitting in pews, we cannot modify the rules of imamah. A hard pill to swallow for some, perhaps, but the goal is jannah, in the end.

2. Women leading mixed congregations in fard salat does not constitute a grave need, for which ordinary rules of salat and imamah may be set aside.

According to the traditional methodology, the selection of a weaker hukm over a stronger hukm can only be done when there is a dire social or individual need, or a threat of injustice or loss of life. For example, when Umar b. al-Khattab suspended the law of cutting off the hand for theft in a period of hunger, that was a dire need. When one is permitted to consume alcohol or pork when on the verge of death, that is a dire need.

Women leading salat simply does not qualify as a dire need, either individually or socially. Nor does a woman delivering the khutba (which is part of the salat). Nor does bringing the women up to the front or having a mixed congregation. Furthermore, non-engagement in any of these actions does not result in a loss of life or well-being, intellect, property, lineage, or religion. Non-engagement does not constitute injustice. On the level of necessity, then, this proposed hukm does not pass the muster.

This is not to say that there are not grave problems concerning gender equity in our community. Women in the Muslim community generally, and in the mosque in particular, are seen as being "good Muslims" when they are most silent, most unobtrusive, most compliant with male-driven policies. Walls and curtains, crowded and substandard prayer areas, prohibitions from entering the "main" area or going through the "main" door, lack of comfortable and direct access to imams/scholars, gender separation of couples and families upon entrance into the mosque Û all of these contribute to a feeling of alienation among Muslim women. All of these problems, however, should be rectified without violating the sanctity of our 'ibadat.

3. Tarawih and leading one's slaves and kin is fundamentally distinct from jumu'ah, and the rules from one cannot be translated to the other.

Although the majority of scholars said that women cannot ever lead men in jama'ah (congregation) for any prayer, there were a few (such as al-Tabari, al-Muzani, Abu Thawr and Ibn Taymiyya) who made exceptions. The exceptions were based not on any one hadith, such as that of Umm Waraqa, but on all the textual and rational evidences taken together. These exceptions were of two sorts:

1) That a woman may lead salat al-tarawih if there is no male who has memorized the Qur'an, as long as segregation and the rows are maintained, and

2) That a woman may lead her own male kin (her husband, her children, her slaves) in her own household, if she is the most knowledgeable of them.

Each of these exceptions has its particular logic, a logic that cannot be extended to Friday prayer within the existing interpretive methodology.

Tarawih is distinct from jumu'ah in several key respects: Tarawih is a nafl salat, while jumu'ah is a fard salat. Tarawih is ideally offered in one's own home, while jumu'ah is the most public of congregations. Tarawih becomes the grounds for an exception, according to the Hanbali jurists, because of the importance of reciting and hearing Qur'an during the month of Ramadan. So important is it, they reasoned, that if a woman were the only one who had memorized or could read and recite Qur'an, it warranted an exception to the rule of male-led salat. It is very difficult to argue that in an entire locality, there is no man who is capable of leading jumu'ah, while for the much smaller tarawih, it is more likely that a woman may be the one who has memorized most Qur'an.

Leading salat al-fard in one's own household is distinct from jumu'ah in several key respects, which all stem from the fact that in one's own home, the assumption is that one is leading maharim (blood-relatives) only, while the assumption is that in jumu'ah, one is leading mostly ghayr maharim (strangers). The rules for relationship between maharim are well-known: A woman need not cover herself or be as concerned for modesty around her husband, parents, siblings, children. She can touch them, relax, etc.

In short, the jurists who were open to women's imamah still limited their exceptions to tarawih and household salat. They took the hadith of Umm Waraqa seriously, but did not run with it to the point of trampling all the other dala'il, as does the progressive approach to this issue.

4. The hadith of Umm Waraqa does not provide a sufficiently persuasive basis for women leading mixed congregations in salat al-jumu'a.

At most, one might reasonable argue that a woman can lead her own household, as have a minority of jurists. The progressives' argument on the general permissibility of women's imamah hinges in part on the idea that in the hadith of Umm Waraqa, "dar" means area or locality. While this is one of the possible meanings of "dar," it is highly unlikely in this context. For example, no one ever suggests that when the early Muslims prayed at the "dar" of al-Arqam, they were praying in al-Arqam's locality rather than within the confines of his private residence. Perhaps the strongest evidence that "dar" literally means her home is the fact that there are multiple variants of this hadith. While in Tabaqat Ibn Sa'd, the word used is "dar," the version given by Abu Dawud in his Sunan uses the word "bayt," which not only means "home" but even "room within a home."

Nevin Reda's argument (on the MWU site) is particularly inconsistent on the meaning of "dar" in Umm Waraqa's hadith. On one hand, she says that "dar" likely means "area," and that Umm Waraqa was thus designated to be imam of her locality. On the other hand, she says that "dar" means "home," and that Umm Waraqa's home functioned as the jami' masjid of her area. Both readings are speculative, and cannot be used as a basis upon which to construct a general permissibility of women's imamah, especially when there are no other supporting texts for that idea, and when there are several texts indicating that in all other known circumstances, men served as imams over other men.

In the same way, the argument that Umm Waraqa's congregation must have included more than just her 2 slaves and perhaps the elderly man who served as her muezzin can hardly pass as strong evidence for women leading jumu'ah or mixed jama'ah. Likewise, the contention that there must have been more than 3-4 people in order for there to have been a designated muezzin is not strong. There can be a muezzin even for such a small group, and most jurists held that even a lone man doing salat should call adhan for himself. Numbers have nothing to do with the need for a muezzin.

In general, the arguments that are given in support of the upcoming female-led jumu'ah, in combination with the extent of the modifications being made to traditional laws of salat, reflect an ends-justify-the-means approach. It appears that it has already been decided that it is permissible for women to lead a mixed congregation in jumu'ah. Any textual or rational indicants that these rulings might be invalid are conveniently rejected. At the same time, texts that are seen as supporting the pre-determined ruling are championed in a way that is highly selective and methodologically inconsistent.

For the complete article: http://www.altmuslim.com/perm.php?id=1416_0_25_0_C24

Response by Imam Zaid Shakir

Summary and Rulings

Based on the hadith of Umm Waraqa, its possible interpretations, and the other ahadith that mention women leading the prayer during the prophetic epoch, the Sunni jurists have deduced the following rulings:

1. The Shafi’i and Hanbali schools allow for a woman to lead other women in prayer without any restrictions. She can lead such prayers in the mosque or other places. The Hanafis permit a woman to lead other women in prayer. However, they hold it to be disliked. All three of these schools stipulate that the woman leading the prayer should stand in the middle of the front row, without being in front of the women praying along with her. This is based on the description of the prayer led by ‘Aisha and Umm Salama. The Malikis hold that a woman cannot lead other women in the prayer.

2. Of the three Sunni schools that hold it permissible for a woman to lead other women in prayer, none of them hold it permissible to lead men. Although there is a minority opinion in the Hanbali school which permits a woman to lead men in Tarawih, if certain conditions prevail, providing she stands behind them.

3. Imam an-Nawawi mentions the following ruling in the Majmu’, “If a woman leads a man or men in prayer, the prayer of the men is invalid. As for her prayer, and the prayer of the women praying with her, it is sound.” As for Jumu’ah, he mentions the following, “…if a woman leads men in the Jumu’ah prayer, there are two rulings [concerning her prayer]. They have been mentioned by al-Qadi Abu Tayyib in his Ta’liq, the preponderant opinion is that her prayer is invalid, the second is that it is lawfully begun as the noon prayer.”

4. Some modern scholars hold it permissible for a woman to lead men in prayer within the confines of her house, if there are no men qualified to lead the prayer.

For the complete article: http://www.pmuna.org/archives/female_imam-3.pdf

Meditation of the Prophet (Qisas.com)

2007-02-12T19:22:00.001-08:00

Meditation of the Prophet (Qisas.com)

When becoming humiliated, remember the Prophet in Ta’if.

When being starved, remember the Prophet tying two stones to his stomach in the battle of Khandaq.

When becoming angry, remember the Prophet’s control of anger on the martyrdom of his beloved Uncle Hamza.

When losing a tooth, remember the Prophet’s tooth in the battle of Uhud.

When bleeding from any part of the body, remember the Prophet’s body covered in blood on his return from Ta’if.

When feeling lonely, remember the Prophet’s seclusion in Mount Hira .

When feeling tired in Salaat, remember the Prophet’s blessed feet in Tahajjud.

When being prickled with thorns, remember the Prophet’s pain from Abu Lahab’s wife.

When being troubled by neighbours, remember the old woman who would empty rubbish on the Prophet.

When losing a child, remember the Prophet’s son, Ibrahim.

When beginning a long journey, remember the Prophet’s long journey to Madinah.

When going against a Sunnah, remember the Prophet’s intercession, (Ummati, Ummati, Ummati) (My Ummah).

When sacrificing an animal, remember the Prophet’s sacrifice of 63 animals for his Ummah.

Before shaving your beard, remember the Prophet’s face rejecting the two beardless Iranians.

When falling into an argument with your wife, remember the Prophet’s encounter with Aisha and Hafsa.

When experiencing less food in the house, remember the Prophet’s days of poverty.

When experiencing poverty, remember the Prophet’s advice to Ashaab-e-Suffa (People of Suffa).

When losing a family member, remember the Prophet’s departure from this world.

When becoming an orphan, remember the Prophet’s age at six.

When sponsoring an orphan, remember the Prophet’s sponsor for Zaid ibn Haritha.

When fearing an enemy, remember the Prophet’s saying to Abu Bakr in Mount Thour .

Whatever situation you may find yourself in, remember your role model, the best of creation: Prophet Muhammad.

Whatever you may do, remember that your deeds are presented before our Prophet. Are we pleasing him or displeasing him?

"The end justifies the means" is not the maxim of the Shari'ah

2007-01-22T08:11:00.000-08:00

If someone accumulates wealth through usury, forgery, gambling, prohibited games, or in any other haram manner in order to build a mosque, establish a charitable foundation, or to do any other good work, the guilt of having done what is haram will not be lifted from because of the goodness of his objective; in Islam good aims and intentions have no effect in lessening the sinfulness of what is haram. This is what the Prophet (peace be on him) taught us when he said:

Allah is good and does not accept anytbut good, and Allah has commanded the Believers, as He commanded His messengers, saying 'O you messengers! Eat of whatever is good and work righteousness. Indeed, I am aware of what you do.' (The Qur'an 35:31.)

He also said,
'O you who believe! Eat of the good things which We provide for you.' (2:172.)

The Prophet (peace be on him) then said,

A man travels far, unkempt and dust-stained (for hajj, umrah, or the like), raising his hands to the sky (and saying), 'O Lord! O Lord!' while eating what was haram, drinking what was haram, wearing what was haram, and nourishing himself through haram means. How then could his prayers be accepted? (Reported by Muslim and al-Tirmidhi on the authority of Abu Hurairah.)

He also said:

'If anyone amasses wealth through haram means and then gives charity from it, there is no regard for him and the burden of sin remains.' (Reported by Ibn Khazimah, Ibn Hibban, and al-Hakim on the authority of Abu Hurairah)

Again he said:

'If a person earns property through haram means and then gives charity, it will not be accepted (by Allah); if he spends it there will be no blessing on it; and if he leaves it behind (at his death) it will be his provision in the Fire. Indeed, Allah Ta'ala does not obliterate one bad deed by another bad deed, but He cancels out a bad deed by a good deed. An unclean thing does not wipe away another unclean thing.' (Reported by Ahmad and others on the authority of Ibn Mas'ood.)

Fasting is a universal institution

2007-01-22T05:09:00.000-08:00

Fasting is a universal institution. It is one of the five fundamental articles upon which Islam stands. It is a universal institution in as much as all the religions of the world and all the great religious personalities adopted fasting as the principal method of controlling and killing passions. The Celts, the Romans, the Babylonians and the Assyrians practised it. The philosophers, either Cynic, Stoic, Pythagorean or Neoplantonic left advice for fast. The followers of Hinduism, Jainism, Confucius and Zoroaster practised it. The Jews observe an annual fast on the Day of Atonement in commemoration of the descent of Moses from Sinai. The Prophet Moses qualified himself to receive revelation from God after forty days of fasting. Jesus fasted for forty days in the desert and commanded his followers to fast (Matthew 4:16). Therefore, the institution of fasting is universal and existed in some form or other until it fell into disuse owing to want of method, regularity and time. That there was fasting previously is supported by the following verse:

"Fasting was prescribed for those who were before you…" (2:183 Quran)

Fasting gained perfection in Islam. The injunction about fasting was revealed in 2AH in Islam. It gave the institution of fasting a finishing touch and introduced therein method, regularity, and meaning which go together to make it perfect and ever-living. Fasting will not die a natural death in Islam. Like prayer, the institution of fasting is kept alive as it is observed every year in the world of Islam and forms the regulating principle of their lives. Fasting was previously resorted to as a sign of grief of mourning or for commemoration of a great event. The underlying idea was to propitiate an angry god. Islam abolished this pantheistic idea and introduced a highly developed significance.

"The object is that you may guard against evil…" (2:183 Quran)

In other words the chief objective of fasting is to generate power in man which can control unruly passion just as a beast is brought under control by keeping it occasionally hungry and then by giving it food. The same principle has been expressed by the following tradition of The Holy Prophet :

"Who is not able (to marry) keep fast, and verily it is (as it were) castration for him" (Nasai)

Thus fasting has been introduced as it kills the animal propensities in a man. Secondly, in Islamic fasting, there is nothing to be eaten or drunk from the early dawn till the setting of the sun. If anything, say even water is taken, it produces no appreciable effect on the mind as a result of hunger. It is then a misnomer of fasting. Thirdly, in order to put an effective check on passion, even intercourse with one’s wife in the hours of fasting has been prohibited. In other religions, this has not been so prohibited and therefore there has been no effective check on passions. Fourthly, fasting is methodical in Islam as in every Month of Ramadhaan, the young and the old, the rich and the poor, the literate and the illiterate, all have to fast with the same spirit of common fatherhood of God and universal brotherhood of man; while in other religions, it is not so. Islam has not forgotten to reserve provisions for optional fasting at the choice of every Muslim. It has therefore kept the door of voluntary fasting open to all. Because of the want of any provision for compulsion, fasting in other religions is practically dead. Islam saved this institution by making it obligatory. This seasonal fasting is natural as the world also undergoes such a fasting in particular season of the year. From Falgun to Baisakh in India, the earth is dried up by God, but He gives it food after that period. Thus, the drying up of the body is also required for some particular time of the year. For these reasons, fasting has reached perfection in Islam.

Three things are indispensible for a believer in all conditions of life

2006-12-29T21:01:00.000-08:00

Three things are indispensible for a believer in all conditions of life:

1. he should keep the commandments of Allah;

2. he should abstain from the haraam; and

3. he should be pleased with the decree of Providence.

Thus the least that is expected of a believer is that he should not be without these three things. So it is meant that he should make up his mind for this and talk to himself about this and keep his organs engaged in this.

First Discourse
Futuh Al-Ghaib (Revelations of the Unseen)
by Shaykh Mohiyudeen Abdul Qadir Jilani (rah)

Parents' rights in Islam

2006-12-25T22:41:00.000-08:00

Allah has ordered us not only to pray for our parents, but to treat them with ultimate compassion, remembering that when we were helpless children they preferred us to themselves.When they reach old age, Muslim parents are treated mercifully, with even more kindness than they were ever. Mothers are particularly honored; Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said that 'Paradise lies at the feet of mothers'.

Allah says in the Qur'an says, in Surrah Bani Isra'il:

"Your Lord (The Creator) has ordained that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to the parents."

Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said that the parents of a person are his Heaven or Hell. Which shows that if a person obeys his parents and fulfills their needs and comforts and keeps them happy, he will enter Paradise. But if he is rude and disobedient to them and offends them by ignoring their feelings or by causing them grief, his place shall be in Hell.

Pleasing the parents causes Allah's pleasure.

Even if one's parents are polytheists, and they want him to follow them, he should refuse, yet continue to be kind and respectful to them.Asma' bint Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with her) relates that her mother had come to the Madinah to meet her. Her mother followed the Pagan customs and beliefs. So Asma' asked Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) how should she treat her mother, as she was a Pagan, and should she treat her like a daughter should treat her mother, and show kindness to her. The Prophet (PBUH) told her to be kind and considerate and to treat her with all kindness and respect.Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said that serving one's parents well is an act of great virtue, he condemned disobeying them and harming them, and described such acts as the most serious and detestable sin.

When asked about the major sins, Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) replied." To associate another god with Allah, to disobey the parents, to kill unlawfully and to give false testimony."

The above-mentioned acts have been condemned as 'Akbarul-Kabaair' i.e. the most serious of the major sins. The order, in which Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) mentioned them shows that the disregard of parents' rights is next, only, to Polytheism (Shirk) and it is even more serious than murder.

Anyone who seeks Allah's satisfaction has to make sure that his parents are happy with him, not angry with him. Keeping the parents well pleased is essential since their anger and displeasure will lead to Allah's anger and displeasure.

Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said:

"In the good pleasure of the father lies the good pleasure of the Creator and in his displeasure, lies the displeasure of the Creator."

Although the mother was not mentioned in this (Hadith), or quote by Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), in many other Hadith's, the Prophet (PBUH) has highlighted the right of the mother and stressed the importance of treating her kindly and attaining her satisfaction.

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be please with him) narrates that a person asked Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) "Who has the greatest claim on me with regard to service and kind treatment?" The Prophet replied, "Your mother, and again your mother, and once again your mother. After her, is your father, then that of your near relations and then of the relations next to them.

Allah says in the Qur'an:

"We have enjoined on mankind, that he be kind to his parents: in pain did his mother bear him and in pain did she give him birth. The carrying of the (child) to his weaning is (a period of) thirty months. At length when he reaches the age of full strength and attains forty years he says 'O my Lord! grant me that I may be grateful for Your Blessing which You have bestowed upon me and upon both my parents and that I may do righteousness as may please You; and make my offspring righteous. Truly I repent to You, and I am of the Muslims" (46.15)

Allah also says:

"Your Lord has commanded that you worship none but Him, and be kind to parents. If either or both of them reach old age with you, do not say 'uff' to them or chide them, but speak to them in terms of honor and kindness. Treat them with humility, and say, 'My Lord! Have mercy on them, for they did care for me when I was little." (17.23-4)

Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said:

"If anyone possesses these three characteristics Allah will give him an easy death and bring him into His Paradise: gentleness towards the weak, affection towards parents, and kindness to slaves."

A man once asked Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), "Shall I participate in war (Jihad)?" The Prophet asked, 'Are your parents alive?' The man said, "Yes." the Prophet (PBUH) said: 'Do Jihad for their benefit.' (Serving one's parents is equal in honor to fighting against an enemy of Islam.

Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) also said:

"He who casts up the favors he has done, he who is disobedient to parents and he who is addicted to wine will not enter Paradise."

A Topic of Dispute in Islam: Music

2006-12-23T07:27:00.000-08:00

Mustafa Sabri

Beyan-ul-Haq, issue: 63, year: 2, vol: 3, 1910 (A journal which used to be issued by the Islamic Scholars Society)

Mustafa Sabri was one of the top Ottoman scholars in the 20th century. He served as a shaikhulislam (Highest religious authority) in the Ottoman State. He died in 1954 in Egypt.

This translation was prepared by Muaz Özyigit. This article appeared in our printed magazine in Turkish.

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If the head of the family is fond of tambourine,It is no wonder why the whole family dances! [1]

Whether it is through natural/physiological means or instruments, or tunes, depending on the kind or the different ways, music may be forbidden or disliked or even allowed according to some Islamic religious edicts. However, it is also known that Islam avoids absolutely accepting or remaining indifferent to the issue of music. It is this latter fact, ie, a sort of position by Islam, of cautioning by not allowing music, or encouraging it without reservation. It is this position whose reason or essence we will be discussing.

It would not do justice at all to compare this position of reservation by Islam with heartsick people who are unable to appreciate the joyful effect of music which is considered by those who are fond of pleasures, as of great spiritual value. Perhaps Islam does not see right to remain indifferent to music because it knows how delightful music is to our nature and how strong it is on our feelings. Our religion has an exceptionally good view in any case, in discovering the hidden dangers which might be inherent in the sweetest and most pleasurable things. Indeed, a heavenly religion should lead to the truths which are unattainable by man himself, as this is expected in the guiding nature of the religion.

Firstly, music is a useless activity which in fact, is a state of passiveness. As we will explain in another article about gambling, the fact that such an inactivity, which is inherent in those so called professions, did not escape the attention of our religion.

Secondly, the benefit and pleasure taken from music involves a meaning of deep slavery in passion. Since Islam is the only enemy of passiveness and slavery in passion, an important duty of Islam is to search their traces in unexpected hide-outs.

Although it might be difficult for some to realize the fact that music has a sense of passiveness, those with a subtle mind would not hesitate to accept it, as it is not possible to imagine another worldly benefit of music. As for this world, it is useless as in the idiom of "no good for stomach"[2]. One should not ask hastily: how could this be claimed while there are many singers, instrument players in the West, for example, making a living or even a fortune? To make a living would not be proper unless it is done in a way which does not harm human dignity since it would not be at ease with conscience otherwise.

(One may think) that we are roaming from one bizarre opinion to another: Where on earth is the harm to human dignity in this? Again, one should not be hasty. The acts of pure entertainment are considered low-level professions in the eyes of unpolluted human nature. You should not take seriously the applause and respect and perhaps requests given to the famous of these kinds of artists. Those who pay respects and make requests do not mind doing so, since they do it, in a way, taking away a crumb of honour from the artist, by hiding this loss from him. Likewise, a lot of respect is usually paid to some ladies in order to take sexual advantage of them.

From such an entertainment point of view, it shows a quite bizarre mentality of some parents who are proud of having taught their daughters how to play an instrument. It is also bizarre to see some people wishing to marry a girl with musical training, in an attempt to imitate Western civilization which, they think, gives the utmost importance to the respect of woman. It might be said that being able to play an instrument is not a shame for a woman as it is her natural duty to make her husband happy with her company. However, such an objection is not valid because happiness and enjoying each other's company in a marriage is a mutual benefit. Then, one can imagine how bizarre and ridiculous it would be for a man to say he is lacking the qualities for marriage just because he does not know how to play an instrument!

Compared to singers and instrument players, although composers look, to some extent, free of the hidden disgrace explained above, the art of composing could not get rid of the pros and cons of singing or playing as they depend on each other. Also, while the waves of pride and dignity rise in teaching knowledge, as opposed to an atmosphere of of frivolity spreading from the classes of composers. Of course, we all appreciate the meaning of "playing music after forty years of age" [3] That is why it would be quite offensive to ask a man of high rank in a government to sing a song no matter how good it is as it would be an affront to his dignity. As opposed to this, teaching knowledge regardless of rank is considered a means of increasing honour and pride.

An attempt to cover up the problem above, by claiming that a composer can concentrate on teaching music without having to put himself in a frivolous and disgraceful position by shouting or singing before students would, in fact, mean to admit our claim, let alone being an argument against it.

All these problems we have tried to expose above are about those who make a living through music. As for those who see it as a hobby, playing only for friends, the passiveness and the waste of time for both player and listeners are pretty obvious, not needing a special attempt to expose it.

During listening to music, people would not be doing anything for the good of humanity. They would cause, instead, a lot of money to change hands. And, in return for the money, what do these people get? Nothing! Consider this: Suppose a shoemaker sells you a shoe. And you wear it and walk to your shop. Let us say you sell books in your shop. You both make a profit and help knowledge and science spread in your country. This way you would serve in a chain of benefits in the society by making other people too to benefit, such as those who print or write books, and the manufacturers of paper or the cotton farmers and on the other hand, there are the craftsmen who process leather for shoes and the farmers who raise animals to provide leather. When it comes to music, although those who manufacture instruments and those who offer their skills for your hearing appreciation, by playing them certainly benefit, this chain of benefits ceases at you!

Paying for music is not the same as hiring a horse-and-cart to go out for a picnic, because this way you could contribute more to your work of being a complementary part of the chain of human needs by benefitting your health in addition to helping the cart driver make a living. Besides, those carts are used for transportation at other times than those of picnic. In short, picnic is one thing and music is another. Of course, nothing could be said against music when it is a medical necessity for a patient like clean air being one of the most important necessities in treating patients. Nevertheless, it is not known yet that music is prescribed by physicians despite the fact that treatment with music has recently become a familiar term.

Now, let us talk about another face of musical pleasures, the one involving a deep indulgence in passion: Under what kind of influence are the feelings of those who are in an atmosphere which is full of emotional temptations caused by music? The effect of music can have various ways: with music, a lonely person feels his loneliness more, an orphan feels more the loss of his parents, a patient feels more sorrowful of his situation, and an aged person feels sorrier that the most of his life has already gone. Yet again, with music, a lucky person with wealth and a high ranking position feels happy more than he usually is. In short, music paints the reality in darker colours by increasing the sorrow of the the sorrowful and the happiness of the happy. And this way, the effect of music resembles that of alcohol, causing people to perceive the reality in a more stretched way than it really is. Above all of these, music has a tremendous effect in agitating the feelings of romance and love. That is why a banquet with music is usually accompanied with pretty women and alcoholic beverages. Therefore, the most intimate secrets of love are exposed first by poems, then, under the disguise of music, in a similar manner to some women making themselves more attractive under the disguise of the hijab. Or, the words that cannot be normally said by lovers can be uttered by means of music and poetry. That is why it is not considered rude, if a person who is too shy to say "I'm dying for her, I'm crazy for her" shouts the same words before others by music and poetry. Furthermore, I wonder how parents who would like to raise their daughters in chastity and modesty with wisdom allow them to sing the most intimate words of love, considering this a good quality for a girl at the age of marriage despite the fact that it is shameful (in our society) for girls to utter even the word of marriage which is lawful in Islam. If the opinion of some thinkers of this century, who said "if women are not kept busy, they would think of some other things do to", is to be taken, then women who are fond of playing instruments would have found even an irresistible guide to those kind of thoughts.

However, is dreaming love and romance a bad thing? What else is like love that makes man feel angelic and gives compassionate and elevated feelings? Love is so strong that it is not possible to remain indifferent to the whining of the lovelorn and suffering hearts. Yes, this is quite true. However, there is no other issue, as delicate as this, vulnerable to abuse. Indeed, it was not an exaggeration when Hoja Nasruddin (Juha), when asked if he ever had a love affair, said: Yes, I was just getting involved once, but we were surprised! [4] Although love cannot be but mutual, it seems shameful for women in particular. And a man esteems a woman who only loves him. Besides, he would not excuse other women being in love with other men. And the woman he loves has no importance attached to her by others.

Having said these considerations about music, it has become easier to express an opinion about love odes which form the most elegant kind of poetry. As for the poetry of eulogy or satire they are not usually commendable as the former is a kind of flattery and the latter is fault-finding. As for the poetry to uphold the moral values we have no objection. Islam's position can be summarized as accepting the good poetry and rejecting its bad kind, anyway.

Although poetry is perhaps the best of the literal arts, Islam's uneasiness about poetry is because it does more harm than good. Even a student's obsession of poetry is considered a sign of going astray, leaning towards laziness even by scholars of the modern times. What consists of the capital of poetry is confessed by poets themselves:

"The material of poets never runs outNo end to lies even to an end this world is brought" [5]

In ancient times when poets never made such confessions (out of their pride), the nature of their poetry was exposed by the Holy Quran:

As for poets, the erring follow them. Hast thou not seen how they stray in every valley, And how they say that which they do not? [6]

However, poetry is far more important than music as poetry sharpens the mind and can be informative.

Before we finish the topic of music, let us add that, if the effect of music on feelings must indeed be an important need for the soul, the recitation of the Quran serves that need in a much more dignified way. This is also shown by the fact that harmonious recitation of the Quran is recommended in Islam. However, it should also be noted that a musical tune accompanying the recitation is not proper. In other words, a harmonious recitation is recommended in some hadiths of the Prophet (pbuh), yet the scholars are against the musical recitation of the Quran.

The reason of these two seemingly conflicting opinions can be understood by making a distinction between the two concepts of music:

If music is to be applied with its rules and techniques to the recitation it would violate the rules of tajweed [7]. So, this kind of music with notes and rules, like composed pieces, is not allowed in the recitation. However, if a person recites the Quran, associated with the beauty of his natural tunes, this is commendable. This way is very reasonable considering the fact that an abuse of the Quran with music must be avoided. That is why a piece of music is listened to for appreciation of its musical value, without necessarily understanding its words, for the most part. Although the meaning of the words in some pieces of music can be realized to some extent, the composers usually have to fill the gaps with "la la"s to balance the piece of music. Obviously, such a practice in the Quranic recitation is out of the question.

Besides, nobody wants to listen to the music of a person with no talent for it. As for the talented, their natural tunes are more pleasant and impressive than their musical skills acquired through musical training. Our claim should not seem bizarre. We have witnessed the loss of purity and sweetness in the recitation of once famous Quran reciters, after being exposed to musical education. Therefore, natural music should be superior to the acquired musical skills, as the former is an extempore act while the latter consists of repeating composed and used tunes. At this point we have got one more claim: It is known that one nation may not enjoy the music of another. So it means that the effect of music is in proportion to its locality. Therefore, a person's natural music should be superior, as being his personal music, to his national music.

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[1] In the original text, this was an Arabic poem.
[2] This is a Turkish idiom used for professions which are no good to make a living.
[3] This is a Turkish idiom implying that a person does not behave as mature as his age requires.
The reader should bear in mind the Islamic and traditional values prevailing in his time among the Ottomans, while reading this article. With Western values about dignity and music, his opinions might become quite difficult to understand.
[4] This is a famous remark attributed to the well known folk figure, Hoja Nasreddin, indicating that love affairs can reach dangerous levels very quickly, no matter how innocently they begin.
[5] This is a Turkish poem in the original text. No reference for it is given.
[6] The Holy Quran 26:224-226
[7] Tajweed: The method of proper authentic recitation of the Quran.

Islamic perspective on bodily modifications and tattooing

2006-12-18T02:22:00.000-08:00

Body piercing, tattooing, branding, etc. all fall in the category of unnecessary interference, alteration and mutilation of Allah’s creation. Therefore, no Muslim, who is conscious of his religion, should ever contemplate such activities.

In his well-known book, The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam, the prominent Muslim scholar, Sheik Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, states:

“Islam denounces excesses in beautifying oneself when it alters the physical features that Allah created him with. The Glorious Qur'an considers such alterations as inspired by Satan, who "...will command them (his devotees) to change what Allah has created...” (An-Nisa': 119)

Tattooing is one of those excesses. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have cursed the tattooer and the tattooed. (Reported by Muslim)

Tattooing permanently disfigures the face and other parts of the body with colored pigment and repulsive designs. Some Arabs, especially women, are in the habit of tattooing large areas of their bodies. People of certain religious sects tattoo pictures of their deities or religious rituals on their hands and chests. The pain and agony that the person experiences from the needles piercing skin add to these images. Because of all of this, both the tattooer and the one who is tattooed have been cursed.”

It is permissible for women only to pierce their ears as a form of enhancing their beauty. The proof of this permission is based on the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, when he prayed on the day of `Eid and came with Bilal, his Companion, he ordered the women to pay Zakah, and some of them took their earrings off and threw it (donated it) to the Prophet. (Reported in Bukhari)

As to the piercing of the nose, it isn't allowed for both sexes because it is a type of deformation to Allah’s creation.

Focusing more on the question in point, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:

“According to the teachings of Islam, our body - including all of our physical faculties - is a trust from Allah and we are required to protect and preserve it according to the best of our ability. Consequently, we are not allowed to alter or tamper with our physical faculties unnecessarily; we are only permitted to interfere with them in order to correct a natural deformity or repair or remedy an ailment. Any other form of interference or tampering with our body is akin to altering Allah’s creation which has been condemned in the Qur’an.

We read in the Qur’an that Satan, the accursed one, has pledged to Allah that he will be tirelessly working to lead humans unto ways of perdition and self-destruction: “… ‘And I will surely lead them astray, and arouse desires in them, and command them and they will cut the cattle’s ears, and I will surely command them and they will change Allah’s creation.’ Whoever chooses the Devil for a friend instead of Allah is assuredly a loser, and his loss is manifest.” (An-Nisa’: 119)

While reflecting on the above verse, we must also read the following statements of Allah in the Qur’an: “There is no altering Allah’s creation.” (Ar-Rum: 30); “And do not cast yourselves into destruction by your own hands.” (Al-Baqarah: 195).

In light of the above, body piercing, tattooing, branding, etc. all fall in the category of unnecessary interference, alteration and mutilation of Allah’s creation. Therefore, no Muslim, who is conscious of his religion, should ever contemplate such activities.

Neither are such procedures harmless, physical refinements as they are often imagined to be. Rather the truth is that these procedures have often been associated with numerous health hazards. For sensitive parts of the body such as tongues, lips, eyelids, etc. are more prone to be easily infected, and thus become infected with diseases, some of which may even be fatal. There is nothing at all surprising about all of these, for every unnecessary tampering with Allah’s creation is bound to produce adverse repercussions.

In Islam, all such acts that entail possible health hazards are considered totally forbidden even if they contain some imagined or presumed benefits; such presumed benefits are considered as being outweighed by the hazards. This fact alone warrants declaring body piercing as forbidden.

The only exception some scholars and jurists have made in this context is the case of ear piercing specifically for females. This is so because of the specific need of women to wear jewelry. Men, however, according to Islam, have no such need. In fact, Islam forbids men from copying styles that are distinctively feminine. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Allah has cursed men who copy women as well as women who copy men.” It should be remembered here both men and women have different roles in Islam.

It is also worth mentioning in this respect that ear piercing is somewhat different; for there are fewer hazards in ear piercing as compared to piercing of tongues, lips and eye-lids, etc.

Still another consideration strengthening the case for declaring body piercing as forbidden for males: Islam forbids us from copying other people in their specific customs and life-style without any tangible benefits. Such copying has been condemned by the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.

In conclusion: Body piercing for males is not at all permissible in Islam. Ear piercing has been permitted for females, according to some scholars. Such an exception, however, does not apply to males.”

THE QUESTION OF HIJAB: SUPPRESSION OR LIBERATION?

2006-12-13T07:54:00.000-08:00

III&E Brochure Series(published by The Institute of Islamic Information and Education (III&E) and reproduced in electronic form by Islamic Academy for Scientific Research with permission)

THE QUESTION OF HIJAB: SUPPRESSION OR LIBERATION?

"Why do Muslim women have to cover their heads?" This question is one which is asked by Muslim and non-Muslim alike. For many women it is the truest test of being a Muslim.

The answer to the question is very simple - Muslim women observe HIJAB (covering the head and the body) because Allah has told them to do so.

"O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believing women to draw their outer garments around them (when they go out or are among men). That is better in order that they may be known (to be Muslims) and not annoyed..." (Qur'an 33:59)

Other secondary reasons include the requirement for modesty in both men and women. Both will then be evaluated for intelligence and skills instead of looks and sexuality. An Iranian school girl is quoted as saying, "We want to stop men from treating us like sex objects, as they have always done. We want them to ignore our appearance and to be attentive to our personalities and mind. We want them to take us seriously and treat us as equals and not just chase us around for our bodies and physical looks." A Muslim woman who covers her head is making a statement about her identity. Anyone who sees her will know that she is a Muslim and has a good moral character. Many Muslim women who cover are filled with dignity and self esteem; they are pleased to be identified as a Muslim woman. As a chaste, modest, pure woman, she does not want her sexuality to enter into interactions with men in the smallest degree. A woman who covers herself is concealing her sexuality but allowing her femininity to be brought out.

The question of hijab for Muslim women has been a controversy for centuries and will probably continue for many more. Some learned people do not consider the subject open to discussion and consider that covering the face is required, while a majority are of the opinion that it is not required. A middle line position is taken by some who claim that the instructions are vague and open to individual discretion depending on the situation. The wives of the Prophet (S) were required to cover their faces so that men would not think of them in sexual terms since they were the "Mothers of the Believers," but this requirement was not extended to other women.

The word "hijab" comes from the Arabic word "hajaba" meaning to hide from view or conceal. In the present time, the context of hijab is the modest covering of a Muslim woman. The question now is what is the extent of the covering? The Qur'an says:

"Say to the believing man that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that will make for greater purity for them; and Allah is well acquainted with all that they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; and that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands..." (Qur'an 24:30-31)

These verses from the Qur'an contain two main injunctions:

1. A woman should not show her beauty or adornments except what appears by uncontrolled factors such as the wind blowing her clothes, and
2. the head covers should be drawn so as to cover the hair, the neck and the bosom.

Islam has no fixed standard as to the style of dress or type of clothing that Muslims must wear. However, some requirements must be met. The first of these requirements is the parts of the body which must be covered. Islam has two sources for guidance and rulings: first, the Qur'an, the revealed word of Allah and secondly, the Hadith or the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (S) who was chosen by Allah to be the role model for mankind. The following is a Tradition of the Prophet:

"Ayesha (R) reported that Asmaa the daughter of Abu Bakr (R) came to the Messenger of Allah (S) while wearing thin clothing. He approached her and said: 'O Asmaa! When a girl reaches the menstrual age, it is not proper that anything should remain exposed except this and this. He pointed to the face and hands." (Abu Dawood)

The second requirement is looseness. The clothing must be loose enough so as not to describe the shape of the woman's body. One desirable way to hide the shape of the body is to wear a cloak over other clothes. However, if the clothing is loose enough, an outer garment is not necessary. Thickness is the third requirement. The clothing must be thick enough so as not to show the color of the skin it covers or the shape of the body. The Prophet Muhammad (S) stated that in later generations of his ummah there would be "women who would be dressed but naked and on top of their heads (what looks like) camel humps. Curse them for they are truly cursed." (Muslim) Another requirement is an over-all dignified appearance. The clothing should not attract men's attention to the woman. It should not be shiny and flashy so that everyone notices the dress and the woman. In addition there are other requirements:

1. Women must not dress so as to appear as men."Ibn Abbas narrated: 'The Prophet (S) cursed the men who appear like women and the women who appear like men.'" (Bukhari)
2. Women should not dress in a way similar to the unbelievers.
3. The clothing should be modest, not excessively fancy and also not excessively ragged to gain others admiration or sympathy.

Often forgotten is the fact that modern Western dress is a new invention. Looking at the clothing of women as recently as seventy years ago, we see clothing similar to hijab. These active and hard-working women of the West were not inhibited by their clothing which consisted of long, full dresses and various types of head covering. Muslim women who wear hijab do not find it impractical or interfering with their activities in all levels and walks of life. Hijab is not merely a covering dress but more importantly, it is behavior, manners, speech and appearance in public. Dress is only one facet of the total being. The basic requirement of the Muslim woman's dress apply to the Muslim man's clothing with the difference being mainly in degree. Modesty requires that the area between the navel and the knee be covered in front of all people except the wife. The clothing of men should not be like the dress of women, nor should it be tight or provocative. A Muslim should dress to show his identity as a Muslim. Men are not allowed to wear gold or silk. However, both are allowed for women.

For both men and women, clothing requirements are not meant to be a restriction but rather a way in which society will function in a proper, Islamic manner.

Mary C. Ali

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------INTRODUCTION OF III&E

The Institute of Islamic Information and Education (III&E) is dedicated to the cause of Islam in North America through striving to elevate the image of Islam and Muslims by providing the correct information about Islamic beliefs, history and civilizations from the authentic sources. Enquiries are welcome.

For more information please contact:

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Reprinted with the permission of World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), P.O. Box 10845, Riyadh 11443, Saudi Arabia

Constant Awareness of Being 'Prepared'

2006-12-13T07:38:00.000-08:00

by Imam Ibn ul Jawzee

It is a duty upon every sane person to be prepared for his departure (from this world), for one does not know when he will be served by his Lord's commands (to take away his soul) nor does he know how long it is going to be before he will be summoned (for the Day of Judgment).

I have seen so many people enchanted by their youth. They have forgotten that their peers no longer exist, yet they are preoccupied with prolonged hopes (to stay alive).

A person in the process of acquiring knowledge may tell himself;

'I will acquire knowledge today and will adopt it the following day.'

Such (postponement) may leave him in his deviation whilst giving himself a break (for the day)! Delaying his readiness to achieve repentance, whilst exposing himself to be indulged in (sins, such as) backbiting or listening to such (backbiting) or getting involved in a Shubhah (suspected, Halaal or Haraam) matters. He hopes to cancel it out (i.e. the bad deed/s) through his would be observance, the following day, forgetting that death may be sudden.

The wise one is he who values each and every moment of his life, observing one's due duties. Then, if death was to come suddenly, one would be ready (to face The Judge, Allaah subhanahu wata'aala). However, if one is granted his wish (in his life being prolonged) that would mean the increasing of (one's scale of) good deeds.

Is Tasawwuf (Islamic Spirituality)/Sufism a deviant form of Islam?

2006-12-11T04:19:00.000-08:00

There are many websites against Tasawwuf or Sufism and there are many for them. The Muslims have been divided on this issue for a very long time. As a person who prefers to do his own thinking and reflecting based on true sources of knowledge, namely Qur'an and Hadith (Prophetic traditions), I started out with an open mind and now I have come to a conclusion.

To summarise my findings, I quote:

Tasawwuf consists of dedication to worship, total dedication to Allah Most High, disregard for the finery and ornament of the world, abstinence from the pleasure, wealth, and prestige sought by most men, and retiring from others to worship alone. This was the general rule among the Companions of the Prophet (s.a.w) and the early Muslims, but when involvement in this-worldly things became widespread from the second Islamic century onwards and people became absorbed in worldliness, those devoted to worship came to be called: Sufiyya or People of Tasawwuf
- Ibn Khaldun, al-Muqaddima [N.d. Reprint. Mecca: Dar al-Baz, 1397/1978], 467)

But there will still be a proportion of people who would disbelief. The question is: Did they do their own research or do they depend on someone else's thoughts and understandings?

Sufism is never against the accumulation of wealth. It is against the desire for wealth. Sufism does not require one to leave their families and friends but it does need you to understand your priorities right i.e. carrying out the commandments of God (such as prayers and fasting etc) must take precedence. For example, many of us miss or delay our prayers because we are out watching movies or chatting with friends.

Sufism promotes peace, humility, obedience to God and parents, good manners and tolerance in a multi-racial, multi-religious society. Now f you were to reflect on the last sentecne, you'd notice that the world today lacks "peace, humility, obedience to God and parents, good manners and tolerance in a multi-racial, multi-religious society"! This is what we need at the current moment. Hence the importance of Tasawwuf is more important now than ever before.

People who are against Sufism may look at it only from a religious point of view where Quranic verses and Hadiths are narrowly interpreted or quoted out of context to disregard Sufism as an essential need. If they did their research with an open mind they will find these Quranic verses and Hadiths misused by perpetrators who speak ill of Sufism.

Though people may disagree with my views above, I can sleep peacefully knowing I've done my resarch and conclude: Sufism or Tasawwuf is not a deviant form of Islam but an integral part of life.

Think about it...................