Burton Muslim Youth

To the filthy guy messin' with my sister

2007-01-16T16:18:00.000Z

Why are you messing with my sister?

This is a little message to those involved in free mixing in college and other places. I want this to end.

I’m hearing rumors that you guys are talking, flirting and checking my sisters. That makes me mad; it drives me up the wall. So here’s a little somat before you die…

I know what you Romeos get up to. When you’re all sneaking around, meeting up at meadowside, or the library, or the old littlewoods café. Jumping on a train to Brum. You scum are dishonouring us all.

Now I know you’ve just read the previous sentence and you’re all jumping up and down and shouting what about her, she’s part of it too. I agree with you, she has to share the blame. But how does it excuse you?

One of the crazy things is you geezers have principles and rules about how you commit this crime. ‘Nah man, that’s Nad’s sister, man, you can’t check her!’, ‘I’m not checking anyone from Burton, keep it strictly out of town’. Well thank you very much. That’s very nice of you. Why is your friends blood sister, and your sister worth more than mine. Who the hell are you to make the rules?

What would you do if you seen a young handsome looking guy chatting to your mum? Yes you’re MUM. You’re mum’s laughing and he’s buzzing? Picture it. He’s got one intent to get her into bed. What you thinking…Bigz what you saying man! Well, its simple as this…the rush of blood that you just felt is exactly what I felt when I seen you guys, chilling with my sisters.

You guys got no shame? You really that narrow minded? You’re mum and sister live on this land too. What makes you think their immune? The facts are simple; our sisters are our honour, not a piece of meat. You wanna churps my sister, then let a white guy churps yours.

Most you guys are sitting on the fence – amazed by what girls have to offer. Girls are girls, you’ll marry one, one day so be patient and persevere. Why anger Allah by committing zina? Why why why?

Now on to you super loverboys. You know who you are. The ones saying I’m different because I love my girl. I will marry her one day. Well whoop di do. Your still committing sin. Your in “love” so rules don’t apply to you? Well they do. Its free mixing. What if I was in “love” with your sister. Would you pat me on the back and give me a “shaabaash”. I didn’t think so, don’t expect one from me. Then there is the bollywood love stories. The lovebirds that runaway together, because no-one would accept their love. Wow just like Devdas and Paro. Let me tell you that your love story stinks, because there is no happy ending. A hot ending but not a happy one. You see for a marriage to be accepted by Islam the girl has to have consent from a parent and guardian, if not then you people are probably committing zina.

This attitude has to end, like my brother Ramez, you too will end. Don’t use your bodies, which Allah created, to commit these crimes. Instead join us in our mission - raising Islam out the gutter.

You wanna know what happens to those who commit a crime – a crime against the all-mighty Allah? You really wanna know. Picture this. You’re getting dragged face down, chains ripping through your ankles. This is just the beginning. You’ll be flung into the fire, the heat will melt your skin. Enjoying it so far? You’ll fall, you’ll fall for 70 years, just gives you time to reflect – was it worth it? You’ll land face down on a smouldering land – your brain pops, you’ll get another one, just so it’ll pop once again. You’re in a daze. You see an image in the distance – you’re crawling, burning, melting, scorpians biting. You look up and its your girl – burning alongside ya.

Was it worth it?

Take time to reflect and figure out who you are – you’re not a paki – that’s what the Brits told you. Listen to the Prophet – we are Muslims – simple as that. Your ancestors were great and true. Promoting good and forbidding what you do. Who are you?

Become a leader – lead us out this mess. You guys have potential to bring Islam back. You need to stop following the shaytan and join the crew that represents Islam. Its simple as that. Take this advice my beloved brother, wake up, stand up and join the oppressed.

p.s. to the cyber lover boys – who love to love on the internet. I really don’t know what to say. I’m shtum. You really that desperate you’ll spend hours on end on msn? Honestly, what’s this world coming to? You really value your sexual desire that you’ll get cheap thrills off a PC screen?

Clearing up Confusion so You can't Hide behind it.

2007-01-16T16:15:00.000Z

The correct understanding – any questions – email me…

The meaning of the ahadith of 73 Sects

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِِ
The Messenger (SalAllahu alaihi wasallam) said;
إفترقت اليهود على احدى وسبعين فرقة،
وافترقت النصارة على إثنتين وسبعين فرقة،
وتفترق أمتي على ثلاث وسبعين فرقة
“The Jews were divided among themselves into seventy one or seventy two sects, and the Christians were divided among themselves into seventy one or seventy two sects. And My Ummah will be divided among itself into seventy three sects.” Abu Dawood, at-Tirmidhi, al-Hakim and Ahmad among several others, reported this Hadith. At-Tirmidhi said; “Hadeethun Hassanun Sahih”.
In another variation, Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu `Amir `Abdullah bin Luhay said; "We performed Hajj with Mu`awiyah bin Abi Sufyan. When we arrived at Makkah, he stood up after praying Dhuhr and said; ‘The Messenger of Allah (SalAllahu alaihi wasallam) said;
إِنَّ أَهْلَ الْكِتَابَيْنِ افْتَرَقُوا فِي دِينِهِمْ عَلى ثِنْتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ مِلَّةً، وَإِنَّ هذِهِ الْأُمَّةَ سَتَفْتَرِقُ عَلى ثَلَاثٍ وَسَبْعِينَ مِلَّةً يَعْنِي الْأَهْوَاءَ كُلُّهَا فِي النَّارِ إِلَّا وَاحِدَةً وَهِيَ الْجَمَاعَةُ وَإِنَّهُ سَيَخْرُجُ فِي أُمَّتِي أَقْوَامٌ تَجَارَى بِهِمْ تِلْكَ الْأَهْوَاءُ كَمَا يَتَجَارَى الْكَلَبُ بِصَاحِبِه، لَا يَبْقَى مِنْهُ عِرْقٌ وَلَا مَفْصِلٌ إِلَّا دَخَلَه
‘The People of the Two Scriptures divided into seventy-two sects. This Ummah will divide into seventy-three sects, all in the Fire except one, that is, the Jama`ah. Some of my Ummah will be guided by desire, like one who is infected by rabies; no vein or joint will be saved from these desires.’’”
This hadith was also narrated by Abu Dawood (2/503), Ahmad (4/102) and al-Haakim (1/128) among others, with similar wording but with the following addition;
ثنتان وسبعون في النار. قيل: يا رسول الله
من هم؟ قال: الجماعة
“Seventy two in hell fire and one in the Jannah: that is the 'Jama`ah.'”
Some scholars, such as ash-Shawkani and al-Kawthari mistakenly said that this addition is weak. Ibn Hazm wrongly said that it was fabricated.
It is important that Muslims understand this honourable hadith in the correct context. Thus, with the help of Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala), a detailed presentation of the meaning of the hadith, its historical manifestations, and its impact on the way Muslims view each other will be given. This hadith has been used by certain people to disparage others; so some who follow the Ijtihad of Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdul Wahhab consider those who do not, as being of the sects that will enter the hell fire. Some who followed the Shafi’i school said this about the Hanafi School and Hanafi about the Shafi’i and so on. Some Sunnis said the same for the Shia, and vice versa.
The hadith mentions the word “Firqah”; this word is a lafz mushtaraq, or homonym. It is a word, which has many meanings. Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala) mentions this word in different contexts in the Quran;
وَمَا كَانَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لِيَنفِرُواْ كَآفَّةً فَلَوْلاَ نَفَرَ
مِن كُلِّ فِرْقَةٍ مِّنْهُمْ طَآئِفَةٌ لِّيَتَفَقَّهُواْ فِي الدِّينِ
وَلِيُنذِرُواْ قَوْمَهُمْ إِذَا رَجَعُواْ إِلَيْهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَحْذَرُونَ
“Nor should the Believers all go forth together: if a contingent (firqah) from every expedition (taifah) remained behind, they could devote themselves to studies in religion, and admonish the people when they return to them, - that thus they (may learn) to guard themselves (against evil)” [TMQ At-Taubah: 122]
Here, the word firqah is used to mean group or expedition.
وَإِنَّ مِنْهُمْ لَفَرِيقاً يَلْوُونَ أَلْسِنَتَهُم بِالْكِتَابِ لِتَحْسَبُوهُ
مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَمَا هُوَ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَيَقُولُونَ هُوَ مِنْ عِندِ
اللّهِ وَمَا هُوَ مِنْ عِندِ اللّهِ وَيَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللّهِ الْكَذِبَ
وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ
“There is among them a section (firqah) who distort the Book with their tongues: (As they read) you would think it is a part of the Book, but it is no part of the Book; and they say, "That is from Allah," but it is not from Allah. It is they who tell a lie against Allah, and (well) they know it!” [TMQ Ale-Imran: 78]
Here again the word firqah is used, but in this context, it is something that is condemned, for the action they carried out was distorting the revelation.
So the context will indicate what the meaning is of the word being used.
With respect to the hadith, Allah's Messenger (SalAllahu alaihi wasallam) explains to us how the Jews were divided into seventy-one sects or firqah, and the Christians were similarly divided into seventy-two firqah. Then he (SalAllahu alaihi wasallam) states that this Ummah will divide into seventy-three sects and that all but the one who follows what he (SalAllahu alaihi wasallam) and his companions followed will be in hell.
Thus, stating the division among the Muslim Ummah amid the Jews and Christians is meant as a condemnation of this act. The questions that therefore arise are, in which areas did the Jews and Christians disagree and how did their disagreement lead to the formation of a firqah or sect? The Qur’an al-Kareem, ordered us not to divide as the Jews and Christians did. Thus, it is important to understand in what it was that they differed.
a) They disagreed over their Messengers. Allah the Supreme says;
وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ وَقَفَّيْنَا مِن بَعْدِهِ
بِالرُّسُلِ وَآتَيْنَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ الْبَيِّنَاتِ وَأَيَّدْنَاهُ
بِرُوحِ الْقُدُسِ أَفَكُلَّمَا جَاءكُمْ رَسُولٌ بِمَا لاَ
تَهْوَى أَنفُسُكُمُ اسْتَكْبَرْتُمْ فَفَرِيقاً كَذَّبْتُمْ
وَفَرِيقاً تَقْتُلُونَ
“And We had given Musa the Book and followed him by Messengers. And We gave Isa the son of Maryam the clear signs and supported him with Roohul Qudus (Jibra'eel). Is it that when ever a Messenger came to you with a matter that you do not like, you turned with arrogance, calling some liars and killing others?” [TMQ Al-Baqarah: 87]
And He (Subhanahu wa ta’aala) says;
وَآتَيْنَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ الْبَيِّنَاتِ وَأَيَّدْنَاهُ بِرُوحِ
الْقُدُسِ وَلَوْ شَاء اللّهُ مَا اقْتَتَلَ الَّذِينَ مِن بَعْدِهِم مِّن
بَعْدِ مَا جَاءتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ وَلَـكِنِ اخْتَلَفُواْ فَمِنْهُم
مَّنْ آمَنَ وَمِنْهُم مَّن كَفَرَ
“And We gave Isa the son of Maryam the Clear signs. But they disagreed, some of them believed and some disbelieved” [TMQ Al-Baqarah: 253]
They also disagreed on their Book. Allah the Supreme says;
وَمَا اخْتَلَفَ الَّذِينَ أُوْتُواْ الْكِتَابَ إِلاَّ مِن
بَعْدِ مَا جَاءهُمُ الْعِلْمُ بَغْياً بَيْنَهُمْ
“The people of the Book did not disagree except, out of mutual jealousy, after knowledge had come to them” [TMQ Ale-Imran: 19]
They divided between themselves, calling each other kafir. Allah the Supreme says;
وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ لَيْسَتِ النَّصَارَى عَلَىَ شَيْءٍ
وَقَالَتِ النَّصَارَى لَيْسَتِ الْيَهُودُ عَلَى شَيْءٍ وَهُمْ
يَتْلُونَ الْكِتَابَ كَذَلِكَ قَالَ الَّذِينَ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ مِثْلَ
قَوْلِهِمْ فَاللّهُ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فِيمَا كَانُواْ
فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ
“And the Jews claimed that the Christians are on nothing, and the Christians claimed that the Jews are on nothing, while reciting the Book. Those who have no certain knowledge said as they did. Allah will be the Judge between them on the Day of Judgement in that which they disagreed on.” [TMQ Al-Baqarah: 113]
Upon studying the areas in which they disagreed, one finds that they disagreed in the fundamentals of their Deen. They disagreed on their Prophets, the Day of Judgement, the Unity of Allah, resurrection, heaven and hell, etc. These are disagreements on the foundations of belief. Since Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala) and His Messenger (SalAllahu alaihi wasallam) ordered us not to divide as the People of the Book did, then we are to avoid that area which their disagreement occurred in. This means that disagreement on the fundamentals of the Deen is condemned.
To explain the above mentioned further, the Tafseer of the ayah;
وَاعْتَصِمُواْ بِحَبْلِ اللّهِ جَمِيعاً وَلاَ تَفَرَّقُواْ
“And hold tight to the rope of Allah and divide not,” [TMQ Ale-Imran: 103], needs to be looked into. Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala) orders the Muslims to hold tight and not let go of the rope of Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala) and not to divide.
'The rope of Allah'
Ibn Masood (ra), Ali bin Abi Talib (ra), and Abu Saeed Al-Kuddrri (ra) said it is the Qur'an. Others said it is the Deen of Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala). Others like Ibnul Mubaarak said it is the Jama’ah.
'And divide not'
At-Tabari said; “…and do not disperse away from the Deen of Allah and His covenant which he took from you in His Book: that you should be together in obeying Him and His Messenger (SalAllahu alaihi wasallam).”
Ibn Katheer said; “He ordered them to stay in the Jama`ah and not to divide.”
Al-Qurtubi said; “Do not divide as the Jews and the Christians in their Deen…and it could mean do not separate based on your desires and interests.”
Therefore, the disagreement that Muslims are not allowed to have is in the fundamentals of their Deen, not in its branches. This is due to several reasons:
a) The texts that condemn the disagreement order the Muslims not to disagree like the People of the Book who disagreed in the fundamentals as previously explained.
The Sunnah of the Messenger (SalAllahu alaihi wasallam) permitted disagreements in the branches or Furoo`.
c) The disagreement that existed among the Sahabah were in the Furoo', not in the Usul (foundations of the Deen). No condemnation was made about such disagreements in the Furoo’.
d) The followers of the Companions (Tabi'een), the generation that followed them, and the scholars of the Salaf (predecessors) accepted the disagreement in the Furoo’ but not in the Usul ud-Deen (foundations of the Deen).
So, for example, Ash-Shafi'i (ra) states in his book Ar-Risalah; “Disagreement is of two types: One that is Haram and the other is not. Everything that Allah established by the definite proof (Hujjah) in His book or clearly stated by His Prophet is Haram to disagree over by the one who knows of it. As for that which can be understood differently or by analogy, since the text can bare it…there is room for [disagreement] unlike in the clearly stated.”
Ibn Taymiyah (ra) in his book al-Fatawa al-Kubra, Vol. 20, p.256 stated; “Then it [the texts] are divided to: that which is definite in its dalalah (meaning). Its definiteness is established in its chain [of narrators] (Sanad) as well as in its contents (Mata), where we are sure that Allah's Messenger (SalAllahu alaihi wasallam) said it and meant that meaning. The other which is indefinite in its dalalah (meaning). As for the first, it must be believed in and acted according to. This is indisputable among the scholars in general. The scholars might disagree however in some news whether their chains are definite (Qat’i) or not and whether their meaning is definite or not. An example of such disagreement is with regard to the news transmitted by the one (Khabarul Wahid) that is accepted by the Ummah or the one that the Ummah has agreed to act upon.”
So the subject that the hadith discusses is not the differences, which arise from interpretation of the texts, which are preponderant in meaning, but it is condemning those firqah (sects) that have differed in the foundations of the Deen. Indeed, the Sahabah (ra) had disagreed in matters, which were related to the branches of the Deen, but they remained united on the foundations of the Deen. Subsequently, the great Mujtahideen of Islam differed on many aspects of the Deen, but they were again in the branches. So the “firqah” which are punished in hell fire, are not those groups which have these legitimate differences. Therefore, those who follow a particular Madhab, such as the Shafi’i, Hanafi, Hanbali, Maliki or even those who follow the schools of thought from the Shia like the Ja’fari or Zaidi, are not labelled with disbelief.
Rather, those sects that are mentioned in the hadith are those who have left the fold of Islam such as the Qadiani, who claimed Prophethood after Muhammad (SalAllahu alaihi wasallam), or those Alawi, who claim Ali (ra) to be god incarnate (may Allah protect us from such deviation), or those who deny the punishment in the Ahkirah, etc. Any group that contradicts the definite text of the Qur’an, falls outside the fold of Islam.
The Hanafi scholar, Ibn Abideen stated this fact; “There is no doubt in the disbelief (kufr) of those that falsely accuse Sayyida Aisha (ra) of adultery, deny the companionship of Sayyidina Abu Bakr (ra), believe that Sayyidina Ali (ra) was God or that the angel Jibril mistakenly descended with the revelation (wahy) on the Messenger of Allah (SalAllahu alaihi wasallam), etc. which is apparent kufr and contrary to the teachings of the Qur'an.” [Radd al-Muhtar, 4/453].
Ibn Abidin continues; "It is difficult to make a general statement and judge all the Shia to be non-believers, as the scholars have agreed on the deviation and defection of the deviated sects."
Even the Shia scholar of the Qur’an, Allama Muhammad Hussein Tabatabai, writes in his very famous exegesis, Tafseer-ul-Meezan, 12th edition, page 109, published in Iran, regarding the completeness of the Qur'an; “The Qur’an, which Almighty Allah descended on Prophet Muhammad (SalAllahu alaihi wasallam), is protected from any change.”
Unfortunately, the ignorance and bigotry of certain groups has led to the passing of Takfir, which had affected the Jews and Christians. It is a way of thinking which regards one’s own opinion and views in matters within the Deen as unquestionably right, and any belief or opinion opposed to or differing from them as unreasonable or wicked.
The Muslim Ummah is one. The Qur’an found in the mosques, throughout the world, whether in Karachi, Tehran, Cairo, Madinah, or Algiers is one. Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala) states;
إِنَّ هَذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُونِ
“Verily, this brotherhood of yours is a single brotherhood, and I am your Lord and Cherisher: therefore serve Me (and no other)” [TMQ Al-Anbiyah: 92]
The Shia are part of this noble Ummah; they are Muslim and brotherly love needs to exist between all the Muslims. Indeed the Muslim is a brother of another Muslim, whether he is Shia, Sunni or whatever authority he imitates or whichever Mujtahid he follows. This is how the Messenger of Allah (SalAllahu alaihi wasallam) taught us,
المسلم أخ المسلم ، لا يظلمه ولا يخذله ولا يحقره
“The Muslim is a brother of another Muslim, he doesn't oppress him, neither does he hand him over to the enemy, he doesn't disappoint him, nor does he humiliate him.”
Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’aala) states;
هُوَ سَمَّاكُمُ الْمُسْلِمينَ
“It is He who has called you Muslim.” [TMQ Al-Hajj: 78]
Any disagreement which exists, is something which can be referred to the divine texts,
فَإِن تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ
“…and if you differ in anything refer it back to Allah and His Messenger…” [TMQ An-Nisa: 59]
Indeed, it is clear for those who take notice, that the Kuffar have gathered against us and have thrown us all into one bracket and are not going to let a day pass without the spilling of Muslim blood. In spite of the fact that the Kuffar are split in accordance with their benefits, they come together in the war against Islam, and compete in their enmity against it. So should we not gather against them, bonding around Islam, not artificially splitting ourselves into Sunni and Shia and various Madhabs?
وَالَّذينَ كَفَرُواْ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاء بَعْضٍ إِلاَّ تَفْعَلُوهُ تَكُن فِتْنَةٌ فِي الأَرْضِ وَفَسَادٌ كَبِي
“The Unbelievers are protectors, one of another: Unless ye do this, (protect each other by establishing the Khilafah), there would be turmoil and oppression on earth, and great mischief.” [TMQ Al-Anfal: 73]

Wake up boys we got work to do!!

2007-01-16T14:35:00.000Z

For 5 years the US has kidnapped, tortured, and incarcerated men - and some children - in Camp Delta. These men, some of whom simply disappeared from their homes, have never been charged with any crime. They are, by the standards of Islam and even by the standards that the US boast of, innocent men until they are charged, tried and proven guilty of a crime.

- Bigz: You guys can use this argument to prove that US policy has double standards – Innocent until proven guilty hey?

Some were tortured in institutions -such as Bagram airbase - before transfer to what can only be described as this US gulag. Some were beaten, tormented and humiliated by guards at the camp itself. How many may have been killed by such beatings we will never know.

- Bigz: This is reported by independent charity organisations such as Red cross, some prisoners and soldiers. Lies will always come out.

The violation of the very same standards that Bush, Blair and others have alleged that they sought to uphold, and have tried to force upon the Muslim world with their bombs and guns is obvious hypocrisy. However, the extraordinary thing is the way that these crimes - kidnap, disappearances, torture, beatings and detention without trial - have simply become accepted as norms by politicians, journalists and thinkers around the world. Some speak out, but many others do nothing or even justify such behaviour under the threat of terrorism.

- Bigz: The fear tactic has worked. Boundaries have been pushed. We need to consistently speak the truth until it prevails. Who else will do it – The Burton youth will!

Furthermore, this is a symptom of a wider problem in the war on terror (WOT). When US bombs rained down on Somalia this week, few were agitated by the unilateral action, justified by secret intelligence that high-level Al-Qaida operatives were in Somalia. That no one sought to question the evidence is in itself extraordinary. However, that no one questioned the actions shows how much normal expectations have changed. When Ronald Regan bombed Libya - a state known as a pariah in the west, accused of the Lockerbie bombings - the reaction was loud from around the world. When he invaded Grenada, there was similar reaction.

- Bigz: If we don’t speak up, they have free rein to do what they want – you guys following the argument? Ready to speak up?

Such crimes as those committed presently in the WOT were committed by states in the past that sought to establish their imperial might on the world. Britain committed huge abuses in Asia and Africa - even establishing its own extra judicial detention camps. The difference now, however, is that the world can see all these crimes. Imperialism is doomed because its dirty secrets cannot be hidden in the world of the videophone, Internet, and satellite. The response to this exposure will be anger, defiance and protest around the world, which is a healthy sign.

- Bigz: The same point – the truth always comes out. But we need to kick start it. Get ready to shout out loud. The Burton crew ready to become the youth of Islam?

Bush and Blair constantly talk about winning hearts and minds, but their actions in Guantanamo speak volumes for what they really believe in. By this reckoning, they have utterly lost the intellectual debate along with the battle to prove their material strength.

- Bigz: Lies cannot be proven. Instead they are hidden by more lies. If their values were so great, then why does the world reject them? The youth of Islam have the truth.

In World War 2 it was said that the western allies fought and sacrificed, and gave their lives for the preservation of values that protected people from tyranny and injustice. In the WOT they have argued that such values should be abandoned to protect life. In reality, Bush and Blair have made the world a more dangerous and disordered place.

- Bigz: Double standards again. History is not forgotten, only lessons are learnt - Burton youth of Islam? You ready to wear the title?

A letter to the drugtakers and dealers

2007-01-11T12:39:00.000Z

FAO of all Muslim drug dealers and users in Burton

Aslam’ alaikum.
This is the first time I am writing to you. I hope you view my letter as a sincere attempt to rectify the terrible situation our small community is in. I want to open a discussion on the Muslim drug game and pave a way for our community.
You guys all know who I am, who I chill with and what I believe. I want to spread the haq, the truth but you guys are an obstacle in my way, you’re dumb’n the people. You’re a challenge to me. And it’s a challenge I’m dying to take on, and this is my invitation to you towards Islam.
Over the years, I’ve heard the excuses and here are some; ‘I’m not as bad as next man’, ‘I’m only smoking twice a week’, ‘I do dua every night’, ‘I will one day’, ‘I’ve tried before, it’s hard’. Let me remind you, time doesn’t stop, before you know it you’ll be in a box, six foot under, getting questioned whilst you’re off your head….anymore excuses?
Can’t you see you guys are living a bizarre life? We were an Ummah who used rule most of the known world. We used to speak the truth and spread justice. An Ummah, people respected. An Ummah who applied Islam in all aspects of life. We have lost all of this. Let me tell you some home truth…
People look at us and laugh. Why? Why have we let ourselves become so low? We can sit in our comfortable houses and big cars but it doesn’t hide the fact that we are unhappy. You think that you’re making dollar. Let me tell you something about your money. It’s worth less than you. A person who cleans toilets for his money is a thousand times nobler than you.
You say that it relieves you. Let me tell you something about stress; when a ten year old boy is beaten to death. That’s stress. You don’t have death on your doorstep, no famine nor disease….what stress have you really got?
As you read my letter, look around you, I suspect none of your family members are around you. Isn’t that sad? Trust me they know what you do. They smell it on you; they see it in your eyes. They hear about it on the street.
The Prophet (saw) bled for us, and was insulted for us. What do you do? Insult him further by praying once a week and celebrating Eid - pissed? The noble companions were martyred, ensuring we receive the message pure and protected. What do you do; just throw it away…
Shaytan challenged the All-mighty, Allah. Saying, ‘O Allah let me take your people from the straight path’. Shaytan’s got his way; he’s groomed his little army well, spreading mischief and mayhem. An army which will die and be placed in shaytan’s den. A place full of black fire, tearing your skin. That is where this little army will end.
By now whilst you’re reading my words, there may be a thought telling you to stop. Listen to it, make the move. How long can you run away from the truth? If you’re unsure then try this test. Go to your sister, mother, father or brother and ask them to smoke the dope. If you can, then you believe its right. If you can’t then you know you are deluded and I’m right.
I hear you say I’ve heard this all before. Are you really that hard hearted that you’ll ignore this message once more? What will make you people awake, maybe it’s your sister’s rape, your mothers screams, or your father’s gun shot wounds? If you’re waiting for a shock to make you wake up – let me tell you this happens to our brothers and sisters everyday in a place called Philaste’en. Come on lads, what more do I have to say – you’re lives are pathetic – we all don’t want this anymore.
I invite you into a life that has purpose and meaning. That elevates you. Takes away paranoia. A life where your friends are stronger than blood brothers. Where your parents are proud of you, and your brothers and sisters look up to you. Where you pass people in the street and they say ‘salaam’. Where you know you will insha’Allah meet Allah with a smile.
Insha’allah I will pray that you change towards the straight path. Where real men stand. From one brother to another I request you ask for help and forgiveness from Allah (swt), read this dua, repent sincerely, think about my words and make the change, us brothers are here for you…
O Allah I seek forgiveness from those things which I have repeated after repenting for it and I repent to You for those things which was intended for You but while doing it the intention was changed which was not for You. And I seek Your forgiveness from those bounties which was bestowed for Your obedience but I used for Your disobedience and I repent for it that there is no one other than Allah, He is the living, the self existing, Knower of the unseen and present everywhere, the Beneficent the Merciful. I seek forgiveness for all those sins which I have committed and of all those sins which I have initiated. O Allah give me perfect intelligence and enlighten my wishes and intellect, clean heart, abundance knowledge, clear ethics, all these things which are beneficial to me and not harmful to me. O the one who is most Beneficial by Your mercy,I seek refuge in Allah there is no lord except Him, the living, the self existent to Him do I repent
I seek forgiveness from Allah who is without a heir and is alive, and the supporter of the universe and I turn to Him in repentance.

Ameen

Waslaam,

Bigz

Multinationals

2007-01-11T12:38:00.000Z

Western multinationals set to reap the spoils of this Colonial War
Independent on Sunday (07/01/07) revealed details of a controversial new law that the Iraqi colonial government is planning to push through giving Western oil companies the right to exploit the country's massive oil reserves for the next 30 years. While over 650,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed and over 3000 British and American soldiers have been sent to their deaths, western multinationals seem set to reap the spoils of this colonial war for years to come.
With attention focused on the hanging of Saddam, such a law could have slipped by unnoticed, allowing the exploitation of resources from a country decimated by war, and a government making decisions under occupation and from a position of weakness and subjugation.
It confirms that control of oil supplies was a potent motivating factor for this colonial war. Multinationals may profit but a country has been plunged into chaos and millions of lives lost and ruined. These are the issues Blair should be accounted for, not whether or not he commented on Saddam’s execution.

The Basics of Quran

2007-01-11T12:36:00.000Z

The Qur'an - the first source of law

It is necessary to define the Qur’an, from this definition we will know what is allowed to be read in prayer and what is not. What is a proof in Hukm Shara’i and what is not. It also tells us what makes somebody a Kafir if by denial and what does not constitute disbelief. So when we define Qur’an we mean the Qur’an as evidence in Fiqh.

Qur’an is derived from the word Qara’a, which means to read or recite. Therefore, Qur’an linguistically means the book that has been read or recited.

As a term, Qur’an is Allah’s (swt) miraculous speech revealed unto Muhammad (saw) in Arabic and transferred to us by the Tawatur method. The recitation of Qur’an is considered as an ‘Ibadaah (act of worship). By Allah’s (swt) speech it is meant that the Qur’an is the exact words of Allah (swt). It was revealed to Muhammad (saw) as it exists today. By ‘miraculous’ it is meant that no one can produce something similar to it. [Al-Ihkaam, al-Aamidi 1/28, Rawdat al-Nathir, Ibn- Qudama al-Maqdisi 1/178]

The term “in Arabic” refers to the language of the Qur’an, not to its scope or ideas because Qur’an addresses all Arabs and non-Arabs. The rules of Qur’an are universal and not restricted to one ethnic group or a specific area or time. All the Qu’ran is in Arabic, it is completely in Arabic and contains no foreign tongue. Imam Shafi says in his Risala, “The Qu’ran indicates that there is no portion in the Book of Allah that is not in the Arab tongue. He who expressed such an opinion [concerning foreign words in the Qu’ran] may have found some [men] who accepted it by [sheer] submission (taqlid) to his authority, leaving the matter of proof up to him and to those who have disagreed with him. However, by mere submission they have neglected [their duty]; Allah forgive them and us. But, perhaps, he who expressed the opinion that there are in the Quran [words] which are not of the Arab tongue-and his opinion was accepted by others meant that there are certain particular [words] which are not understood by some Arabs.”

Furthermore the ignorance of the Arabs about some words of the Quran is not an evidence that the Quran contains foreign words. Rather there is a possibility that some non-Arabs learned some Arabic words and then it became wide spread in their language. Because of this some of their words may correspond to some words mentioned in the Quran, or maybe some foreign words entered in the Arabic language. And hence it became part of the Arabic language itself and therefore cannot be considered a foreign word anymore as the Arabs used it as part of their language, even if its root is foreign.

Many verses point that the Quran is completely in Arabic such as:

إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ قُرْآَنًا عَرَبِيًّا لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ

“Verily, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur’an.” (TMQ Yusuf: 2)

كِتَابٌ فُصِّلَتْ آَيَاتُهُ قُرْآَنًا عَرَبِيًّا لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ

“A Book whereof the Verses are explained in detail - a Qur’an in Arabic for people who know.” (TMQ Fussilat: 3)

قُرْآَنًا عَرَبِيًّا غَيْرَ ذِي عِوَجٍ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ

“An Arabic Quran with no crookedness in it, perchance they will be God fearing.” (TMQ Al-Zumar: 29)

وَكَذَلِكَ أَنْزَلْنَاهُ حُكْمًا عَرَبِيًّا

“Thus We sent it down as an Arabic Law.” (TMQ Ar-Ra’ad: 37)

وَكَذَلِكَ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ قُرْآَنًا عَرَبِيًّا

“And thus We have revealed unto you (O Muhammad [saw]) a Qur’an (in Arabic).” (TMQ Shurah: 7)

إِنَّا جَعَلْنَاهُ قُرْآَنًا عَرَبِيًّا

“We verily, have made it a Qur’an in Arabic.” (TMQ Zukhruf: 3)

By Tawatur method it is meant that a group or people for whom it is impossible to lie or conspire to fabricate a lie conveyed it to us. The Qur’an was transferred to us through an entire generation, not just by a group, to its successors, until it reached the present generation, without any interval in this transference.

Reciting Qur’an in Arabic by itself, without even comprehending its meaning is considered an ‘Ibadaah. In this regard, Qur’an is different from Hadith, which cannot be recited as an act of ‘Ibadaah. However, thinking about the meanings of both the Qur’an and Hadith is considered an ‘Ibadah.

Revelation of the Qur’an

The Qur’an was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (saw) in parts for a period of twenty-three years. It used to be revealed in various ways. Sometimes the revelation would come in quick succession and other times it would take a long time. The Qur’an was revealed gradually and not all at once due to wisdom (hikma) Allah (swt) has mentioned in the noble Qur’an itself:

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْلَا نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ الْقُرْآَنُ جُمْلَةً وَاحِدَةً كَذَلِكَ لِنُثَبِّتَ بِهِ فُؤَادَكَ وَرَتَّلْنَاهُ تَرْتِيلًا

“And those who disbelieve say: "Why is not the Qur’an revealed to him all at once?" Thus (it is send down in parts), that We may strengthen your heart thereby.” (TMQ Al-Furqan: 32)

وَقُرْآَنًا فَرَقْنَاهُ لِتَقْرَأَهُ عَلَى النَّاسِ عَلَى مُكْثٍ وَنَزَّلْنَاهُ تَنْزِيلًا

“And (it is) a Qur’an which We have divided (into parts), in order that you might recite it to men at intervals. And We have revealed it by stages.” (TMQ Al-Isra’:106)

So, in order to strengthen the heart of the Messenger, and so as to recite it to the people slowly without haste, and also in order to reveal it according to incidents and answers to questions, the Qur’an was revealed gradually and in parts for twenty-three years.

As we mentioned earlier the scholars have defined fiqh as, ‘the knowledge of the practical Shar’iah rules that are derived from their detailed evidences (al-adillah al-tafsiliyy ah)’.

Knowledge of the Shari'ah rules began the day when they were revealed by Allah (swt). This took place mostly after the migration (Hijra) of the Prophet (saw) from Makkah to Madina. The Messenger of Allah (saw) stayed in Makkah for thirteen years, then he resided in Madina for about ten years. The Quran was revealed in Makkah and continued throughout the Prophet’s stay in Madina. Many of the verses of Ahkam (rules) were revealed in Madina. In this period verses from the Qur’an were revealed and the Messenger (saw) used to convey the Ahkam relating to answering practical questions and providing solutions to problems that arose.

The portion that was revealed in Makkah is approximately about two thirds of the Qur’an and they are known as the Makkan verses (Makki). In their totality they barely deal with few Ahkam. Rather they are confined to explaining the fundamentals of the Deen and calling people to them, such as the belief in Allah and His Messenger, the Day of Judgement, the command to perform Salah, characterisation with moral attributes such as honesty, truthfulness, and forbidding evil actions such as fornication, murder, burying girls alive, deficiency in the measure and scales etc. The second portion that was revealed in Madina is close to a third of the Qur’an and they are known as the Madinan verses (Madani). These are verses of Mu'amalat (transactions) such as selling, renting and usury. They also include the Hudud, such as the Hadd of Zina (fornication) and stealing. From the Jinayat (capital punishments) such as killing the one who killed someone intentionally or punishment of highway robbers. And from the Bayyinat (testimonial evidences) such as the testimony of zina and the rest of the testimonies. The remaining rules concerning the worships ('Ibadat) such as fasting, Zakah, Hajj and Jihad were revealed were also revealed during this period.

From this it becomes clear that even though rules of prayer were revealed in Makkah they do not form the body of rules but knowledge of a type of rule. As for what was revealed in Madina, they consisted of all the Ahkam. That is why knowledge of such rules is considered Fiqh. Therefore, it is more accurate for us to say that Fiqh began in Madina. And since Fiqh constitutes practical rules, they have been revealed to treat incidents that have taken place. The verses of Ahkam, more often than not were in connection to events that took place. So the disputants would refer judgment to the Messenger of Allah (saw) and he would judge between them according to the rules Allah (swt) has revealed to him, or on the occasion of problems requiring solutions, so an Ayah or Ayaat stating the hukm would be revealed. In this manner the Qur’an was revealed gradually. The legislative aspect used to be quite evident in the revelation of the Qur’an. The Ayaat did not treat assumptions that may or may not happen. Rather, they treated issues that actually took place and real problems that people face. The Qur’an continued to be revealed until the year in which the Messenger of Allah (saw) passed away. So, Allah (swt) perfected and completed the Deen and He revealed to him the last ayah which is His (swt) saying in Sura al-Baqarah:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَذَرُوا مَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الرِّبَا إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ

“O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah and give up what remains (due to you) from riba (usury).” (TMQ Al-Baqarah: 278)

Arrangement of the Qur’an

During the time of the Prophet (saw), the text of the Qur’an was preserved in memory and also inscripted on flat stones, wood, and bones.

The Qur’an used to be revealed to the Messenger of Allah (saw) and he used to instruct people to memorise it and write it down on pieces of leather, paper, scapula, palm risp, bones, leaf stalks of date palm etc. When the Ayaat were revealed he used to give the order that they be placed in their proper place in the Surah (chapter). Thus, he used to say put this Ayah in such and such Surah after such and such Ayah. So they used to put them in their proper place in the Surah. It has been narrated by Uthman that he said, 'The ayaat used to be revealed to the Prophet (saw) and so he used to say: Put these Ayaat in the Surah which mentions such and such thing'. It was done in this manner until the whole Qur’an was revealed and Allah (swt) took his (saw) soul after the revelation of the Qur’an was complete. That is why the arrangement of the verses of every Surah in the form as it is in now in the present script (mushaf) was determined by the revelation (tawqeefan) from the Prophet (saw) transmitted to him (saw) by Jibrael from Allah (swt). According to this arrangement the Ummah transmitted the Qur’an from the Prophet (saw) and there is no dispute about this. The order of the verses within the chapters (Surahs) was in the same form as we see today.

As for the arrangement of some of the chapters (Surahs) they were put together according to the Ijtihad of Sahaba (may Allah be pleased with them).

Imam Ahmad and the Sunan compilers have reported a hadith by Ibn 'Abbas which has been declared sound by Ibn Hibban and al-Hakim, they narrated that Ibn Abbas (ra) asked Uthman (ra) as to why he put Surah al-Bara’ah (At-Tawba) after Surah al-Anfal when it is from the Mathani (Surahs with less than 100 ayahs) and al-Bara'ah is from the Mi'un (consisting of about 100 ayahs). Ibn Abbas said, ‘You have put them together them and you did not write between them the line بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ 'bismillah ar-rahman a-rahim' and you have placed them among the seven long (Tiwal) Surahs. So Uthman said, 'Often a Surah would be revealed to the Messenger of Allah (saw) that would have a number of verses. When a something was revealed to him – i.e. verses from it - he used to call someone from among those who used to write for him and said: ‘Place these ayaat in the Surah, in which this and this is mentioned. Sura al-Anfal was one of the first to be revealed in Madinah and al-Baraa'ah was at the end of the Qur’an. Their narrative used to resemble each other so I thought Anfal was part of Baraa'ah.' The Messenger of Allah (saw) died and he did not clarify to us if Al-Anfal was part of al-Bara'ah. Thus, It has been narrated by Sa'eed b. Jubayr from Ibn 'Abbas who said that: “The Prophet (saw) did not know the ending of a Surah until 'Bismillah ar-rahman a-rahim' was revealed.” In another narration: “When Bismillah ar-rahman ar-rahim was revealed they knew that the Surah had come to an end.”

This indicates that the verse order in every Surah was detrmined by revelation (Tawqifiyyan). And since the Prophet (saw) did not elucidate the issue of al-Bara'ah, Uthman (ra) added it to al-Anfal according to his own Ijtihad. The author of al-Iqna' reported that the Bismillah (abbr. for bismillah ar-rahman ar-rahim) for al-Bara'ah is present in the Mushaf (collection) of Ibn Mas'ud. It has been reported that the Sahaba used to keep copies whose arrangement of Surahs was different though there were no differences in the verse arrangement. So the Mushaf of Ibn Mas'ud was compiled in a manner different to the Mushaf of Uthman in terms of the arrangement of the Surahs. It began with al-Fatiha, then al-Baqarah, al-Nisa and Aal-Imran. Contrary to the Uthmani Mushaf whose arrangement is al-Fatiha, al-Baqarah, Aal-Imran and then Al-Nisa. None of them were compiled according to the order of revelation. It is said that the Mushaf of 'Ali was according to the order of revelation, it began with Iqra', then Al-Muddaththir, Nun wal qalam, al-Muzzammil, Tabbat, al-Takweer, Sabbih, it went on in this manner to the end of the Makkan suras and then to the Madinan suras. All of this indicates that the Surah arrangement in relation to some Surahs were arranged according to the Ijtihad of the Sahabah. That is why maintaining the arrangement of Surahs in recitation in not obligatory whether in reciting the Qur’an (Tilaawah), in the prayer (Salah), in a lesson or in teaching. As evidenced by the fact that the Prophet (saw) read sura al-Nisa before Aal-Imran in his night prayer. As for what has been reported about the prohibition of reciting the Qur’an in reverse order, what was intended was that an Ayah in one Surah should not be read in reverse, not the recitation of Surahs in reverse order.

The angel Jibreel used to read once every year all of what had been revealed to the Messenger (saw) from the Qur’an. And in the year in which the Messenger of Allah (saw) died Jibreel recited the whole of the Qur’an twice to the Messenger (saw). It has been narrated by Aisha (ra.) on the authority of Fatimah (ra) that: “The Prophet (saw) confided in me that: ‘Jibreel used to read the Qur’an to me every year.’” It has also been narrated by Abu Hurayra that he said: ‘Jibreel used to present the Qur’an to the Prophet once a year, but he presented it twice to him in the year he died.’ Jibreel's presentation of the Qur’an to the Messenger (saw) every year means that he presented the arrangement of its verses in relation to other verses and the arrangement of its verses in their respective chapters because presenting the book means to present its sentences, words and arrangement.

There are also other Ahadith which explicitly mention the arrangment of verses. They state the verses in relation to each other and the arrangment of verses in their respective chapters, ‘Place these verses in such and such sura after such and such ayah’. And, 'Place those verses in that sura that mentioned such and such thing'. A sura would end and another sura would begin as decreed by Allah through Jibreel. All of this definitely indicates that the arrangement of verses in their chapters and the form of the suras in terms of the number of verses and their places, all of that is determined (Tawqifi) by Allah (swt). The Ummah transmitted it in this form from the Prophet (saw) and that is proven by Tawaatur (recurrent reports).

It was narrated by the mother of the believers, Aisha (ra), that a person from Iraq came to her and asked, 'What type of shroud is the best?' 'Aisha said, 'May Allah be merciful to you! What does it matter?' He said, 'O mother of the believers! Show me (the copy of) your Qur’an.' She said,'Why?" He said, ‘In order to compile and arrange the Qur’an according to it, for people recite it with its suras not in proper order.’ 'Aisha said, “What does it matter which part of it you read first? Know that the first thing that was revealed thereof was a Sura from Al-Mufassal, and in it was mentioned Paradise and the Fire. When the people embraced Islam, the verses regarding legal and illegal things were revealed. If the first thing to be revealed was: 'Do not drink alcoholic drinks.' people would have said, 'We will never leave alcoholic drinks,' and if there had been revealed, 'Do not commit illegal sexual intercourse, 'they would have said, 'We will never give up illegal sexual intercourse.' While I was a young girl of playing age, the following verse was revealed in Makkah to Muhammad:

بَلِ السَّاعَةُ مَوْعِدُهُمْ وَالسَّاعَةُ أَدْهَى وَأَمَرُّ

“Nay! But the Hour is their appointed time (for their full recompense), and the Hour will be more grievous and more bitter.” (TMQ Al-Qamar: 46)

Sura Al-Baqara and Sura al-Nisa (The Women) were revealed while I was with him.” Then 'Aisha took out the copy of the Qur’an for the man and dictated to him the verses of the Suras. This hadith shows that the chapters of the Qur’an had not been put together in order. Together with what was mentioned earlier about the different arrangements in the Mushafs of various Sahaba it becomes clear that the arrangement of the Surahs was according to the Ijtihad of the Sahaba

Compilation of the Qur’an

It has been proven by decisive and definite evidence that when the Prophet (saw) died the whole Qur’an had been written and all of it was preserved in the hearts of the Sahaba (may Allah be pleased with them). An Ayah or Ayaat would be revealed and so he (saw) used to order that they be written down before him at once. He (saw) did not prevent the Muslims from writing the Qur’an other than what he used to dictate to the scribes who wrote down the revelation.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri narrated that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, “Do not write down anything from me, whosoever writes anything I have said other than the Qur’an let him erase it.” [Muslim]

What the scribes used to write of the revelation was collected on sheets (suhuf). He (swt) said:

رَسُولٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ يَتْلُو صُحُفًا مُطَهَّرَةً

“A Messenger from Allah, reciting purified pages (suhuf) (of the Qur’an).” (TMQ Al-Bayyinah: 2)

كَلَّا إِنَّهَا تَذْكِرَةٌ (11) فَمَنْ شَاءَ ذَكَرَهُ (12) فِي صُحُفٍ مُكَرَّمَةٍ (13) مَرْفُوعَةٍ مُطَهَّرَةٍ (14) بِأَيْدِي سَفَرَةٍ (15) كِرَامٍ بَرَرَةٍ (16)

“Nay, indeed it (verses of the Qur’an) are an admonition (tazkirah). So whoever wills, let him pay attention to it. (It is) in Records held (greatly) in honour. Exalted (in dignity), purified. In the hands of scribes. Honourable and obedient.” (TMQ Al-Abbasa: 11-16)

He (saw) left written everything that was between the two covers of the Mushaf which had been written down in front of him. 'Abd al-'Aziz b Rufayya' narrated: Shaddad bin Ma'qil and I entered upon Ibn 'Abbas. Shaddad bin Ma'qil asked him, 'Did the Prophet leave anything (besides the Qur’an)?' He replied. “He did not leave anything except what is Between the two bindings (of the Qur’an).” Then we visited Muhammad bin Al-Hanafiyya and asked him (the same question). He replied, “The Prophet did not leave except what is between the bindings (of the Qur’an).” An Ijma' (consensus) has taken place on the fact that all of the verses of the Qur’an in their respective chapters (suras) had been written down directly in front of the Messenger (saw) when the revelation was revealed to him, and that they were written on sheets (Suhuf). The greatest of Messengers died content about the Qur’an, his greatest miracle which established the proof for the Arabs and the world. He did not fear for the verses of the Qur’an that they would be lost because Allah (swt) has preserved the Qur’an with an explicit text:

إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ

“Verily We: It is We Who have sent down the Zikr (the Qur’an) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption).” (TMQ Al-Hajj: 9)

Due to the preservation of the Qur’an in its written form and in the memory of the Sahaba after the death of the Messenger the Sahaba initially did not feel the need to compile the Qur’an in one book. This was the case until many of the Huffaz (memorisers of the Qur’an) had been killed in the Riddah (apostasy) wars. Due to this 'Umar (ra) feared for the loss of certain sheets and death of the Qurra' (Those who had committed the whole of the Qur’an to memory), thereby causing some verse to be lost. So he thought about bringing the written sheets together (in one compilation). He presented his idea to Abu Bakr (ra) who eventually accepted this and ordered for the compilation of the Qur’an.

It has been narrated by 'Ubayd b. al-Sibaq that Zayd b al-Thabit Al-Ansari said: ‘Abu Bakr sent for me after the (heavy) casualties among the warriors (of the battle) of Yamama (where a great number of Qurra' were killed). 'Umar was present with Abu Bakr who said, 'Umar has come to me and said, The people have suffered heavy casualties on the day of (the battle of) Yamama, and I am afraid that there will be more casualties among the Qurra' at other battle-fields, whereby a large part of the Qur’an may be lost, unless you collect it. And I am of the opinion that you should collect the Qur’an.’ Abu Bakr (ra) added, ‘I said to 'Umar, 'How can I do something which Allah's Apostle has not done?' 'Umar said (to me), 'By Allah, it is (really) a good thing.' So 'Umar kept on pressing, trying to persuade me to accept his proposal, till Allah opened my bosom for it and I had the same opinion as 'Umar.' Zayd b al-Thabit added: ‘Umar was sitting with him (Abu Bakr) and was not speaking to me). 'You are a wise young man and we do not suspect you (of telling lies or of forgetfulness) and you used to write the revelation (wahy) for Allah's Apostle. Therefore, look for the Qur’an and collect it (in one manuscript). 'By Allah, if he (Abu Bakr) had ordered me to shift one of the mountains (from its place) it would not have been harder for me than what he had ordered me concerning the collection of the Qur’an. I said to both of them, "How dare you do a thing which the Prophet has not done?' Abu Bakr said, 'By Allah, it is (really) a good thing. So I kept on arguing with him about it till Allah opened my bosom for that which He had opened the bosoms of Abu Bakr and Umar. So I started locating Quranic material and collecting it from parchments, scapula, leaf-stalks of date palms and from the memories of men (who knew it by heart). I found with Khuzaima two Verses of Sura al-Tawbah which I had not found with anybody else (in terms of the written form), (and they were):

لَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ

“Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty.” (TMQ At-Tawbah:128) until the end of Bara'ah.

The manuscript of the Quran which was collected, remained with Abu Bakr (ra) until Allah (swt) took him, and then with 'Umar (ra) during his lifetime, and finally it remained with Hafsa (ra), Umar's daughter. Zayd's (ra) compilation of the Qur’an did not consist of what he wrote down from the Huffaz. Rather his compilation brought together what he had written himself in front of the Messenger of Allah (saw). He did not place one sheet with another sheet in order to compile them unless two witnesses testified, for this sheet that had been presented to him, that it was written in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (saw). Furthermore, he did not accept a sheet unless it met two conditions. Firstly, that it was present in written form with one of the Sahaba. Secondly, that it has been memorised by one of the Sahaba. When the written and memorised forms concurred with the sheet that was intended to be compiled, he took it, otherwise he did not accept it. That is why he refrained from taking the end of sura al-Bara'ah until he found it in written form with Abu Khuzayma even though Zayd could himself recall and remember it. It has been narrated via Yahya b 'abd al-Rahman b. Hatib that he said: ‘'Umar stood up and said; whosoever has received anything of the Qur’an from the Messenger of Allah (saw), let him bring it forth. They used to write that on sheets, tablets and palm risp.’ Ibn Hatib said: ‘He (Zayd) did not accept anything from anyone until two witnesses had given testimony. This shows that Zayd was not satisfied by merely finding something in a written form until the one who received it testified that he had heard it from the Messenger of Allah (swt), despite the fact that Zayd already had it memorised. He did this due to his extreme caution.'

Thus, the process of compilation was nothing other than the bringing together of sheets that had already been written in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (saw) into one book between two covers. The Qur’an used to be written down on sheets but they were separately kept. So Abu Bakr (ra) assembled them in one place. That is why Abu Bakr's order to compile the Qur’an was not an order to write it down in one Mushaf, rather it was an order to bring the sheets that had been written in the Messenger's presence together in one place. This was an order to make certain that they are in the same original form by supporting them with the testimonies of two witnesses that they had been written in front of the Messenger of Allah (saw), also that they were in the possession of the Sahaba in written form and they had memorised them. These sheets remained preserved in the possession of Abu Bakr (ra) during his life and then with 'Umar (ra) during his lifetime and them with Hafsa (ra) the daughter of 'Umar, the mother of the believers in accordance with 'Umar's bequest. From this it becomes clear that Abu Bakr's compilation of the Qur’an constituted only the bringing together of sheets that had been written in the presence of Allah's Messenger and it was not an actual compilation of the Qur’an.

This was regarding the compilation of Abu Bakr. As for the compilation of 'Uthman (ra), in the third or some say the second year of his Khilafah i.e. in the year 25 AH. Hudhayfa b. al-Yaman (ra) approached 'Uthman in Madinah at the time when the people of al-Sham and the people of Iraq were waging war to conquer Armenia and Azerbijan. Hudhayfa was afraid of the people of al-Sham and Iraq’s differences in the recitation of the Qur’an. He saw that the people of al-Sham reading according to the recitation of Ubay b. Ka'b (ra), and they were coming with readings the people of Iraq had not heard of. Also he saw the people of Iraq reading according to the recitation of Abdullah b. Mas'ud (ra) and so they had certain readings that the people of al-Sham had not heard of. Thus, they began to charge each other of Kufr (disbelief). They both disagreed about a verse in sura al-Baqarah. One read:

وَأَتِمُّوا الْحَجَّ وَالْعُمْرَةَ لِلَّهِ

“And perform properly the hajj and 'Umra for Allah (wa atimmul hajja wal 'umrata lillah).”(TMQ Al-Baqarah: 196)

The other read: “And perform properly the hajj and 'Umra to the House (of Allah)(wa atimmul hajja wal 'umrata lil bayt).” So Huzayfah became angry and his eyes went red with rage. It has been narrated about Huzayfah that he said: ‘The people of Kufah adhere to the recitation of Ibn Mas'ud and the people of Basra adhere to the recitation of Abu Musa. By Allah! If I go to the Leader of the Believers I will order him to make it a single recitation.’ So he travelled to 'Uthman (ra). It has been reported by Ibn Shihab that Anas b. Malik (ra) narrated: Hudhaifa bin al-Yaman came to Uthman at the time when the people of Sham and the people of Iraq were waging war to conquer Armenia and Azerbijan. Hudhayfa was afraid of their (the people of Sham and Iraq) differences in the recitation of the Qur’an, so he said to 'Uthman, 'O chief of the Believers! Save this nation before they differ about the Book (Quran) as Jews and the Christians did before.' So 'Uthman sent a message to Hafsa saying, 'Send us the manuscripts of the Qur’an so that we may compile the Qur’anic materials in perfect copies and return the manuscripts to you.' Hafsa sent it to 'Uthman. 'Uthman then ordered Zaid bin Thabit, 'Abd Allah b. al-Zubair, Said b. al-'As and 'Abd al-Rahman b. Harith b. Hisham to rewrite the manuscripts in perfect copies. 'Uthman said to the three Quraishi men, 'In case you disagree with Zaid b. al-Thabit on any point in the Qur’an, then write it in the dialect of Quraish, the Qur’an was revealed in their tongue.' They did so, and when they had written many copies, 'Uthman returned the original manuscripts to Hafsa. 'Uthman sent to every Muslim province one copy of what they had copied, and ordered that all the other Qur’anic materials, whether written in fragmentary manuscripts or whole copies, be burnt. The number of copies made was seven. The seven Mushafs were sent to Makkah, al-Sham, Yemen, Bahrayn, Basra, Kufa, and one copy was kept in Madina.

Therefore, 'Uthman's action was not the compilation of the Qur’an. Rather it constituted in only the copying and transcription of the same thing transcribed from the Messenger of Allah (saw) as it was. He he did not do anything other than make seven copies from the preserved copy in the possession of Hafsa, mother of the believers and unite the people on this single script and forbade any other script or dictation other than it. The matter became settled on this copy as a script and dictation. It is the same script and dictation in which the sheets were written in the presence of Allah's Messenger (saw) when the revelation was sent down. And it is the same copy which Abu Bakr (ra) had compiled. Then the Muslims began to make copies from this copy and not any other copy. Nothing remained except the Mushaf of 'Uthman in its script. When printers came about the Mushaf was printed from this copy with the same script and dictation.

The difference between the compilation of Abu Bakr and that of 'Uthman is that the compilation of Abu Bakr took place due to the fear that something would be lost from the Qur’an if any of its memorisers died out. As even though it was written on sheets it had not been collected in one place in a single book, thus it was compiled. The compilation of 'Uthman took place because differences increased regarding aspects of the Qur’an when they read it due to the expansion of the language. This led some to accuse others of making an error. It was feared that the matter would escalate and become seriously worse. So the original compilation was copied seven times and sent to the different Muslim provinces. The Mushaf that we now have before us is the same Mushaf revealed to the Messenger of Allah (saw). It is the same mushaf that Abu Bakr brought together when the sheets were compiled in one place. And it is the same one from which 'Uthman transcribed the seven copies and ordered for the rest to be burned. It is the same Noble Qur’an in its verse arrangement in relation to each other and their arrangment in their respectives Surahs, script and dictation.

As for the original copy dictated by the Messenger of Allah (saw) from the revelation, whose sheets were compiled together and then copied. It remained protected in the possession of Hafsa, mother of the believers until Marwan became the Wali (governor) of Madinah and he tore it up. Since it was not considered binding because copies of the Mushaf had spread everywhere. Ibn Shihab narrated that Salim b. 'Abdullah b. 'Umar informed him: That Marwan used to send for Hafsa – i.e. when he was the Amir of Madinah via Mu'awiyya - asking her for the sheets from which the Qur’an was written. She refused to give him it. Salim said: When Hafsa died, while we were returning from her burial Marwan communicated his firm decision to 'Abdullah b. 'Umar that he send him that mushaf. So 'Abdullah b. 'Umar sent it to him. Marwan ordered it to be destroyed. He said: ‘I did this because I feared that if it remained with people for a long time then people will have doubts regarding these sheets.’

Open & hidden meaning?

The Noble Qur’an does not have a Zaahir (outer) or Baatin (secret) meaning as some claim. It is an Arabic speech, which has come in the tongue of the Arabs. He (swt) said:

إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ قُرْآَنًا عَرَبِيًّا لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ

“We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur’an.” (TMQ Yusuf: 2)

بِلِسَانٍ عَرَبِيٍّ مُبِينٍ

“In the plain Arabic language.” (TMQ Ash-Shu’ara: 195)

It is understood the same way as any Arabic speech is understood. What Allah (swt) intends by the Qur’an is what has been expressed by the Noble Qur’an itself. Allah (swt) did not intend anything other than what was expressed. His intention is only understood from understanding of the syntax. The Arabic meaning is what Allah (swt) intended in His speech, which He (swt) expressed in the Arabic words and Arabic style. Accordingly, the import of the speech is what the speech indicated, through the linguistic proofs and the Shar’i indication mentioned in the Kitaab or Sunnah. This has no ‘outer’ or ‘inner’; it rather has a meaning indicated by the Arabic speech, through the understanding of the Arabic words and styles.

The Muhkamaat (clearcut) and Mutashaabihaat (ambiguous)

The Qur’an is composed of Ayaat which are Muhkamaat (clearcut) and aayaat which are mutashaabihaat (ambiguous), due to the saying of Allah (swt):

هُوَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ مِنْهُ آَيَاتٌ مُحْكَمَاتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشَابِهَاتٌ

“In it are Verses that are entirely clear, they are the foundations of the Book; and others not entirely clear.” (TMQ Al-Imran: 7)

As for the Muhkam (clear) part, it is the text whose meaning is apparent and clear such that it precludes the possibility of having any other meaning, i.e. its indication is explicit and not open to interpretation. Such as the saying of Allah (swt):

وَأَحَلَّ اللَّهُ الْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ الرِّبَا

“Allah has permitted trading and forbidden Riba (usury).” (TMQ Al-Baqarah: 275)

وَالسَّارِقُ وَالسَّارِقَةُ فَاقْطَعُوا أَيْدِيَهُمَا

“Cut off (from the wrist joint) the (right) hand of the thief, male or female.” (TMQ Al-Ma’ida: 38)

وَلَكُمْ فِي الْقِصَاصِ حَيَاةٌ يَا أُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

“And there is (a saving of) life for you in Al-Qisas (the Law of Equality in punishment), O men of understanding.” (TMQ Al-Baqarah: 179)

As for the Mutashaabih (ambiguous) part, it is the opposite of Muhkam. It is the text which is open to more than one meaning. It is open to a number of conflicting meanings. For example:

وَالْمُطَلَّقَاتُ يَتَرَبَّصْنَ بِأَنْفُسِهِنَّ ثَلَاثَةَ قُرُوءٍ

“And divorced women shall wait (as regards their marriage) for three menstrual periods.” (TMQ Al-Baqarah: 228)

أَوْ يَعْفُوَ الَّذِي بِيَدِهِ عُقْدَةُ النِّكَاحِ

“Unless they (the women) agree to forego it, or he (the husband), in whose hands is the marriage tie.” (TMQ Al-Baqarah: 237)

أَوْ لَامَسْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ

“Or you have been in contact with women.” (TMQ Al-Ma’ida: 6)

وَيَبْقَى وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ

“And the Face of your Lord full of Majesty and Honour will abide forever.” (TMQ Ar-Rahman: 27)

فَإِنَّكَ بِأَعْيُنِنَا

“For verily, you are under Our Eyes.” (TMQ At-Tur: 48)

He (swt) also said:

مِمَّا عَمِلَتْ أَيْدِينَا

“From Our Handiwork” (TMQ Ya-Seen: 71), and other such examples whose wording have a number of conflicting meanings and cannot be reconciled. Rather they need a linguistic Qareenah (linkage), which would specify one of the meanings. It might also have an apparent meaning that implies anthropomorphisation of Allah (swt), a matter that is not possible, either rationally or by Shar’, for the word to indicate. So, it needs a linguistic or Shar’i Qareenah (linkage) to determine the intended meaning.

Asbaab an-nuzool (Circumstances of revelation)

Some jurists have coined the term Asbab an-nuzool for incidents whose Hukm the revelation came to clarify.

The question arises, do these Ahkam remain specific to these incidents and not go beyond them or do we apply these Ahkam on every similar incident?

The answer is, these Ahkam are applied on every similar incident and this is established in two ways:

1. By examining all the ayahs which were revealed clarifying the rules of these incidents we find that they came with expressions that were general and not specific and hence they must be taken in their generality.

2. The Messenger (saw) took these Ahkam in their generality and applied them on every similar incident.

So the Ayah of stealing was revealed regarding the theft of Majn or Rida of Safwaan, the Ayah of Zihar with regards to Salamah bint Sakhar or Khawlah bint Tha’labah the wife of Aws b. Saamit, the Ayah of imprecation (Li’aan) regarding Hilal b. Umayyah. Even though they were all revealed regarding specific incidences the Messenger (saw) and the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) took them as general due to their general form and they applied them on every similar incident. This is proven by the Sunnah and Ijma of the Sahabah.

It was from these evidences that the follwing Shari’ah principle was deduced: ‘The consideration is for the generality of the expression and not for the specificity of the cuase’ (Al-‘ibra bi ‘umoom al-lafz laa bi khususiyyat as-sabab).

Abrogation (Naskh)

Linguistically abrogation means canceling (izaalah) or changing the thing and transforming it from one state to another while it still exists in essence.

Technically, it is the address (Khitaab) of the legislator which prevents the continuation of a Hukm Shar’i of a previous address (Khitaab).

As for the term abrogator (Naasikh) it may refer to Allah (swt):

مَا نَنْسَخْ مِنْ آَيَةٍ

“Whatever a Verse (revelation) do We abrogate.” (TMQ Al-Baqarah:106)

Or it may refer to an Ayah: Thus, we say the ‘Ayah of the sword’ (At-Tawbah: 29) abrogated so and so Ayah.

As for the abrogated (Mansookh) it is the Hukm which has been lifted, like the Hukm which obliges paying the Sadaqah in front of the Messenger (saw) in the confidence of the Messenger (saw), the Hukm of bequests for hiers, the Hukm of waiting for complete year in respect to the widow. In abrogation the Hukm abrogated must be Shar’i and the evidence which indicates the lifting of the Hukm must be Shar’i and come after the address whose hukm has been abrogated.

Allah (swt) has informed us of the occurrence of abrogation and the Ahkam which have been abrogated show us its true occurrence.

مَا نَنْسَخْ مِنْ آَيَةٍ أَوْ نُنْسِهَا نَأْتِ بِخَيْرٍ مِنْهَا أَوْ مِثْلِهَا أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

“Whatever a Verse (revelation) do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring a better one or similar to it. Know you not that Allah is able to do all things?” (TMQ Al-Baqarah: 106)

وَإِذَا بَدَّلْنَا آَيَةً مَكَانَ آَيَةٍ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يُنَزِّلُ قَالُوا إِنَّمَا أَنْتَ مُفْتَرٍ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

“And when We change a Verse in place of another, and Allah knows the best of what He sends down, they (the disbelievers) say: you (O Muhammad [saw]) are but a muftari! (forger, liar). Nay but most of them know not.” (TMQ An-Nahl: 101)

Sheikh Ata ibn Khalil Abu al-Rishta in his book ‘Teyseer al-wusul min al-usul’ (To make understanding Usul easy) lists the following types of abrogation:

a) Abrogation of the Hukm of the speech (Khitaab) without an alternative hukm:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا إِذَا نَاجَيْتُمُ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدِّمُوا بَيْنَ يَدَيْ نَجْوَاكُمْ صَدَقَةً ذَلِكَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ وَأَطْهَرُ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَجِدُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ (12) أَأَشْفَقْتُمْ أَنْ تُقَدِّمُوا بَيْنَ يَدَيْ نَجْوَاكُمْ صَدَقَاتٍ فَإِذْ لَمْ تَفْعَلُوا وَتَابَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ فَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآَتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَاللَّهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ

“O you who believe! When you (want to) consult the Messenger (Muhammad [saw]) in private, spend something in charity before your private consultation. That will be better and purer for you. But if you find not the means for it, then verily, Allah is oft forgiving, Most Merciful. Are you afraid of spending in charity before your private consultation with him? If then you do it not, and Allah has forgiven you, then (at least) perform Salat and give Zakat and obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah is All-Aware of what you do.” (TMQ 58:12-13)

This is an abrogation of giving charity before consulting the Messenger (saw) in private.

b) Abrogation with a lighter alternative:

The ratio of steadfastness goes from 1-10 to 2-10:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ حَرِّضِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَى الْقِتَالِ إِنْ يَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ عِشْرُونَ صَابِرُونَ يَغْلِبُوا مِائَتَيْنِ وَإِنْ يَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ مِئَةٌ يَغْلِبُوا أَلْفًا مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لَا يَفْقَهُونَ

“O Prophet (Muhammad [saw])! Urge the believers to fight. If there are twenty steadfast persons amongst you, they will overcome two hundred, and if there be a hundred steadfast persons they will overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, because they (the disbelievers) are people who do not understand.” (TMQ Al-Anfal: 65)

الْآَنَ خَفَّفَ اللَّهُ عَنْكُمْ وَعَلِمَ أَنَّ فِيكُمْ ضَعْفًا فَإِنْ يَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ مِئَةٌ صَابِرَةٌ يَغْلِبُوا مِائَتَيْنِ وَإِنْ يَكُنْ مِنْكُمْ أَلْفٌ يَغْلِبُوا أَلْفَيْنِ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ

“Now Allah has lightened your (task), for He knows that there is weakness in you. So if there are of you a hundred steadfast persons, they shall overcome two hundred…” (TMQ Al-Anfal: 66)

c) Abrogation with a similar alternative hukm:

The abrogation of facing al-Quds to facing the Ka’bah:

قَدْ نَرَى تَقَلُّبَ وَجْهِكَ فِي السَّمَاءِ فَلَنُوَلِّيَنَّكَ قِبْلَةً تَرْضَاهَا فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ وَحَيْثُ مَا كُنْتُمْ فَوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ شَطْرَهُ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ لَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا يَعْمَلُونَ

“Verily! We have seen the turning of your (Muhammad [saw]) face towards the heaven. Surely We shall turn you to a Qiblah (prayer direction) that shall please you, so turn your face in the direction of al-masjid al-haraam. And whosesoever you people are, turn your faces in prayer in that direction.” (TMQ Al-Baqarah: 144)

d) Abrogation with a more difficult alternative hukm.

In the beginning of Islam it was obligatory to confine woman who have committed fornication to houses and punish them as a Hadd for committing zina. This has been abrogated by the hukm which is well known:

وَاللَّاتِي يَأْتِينَ الْفَاحِشَةَ مِنْ نِسَائِكُمْ فَاسْتَشْهِدُوا عَلَيْهِنَّ أَرْبَعَةً مِنْكُمْ فَإِنْ شَهِدُوا فَأَمْسِكُوهُنَّ فِي الْبُيُوتِ حَتَّى يَتَوَفَّاهُنَّ الْمَوْتُ أَوْ يَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ لَهُنَّ سَبِيلًا (15) وَاللَّذَانِ يَأْتِيَانِهَا مِنْكُمْ فَآَذُوهُمَا فَإِنْ تَابَا وَأَصْلَحَا فَأَعْرِضُوا عَنْهُمَا إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ تَوَّابًا رَحِيمًا (16)

“And if they testify, confine them (ie women who have committed fornication) to houses until death comes to them or Allah ordains for them some (other) way. And the two persons among you who commit illegal sexual intercourse, punish them both. And if they repent (promise Allah that they will never repeat, ie commit illegal sexual intercourse and other similar sins) and do righteous good deeds, leave them alone.” (TMQ An-Nisa:15-16)

Another example is the abrogation of the fast of Ashura for the fast of Ramadhan.

‘Aisha (ra) narrated that; in the time of Jahiliyyah the Quraysh used to fast the day of Ashura. And the Messenger (saw) used to fast on this day as well. When the Messenger (saw) went to Madinah he fasted on this day and instructed the people to fast as well. When Ramadhan became obligatory, he said: “Whosoever wishes to fast on this day let him fast and whosoever wants let him leave it.”

It is important to know what is abrogated is the Hukm and not the recitation, this is what has been proven. Thus we can see the abrogation of the Hukm of the one year ‘Iddah period and the abrogation of bequests by parents. As for the two Ayat which have been abrogated, they are still recited and this is the case for the rest of the abrogated Ayat. As for the abrogation of recitation, such a case is not to be found. The absence of this type of abrogation is an evidence to say it is not allowed.

As for the Ahadith mentioned regarding this subject they are all Ahad (singular) narrations which cannot be relied upon in matters of Aqeedah.

How abrogation takes place

First: Abrogation of the Qur’an with Qur’an:

The abrogation of giving Sadaqah before private consultation with the Messenger (saw).

Similarly, the one year’s ‘Iddah has been changed to 4 months and 10 days.

Allah (swt) said:

وَالَّذِينَ يُتَوَفَّوْنَ مِنْكُمْ وَيَذَرُونَ أَزْوَاجًا وَصِيَّةً لِأَزْوَاجِهِمْ مَتَاعًا إِلَى الْحَوْلِ غَيْرَ إِخْرَاجٍ فَإِنْ خَرَجْنَ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي مَا فَعَلْنَ فِي أَنْفُسِهِنَّ مِنْ مَعْرُوفٍ وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ

“And those of you who die and leave behind wives should bequeath for their wives a year’s maintenance and residence without turning them out...” (TMQ Al-Baqarah: 240)

He (swt) said:

وَالَّذِينَ يُتَوَفَّوْنَ مِنْكُمْ وَيَذَرُونَ أَزْوَاجًا يَتَرَبَّصْنَ بِأَنْفُسِهِنَّ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَعَشْرًا

“And those of you who die and leave wives behind them, they (the wives) shall wait (as regards their marriage) for four months and ten days…” (TMQ Al-Baqarah: 234)

The same goes for the Ahkam mentioned previously.

Second: Abrogation of the Sunnah by Sunnah.

This is when one Mutawaatir abrogates another Mutaawatir, an Ahad (singular) narration is abrogated by Mutawaatir or an Ahad is abrogated by another Ahad narration. Like the Ahadith of the Prophet (saw):

“I used to forbid you form visiting the graves, now you should visit them.”

“If he drinks the fourth time (after being punished each time) then kill him.”

“I used to forbid you from storing away the sacrificial meat because of the large crowds. Now you may store it as you wish.”

Third: Abrogation of Sunnah by the Qur’an:

The Hukm of facing al-Quds was abrogated by the Qur’an:

وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ

“…so turn your face in the direction of al-masjid al-haraam.” (TMQ Al-Baqarah: 144)

Also, having sexual intercourse at night was Haram for the one who fasted during the day according to the Sunnah. This was abrogated by the following saying of Allah (swt):

“So now have sexual relations with them…” (TMQ Al-Baqarah: 187)

The fast of Ashura was established by the Sunnah but abrogated by the Qur’an with the obligation to fast in Ramadhan.

Similarly, it was allowed to delay the prayer in the thick of battle according to the Sunnah. That is why the Messenger (saw) said on the day of Khandaq after delaying the Salah: “May Allah fill their graves with Fire’ as they prevented him from praying the Salah.” This was abrogated by the Salat-ul-khawf (the Salah of fear) which was mentioned in the Qur’an:

وَإِذَا كُنْتَ فِيهِمْ فَأَقَمْتَ لَهُمُ الصَّلَاةَ

“When you (O Messenger Muhammad [saw]) are among them, and lead them in as-salah (the prayer)…” (TMQ An-Nisa:102)

Fourth: It is not allowed to abrogate the Hukm established by Ijma.

This is because for a Hukm to be established by Ijma means a Hadith has not been narrated about it even though the Sahabah knew the Hadith but did not report it. They mentioned the Hukm without narrating the hadith. So for a Hukm to be established by Ijma means that there is no text for it in the Kitab and Sunnah, therefore, there is no possibility for a text to abrogate a Hukm established by Ijma.

Fifth: Abrogating the Hukm of Qiyas.

Abrogation does not occur in Hukm of Qiyas at all. This is because the recognised Qiyas is where its ‘Illah is shar’i one i.e. it is the reason of the Hukm whether it is explicit (Sareeh), implicit, deduced or through analogy. Such an ‘Illah is taken from a Daleel either from the Qur’an, Sunnah or Ijma as-Sahabah. The Qiyas remains as long as there is a daleel. It is not possible for abrogation to take place with regards to a Hukm deduced through analogy as long as the original matter exists. However, if the original matter is abrogated then there will be no Qiyas since the ‘Illah ceases to exist. However, in such a case it would not be abrogation of the Hukm of Qiyas, rather it would be abrogation of the Hukm established by the Kitab, Sunnah and Ijma.

Sixth: It is not allowed for the Kitab to be abrogated by the Mutawaatir Sunnah.

Although the Mutawaatir hadeeths are Qat’i (definite) they cannot abrogate the Qur’an for the following reasons:

1. Allah (swt) says:

وَإِذَا بَدَّلْنَا آَيَةً مَكَانَ آَيَةٍ

“And when We change a verse in place of another.” (TMQ An-Nahl:101)

This means changing a hukm established by an Ayah abrogates a Hukm established by another Ayah.

2. Allah (swt) says:

مَا نَنْسَخْ مِنْ آَيَةٍ أَوْ نُنْسِهَا نَأْتِ بِخَيْرٍ مِنْهَا أَوْ مِثْلِهَا

“Whatever a Verse (revelation) do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring a better one or similar to it.” (TMQ Al-Baqarah: 106)

The personal pronoun (We bring) refers to Allah (swt) i.e. the one who abrogates the Ayah is Allah (swt) and we know the Sunnah was brought by the Messenger (saw). This is because the wording of the Sunnah belongs to the Messenger (saw) and the wording of the Qur’an belongs to Allah. Even though the meaning of the Kitab and Sunnah are both revelations from Allah (swt), however the Sunnah is ascribed to the Messenger (saw) in terms of speech and the Qur’an is the speech of Allah (swt). Thus, the Hukm of an Ayah is abrogated only by another Ayah.

3. Allah (swt) says:

بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ وَالزُّبُرِ وَأَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

“And We have also sent down unto you (O Muhammad [saw]) the reminder and the advice (the Qur’an), that you may explain clearly to men what has been sent down to them.” (TMQ An-Nahl: 44)

So the Messenger (saw) explains the Ayat that have been revealed but he does not abrogate them. This is because abrogation means lifting the Hukm and not giving a clear explanation (bayaan) of the Hukm.

For all of these reasons the Mutawaatir Sunnah cannot abrogate Qur’an.

So by greater reason (Bab awla) the Qur’an cannot be abrogated by the Ahad (singular narrations) of the Sunnah. As in addition to what we have said about the Mutawaatir Sunnah the singular narrations are Dhanni (speculative) and the definite (Qat’i) cannot be abrogated by the speculative (Dhanni).

Similarly, the Mutawaatir Sunnah cannot be abrogated by the Ahad (singular) narrations of the Sunnah, because the Mutawaatir is stronger than the Ahad. The definite report is not removed by the speculative report.

As for those who say turning from the direction of al-Quds for the Salah was established by the Mutawaatir Sunnah. This is because the people of Quba used to pray towards al-Quds based on the Mutawaatir Sunnah but when this was abrogated when a caller sent by the Messenger of Allah (saw) came and announced that the Qibla had changed, so they turned towards the direction of the Ka’ba based on his report and the Messenger (saw) did not object. The answer to this claim is that the abrogation of facing al-Aqsa was through the Qur’an as it was mentioned previously, and the caller was only informing them of what had happened i.e. he informed the people about a new Hukm Shar’i which is allowed.

Somalia

2007-01-11T12:35:00.000Z

What is happening in Somalia?
The US has carried out an air strike on a village in southern Somalia (09/01/07). The US/Ethiopian backed puppet transitional government has announced many people have been killed in the raid. The air strike follows the Ethiopian offensive against the Union of Islamic Courts, which reinstalled Abdullahi Yusuf and his American backed transitional government.
Somalia is an Islamic land that has a glorious past and it occupies an important strategic position. The people of Somalia entered into Islam very early, with some entering Islam during the early phase of the da’wah (call) in Makkah when some of the Companions migrated to Abyssinia. The land was subsequently opened in 77 AH during the time of Abd al-Malik and remained an Islamic land connected to the Muslim lands, particularly Yemen which faces it across the Gulf of Aden. Towards the end of the Ottoman Caliphate it was afflicted by the greed of the colonial states that competed for its dominance so as to take its resources and benefit from its strategic position, since then Somalia has been ravaged by poverty and famine.
The horrendous situation of the Muslims of Somalia remained until the Union of Islamic Courts; a gathering of sincere Somali’s began to unite the country once again around Islam, shunning tribalism and colonialist interference. This situation perturbed the Americans and her agents in the Horn of Africa including Ethiopia. Ethiopia has been funding the defunct ‘government’ of Abdullahi Yusuf, providing it material support. It fears a united Somalia, especially a Somalia united by Islam.
As for America it has not ceased yearning for the long years in which it had control in Somalia during the reign of Siad Barre. Barre was overthrown in 1991 when armed warlords removed him from power, vying for control. At the same time, Britain annexed Somaliland, which was previously under its mandate (British Somaliland). America attempted in 1992 to return her influence once again under the pretext of a humanitarian effort, calling their endeavour ‘Operation Restore Hope’. Some 28,000 troops were used in this operation, however in 1995 it had to make a humiliating retreat.
In 2000 America worked to destroy the Djibouti Agreement which would have established the government of Abdul Qasim Salad, as it was an EU initiative that did not sufficiently consolidate US control over Somalia and its resources. She then worked to establish an interim government headed by her puppet Abdullahi Yusuf and prepared to develop international recognition for this government, which had no recognition with the people. Yusuf’s government sent representatives to the African Union, Arab League and the United Nations.
As well as supporting the puppet government of Yusuf, America continued to support the warlords in Mogadishu. With this parallel strategy, America tried to retake control over Somalia by politically supporting the puppet government and militarily supporting the warlords.
However the corruption of the government and overt link to America and Ethiopia as well as the continued conflict amongst the warlords made the people of Somalia look to an alternative to rescue them from their dire situation. They turned their attention to the Union of Islamic Courts. The Union of Islamic Courts was familiar to the people, who had witnessed its justice since 1994. As Somalia lost a central government, the Union of Islamic Courts voluntarily began to solve the problems between people, earning recognition for their fairness and sincerity. The Union of Islamic Courts initially started as a social movement but after witnessing the state of Somalia it decided to put an end to the disturbed situation of the country. The warlords backed by America opposed them, frightened that a sincere unifying force would put an end to their selfish and narrow designs. But the people rallied behind the Union and soon the warlords were defeated. It was said that the people joined the Union even before their men reached their towns and villages. The Union brought stability to Somalia after years of colonial interference.
This stability was seen by America to be unacceptable, for any independence from its will especially if Islam inspires that independence will not be tolerated. Hence America pushed Sudan to broker negotiations between the Union and its puppet government led by Yusuf in Khartoum. Through these negotiations it tried to marginalise the Union and give some power to its puppet Yusuf under a power sharing agreement. At the same time it assigned Ethiopia to protect Yusuf through military support so that the Courts would not be able to defeat his weak and hated government.
When the strength of the Union of Islamic Courts became intolerable and it became clear that they would soon overrun the puppet government, America instructed Ethiopia to declare openly its opposition to the Union by open warfare. The US military backing of Ethiopia was no match for the ill equipped Muslims of the Courts Union especially since the Muslim governments and armies lay deaf to the call of their brethren in Somalia.
The war was supported by America, who planned, financed and supported the war for three reasons:
1. Islam was a unifying factor in Somalia. America fights any Islamic movement wherever it can. It detests Islam and its people, particularly those who do not conform to what its calls ‘moderate Islam’, as exemplified by the corrupt Arab and Muslim rulers that litter the Muslim world. America is all too aware that if it left the Union of Islamic Courts to stabilise Somalia, this would give strength and support to all those wishing to rid the Muslim lands from colonial interference.
2. Somalia has a strategic position on the Indian Ocean with the longest shoreline (reaching 2720km), longer than any African state. Its shores stretch from the eastern side of Somalia upon the Indian Ocean and from the northern side upon the Gulf of Aden, in front of the Bab al-Mandeb of the Red Sea. Thus its position controls the Horn of Africa in such a way that it makes Somalia a launching point, if not the controlling point, in Southern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
3. Somalia is rich in resources. The land of Somalia is, in some estimation, rich with untapped resources. According to studies it holds reserves of uranium, natural gas, petroleum and other natural resources. Towards the end of the 1980s, in the time of Siad Barre, the rights of exploration were given to American petroleum corporations who found rich reserves of petroleum, the presence of which was verified even before this by geologists from the World Bank. However the coup that removed Siad Barre brought a stop to the exploitation of these resources. America through its greed, wishes to control these resources so that its companies can once again exploit it.
The recent air strike in Southern Somalia has already been announced as a strike against Al-Qaeda camps, with this America will try to justify its shameless intervention in Somalia as part of the War on Terror. In reality what has taken place in Somalia is a result of shameless colonialism.

Quotes from Non muslims about Islam

2007-01-11T12:31:00.000Z

“I have always held the religion of Muhammad (saw) in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion which appears to me to possess that assimilating capacity to the changing phase of existence which can make itself appeal to every age. I have studied him - the wonderful man and in my opinion far from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the Savior of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the much needed peace and happiness.” [Sir George Bernard Shaw in ‘The Genuine Islam’ Vol. 1, No. 8, 1936]

“Our use of phrase ‘The Dark ages’ to cover the period from 699 to 1,000 marks our undue concentration on Western Europe... From India to Spain, the brilliant civilization of Islam flourished…To us it seems that West-European civilization is civilization, but this is a narrow view.” [Bertrand Russel in ‘History of Western Philosophy,’ London, 1948, p. 419]“The Islamic teachings have left great traditions for equitable and gentle dealings and behavior, and inspire people with nobility and tolerance. These are human teachings of the highest order and at the same time practicable. These teachings brought into existence a society in which hard-heartedness and collective oppression and injustice were the least as compared with all other societies preceding it....Islam is replete with gentleness, courtesy, and fraternity.” [H.G. Wells.]

“…Science owes a great deal more to Arab culture (Islam), it owes its existence” [Robert Briffault in the “Making of Humanity”]

“I have to deplore the systematic manner in which the literature of Europe has continued to put out of sight our obligations to the Muhammadans. Surely they cannot be much longer hidden. Injustice founded on religious rancour and national conceit cannot be perpetuated forever. The Arab has left his intellectual impress on Europe. He has indelibly written it on the heavens as any one may see who reads the names of the stars on a common celestial globe.” [John William Draper in the “Intellectual Development of Europe”]

“History makes it clear, however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever repeated” [De Lacy O’Leary in ‘Islam at the Crossroads,’ London, 1923]

“Islam is a religion that is essentially rationalistic in the widest sense of this term…and the dogma of unity of God has always been proclaimed therein with a grandeur a majesty, an invariable purity and with a note of sure conviction, which it is hard to find surpassed outside the pale of Islam....A creed so precise, so stripped of all theological complexities and consequently so accessible to the ordinary understanding might be expected to possess and does indeed possess a marvelous power of winning its way into the consciences of men.” [Edward Montet, ‘La Propagande Chretienne et ses Adversaries Musulmans,’ Paris 1890. (Also in T.W. Arnold in ‘The Preaching of Islam,’ London 1913)]

Carly Fiorina, ex-CEO of Hewlett-Packard comments on the Islamic Caliphate
There was once a civilization that was the greatest in the world. It was able to create a continental super-state that stretched from ocean to ocean, and from northern climes to tropics and deserts. Within its dominion lived hundreds of millions of people, of different creeds and ethnic origins. One of its languages became the universal language of much of the world, the bridge between the peoples of a hundred lands. Its armies were made up of people of many nationalities, and its military protection allowed a degree of peace and prosperity that had never been known. The reach of this civilization's commerce extended from Latin America to China, and everywhere in between.
And this civilization was driven more than anything, by invention. Its architects designed buildings that defied gravity. Its mathematicians created the algebra and algorithms that would enable the building of computers, and the creation of encryption. Its doctors examined the human body, and found new cures for disease. Its astronomers looked into the heavens, named the stars, and paved the way for space travel and exploration.
Its writers created thousands of stories. Stories of courage, romance and magic. Its poets wrote of love, when others before them were too steeped in fear to think of such things. When other nations were afraid of ideas, this civilization thrived on them, and kept them alive. When censors threatened to wipe out knowledge from past civilizations, this civilization kept the knowledge alive, and passed it on to others.
While modern Western civilization shares many of these traits, the civilization I'm talking about was the Islamic world from the year 800 to 1600, which included the Ottoman Empire and the courts of Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo, and enlightened rulers like Suleiman the Magnificent. Although we are often unaware of our indebtedness to this other civilization, its gifts are very much a part of our heritage. The technology industry would not exist without the contributions of Arab mathematicians. Sufi poet-philosophers like Rumi challenged our notions of self and truth. Leaders like Suleiman contributed to our notions of tolerance and civic leadership.
And perhaps we can learn a lesson from his example: It was leadership based on meritocracy, not inheritance. It was leadership that harnessed the full capabilities of a very diverse population-that included Christianity, Islamic, and Jewish traditions. This kind of enlightened leadership - leadership that nurtured culture, sustainability, diversity and courage - led to 800 years of invention and prosperity.
In dark and serious times like this, we must affirm our commitment to building societies and institutions that aspire to this kind of greatness. More than ever, we must focus on the importance of leadership- bold acts of leadership and decidedly personal acts of leadership. With that, I'd like to open up the conversation and see what we, collectively, believe about the role of leadership.
The above excerpt is from a speech entitled "Technology, Business and our way of life: What's Next?" given by Carly Fiorina in Minneapolis, Minnesota on September 26th, 2001

Views on News - Saddam

2007-01-06T11:37:00.000Z

Saddam may get his punishment - but who will account his colonial backers

The Iraqi High Court has upheld the ruling that Saddam Hussein be hanged after he was sentenced to death in November for the massacre of 148 people in Dujail in1982. Whilst this ruling brings to an end the trial of Saddam, it does little to bring justice for the victims of Iraq - whether under the tyranny of Saddam or the tyranny of the present coalition forces.

The brutality of Saddam's rule is not in doubt. His victims were the people of Iraq who suffered for years at the hands of his murderous regime.The accusations levelled at Saddam and his henchmen focused solely on their role in the killings of innocents but made no reference to the weapons they used or whom they were bought from. The extent of US pressure has been that even the US instigated Iraqi constitution has been by-passed in recent days so as to ensure that a verdict on hanging need not require the approval of the Iraqi President or his ministers and risk causing a delay to the execution.

The trial of Saddam has completely ignored his close ties with western governments and companies throughout his years of brutality. It failed to scrutinise the weapons bought from western businessmen, the support given to him against the war with Iran in the 1980's, the meetings with foreign dignitaries and the befriending of his regime by Donald Rumsfeld and the US administration even after the massacres at Halabjah in 1988 . The infamous 'arms to Iraq affair' exposed how the British government was complicit in arms sales to Saddam - arms which we used against innocent people.

Therefore, the complete absence from the trial of the West's own role in grooming the monster Saddam only goes to prove that it was a sham exercise from the start. The sentence and verdict placed upon him has everything to do with his former colonial masters wishing to extricate themselves from association with his many crimes and absolutely nothing to do with bringing justice to the people of Iraq.

The added insult is that Bush and Blair - who are responsible for the deaths of 650 000 innocent civilians in Iraq during the unseating of the former ally of British and U.S. administrations, have faced no legal process, have faced no court and seemed to have escaped all earthly justice. They continue to support dictators, sell them arms, and sponsor the oppression they mete out to their citizens. That indeed is an enormous crime as yet left untouched.

From the onset, the capture and trial of Saddam was designed as a PR exercise - to play out to the International media that U.S. forces had a semblance of control over the worsening situation in Iraq and its government of occupation actually enforces a just rule of law. The most recent manipulation of events was the convenient date Saddam was sentenced, November 6 th - timed to coincide with the U.S. mid-term elections for maximum impact. The verdict came earlier than initially anticipated, and the judge read the sentence before he had delivered the verdict or even rehearsed the charges.

Many commentators have cited this absence of due legal process throughout the Saddam trial contradicting the illusion that real justice now exists after the overthrow of his murderous regime. The trial, courts, judges and judiciary were set up at the behest of the US backed Iraqi government with external pressure placed upon them to ensure 'selective justice' was done and aid the propaganda that US presence is a force for good.

It is clear that the trial and verdict of Saddam was a political show - for the benefit of ruling faction and the foreign occupying governments - and hiding the uncomfortable political truths that link Saddam to those foreign occupying governments. The sentencing of Saddam is simply a victor's justice, not a victim's justice of the thousands who were killed by him under the watchful eye of his colonial masters.

Views on News - Colonialism

2007-01-06T11:35:00.000Z

US and UK Colonialism in the Middle East endangers all faith communities

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, in widely reported remarks following his visit to the Middle East has expressed concern over the plight of Christian communities. Dr Williams cited the growing numbers of Christians who have left Iraq since the invasion in 2003 as well as a number of attacks upon priests as evidence of growing community tensions.

The innocent loss of life and displacement of people from all communities since the US and UK governments illegal decision to invade and occupy Iraq is regrettable and not justified. However, it would be incorrect to frame the events in Iraq or the wider Middle East as a conflict between Islam and Christianity or a religious war between rival faiths.
The current anger within the Muslim world is not driven by an inherent dislike of other religions or Muslims intent upon a ‘holy war against the infidels’, nor even because of a hatred of western freedoms, as is commonly depicted in the western media. Rather, the frustration and anger of the Muslim masses has reached unprecedented levels due to the naked colonialism of western governments who have killed thousands as part of the ‘war on terror’ in the last five years. A modern day colonialism which has seen hundred of thousands of foreign occupying troops and countless military bases established in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan and the associated crimes and atrocities of Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, Bagram, Mazar-I-Sharif, Fallujah, Haditha and Baujur province. All the while aided and abetted by the dictators in the Muslim world. The hostility in the Muslim world to Bush, Blair and their armies is not directed at them in their capacity as westerners or Christians, but because of their policies and the hegemony they seek.

The policies of the US and UK government in Iraq is the starkest example of this. One can certainly agree with Dr Williams when he says that life for Christians has become more difficult or that “the situation has got worse since Saddam fell”. The sad reality of life in Iraq is that it has got worse for all communities. Almost four years after the invasion security for the people of Iraq is non-existent; sectarian conflict has emerged with government backing of armed militias; unemployment is at record levels; electricity is intermittent for most of the day; there is very little infrastructure leave alone reconstruction and oil production is lower than in days of Saddam. Unsurprisingly, Iraqis of all communities are leaving in there thousands every day.

Dr Williams also expresses his frustrations that the government in the run up to the war did not listen to the concerns of the Church or members of the Clergy. Again, he is not alone. Blair and his ministers did not listen to the millions of people who demonstrated against the war, discounted and manipulated the governments own intelligence reports which predicted that the Iraq war would increase the prospect of terrorism as well as the countless numbers who stated that the removal of Saddam was simply about replacing one form of tyranny with another.

The Middle East will continue to be beset by problems whilst it is run by western government proxies or through direct occupation. The desire of the Muslim world is for a return to the Caliphate; an independent and non-sectarian state.
The Caliphate will uphold the fundamental rights of justice and will not break its treaties, torture and abuse prisoners, imprison people without charge, oppress minorities and spy on its citizens. These fundamental rights are enshrined within statutory Islamic Law and cannot be reversed by legal precedent or the whims of any government.

Non-Muslims in the Caliphate will have established channels to air any grievances or denial of their rights. All citizens will be empowered with the right to speak out where necessary. Non-Muslims will enjoy an elevated status with respect and tolerance shown to their beliefs and places of worships. The Caliphate will look after the needs and protect the rights of all its citizens Muslims, Jews and Christians.

Sir Thomas Arnold in his book 'The Call to Islam’ states: "We have never heard about any attempt to compel Non-Muslim parties to adopt Islam or about any organised persecution aiming at exterminating Christianity. If the Caliphs had chosen one of these plans, they would have wiped out Christianity as easily as what happened to Islam during the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella in Spain "

Views on News - Brutality

2007-01-06T11:32:00.000Z

Death of Niyazov reveals the extent of his brutality and the support of his backers

The death of Saparmurat Niyazov the dictator of Turkmenistan for the past 21 years will bring only temporary relief to the people of Turkmenistan. His legacy leaves a host of problems to the country which has seen it turn into a playground for competing nations and western multinationals eager to usurp its rich natural resources.

Niyazov was a brutal despot who was nurtured by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union to become its head in Turkeminstan in 1985. The collapse of the Soviet Union saw the need for a strong man to control the former Soviet republics and with Russian backing Niyazov became Turkmenistan’s first leader in 1991.

Niyazov’s crimes against the majority Muslim population of Turkmenistan were on a par with any of the tyrant rulers of the Muslim world. He tolerated no opposition or criticism of his regime with opponents being assassinated, exiled, imprisoned or simply ‘disappeared’.

People who dared challenge him were arrested and tortured, sentenced to long prison terms. The majority were political opponents but among his more recent victims were journalists and one human rights activist. Ogulsapar Muradova, 58, who worked for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, died in prison. Her body showed obvious signs of torture.

His infamous secret police were notorious for striking fear amongst the people with teachers, amongst others, being used to test children’s, and their parent’s, allegiance towards the State and Niyazov. His grip on power was cemented by rigged election results which regularly returned a 99.5% vote in his favour and in 1999 all effective limits were removed when his sycophants in Parliament voted him ‘President for Life’.

In 2002 Niyazov announced his intention to officially rename all 12 months of the year in commemoration of the country's heroes and most potent national symbols. He renamed January ‘Turkmenbashi which was his official name.

Despite the abundance of oil and gas within Turkmenistan, holding the fifth largest proven reserves of gas in the world, an estimated 20 trillion cubic metres, none of this wealth produced any prosperity for the people. Food and housing shortages were evident outside the capital city. Earlier this year thousands of medical staff were sacked and hospitals closed down, education for schoolchildren restricted and payments to the elderly curtailed. By contrast foreign companies from the West, Russia and China were feted by the regime with lavish ceremonies far removed from the lives of ordinary people.

The misappropriation of monies by Niyazov and his cronies was staggering. In similarities with the rulers of Saudia Arabia, Kuwait and the Gulf States, he built palatial palaces for himself and spent millions on personal tributes such as gold statues. Niyazov is said to have amassed a personal wealth of $3bn.

Niyazov’s ties with Western powers as well as Russia and China were cordial to say the least in his years of ruthless power. European nations tolerated the dictator for the stability he provided in supplying cheap oil and gas via Russia. Silence over the brutal practises his regime conducted were the price to be paid for dealings with this energy rich country.

The US interests with the Niyazov regime were equally pernicious. The US had curried favour with Niyazov as firstly part of its global war on terror and secondly as a means to covert the abundant gas reserves of Turkmenistan away from Russia and China by building a series of pipelines from the Caspian sea to Europe.

According to the British Foreign Office, UK exports to Turkmenistan in 2005 totalled £13,810 million. Turkmen imports to the UK in 2005 totalled £4.036 million. British companies active in Turkmenistan include: Burren Energy and Dragon Oil which have oil Production Sharing Agreements to operate oilfields in the west of Turkmenistan.

The US and UK attacks on Afghanistan in 2001 were welcomed by Niyazov and Turkmenistan airspace continues to be used by US aircraft. In recent months US officials have visited the region to discuss prospects of opening a US base in Turkmenistan.

Indeed, Niyazov’s funeral on Sunday 24th December saw a litany of influential attendees keen to ensure their respective interests are progressed in the post Niyazov era whilst concerned that any power struggle does not effect the supply of oil and gas. Those who attended included the Russian Prime Minister, US Secretary for State Richard Boucher and officials from Gazprom, the Russian oil oligarchy.

The death of Niyazov highlights the dire situation within the Muslim world, which despite its strategic depth and energy resources continues to be plagued by the tyrannies of dictatorship and colonial exploitation.

Views on News - Blairs Speech

2007-01-06T11:28:00.000Z

Blair Speech: Duty to integrate & stay silent

When Tony Blair made his speech in Downing Street: "The Duty to Integrate: Shared British Values" on 08 December 2006 he sparked the most extraordinary headlines. 'Blair tells immigrants to integrate or stay away'; 'Blair: Stick to our values or don't come'; 'IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T COME HERE'. New Labour undoubtedly has the most sophisticated understanding of how to pass a media message of any British government of modern times. It is, then, undoubtedly the case that these headlines were intended by this speech. The speech unashamedly focused on the Muslim community, conflating immigrant, with Muslim, with problem.

Only a few years ago it would have been unthinkable for the Prime Minister to use a discourse on these matters that would befit a far right extremist. Indeed, it is not the offensive ideas of the far right fringe that is fuelling community division and hostility against Britain’s Muslim community, but the Prime Minister himself and his government. Although he commented that Blair’s Britain 'was not the stuffy old Britain that used to be sent up in the comedy sketches of the 1970s but a nation proud, willing and able to go out and compete on its merits', the reality was different. His was a speech of which Alf Garnett would have been proud. When Blair later said that 'it is a problem with a minority of that community, particularly originating from certain countries' he could just as well have said 'Pakis go home'!

This was also a speech that carried the latest lie for the Olympic Bid that Britain was a country "at ease with different races, religions and cultures". Britain, under Blair and despite his boast about legal protections (many of which come from European law in any case) has become more hostile to different races, religions and cultures.

It is a telling piece of New Labour spin that he said "only 25 per cent of Brits say they would prefer to live in an all-white area." That is 'only' 15 million people! But it is rank hypocrisy to argue that he believes in "essential values - belief in democracy, the rule of law, tolerance, equal treatment for all, respect for this country and its shared heritage". We can of course concede that he believes in Britain’s Imperial and Colonial heritage. But to argue he believes in 'democracy' when he has attempted to cluster bomb democracy onto Iraq and Afghanistan is laughable. His belief in the rule of law was heretical when it came to the illegal war in Iraq, Belmarsh, Guantanamo, and extraordinary rendition. His equal treatment for the Muslim community did not extend to stop and search, and not to 'residents', as opposed to citizens, in terms of their status before the law. All of this is ample proof of his contempt for 'this country' and those aspects of its heritage that adopted these principles.

But in fairness to Blair, his statements expose something that he cannot take sole blame for. Many leaders and politicians in Europe and the United States have sung the song of noble aims – justice, equality, rights, and 'freedom' – and yet worked against these values in their foreign policy. Think of Somalia and Vietnam, Suez and the Raj. The history of western foreign policy is one based upon violence and profits more than values and Prophetic teachings. The sad fact of the matter is that as long as big business dominates the political arena, the future is unlikely to be any more ethical. Mr Blair says that integration is about "integrating at the point of shared, common unifying British values". If by this he means integrating into values that promote the profit motivated violence of the 19th and 20th Century, then I and many others, Muslims and non-Muslims will defy his call for them to "take clear precedence over any cultural or religious practice". Instead, I will stand up, because of my religion and call loud and long against these values even if it rocks the boat. What Blair’s Iraq disaster symbolises is decades of imperial adventures that have allowed small numbers to prosper exponentially whilst simultaneously destroying the lives of millions.

Muslims want to engage with their non-Muslim neighbours – to further understanding about the distinct beliefs and practices of Muslims, as well as the common human traits we share. We have no problem with engagement in civil society. Some have said that we value matters such as modesty, courtesy, respect for the elderly and family, or 'community over individual' in a way that was once traditional in Britain, but is now lamented as it has been eroded by a 'freedom gone mad culture' – and this may well be a valuable contribution to modern Britain. Many now engaged in these initiatives believe that a more practical notion of aiming for harmony between communities is a way forward.

But by continually trying to push integration in society through vague and conflicting definitions of Britishness, war on terror propaganda and the imposition of the chosen values of the government of the day on everyone else is likely to impede the road to better community relations. His solutions once again focus around Muslims, immigrants and any one else who makes a good headline, laying the blame at someone else’s door. He, like Jack Straw before him, has again firmly deflected any consideration that there is a solution in addressing foreign policy.

Although this New Labour pattern is now extremely predictable, it is disturbingly reckless – that a government will try to save itself by vilifying a minority – even at the expense of community relations. It is something that has undoubtedly become part of Blair’s legacy to political life.

Free Mixing

2007-01-06T10:10:00.000Z

In Islam, the basic principle of the interaction between men and women is segregation. This means that in all areas of life and in all places whether private or public, contact between men and women is generally prohibited. Many evidences establish the principle of not mixing between the sexes, and there are many ahadith which clarify that this is the case in both public and private areas:Abu Dawud narrated the following ahadith: The Prophet (saw) said, “The best row for men is the front row, (furthest from the women’s row) and the best row for women is the back row and the worst is the front row (just behind the men).” The Prophet (saw) saw men and women outside the mosque moving side by side in the crowd. He stopped the women saying, “It is not proper for you to walk in the middle of the path, you had better walk along the walls.”In Abu Dawud, p.284, Hadith No. 4931, it is narrated upon the authority of Aisha (ra) that she said: "I used to play with my friends and whenever the Prophet (saw) entered they would leave and whenever he (saw) went out they would come back in."In Abu Dawud Hadith No.4933, it is narrated that Aisha (ra) said: "The Prophet married me at seven and we had relationship at nine and when I moved to medina some women prepared me for the wedding and they nor I ever mixed with men in a house of women. The women received me and men received the Prophet and then we went to the house."In Abu Dawud V.4, p.370, Hadith No .5273, it is narrated upon the authority of Nafih that the Messenger Muhammad (saw) said, "Do not walk between two men or between two women in the street."This means that the Muslims should avoid contact with members of the opposite sex, whether Muslim or not, as a general rule. However, there are exceptions to this general rule, where the mixing or interaction between men and women is permitted in certain situations.For example, it is permitted for men and women who are mahram to each other to mix freely for any purpose that Islam permits. As well, there are certain areas where it is permitted for non-mahram men and woman to interact with each other, such as for the purpose of da‘wah (invitation to Islam). However, the type of mixing that can occur here is not free, and is restricted by the Shari‘ah to be within certain guidelines and boundaries, and the Muslim must be sure to understand these before any type of mixing takes place.The ahkam (rules) to do with mixing also vary with regard to the kind of place in which the mixing occurs.In an Islamic society, there are two types of areas where men and women come into contact with each other, which are quite different in their descriptions and in the ahkam (rules) which relate to them. The nature of the interaction between people in them may involve the mixing among men, among women, and between men and women. These are:The Public Areas - These consist of areas wherein anybody can be present without permission, e.g. the mosque, the streets etc.The Private Areas - These are areas where permission is required to enter them, such as houses. In such areas, it is forbidden to enter without permission, or even to look inside. Sahl ibn Sa’ad narrated, “A man peeped through a round hole into the dwelling place of the Prophet (saw) while he had an iron comb with which he was scratching his head. He (saw) said, ‘Had I known you were looking (through the hole) I would have pierced your eye with it (the comb). Verily, the order of taking permission to enter (a dwelling place) has been enjoined because of that sight (that one should not look unlawfully at the state of others)’. ” [Bukhari]Allah (swt) says:“O you who believe, don’t enter houses other than your own until you have asked permission and saluted those in them, that is best for you, in order that you may heed (what is seemly). If you find no one in the house, don’t enter until permission is given to you; if you are asked to go back, go back; that makes for greater purity for yourselves, and Allah knows well all that you do).” [TMQ An-Nur: 27-28]It was deduced from these verses that the place which is considered a house and upon which the rules of the private life apply is the one no one from outside is allowed to enter it except with a permission. In such place, the woman has special rules, to which the term of private life was given. This applies to that known as house or home. It was compared to it, by analogy, the places that are closed to the public i.e. in those areas which nobody is allowed to enter unless he had a special permission. However if those areas can be seen by people outside of them for example if they were made of transparent glass, where their inside is exposed to the public, then they are considered public places. Similarly, the places open to the public, wherever anybody has an enquiry or a transaction can enter, such offices are not subject to the rules of the private life.Islam defines rules and laws which regulate the relationships between men and women in each of these spheres.The Private LifeThis concerns the conduct of people when they are in the private areas. Here, the principle is that mixing between unrelated (non-mahram) men and women is forbidden as a general rule. However, the Shari‘ah gives permit for mixing to occur under certain special circumstances. In all these cases, a woman cannot be in Khalwa (seclusion) with another man alone. These areas include:1) Medicine: It is allowed for men and women to mix for the purpose of seeking medical treatment. The Sahabiyat used to treat the Sahaba and the Prophet (saw) consented to that.2) Da’wa: It is allowed for men and women to be present in the same class if the purpose of their mixing is learning about Islam or other types of education permitted by the Shari‘ah. The sister of Umar (ra) was being taught from the Quran by Khabab ibn Arrat (ra) with her husband when Umar entered upon them. It has been narrated that Umm Salamah and Aisha (ra) who used to do da'wa to men and women3) Marriage: If a man is looking to marry a woman then he is allowed to talk to her about issues related to finding out about her and related to the marriage. A man came to the Messenger Muhammad (saw) to ask about marrying a girl and the Prophet (saw) told him to go and see her i.e. see her in her Mahram’s presence.4) Duress or Compulsion: At times of absolute necessity or emergency, such as earthquakes, war or hurricanes, the necessary mixing is permitted for men and women in order to remove any danger or threat.5) State arrest: The evidence for this is from Uthman and Umar (ra) said, "O women, cover yourselves we are entering" and he entered a house to arrest someone with his army and there was Ijma of the Sahaba (consensus of the companions) on this.6) Eating: In Surah Nur Allah (SWT) says:“The blind is not to be blamed, the crippled is not to be blamed, nor is the handicapped to be blamed, just as you are not to be blamed for eating at your homes, or the homes of your fathers, or the homes of your mothers, or the homes of your brothers, or the homes of your sisters, or the homes of your fathers' brothers, or the homes of your fathers' sisters, or the homes of your mothers' brothers, or the homes of your mothers' sisters, or the homes that belong to you and you possess their keys, or the homes of your friends. You commit nothing wrong by eating together or as individuals. When you enter any home, you shall greet each other a greeting from Allah that is blessed and good. Allah thus explains the revelations for you, that you may understand.” [TMQ 24:61]For men and women to eat together is permitted in the places mentioned in the verse such as the home of your fathers or your friends as it says, “You commit nothing wrong by eating together or as individuals”.However people should be careful that even though eating together with the women at a friends house is permitted that they should leave once they have eaten and beware of socialisation with the opposite sex which would be exceeding the permit.7) Silat ar-rahm (maintaing the relationship between kith and kin): It is allowed for non-maharam relatives to sit with their non-maharam (people to whom marriage is permitted) for the sake of silat ar-rahm as long as it is without khalwah (privacy). There exist a number of hadith concerning the keeping of good relations with the relatives.It was narrated by Anas b. Malik that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "Whoever loves that he be granted more wealth, and that his lease of life be prolonged, then he should keep good relations with his kith and kin". It is narrated by Abu Hurayra that the Prophet (saw) said: "Allah created His creation, and when He finished it, the womb got up and said, I seek refuge with you from Al-qatia (ties being severed with me)". On that Allah (swt) said: "Don’t you accept that I bestow my favours on him who keeps your ties, and withhold My favours from him who severes your ties?" On that it said, "Yes, Oh my Lord!" Then Allah (swt) said: "That is for you".The Public LifeThis concerns the conduct of people when they are in the public areas. Here again, the principle is that mixing between unrelated (non-mahram) men and women is forbidden as a general rule. However, the Shari‘ah gives permit for mixing (in the sense of presence in the same area) to occur under certain special circumstances. In all these cases, it is not a condition that a woman has a mahram in her presence. The areas can be broadly categorised to include:1) Hajj: Through the Prophets (saw) consent.2) Trade/hiring: This includes markets/shops, buying, selling, hiring, borrowing and lending. Tirmidhi narrated that the Messenger Muhammad (saw) traded with women, and Abu Bakr saw the Messenger Muhammad (saw) trade with a woman.3) Work: If the nature of the work means that one needs to mix then there is a permit. Work involves looking for work e.g. interviews, etc. The Messenger Muhammad (saw) permitted Zubayr Ibn Awwam's wife to work. She carried water both to men and women. The Messenger even offered his camel to assist her.4) Every day life affairs: This involves the unavoidable interaction between men and women in areas like streets, markets, restaurants, etc.Special cases within the Public lifeThere are private places upon which the rules of private life apply, such as houses. There are public places upon which the rules of the public life apply, such as the markets. There are public places with special rules like separating men from women, such as the mosques and attending the public talks at lecture theatres and the like which are compared by analogy.The Prophet (saw) said, “The best row for men is the front row, (furthest from the women’s row) and the best row for women is the back row and the worst is the front row (just behind the men).” [Abu Dawud]In Abu Dawud Kitab Al Salat, V.1, in the Chapter on Segregation, it is narrated that Umar bin Al Khattab (ra) said: "Make a special door for women in the mosques."So in the markets, it is not a condition that men separate from women during trading. But in the mosque and the lecture hall, the separation of men from women is a condition. The Messenger Muhammad (saw) used to address men and women in the mosque in medina, men in front and women behind. Similarly, in the hospitals the sections of men should be separated from the sections of women.In all these cases, where men and women are present at the same time, there must not be free mixing, where both sexes are mingling with each other. The general rule is that any contact between members of the opposite sex is minimised as much as possible, so any contact between members of the opposite sex must be necessary to the business at hand. Thus in the Islamic State, for example, in the trains or buses there would be separate areas for men and women.In any case, the activities which are occurring must be halal (i.e. permitted) in nature. Accordingly, mixing between non-mahram men and women for the purpose of amusement, leisure-activities or entertainment is strictly prohibited. Thus issues such as boyfriend/girlfriend relationships, dating, or enjoying leisure and company with unrelated women is haram. However, Islam does see these types of activities as acceptable, but only when regulated within the framework of marriage.WeddingsMixing (ikhtilaat) is not allowed unless it is for a need recognised by the Shariah for which there is a text in the Book of Allah or the Sunnah of His Messenger (saw) such as buying, selling, silat rahm (maintaining relations with kith and kin), etc.There is no text regarding the mixing of men and women in halls for wedding celebrations. Rather what has been mentioned in the time of the Messenger of Allah and his Sahabah is that the women used to sit with the bride on their own and the men used to sit on their own. Thus, mixing in halls is Haraam and no exception is made for it.In Abu Dawud Hadith No.4933, it is narrated that Aisha (ra) said: "The Prophet married me at seven and we had relationship at nine and when I moved to medina some women prepared me for the wedding and they nor I ever mixed with men in a house of women. The women received me and men received the Prophet and then we went to the house."What has been reported with respect to the wedding feasts is the wedding procession when the woman is taken to her husband’s house. It is allowed for men and women to take her to her husband’s house and then the men should separate form the women since this has been the established during the time of the Messenger of Allah (saw) and he approved of it. This occurred outside and therefore falls under the rules of the public place.Khalwa (Seclusion)Khalwa relates to the presence of a non-mahram man and woman being on their own together without the presence of a mahram or any other person. This could happen in a private place, or a public place. In either case khalwa is forbidden from Islam, and both the man and woman involved are sinful.Khalwa in a Private Place: This could occur in any place that requires permission for entry, such as a house or bedroom in a residence building.Khalwa in a Public Place: This could occur in any public place whose nature is that no other people would be likely to pass by or come there. An example of such a place would be in a forest or an isolated room in an office.Muhammad (saw) said, “If a man and a woman are alone together in an isolated place, then the third is Shaitan.” Bukhari narrated that the Prophet (saw) said, “No man should stay with a lady in seclusion except in the presence of a mahram to her.” A man stood up and said, “O Rasul Allah! My wife has gone out intending to perform the Hajj and I have been enrolled in the army for such and such a campaign.” The Prophet (saw) said, “Return and perform the Hajj with your wife.”Modesty and Lowering the GazePart of the provision of maintaining the dignity and honour of men and women in Islam is in the regulation of the way they are regarded by each other. It is forbidden for the Muslim man to look at any woman with lustful intentions, except for his wife. The same is true for a Muslim woman with regard to other men.Rather, the emphasis is on lowering the gaze away from members of the opposite sex at times when they are present, like in the streets or the market place. Allah (swt) says,“Say to the believing men 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.” [TMQ 24:30-31]Jarir ibn ‘Abdullah reported, “I asked Allah’s Messenger about the sudden glance (that is cast) on the face (of a non-mahram). He commanded me that I should turn away my eyes.” [Muslim]This reflects the principle that the way that Muslim men and women view each other is completely different to the way of the West, where women are seen as sex objects, and respect of both men and women in this context is almost non-existent. Indeed, if it does exist at all, the criteria upon which it is based mainly concerns the superficial physical attributes. Allah (swt) says:“And the believers, the men and women, are protecting friends of one another, they bid to honour and forbid dishonour, they perform the prayer, and they pay the alms, and they obey Allah and His Messenger. Upon them Allah will have mercy.” [TMQ 9:71]This aspect of the Social System of the Islamic State will prevent exploitation of women in pornography, or the use of their bodies as an enticement for people to buy products. Additionally, in the media as a whole, whether on television, magazines, newspapers or films, neither men nor women will be portrayed in roles where they reveal their awrah, or involve in activities that are forbidden in Islam.Thus the sexual bombardment from the media that is faced by people in the West, and the distorted image of men and women that this builds in the mind, will be absent in the Islamic State.

The True Meaning of Taqwa

2007-01-06T10:07:00.000Z

"O you who believe! fear Allah as He should be feared and die not except in a state of Islam." [TMQ 3:102]Allah (swt) in the Quran emphasises the concept of Taqwa to us many times in the Quran.Taqwa is one of the most profound concepts in Islam. Taqwa is an avenue by which Muslims relate to one another in society and a means to channel their actions. Because of the great importance of taqwa, it has been referred to numerous times in the Qur’an and Sunnah in order to emphasise its relevance and significance to the Muslims. Allah (swt) strongly emphasises the rewards of people with taqwa in this life and the Hereafter. It is these muttaqeen that Allah (swt) grants assistance, victory and provides for. Thus, understanding the concept of taqwa is vital and mandatory for every Muslim.Unfortunately, this is the very concept which some of us have left behind, as a result of intellectual decline. The disbelievers in the distant past, as well as in present times, have understood the importance of taqwa and the Islamic creed, and how it could jeopardise their interests. They realised how taqwa and the Islamic creed (‘aqeedah) were the roots of power to the Muslims. Today we see a campaign to destroy the concept of Taqwa by making us divide the Deen from the Dunya, to secularise our understanding of Islam such that we limit it to personal Ibadat and akhlaq (morals) and detach from any other aspect of life such as economics, politics or social affairs. Allah (swt) warned us in the Quran about their continuous attempts to extinguish his light i.e. Islam, He (swt) said:"They wish to extinguish Allah's Light with their mouths, but Allah will not allow but that His Light is perfected even though the kuffar may detest it." [TMQ 9:32]Unfortunately due to the influence of the idea of separating the Deen and Dunya, we can see many misunderstandings amongst us as to who is defined as the Mutaqqi. A picture of a person who over emphasises prayer, fasting, and things such as donating to the masjid, while living a secluded and isolated life would be the one with taqwa, even though the same person would deal with usury, lie and do nothing towards reviving the Ummah. Due to this idea, people look to Islam as a religion like the other religions who are not complete Deen’s that have come with solutions to every aspect of life. So if I were to ask anyone from amongst the general population of Muslims, ‘what are the rules of Salah?’ I am sure most people would be able to answer this question. But if I was to ask ‘what is the ruling or economic system of Islam?’, ‘what are the Shariah rules relating to contracts and company structures’ or ‘what is our shar’iah responsibility towards the Muslims around the world who are being attacked such as in Iraq and Palestine?’ then I think many people would not know the answers to these questions, we must ask why? Didn’t Allah (swt) reveal to us a complete Deen covering all aspects of life? Didn’t Allah (swt) say in the Quran:“And We have sent down to you the Book as an explanation of everything, a guidance, a mercy and glad-tidings for those who submitted themselves to Islam.” [TMQ 16:89]So let us understand the true meaning of Taqwa. In contrast to the distorted picture that people have today, the Qur’an and Sunnah defines the idea of taqwa as protecting oneself from the Hellfire by following the orders of Allah (swt) by doing what He (swt) has commanded and avoiding what He (swt) has forbidden. Many ayat in the Qur’an point to this:“And unto Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth. And, verily, We have recommended to the people of the Scripture before you, and to you (O Muslims) that you (all) fear Allah, and keep your duty to Him, But if you disbelieve, then unto Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, and Allah is Ever Rich, Worthy of all praise.” [TMQ An-Nisa’ 4: 131]Taqwa comes from the word 'waqiya', which means to protect. It is protection from the Anger of Allah (swt) and His (swt) punishment. This is why Taqwa is used to describe the performing of actions, which pleases Allah (swt) and abstaining from all actions that displeases Him (swt). Taqwa in essence means god consciousness, being conscious of Allah (swt) in all our actions and affairs.Also, in the Prophet’s (saw) last khutbah he said, “I ask you to fear Him (swt), listen to Him (swt), and obey.” Both the ayah, as well as the hadith, are commanding Muslims to have taqwa. A person should have taqwa as a barrier between himself and the Anger and Displeasure of Allah (swt). Through taqwa, the Muslim strives to obey Allah (swt) and abstains from His prohibitions.The son of ‘Ali (ra), Al-Hasan (ra) once said, “The people who have taqwa (al-muttaqoon) are the people who avoided whatever Allah (swt) has prohibited and have done whatever Allah (swt) has ordained.”‘Umar ibn Abdul Aziz (ra) once said, “Taqwa is not by fasting the day and not by praying the night. And its not by mixing between the two of them. But taqwa is leaving what Allah (swt) has made Haram and by doing what Allah (swt) has made Fard. After one has done this, Allah (swt) will provide good things for that person.”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."A true muttaqoon is a person who strives to possess a solid understanding and knowledge of the rulings of Allah (swt) through the Qur’an and Sunnah. Without proper knowledge of the Islamic rulings, a person would not know what is asked of him/her. Therefore, it is a must to understand Islam properly as well as to have the proper intention of pleasing Allah (swt) in carrying out these actions.Imam Ahmad mentions a hadith, narrated by a Sahabi, whereby a person once asked, “Oh Messenger of Allah, give me some advice.” The Prophet (saw) responded, “I advise you to fear Allah (swt) because it is the head of everything.” In another occasion the Prophet (saw) replied, “Fear Allah (swt) because it is the collection of all goodness.” Allah (swt) also promises to be with those who have taqwa. Allah (swt) says,“Truly, Allah is with those who fear Him, keep their duty unto Him, and those who are muhsinun (doers of good for Allah’s sake only).” [TMQ An-Nahl 16:128]Also taqwa constitutes a reason, that Allah (swt) has provided, in order to help one who is experiencing hardship and distress. Allah (swt) promises,“Whoever fears Allah, Allah will grant him a way out of hardship.” [TMQ At-Talaq 65:2]Allah (swt) had also promised forgiveness of sins to those people who are muttaqoon.“And whoever fears Allah, and keeps his duty to Him, He will forgive his sins from him and will enlarge his reward.” [TMQ At-Talaq 65:5]Allah (swt) has given the glad tidings for those who have taqwa. The news of paradise is assured to such people, giving hints at the vast rewards to those who take Allah (swt) as their Lord in their actions.“Verily those who are fearful of Allah (have taqwa ) are the people who, when an evil thought comes to them from Shaitan, they remember Allah and indeed they then see aright.” [TMQ Al-A‘raf 7:201]“And he (Muhammad) who has brought the truth and those who believe therein, those are al-muttaqoon (the pious and the righteous).” [TMQ Az-Zumar 39:33]Hence, from what Allah (swt) has outlined through the wahi, we can see that a person who possesses taqwa is not one who lives an isolated life, only praying, fasting and maintaining good character alone. Instead, the muttaqoon are those who fear Allah (swt) and look to what Allah (swt) has ordained in carrying out his actions to avoid His (swt) displeasure and anger. These people are involved with the Ummah, active in his/her life, concerned with the affairs of the Muslims, while at the same time praying, fasting, spending in Allah’s cause, having good morals and are forgiving. All these descriptions can be attributed to a person who has taqwa.The Deen has come to regulate the Dunya, not be separated from it. There is no concept of monasticism in Islam i.e. being like a monk. The Prophet (saw) said, “There is no monasticism in Islam.”Umar ibn al Khattab once looked at those praying and said, "The great number of times any of you raises and lowers his head does not deceive me. The [real] deen is being cautious and meticulous in the deen of Allah, and refraining from what Allah has forbidden, and acting according to what Allah permits and forbids.” Narrated Abu Huraira, the Prophet (saw) said, "The dunya is a prison for the believer and Paradise for the kafir (disbeliever)," [Sahih Muslim, vol.4, #7058]This means that we live within the prison of the Shariah, that every single action we undertake is based upon the revelation of Allah (swt). This means we must accept Islam completely and all of its rules including the rules relating to society, economics and Khilafah. This does not mean that we deny the world and that seeking material development and advancement according to the rules of Shariah is wrong. In fact once when Imam Ibn Hajar al Asqalani, a famous scholar in the past who died in 852 AH, who wrote the commentary of Sahih al Bukhar entitled ‘Fath al Bari’, was walking with his grand entourage through the town, they came upon a miserable, poor and dejected Jew. When the Jew recognized Ibn Hajar, he called out to him, "O scholar of Islam! Is it not true that your Prophet has said that this life is a prison for the believer and Paradise for the kafir? How is it that you are living in lavish wealth being a so-called believer, and yet I live this meagre and miserable existence?" Ibn Hajar responded, "What you say of the Prophet (saw) of what he has said is true. You should know that this opulence you see me living in, is a prison compared to what awaits for me in the Hereafter. And, you should know that what you are living is Paradise compared to what Allah has prepared for you in the akhira."We must realise that that every Muslim is obliged to believe in the Islamic Shari’ah as a whole otherwise we would be Kafir. Therefore the concept of secularism i.e. to separate the Deen from the Dunya is a Kufr concept. It is Kufr to deny the AHkam Shari’ah as a whole, or any definite (qaT'ai)detailed hukm of them. This is the case whether these ahkam (rules)are connected with worships (ibadaat), transactions (mu'amalaat), punishments (uqoobaat), foodstuffs, etc. So the rejection of the verse:"So establish regular prayer"[Al-Baraqah:43]Is the same as rejecting the verses:"But Allah has permitted trade and forbidden usury,"[Al-Baraqah:275]"As to the thief, male or female, cut of f his or her hands,"[Al-Ma’idah:38]And is the same as rejecting the following verse calling the believers brothers regardless of their colour, language or ethnic origin – thus prohibiting nationalism i.e. to believe that we are better than others based upon our ethnic origin. So the Muslims in Iraq, Palestine and Iraq are our brothers just as the Muslims in Delhi, Bangkok or Jakarta:“The believers are nothing else but brothers” [TMQ Al-Hujurat: 10]Or the verses to do with ruling by what Allah has revealed, which we see the rulers in the Muslim world today ignoring, such as:“And whosoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, such are the Zaalimun (unjust, oppressors).” [TMQ 5:45] “And rule between them by that which Allah revealed to you, and do not follow their vain desires away from the truth which came to you.” [TMQ 5:48]In fact Allah (swt) has explicitly told us in the Quran that we are not believers unless we accept all of the rules of Islam. He (swt) said:"But no, I swear by your lord (allah), they will have no Iman, until they make you, (o prophet) rule between them in whatever they dispute amongst themselves, and then they find no resistance in their souls from what you have decided, instead they submit with absolute submission". [TMQ An Nisa: 65]Allah (swt) warned us of only taking Islam partially, He (swt) has condemned us if we think that politics is not part of Islam or that economics is not part of Islam, or that Islam has nothing to say about the current world situation. We must accept Islam as an Aqeeda and a system. Allah (swt) said:“So do you believe in some part of the Book and disbelieve in some. The penalty awaiting those who do this is nothing but humiliation in this life and the severest of punishment on the day of Judgement.” [2:85]Allah (swt) has revealed to us the best system to regulate the affairs of the Dunya so why are many of us even unaware of it?Let us look at some examples of Taqwa from the Sahaba: Al-Bukhari reported on the authority of Ibn Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with them both) who said: “We were struck by extreme hunger on the nights of Khaybar. On the day of Khaybar we found some domestic Asses so we slaughtered them. When the pots began to boil the caller of the Messenger of Allah called out to us and said: overturn your pots and do not eat anything of the meat of donkeys. ‘Abd Allah said: we said that the Prophet forbade them because the Khumus (i.e. a fifth of the spoils) had not been taken out of it. He said others said that he has prohibited them completely. I asked Sa’eed b. Jubayr who said, he has prohibited them completely.”authority of AnastAl-Bukhari reported on the , he said: b. Malik: “I was serving drinks to Abu Talha al-Ansari, ‘Ubaidah b. al-Jarrrah and Ubayy b. Ka'b prepared from unripe dates and fresh dates when a visitor came and he said: Verily liquor has been prohibited. Thereupon, Abu Talha said: O Anas! Stand up and break this pitcher. I stood up and (took hold) of a pointed stone and struck the pitcher with its lower part until it broke into pieces.”Al-Bukhari reported on the authority of ‘Ayisha (may Allah be Pleased with her) who said: “We have been told also that when Allah revealed the order that the Muslims should return to the pagans what they had spent on their wives who emigrated (after embracing Islam) and that the Muslims should not keep unbelieving women as their wives, 'Umar divorced two of his wives.”Al-Bukhari reported on the authority of ‘Ayisha (may Allah be pleased with her) who said: “May Allah have mercy on the Muhajir women. When Allah revealed the verse: “And let them draw their headscarfs all over necks and bosoms” [TMQ An-Nur:31] they tore their wrappers and concealed themselves with them.”Abu Dawud reported on the authority of Safiyyah bint Shaybah who reported on the authority of ‘Ayisha (may Allah be pleased her) that: She (‘Ayisha) mentioned the women of Ansar, praised them and said good words about them. She then said: “When Surat an-Nur came down, they took the curtains, tore them and made head covers of them.”Ibn Ishaq said: “…Al-Ash’ath b. Qays came to the Messenger of Allah as part of the Kindah delegation. Az-Zuhri informed to me that he came with eighty riders from Kindah. They entered the mosque of the Messenger of . They had long hair and put kohl (in their eyes). They wore Jubbahs with silk hems. When they entered the presence of Allah’s Messenger he said to them: did not you embrace Islam ? They said: Yes. He asked: ‘then what is this silk put around your necks? So they tore the silk and threw it away.”Hanzalah b. Abi ‘Aamir (may Allah be pleased with him) who was bathed by the angels heard the call to the battle of Uhud. He hurriedly responded to the call. He was martyred on the day of Uhud. Ibn Ishaq said: The Messenger of Allah (saw) said:“Your companion is being bathed by the angels, ask his family what happened to him?” His wife was asked. She had been a bride on that night. She said he went out in a state of impurity when he heard the call. The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, “That is why the angels have bathed him”.So let us be the ones who have Taqwa in its true meaning. Let us take Islam completely. Let us take heed from the words of Allah (swt) and may He (swt) strengthen us so that we can follow what He has said."O you who Believe! Enter into the Fold of Islam completely. And follow not the footsteps of Satan, for he is to you a clear enemy" [TMQ 2: 208]

The Relevance of Islam Today

2007-01-06T10:04:00.000Z

By studying the history of humanity, it is evident that any nation builds its material achievements upon a specific intellectual foundation. This foundation sustains and advances the nation's material achievements, even in the face of severe problems or crises. On the other hand, if a nation lacked an intellectual foundation, its achievements would wither away and it would be unable to recover from any setbacks that confront it. It would lose its momentum altogether and cease to exist as a civilization. This intellectual foundation is of the utmost significance, as it serves as the basis for any civilization and provides a nation with its point of view about life, goals, methodology, and a reference for problems and issues that emerge in the course of a society. When the intellectual foundation is adopted and implemented, it engenders creativity and an effective way of thinking.The Muslim Ummah has a lengthy and rich history with the Islamic 'Aqeedah as its intellectual foundation. Today, the Muslim Ummah is living in decline, whether in the area of economics, politics, social order, government, morals, etc. It becomes important to scrutinize this set of conditions carefully so as not to mistakenly attribute these aspects as the reason for the decline. Since, this may cause us to direct our efforts away from the correct solution by addressing the symptoms rather than the root problem.This apparent state of decline did not occur in a sudden manner or due to minor problems. The Ummah abandoned Islam as its reference and intellectual basis. We began viewing Islam as a set of rituals and a historical heritage, with no relevance to life. This was a result of many factors that accumulated over many centuries. Some of which are:1. Neglect in the Arabic language.2. Muslims being infuenced by alien philosophies such as Greek, Hindu, and Persian. (Some Muslims in the past were influenced by such philosophies and established groups such as Al Mu'tazilah).3. The intellectual invasion headed by missionaries in the 17th century.4. The political invasions during the 19th century.5. The current educational curricula in the Muslim world.In the 4th century, the doors of Ijtihad were closed, resulting in a devastating impact upon the Muslim Ummah, especially in the long term. Closing the doors of Ijtihad stripped the Ummah from its ability to extract rules to solve newly emerging problems. The accumulation of unsolved problems resulted in the weakness in implementing Islam and caused Muslims to start doubting Islam's ability to solve contemporary problems, especially after the industrial revolution that occurred in the West. By the beginning of this century, many attempts were made or proposed to change the situation of the Muslim Ummah. These efforts focused on addressing the symptoms or resorting to other ideologies and ideas. One such effort was to make Islam relevant by viewing the Islamic Fiqh as changeable and adaptable to the changing society. This distorted understanding has led some to view dynamism of Fiqh from this perspective. So, what needs to be addressed are the mechanisms in Islam which enable it to be relevant and applicable until the Day of Judgment.Islam And Its RelevanceIslam is relevant in the coming of the 21st century in the same manner it was in the 7th century. Human beings can form a system for life. However, such endeavors will never be free of errors, inconsistencies, and will lack relevancy for all peoples at all times. The manmade system would be able to address specific problems in time, place, and for specific people under certain conditions. However, it will never be able to solve all the problems for all humanity at all times under every condition. All of this is due to the nature of human beings who are limited in their abilities, being influenced by their own needs and surroundings. A system revealed from the Creator surpasses all of these limitations. Allah (swt) states:“Know you not that it is Allah to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth? And besides Allah you have neither any Wali nor any helper.” (TMQ 21:107)“And We have not sent you (Mohammed) except as a giver of glad tidings and a warner to all mankind, but most men know not.” (TMQ 34:28)“And (remember) the Day when we shall raise up from every nation a witness against them from amongst themselves. And we shall bring you (o Mohammed) as a witness against these. And We have sent down to you the Book as an exposition of everything, a guidance, a mercy, and glad tidings for those who have submitted themselves.” (TMQ 16:89)How is Islam Relevant1. Islam is relevant, since it addresses Man as a human being with his inherent needs and wants. It addresses Man's problem as they relate to him as a being with a specific nature. Islam viewed Man from a holistic perspective and addressed the needs of Man as the basis for its solution. While capitalism did not view Man from a holistic perspective. It concentrated on certain aspects of Man's needs while neglecting his other needs. For instance, in capitalism any commodity or service is considered beneficial and has to be produced as long as it satisfies a need for an individual in the society, e.g. wine, drugs, prostitution. Capitalism views the producer or provider of such services as the one who contributes towards solving the economic problem. The problem is addressed by increasing production and subsequently closing the gap between supply and demand. Increasing production to meet demand overlooks the impact of producing the material or providing certain services for society. While, in Islam certain commodities and services have no value because of their negative effect on the society.Additionally, the tool through which Capitalism guarantees the acquisition of products or services is through money. So, whoever does not possess the price of something would be deprived of it. In Islam, the well being of the individual and society at large is considered and thus one would acquire things needed either through the mechanism of price or through other mechanisms, such as Zakah or through the State's treasury.2. Islam prescribed or specified a system for all aspects of life while leaving the technical and scientific aspects to Man. Islam left Man to pursue the most efficient technique available. One such example of this is the incident when the Prophet (saaw) in the battle of Badr chose a location for the Muslim army to encamp. One of the Sahabah asked the Prophet (saaw), "Is this the location that Allah has ordered you to choose or is it a tactical decision?" When the Prophet (saaw) said that it is a tactical decision, the Sahabi directed the Prophet (saaw)'s attention towards a more strategic location. In another example, the people inquired from the Prophet (saaw) on the method of pollinating date trees. So he (saaw) told the people to leave it up to the wind. When this method did not work and people complained to the Prophet (saaw) about it, the Prophet (saaw) replied that you know better in your daily affairs (referring to the know hows of life). On the same token, Islam encouraged us to cultivate agricultural land but left it up to Man to use the most efficient techniques available in cultivating and enhancing the quality of vegetation and fruits.3. The nature of the text of both Qur'an and Sunnah possess the following characteristics that give them relevancy:a) The text is viewed as a legal text, enabling the Mujtahid to derive rules for other issues not mentioned in the text based upon a valid methodology. If the text was viewed in the way the church viewed the bible (as a holy text), the scope of the text would be literal. As an example in (65:6), Allah says:"...then if they give suck to the children for you, give them their due payment..." [ 65: 6]The ayah mentions that monetary compensation should be paid for breastfeeding. However, from the text the following rules or principles can be derived:Compensation is extended to any hired employee. Also, the wage has to be defined in the contract and employees should receive their wage without any delay upon fulfilling contractual obligations.b) The text sometimes comes in the form of general guidelines while at other times provides details. As an example in (4:29), Allah (swt) says:“O you who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves unjustly except it be as trade amongst you, by mutual consent...”The ayah specifies that any form of trade should be conducted upon mutual agreement. So the ayah left the type of trade unrestricted. There are certain transactions excluded from the unrestricted description of trade even if it is done with mutual agreements such as transactions involving Riba.Even the ayahs addressing some issues in detail such as inheritance leave room ijtihad.c) The text in many cases provides an Illah (legal reason) enabling the Mujtahid to extract rules for others cases sharing the same Illah. As an example in (62:9), Allah says:“O you who believe, when the call is proclaimed for the prayer on Friday, come to the remembrance of Allah and leave trade. That is better for you if you did but know.”The ayah prohibits trading when the adhan is proclaimed. Since the illah is the distraction from prayers, then any activity preventing one from the jumu'ah prayer is forbidden. It is important to note that there are specific guidelines for recognizing the illah mentioned in the text explicitly or implicitly.d) The text in some cases could be general while in others particular. Allah says in (5:38):“Cut off the hand of the thief, male or female, as a recompense for that which they committed. A punishment by way of example, from Allah. And Allah is All Powerful, All Wise.”This ayah was revealed in response to a specific incident. But is general to be applicable upon all incidents of theft.e) The text in some cases would include specific phrases, making the text relevant for all times. Allah say in (16:8):“And (He has created) horses, mules, and donkeys, for you to ride as an adornment. And He creates things of which you have no knowledge.”Although the ayah listed some animal as being halal to use as a means for transportation and as objects for adornment, the meaning of the ayah includes any means of transportation that could be developed which is taken from the last part of the ayah.The Role of IjtihadThe above mentioned points gave Islam the potential and capacity to address and solve any problem at all times. Through Ijtihad, the Mujtahid is able relate the text to the issue at hand. Ijtihad is defined as exerting one's utmost effort to extract rules from its legislative sources. From this definition, it is clear that the scholars would be able to extract rules for new problems. The process of Ijtihad is defined by specific rules, some of which are:The Mujtahid has to restrict his references to the legislative sources (Qur'an, Sunnah, Ijma' as Sahabah, Qiyas) and cannot practice ijtihad without defining legislative sources.The process itself must adhere to a specific methodology.The Mujtahid has to acquire specific knowledge that enables him to understand the text. For example, a good command of the Arabic language, Hadeeth, Tafseer, etc.The Mujtahid has to understand the issue for which the applicable rule is being sought.These requirements are needed for Ijtihad because the purpose of Ijtihad is to understand the issue and apply the Hukm Shar'ii. If this process is misunderstood, the Mujtahid may mix his personal opinion with the Hukm Shar'ii. This effort would not be the product of Hukm Shar'ii, but rather manmade law.Therefore, Ijtihad is defined as the mechanism by which the Hukm Shar'ii is reached at and is not a source. From this understanding, the meaning of ijtihad and its crucial role becomes clear. The closing of the door of ijtihad contributed significantly to the decline that happened in the Muslim Ummah. Thus, the door of ijtihad has to be reopened as part of the effort to revive the Ummah.Misconceptions About the Relevance of IslamSome Muslims would agree that Islam is relevant and it is not expected from any Muslim to doubt this fact. However, the relevance of Islam is distorted due to the following:1. Viewing the Shariah and Fiqh as separate. The difference is that the Shariah is founded upon revelation whereas the Fiqh is a product of juristic interpretation and is considered as an "independent opinion." They establish the difference between Shariah and Fiqh based upon their definition of Fiqh which according to them is the knowledge of the practical rules of Shariah. While Shariah to them is a collection of revealed rules and principles. Therefore, Fiqh evolves and enables the Shariah to be relevant in the light of the changing conditions of society through Ijtihad.2. Some view Fiqh as encompassing two aspects:a) Aspects related to the 'Ibadah (rites and rituals of worship) whereby a person received reward or punishment. All of this is based upon the text.b) Aspects related to the Mu'amalat (transactions) and other aspects based upon independent opinion.Therefore, Fiqh can be changed as long as it is not related to the Ibadah. Since the objective of Fiqh is to adapt the Shariah to fit the social change.3. Dr. Abdul Majid Al Najjar in his book Fiqh ul Taqayun claimed that the Ahkam Shariah is abstract and a set of ideal rules and that the role of the Mujtahid is to make these rules relevant to reality. In this process, the Mujtahid would bridge the idealism of the text and the reality of the problem, thus reconciling the two. Since, the issue changes from place to place, every society or environment should have its own Fiqh applicable to the issue.4. Some claim that the Shariah is relevant by its adaptability for gradual implementation. As an example, Islam can be implemented in a piecemeal fashion. Mohammed Ghazali in his book, Kayfa Na Ta'amalu ma'al Quran, went as far as to say that the punishment for drinking alcohol is irrelevant and should not be the concern, especially in the case of introducing Islam to the French, who are compulsive drinkers.All of these claims are supported based on following arguments:1. Some rules of the Qur'an and Sunnah were suspended or replaced by the Sahabah because they no longer secured the benefit and the objective for which they were initially revealed.2. The Sahabah were not bound by an elaborate methodology in Usul ul Fiqh. They took their lead directly from Qur'an and Sunnah. They exhibited liberalism and latitude in their interpretation of the Shariah.3. The Shariah specifies details for the 'ibadah. As for the mu'amalat (temporal matters), it is mainly concerned with the exposition of basic objectives and general principles which are open to rational inquiry and often provide a starting point for further development. This understanding is used as an evidence for the adaptation and changing of Fiqh to the environment.4. The historical emergence of Ahl ul Hadith and Ahl ul Ra'ee are used as evidences. It is claimed that Ahl ul Ra'ee were inclined to be more liberal in the use of rational and personal opinion in their development of Fiqh.5. 'Usul ul Fiqh was developed after the Sahabah and each school introduced a new legislative source or doctrine. All of this was designed to relate the Shariah to social reality and to serve as an instrument for its adaptation to the society. They point out the following historical development of Fiqh:The Tabi'een carried on the existing legacy of the Sahabah and took it to another level, which led to Ijma'.Ahl ul Ra'ee developed Qiyas when they failed to find a text addressing an issue.The Hanafiah developed Istihsan to overcome the rigidities and irregularities of Qiyas.6. The claim that the legislation in the Qur'an comes in two varieties: definitive and speculative. Although the Qur'an is definitive in its report and authenticity. Most of the Hadith reached us through Khabr Ahad which is speculative in authenticity and transmission. Furthermore, most of the Quran is speculative in its meaning. Therefore the Shariah remains open to interpretation and reconstruction.7. The Maslaha is used as a Shar'ii source to prove the relevance of Islam through its adaptation to reality and reconstruction. Maslaha is determined by the 'Aql and anything which has more benefit than harm based on the 'Aql is considered Islamically legitimate. Imam Shatibi is misquoted as this being his opinion.Refuting the above mentioned claims:1. The human being in his rational capacity is limited and is incapable of providing a system that will solve the problems of humanity. Rather, man's endeavor will always be subject to failure, prejudice, inconsistency, and contradictions. Our Creator, Allah (swt) is the sovereign. This must be kept in mind when we discuss issues related to legislation and way of life.2. Islam is built upon an intellectual basis and gave the mind a great role. However, this role is well defined and is not absolute. When it comes to the discussion of the creation of the universe and the need for Prophethood, it should be based upon rational proof and not on blind faith. However, once the individual believes in the Qur'an and Sunnah, the wahiy then becomes the reference and consequently it redefines the role of the 'Aql. The 'Aql then, has a role in two areas:A. The domain of Wahiy in which the 'Aql is a tool to understand the text and to undertand the reality. The Aql has no role whatsoever to pass judgment upon the text.B. The second domain for the 'Aql is the area of science and technology. It must be understood though that this role is given to the 'Aql by Wahiy. Human beings do not acquire this role independent of revelation. The Qur'an and Sunnah are replete with evidences that prove this point:“It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter, that they should have any opinion in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he has indeed strayed in a plain error.” (TMQ 33:36)“You do not worship besides Him but only names which you have named (forged), you and your fathers, for which Allah has sent down no authority. The command is for none but Allah. He has commanded that you worship none but Him. That is the straight religion, but most men know not.” (TMQ 12:40)“Verily, those who believe and do righteous good deeds, and humble themselves before their Lord, they will be the dwellers of Paradise to dwell therein forever.” (TMQ 11:123)3. The Prophet delivered the Message of Islam. The Qur'an was revealed in Arabic and people understood the Message because they had full command of the Arabic language which is a prerequisite for understanding the Qur'anic text. The Sahabah were pioneers whom Allah (swt) described as:The first to embrace Islam of the Muhajirun and the Ansar and also those who followed them exactly. Allah is well pleased with them as they are well pleased with Him. He has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow to dwell therein forever. This is the supreme success. (9:100)“...(and there is also a share in this booty) for the poor emigrants who were expelled from their homes and their property, seeking the bounty from Allah and to please Him.” (TMQ 59:8-9)“Indeed, Allah was pleased with the believers when they gave their Bay'ah to you under the tree, He knew what was in their hearts, and He sent down calmness and tranquillity upon them, and He rewarded them with a near victory.” (TMQ 48:18)The Sahabah are the people who lived with the Prophet (saaw) day and night. They are the generation that compiled the Qur'an, memorized it, preserved it, and carried it to us.“Verily It is We Who have sent down the Dhikr and surely, We will guard it.” (TMQ 15:9)This ayah testifies that what they carried to us is exactly what Allah preserved and testifies that their consensus is the truth.The legacy of the Sahabah was not created by the Tabi'een as some groups claim. The Sahabah had full command of the Arabic language and they understood the text in a natural way without the need to put down their methodology for us in writing. Therefore, labeling them as liberals is totally absurd. It is completely false to claim that the Sahabah departed from the text or even suspended the text when it no longer secured their interests or benefits. In fact, this claim is a grave accusation against the Sahabah and the texts. 'Umar did not suspend the text, neither in the examples which are quite often repeated by some scholars from the Sunnah or Sh'iah. In all examples, it is mentioned that there is a text or the whole incident is false. As an example, the claim that 'Umar suspended the share for the Muahalftu kulbuhum (person of importance whose cooperation was important) and the cutting of the hand of the thief, Shaykh Mohammed Abu Zaharah studying the text showed that 'Umar's action was in line with the text.In the case of Muahalftu kulbuhum, the ayah mentions the illah and 'Umar understood the illah not existing anymore, and thus the rule would not apply. In the second example, 'Umar did not cut the hand of the thief based on the Hadith of the Rasul (saaw) of not applying the hudud when in doubt (Tirmidhi). 'Umar, in this case found a reasonable doubt not to cut the hand in that situation. Furthermore, who is Umar to prohibit something which Allah allowed ? Would the Sahabah accept this from him knowing that a woman objected to his placing of a limit on dowry control? The fallacy of these arguements is as abvious as the fallacy of the accusation made by the Shi'a that Umar prohibited Muta' (marriage limited in time) marriage. Rather, Muta'h was prohibited by the Prophet (saaw)4. As mentioned before, the Sahabah did not have any need to lay down Usul ul fiqh. This is the same reason why they did not have the need to lay down the rules of Arabic grammar. Both were known by them in a natural way. When we refer to the great scholars of Arabic language, such as Al Asma'ii, we never refer to them as the ones who established the rules of Arabic grammar. Rather, they are the ones who compiled the rules, just as others compiled Usul ul Fiqh. Usul ul Fiqh was practiced in a natural way. Later, the scholars began compiling its already existing rules. Furthermore, any elementary student of Usul ul Fiqh knows that Ali (ra) used to discuss issues belonging to Usul, such as Naskh (abrogation) and thus Usul was not an invention of late scholarship. It was not to be used to adapt and reconstruct the Shariah. Rather, it was laid down to direct the thinking in the process of ijtihad without which there would be chaso. It is obvious that Arabic grammar governs the syntax and speech on the same token that Usul ul Fiqh controls how a person understands the text and that this outcome is Hukm Shari, and not a manmade verdict. It is reported that 'Abd ul Rahman ibn Mahdi wrote to Imam Shaf'ee requesting from him " to write a book that includes the "methods" of understanding the Qur'an and covering how the narration should be accepted, the authority of Ijma', elaborating on issues of abrogation..." In response to this request, Imam Shaf'ee wrote his great book Ar Risala. Therefore, undermining Usul ul Fiqh means that it will be carried by the incompetent or it will be performed by those who want to mix their opinions or desires with the outcome of Hukm Shar'ii. This will be done by abandoning Usul ul Fiqh or trying to play with Usul by establishing rules to reach a predetermined conclusion.5. The classification of two schools of fiqh at the time of the Tabi'een cannot be thought of as a school of classical traditionalists versus liberal revivalist. This claim is false and implies that the Tabi'een who took from the Sahabah did not adhere to the text. Furthermore, if we go through the names of individuals belonging to the school of Madinah (Ahl ul Hadith), we find names like Malik ibn Anas who used to practice ijtihad according to Maslaha al Mursalah more than Abu Hanifa who belonged to Kufah (Ahl ul Rai). On the other hand, one find scholars such as Al Shabee and Hammad ar Rawiyah from the school of Kufah who were considered as Muhaditheen. Both schools realized what Rasul Allah (saaw) meant when he (saaw) said:“My Ummah will be divided into 70 sects. They would be those who started taking the Deen from their 'Aql.” (Al Darami)“He who adopts an opinion related to the Qur'an based on his 'Aql he will reserve for himself a place in the hellfire.” (Bukhari and Muslim)The schools of Hadith and Ra'ee were alike in this respect. Both adhered to the text while some practiced Qiyas more than the others.6. Claiming that each school of fiqh invented a new source to serve their purpose and then presenting this claim in a chronological order, leading the reader to think that there was a process of evolution and development which should continue is false. Each Mujtahid or imam of the time believed in Allah and the Message He (swt) sent. All realized that their role is to understand the Hukm Shar'ii based upon the evidence and none of them would adopt a source based upon a preconceived judgment. Thinking otherwise would mean that those imams are not worth consideration, that none of them were objective and the whole issue of Ijtihad and Fiqh was an intellectual sport. Therefore:A. Ijma' as Sahabah was not invented by the Tabi'een but rather was based upon the Daleel.B. Qiyas was not invented by Ahl ul Ra'ee, but rather based upon the Daleel.C. Istihsan was not introduced by the Hanafiah to handle irregularities and rigidity of Qiyas as claimed by some. It was based upon an evidence viewed by some as sound while others did not view it as such.The technical definition of Fiqh is not the knowledge of the practical rules of Shariah, since such a definition means that Shariah has two parts: practical rules and set of theories or principles. This distorted understanding leads one to the conclusion that Fiqh is the knowledge of the practical rules and as such the practical rules is a human effort based upon the theories or principles of Shariah.The definition of Fiqh in Arabic is having the knowledge of divine laws derived from the legislative sources. So, the law which is not derived from a source is not Fiqh and in this definition Shariah and Fiqh are synonyms. The linguistic meaning of Shariah means a non-exhaustive source of water. The term Shariah is used twice in Quran:“...to each among you, We have prescribed a law and a clear way” (TMQ 5:48)In this ayah the word Shariah is used to mean legislation.“Then We have put you on a plain way of (Our) commandment. So you should follow that, and not the desires of those who don't know.” (TMQ 45:18)In this ayah, the word Shariah is used to mean Islam.However, Islam consists of two parts the Aqeedah and the rules derived from it. Those rules are not independent opinion rather they are part of Islam. The understanding of the Mujtahid of the text as long as it is within the text will be considered part of Islam. It is true that this understanding could be changed or be different from one Mujtahid to another, but all of these difference have to be justified based upon the text.Assuming that there is a distinction between Fiqh and Shariah, both still cannot be viewed as a manmade endeavor. In the end, the defintion of Hukm Sharii is the address of the Legislator related to our actions. The Mujtahid understands the text based upon a specific methodology. His understanding is considered a Hukm Sharii and is binding upon him and anyone who follows that Mujtahid without the need for Ijma. The Hukm Sharii cannot be man made and consequently the entire collection of Hukm Sharii which is Fiqh cannot be man made. The Hukm Sharii whether related to Ibadah or Mumalat or whether derived directly or understood is binding. There is a reward or punishment on both the Mumalat or Ibadah. There is no difference between Hukm Sharii related to the prayers which is Ibadah and the prerequisites of the contract which is Mumamlat. Both aspect of Fiqh related to Mumalat and Ibadah are addressed in Islam. So to claim that Islam adressed Ibadah while addressed the general principles in Mumalat means ignorance in Quran and Sunnah. Anyone who reads Quran and Sunnah will discover abundance of details related to transactions, legal system, economic system, etc. Therefore, there is no sacred area related to Ibadah while an open area related to Mumalat.8. Based on the definition of Fiqh and Hukm Shar'ii, the Usul ul Fiqh is defined as the collection of principles pertaining to the methodology for the extraction of Fiqh. The Mujtahid is the one who exhausts his efforts in thoroughly studying a problem and seeking a solution for it from the sources of the Shariah. Therefore, the Mujtahid is not the one who exercises his intellectual abilities to issue a independent verdict, and as such he is not a legislator. As mentioned earlier, the Mujtahid has to adhere to a specific methodology, which is Usul ul Fiqh and has to meet the requirements of Ijtihad (understanding the Arabic Language, the knowledge of Shar'ii disciplines, and understanding the issue). The Mujtahid should view the Usul as the control mechanism that regulates and directs his thinking to extract the Hukm Shar'ii in a creative way. He should not view them as constraints or as a tool to adapt the Shariah, using it to justify a predetermined result.9. Claiming that most of the Qur'an and the Sunnah are speculative texts, and therefore the doors for adaptation and reconstruction are open is wrong. The Qur'an has Ayat which are Qata'ee (definite) in their meaning while others are Thanni. The word Thanni in this context means that a word would have more than one meaning and the scholar of Tafseer or Mujtahid would be required to study the text, the context, the language, the lifestyle of the Arabs at the time of revelation, and the methodology of Tafseer and Usul ul Fiqh before reaching an answer. The translation of the word Thanni to speculative or conjectural is very misleading and implies that those texts are open for speculation or that they are nothing but conjecture. This would lead to an erroneous understanding that each person has the authority to speculate without any room for discussion or that no controls exist to insure that the understanding is based on a sound methodology.10. One of the most abused or misused term is Maslaha which is (benefit or interest). This term refers to one of the disputed sources of Hukm Shar'ii by the early 'Ulema, few of which did consider it as a valid source for Hukm Shar'ii. Those 'Ulema who considered it as a valid source, used it with many controls and restrictions:a. It should not contradict the Qur'an.b. It should not contradict the Sunnah.c. It should not contradict Ijma'.d. It should not contradict Qiyas.e. It should not undermine any other Maslaha (benefit or interest) that is more important than the one under consideration.Those who allow many things under the pretext of Maslaha did not pay any attention to this, and say that when the text no longer secures any Maslaha, it should be departed. Most of those who promote Maslaha today refer to their independent opinion in determining the Maslaha as long as it complies with the "spirit of Islam". Such a term is very vague and misses a very important point: the text carries a specific linguistic connotation which the Shariah binds us to, otherwise there will be no use for the language at all. The Ijtihad based on this view would be nothing more than imagination based on Maslaha.As an example of this practice of Maslaha is clearly noted when some Islamic movements accept to hold some political positions in the cabinets of some regimes in the Muslim world or in the West under the pretext of Maslaha. This contradicts the numerous texts in the Qur'an and Sunnah, such as: surah 5: 44,45, 47 and the fact that the Prophet (saaw) rejected the Quraysh offer to become a king and ruler of their system. Claiming that Imam Shatibi adopted the Maslaha in this way is a false accusation of the Imam because Imam Shatibi himself said: "The 'Aql has no room in determining the Maslaha based on the rule of sovereignty " [Volume 2, p.219 (Al-Muwafaqat)]He further says:"If we agree that the Shariah is sent for the welfare of Humanity, then this should be according to what the Shariah prescribed and not based on their whims and desires " [volume 2 p117]He also says:"Violating the Shariah under the pretext of following the basic objectives or values of Shariah (Maqasid al Shariah) is like the one who cares about the spirit with the body and since the body without spirit is useless therefore the spirit without body is useless too."So how could an Imam like Shatibi who mentions very clearly that " the objective behind the Shariah is to liberate the individuals form his desires in order to be a true 'abd (slave) of Allah and that the legitimate Maslaha which the Shariah establishes would be considered as long as it maintains this life as a passage to the hereafter not based on the desires of the human being" P (2-25) How could any one accuse Imam Shatibi of promoting Maslaha based on Aql?HISTORICAL FACTORS THAT LED TO THESE MISCONCEPTIONS:Allah (swt) has sent Islam as a comprehensive social order based on the 'Aqeedah in order to replace the status of not only Arabia but the world at large.Thus, the establishment in Makkah opposed it and this opposition was even carried out by the People of the Book. Although the opposition of the polytheists was expected, the People of the Book, were expected to either embrace it or at least adapt to it. Therefore, a struggle took place from the very beginning. In the initial stage in Makkah, the struggle was purely intellectual and ideological from the side of the Muslims while the Quraysh used all the means at their disposal, such as torture, boycott, blackmail, defamation, killing etc. He (saaw) was able to achieve the objective of the Da'wah by migrating with his (saaw) Sahabah to Madinah and establishing the Islamic State there, which symbolized the turning point in the Struggle. From that point on, the struggle was on three fronts; political, material, and intellectual. It did not take the Muslims long to be the leading nation in the world. Many new means were employed against the Muslims to weaken their status such as:- Fabricating the ahadeeth- Instigating fitnah amongst the Muslims- Political assassinations of the earlier Khulafah- Establishment of sects (e.g., Hassasineen)All of those means that were employed in the struggle were not successful in stopping the Ummah from continuing as the leading nation in the world, even though it caused a drag in the momentum of the Ummah.The Crusader war and Mongol invasions both failed to defeat the Ummah in the long run, although they were victorious in some battles and occupied portions of the Islamic state for a while. It is apparent that their material efforts failed. After the defeat of the Crusades, they started employing a new means of attack which manifested in itself in missionary and ideological warfare. The first Spanish missionary, led by Ramon Lowell started his activities on an individual basis and then by the end of the 17th century this effort had evolved into an organized activity through secret societies and missions that were staked in the heart of Muslim land. The emphasis of their campaign revolved around several points or issues:· Severing the bond between the Muslims by calling for nationalism.· Elimination of Islam as the reference point for Muslims by replacing it with another yard stick· Shaking the trust of Muslims in the Islamic system by attacking some clear Islamic solutions such as Jihad, Penal Code, Marriage, divorce, role of women etc.Throughout this continuos campaign the West was able to recruit many agents from amongst the Muslim Ummah in their efforts. Those agents were not restricted to the political arena but also to the cultural and intellectual arenas. By the 19th century, many ideas were introduced to the mindset of the Ummah such as reconstructing religious thought in Islam, the negation of the doctrine of miracles, the abrogation of jihad, the permissibility of Riba', all of those ideas were propagated under the pretext of bridging the gap between Islam and the contemporary life. Those ideas were carried out by many people such as Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, Muhammad Iqbal, Jamal Al Deen Al Afghani, Muhammad 'Abduh, and Rafa'a al Tahtawi, Rashid Rida, Taha Husayn, and 'Ali 'Abdul Raziq, most of which have maintained a close relationship with the British or French governments, either overtly or covertly. Additionally institutions were established to reorient the thinking of the people such as Aliger in India and in Egypt efforts were done to reorient Al Azhar and at times institutions were established such as Dar ul Uloom to counter Al Azhar. Zwaymer, one of the leading missionaries summarized the objective of those activities by addressing a conference for missionaries in Jerusalem, saying "If you succeed in your efforts, you will be the leading pioneers for the coming colonization". The statement of Guro, the French General who entered Damascus and Allenby the British general who entered Jerusalem is engraved in the minds of the Muslims.Guro kicked the tomb of Salah al Deen and said "Wake up Salah al Deen we are here !" Allenby said upon entering Jerusalem "Now the crusades have ended."Therefore, all of these ides which are now surfacing should not be considered independent of this historical context. All of these ideas and deviations directed the Ummah to the same result: turning away from the Wahiy as a reference, and giving the mind a role that overrides the Wahiy under the pretext of Reconstruction, Reform, Ijtihad, and a new Fiqh. Muslims will start accepting the status quo and changing Islam and the "Fatawa" will be tailored to justify this deviation. An example of this is the claim that the division in the Muslim Ummah is justified by the existence of different conditions in each country which prevent the reunification or the effort to bridge the gap between Islam and science. Today, the propagation of the misconceptions about the reform of the Shariah and the "ongoing efforts to reconstruct the Shariah" are nothing but the perpetuation of the legacy of the above mentioned persons and efforts.THE IMPACT OF THESE EFFORTS:Such claims as society undergoing continuous social change and that the Shariah has to adapt to this social reality means that whenever a change occurs Islam has to be molded. Rather, we should view Islam as that which came to change reality so as to render it compliant with the Islamic viewpoint of life.The following are examples which will assist the reader to realize the extent of this deviant effort and the gravity of its impact:1. In Tunisia, Rashid al Ghannoushi states in his book, Huriyat al Amma in regards to a woman being a ruler: that Ahkam al Shariah in general and specifically related to the political system should not be built upon any Thanniy daleel no matter how little the Thann is in the Daleel. He says that the Shariah is not a rigid text nor has it been laid down as a final formula. Also it is not codified like any other body of law. Therefore, the room is wide open for interpretation, updating, and reform through the individual and collective Aql (ijtihad). Based upon his methodology, a woman is allowed to be a ruler.2. In Sudan, Hasan Al Turabi in his book Tajdeed Usul ul Fiqh, claims that the setup of the traditional Usul ul Fiqh does not fit our contemporary needs. He claims that we are in need for a new outlook or understanding for rules of divorce and marriage in which we will benefit from the current social sciences and will build upon our inherited Fiqh, look into Quran and Sunnah equipped with all contemporary needs, sciences, and all Islamic and comparative Fiqh experiences. After this we will find a new way to what Allah's Shariah mandates within the context of our situation.3. The Fiqh Council in North America permitted adoption of the method of astronomical calculations in determining the beginning and end of the lunar month since "it is the best way to unite the community and present it to them in a suitable manner and defending the accusation of Muslims ignoring science". Although it has been claimed that the adaptation of the Shariah to change is limited to the Mu'amalat (as they claim), it seems that they also extended it to the Ibadah.With the new definitions of marriage and family in the West and with the consistent efforts in conferences like the population and women's conferences in Cairo and in Beijing, the Muslims in the future would be subjected to "new Fatawa' to adapt with this new social reality. Some people might think that this is an exaggeration, however with `Fatawa' that say that women do not have to wear the Khimar (headcover) and permitting the women to marry non-Muslim men, it seems, that things could go beyond this.THE SOLUTIONSince Islam is from Allah and addresses the human being with his instincts and organic needs, it cannot be changed because of the following:1. The Human being does not change in either his instincts nor in his organic needs. What changes are the tools, ways, and the means that humans use in their efforts to satisfy their needs. As an example; human beings before and at the time of the Prophet (saaw) used to marry, eat, own, love, hate, travel, satisfy, worship, etc. and will continue to do so. No new instincts or organic biological need can be added. However, the means of satisfying these needs change. It is well known that Islam views any object as Halal unless there is particular Daleel that excludes a particular object (unlike the actions, all of which require a daleel for the performance or abstention). Therefore, what do we need to change Islam for ?Since Allah (swt) is the One Who created man, He is the only One who knows how man's instincts and organic needs can be satisfied. It must be kept in mind that Allah knows the changes which humanity has, is, and will go through, and thus the system He (swt) chose for us must be the perfect system without any human alteration unless we start doubting Allah (swt)'s infinite capability. We have to remember that Islam has its own mechanism, which if followed and implemented effectively will enable the Mujtahid to derive rules from the text and not to change the Shariah or alter the text or rules. That is why every generation should have at least one Mujtahid.Therefore, we need to return to the text the way it is equipped with whatever is needed for this objective. This requires for us to look to Islam as our reference and leadership. We should stop viewing Islam as a set of rituals. This requires from us to pay attention to the Arabic language to make sure it is not separated from Islam. Additionally, by establishing Islam in life and opening the door for Ijtihad with its prerequisites, Islam will be relevant.CONCLUSION:It is very obvious that any law student can propose a law that adapts to new realities in society just by adding one proposition to this law that permits changes in the system. These changes in the system would be an attempt to keep up with the so called changes in life. Humanity witnessed Marx, Hobbes, Adam Smith, James Madison, and the American Founding Fathers who introduced systems that kept undergoing many changes.If we view Islam in the same manner, then where is the uniqueness and miraculous nature of Islam. In fact, why do we need Allah (swt) if the system He (swt) provided us with ends up being changed? Why do we need Allah (swt)'s system if it is similar to Marx's or Jefferson's?These efforts to deviate the Ummah from Islam should be viewed very seriously because they amount to nothing other than the current degree of submission of the Muslim Ummah to other than Islam by replacing its label with a false Islamic one.It must be a matter of Belief that Islam is relevant in all places and all times for all people as their way of life. The emerging need is for Ijtihad to ensure that the rules are correctly extracted from the Shari'ah for new problems. This means that the doors of Ijtihad should be open but not broken

The Meaning of Ibadah (Worship)

2007-01-06T10:03:00.000Z

All praise is due to Allah, and peace be upon our master Muhammed, the seal of the prophets and messengers and the best of all creation, and peace be upon his family and companions, and upon those who followed their guidance and followed their path. Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, stated in His Book: “And I have not created Jinn and man except to worship Me”; a verse recited by all Muslims, but many Muslims restrict the meaning of “worship” to rites and individualistic rituals, such as Salat, fasting, Zakat, Hajj, Du’a, and other acts to come closer to Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala. Their understanding of “‘Ibadah” (worship) does not go beyond these things, even in the slightest. In their view, the economic system, politics, ruling and transactions are all totally unrelated to ‘Ibadah. Truly it is a narrow, limited and impotent understanding of the meaning of ‘Ibadah, far from the vast and comprehensive meaning that Allah has given it, and from what our scholars, from amongst Al-Salaf Al-Saalih, had understood it to mean.Al-Fayrooz Abaadi said in his dictionary, Al-Qamoos Al-MuHeeT: “Al-‘Ibadah: Obedience”. Al-Tabari said in the Tafseer of the verse in Surat Al-Faatiha “Iyyaka Na’budoo” (You [alone] we worship): “Oh Allah, it is to You alone that we have Kushoo’, that we submit to, and that we depend on, acknowledging your Lordship over us, you alone and none other that you”. The original meaning of ‘Ibadah with all the Arabs is “to lower one’s self”. It is also called “the path that is lowered due to feet stamping it down”, and “the travelers lowered it”. From this, a mule that is lowered for riding is called “Mu’abbad”, and from this a person who is enslaved is called a “’Abd”, due to his being lowered before his master.Al-Zajaj said: “The meaning of Al-‘Ibadah: Obedience with submission”. And Al-Zamakhshari said: “Al-‘Ibadah: The most extreme level of submission and lowering one’s self”. And Al-Baghawi said: “Al-‘Ibadah: Obedience with lowering one’s self and submission, and the slave was called ‘Abd due to his submission and his obedience”. Therefore, ‘Ibadah, with its vast and comprehensive implications, means: Obedience with submission, and lowering one’s self, and accepting being led by Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, in everything that He has ordered and everything that He has forbidden. This is what the Messenger of Allah, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, taught ‘Uday Ibnu Haatim, may Allah be pleased with him, as narrated by Imam Ahmed, Al-Tirmithi, and Ibn Jareer: When ‘Uday Ibnu Haatim heard of the call of the Messenger of Allah, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, he ran away to Al-Shaam – as he was a Christian before Islam. On the way, his sister, as well as a number of other members of his tribe, was taken captive. The Messenger of Allah then had mercy on her and let her go. When she returned to her brother, she persuaded him to consider Islam and meet the Messenger of Allah, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam. ‘Uday was one of the leaders of his tribe, and his father, Haatim Al-Taa’i, was famous for his generosity. ‘Uday then proceeded to Madina and the people there began talking about his coming. When he entered upon the Messenger of Allah, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, he was wearing a silver cross around his neck; the Messenger of Allah, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, was reciting the verse “They took their Rabbis and Priests as lords besides Allah”. When he heard this ‘Uday said: “They did not worship them”. He (the Prophet) replied: “Yes they did. They (the Rabbis and Priests) made what was Halal into Haram for them, and what was Haram into Halal for them, and they (the people) followed them; that was their worshipping them”.It is clear in the Hadith that ‘Uday Ibnu Haatim, may Allah be pleased with him, understood ‘Ibadah in the exact same way that most Muslims today understand it; an understanding that limits it to individual rituals. It is as if he is saying: “By Allah, oh Messenger of Allah, we did not pray Salat to the Rabbis and Priests, nor did we slaughter animals for them or to come near them, nor did we take them as Gods that we directly worshipped besides Allah”. But the Messenger of Allah, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, wanted to teach him, as well as us today, the complete meaning of ‘Ibadah of Allah, and said to him: “They made what was Halal into Haram for them, and what was Haram into Halal for them, and they (the people) followed them, and that was their worshipping them”. Therefore, the Christians and Jews worshipped their Rabbis and Priests by obeying them in everything that they said, to the extent that they made the Halal into Haram and the Haram into Halal, and the people accepted it all.Therefore, oh Muslims, worshipping (‘Ibadah) of Allah is not limited to a small section of what Islam has come with, such as personal rituals like Salat, fasting, Zakat, and Hajj; rather ‘Ibadah of Allah means to implement all of what Islam has come with, without abandoning even a single ruling and without differentiating between one command and another. Thus, just like Salat and fasting are ‘Ibadah, equally Jihad and ruling with what Allah has revealed are ‘Ibadah as well. And just like Hajj and Zakat are ‘Ibadah, equally removing harm from the path and undertaking economic transactions according to the Shari’ah are also ‘Ibadah. And just like Tasbeeh, Tahleel and Takbeer are all ‘Ibadah, equally working to re-establish the Khilafah according to the method of the Messenger of Allah, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, is also ‘Ibadah. So why, oh Believers in Allah, is there this differentiation between the laws of Allah that has lead to the abandonment of some of His laws? The statement of Allah “And I have not created Jinn and man except to worship Me” means: “And I have not created Jinn and man except to obey Me”.In conclusion, the true, untainted ‘Ibadah of Allah is genuine obedience to Him. In other words, ‘Ibadah means implementing Allah’s commands and abstaining from His prohibitions, and applying everything that He legislated.We ask Allah that we are of those who worship Him as He should be worshipped by obeying all His commands and abstaining from all His prohibitions, and we ask Him that He makes us from those who listen to what is said and follow the best of it.And the last of our words is Alhamdulillahi Rabb Al-‘Alameen.Wal Salamu Alaykum wa Rahmat Allah wa Barakatuh

Foreign Policy and Violence

2007-01-05T16:53:00.000Z

The government has insisted on its claim that its colonial adventure in Iraq has had no impact upon anger and violence. Instead, Tony Blair has adopted the neo-conservative mantra that it is Islam that is the problem.

We have compiled key intelligence reports and political statements which have conclusively proven that the governments of the west is where the problem lies.

UK MoD Defence Academy

In September 2006, it was revealed that a research paper prepared for the Ministry of Defence's Defence Academy stated that: "The war in Iraq...has acted as a recruiting sergeant for extremists across the Muslim world…Iraq has served to radicalise an already disillusioned youth and al-Qaeda has given them the will, intent, purpose and ideology to act."

Senior Cabinet memo

A leaked memo by senior UK Cabinet officials demands a "significant reduction in the number and intensity of the regional conflicts that fuel terror activity". The memo also suggests that in an ideal world "the Muslim would not perceive the UK and its foreign policies as hostile".

Sir Richard Dannatt [Head of the British Army]

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Sir Richard Dannatt, Head of the British Army, said that the presence of UK armed forces in Iraq "exacerbates the security problems" and they should "get out some time soon".

Chatham House

A report in July 2005 by Chatham House, the respected thinktank on foreign affairs, concluded that there was "no doubt" that the invasion of Iraq had "given a boost to the al-Qaida network" in "propaganda, recruitment and fundraising", while providing an ideal targeting and training area for terrorists. "Riding pillion with a powerful ally has proved costly in terms of British and US military lives, Iraqi lives, military expenditure and the damage caused to the counter-terrorism campaign."

JTAC assessment

On 19 July 2005, the New York Times published extracts from an assessment, drawn up in mid-June 2005, by the UK’s Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC). The most striking sentence in these extracts was: “Events in Iraq are continuing to act as motivation and a focus of a range of terrorist related activity in the UK”

JIC assessment

In April 2005, a report drawn up by the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) was even more explicit about the motivating effect of the invasion of Iraq. It was entitled International Terrorism: Impact of Iraq. The following extracts from it were published in The Sunday Times on 2 April 2006:

“It [the invasion of Iraq] has reinforced the determination of terrorists who were already committed to attacking the West and motivated others who were not.”

“Iraq is likely to be an important motivating factor for some time to come in the radicalisation of British Muslims and for those extremists who view attacks against the UK as legitimate.”

“There is a clear consensus within the UK extremist community that Iraq is a legitimate jihad and should be supported. Iraq has re-energised and refocused a wide range of networks in the UK.”

“We judge that the conflict in Iraq has exacerbated the threat from international terrorism and will continue to have an impact in the long term. It has reinforced the determination of terrorists who were already committed to attacking the West and motivated others who were not.”

Young Muslims and Extremism Report

A 2004 joint Home Office and Foreign Office dossier prepared for Tony Blair - 'Young Muslims and Extremism' - identified the Iraq war as a key cause of young Britons turning to terrorism. The analysis stated: "It seems that a particularly strong cause of disillusionment among Muslims, including young Muslims, is a perceived 'double standard' in the foreign policy of western governments, in particular Britain and the US."

"The perception is that passive 'oppression', as demonstrated in British foreign policy, eg non-action on Kashmir and Chechnya, has given way to 'active oppression'. The war on terror, and in Iraq and Afghanistan, are all seen by a section of British Muslims as having been acts against Islam." (Robert Winnett and David Leppard, 'Terror in London, Leaked No 10 dossier reveals Al-Qaeda's British recruits,' The Sunday Times, July 10, 2005)

MI5 assessment [UK Security Service]

The MI5 website states, “In recent years, Iraq has become a dominant issue for a range of extremist groups and individuals in the UK and Europe.”

ISC assessment

The intelligence services warned the UK government, prior to the invasion of Iraq, that military action against Iraq would increase the threat of terrorism to Britain. The Intelligence & Security Committee (ISC) report published on 11 September 2003, quoted a JIC assessment, entitled International Terrorism: War with Iraq, dated 10 February 2003:

“The JIC assessed that al-Qaida and associated groups continued to represent by far the greatest terrorist threat to Western interests, and that threat would be heightened by military action against Iraq.” (ISC report, Paragraph 126)

US National Intelligence Estimate

On 24 September 2006, The New York Times published an article, entitled Spy Agencies Say Iraq War Worsens Terror Threat. It was about a US National Intelligence Estimate entitled Trends in Global Terrorism: Implications for the United States, which was completed in April 2006. National Intelligence Estimates are formal assessments on specific national security issues, signed off by the Director of National Intelligence, John Negroponte. They express the consensus view of the 16 US spy agencies, based on raw intelligence supplied by all of them. This Estimate is the first formal appraisal of “global terrorism” by United States intelligence agencies since the Iraq war began.

In an effort to undo the damage done by this leak, President Bush has declassified and published the “key judgments” in the Estimate. But the “key judgments” merely validate the headline on The New York Times article:

“We assess that the Iraq jihad is shaping a new generation of terrorist leaders and operatives; perceived jihadist success there would inspire more fighters to continue the struggle elsewhere."

"The Iraq conflict has become the “cause celebre” for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of US involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement."

"Four underlying factors are fuelling the spread of the jihadist movement: (1) Entrenched grievances, such as corruption, injustice, and fear of Western domination, leading to anger, humiliation, and a sense of powerlessness; (2) the Iraq “jihad”; (3) the slow pace of real and sustained economic, social, and political reforms in many Muslim majority nations; and (4) pervasive anti-US sentiment among most Muslims - all of which jihadists exploit.”

Former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi

A few days after the July 2005 London bombings, the former Italian PM Berlusconi, said, "Even intelligence from other countries shows the three Bs—Bush, Berlusconi and Blair—are considered the most exposed to this type of risk."

Michael Scheuer – First head of CIA Al-Qaida desk

Michael Scheuer, worked for the CIA for 22 years, and was the first head of its al-Qaida desk, serving in this capacity for two years. While still working for the CIA, he wrote a book entitled Imperial Hubris: Why the West is losing the War on Terror, which was published in 2004. His view, as summarised in this book, is as follows:

“… the greatest danger for Americans confronting the radical Islamist threat is to believe – at the urging of US leaders – that Muslims attack us for what we are and what we think rather than for what we do.

“Rhetorical political blustering ‘informs’ the public that Islamists are offended by the Western world’s democratic freedoms, civil liberties, intermingling of genders, and separation of church and state. However, although aspects of the modern world may offend conservative Muslims, no Islamist leader has, for example, fomented jihad in order to destroy participatory democracy, the national association of credit unions, or coed universities. …

“Al-Qaida’s public statements condemn America’s protection of corrupt Muslim regimes, unqualified support for Israel, the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, and a further litany of real-world grievances. Bin Laden’s supporters thus identify their problem and believe its solution lies in war.

“[Scheuer] contends they will go to any length, not to destroy our secular, democratic way of life, but to deter what they view as specific attacks on their lands, their communities and their religion. Unless US leaders recognize this fact and adjust their policies abroad accordingly, even moderate Muslims will be radicalized into supporting bin Laden’s anti-Western offensive.”

US Defense Science Board

The US Defense Science Board, which exists to provide independent advice to the US Secretary of Defense, produced a report in September 2004. The report is on Strategic Communications, that is, the means whereby the US gets its message to the world. It concludes bluntly that communicating with the Muslim world is impossible at the present time:

“Thus the critical problem in American public diplomacy directed toward the Muslim World is not one of ‘dissemination of information’, or even one of crafting and delivering the ‘right’ message. Rather, it is a fundamental problem of credibility. Simply, there is none – the United States today is without a working channel of communication to the world of Muslims and of Islam.” (page 41)

And, according to the report, the US is not believed because of its policy towards the Muslim world, and the problem has got much worse since the US invasion of Iraq:

“American direct intervention in the Muslim World has paradoxically elevated the stature of and support for radical Islamists, while diminishing support for the United States to single-digits in some Arab societies.

“Muslims do not ‘hate our freedom’, but rather, they hate our policies. The overwhelming majority voice their objections to what they see as one-sided support in favor of Israel and against Palestinian rights, and the longstanding, even increasing support for what Muslims collectively see as tyrannies, most notably Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan, and the Gulf states.

“Thus when American public diplomacy talks about bringing democracy to Islamic societies, this is seen as no more than self-serving hypocrisy. Moreover, saying that ‘freedom is the future of the Middle East’ is seen as patronizing, suggesting that Arabs are like the enslaved peoples of the old Communist World — but Muslims do not feel this way: they feel oppressed, but not enslaved.

“Furthermore, in the eyes of Muslims, American occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq has not led to democracy there, but only more chaos and suffering. U.S. actions appear in contrast to be motivated by ulterior motives, and deliberately controlled in order to best serve American national interests at the expense of truly Muslim self-determination.

“Therefore, the dramatic narrative since 9/11 has essentially borne out the entire radical Islamist bill of particulars. American actions and the flow of events have elevated the authority of the Jihadi insurgents and tended to ratify their legitimacy among Muslims. Fighting groups portray themselves as the true defenders of an Ummah (the entire Muslim community) invaded and under attack — to broad public support.

“What was a marginal network is now an Ummah-wide movement of fighting groups. Not only has there been a proliferation of ‘terrorist’ groups: the unifying context of a shared cause creates a sense of affiliation across the many cultural and sectarian boundaries that divide Islam.” (pages 40-41)

Kenneth Clarke MP [former Chancellor of the Exchequer]

Prior to the invasion of Iraq, many opponents of the action warned that it would give a stimulus to al-Qaida and associated groups. For example, speaking in a debate in the House of Commons on 26 February 2003, Kenneth Clarke said:

“The next time a large bomb explodes in a western city, or an Arab or Muslim regime topples and is replaced by extremists, the Government must consider the extent to which their policy contributed to it. That is why hon. Members should pause and why, unless evidence is produced for a breach and a material threat, my judgment today is that we should not go to war.”

Ken Livingstone [Mayor of London]

"An assault on Iraq will inflame world opinion and jeopardise security and peace everywhere. London, as one of the major world cities, has a great deal to lose from war and a lot to gain from peace, international cooperation and global stability." (quoted by Tariq Ali in The Guardian on 8 July 2005)

Is Saudi Arabia an Islamic State?

2007-01-05T16:52:00.000Z

In response to the question you raised about whether Saudi Arabia is an Islamic State (Dar al Islam) or not, we need to first define the meaning of Dar al-Islam and Dar al-Kufr (Land of Kufr) and then look to whether Saudi Arabia or any Muslim country today matches this definition.The following article explains this subject in detail together with the evidences, please check it: Clarfiying the meaning of Dar al-Islam and Dar al-Kufr1) According to Shariah terminology, Dar al-Islam is defined as the land which is governed by the laws of Islam and whose security (Aman) is maintained by the security of Islam, i.e. by the authority and protection of Muslims inside and outside the land, even if the majority of its inhabitants are non-Muslims.Dar al-Kufr is the land which is governed by the laws of Kufr, and whose security is not maintained by the security (Aman) of Islam, i.e. by other than the authority and security of Muslims, even if the majority of its inhabitants are Muslims.So what matters in determining whether the land is Dar al-Islam or Dar al-Kufr is neither the land itself nor its inhabitants, rather it is the laws and the security. So if its laws are Islamic and its security is maintained by Muslims then it is Dar al-Islam. When its laws are the laws of Kufr (disbelief) and its security is not maintained by Muslims then it is Dar al-Kufr. These definitions have been derived from the Islamic evidences and discussed by the Ulema (scholars) in history.2) When we look to Saudi Arabia it fundamentally contradicts Islam in a Qati (definitive) manner in many areas such as:- Being part of the United Nations - every member of which has to agree with international law set by the UN. This puts the law of man above the law of Allah.- Allying with the Kuffar against the Muslims. Saudi Arabia allowed America to use it to attack the Muslims of Iraq in the Gulf wars. America also has a military base in Saudi which is well known.- Accepting the legitimacy of the different countries in the Muslim world this is clear by the fact they are part of the OIC and Muslim League and have ambassadors in these different countries. This is definitively prohibited from different ahadith and the Ijma of the Sahaba:The Prophet (saw) said: "When the oath of allegiance has been taken for two Khalifs, kill the latter of them". (Narrated in Sahih Muslim by Sa'id al-Khudri)The Prophet (saw) also said: "Whoso comes to you while your affairs has been united under one man, intending to break your strength or dissolve your unity, kill him." (Narrated in Sahih Muslim by 'Arfajah)3) Just because Saudi Arabia may implement part of Islamic laws such as in the judiciary, it doesn’t mean that it is an Islamic state or Khilafah"So rule between them by that which Allah has revealed, and follow not their desires, but beware of them in case they seduce you from just some part of that which Allah has revealed to you" (TMQ 4:49)."Then it is only a part of the Book that you believe in and do you reject the rest? But what is the reward for those among you who believe like this but disgrace in this life and on the day of judgement they shall be consigned to the most grievest chastisement." [Al-Baqarah: 85]4) We cannot compare Saudi Arabia and say it is similar to the Khilafah after the Khulafah ar-Rashideen. As in those periods it is unanimously accepted by the Sunni Ulema in history that they were Khilafah and Dar al Islam, some of them misapplied some of the Islamic rules but they never implemented open kufr. There is a difference between the mis-implementation of some of the Shariah rules and the non-implementation as we see in Saudi Arabia.Some of the Khulafah were better than others and some of them were even oppressive, nevertheless the system of Islam remained implemented. Even though some of the rulers misapplied some rules and were oppressive, the Prophet (saw) foretold of this and instructed the Muslims to accept them as Khulafah and obey them as long as they did not implement open Kufr (Kufr bu’ah). Some of these ahadith are:Muslim reported that Salama b. Yazid Al-Ja‘afi asked the Messenger of Allah (saw): "O Prophet of Allah, if we were to be ruled by Ameers who ask us for their dues and deny us our dues, what do you order us to do then?" The Messenger of Allah(saw) turned his face away; he asked him again and Allah’s Messenger (saw) avoided him; then he asked for the second or the third time and he (saw) was pulled by Al-Ash‘aath b. Qays, so the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "Hear and obey, for they shall be accountable for their actions and you shall be accountable for yours."Muslim reported from ‘Auf b. Malik who reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) say:"The best of your Imams are those whom you love and they love you and you pray for them and they pray for you; and the worst of your Imams are those whom you hate and they hate you and you curse them and they curse you." We asked: "O Messenger of Allah, shall we not then declare war on them?" He (saw) said: "No! As long as they establish prayer among you. Behold if anyone was ruled by a Wali and saw him committing a sin, let him hate the sin committed against Allah, but let him not withdraw his hand from obedience."Muslim narrated from Huzayfah b. al-Yamaan that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "There will be Imams after me who will not be guided by my guidance, nor will they act according to my Sunnah; some men will rise amongst you with satans’ hearts in human bodies." Huzayfah asked: "What shall I do, if I were to reach that time?" He (saw) said: "You should hear and obey the Ameer even if he whipped your back and took your money; do hear and obey."Ahmad and Abu Dawood reported that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "O Abu Dharr, what would you do if some Walis possessed the booty and deprived you of it?" He said: "By He Who sent you with the Truth, I would raise my sword and fight until I join you." Upon this he (saw) said: "Let me tell you something that would be better for you than that. Remain patient and bear it until you join me."Al-Bukhari narrated on the authority of Junada b. abi Umayyah who said: We went to ‘Ubadah b. as-Samit when he was sick and we said: May Allah (swt) guide you. Inform us of a Hadith from the Messenger of Allah (saw) so Allah may benefit you from it. He said, the Messenger of Allah (saw) called upon us and we gave him the Bai’ah, and he said, of that which he had taken from us, that we should give him the pledge to listen and obey, in what we like and dislike, in our hardship and ease, and that we should not dispute the authority of its people unless we saw open Kufr upon which we had a proof from Allah. And it was also narrated by Tabarani. He said: “Unless you see open Kufr.”The Khulafah ruled by Islam and did not implement Kufr Bu’ah (open Kufr) that is why we find the great scholars of Islam such as Imam Abu Hanifah, Imam Shafi, Imam Malik, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Jafar as-Sadiq and the like accepted that they were Khalif’s but accounted them. In fact the two most famous students of Abu Hanifah who recorded his Fiqh, most of us in India follow the Fiqh they recorded - Qadi Abu Yusuf and Muhammad As-Shaybani were appointed as Qadi al Quda (the chief judge) in state in the time of the Khalifah Haroon ar-Rasheed.Some of the great scholars wrote books about the history of the Khulafah such as Imam Suyuti known as al-Jalalayn, who died in 1505 CE – he wrote the book Tarikh al Khulafah, ‘History of the Khulafah’. Imam Mawardi who died in 1058 CE who was appointed as a Qadi and later an ambassador by the Abbasid Khalid Al-Qaim bi Amr Allah wrote the famous book, ‘Al Ahkam As-Sultaniya’, about the ruling system in Islam.Whereas today all the countries in the Muslim world including Saudi Arabia implement Kufr Bu'ah in many areas such as those mentioned earlier.

The Dangers of Dismissing People

2007-01-05T16:51:00.000Z

Allah (swt) emphasised thinking well of the believers when He (swt) said: “Why then, did not the believers, men and women, then you heard it (the slander) think good of their own people.” [TMQ an-Noor: 12]Furthermore Abu Hurayrah (ra) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “If a man says the people have perished then he has destroyed them.”We must realise the importance of realising the goodness amongst the Muslims, for if we didn't see it would lead us to dismissing the Ummah resulting in the failure of the Da'wa and the negligence in the obligation. It would lead to us becoming disheartened souls with a minuscule vision. We would give up in achieving the victory even though the victory may be closer than we possibly imagined. The life of the Da'wa would be removed from us and we would become empty vessels revolving around ourselves.Therefore it is incumbent upon us to realise the reality of the goodness within the Ummah and the reality of people in general. As we should know, people act on the basis of their concepts, therefore if their concepts are corrupt their actions would proceed in an incorrect manner, if their concepts were righteous then their actions follow in a manner leading to the gardens of bliss under which rivers flow as promised in the Qur'an.If we apply this upon the people around us and to the millions in the Ummah we would see their incorrect actions resulting from the declined concepts. However we should realise that these millions possess the Islamic Aqeeda and the mind which Allah (swt) has blessed them with, this should be enough for us to realise their potential and not become detached from them. For if the Islamic Aqeeda existed in ones heart then this would be a starting point for us regardless of his behaviour. Even if this Aqeeda was held in an emotional manner we would make it rational. If it was rational yet the individual shaped his life from other than Islam then we would re-ignite his thought upon the implications of the rational Islamic doctrine and link this to all aspects of his life. If he is shallow in thinking, we would broaden his horizons thus turning him into a thinker rather than one who his led.This potential definitely exists in the Ummah and we must look for the goodness in them rather than only focusing upon the negative points. So if one did not work for the resumption of Islam yet prayed the Salah and smiled to his brothers in order to achieve reward. We should see this and see that it is linked to Islam, we should attempt to understand the basis upon which he builds the rest of his life and rectify it.If one was arrogant yet he dealt with his children in a kind way, we should realise his potential for the good actions and attempt to show him the errors of arrogance and pride, the dangers they would lead to and their non-conformance with Islam.This mentality would make us productive thinkers, so if we were to face a society in which their was much lewdness and degradation in values, we would not get defeated. Rather we would look at the thoughts and sentiments that exist in that society and see the multitude of problems as something which would make it easier for the people to realise the error of the system and instil the desire to change it. The countries of the Indian sub-continent which many of us have visited may come to mind. We can see their potential for Islam, even the fact that the governments have to use the name of Islam should be a sign demonstrating the deep rootedness of the Aqeeda within the people. Even the armies in those lands possess a feeling for Islam.Indeed even the ones who do not possess the Islamic Aqeeda have the potential for change. For if this wasn't the case then Islam would not have spread and it would have remained in the mind of the Prophet (saw). The fact that the Islamic message was embraced by millions demonstrates the reality of change. The Prophet (saw) did du'a to Allah (swt) asking him for one of the two Umar's to come to Islam, these two were Abu Jahl (whose real name was Umar) and Umar bin al Khattab. As we all are well aware of Umar bin al Khattab embraced Islam and was transformed from the one who used to bury his infant daughters alive to the one who became one with the most exalted behaviour, the one who became the Amir and Shield of the believers, the one who was praised by the Prophet and of whom it was said: "When Umar walks down one side of the street, the Shaytan walks down the other side"Even though Abu Jahl never embraced Islam, the Prophet (saw) must have seen the potential for him to change otherwise he wouldn't have delivered the Da'wa to him or make the Du'a.Many examples can be given that prove the power of the Islamic call and the influence it has in radically and comprehensively transform individuals and entire societies.Inshallah understanding this should make us into people who urge to remove the darkness in the world with the light of Islam.

The Muslim Woman

2007-01-05T16:43:00.000Z

Allah (swt) says: “I have not created jinn and humankind except to worship me” [TMQ 51:57]We all know that our objective in life as Muslims is to worship Allah (swt), this means that we must follow the commands and prohibitions of Allah in all the aspects of life whether in the Masjid, home, market, hospital or school.Many of us may be aware of this objective in general, however unfortunately when it comes to the role of the Muslim woman our roles and responsibilities we find that there is much confusion.Today the Muslim women are being pulled between two cultures, the Western culture which many of the youth are being attracted to and the Eastern culture which a lot of the elder generation are influenced by. Often people have a confusion between the Eastern cultural view of a woman and her role and the Islamic view of women, they mix these together and see them as one.People unfortunately don’t realise that there is a third option and true alternative – Islam and its view of the woman and her roleThe Western culture promotes freedom, liberation of the woman and so-called equality – that a woman can be like a man and do whatever a man can do, that she should not be restricted by her parents, family or even religion. This view seems appealing to some, especially the youth as the media continuously spreading these ideasFor example:· If we look at Sania Mirza, she is portrayed in the media as a successful Muslim woman, so some of our daughters may look at her as a role model· Also if we look to the famous bollywood stars they are also seen as role models to some· Especially amongst the youth the issue of fashion, looking good when going out of the house, especially at weddings – so it is common to see on the streets of Muslim women who are not covered according to the Islamic rules of wearing the Khimar (headscarf) and the Jilbab (outer garment).· The issue of boyfriend and girlfriend relationships is also penetrating the Muslim community, where our daughters even hide from their parents their relationships with boysOn the other hand we see people especially some from the elder generation affected by the Eastern culture. For example:· According to the Eastern culture, women are slaves to their husbands and exist to fulfil their needs – this becomes their objective in life· The concept of arranged marriage where the family chooses someone for the girl without her consent or sometimes without even seeing the man before marriage· Tribalism and nationalism is deeply rooted where even amongst the Muslims people only give their daughter in marriage to a certain tribe or family which is similar to them – so the Siddiqi’s may only marry other Siddiqi’s, Sayyid’s, Choudry’s, etc. This is very common.· The Eastern concept of modesty and dress does not emanate from Islam, so women may be wearing Salwar Kameez, Saari’s with a dupatta when they go out and they think they are dressing properly even though in the eyes of Allah they are naked if they are showing their hair, necks and other parts of their body in front of non-mahram men.· Backbiting (Gheebat) is common where people talk negatively about other MuslimsAs a result of these different views it is common to see arguments in households between mothers and daughters on a variety of issues such as dress code, modesty and marriage.However we need to realise that the solution to our problems does not lie in the sick Western culture where the women is seen as a commodity, where the charms of women are used to sell everything from ice creams to cars, where fornication (Zina) and adultery are commonplace where they think they have equality but in reality they are slaves to the lusts of men.Nor does the solution lie in the disgusting Eastern culture which comes from the idol worshipping religions who worship animals and even deny the oneness of Allah, who follow their forefathers blindly as the Quraysh at the time of the Prophet (saw) did without thinking whether it is right or wrong.We need to think - who can define the role and responsibilities of women correctly, the one who created men and women or limited human beings?Have we ever really questioned what our role should be or do we simply just imitate and follow what we see people around us doing?Since Allah (swt) created the male and the female and He knows best the situation of the man and the woman, then we must limit ourselves to the rules which He (swt) has legislated and not overstep them. This applies to whether these rules are intended solely for the men or exclusively for the women or whether they are for humans irrespective of their being men or women, because He (swt) knows best what is suitable for the human.Both the Western and Eastern view of the woman are wrong as they don’t come from Allah (swt), the creator of the Universe. The source of guidance for us is the Quran and Sunnah, not tradition, not what the media says, not what our parents say, not what the community says, not what the government says. So let us understand what Islam says about women, obviously in this short talk I cannot go into all the details, however I want to address some key points:a) The primary role of the woman: The Shari’ah has made the woman a mother and a housewife. It addressed her with rules relating to pregnancy, childbirth, to suckling, custodianship and to the waiting period (‘Idda). These rules are specified to women and not to men. Allah (swt) obliged men to earn income for himself and his family and he did not oblige this on women. Both men and women are equal in the sight of Allah, however they are different and have different roles and responsibilities according to the Shariah.According to Islam the primary role of the woman is that she is a mother and housewife because it is through this action the human race survives and because she is distinguished by this from the men. However, the woman’s primary role as mother and housewife does not mean she is confined to this role and prevented from pursuing other activities.So we as women must link our actions to what the Shariah has said and not just to engage in them because that’s what people do in society. So when we breastfeed our children, we should know that will be rewarded by Allah (swt) for that.When we look after our husbands, we don’t just do it due to public opinion or because of what the community thinks, rather we do it to please Allah (swt).One woman said to the Prophet(saw) ‘O Rasulallah, you brought tidings to men but not to women’. He said, “Does it not please any of you that if she is pregnant by her husband and he is satisfied with her that she receives the reward of one who fasts and prays for the sake of Allah? And when the labour pains come none in heaven or earth knows what is concealed in her womb to soothe her. And when she delivers, not a mouthful of milk flows from her and not an instance of child’s suck that she receives for every mouthful and for every suck, the reward of one good deed. And if she is kept awake by the child at night, she receives the reward of one who frees 70 slaves for the sake of Allah” [Tabarani]Some rules may be specific to men like praying Jumm’uah (Friday) Salah, some may be specific to women such as the exemption from Salah during period (menstruation).However there are many shariah rules that are applicable to both men and women such as the obligation of Salah, fasting, working for Khilafah, seeking knowledge, prohibition of backbiting, riba (usury) etc.b) Women are not slaves: Contrary to how the media portrays it, in Islam the man is the guardian of the woman and not the master as is in Eastern culture. Allah (swt) said:“Men are the guardians of women” [TMQ An-Nisa: 34]Unlike in Eastern culture, in Islam the aim of marriage is for the man and women to gain tranquillity by having companionship with each other. Although the man is the guardian of the women, she is not his slave. Allah (swt) has given rights to the man and the woman and they should cooperate in helping each other achieving these. The best of examples, the Prophet (saw) used to come back from Jihad and help his wife with the housework. The wives of the Prophet (saw) used to discuss with him and even debate with him, he used to treat them with respect and honour, he used to be kind and gentle with them and used to show compassion, love and mercy.c) Tribalism and nationalism completely contradict Islam and we should never use them as a basis for marriage.The Prophet gave his cousin Zaynab bin Jahsh (ra), who was from the exalted people of the Quraish, in marriage to Zayd bin Haritha (ra) who used to be a slave and was freed. We should look for Taqwa (piety) more than anything else.d) Muslim women can participate in society: If we look to the Sahabiyat they participated in society, it is allowed for Muslim women to work, to be doctors, nurses, engineers, teachers, etc of course with the permission of their guardians. For example Khadija (ra), the first wife of the Prophet (saw) was a businesswomen, Aisha (ra) was a scholar of Islam – many of the Sahaba used to come and ask her questions about the Deen, Shifaa bint Abdullah (ra) was a doctor at the time of the Prophet (saw) – she was literate and he (saw) even asked her to teach one of his wives to read and write, she was appointed as a Qadi (judge) of the marketplace during the Khilafah of Umar (ra).Today it is good for Muslim women to be successful in different fields without compromising their Islame) The importance of da’wa: This is a neglected obligation, the obligation to work to resume to the Islamic way of life and re-establish the Khilafah is a Fard on both men and women without distinction. The evidences to work for change are general upon both men and women, for example the Prophet (saw) said:“Whosoever sees a munkar (evil) must change it with their hand, if they cannot then with their tongue and if they cannot then they must hate it in their heart and that is the weakest of Iman.”The Prophet (saw) said “whoever” meaning whether male or femaleToday we must be active in spreading the message of Islam within our communities, to raise the awareness of our sisters about the Deen. Many are even unaware that Islam has solutions for all problems including how to raise our children and how to solve the problem of Iraq, how to treat our husbands and how to liberate Palestine for the Israeli occupation, how to deal with our parents and how to eliminate poverty in the world.There are two things we must be engaged in:1) Seeking knowledge: How can we engage in Da’wa without having knowledge, of course seeking knowledge is an obligation. We must continuously seek knowledge by reading, thinking and asking questions about the Deen. We should be thinking women like the Sahabiyat and women of the past. We should be aware about the problems of the Ummah and not just consumed in our own family problems where we think more about whether the roti gets burnt rather than thinking about our children being burnt by the bombs of the Kuffar in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and other lands. We are consumed in thinking about what clothes we are going to wear on some wedding or on Eid rather than thinking about how to solve the problem of the Muslims in our lands who have no clothes due to the poverty created by our corrupt rulers who are agents of the West.2) Giving Da’wa: The Prophet (saw) said: “Even if you know one ayah (verse) propagate it”.We as Muslim women are in a good position to help create the atmosphere of Da’wa within our families and communities. So when we meet other women instead of only talking about petty things like what we have cooked, or what has been happening in the dramas on Zee TV, what new films are out, etc – we should discuss issues of the Deen. We should learn knowledge from each other and help each other in this.Some of you may feel that it is difficult to be engaged in Da’wa due to household responsibilities and time constraints. However we must think practically of how to instil Da’wa into our normal lives, day to day we meet many people and interact with our families, we must ensure that we instil the correct Islamic culture within our children and not allow them to be brought up by the Kufr society.The Sahabiyat were da’wa carriers we should look at their examples. They were also mothers, wives and daughters, but they were also Da’wa carriers.Summayah (ra) was the first martyr of Islam who was struggling with the rest of the Sahaba to establish the Deen of Allah (swt), she was tortured to death by Abu Jahl, but she never gave in. The sister of Umar ibn al-Khattab did not turn away from the Deen and gave Da’wa to Umar even though he beat her very badly. Asma bint Abu Bakr (ra) continued to be a da’wa carrier even until she was an old woman when she spoke out against an oppressive leader Hajjaj ibn Yusuf. Women like A’isha (ra) had a remarkable memory and reported over 2000 ahadith. She had a deep understanding of tafseer, hadith and fiqh. At the age of 18 people came from all over Arabia to ask her questions about the deen because she was one of the most knowledgeable scholars.Umm Amarah (ra) even participated in Jihad, she was a skilled fighter and fought in many battle, most famously in the Battle of Uhud where she protected the Prophet (saw) with her own body, not caring about herself. The Prophet (saw) is reported to say that wherever he turned, whether to his left or right, he saw Umm Amarah (ra) fighting to defend him.May Allah (swt) give us the strength to carry this da’wa like the Sahabiyat in the past!

Why Are You A Muslim?

2007-01-05T14:16:00.000Z

‘Why are you Muslim?’ It may sound like an obvious question, but often many of us don’t have a clear answer to it. I remember being asked this question by my elder brother when I was fourteen years of age, my initial answer was ‘Well, our family is Muslim’, his reply to this made me think, he said, ‘If your family were Hindu or Christian, would you be as well?’. I replied with a strong ‘No, Islam is the truth’, the discussion that followed made me question the basis of my life and changed my life for ever. He triggered me to think about how to prove that Islam is the truth rather than just believing it emotionally or blindly. In fact Allah (swt) has condemned people for imitating their forefathers and adopting their belief without clear evidence.In the Holy Qur’an, He (swt) says:“And verily guess is no substitute for the truth.” [TMQ 53:28]“They have no (certain) knowledge. They follow nothing but conjecture. For surely; they killed him not (‘Isa).” [TMQ 4:157]"These are nothing but names which you have devised, you and your fathers, for which Allah has sent down no authority. They follow nothing but conjecture and what their Nafs desire. Even though there has already come to them the Guidance from their Rabb" [TMQ 53:23]"Do you have Ilm (knowledge) for that which you claim so that you provide us with? You follow nothing but conjecture (Zann)." [TMQ 6:148]The followers of other religions have no decisive proof for their belief, therefore they believe in their religions emotionally or through imitation. Some of them think that you just have to have faith without clear proof. However when it comes to normal things in life people apply a lot of thought such as buying a car, house, choosing a University course or which bank to join, so how can it be that when it comes to the most important questions about life; which define the purpose of our lives that we should just have ‘faith’ without being convinced absolutely.It is therefore vital for a Muslim to believe in the existence of Allah (swt) without any doubt whatsoever and to believe in the Prophethood of Muhammad (saw) and that the Qur’an is the final revelation sent by Allah (swt) to humanity. Islam is unlike all the other religions as it has a decisive proof that convinces the mind.Proof of the existence of GodLet us begin by discussing the proof of the existence of Allah (swt). Although we are taught theories regarding the origin of the Universe and origin of the Man such as the big bang theory and the theory of evolution, we should realise that they contradict the clear reality which everyone can sense.The fundamental proof that God exists is that everything that we sense around us whether it is the mountains, the trees, the sun, the moon, the stars or animals and fellow human beings are limited things and are not eternal. By limited we mean that they have restrictions, a starting point and an ending point, and they have definable attributes i.e. they are all finite. Human beings are born and die. There is no-one alive who will not die. During their life span, they will grow to a certain height, weight and volume.It is true that there are differences between the things that exist in the Universe however all of them share the quality of being limited and finite, the earth may be huge but it still has a certain shape, weight, volume by which it is limited, this applies to all planets, stars, solar systems and galaxies. Even though a galaxy may look huge to us as the earth looks huge to us and it is not eternal. Even if all of the galaxies and elements of the Universe are added together they do not become unlimited and therefore require an origin. No scientist could ever prove using hard facts that the universe has no bounds. In fact when they say that the universe arose from the Big Bang and is expanding they inherently admit it is finite in size, otherwise it could not expand! There is nothing in reality which is unlimited. No matter how hard we try, we are unable to find anything unlimited around us. All we can perceive is finite and limited.It is a simple principle that something cannot come from nothing, therefore, where did the Universe come from? It cannot simply exist without having any cause as this contradicts the clear reality which everyone can sense, for example, if we see a car no one would ever think that it simply exists without any manufacturer, this can be applied to anything around us. The following example demonstrates this point well.Imam Abu Hanifa was once asked by an atheist, "Is there any proof that God exists?" he replied, "Forget it! At the moment, I am busy thinking about this ship.People tell me there is a big ship; it contains different goods on board. There is no one to steer it, no one maintaining it. Yet, this ship keeps going back and forth; it even traverses big waves on the oceans; it stops at the locations that it is supposed to stop at; it continues in the direction that it is supposed to head. This ship has no captain and no one planning its trips." The atheist who posed the question interrupted and exclaimed, "What kind of strange and silly thought is this? How can any intelligent person think that some thing like this can occur?"Imam Abu Hanifa said, "I feel sorry about your state! You cannot imagine one ship running without some one looking after its affairs. Yet you think that for this whole world, which runs exactly and precisely, there is no one who looks after it, and no one owns it."The attribute of everything around us is that they are all needy and dependent in order to continue existing. They are not self-sustaining or independent. Man has needs he has to satisfy in order to survive. He has organic needs for example he must eat and drink if he is to survive. If he does not he will die. We see the need and dependency in plants and animals. They depend on other parts of the food chain for their existence. The water cycle is dependent on the sun, which is dependent on the laws of the galaxies and of burning mass, and so on... Nothing we can perceive is self-subsistent. So things exist, but do not have the power of existence. They cannot control when they die or when other bodies die. Thus what we see is that everything around us is limited and finite. Everything that is limited and finite is dependant and everything that is dependant is dependant upon something greater than itself. Applying this to everything we see will bring us to a conclusion. If everything in the universe is dependant because it has not the power of being in existence on its own accord, and is also finite and limited, then what is everything dependant upon for its existence? It must be an unlimited and independent creator.Today the various theories that exist about the origin of the Universe such as the ‘Big bang theory’, ‘Big bang – Big crunch theory’ or ‘dialectic materialism’ they contradict the simple fact of the need for an unlimited creator.One example that highlights this is that of the origin of life. Living things like plants, animals and human beings are different from inanimate or dead things as they have certain features such as independent growth, motion and reproduction. If people believe that the Universe has existed forever or that it evolved from single blast etc, this means that they believe that life also evolved from inanimate or dead matter such as gases, liquids or solids. If this is the case, then they should be able to show us one example at least of non-living things producing life, no such example exists. In fact some of them say that this happened by coincidence millions of years ago when certain amino acids and chemicals mixed together to produce the first life. If this is the case, then they should be able to reproduce this ‘coincidence’ with their billions of dollars worth of technology. But they are unable even to produce the most basic life form; an amoeba, which is a single celled organism. What scientists can do is manipulate the attributes that exist within living cells such as in genetic cloning; however this does not mean that they are creating life from dead matter. They are simply manipulating the attributes that Allah (swt) has placed within life, just as we manipulate metal to produce knives and cars.Therefore, it is a simple fact that this universe must have a creator. The question remains is this creator like the universe i.e. limited or is the creator unlimited and eternal. If the creator was limited like the universe then He would also require a creator as this is the case with every limited thing. So if the universe was caused by a big bang as they claim, what was before the big bang? If it was something else like another universe then what was before that? This chain would continue until there would be a beginning or origin, this could only be caused by something which is uncaused or eternal, which we call God or Allah (swt).Furthermore the amazing design of every part of the universe, man and life are testament to the fact that Allah (swt) exists. Imam Shaa'fi explained this when he said, "The leaves of Toot (berries) are all but one. Each leaf tastes exactly the same. Insects, honey bees, cows, goats, and deer live off of it. After eating these the insects produce silk; bees produce honey; deer give musk (a special kind of scent), cows and goats deliver off-springs. Is this not clear evidence that one kind of leaf has so many qualities, and who created these qualities? It is the Khaliq (Creator) who we call Allah (swt)) Who is the Inventor and the Creator."We see that the Qur’an draws attention to everything around us and to conclude from this pondering the existence of Allah. There are hundreds of Qur’anic ayat expressing this meaning. Such as,إنَّ فِي خَلْقِ ألسَمَاوَاتِ وَالأرْضِ وَاخْتِلافِ ألَّيْلِ وَالنَّهــارِ لأََيــاتٍ لِأُوْلـــىالْبــَابِ"Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alteration of night and day, these are indeed signs for men of understanding." [TMQ Al-Imran: 190]وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ خَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلاَفُ أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَأَلْوَانِكُمْ إِنَّ فِي ذلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِّلْعَالَمِينَ"And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colours. Behold! herein indeed are signs for men of knowledge." [TMQ Ar-Rum: 22]أَفَلاَ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَى الإِبْلِ كَيْفَ خُلِقَتْ وَإِلَى السَّمَآءِ كَيْفَ رُفِعَتْ وَإِلَى الْجِبَالِ كَيْفَ نُصِبَتْ وَإِلَى الأَرْضِ كَيْفَ سُطِحَتْ"Will they not look at the camels, how they are created! And the heaven, how it is raised! And the mountains, how they are set up! And the earth, how it is spread!" [TMQ Al-Ghashiya: 17-20]فَلْيَنظُرِ الإِنسَانُ مِمَّ خُلِقَ خُلِقَ مِن مَّآءٍ دَافِقٍ يَخْرُجُ مِن بَيْنِ الصُّلْبِ وَالتَّرَآئِبِ"So let man reflect, from what he is created. He is created fom a gushing fluid, that is issued from between the loins and ribs." [TMQ At-Tariq: 5-7]إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلاَفِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَالْفُلْكِ الَّتِي تَجْرِي فِي الْبَحْرِ بِمَا يَنفَعُ النَّاسَ وَمَآ أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مِن مَّآءٍ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ الأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ دَآبَّةٍ وَتَصْرِيفِ الرِّيَاحِ وَالسَّحَابِ الْمُسَخَّرِ بَيْنَ السَّمَآءِ وَالأَرْضِ لآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ“Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the difference of night and day, and the ships which run upon the sea with that which is of use to men, and the water which Allah sends down from the sky, thereby reviving the earth after its death, and dispersing all kinds of beasts therein, and in the ordinance of the winds, and the clouds obedient between heaven and earth are signs (of Allah's sovereignty) for people who have sense." [TMQ Al-Baqarah: 164]"Were they created of nothing, or were they themselves the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Nay they have not firm belief." [TMQ At-Tur 35-36]Proof of the Qur’anOnce we have concluded definitively that Allah (swt) exists the next obvious question that arises is that has Allah (swt) sent a revelation for us to follow. It is clear that we are not able to communicate with God and therefore we are unable to know what He wants us to do, how He wants us to worship Him and how we should solve the problems we face in life. All of these questions would remain unresolved unless there the creator has communicated with us and given us a guidance to follow.As Muslims we believe that throughout history, there have been messengers and prophets, men sent from the Creator, bringing laws or revelation on how man should conduct his life. They were given miracles which proved to mankind that they had a communication with God and a revelation from Him. A miracle is something which goes against the laws of nature which is impossible for anyone else to do; by miracles the Prophet’s were able to prove their direct relationship with God. For example prophet Musa (as) had a stick which parted the Red Sea, Prophet Isa (as) had the ability to cure the sick by just touching them.But how do we know if these messengers existed? The miracles performed by the above prophets were only miracles for that specific period of time. But how do we know that they were not just legends or fables? So what miracle do we have right now to convince us and guide us through our lives?The Qur’an itself is the main miracle that the Prophet (saw) brought which is different to the physical miracles of the other Prophet’s as they were limited to their times only. The Qur’an is an intellectual miracle that proves Islam. It was revealed to Muhammad (saw) in the 6th Century, it exists today and has been revealed for all times.It is an established fact that the Qur’an was proclaimed by Muhammad (saw) in Arabia over fourteen hundred years ago. In order for us to prove decisively that it is from Allah (swt), we must first consider the possible sources of the Qur’an and then eliminate these to arrive at its true origin.The only possible sources for the Qur’an are:a) The Arabsb) Muhammad (saw) himselfc) Allah (swt)At the time it was revealed, the pagan Arabs were deeply into poetry. It was an indication of nobility in society. People used to go to the desert for days just to write poetry. The Arabic language has great fluidity and depth of expression, so it was held high in esteem by the Arabs. Allah (swt) in the Qur’an challenged the Arabs to produce something comparable to it in language and they failed to do so.Initially Allah (swt) challenged them to produce ten chapters (surah’s) similar to it:"They may say: He forged it (the Qur’an). Say: "Bring you then ten forged surah (chapters) like unto it, and call whomsoever you can, other than Allah (to your help), if you speak the truth!" [TMQ 11:13]They failed to do so. Allah (swt) then reduced the challenge to something that at first glance may sound easy, He (swt) said:“If you are in doubt of what we have revealed to our messenger, then produce one chapter like it. Call upon all your helpers, besides Allah, if you are truthful” [TMQ 2:23]The smallest chapter in the Qur’an, Surah al-Kauthar is only three sentences long, surely someone in history must have matched this challenge? The Arabs at the time of Muhammad (saw) failed to do so, although they were the best in the Arabic language. Furthermore no piece of Arabic literature before them or after them until today has even come close to matching the language of the Qur’an.For non-Arabs sometimes this may be difficult to perceive as they do not appreciate the language of the Qur’an directly. However, everyone can agree that any piece of literature written by human beings can be matched; people can copy its style and produce something comparable to it in quality. If we look at great English authors like Shakespear no one would claim that they were Prophet’s and that their works are miraculous in nature. Even though they may have been geniuses in language, people can easily write something similar in excellence to three sentences from their books. Despite having the Arabic language, its letters, grammar, syntax and dictionaries available today, the Arabic linguists cannot construct any piece of language that is comparable to the Qur’an. Therefore, it is impossible that the Qur’an was written by any of the Arabs.It is also inconceivable that the Qur’an is the speech of Muhammad (saw). After all he was one of the Arabs. Also, whatever level of genius people may assign to him, he was still a human being and one of his tribe and nation. Since the Arabs failed to bring the like of the Qur’an, this equally applies to Muhammad (saw). Moreover, Muhammad (saw) has left saheeh ahaadeeth (sound narrations) and mutawaatir ahaadeeth (definitive narrations) whose authenticity is beyond doubt. If any of these ahaadeeth were to be compared with any verse of the Qur'an, there would be no similarity between them in style. He (saw) used to utter the revealed verse and say the hadeeth at the same time and yet there is a difference between them in style. Whenever any man attempts to diversify his speech, it will remain similar in style, because it is a part of him. Since there is no similarity between the hadeeth and the verse in style, the Qur'an is absolutely not Muhammad’s speech. It is important to point out that none of the Arabs, who despised Muhammad (saw), particularly at that time, were the most acquainted with the styles of Arabic speech yet never claimed that the Qur’an was Muhammad’s (saw) speech, or even similar to his speech.Since it is proved that the Qur'an is neither the speech of the Arabs nor the speech of Muhammad (saw), it is definitely the speech of Allah as this is the only rational possibility we are left with.The Qur’anic challenge is unique because the Creator, Allah (swt), pushes man to use his ability to undermine the authenticity of the Qur’an. It is such a profound yet simple challenge. Imagine throughout the history of Islam, all her enemies needed to defeat this challenge to destroy the whole basis of Islam. Yet not one, non-Muslim Arab or non-Arab has been able to do this even though all the tools of the Arabic language are at their disposal. The Western government’s hatred of Islam is well known. All they have to do in order to defeat Islam and to make over one billion Muslims apostatise from it, is not to spend billions of dollars in invading Afghanistan, Iraq and launching a mythical ‘war on terror’. They simply have to produce one chapter similar to the Qur’an.To this day Muslim and non-Muslim scholars have not been able to find any contradiction or mistake in the Qur’an. Moreover, if one was to compare word by word a copy of the Qur’an published today to one of the first copies of the Qur’an available then one would find that not a single word has been omitted or added. Copies of the Qur’an dating back to the first century of Islam can be found in Istanbul and Tashkent. Allah (swt) says:"Do they not ponder about the Qur’an? If it had come from God they would surely have found therein much contradictions." [T.M.Q 4:82]There are many texts available today claiming divine status from God, like the Bible of the Christians and the Torah of the Jews etc. However, they have no proof that they have been revealed by God, if they are not miraculous in nature then there is no reason to believe in them.As Muslims we believe that Allah (swt) revealed different books through history such as the original Injeel (Bible) and Torah, Allah (swt) informed us of this in the Qur’an this is why we believe these. However, we have also been informed that these books have been altered and therefore the versions that exist today are not that which was revealed by Allah (swt). Besides this, the Qur’an is the final revelation from Allah (swt) which abrogates all others.Allah (swt) says, "Say ye: "We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) Prophets from their Lord: we make no difference between one and another of them: and we bow to Allah (in Islam)." [TMQ Al-Baqarah:136]Once we have established through rational proof that Allah (Swt) exists and that the Qur’an is the Word of Allah, we must believe in everything that the Qur’an informs us of and commands us with, whether we can perceive them or not. Therefore, we must have Iman (belief) in the Day of Resurrection, in paradise (jannah) and hell, in reckoning and punishment, in angels, in jinn, in Shayaateen and all others that the Qur'an or hadeeth mutawaatir (definitive narrations) have mentioned. To believe in these things is therefore not irrational just because we cannot see them or sense them physically as we have conclusively proved the Qur’an being from Allah (swt) which informs us about all of these.يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ آمِنُواْ بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَالْكِتَابِ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ وَالْكِتَابِ الَّذِي أَنَزلَ مِن قَبْلُ وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلآئِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلاَلاً بَعِيداً"O you who believe! Believe in Allah and His messenger, and the Book which He sent to His Messenger and the Book which He sent to those before (him). Any who denies Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Day of Judgement, has gone far, far astray." [An-Nisa: 136]Once the Iman in Allah, His Messenger and the Qur’an has been proven, every Muslim is obliged to believe in the Islamic Shari’ah as a whole. We cannot pick and choose as we like. As the Shariah was revealed in the glorious Qur'an, and the Messenger (saw) conveyed it. If someone disbelieves in this he would be a (disbeliever) Kafir. Therefore, it is disbelief (Kufr) to deny the shariah rules as a whole, or any definite detailed rule amongst them. This is the case whether these ahkam (rules) are connected with worships (ibadaat), transactions (mu'amalaat), punishments (uqoobat), food, etc. So the rejection of the verse:وَأَقِيمُواْ الصَّلاَةَ"So establish regular prayer" [Al-Baqarah: 43]Is the same as rejecting the following verses:وَأَحَلَّ اللَّهُ الْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ الرِّبَا"But Allah has permitted trade and forbidden usury," [Al-Baqarah: 275]وَالسَّارِقُ وَالسَّارِقَةُ فَاقْطَعُواْ أَيْدِيَهُمَا"As to the thief, male or female, cut off his or her hands," [Al-Ma’idah: 38]حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةُ وَالْدَّمُ وَلَحْمُ الْخِنْزِيرِ وَمَآ أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ بِهِ"Forbidden to you (for food) are dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which has been invoked the name of any other than Allah." [Al-Ma’idah: 3]We must completely surrender to all the rules revealed by Allah (swt) whether we see rational reasons for them or not.فَلاَ وَرَبِّكَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّى يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لاَ يَجِدُواْ فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ حَرَجاً مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيماً"But no, by your Lord, they can have no (real) faith, until they make you judge in all the disputes between them, and find in their souls no resistance against your decisions, but accept them with the fullest submission." [An-Nisa: 65]

Islamic Poem

2006-12-29T11:50:00.000Z

Take Me AwayTake me away from this place of ignorance
And into the veiled river-ridden lands
With waters gushing from the fountain of truth
Instoring knowledge so that man understands.
Save me from the throbbing of idle chatter
Emitted by the throngs of sheep -
The masses walking with eyes shut close,
Looking awake yet deep they sleep.
I await the shepherd to direct the flock
,Out from the gloomy fog-strewn night,
Drowning our hearts with tales of deceit,
And into the garden, spilling with light.
The yearn of my heart echoes through my mind,
Take me; carry me; fly me away
Lead me to the lost locket of wisdom
So that I may reside and not go astray.
Yet I remain in this prison ruled by men and kings-
safe in their haughty towers built up tall
Fooling themselves with whispers of the devil,
Arrogance deceiving one and all.
Take me to the lake of humility I beg,
Where thirst is quenched my humble hearts;
Sincerity blossoms from the springs of knowledgeAnd justice prevails –
neither ends nor starts.
Take me away from this place of ignorance,
Let the lake of tranquillity gently bathe me
Fly me towards this hidden garden,
And for once let my heart and mind be free
Yasmin Mahomed (Aged 16)