(Note: If you are viewing this via email or through a feed reader, please click through to the website to see the video.)

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A couple of days back, I had the opportunity to attend a 3 day Islamic camp. Masha’Allah the experience was very good and enriching. Our teacher, Shaykh Arshad Basheer Madani (Hafidha-hullah), was simply awesome with the topics he covered and the way he delivered the lecture. Some areas we covered were, ‘Aqeedah, Usool-at-Tafseer, the Science of Hadeeth (very interesting) and more. I feel that I definitely gained a lot of good by attending this program.  However, one of the disappointments was the way the brothers were behaving with the Shaykh.

There was absolutely no display of adab when sitting in the class. People were rudely interrupting with their questions, answering without the Shaykh’s permission when he posed a question to the class in general, sat with both feet up on the chair, etc. This made me very sad and that is why I thought I’d write this post to help us appreciate the adab that is expected when in the presence of a Shaykh or ustaadh.

First, we need to understand that knowledge cannot be gained only from books; having a Shaykh, who teaches us and prevents us from committing mistakes is essential. So it’s obvious that you must display good manners before the Shaykh, if you want your learning experience to be fruitful. The basics of showing respect and being polite are an absolute given. The manners displayed should be the very best before the Shaykh. When asking a question, raise your hand, if the Shaykh permits, frame your question well, without being aggressive, vague, or addressing him as if you are throwing a challenge. And importantly, when the Shaykh responds, listen attentively.

Arguing with your Shaykh or trying to prove him wrong is an absolute no-no, and quite frankly, stupid. Some lesser known adaab, such as not starting a random conversation with your Shaykh, like he’s your buddy, should be understood and adhered to. When the Shaykh is speaking, do not interrupt. Forcing the Shaykh to answer your question, or asking too many questions, might make the Shaykh weary of teaching you and this can only make one look like some smart-alec. Also, calling a Shaykh by his first name, is again disrespectful. Adding ‘Shaykh’ before their name, or just ‘Shaykh’ is appropriate.

And most essential, if you feel that your Shaykh has made a mistake, don’t be put off. Because that will result in you missing out on the knowledge your Shaykh can impart.  No one is free from error.

I pray this benefits my brothers and sisters and that we have good etiquette before our ‘ulema.

Allah knows best.

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1. Knowledge of the Unseen

I found a video (also embedded below) dealing with Muslim Demographics in the western world. It shares some interesting statistics. I’d like to point out that it was made by Christians and you have to view it from that perspective.

Some thoughts after having viewed it:

- It has Islamophobia written all over it
- I’d like to verify the statistics being presented
- There are a few generalizations and errors in the video
- Muslims living in the west face the very real threat of assimilation, the kind which can cause them to lose their deen
- There is a positive side to it, and viewing it does give me a strange sense of feel-good

That said, it also makes me fearful that the western white man may become paranoid. This could give rise to violent racism and right wing politics. Already we’re beginning to see that happen in some countries like the Netherlands and the UK.

Only Allah knows what is in store for the Muslims in the west and the rest of the world.

UPDATE:

Nicolas shared an article that provides and alternate perspective to the original video. Like I mentioned, the intentions behind creating this video seem suspect. Thanks for sharing!

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Workers in Dubai

I ask the Filipino girl behind the counter if she likes it here (Dubai). “It’s OK,” she says cautiously. Really? I say. I can’t stand it. She sighs with relief and says: “This is the most terrible place! I hate it! I was here for months before I realised – everything in Dubai is fake. Everything you see. The trees are fake, the workers’ contracts are fake, the islands are fake, the smiles are fake – even the water is fake!” But she is trapped, she says. She got into debt to come here, and she is stuck for three years: an old story now. “I think Dubai is like an oasis. It is an illusion, not real. You think you have seen water in the distance, but you get close and you only get a mouthful of sand.”

Warning. This is a very lengthy article, so read it only when you have a good 15 minutes or more to spare. Maybe make yourself a cup of coffee. But definitely read it.

If some reader from Dubai can provide their perspective (anonymous is fine!), that would be great.

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Al-Bukhari recorded that Usayd bin Hudayr said that he was once reciting Surat Al-Baqarah while his horse was tied next to him. The horse started to make some noise. When Usayd stopped reciting, the horse stopped moving about. When he resumed reading, the horse started moving about again. When he stopped reciting, the horse stopped moving, and when he resumed reading, the horse started to move again. Meanwhile, his son Yahya was close to the horse, and he feared that the horse might step on him. When he moved his son back, he looked up to the sky and saw a cloud radiating with light that looked like lamps. In the morning, he went to the Prophet and told him what had happened and then said, “O Messenger of Allah ! My son Yahya was close to the horse and I feared that he might step on him. When I attended to him and raised my head to the sky, I saw a cloud with lights like lamps. So I went, but I couldn’t see it.” the Prophet said, “Do you know what that was” He said, “No.” the Prophet said,
“(They were the angels, they came close hearing your voice (reciting Surat Al-Baqarah), and if you had kept reading, the people would have been able to see the angels when the morning came, and the angels would not be hidden from their eyes.)”
This is the narration reported by Imam Abu Ubayd Al-Qasim bin Salam in his book Fada’il Al-Qur’an.

Now we all know what the Sahabi saw, but what of the many ‘UFO’ sightings today? Could this be an explanation for some of these sightings?

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“If the people acted upon these words, they would be free of (all) the diseases and ailments and the clinics and pharmacies would be shut down.”

You can find the post here

Hat-tip to Youth Matters

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The following is a summary of a lecture given by Imam Anwar al Awlaki (Hafizahullah) on the subject of the ascension of Sayyidna Eesa (AS).

The Yahood (Jews) at the time of Eesa (AS) rejected and a very small band believed in him and these were the Hawariyeen (Supporters). The rest of the community, whether it was the Jews themselves or the authorities, which were the Romans, rejected Eesa (AS). The Jews plotted against Eesa (AS) and they conspired against him with the government to assassinate Sayyidna Eesa (AS). The Jews instigated the Romans to perform that plot. The decree was issued that Sayyidna Eesa (AS) should be executed in public by carrying him on a cross and putting a crown on his head. Not a crown of Gold and Silver, but thorns. And to nail him to the cross and to let him bleed to death and that was a very gruesome way of execution that they used to do . They would make a cross of wood and they would nail the hands and feet and a person would bleed from these injuries and they would die. They could spend hours and hours in the sun dying that death.

We don’t know what exactly happened, but there is a narration by Sayyidna Ibn Abbas (RA), and again, I (Imam Anwar) am not sure of the authenticity of this narration, so we don’t approve it or disapprove it. But it says Sayyidna Eesa (AS) ran in to a room where all his Hawariyeen were sitting and he asked, ‘Who will volunteer to sacrifice their life for me?’ One of the young Hawariyeen raised up his hand and said ‘I will.’ Sayyidna Eesa (AS) asked another time, the young man was the only one who responds, Sayyidna Eesa (AS) asks another time,  and that young man was the only one who responded.  And this sacrifice is similar to what Sayyidna Ali ibn Abi Taalib (RA) did for the Prophet during the time of the Hijrah, and incidentally at that time, subhanallah, Ali ibn Abi Talib was a young man.

Anyways, this young man, who volunteered, came out and Allah put on him the form of Sayyidna Eesa (AS) . This man was the one who was crucified. Allah opened for Sayyidna Eesa (AS), a window in the roof and he was picked up by the Angels safely and elevated to the heavens.  This is one story.

The other story is that Allah put the resemblance of Sayyidna Eesa (AS) on one of the Jews, who was the enemy of Sayyidna Eesa (AS) and he was the one who was put on the cross. Regardless of who was put on the cross, it was not Eesa ibn Maryam. And Allah says in Surah Ale Imran (translation of the meaning):

And they (disbelievers) plotted to kill Eesa and Allah plotted too, and Allah is the best of plotters.

Makr, the word for plot, means to plan in secret, when you’re whispering, hiding in a room, making a plan. They think that they’re doing Makr, they think that they are concealing their plan and nobody knows their plan, but there is one who knows their plan and that is Allah . Allah knows their plan and so Allah is the best of plotters because when Allah makes his plans, he can keep it secret if he doesn’t want anyone to know it. So they made their plan and Allah made his plan, and it is Allah ’s plan that will go through…

Further to prove this, Allah says (translation of the meaning):

That they said (in boast), “We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah ”;- but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not.

Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise

Subhanallah, when you read the ayaat of Qur’an and you look deeply in to the words, subhanallah you find the miracle of Qur’an. Allah said in this issue in particular, in the issue of the crucifixion of Sayyidna Eesa (AS), Allah is saying that they’re following nothing but doubts. If you go back to the Bible, and you look at the evidences that were used to prove that Sayyidna Eesa (AS) was crucified, and that he was killed, and that he was raised up from the dead, you will find that all of those evidences are doubtful. And Allah summed it all up by saying they are following doubts.

The life of Sayyidna Eesa (AS) is not over. He is alive now and the rest of his life is in the future. This is a subject for another time.

And Allah knows best.

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Alhamdulillah, we are blessed to hear many Qurra’ (reciters of al-Qur’aan). However, today I’d like to share with you a Qari of a different kind. Let’s just say he’s an upcoming Qari and needs some more practice

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1. Emotional recitation of Surah Fatiha

I hope all of us can benefit from these golden words by Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullaah)

4th Phase: The phase of minor sins. Shaitan would compel a person to belittle these sins, by whispering to him: ‘There is no fear upon you as long as you keep away from major sins “do you not know that the minor sins are expiated by abstaining from major sins?’ In this manner, Shaitan would convince the individual that there is no harm in doing minor sins, until he regularly practices it…..

Read the rest of the entry here

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It was narrated that Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:

The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out ‒ on Eid al-Fitr or Eid al-Adha ‒ to the prayer place, and when he had finished (the prayer) he preached to the people and enjoined them to give charity. He said, “O people, give in charity!” Then he went over to the women and said, “O women, give in charity for I have seen that you are the majority of the people of Hell.” When he went home, Zaynab the wife of Ibn Mas’ood came seeking permission to see him. It was said, “O Messenger of Allaah, here is Zaynab.” He said, “Which Zaynab?” It was said, “The wife of Ibn Mas’ood.” He said, “Yes, let her in.” So they let her in and she said, “O Prophet of Allaah, today you enjoined charity, and I have some jewellery which I wanted to give in charity, but Ibn Mas’ood claims that he and his child have more right to receive it in charity.” the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Give it in charity to Ibn Mas’ood, for your husband and your child have the most right that you should give it to them in charity.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1393; Muslim, 80.

Apart from the lesson about charity in this hadith, there is another lesson. That Prophet Muhammad did not have knowledge of the unseen as is claimed by many Muslims, especially in the Indo-Pak subcontinent region. There is other evidence to prove this and this particular hadith highlights it as well.

If you haven’t got it already, it is when the Prophet is told that Zaynab (ra) is here to see him and he asks ‘Which Zaynab?’

Why, I ask, if he had knowledge of the unseen would he ask this question? And furthermore, if the sahabi knew that the Prophet had knowledge of the unseen, he should not have responded.

Proof again that the Prophet did not have absolute knowledge of the unseen. For a more detailed understanding, please see this

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