IslamCrunch Forgiveness in Islam: The Healing Power of Mercy

According To Islam Here Is The Cure For Coronavirus

2020-03-29T11:17:00.003+05:00

The deadly coronavirus has encircled the whole world. In this time of utmost adversity, there are few Hadiths that can act as a panacea. Apparently, there is no cure to the deadly virus that exists, which is soaring; nevertheless, in Islam, there is always a cure.

Islam, which is a complete way of life, exhibits that death and life are in the hands of Allah. However, religion also says there is no disease that cannot be cured.

Prophet Muhammad about a Viral disease

Narrated `Aisha: (the wife of the Prophet) that she asked Allah’s Apostle about the plague and Allah’s Apostle informed her saying, Plague was a punishment which Allah used to send on whom He wished, but Allah made it a blessing for the believers. None (among the believers) remains patient in a land in which plague has broken out and considers that nothing will befall him except what Allah has ordained for him, but that Allah will grant him a reward similar to that of a martyr. SAHIH BUKHARI HADITH NO. 5734.

In light of the above Hadith, Plague (plague here refers to any pandemic disease) is a blessing for the believers and the one who dies owing to the viral disease is a martyr.

Moreover, according to Islam, everything comes from the Almighty; death is written, a believer must not fear anything as his life is in the hands of Allah. Notwithstanding, the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) has forbidden people from going to an area where an epidemic has broken out. This means, undoubtedly life and death are in the hands of Allah but taking protective measures is necessary. Therefore, we must take precautionary steps regarding coronavirus, and on the other hand, we must not fear anything except Allah.

Cure of Diseases (Coronavirus) In the light of Hadith

Narrated `Aisha: During the Prophet’s fatal illness, he used to recite the Mu’auwidhat (Surat An-Nas and Surat Al- Falaq) and then blow his breath over his body. When his illness was aggravated, I used to recite those two Suras and blow my breath over him and make him rub his body with his own hand for its blessings. (Ma`mar asked Az-Zuhri: How did the Prophet use to blow? Az-Zuhri said: He used to blow on his hands and then passed them over his face.) SAHIH BUKHARI HADITH NO. 5735.

As per the above hadith, (Surat An-Nas and Surat Al- Falaq), can cure any grave illness.

Narrated Ibn `Abbas: (The Prophet said), Healing is in three things: A gulp of honey, cupping, and branding with fire (cauterizing). But I forbid my followers to use (cauterization) branding with fire. SAHIH BUKHARI HADITH NO. 5680.

As per this Hadith, honey, cupping and cauterizing, have healing powers. Therefore, they can be used to fight against deadly coronavirus.

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever eats honey three mornings each month, will not suffer any serious calamity.”

Again the Prophet mentioned honey as an agent of healing. Thus, one must eat honey in the morning.

Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Use this black seed. For indeed it contains a cure for every disease except As-Sam” And As-Sam is death.

There are certain healing properties in the black seeds. As per annals of medicine, the seed is being used in medicine for the last 2000 years. In the black seed exists various antioxidant, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. Hence, black seeds can fight against coronavirus.

How a Muslim should react to the COVID-19

There is no disease, which has no cure. Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its treatment.”

In the Quran, Allah has stressed upon “Taqwah” (god-fearing) and “Tawakal” (reliance upon god). This is because a human can’t control certain things. There are a plethora of things, which are beyond the control of a Homosapien; at this time what one should do? As per, Islam one should strengthen one’s beliefs regarding death, calamity, happiness, respect honer, disrespect as all of them come from Allah Almighty.

As per Islamic sayings, Allah loves a person much more than his mother does. Islam is the religion of love and peace. Therefore, how can the one who loves you will make you suffer? Allah is love and He loves His creation. Now the question arises if He Loves us then why we face predicaments, such as coronavirus? Well, a human has limited knowledge. We do not know what is beyond the wall. We are hasty, we do not puzzle out what is Sabr (patience).

But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you, and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not. Surah Al Baqra (216). As per this verse, a human being does not know what’s good and what’s bad. At certain junctures in life, a man cannot perceive what is right; rationality and logics fail at such junctures due to the limited perspective of a human.

Prophet Muhammad trust in Allah

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Muhammad preached to the people to trust in Allah. His whole life was a sublime example of the precept. In the loneliness of Makkah, in the midst of persecution and danger, in adversity and tribulations, and in the thick of enemies in the battles of Uhud and Hunayn, complete faith and trust in Allah appears as the dominant feature in his life. However great the danger that confronted him, he never lost hope and never allowed himself to be unduly agitated. Abu Talib knew the feelings of the Quraysh when the Prophet started his mission. He also knew the lengths to which the Quraysh could go, and requested the Prophet to abandon his mission, but the latter calmly replied: "Dear uncle, do not go by my loneliness. Truth will not go unsupported for long. The whole of Arabia and beyond will one day espouse its cause." [Ibn Hisham]

When the attitude of the Quraysh became more threatening, Abu Talib again begged his nephew to renounce his mission but the Prophet's reply was: "O my uncle, if they placed the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left, to force me to renounce my work, verily I would not desist thereform until Allah made manifest His cause, or I perished in the attempt." (Ibid)

To another well-wisher, he said: "Allah will not leave me forlorn."

A dejected and oppressed companion was comforted with the words:

"By Allah, the day is near when this faith will reach its pinnacle and none will have to fear anyone except Allah." [Al-Bukhari]

It was the same trust in Allah which emboldened the prophet to say his prayers openly in the Haram (sacred Mosque of Makkah) in the teeth of opposition. The Quraysh were once collected there and were conspiring to put an end to his life when he next entered the Haram. His young daughter Fatimah who happened to overhear their talk rushed weeping to her father and told him of the designs of the Quraysh. He consoled her, did his ablutions and went to the Ka'bah to say prayers. There was only consternation among the Quraysh when they saw him [Ahmad].

Then leaving his house for Madeenah he asked Ali to sleep on his bed and told him: "Do not worry, no one will be able to do you any harm" [At-Tabari, Ibn Hisham]

Even though the enemies had surrounded the house, he left the house reciting the Quranic verse (which means): "We have set a barricade before them and a barricade behind them and (thus) have covered them so that they see not" [Quran, 36: 9]

Abu Bakr was frightened when pursuers came close to the cavern in which he and Prophet Muhammad hiding during their flight, but the Prophet heartened him: "Grieve not. Allah is with us."

A guard was kept at the Prophet's house in Madeenah because of the danger that surrounded him but he had it withdrawn when the Quranic verse was revealed (which means): "Allah will protect you from the people". [Quran, 5: 67]

A man was caught waiting in ambush to assault the Prophet but he was directed to be released with the words: "Even if this man wanted to kill me, he could not." [Ahmad]

A Jewish woman from Khaybar had put poison in the Prophet's food. He spat it out after taking a morsel but a companion who had his fill died the next day. The Jewess was brought before the prophet who questioned her: "Why did you do this?" "To kill you," was her defiant reply. She was told, "Allah would not have allowed you to do it." [Muslim]

In the battle of Uhud when the rear guard action of the Makkan army had disorganized the Muslim army and had turned the tables, the Prophet stood as firm as a rock even though he had suffered personal injuries. When Abu Sufiyan taunted the Muslims and shouted "Victory to Hubal!" (Hubal was one of their idols), the Prophet asked Umar to shout back: "Allah is our protector and friend. You have no protector and friend. Allah is Great, Magnificent." [Ibn Hisham]

Again in the battle of Hunayn, when the unexpected assault of the army had swept the Muslim force off its feet and a defeat seemed imminent, the Prophet did not yield ground. With trust in Allah he showed such courage that the Muslim army rallied behind him to win a signal victory.

Muhammad Al-Fatih: about whom the Prophet gave glad tidings

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Muhammad Al-Fatih For eight centuries, the conquest of Constantinople, now Istanbul

Turkey

was a dream for the Muslim commanders. Ever since the era of the revered companion, Mu`aawiyah Ibn Abu Sufyaan, there had been many attempts to conquer it, but none had succeeded.

Every Muslim commander wanted to be the conqueror praised in the narration in which the Prophet said: "You will conquer Constantinople. Its commander is the best and its army (that will conquer it) is the best."

Who was then the person about whom the Prophet gave glad tidings? It was Muhammad Al-Fatih son of the Ottoman Sultan Murad II.

Muhammad Al-Fatih as a child and his excellent preparation:

Muhammad Al-Fatih was born on 27^th Rajab, 835 A.H., 30^th March, 1432. He was brought up under the supervision of his father, Sultan Murad II, the seventh Ottoman Sultan. His father prepared and trained him to shoulder the responsibilities of the position of a Sultan. Muhammad Al-Fatih memorized all the Quran, learnt the Prophetic narrations, Islamic jurisprudence, mathematics, astronomy and the skills required for war.

He also learnt Arabic, Persian, Latin and Greek languages. He joined his father in his battles and conquests.

His father appointed him as a ruler of a small emirate so that he could receive practical training on administering state affairs under the supervision of some of the top scholars of that time. This matter influenced the character of the young prince and tinted his personality with Islamic morals and manners.

Shaykh Aaq Shamsd-Deen, one of the scholars who supervised the upbringing and education of Muhammad Al-Fatih, managed to inculcate in his heart the spirit of Jihad and the desire to be a person with high ambition.

The Shaykh also told Muhammad Al-Fatih, may Allah have mercy on him, that he may be the one referred to in the Prophetic narration mentioned above. All this shaped the character of Muhammad Al-Fatih. He was devoted to Jihad, highly ambitious, widely cultured, and had deep knowledge of the skills of war and combat.

Taking power and his efforts to achieve the glad tiding:

After the death of his father, Sultan Murad II on 5^th Muharram, 852 A.H., 7^th February, 1451 A.C., Muhammad Al-Fatih took over and became the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. He was a strong young man, only twenty years old, very enthusiastic and ambitious. He was thinking of the conquest of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. This dream overwhelmed him to the extent that he would not talk about any subject except for the conquest of Constantinople. He would not even allow anyone who was sitting with him to talk, except about the expected conquest.

The first step in achieving his dream was to take control of the Strait of Bosporus so that he could prevent any support or supplies that might come to Constantinople from Europe. So he built a huge castle on the European seashore of the Strait of Bosporus. Along with top senior officials, he personally participated in building the castle. It took three months to build this castle that came to be known as the Roman Castle. On the other bank of the Strait ofBosporus there was the Castle of Anatolia. It then became impossible for any ship to cross unless it obtained permission from the Ottoman forces.

At that time, a talented engineer managed to make a number of cannons for the Sultan, Muhammad Al-Fatih. One of these cannons, never known before that time, was 700 tons and its projectile weighed 1,500 kilograms.

The sound of its shell could be heard from a long distance away. It was pulled by one hundred oxen aided by one hundred strong men. This giant cannon was called the Sultanic Cannon.

The conquest of Constantinople and the realization of the glad tidings:

After completing his preparations, Sultan Muhammad Al-Fatih marched to Constantinople with an army of two hundred and sixty-five thousand fighters. This army had infantry forces as well as horsemen. Huge cannons supported this army. The army besieged Constantinople and the Ottoman cannons started to fire their missiles at the fortified walls of the city day and night. From time to time, the Sultan surprised the enemy with a new war plan until the city defenders lost control and their forces gave up.

At dawn of Tuesday, 20^th Jumada Al-Awwal, 827 A.H., 29^th May, 1453 A.C., the Ottoman forces managed to penetrate the walls and drive away the defenders who fled. The people of Constantinople were taken by surprise when they saw the Ottoman flags waving on their walls and the soldiers flooding into the city.

After the Ottoman forces conquered the city, Sultan Muhammad arrived on his horse in a great procession that included his ministers and army commanders. Ever since that time, the Sultan was known as Muhammad Al-Fatih (the Conqueror). The soldiers were shouting:

Mash-Allah! Mash-Allah! Long live our Sultan! Long live our Sultan!

The Sultan's procession marched until it reached Hagia Sophia church where the people of the city had gathered. When they knew that the Sultan had arrived, they bowed and prostrated and they were all weeping and crying because they did not know their fate; what Sultan Muhammad Al-Fatih would do to them.

When the Sultan arrived, he dismounted from his horse and prayed two Rak`ahs thanking Allah Who had blessed him with this conquest. Then the Sultan addressed the people of the city who were still bowing and prostrating in tears:

Stand up! I am Sultan Muhammad and I would like to tell you, your brothers, and all the people present that your lives and freedoms are protected.

The Sultan ordered that the church be turned into a mosque and for the first time, the call for prayer was heard from this place. Until now, this mosque is still known as the Mosque of Hagia Sophia. He also decided to take Constantinople as a capital of his country. It was called Islambul, meaning the House of Islam. Later on the word was viciously twisted to become Istanbul.

The Sultan was very tolerant and merciful with the people of the city, and acted according to the teachings of Islam. He commanded his soldiers to treat their prisoners of war in a good manner. The Sultan himself paid the ransoms for a large number of prisoners of war from his own money. He also allowed those who left the city when it was under siege to return home.

The aftermath of the conquest of Constantinople:

Muhammad Al-Fatih, may Allah have mercy on him, attained this victory when he was twenty three years old. This indicated his early military genius. He also deserved the glad tidings of the Prophet who foretold that a good person would conquer that city.

Later on, Muhammad Al-Fatih headed to complete his conquests in the Balkan. He managed to conquer

Serbia

Greece

Romania

Albania

and Bosnia Herzegovina. He also looked forward to conquering Rome so that he would have another source of pride in addition to the conquest of Constantinople.

In order to achieve this great hope, he needed to conquer

Italy

. He prepared a tremendous fleet for this mission. He managed to land his forces and a large number of cannons near the Italian city Otarant. Consequently he managed to capture its castle in Jumada Al-Awwal 885 A.H., July 1480 A.C.

Muhammad Al-Fatih, may Allah have mercy on him, decided to take Otarant as a base for his northern military operations until he could reach Rome. The European world was terrified because of this attempt and they expected the fall of the historical city, Rome into the hands of Muhammad Al-Fatih, may Allah have mercy on him. However, he died suddenly (on 4^th Rabee' Al-Awwal, 886 A.H., 3^rd May, 1481 A.C.) while he was preparing to realize this dream. AllEurope was very happy when they knew about his death. The Pope of Rome ordered that thankfulness prayer be held in churches as a means of expressing joy and happiness over the news.

Muhammad Al-Fatih as a statesman and a sponsor of civilization

During the reign of Muhammad Al-Fatih and because of his wise leadership and well-planned policy, the OttomanState reached boundaries that it had never done before.

All these conquests were not the only achievements of Muhammad Al-Fatih. Through the help of some of his loyal men, he managed to establish a constitution based on the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet and the Ottoman state adhered to this constitution for about four centuries.

Although he was very busy, he managed to establish more than 300 mosques, 192 of which were in Istanbul alone. He also built 57 schools. Among his most famous architectural monuments are the Mosque of Sultan Muhammad, the Mosque of Abu Ayyoob Al-Ansari, and SaraiTub-QabuPalace.

Muhammad Al-Fatih was known for his love for literature. He was a good poet and a regular reader. He liked the company of scholars and poets and made some of them ministers. Whenever he heard about a great scholar in any field, he would help and support him or ask him to come to Istanbul in order to benefit of his knowledge.

The character of Muhammad Al-Fatih:

Muhammad Al-Fatih was a committed Muslim who abode by the rulings of Islamic jurisprudence. Because of the way he was brought up, he was a pious man. As for his military conduct, it was very civilized and it was unfamiliar to Europe in its Medieval Ages.

Owing to his ambition fostered by his teachers who always encouraged him to be the conqueror of Constantinople he managed to make the greatest of his achievements by conquering this city.

Muhammad Al-Fatih managed to realize his dreams through hard, continuous work, and well-organized planning. For example, before besiegingConstantinople he prepared for the war by making cannons, preparing his fleet, and making use of all the factors that might render him victorious.

Through high ambition, determination, and the effort to achieve his goals, he managed to materialize his dream, make his hope an existing reality which made him one of the great Muslim heroes and conquerors.

The Prophet's remedy for dropsy

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It is narrated in the books of Imams Al-Bukhari and Muslim that Anas Ibn Malik said:

"Some people of (the tribes of) 'Ukl and 'Uraynah came to Al-Madeenah and its climate did not suit them. So the Prophet ordered them to go to the herd of camels reserved for charity, and to drink their milk and urine (as a medicine). So they went as directed. After they became healthy, they killed the shepherds of the Prophet's camels and drove away all the camels, thus becoming aggressors against Allah All-Mighty and His Messenger . The Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallm, sent (men) in their pursuit and they were captured. The Prophet then ordered that their hands and feet to be cut off (and it was done), and their eyes were branded with heated pieces of iron. They were then kept in the sun until they died."

These people were complaining from dropsy, as per the narration from Imam Muslim who narrated the same narration above with the following addition: “…The Bedouins said: We have not found Al-Madeenah suitable for us and our stomachs swelled, our organs became weak..." until the end of the narration.

Dropsy is a physical disease that occurs when a harmful cold substance penetrates the external organs of the body and also the body organs other than those that are used in digestion, causing them to swell. There are three types of dropsy: in body tissue (fleshy), which is the most serious of the three, in a body cavity (ascites), and in an organ (drum). The remedy required for this disease includes mild laxatives and diuretic medicines that help rid the body of fluids. These diuretic qualities exist in the milk and urine of camels and that is why the Prophet ordered them to drink them. Camel milk is a mild laxative, diuretic, cleanses and opens that which is closed and removes the obstructions and soothes the body. This is especially the case when the camels graze on beneficial herbs, such as wormwood, lavender, chamomile, daisy and lemongrass. These herbs help against dropsy.

Dropsy is usually symptomatic of an ailment in the liver, especially due to congestion in the liver. The milk of the Arabian camels helps in this

case, because of its many benefits as mentioned and which help open the clogged passages and the obstructions. Ar-Razi said: "The she-camel's milk soothes the liver and the effects of a spoiled constitution." Al-Israeeli also said: "The she-camel's milk is the softest, least concentrated and lightest milk. It is the best choice for moving the bowels, as a laxative and for opening the clogged passages and obstructions. What makes this evident is the fact that this type of milk is mildly salty, as a result of the animal's instinctively hot nature. Therefore, the she-camel's milk is the best remedy for the liver as it soothes it, opens its pores and veins and softens the hardness of fresh food. Fresh, warm camel's milk is beneficial against dropsy, especially when taken with fresh, warm camel urine, thus making the combination more salty and adding strength to its effectiveness in dissolving harmful fluids and as a laxative. If the [combination of milk and urine] did not purge the stomach, then one should take a stronger laxative.” The author of Al-Qanoon also commented: "Do not listen to those who claim that milk does not provide cure from dropsy. Rather, know that camel's milk is an effective cure, because it cleanses gently and easily, due to its other qualities. This type of milk is so beneficial that if a person substituted water and food with camel's milk, he would be cured [from dropsy and other ailments]. Some people tried this remedy and were soon cured. We should state that the best camel urine is that of the camels of Bedouin people."

The story that was mentioned in the narration above has several areas of interest:

It encourages the use of medicines and cures.
It indicates the purity of the milk of the animals that Muslims are allowed to eat.
Using what Allah has prohibited in medicine is disallowed.
The people mentioned in the narration were not commanded to rinse their mouths or their clothes for the prayer, although they were new Muslims.
The Prophet cannot delay the necessary details of a religious command when such elaboration is necessary.
It emphasizes the fact that the aggressor is punished by the same method he transgressed. The people mentioned in the narration killed the shepherd and branded his eyes, as in another report of this narration by Imam Muslim .
It mentioned that the entire group was killed for killing one person.
It indicates that whereas the aggressor deserves to be punished for multiple crimes, one punishable according to the law of equality and the other for an act of aggression, then both laws are applied. The Prophet ordered that the hands and feet of the aggressors be cut off, as a punishment from Allah for their audacious raid and aggression. They were also killed because they had killed the shepherd.
It indicates that when armed aggressors steal money and also commit murder, their hands and feet are cut off, and they are then executed.
It indicates that the punishment for multiple crimes is multiplied, because the people who were mentioned in the story reverted from Islam, killed a human being, disfigured the dead shepherd, stole other people's property and announced their armed aggression. Also, the entire armed band mentioned in the story were executed, not only those who actually committed the murder, as the Prophet did not consider this fact, nor did he ask about who actually committed the murder.

Assassination warrants capital punishment and cannot be pardoned [by the relatives of the deceased] or compensated, according to the scholars of Al-Madeenah, Imam Ahmad and Ibn Taymiyyah .

Islam teaches the love of animals

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On a recent shopping trip, I happened to pass by a pet shop, where a big monkey in a small cage outside the entrance broke my heart. I gathered up the guts to enter the shop, only to leave in tears, deeply saddened by what I had seen. Poor, helpless animals imprisoned in tiny cages without even enough space to turn around; their sad, pleading eyes haunted me as I fought the urge to set them free, assured that none would be able to explain for what crime they had been incarcerated in such inhumane and unnatural 'habitats'. I wondered if the pet shop owner ever thought about what it would be like to be paralyzed; in the same way as he had kidnapped birds and put them in little cages. Maybe only a fellow animal lover would really understand what I felt that day, yet the importance of kindness to animals is something every Muslim should understand as a part of his way of life.

It is such a serious matter that one could gain Heaven or Hell due to his treatment of animals. Mistreating animals is considered a major sin in Islam, as explained in the famous Book of Major Sins by Imam Muhammad bin ‘Abdul Wahhab . Certainly, a Muslim is responsible for the treatment of animals, because an ill-treated animal will testify against the one who abused it on the Day of Judgment. Islam forbids branding animals and killing them in vain, such as for sport. The Prophet forbade people from capturing birds, burning anthills and whipping animals. Even when slaughtering animals for food, Islam requires that the slaughtering be done according to approved Islamic procedures, which are humane and reduce suffering. As Allah’s representatives on earth, human beings have a responsibility towards every living creature.

As I left the pet shop that day, I felt like a traitor knowing that these animals have feelings just as real as those of humans. I walked away leaving my fellow creatures in their state of oppression. Outside the shop I stepped off the curb to head across the street, when just at my feet lay a tiny newborn kitten, perfectly positioned for a parking car to run over it. I stood there blocking the space from desperate drivers demanding the parking spot, while I motioned for the pet shop worker; I thought he would certainly be someone who cared for and sympathized with animals. He came out, glanced down at the animal, replied: "It’s not ours" and walked back inside. I stood there for fifteen minutes before I was able to get one of the many passers-by to get something with which to pick up the baby kitten to move it to a safe place. Tears streamed down my face as I wondered: "Where are the people of the Sunnah? (traditions of the Prophet Muhammad ) Has Allah plucked the mercy from the hearts of people to make them so cold that they lack an ounce of sympathy for one of Allah's beautiful creatures, although they see it so helpless and pitiful? I remembered Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, a close companion of the Noble Messenger of Allah who narrated more Hadeeths (traditions) than any other companion. He was known for being very sympathetic and loving towards animals. Though his name was ‘Abdur Rahman, he was known as Abu Hurayrah (meaning father of the kitten) because of a small cat that he used to feed and care for and carry with him everywhere he went.

Cats in Islam

The Messenger of Allah taught Muslims to have mercy for all of Allah's creation. There are many reports of his love for cats, resulting in their historical acceptance among Muslims. Cats were very common amongst the people during the time of the Prophet and he said: "They (cats) are not impure and they intermingle with you." The cat is such a clean animal that according to authentic narrations one may make ablution for prayer with the same water that a cat drank from. Yet, it is known that some people nowadays have opposed the traditions of the Prophet by taking up the evil practices of torturing and poisoning cats. Do they think that Allah will not punish them for this? Certainly Allah's punishment for such acts is severe, if we bear in mind the Hadeeth of Allah's Messenger as reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim regarding a woman who locked up a cat, refused to feed it and did not release it so that it could feed itself. Allah's Messenger said of her punishment that she was tortured and put in Hellfire.

Dogs in Islam

There is hardly a domestic animal more ill-treated these days than dogs. The Messenger of Allah said: "Purifying a container that a dog has licked (in order for humans to use it) is done by washing it seven times, the first washing being with dirt.” [Muslim]. A Muslim should not keep a dog inside his home since the Prophet has informed us that angels do not enter into a house where there is a dog [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. Does this mean that dogs are to be despised or mistreated? Certainly not. Just because one does not keep a dog inside his home and doesn’t drink after it, doesn't give him the right to neglect it, mistreat it or kill it. The usefulness of this creature of Allah is indisputable. No other animal can compete with it in its loyalty to its caregiver, its abilities as a guard and its talent for hunting.

In fact, in the chapter “The Cave”, the Quran reveals the story of some youths who had faith and trust in Allah, who took refuge in a cave from the persecution and violence of the unbelievers of their day. That these righteous people had a dog with them, and the fact that Allah mentions the dog and counts the dog among them, indicates that dogs are permitted to live among people.

The Quran says (what means): "And you would think them awake, while they were asleep. And We turned them to the right and to the left, while their dog stretched his two forelegs at the entrance (of the cave as a guard)..." [Quran 18:18]

Thus, dogs may be used for guards as well as for hunting as the Noble Quran also states (what means): "They ask you, (O Muhammad), what has been made lawful for them. Say: ‘Lawful for you are (all) good foods and (game caught by) what you have trained of hunting, animals which you train as Allah has taught you. So eat of what they catch for you, and mention the name of Allah upon it, and fear Allah.’ Indeed Allah is swift in account." [Quran 5:4]

In two separate narrations by Abu Hurayrah the Prophet told his companions of the virtue of saving the life of a dog by giving it water and quenching its thirst. One story referred to a man who was blessed by Allah for giving water to a thirsty dog, the other was a prostitute who filled her shoe with water and gave it to a dog, who had its tongue lolling out from thirst. For this deed she was granted the ultimate reward, the eternal Paradise under which rivers flow, to live therein forever. [Muslim]

Let us reflect upon this and beware of our duty towards Allah's creatures, which He has put on earth for our use and not for our abuse. When the Prophet was asked if Allah rewarded acts of charity to the animals, he replied: "Yes, there is a reward for acts of charity to every beast alive." Let us fear Allah with regard to His creatures, lest we earn His Wrath. Let us go forth in support and love for animals, knowing that Allah, The Most High, considers such a deed done for His Sake as being worthy of the reward of Paradise

Concepts Clarified in the Quran -III

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The concept that the future belongs to the Muslims: Allah will certainly make this religion prevail and grant the Muslims victory over the disbelievers, even if after a while. Allah Says (which means): “They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect his light, although the disbelievers dislike it. It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion, although those who associate others with Allah dislike it.” [Quran 61: 8-9]

Muslims nowadays are in dire need of understanding this concept. We must firmly believe that despite our current weakness, Islam will prevail and be victorious. This concept gives hope to the hearts of the believers, especially when one reads the saying of the Prophet : “A group from (among) my nation will continue to be upon the truth supported by Allah; they will continue to fight Jihaad until the advent of the Hour.” We ask Allah to make us from them.

The concept of Unity: This is a concept that The Quran emphasises upon; it commands the Muslims not to disunite and become scattered groups; Allah Says (what means): “And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided…” [Quran 3: 103]

Where do the Muslims of our era stand in terms of this divine command? They have disunited and become scattered groups, to the point that the common Muslims cannot recognise where the truth is anymore. How can the Muslims unite? What will unite them? The only thing that will unite them is their collectively holding on to the Bond of Allah, His Book (i.e. the Quran), His commands, and His religion. Any attempt to unite on any basis other than the religion of Allah will be fruitless and people will not attain the sought victory, because Allah only aids those who unite on the basis of His religion.

The concept of superiority: Allah Says (which means): “You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah…” [Quran 3: 110] How did our nation become the finest and most superior? It was through it enjoining good and forbidding evil. If we fail to do this then we can no longer count ourselves as a part of this superior nation as this superiority is not granted simply for being a member of this nation. Rather, we must fulfil the conditions of being superior.

This superiority is mentioned in different verses to reflect another concept; Allah Says (what means): “So do not weaken and do not grieve, and you will be superior if you are [true] believers.” [Quran 3: 139] Meaning that we are superior when we adhere to our religion and its teachings; we are superior with the faith that Allah blessed us with; we are superior due to our adhering to the Sunnah of our Prophet ; we are superior by persevering in our adherence to the Quran and the Sunnah.

The concept of not being attached to individuals: One must not be attached to individuals, regardless who they are. Instead one must attach himself to the religion only, because those attached to individuals usually give up their convictions with the death of the ones to whom they are attached, while those attached to the religion remain steadfast even with the deaths of those who introduced the religion to them and whom they love dearly; Allah Says (what means): “Muhammad is not but a messenger. [Other] messengers have passed on before him. So if he was to die or be killed, would you turn back on your heels [to unbelief]?...” [Quran 3: 144] If this is regarding the Prophet then it is certainly more applicable with respect to anyone else.

The concept of having to face harm from the disbelievers: We must realise that the disbelievers will afflict us with numerous and varied types of harm; Allah Says (what means): “You will certainly be tested in your possessions and in yourselves. And you will surely hear from those who were given the Scripture before you and from those who associate others with Allah much abuse. But if you are patient and fear Allah – indeed, that is of the matters [worthy] of determination.” [Quran 3: 186] Therefore, the harm that they afflict us with is physical, financial and psychological, but what is the cure and way out? Allah gives us the cure at the conclusion of the verse, namely, perseverance and piety. If we do not have these then we will not be able to stand their afflictions, nor will we be able to confront them.

The concept of referring to the Quran and the Sunnah for judgement: This must be applied to all our affairs and disputes; Allah Says ( what means): “But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission.” [Quran 4: 65]

Disputes and disagreements amongst the Muslims have increased, and thus the need for applying this concept is needed more than ever. Even in matters of jurisprudence, the common people have become very confused due to hearing different opinions regarding the same issue.

What is the solution to this confusion and disputation? It is in the saying of Allah (which means): “…And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day…”[Quran 4: 59]

Finally, the solution for all our problems is found in the Quran and all we need to do is to adhere to it, correctly understand the concepts in it, and apply them and inculcate them in practical life.

Concepts clarified in the Quran -II

2018-12-27T16:51:00.003+05:00

The concept of the conflict between the followers of truth and those of falsehood: This conflict can only be to the advantage of the Muslims if their ranks are cleared of hypocrites and those of weak faith. If any believing group wishes to attain victory from Allah, then it must fulfil the requirements of victory as Allah explains to us in the following story (which means): “…'Indeed, Allah will be testing you with a river. So whoever drinks from it is not of me, and whoever does not taste it is indeed of me, except one who takes [from it] in the hollow of his hand'…” [Quran 2: 249] What happened? Many people failed the test and the ranks were therefore cleared of those who were weak in faith. Only the true believers, who had strong faith, remained with him as told in the remainder of the verse; Allah Says (what means): “…But they drank from it, except a [very] few of them. Then when he had crossed it along with those who believed with him, they said: 'There is no power for us today against Jaaloot [Goliath] and his soldiers.' But those who were certain that they would meet Allah said: 'How many a small company has overcome a large company by permission of Allah…'" [Quran 2: 249] Note that the words of those who did not drink, not even a handful, were firm and that it was to these people that victory came. Allah Says after this (what means): “So they defeated them by permission of Allah…” [Quran 2: 251]

The conflict between the followers of the truth and those of falsehood is what causes the victory from Allah to descend as well as strengthening the Muslims and initiating Jihaad. Additionally, the ranks of the believers could never be distinguished without such a conflict, and nor would the Muslims receive any practical cultivation without it.

It is the way of Allah that the disbelievers temporarily overcome the Muslims, so that the Muslims can rearrange their ranks, purify themselves and work on building and strengthening their faith. It is after this that Allah chooses those who are worthy for martyrdom and grants the believers victory over the disbelievers, as they then become worthy of such victory.

The concept of debate: The Quran teaches us how to debate with our enemies and how to present evidences. Many enemies of Islam use debating in order to cast doubts and spread false information about Islam. Allah presents to us the following debate (which means): “Have you not considered the one who argued with Ibraaheem about his Lord [merely] because Allah had given him kingship? When Ibraaheem said: 'My Lord is The One Who gives life and causes death,' he said: 'I give life and cause death'…” [Quran 2: 258] This man then brought forth a person and killed him, and then commanded that a man who was sentenced to death be freed, demonstrating by this ridiculous example that he had therefore granted life and caused death. Thereupon, Prophet Ibraaheem, may Allah exalt his mention, threw him another challenge which stunned him; Allah Says in continuation of the same verse (what means): “…Ibraaheem said: 'Allah brings up the sun from the east, so bring it up from the west.' So the disbeliever was overwhelmed [by astonishment], and Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.” [Quran 2: 258]

The concept of the reality of the worldly life and its value: The Quran confirms the real value of this life and its reality and essence in many verses; Allah Says (what means): “Whatever you have will end, but what Allah has is lasting…” [Quran 16: 96] When one reads this, which of the two would he naturally choose?

The concept of loyalty and disavowal: Loyalty to the believers is manifested in the saying of Allah(which means): “Let not believers take disbelievers as allies [i.e. supporters or protectors] rather than believers. And whoever [of you] does that has nothing [i.e. no association] with Allah…” [Quran 3: 28] Would one befriend the disbelievers after this? Would he support them? Would he feel compassion towards them? Would he socialise with them? Would he join forces with them against his Muslim brothers?

The concept of loving the Prophet : Loving the Prophet is not a mere claim; Allah Says (what means): “Say, [O Muhammad]: 'If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you…” [Quran 3: 31]

The claim of loving the Prophet is therefore not to be accepted from one who acts in contradiction to his Sunnah. This concept is not clear in the minds of many, who seem to believe that this love is merely a claim while their conduct with their families, business partners and so on, as well as their outward appearance opposes that of the Prophet which is a clear contradiction and misconception.

The concept of the comprehensiveness of Islam: Many people erroneously believe that adhering to the religion is satisfied by the limited performance of certain acts of worship, and that as soon as they step out of the mosque for example, they can deal with others in any wicked way they choose. These people thereby rid themselves of their religion, but Allah refutes this attitude by saying (what means): “Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveller, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves; and [who] establishes prayer and gives Zakah; [those who] fulfil their promise when they promise; and [those who] are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is those who are the righteous.” [Quran 2: 177]

The concept of exposing the plans of the disbelievers: The disbelievers endeavour to divert the Muslims from their religion and use extremely evil methods in order to cause us to have doubts or misgivings towards it; Allah Says (what means): “And a fraction of the People of the Scripture say [to each other]: 'Believe in that which was revealed to the believers at the beginning of the day and reject it at its end that perhaps they will return [i.e. abandon their religion].'”[Quran 3: 72] Just look at how evil their plan is! They would even pretend to embrace Islam and then leave it so that people, including some simpleminded Muslims, would think that there is a problem or defect with the religion and therefore shun it, or at least develop misgivings regarding it. The Quran exposes these people's plans so that we can counter them.

Concepts clarified in the Quran -I

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The role of the Quran in shaping the Muslim personality: The treasures of the Quran are hidden and buried as far as many Muslims are concerned, as they have not yet discovered these precious treasures that Allah has placed in it.

Besides the fact that a Muslim is rewarded for reciting the Quran and applying its rulings, it is also the case that the Quran explains and clarifies the correct way to understand many concepts that people have misperceived or misinterpreted. For example, it expounds upon the reality of the concept of loyalty and disavowal, the concept of worship, the concept of the conflict between the truth and falsehood, and many other concepts which all Muslims must correctly understand and realise.

The great treasures in the Quran: Some people seek to attain the reward of reciting the Quran, others memorise its verses in order to attain the reward of such memorisation, while others recite it to taste the sweetness that the soul feels during this. There are others who recite it in order to search for the lofty manners it calls the people to possess, and yet others who recite the Quran in order to find therein solutions to their social or economic problems.

These are all important matters and one must seek to attain all the abovementioned goals and many more, but what is more important than that is for one to recite it in order to extract the great principles that mould the individual’s character and aid in correctly nurturing him.

Many people recite the Quran hastily, or pass over its verses quickly without pondering over their meaning.

The Quran is of great importance due to many more reasons than those we mentioned above, and which the Muslims must realise and have clear in their minds. I will try to highlight in this sermon some of these concepts that are instilled in the Quran, so that perhaps we may realise the importance of pondering upon the Quran.

The concept of worship and seeking assistance: If one ponders over the saying of Allah (which means): “It is You we worship and You we ask for assistance.” [Quran 1: 5] He will realise that it means that worship and seeking assistance are exclusively for Allah, and this is the real essence of servitude to Allah. One must wonder when he recites this verse, which we do more than seventeen times daily, why worship is designated solely to Allah, and likewise seeking assistance. This concept must be clear in our minds: that only Allah is to be worshipped; not wealth, not position, not other people, not man-made laws, or anything else. We must submit our wills solely to Allah and humble ourselves only to Him. Also, we must seek only His assistance as a sign of perfect servitude because regardless of how powerful human forces are, they remain very limited, while the power of Allah is ultimate and unlimited as He is the All-Powerful and the Irresistible.

The concept of abiding by the commands of Allah and hastening to fulfil them: The Quran emphasises on the great importance and the compulsion of adhering to the commands of Allah and not transgressing or disobeying His command. The Jews were commanded by Allah to prostrate, as Allah Says (what means): “…And enter the gate bowing humbly…” [Quran 2: 58] What did they do instead of adhering to this command? They entered on their buttocks and therefore opposed the command of Allah. Therefore, anyone who tries to alter the commands of Allah and applies what his desires are dictating to him resembles these people.

Furthermore, one must hasten in fulfilling the commands of Allah and not act like the Jews did when Allah commanded them to slaughter a cow; they kept asking for finer details regarding the type of cow to slaughter while slaughtering any cow would have done. Many Muslims follow in the footsteps of these deviants by inventing obstacles that would cause them to not fulfil certain commands that do not happen to coincide with their desires, and this is nothing but following the whispers of Satan.

The concept of being distinct in worship: Muslims must be distinct and not resemble the disbelievers in any of their acts of worship or religious rites. In the early stages of Islam, the Muslims would direct themselves towards Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem in prayer, but they were later commanded to direct themselves towards the Ka’bah in Makkah in order to differ from the disbelievers.

The concept of people’s ranks: Allah Says (what means): “And it is not your wealth or your children that bring you nearer to Us in position, but it is [by being] one who has believed and done righteousness…” [Quran 34: 37]

Allah also Says (what means): “…Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you…”[Quran49: 13]

It is very important for us to know this rule of how people are measured according to the scale of Allah. How do people become loftier than others? How does one possess a higher rank than others? What are the criteria used to judge this issue? The Quran establishes that no worldly matter is of any effect in this regard and that it is solely based on matters related to the religion of Allah. When Allah favoured Taloot and chose him to rule over the children of Israel, they objected and judged the matter with a worldly scale: they protested that he was not rich, as Allah informs us when He Says (what means): “…They said: 'How can he have kingship over us while we are more worthy of kingship than him and he has not been given any measure of wealth?'...” [Quran 2: 247] But Allah immediately highlights the correct criteria of judging in the very same verse, saying (what means): “He said: 'Indeed, Allah has chosen him over you and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and stature…'” [Quran 2: 247] Therefore, knowledge and a strong body that enabled him to fight the enemies of Allah are what made him deserving of this rank, and both these qualities are matters that are connected to the religion: one is knowledge regarding it, while the other is the ability to defend and proliferate it.

Concepts clarified in the Quran -II
Concepts clarified in the Quran -III

Rain Prayer

2018-12-27T16:47:00.000+05:00

This prayer is a means of seeking rain from Allah, the Exalted, during times of drought. That is, people are naturally disposed to ask help from the One Who is able to support them; Allah Alone. This prayer was known among the previous nations. It is regarded also as one of the acts of the prophets, peace be upon them all, as Allah, the Exalted, Says (what means):

"And [recall] when Moses prayed for water for his people..." [Quran 2: 60]

Similarly, the Seal of Prophets, Prophet Muhammad performed Prayer for Rain for his people many times, and in many ways. In addition, Muslim scholars unanimously agree on the legality of such an act.

The Prayer for Rain is ordained during times of drought and times when rain fails, which causes harm to people. Then there is no way out except by supplicating their Lord and asking Him for water (rain). People may supplicate Allah in various ways. For instance, people may supplicate Allah in Prayer, whether in congregation or alone. They may also supplicate Him by invoking Him during the sermon of the Jumu'ah (Friday) Prayer, in which the Imam may invoke Allah, and Muslims say, "Ameen".

Furthermore, it may be by invoking Allah, the Exalted, after performing prayers, or by supplicating Him in seclusions with neither prayer nor sermon. All such acts are related about the Prophet .

The Prayer for Rain is regarded as a stressed Sunnah (Prophetic tradition) as ‘Abdullah Ibn Zayd said: "The Prophet went out to invoke Allah for rain. He faced the qiblah (the direction of Ka’bah in Mecca), invoking Allah. Then he reversed his cloak and performed two Rak'ahs (units of prayer) and recited the Quran aloud in them." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

There are many hadeeths in support of this practice.

The Prayer for Rain is similar to that of the Eid Prayer concerning its relevant rulings and the place where it is performed. That is, it is viewed desirable to perform it in the place where the Eid Prayer is performed; outside the mosque. Moreover, its rulings and practices are the same as those of the Eid Prayer, namely the number of Rak'ahs, the loud recitation of the Quran, being performed before delivering the sermon, and the additional Takbeers (saying ‘Allahu Akbar’) in the first and second Rak'ahs before the recitation of the Quran, as illustrated before.

Ibn ‘Abbas narrated:

"The Prophet performed two Rak'ahs as he does in the Eid Prayer."

At-Tirmithi says that this is a hasan (good) and saheeh (authentic) hadeeth, and Al-Hakim and others view it as a saheeh (authentic) hadeeth, as well. The one performing the Prayer for Rain is to recite the chapter of Al-A’laa in the first rak'ah, and the chapter Al-Ghashiyah in the second one. People are to perform it in a vast spacious place, away from the place of residence, as the Prophet did not perform it except in the desert. This is because performing it in such a place is a means of showing much need to Allah, the Exalted. When the Imam wants to proceed to perform the Prayer for Rain, he should start with reminding people of what may soften their hearts by mentioning Allah's reward and punishment. They should also be commanded to turn to Allah in repentance and return rights to whom they are due. This is because sins are amongst the main reasons that cause rain and blessings to be withheld. On the other side, repentance and asking Allah, the Exalted, for forgiveness are reasons for Allah's answering of supplication. Allah, the Exalted, Says (what means):

"And if only the people of the cities had believed and feared Allah, We would have opened [i.e. bestowed] upon them blessings from the heaven and the earth; but they denied [the messengers], so We seized them for what they were earning" [Quran 7: 96]

Furthermore, the Imam should command people to give charity to the poor and needy, as this is regarded as a cause for sending Allah's mercy. After that, he is to set for them a certain day, at which they are to come out and be prepared for such an honorable occasion, and according to that which best suits it as an act of the Sunnah. At that date, people are to go out to the place of prayer showing humbleness, submissiveness and neediness of Allah, the Exalted, as Ibn 'Abbas said:

"Allah's Messenger went out to perform the Prayer for Rain showing humility, humbleness, and submissiveness, and supplicating (Allah)." [At-Tirmithi said that this is a hasan and saheeh (good and authentic) hadeeth.]

No Muslim should stay behind (from going out) while able, even boys and women, whose presence does not cause temptation, are to go out to perform it. Then, the Imam is to lead people performing two rak`ahs, as mentioned before. After doing so, he is to deliver one sermon. However, some scholars view that the Imam is to deliver two sermons. Both opinions are permissible, but the soundest opinion is to deliver one sermon, according to the most preponderant legal proof. In most cases, the Prophet delivered the sermon after performing the Prayer for Rain, and Muslims acted according to this. However, it is related that the Prophet delivered the sermon before performing the prayer. This is the view of some scholars, but the first view (delivering the sermon after performing prayer) is more preponderant; and Allah Knows best.

In the sermon of asking for rain, the Imam should ask for Allah's forgiveness as well as recite the verses that command asking for forgiveness, in abundance, as this is considered a cause for sending rain. Moreover, the Imam should supplicate Allah, the Exalted, with much invocation, asking for rain. When supplicating Allah, the Imam should raise his hands, as the Prophet used to raise his hands when invoking Allah in the Prayer for Rain, so much that the whiteness of his armpits became visible.

The Imam should also confer blessings upon the Prophet as this is a cause for (Allah, the Exalted) answering his supplication. He may invoke Allah, the Exalted, with the supplication related about the Prophet in such situations, as a means of following him. In this regard, Allah, the Exalted, Says (what means):
"There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day..." [Quran 33: 21]

It is viewed as an act of the Sunnah to face the qiblah at the end of supplication, and to reverse one's clothes, as related in the Two Saheehs (Al-Bukhari and Muslim, the two authentic books of Hadeeth) that the Prophet turned his back toward the people and faced the qiblah asking Allah (for rain). Then he reversed his cloak. The wisdom behind this - Allah Knows best - is that it is like a good omen that the present hard condition may turn into prosperity and the sending of rain. People should also follow the Imam and reverse their clothes, as Imam Ahmad related, "... the people followed him (the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi was sallam) and reversed their clothes." In addition, what is stated as done by the Prophet is to be done by his nation, unless it is proved that he alone is particularized with such a thing.

This would be until Allah, the Exalted, sends down rain; otherwise, Muslims should repeat asking for rain, as long as there is a need for that. It is considered an act of Sunnah that when rain starts to fall, one is to stand and receive some of it and say, "O Allah! Let it be a strong fruitful rain," and say, "The rain is due to the Favor and Mercy of Allah." However, when rain falls heavily and there is fear that it might cause harm, one should say as the Prophet used to say:

"O Allah! (Let the rain be) around us, not on us. O Allah! (Let the rain be) on the plateaus, on the mountains, on the hills, on the hillocks, in the valleys, and on the places where trees grow" [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] Allah Knows best.

Giving Food

2018-12-27T16:44:00.004+05:00

Giving Food in Surah Al-Insan (No.76):

This is a good gesture of Allah's Mercy to Mention giving food in a Surah that is entitled "Al-Insan". Allah The Exalted Says (what means): {And they give food in spite of love for it to the needy, the orphan, and the captive…} [Quran 76:8]

Ibn ‘Abbas and Mujahid said, "This verse denotes that they feed the needy, the orphan and the captive despite the scarcity of food and their need and love for it."

What about you and your food?

How great a deed is feeding the hungry in our time!

Allah The Exalted Says (what means): {Or feeding on a day of severe hunger…} [Quran 90:14]
An-Nakha‘i commented on this verse saying, "They feed the hungry at times when food is not ample."

Mohammed ibn Al-Munkadir said, "Feeding hungry Muslims guarantees the forgiveness of sins."
He also said on another occasion: "Feeding the hungry and saying kind words to others usher you to Paradise."

Dear brother and sister, you may notice how our days - in some Muslim countries - have turned into days of severe hunger. Food has become scarce and meat has also become scarce as well as being too expensive for the poor.

What about you, dear readers? What about your food?

An Explicit Command:

Feeding people in general and a hungry person in particular has been explicitly mentioned in the command of the Messenger of Allah . Abu Moosa Al-Ash‘ari, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet said: "Feed the hungry, pay a visit to the sick and free the captives." [Saheeh] A reported saying reads, "The best charity is to satisfy a hungry person." Alas, a Muslim may sit at an Iftar table with delicious and tasty dishes while his neighbors break their fast with a few morsels of food, if they can be found!

The Righteous Predecessors :

Our righteous predecessors were keen to feed people and favored this act of worship over many others, whether it was for a hungry poor person or feeding a righteous Muslim. Poverty is not an essential condition in this regard. The Messenger of Allah said: "O people! Spread the Islamic greetings amongst yourselves, feed the hungry, maintain kinship relations, observe prayer at night while people are asleep and you will peacefully enter the Paradise." [Saheeh]

Some of the righteous predecessors said, "It is better for me to invite ten of my friends and feed them delicious food that they like than freeing ten slaves from the children of Isma‘eel (i.e. Arabs)."

Abu As-Siwar Al-‘Adawi said, "Some men from the ‘Uday tribe used to pray in this mosque and none of them would break his fast alone. If one found someone to eat with, he would eat. If he could not find someone to eat with, he would take his food and go to the mosque to share it with the people in the mosque."

Fruits of Feeding the Hungry:

The act of worship of feeding the hungry gives rise to many other acts of worship such as showing affection towards one's fellow Muslims whom he feeds and this can be a reason for him being granted Paradise. The Prophet said: "You shall not enter Paradise as long as you do not affirm belief (in all those things which are the articles of faith) and you will not believe as long as you do not love one another." [Muslim]

It also gives rise to (the act of worship) being in the company of righteous people and hoping for the rewards of Allah The Almighty in offering them food as they gain strength to perform acts of worship.

Food Baskets:

Some righteous predecessors used to send their friends a basket full of sugar or other such food.
Yunus ibn ‘Ubayd Yahdi said, "I gave a basket of sugar to Al-Hasan Al-Basri as a gift and I have not seen any sugar better than this one. He opened the basket and said to his companions, "Eat and enjoy."

Maintaining Discipline in Worship

2018-12-27T16:42:00.000+05:00

'Abdullah would rise before Fajr (dawn) each morning and rush to the Mosque to offer the prayer. He would return to the Mosque for Maghrib (sunset) and 'Ishaa' (evening) prayers as well. He read the Quran daily. He studied other Islamic books in his spare time. He spent much of his free time with his family and took his role as the spiritual leader in his home quite seriously.

Five years later, he found that he would go days, sometimes a whole week without performing a single prayer. He no longer attends congregational prayer at the Mosque—he didn't have time with his new job. This new job involved his working closely in nightclub establishments with people of questionable backgrounds. This resulted in his becoming very secretive about many of his work activities; he didn't even talk to his wife about them because he knew she would disapprove. Work kept him busy all night and throughout the entire weekend. Many of his new friends also worked with him and he began to spend a great deal of his free time with them. Because of this, he spent less time with his family. He had to sleep during the day in order to be able to work each night.

His wife noticed a great change in his demeanor. They had several discussions about his work and how it was affecting him and his relationship with Allah Almighty. He agreed, and would begin the process of searching for new work, but inevitably, chose to stay in his current job. He soon found himself feeling very distanced from his wife and children. Even though the money was abundant when he first began, it was now barely paying the bills.

He felt his marriage crumbling beneath the years of neglect. He found himself succumbing to depression over his circumstances, unmotivated to initiate the things he knew he would have to do in order for his life to change.

It is interesting to note that 'Abdullah's life seemed much more peaceful and balanced when he engaged in his regular religious duties, and began to suffer significantly when he abandoned them.

Could this simply be a coincidence? Imam Muhammad Baianouni the scholar from North Carolina in USA accurately sums up situations like this stating: "The regulation of a man's conduct within one system of life is one of the most important reasons of success and stability. The absence of this regulation is one of the greatest crises a man suffers from in his life. This happens when man is left without guidance from Allah, The Most High, or without proper upbringing based on the Divine Guidance. Under these circumstances, man's life becomes miserable on this earth and he will be amongst the losers in the Hereafter".

A religion of discipline

It is only from the infinite wisdom and mercy of Allah that we have been given a system of belief that instructs and assists in guiding our actions and behavior. By participating in the daily obligations of our faith outlined in the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad we are more likely to enjoy Allah's bounty in this life, and reap the rewards in the Hereafter. Allah Almighty ordered all believers to be disciplined in their worship, and not to disobey Him. In the Quran, Allah Says (what means) "So remain on a right course as you have been commanded, [you] and those who have turned back with you [to Allah], and do not transgress. Indeed, He is Seeing of what you do." [Quran 11: 112]

The intensity of our faith changes throughout our lives. There are times when we are of strong faith, and times when we struggle. Many brothers and sisters who proudly claim Islam as their religion unintentionally find themselves "slipping" in their religious duties. Seemingly overnight their lives go from pleasurable and carefree to darkness and confusion. You may begin to acknowledge that you have landed in such a state because of the choices you made, but you are lost as to how to go about changing things.

Being steadfast in our duties to Allah Almighty is what keeps you from languishing during your darker moments. Remember that your ultimate return is to Him Almighty, so you must develop discipline and a consistency in your daily routine to keep your faith from sinking.

Developing discipline

Recognizing your shortcomings is the first step towards becoming more disciplined. Allah
Almighty Says (what means): "…Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves..." [Quran 13: 11] When you decide to change for the sake of Allah Almighty, Allah will help you change. Each one is responsible for oneself and will be questioned accordingly on the Day of Judgment, with no one to intercede on your behalf. You must make the choice to live your life according to Allah's Will on your own. You will not benefit from being told about what you need to do and how you need to change in order to have a more fulfilling life. You must take an interest in making those changes for yourself. Only then can you reap the rewards. Think about the wives of the Prophets Noah and Lut, may Allah exalt their mention. Each Prophet tried unsuccessfully to offer the best guidance to his wife, but because there was no real interest on their part, it was said to each of women (what means): "…Enter the Fire with those who enter!"[Quran 66: 10]

I have a good friend who was going through a very rough time. Her faith was at an all time low. During several of our conversations, she lamented that Allah Almighty was punishing her for not being a "good Muslim." I asked her: "Why must Allah be punishing you? Allah puts us through many tests and trials in this life to give us the chance to know Him better."

We debated back and forth about this for some time. She was really stuck in the debts of despair, and found my comments annoyingly optimistic. I reminded her that Allah Almighty is also Merciful and that this trial for her could be the wake up call she needed to have an opportunity to renew and redeem her faith and become closer to Him Almighty. Perhaps Allah had to put her through such difficulty to get her attention and give her a chance to make changes.

There are many things you can do to establish discipline in your daily life. Such consistency not only balances our faith, but all other aspects of our lives as well:

Evaluate yourself regularly to make certain you are doing all that you can spiritually.
Perform your daily prayers punctually each day.
Read the Quran regularly, with an effort to truly understand what you are reading.
Seek knowledge regularly, religious and other, through books, CDs/tapes, classes and lectures.
Keep company with righteous people.
Have confidence in your faith and, more importantly, in Allah Almighty.
Regularly spend some time alone in contemplation and worship.

Islam is a complete way of life. As believers, we should desire the discipline that allows us to regulate our lives and keep chaos away. In choosing this way of life, peace and contentment are your right. Discipline comes as a result of performing certain duties consistently. Ask Allah to help you to establish discipline in your religious commitment and to be able to submit to all that pleases Him Almighty.

Morals and Zakah

2018-12-27T16:34:00.000+05:00

Hardly ever is prayer mentioned in the Noble Quran without being associated with Zakah. Zakah is the inseparable twin of prayer in the Book of Allah The Almighty and the Sunnah of His messenger, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, as well. Zakah is like prayer in terms of its relation to morals. The payer of Zakah offers it out of obedience to his Lord, abiding by His commands, warding off devils, relieving oneself from being questioned about the obligation of Zakah on the Day of Judgment. Zakah increases one's wealth, allows him to help the poor and needy, protects him from meanness and curbs his sinful desires. It helps spread an atmosphere of love, intimacy and affection among Muslims and creates a close bond between the rich and poor within the Muslim community. The payer of Zakah relishes the pleasure and satisfaction of the heart as he obeys the commands of Allah The Exalted. Thus, he is keen not to delay paying the due Zakah and is diligent in giving it to its eligible recipients. Allah The Exalted Says (what means): {Take, [O, Muhammad], from their wealth a charity by which you purify them …} [Quran 9:103]

When Muslims fully grasp this, they find themselves willing not only to pay the due Zakah, but also to spend in charity according to their abilities even if this was not obligatory upon them. This renders them eager to give in charity and help others in all possible ways and it indicates the purity of their hearts andthe spiritual elevation of their souls.

The Messenger of Allah said: "Smiling in the face of your brother is charity, enjoining good and forbidding evil is charity, guiding a lost man in a foreign land is charity, guiding the blind is charity, removing harmful things, thorns and bones from a road is regarded as charity and pouring what is left from your vessel into that of your brother is charity."

Hence, the close bond between Zakah and morals in Islam becomes clear.

A Zero-Waste Life Style is an Islamic way of Life

2018-04-20T09:51:00.001+05:00

Refusing, Reducing, Re-using, Recycling, and Rotting, are not novel notions to our faith, guest writer Nafisah Kara argues.

By Nafisah Kara

Almost every follower of the zero waste movement seems to have started their journey reading Bea Johnson’s Zero Waste Home. After reading this from book cover to cover (and making countless handy notes), I have come to the conclusion that the principles of zero waste coincide completely with our religion – Islam.

To achieve a zero waste life Johnson swears by a five-rule mantra to apply when considering one’s consumption or disposal of waste. Refuse, Reduce, Re-use, Recycle, Rot.

As Muslims, with everything new we learn, we must always consider what Allah and our Prophet Muhammad have to say on the matter through the Quran and Hadith.

On reading Johnson’s guide many quotes and sayings came to mind which resonate with the Islamic teachings – parts of the religion I had never truly implemented. This book was very useful in how to implement these teachings in today’s world.

REFUSE

Refusing what you don’t need seems self -explanatory, but our inability to refuse freebies that we don’t need is remarkable. How many leaflets, pens, key rings, and business cards do we collect and leave lying around the house or simply throw into the trash? Refusing these items will lessen demand for marketing companies to produce so much and encourage them to adopt better creative and sustainable ways to promote their businesses. These ‘freebies’ are using up unnecessary resources which are often non-recyclable.

REDUCE

There are plenty of Ayahs from the Quran which speak against being excessive in material possessions and diet.

الَّذِي جَمَعَ مَالًا وَعَدَّدَهُ

“(Woe unto him) who amasses wealth and counts it a safeguard” [Surah Al-Humazah – 104;2]

يَا بَنِي آدَمَ خُذُوا زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا وَلَا تُسْرِفُوا ۚ إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِينَ

“O Children of Adam, take your adornment at every place of prayer, eat and drink, but be not excessive – Indeed Allah likes not those who commit excess” [Surah Al-A`raf – 7;31]

Regarding food consumption:

“The first calamity for this nation after the Prophet’s death is fullness of their stomachs; when their stomachs became full, they became obese and their hearts weakened and their desires became wild” [Bukhari]

The Quran is clear in warning us of the tests that come with attaining material possessions or being excessive in our consumption. The more you possess, the more distracted you are from focusing on Allah . Taking care of all of our ‘stuff’ is time consuming – it requires constant maintenance, organizing and causes us stress which we don’t need. The more we consume, the greedier we become.

RE-USE

The Prophet Muhammad would mend his cloths and repair his own shoes in times of poverty, but also in times of ease. The idea of not being wasteful is not a new phenomenon but something which was practised by many prophets of the past.

Prophet Muhammad also taught:

“He who sleeps while their neighbor is hungry is not one of us.” [Muslim]

This is the motivation behind many charities led by Muslim organizations running soup kitchens and food banks around the country. Food banks are run on donated food items, as well as warm clothing to keep warm in winter. These items are critical for those who are sleeping rough or families living in poverty around the UK (or anywhere else in the world). Finding a second life for many of our possessions does not require much effort and reduces how much we waste. There are thousands living in poverty in our, countries in desperate need of items we would usually chuck away.

RECYCLE

Islam is a religion that provides guidance on every aspect of our daily lives. Disposing waste appropriately is also mentioned.

“Abu Barza once asked Muhammad : ‘Teach me something so that I may derive benefit from it.’ He said, ‘Remove the troublesome thing from the paths of the Muslims’.” [Muslim]

ROT

Rotting our waste is a great way to reduce what we throw into landfill. Food waste such as vegetable peelings, egg shells and old left overs can be thrown into the food waste to produce nutritious compost for your garden. Paper, ash and wood items can also be thrown into compost bins in your back garden to feed the mini ecosystem, feeding thousands of tiny insects.

Our Plastic Problem

So now that we know that Islam supports a zero waste lifestyle, how else can we motivate ourselves to adopt this lifestyle? After all it requires more work, extra planning and can be time consuming. To become passionate about living zero waste, we must become aware of our current relationship with plastic.

Putting it simply, plastics are great for durability. It is this durability however which means that once a plastic product is made, it will remain on this earth FOREVER . Every single piece of plastic ever thrown away is harming our habitats, environments and oceans.

Here are some worrying statistics which should motivate every Muslim to make changes:

Over 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic has been thrown away in the last 68 years
80% of this plastic has leaked into the ocean killing marine life and seaming into our food chain – That is the weight of 8 billion elephants or 55 million jumbo jets.
In the UK alone, 13 billion plastic water bottles are thrown away a year – only 3 billion are recycled.
Every human being on the planet will use 136 kilos of single-use plastic a year

If these figures aren’t frightening enough, it is expected that by 2050 plastic production will treble.

So what can we do?

To start, we can stop using disposable plastic products such as plates, cups and cutlery. We can find wood, metal or glass alternatives to items we use in the home. In Johnson’s guide, she provides countless of examples on how she replaced items in her kitchen, bathroom and other aspects of her life with sustainable products.

We must remember that Allah appointed us as stewards upon the Earth.

وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَكُمْ خَلَائِفَ الْأَرْضِ وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَكُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجَاتٍ لِّيَبْلُوَكُمْ فِي مَا آتَاكُمْ ۗ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ سَرِيعُ الْعِقَابِ وَإِنَّهُ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

“And it is He (God) who has made you successors (khala’ifa) upon the earth and has raised some of you above others in degrees [of rank] that He may try you through what He has given you. Indeed, your Lord is swift in penalty; but indeed, He is Forgiving and Merciful.” [Surah Al-An’am – 6;165]

Every Muslim is a steward upon the Earth, and Islam is a religion of Justice. We must strive to live in harmony with the environment by supporting organic farmers, fair-trade brands and make eco-friendly choices with our consumer power. It is a great shame that many other communities lead in these movements although it is in our own tradition to respect Allah’s creation which includes animals and the Earth.

Also remember, change does not come overnight. Embracing these changes will take us time, but will InshaAllah bring us closer to Allah .

Teaching Aqidah is Necessary for The Ulama And Students of Knowledge

2018-04-20T09:46:00.000+05:00

Sunnism is suffering an identity crisis

By Ḥamzah Wald Maqbūl

Sunnism is suffering an identity crisis: other than not self-identifying as a Shī’ite, very few people who identify as Sunnīs can explain what beliefs makes a person a Sunnī. This has left a bleeding wound in people’s conception of Islām, through which infections such as Qādiyānism, Rāfidism, Progressivism, Modernism, and other forms of misguidance cause many well-meaning people great damage to both their faith as well as their worldly existence.

Otherworldly concerns of protecting people from the harm of odious deviation from the pure faith, which can delay or deny salvation, tag along with the deleterious effects of the pursuits of sectarian agendas in the guise of religion which are literally burning entire nations like Syria and Yemen to the ground in front of our eyes. At the same time Muslims living in North America and Europe are witnessing a coup against established legal, cultural and spiritual norms in the name of progressivism and liberalism, which confusingly seem to come from quarters which are, politically, less openly hostile to some version of an established Muslim presence. The chasm which is opening because of this coup threatens to divide what used to be the common Sunnī identity in these lands into a Reform/Conservative/Orthodox-type divide which currently exists in the Jewish community; the reform identity being roughly one of radically jettisoning canonical interpretive methodology and precedent. Conservatism is acknowledging the need to do what Reform Judaism did, while preserving the traditional forms of Judaism when practical. Orthodoxy has been seemingly left behind as an attempt to carry on the premodern Jewish theology and law, uninterrupted by modernity.

One should note that this divide within Judaism started from the United States, and has now pervaded the Jewish world, and likewise, if such a chasm formally opened up in the United States, it would be a matter of import for the entire ummah, as the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ stated, “You will follow those who went before you hand’s breadth for hand’s breadth, cubit for cubit, to the point that if they went into a lizard hole, you would also go into it.” They asked him ﷺ, “Do you mean the Jews and Christians?” He ﷺ replied, “Who else?”^[1]

To the scholarly past of this ummah, the obvious place to find the necessary guidance to solve the above-mentioned problems should be in the books of ʿAqīdah of the Sunnī Kalām tradition; however, this seems to not be as obvious anymore to the ummah as it should be, and for that reason a number of problems arise.

The following tract, by Allāh’s help, is meant to investigate these problems, and to make the case that a serious revival of the study of ʿAqīdah in our communities is one of the foremost obligations upon Muslims today.

HOW HAS THE STUDY OF AQIDAH FALLEN FROM IMPORTANCE?

There are many reasons why the study of ʿAqīdah has fallen out of favor. Firstly, the lay public, due to sectarian influence of foreign groups, has come to see the word ʿAqīdah as a codeword for polemical infighting, something which most North American Muslims rightly intuit will lead to little or no benefit. Thus, the word ʿAqīdah now conjures up images of brothers pointing fingers upwards and asking, “Where is Allāh?” or whether or not you believe that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ is omnipresent in all points of time and space. Such issues are irrelevant to the public.^[2] Worse yet, they are weaponized by some and result in dissention and division within congregations.

Secondly, many madāris have severely downplayed if not outright jettisoned the study of Kalām^[3] other than for the purpose of refuting heterodox groups. Worse yet, sectarian partisans use it to cut down other legitimate views within Sunnism, as if they are a patent falsehood, even though the matters at hand are, at most, differences of opinion. Although refutation is a legitimate purpose of the knowledge of ʿAqīdah, it is hardly the aim of its study. It is more important for a believer to know who he is, rather than who he isn’t: the former is based on the knowledge of revelation, whereas the latter is more conveniently facilitated by sectarian animus. It is important to note that revelation “taught man what he knew not”,^[4]whereas even the people of falsehood are adept at circularly refuting one another.

Thirdly, much of the lay public has come to the idea that the old works of Kalām, even if a sentimentally important part of our intellectual heritage, lack relevance to today’s more pressing issues. Many may ask, what can Rāzī, Ghazālī, and Juwaynī practically teach me to prepare for an encounter with New Atheism or Liberalism, or any number of other prevalent ideologies at odds with the way of life prescribed by revelation?

THE ROLE OF SCHOLARS & STUDENTS OF KNOWLEDGE

For the reasons outlined above, scholars and students of knowledge have a responsibility^[5] to act as facilitators and intermediaries between the laity and revelation’s Divine and prophetic sources. There are many benefits that the ummah will take from a clerical class well-grounded in Sunnī ʿAqīdah. Unfortunately, the very need for this class of specialists in the information age,^[6] something taken for granted in past generations, requires explanation today.

Requisite Qualification

Pious and illuminated hearts and minds must disseminate the sacred creed of Islām, not use sectarianism to divide the ummah, build socio-political clout, or win followers and disciples,^[7] but in order to show Muslims who they are, rather than who they aren’t. Only then will people once more start to see the Sunnī ʿAqīdah as a source of guidance and intellectual-spiritual order.

Indeed, the balance between the rational need for limits and an inclusivity which can only come from the generosity of being connected to the Divine is found in the Sunnī creed. Achieving this balance is a hallmark of being an imām^[8] in this tradition. The emulation of the prophetic model is in bringing sincere believers together whenever it is possible, and separating individuals from the flock only when absolutely necessary. Thus, did Imām Ṭaḥāwī explicitly declare that anyone who meets even the most minimal standard for a valid islām is a walī^[9] of Allāh, even if they are sinners or, in some instances even misguided.^[10] It was a strong statement, and one he meant to make.

Large scale propagation of ʿAqīdah in such a way will negate the stigma of sectarianism by showing people the point of ʿAqīdah (a framework through which to view the world) and not a degenerate form of divisive sectarianism. It will also give people the understanding that whoever drives exclusionary sectarianism within the Sunnī populace, isn’t doing so as a representation of Sunnism; rather, it is a sign that something else is at play. In order to get the vastness of the ummah on to the same page in mind, then spirit and body, the framework of Sunnī ʿAqīdah must become the common thought currency between all Muslims, regardless of race, madhhab, Sufic association, socioeconomic status, occupation, or nationality.

The benefits to the ummah of the wide and proper dissemination of ʿAqīdah by no means stops there. Much of the abandonment of the commandments of the sacred Sharīʿah has to do with the lack of understanding amongst laypeople about the importance of Fiqh and its various sources rooted in revelation;^[11] If they understood the importance of the law, they would be more avid to implement it, appreciating the elegance by which they are inseparable. In that sense, an overemphasis on the sacred law in comparison to both ʿAqīdah and Taṣawwuf when ministering to the public may be a cause of its diminished acceptance amongst that same public, as it is tough to bring the body to do things when the mind^[12] and heart^[13]aren’t in it.

As important as the dissemination of the sacred creed is, however, it can only be done on the heels of a solid understanding of it. This requires a depth of study by the scholarly class that goes beyond a basic minimum belief for a valid īmān. Maintaining a cohort of the learned who are custodians of such understanding is an obligation on communities; indeed, many a non-farḍ matter on individuals becomes a farḍ kifāyah on communities and sovereign states.^[14]This is the case for all of the disciplines necessary in order for the Dīn of Allāh to be understood, implemented, and defended at individual and collective levels.

METHODOLOGY IS CRITICAL

This brings us to another matter which is one of great concern to anyone who has dedicated their life to knowledge, beyond the pursuit of degrees, ijāzāt, clerical career opportunities and fame as preachers and leaders; that is the uṣūlī nature of the sacred Sharīʿah. Uṣūl are the universal principles which make up for framework within which the individual rulings of the sacred Sharīʿah fit. The uṣūlī nature of the sacred Sharīʿah, and its understanding was always the crown pursuit of the greatest of the scholars. In fact, to call a scholar an uṣūlī is to bear witness to the integrated seamlessness and encyclopedic knowledge of the sharīʿah, bringing names like Ghazālī and Shāh Walīyyullāh to mind. The idea is that the Dīn of Allāh isn’t just a scattered distribution of rules, verses, statements and prohibitions to be read atomistically;^[15] rather, those discrete data points fit into uṣūlī models and theoretical frameworks that undergird the different branches of learning in Islām. Thus, Ḥadīth is governed by uṣūl al-Ḥadīth, Fiqh is governed by uṣūl al-Fiqh^[16], Tafsīr is governed by uṣūl al-Tafsīr, and so on. The reason is that without a methodology a person can hardly take an objective stance on any matter, much less understand large fields of information in a cohesive and cogent manner. All of these uṣūlīsystems in turn are undergirded by ʿAqīdah, which is the Uṣūl of Uṣūl; it is perhaps for this reason that Imām Abū Ḥanīfah, may Allāh have mercy on him, named his work on ʿAqīdah with such a gravity,al-Fiqh al-Akbar.^[17]

Jettisoning a holistic Usūlī approach to the Dīn by fixating on individual verses, aḥadīth, and legal rulings has allowed the jackals and hyenas who prey on this ummah to masquerade as representatives of the Islām and flagbearers of the Sunnī tradition,^[18] whether they be in the form of modernists, terrorist groups, neo-Salafists,^[19] neo-traditionalists, neo-Kharijītes, or the like. When uṣūl are cast aside, such groups can now regurgitate particular data points from the Islāmic tradition with enough charisma to woo audiences to their respective agendas.

Modern day reductionists have peddled the idea that uṣūl are an unneeded vestige of medieval foolery, and must today be replaced by the empiricism of hard evidence in the form of literal text. While other scholarly endeavors like taḥqīq and takhrīj are worthy, they are not substitutes for uṣūl. Powered by the false confidence a literalist worldview engenders, unscrupulous operators resort to forcing the mismatched puzzle pieces together in new, scary and, incoherent ways. Indeed, many committed Muslims, upon encountering textual evidences produced by reductionists, find themselves at a loss to explain what is specifically wrong with such groups’ picture of Islām. From that pool, many subsequently join or at least tacitly support such groups, much to the spiritual, economic, political and social detriment of the ummah. Why would anyone bother to rearrange the sharīʿah in such a way? In order to deceptively harnesses the demographic, economic power of the love and zeal of the masses for Islām. If the Bolsheviks could do it, anyone can; indeed, their spiritual heirs,^[20] may Allāh protect us from them, continue do so.

Uṣūlī thinking imparts a methodology by which one can understand the Dīn at a deeper level. It also gives its practitioner the ability to consume and solve new problems and digest issues which arise from unprecedented circumstances. I would go one step further and say for the robust intellect, nothing in creation would be “new”^[21]anymore. Indeed, I can affirm that at least in my own experience many “new” challenges to Islām’s worldview are, in essence, rehashings of old challenges (albeit with different modalities). More often than not, historic iterations were far more sophisticated than contemporary ones. Due to the modernism’s reductionist approach, philosophers have become largely irrelevant in the popular arena: the new standard bearers of materialism are often scientists, hard^[22] or soft,^[23] whose touting of materialism (and the atheism which inevitably emerges from it), is sophomoric at best.

The idea that uṣūl, or understanding how to think, is distinct and in many ways superior to only knowing what to think, should not be lost on any rational person.

THE CONTINUAL BENEFIT OF KALĀM AND THE HARM IN IGNORING IT

Yet another sad consequence of abandoning the study of ʿAqīdah has been well-intentioned and ostensibly Sunnī public intellectuals, often very accomplished in Western Academia, but lacking even a basic command of classical Arabic, hastily dismiss Kalām as not being relevant to the “new” challenges posed to Islām and its intellectual framework. The strange thing is that many who express sentiments like this lack competence classical Arabic, yet believe their readings in English qualify them to make such serious judgments. Can you imagine what a mockery would be made of someone who only could speak and read Urdu and whatever was translated into it began to comment with an air of authority on theoretical physics or cutting-edge medical research? Even more frustratingly, those intellectuals who can access classical Arabic rarely have actually taken the time to read the old books of Kalām in any serious way, much less with a teacher.^[24]

Such an attitude has gained currency among many generous and reverent defenders of Islām who opine that kalām held a useful function in the past, but gives the contemporary Muslim little preparation for the onslaught liberal modernity is directing at the world. Similarly, other less well-intentioned academic and post-colonial intellectual elites, hold en vogue a vision of Kalām as a kind of fossilized carcass, declaring it an irrelevant and even decadent feature of a past, best left behind. What’s fascinating here is that, both share a similar belief in history’s linear progress; somehow the future, solely by virtue of it being the future, necessarily brings with it more sophisticated challenges than the past did, a hallmark of haughty modernist thinking.

This idea seems to be validated in the colonized mind when it soaks in the stark reality of disenfranchisement and defeatism that surrounds it. I state here unequivocally that the ability to marshal armies and death-raining technology does not necessitate intellectual superiority. Nor is the ability to kill and enslave people an attribute of the ḥaqq.^[25]

Yet still many Muslims wonder: what could discussions regarding the classical ideas about materialism or polemical refutations of the Muʿtazilah and Bāṭiniyyah have to do with answering Richard Dawkins, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Liberalism, and the like?

The answer is more than you think.

The arguments of scientists against religion are not as seemingly unassailable as they may appear. As empirical philosophers, they themselves have jettisoned a large part of rationality from their own discourse, vaingloriously declaring that if it can’t be seen, heard, tasted, touched, smelled or measured, it doesn’t exist. Such an unexamined statement, when taken to its logical conclusion, would have us revert to Roman numerals and render the Big Bang a rational conundrum.

The arguments for kufr, all of which, whether in the form of polytheism or atheism, all depend on affirming the divinity of the material things of this universe, in similar, but subtly different ways.

It is a maxim of the scholars based on a number of statements of revelation that all the different types of kufr, ultimately comprise of one millah.^[26] For example some said that God resides in everything. Others said that God was born in the flesh. Some said that there is no God. All, however, in order to explain the incoherence of everything spontaneously existing from nothing, stated that the material universe must have always had attributes Muslims ascribed to the Divine. Many resort to claiming it existed in some cyclically reiterating form,^[27] and thus will continue to do so, possessing pre-primordiality and eternity, both being essential attributes of what we call God. It is against this backdrop that Islām, rather than assigning Divine attributes to the creation, affirms Allāh’s being thoroughly unlike His creation and transcendent above it.

It is from this basis that the Kalām tradition painstakingly refutes many possible contortions and adjustments that kufr can, has, and will make in order to free itself from the trap of its own initial incoherence. Through study of those refutations, a roadmap to answers to modern obsessions like “if God is so omnipotent, why are children born with deformities?”; “why can’t we refer to God as a she,”; or “If God exists, show him to me, and if you can’t, admit He doesn’t exist,” comes into clear view. Once the existence of Absolute Truth is established and necessarily affirmed, the moral and existential chaos of an absolutist relativist (yes, I’m aware of how silly it sounds) liberal modernity is resolutely challenged. Without that affirmation, answering simple questions like “Who am I?” becomes cumbersome.^[28]

EPILOGUE: IJTIHĀD

I’d like to conclude, not by neatly wrapping the discussion up, but by throwing a number of doors open, namely the doors of ijtihad, which were never closed in the first place, at least for those whose purview it was and remains. Ijtihād is a very interesting idea, one of which many speak but few understand. Much like playing on a professional sports team is the preserve of the elite of that sport, ijtihād is an actual reality for those few who combine the God-given spiritual^[29] and intellectual strengths needed to have a shot at it, with the years of hard work and practice. Also, much like professional sports, although there may be only a handful of legitimate practitioners of ijtihad, there are thousands, if not millions of pretenders behind them ready to dream about it, talk about it and offer their detailed commentaries about it—commentaries bearing various levels of insight and/or connections to any kind of reality. The current reductionist, atomistic approach that is in fashion amongst the intelligentsia is an antagonist to an uṣūlī, methodologically consistent approach to anything in the Dīn; the lack of study of ʿAqīdah shuts out the student from uṣūl at the ground floor as ʿAqīdah itself forms the foundation of uṣūl.

The preservation of ijtihad and its requisite branches of learning requires that there be a body of literature and group of people who can trace the final product of the various branches of Islāmic learning from source materials to the final prescriptions found in the canonical texts of the different sciences. A pseudo empirical-textual fixation not only subverts the superiority of the living tradition as described above, but also renders ijtihad practically meaningless. Supplanting the importance of uṣūl, which is the craft of ijtihad,games the system in the direction of literalism, or worse yet, a type of literalistically-inspired mya^[30] in which each individual, who may be busy becoming a doctor, shopping, on Facebook and Twitter, and giving their opinion, interprets text based on the meaning that most strongly occurs to them.

In such a nightmarish reality,^[31] truth, authority, reason and orthodoxy are replaced with a type of democracy of stupidities. This has been described in the ḥadīth of the Messenger of Allāh : “Whoever speaks about the Qurʾān by his own opinion is wrong even if [he happens to be] right.”^[32] The implication here is that the methodology by which the truth is sought is so horrid that it nullifies any possible benefit of randomly arriving at a correct conclusion. The similitude is one of a person who, instead of waiting to land at the airport and taking a cab home, jumps from the airplane as it flies over his house; timing his jump with a nearly impossible accuracy. Even if he is lucky and arrives at his destination, his arrival is not in any worthwhile manner.

Aside from the damage such an approach inflicts on the intellectual establishment of the Dīn due to its rabid irregularity, what is perhaps most tragic is how such intellectual vigilantism robs the top minds of the ummah of the chance to see the bigger picture when it comes to the sacred sharīʿah. Muslim scholars do not celebrate Abū Ḥanīfah and Mālik, amongst the salaf and Imām al-Ḥaramayn, Ghazālī, Shāṭibī, Qarāfī, Shāh Waliyyullāh, and others from the latter generations for amassing pages filled with attestations to particular rulings. Rather, they are looked to as beacons of light for their ability to explain the uṣūlī theory upon which the well-known precedents of the Sharīʿah were based. In many cases, they showed how that same uṣūl could be used to extrapolate rulings where no precedent existed.

Such a big picture understanding of the sacred Sharīʿah can only come from an uṣūlī understanding, the appreciation of which can only come with a solid foundation in the robust study of ʿAqīdah; without it you lose the Ghazālī and are left with the Ghazālī for Kidsseries.

Understanding how to think is indeed the crown jewel of ijtihadwhich is the difference between the ignoramus who will be punished even when arriving at the correct conclusion, versus the true ʿĀlimwho will be rewarded twice for his correct conclusions and once for those which fall short of the mark. Thus, abandoning the study of ʿAqīdah is worthy of far more concern than many perceive.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LEARNING &PROMOTING SUNNĪ ʿAQĪDAH

Regular Folks

Take a course in a basic text of ʿAqīdah like that of Imām Ṭaḥāwī, Ibn Abī Zayd, Ibn ʿĀshir, or the like with an erudite and qualified scholar, like the mashāyikh at reputable institutions like Ribat, Dār ul-Qasim or Masjid al-Huda. If you don’t have access to in-person classes, listen to a recording of the explanation of the complete text of the ʿAqīdah Ṭaḥāwiyyah here.

Community Servant-Leaders

Contact organizations like Imam Ghazali Institute or those listed above, and coordinate bringing such a course to your community targeting community leadership, students of knowledge, academics, as well as the public at large.

Support, seek advice from, and give a platform to those scholars who truly understand, believe in, uphold, and promote the Sunnī tradition, not merely as identity, but as a functional basis for viewing the world.

Novice Students of Knowledge

Read, master, and memorize a simple matn like those mentioned above, in Arabic, and take time to read through their commentaries.

Familiarize yourself with the intellectual history of Sunnī ʿAqīdah, and be able to trace how it has developed from the age of Risālah, the Salaf, the founding of its three main classical traditions, namely the Ashʿarī, Māturīdī, and Atharī schools, and how they dealt with major intellectual challenges in the past, like the Muʿtazilah and the Bāṭiniyyah.

Seek out a qualified teacher in one of those three traditions, who can competently teach you beginning and intermediate Kalāmworks, and demonstrate to you the connection between the text and the school of Kalām; the Ḥanafī school of fiqh being deeply connected to the Māturīdī school of Kalām, the Shāfiʿī school being deeply connected with the Ashʿarī, and the Ḥanbalī school with the Atharī.^[33] As for the Mālikī school, it was initially associated with the Atharī school, but after the fitnah of Ibn Tumart’s false claim to being the Mahdī, built on robust dialectics, they en masse took up the Ashʿarī school in order to defend the integrity of Sunnī creed from further spurious assault.^[34] Keep contact with said teacher and refer back to him or her whenever questions regarding the creedal implications of any legal, social, political or other issue comes up.

Advanced Students of Knowledge

Teach a class based on a basic text, like those mentioned in the recommendation section for regular folks at least twice a year; it will solidify your knowledge of its contents and allow you to see their implications in other matters you would have otherwise been heedless of, due to them being in your mind constantly. Additionally, it will be a good way of paying the zakāt due on they knowledge you have accumulated.

Read the intermediate and advanced books of your Kalām tradition. The advanced level texts will orient you with the opinions of the other schools as well. Do not suffice with that; rather read the texts of the other schools in order to get a fresh and accurate picture of their arguments.

In addition to your teachers, keep contact with a group of students who are at your level of study and reading and discuss matters of import in the intellectual, social, political and cultural life of the Muslim and the world around. When appropriate, write about such topics for the benefit of other students of knowledge and even the general public.

Use ʿAqīdah as a way of grounding your view of the world around you, allowing you to extricate yourself from getting caught up in ancillary issues, which while important, take a secondary importance when compared to those residing in the space of creed.

Sh. Hamza was born in Whittier, California and lived in Southern California until the age of ten when he moved to Blaine, Washington. He later attended the University of Washington and in 2004 completed a Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry and a Bachelors of Arts in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. He served as the president of the University of Washington Muslim Students Association, one of the largest and most active student groups on campus, as a student senator for two years, and as the Senate-appointed member of the special funding committee. After graduation, Hamza went on to pursue traditional Islamic studies, which took him to Syria and Egypt where he studied the Arabic language; Morocco, Mauritania, and the UAE, where he studied the madhab of Imam Malik, grammar, usul al-hadith, and the two renditions of the qira’ah of Imam Nafi’, Warsh and Qalun, and finally Pakistan where he had the opportunity to study tafsir, usul al-hadith, hadith, ‘ilm al-rijal and Hanafi fiqh.

All of these studies culminated in him receiving an ijazat al-tadris, literally meaning “a license to teach” which is the equivalent in Pakistani Islamic seminaries to a MA in Arabic and Islamic studies, as well as an unbroken chain of transmission by which to narrate the hadith of such books as the Muwatta of Imam Malik, the Sihah al-Sittah (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i and Ibn Majah), and the Sharh Ma’ani al-Athar of Imam al-Tahawi.

^[1] Narrated by Bukhārī, Muslim, Ahmad and others. The narration translated is from Bukhārī.

^[2] Many ardent proponents of sectarianism will argue passionately that these matters are of key importance to the belief of every Muslim. This flies in the face of the fact that if these matters were so essential to a person’s islām, they would have been explicated very clearly in one of the undisputable scriptural sources of dīn and on the tongue of the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ.

^[3] Kalām being the medium of the study of advanced ʿAqīdah in most Sunnī madāris

^[4] al-ʿAlaq 96:5

^[5] This responsibility comes hand in hand with the responsibility of the public to heed their teachings and admonishments.

^[6] Ironically so-named

^[7] One of the unfortunate consequences of the collapse of widespread and endowed patronage of the people of knowledge is that in order to prosecute their mandates, many scholars have become part time politicians in order to fund their projects, keep masjid boards at bay, make a living or even find a platform to be heard. Although it is part of the prophetic mandate for the ʿUlamāʾ to maintain a well-cultivated relationship with the public, there is an inherent tension between being a visionary representative of the Ḥaqq as transmitted through revelation and recruiting the resources from laypeople who view such support not as a sacred duty, but as transactional. Unfortunately, due to this conundrum, some scholars have turned to demagoguery and the trappings of cults in order to extract optimal support from their followers, while maintaining a level of control that mitigates the transactionality of that support; the problem here is that in solving one problem, a bigger one is created: the training of zombie-like masses who can no longer critically engage Islām, rather only parrot what their leader says. Such a model is not the one left to us by the Messenger of Allāh.

^[8] Imām here meaning an acknowledged authority in a field of learning amongst the sciences of revelation, as opposed to an imm in a local mosque.

^[9] An Arabic word for guardian and friend, it is the term most commonly used to denote sainthood amongst Muslims when used in the context of piety.

^[10] As long as such a misguidance doesn’t rationally necessitate negating Islām outright.

^[11] Herein lies a sign pointing to the prophetic methodology of teaching faḍāʾil or what the virtues of things are. Faḍāʾil as a branch of knowledge sometimes suffer the stigma of being less important than the rulings to which they point. However, inasmuch as they are necessary to engender the requisite respect in the hearts and minds of those who are morally obliged to follow those rulings, they may come to play a role which is much more important that many first think. Abandoning their mention is a departure from prophetic pedagogical methodology.

^[12] The mind being the spiritual seat of cognition, and the locus of correct ʿAqīdah.

^[13] The heart being a spiritual organ from where intentions originate, the rectification of which is the subject of Taṣawwuf.

^[14] For instance having memorized the entirety of the Qurʾān isn’t an integral component of faith in any individual, but it is a farḍ kifāyah on communities to maintain and produce those who carry and transmit the divine text.

^[15] As made up of an aggregate of small units which are analyzed and interpreted in isolation of others.

^[16] The differences in uṣūl amongst the madhāhib being the reason we have different madhabs.

^[17] Literally, the Greatest Fiqh

^[18] There are a number of popular figures who have raised great amounts of money and garnered large followings from demographically Sunnī populations, despite their utter disdain for the actual Sunnī creed in private. This is because their heterodoxy, if clearly labeled as such, would not find much support at all. Interestingly, a hallmark of Sunnism has always been isnād or an open declaration of one’s sources of knowledge, giving us the benefit of transparency as opposed to deception.

^[19] Neo-salafists being those who claim that they can bypass tradition in order to hearken back to the pristine Islām of the early generations. This is opposed to Sunnism which always held tradition as a great ark in which to preserve that same tradition and dispense it to the generations.

^[20] All those who use the Dīn to air unjustified economic grievances, and all those who believe in their hearts that some kind of redistribution of wealth will solve the problems that only a rectified heart can solve.

^[21] One of the hallmarks of modernist thinking is that the “newness” of a thing is directly connected to some sort of value it possesses. From a physical science point of view, we know that since the dawn of creation, there is nothing physically new, as matter and energy are neither created, nor destroyed. If that is the case for physical things, then what about the abstract and intangible universe of ideas? Furthermore, in the realm of ideas, something which was true yesterday is true today, and vice-versa, what relevance should “newness” have to ideas for an uṣūlī thinker in the abstract realm? In the dissemination of ideas, which is more of a political matter, these things are important, but in the world in which intellectuals transact, they rapidly lose currency amongst serious thinkers.

^[22] Like physicists and chemists

^[23] Like Sociologists, Anthropologists, and the like.

^[24] A noteworthy exception to the idea that all or most antagonists to the Kalām tradition are untrained in the classical Arabic sources are those who currently hold a position attributed to many of the salaf, namely that kalām is unsubstantiated speculation regarding revelation and the very nature of Allāh, thus a sin worse than theft and fornication, which is most widely ascribed to the Imām Aḥmad bin Ḥanbal, may Allāh sanctify his heart, and those who follow his school. Without casting any aggression toward this opinion which holds some merit, especially for the context in which it was first held, it goes without saying that such an approach will struggle to offer any help to a university student dealing with the ideological hailstorm on campus. Even then, a negation of kalām as scholastic theology is far from a negation of the importance of ʿAqīdah. The majority of Muslim scholarship, at any rate, didn’t see kalām in the post-salaf context as an abomination; I feel that radiant lamp of truth preserved in the kalām tradition would be unfairly thrown into the garbage heap of history by many at a time of darkness when the ummah acutely needs its light.

^[25] Truth

^[26] الكفر ملّة واحدة

^[27] Which, ironically, has yet to be empirically proven; who has an imaginary friend now?

^[28] It is interesting that in attempting to explore this question, cotigo ergo sum is considered to be a treasure of Farangī philosophy: in our tradition, one doesn’t even begin the long journey of understanding reality, without paying the toll tax of fanā. Indeed, when reading the works of kalām, one quickly realizes that the more intellectually taxing exercise isn’t the refutation of kufr, rather that of refuting heterodox groups which operate under the umbrella of Islāmic identity, like the Muʿtazilah, Khawārij, and the Rawāfiḍ, who dared not challenge God head on, but strayed by overlaying their own sophistry over revelation. Thus, the more skilled refutations are not those of kufr, but of the spurious interpolations of the nafs, which gave rise to heterodoxy in Islām, which is expressed in the refutation of such groups. Thus, one can restate a reality mentioned above through its opposite: the journey to kufr can only begin in earnest by the complete affirmation of nafs, Allāh forgive and protect us all, and give all of us a good end.

^[29] Not all spiritual achievements are virtuous. Some are evil, and many others are morally neutral.

^[30] The Hindu concept of the illusory conception that each individual has of the world around him. To others it is an illusion, but to the individual in question, it is real; thus there is no such thing as a reality anchored at any absolute truth, rather an array of quasi-truths, which may be completely true, but only to the individual who holds them as such.

^[31] This seems to be the direction in which the enfranchised elites of both the Muslim world and the world in general are both headed, if they haven’t already taken up residence decades ago.

^[32] Tirmidhī: بَابُ مَا جَاءَ فِي الَّذِي يُفَسِّرُ القُرْآنَ بِرَأْيِه

^[33] Being represented in the Salaf by the concept of Tafwīḍ, or vouchsafing the knowledge of that which is unclear to Allāh, rather than anthropomorphism.

^[34] المعيار المعرب, المجلّد الثاني

Notes From a Revert: Developing Love for the Prophet (SAW) without Assigning Divinity

2018-04-20T09:40:00.002+05:00

Monique Hassan gives advice to fellow reverts (and those born Muslim) on how to distinguish our love from worship.

By Monique Hassan

I was being submerged under water after being told to proclaim Jesus (as) as my savior and route to Allah (most revered, most glorified). The Pastor proclaimed my sins to be cleansed as a newly baptized Christian, yet I did not realize the grave sin everyone of us stepping into the pool was making. I did not realize this was not love for a prophet, this was assigning divinity and worshiping the idolic image of a cross.

As Muslims we must have love and admiration for the Prophet Muhammad . We also need to be mindful not to turn this love into assigning divinity and idolatry. For those of us that used to be Christians, we were taught to apply divinity to Jesus .

Most reverts do not grow up with stories of the prophet helping us to develop love for his character. If anything, we are more exposed to false stories and negative representations. This raises the question how can reverts develop and grow love for the prophet .

Study the Seerah

Making time to study seerah should be considered necessary for reverts as well as those born Muslim. If we don’t take the time to study the life of the Prophet Muhammad then how can we understand his character and why even non-Muslims have referred to him as the most influential man in human history.

It is through a greater

understanding of his life that we realize the amount of trials he went through. Beginning at a young age with the death of his parents, these trials persist throughout his life. As we learn more about our Messenger’s hardships, we are reminded of his patience and the fact he never resorted to sinful actions or betrayal; he was never dishonest.

This was a man that despite how much the leaders of Quraysh despised him and wanted him to stop delivering the message, they testified to the fact that he was of trustworthy character and called by the nickname Al-Amin; the trustworthy.

To truly understand a man you need to know the full story and not just the ending. It is important to understand his life, his decisions, and how they all impacted him as well as the people around him.

Apply the Sunnah

We often talk about something being sunnah -such as growing a beard or breaking fast with dates-, but how often are we reflecting on what that means when we apply the sunnah in our lives?

Every morning when I put my shoes on, I start with the right foot first because this is an act of sunnah. Such a small action might not seem impactful, but it is a way of making me more mindful of my faith, and self-aware of my actions. When we apply acts of sunnah into our daily life, we are reminding ourselves of the actions of the Prophet and trying to emulate his example within our own lifestyle.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ فَإِن تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ إِن كُنتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلًا

O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result. [Surah An-Nisa;59]

Consider for a moment that the Prophet was the best example of understanding the Quran and applying it to his own life, as if he was a walking and talking representation of the revelation. This can only mean that when you draw yourself closer to the Prophet by applying his sunnah into your life, you are drawing yourself closer to Allah . When we look at it from this perspective, it increases our love for the prophet , as his behavior directly influences our connection with the Quran.

Gratefulness

In keeping with this concept of increasing love to increase our connection with the Quran, this will undoubtedly make us more grateful towards the Prophet . Gratitude will not only increase our love and appreciation for him, it will make us want to learn more and apply more acts of sunnah within our life.

We know from various hadith that the Prophet interceded for us many times; for instance when he asked for leniency in the amount of prescribed prayers, and in how many dialects are permitted in recitation, and in him making dua’ for his ummah on the Day of Resurrection. How can we as believers not feel gratitude and our hearts touched by love for him when we consider that a Prophet of Allah is saying he will make dua’ for us then!

“There was for every apostle a prayer with which he prayed for his Ummah and it was granted to him; but I wish, if Allah so wills, to defer my prayer for the intercession of my Ummah on the Day of Resurrection.” [Muslim]

Choose Friends Wisely

The people we chose to surround ourselves with will impact our love for the Prophet and our connection to the Quran. If you choose to be around people that love following the Quran and sunnah, this will likely have a positive impact on you. It can help increase your love for the Prophet while also providing greater bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood. On the other hand, if you choose to be around people that laugh at acts of sunnah while saying “That is JUST sunnah. It is nothing!”, you shouldn’t be surprised when this negatively impacts you.

“Man follows his friend’s religion, you should be careful who you take for friends.” [Al-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud]

Assign Love, Not Divinity

While we strive to increase our love and admiration for the Prophet [saws], we must be mindful not to transgress and step into the realm of assigning divinity. If we look at the ruling on creating images of the Prophet , we know that this is a protection for ourselves. If we had pictures hanging in our house of the Prophet , how many would fall into sin by worshiping these images or praying while clutching them close as if they were talismans.

Developing love for the Prophet is developing love for the best of men; the best of mankind. Yet, in our love for the Prophet , we must always bear in mind that we do not pray nor prostrate to any Prophet or any man, and we must always keep Allah at the center of our hearts and intentions.

My Mother Was a Secret

2018-04-20T09:34:00.000+05:00

A hidden diagnosis and a lifetime of pain

By Naureen Ahmed

My parents married each other in the late 70’s in Karachi. They moved to Brooklyn, NY, where my mother gave birth to my two sisters in a span of 13 months. My father, a surgeon, was going through residency at the time.It wasn’t easy being a wife of a busy resident, in a new country, with two small babies to look after. She was soon diagnosed with “baby blues” also known as post-partum depression. My father now shares with us scary stories about her violent fits in their small one-bedroom apartment.

A few years later, they moved to a small town in Arkansas, where I was born. My father says they went through 3-year cycles–first year was good, second-year bad, third-year worse, rinse, repeat. This continued for the 9 years of their marriage. So if I do the math, I guess I was born in a bad year. They were legally separated, then reconciled, but ultimately divorced in 1986.

My mom was stuck in 1986 until the day she died.

My father remarried a few years later, and this triggered my mother’s first psychotic “nervous breakdown”. She was in a psychiatric hospital for a few months. I remember visiting her in the hospital, looking at her vacant stares, forced smiles as she showed us the pottery she had created for us. But we couldn’t tell our father. We were warned that we’d never see our mother again if we did.

So it was a secret. If we told anyone, there would be consequences.

My sisters and I carried on through life telling people she had “chemical imbalance and depression.” I never heard the word schizophrenia until I was 25.

She came back home. From the moment my mother would wake up, she’d pace the house–bedroom, living room, kitchen, and back….and forth…until she fell asleep again at night. And she wasn’t quiet while she paced. She ranted and raved about all the wrong everyone had done to her in her life.

And then there were the psychotic fits…brandishing knives, threatening to kill herself. She would violently attack my grandparents and sometimes us. The three of us, scared, would either lock ourselves up in our bedroom, or sit on the top steps, peeking and watching her lash out at anyone and anything in her path.

We were neglected. There was no one to calm us down, tell us it would all be alright: “Sojao, go to sleep, everything will be fine in the morning.”

Some nights she would kick all of us out of the house. We would sneak into the backyard and watch her through the curtains as she wailed and cried and screamed for hours on end.

Life went on, and we just dealt with it, learned how to manage her. My grandparents moved out, they were too old to take her physical assaults. They would pick us up and take us to school in the mornings and drop us home in the evenings with food. But mostly, we were left alone with her.

NEGLECTED

Some days, she was happy, blaring Bollywood music on the stereo, singing in her beautiful sing-song voice, with freshly brushed hair and red lipstick. She loved makeup. She loved fashion, wearing beautiful shalwar kameez. At times she would even raid my sisters’ closets. Those were good days. I loved those days. Cherished those days.

But most days were spent pacing, or sitting in bed with wild hair and bloodshot eyes, crying and begging us to tell her everything would be okay. Us, her children….. we were now the parents, and she was the child.

I hated her. “Snap out of it!” “Stop being depressed!’ “Can’t you just be my mother?!?”

She didn’t take care of me. She didn’t cook, didn’t clean, didn’t come to Parent/Teacher conferences, didn’t make my class cupcakes on my birthday, or come to my basketball games. She was a shell. There was no one inside. My sisters taught me about puberty. My sisters cleaned up our room. My sisters packed my lunches until I could do it myself. My sisters and I did our own laundry. I barely learned to read the Quran, and had only memorized 3 surahs by the time I was 17.

We grew up too fast, like animals, just trying to survive.

The school was my outlet. I was popular, loved to laugh and spend time with my friends. But no one could come over. I learned my lesson trying to do that once. Having my friends over meant them asking, “Why is your mom walking back and forth? Why is your mom staring at me?”. I would try to laugh it off as my mom just being an immigrant.

All of us were top of our class, somehow. Through all the madness, we focused on our studies. It was our only way out. Study, go away to college, find a job, get married, get away, whatever it takes.

So we did. We all got married within 9 months of each other. I was the youngest bride at 19 years of age. My sisters stayed in Arkansas, but I moved as far away as possible, to Chicago. I visited my family every year, for a week here and there. I could only handle her in small doses.

I FOUND ISLAM

I stopped hating her after I found Islam. Especially after my sister read about schizophrenia and confronted our family with her newfound facts. They had no choice but to admit her diagnosis. Then I read everything, and I understood. And I was more compassionate towards her, more patient.

But then she died.

What was the point of her life? All she did was suffer! My grandparents suffered. We suffered. I SUFFERED! But she suffered….. she was so beautiful, innocent, affectionate, artistic…. why God, ya Allah, why?

So we took that pain, and we created SEEMA: Support Embrace Empower Mental health Advocacy. SEEMA was created to support families like ours, who are shamed by the stigma of mental illness, are isolated by their communities, and are suffering alone. Through support groups and workshops, SEEMA will make sure no one suffers alone anymore.

7 Tips For Connecting with Muslim Millenials

2018-04-20T09:26:00.000+05:00

By Talha Bozkurt

Muslim Millennial:

\muz-ləm mə-ˈle-nē-əl\

Muslims who were born into the age of social media.

The world is rapidly changing and developing, and so must our modes of engagement when it comes to Muslim Millennials. According to a Pew Research study conducted in the year 2015, the average median age for Muslims globally was 24 years, the youngest cohort relative to all other religions. Thus, Muslim organisations ought to focus more on how to effectively engage and utilise the vigour of this young audience for the brighter future of our Ummah. But how?

Allah in the Holy Quran provides us with an eternal method for inviting people to His path.

اُدۡعُ اِلٰى سَبِيۡلِ رَبِّكَ بِالۡحِكۡمَةِ وَالۡمَوۡعِظَةِ الۡحَسَنَةِ

“Invite (all) to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good counsel…” [Surah An-Nahl; 125]

This article endeavors to put into practice divine advice entailing i) wisdom and ii) good counsel through 7 key points and real life examples that aim to bridge the gap even closer between Muslim Millennials and Islam.

Stay Up-to-date with Social media

I am not referring to simply having a presence on social media outlets (Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat) and promoting an organization’s Islamic events. Stay Up-to-date with “why” and “how” it is that young Muslims utilize these platforms; enter their sphere to better comprehend “what” it is they find appealing. Social media outlets are the means with which we can establish a connection virtually, before venturing across to the bridge of reality.

For example:

Going throgh some snapchat stories, more recently a common infatuation amongst my young brothers is a game called “fortnite.” Knowledge of this game’s popularity might be the means through which such youth can potentially enter into Muslim youth organizations. I know of a good friend that began his journey to becoming an integral volunteer after participating in a games tournament organised by the youngsters at the local Mosque.

For Muslim women, “hijab tutorials” is a theme that seems to be trending on Instagram. The ‘modest’ fashion industry is exponentially growing and becoming more popular. Female organisations can organize ‘Hijab Festivals’ or Hijab tutorial workshops to draw in young Muslim women. Such events will not only be an opportunity to display the real definition of hijab, but also be the catalyst to further young women’s journey to learn more about their deen.

These are only two pertinent examples amongst many where staying up-to-date with young Muslim’s interests can be the spark with which to use to further their connection with Islam and their Muslim Identity.

Physically reaching out

If the younger generation are at mosques and events today, it is mainly because their parents strongly encourage (pronounced “force”) them to be there. Ideally we would like to see these very youngsters having their own reasons for coming to the mosque. Yet as our discussion continues, we will be waiting for a very long time before this actually happens. It is for this reason that it is upon us to make the physical effort of seeking out these youngsters and meeting them at their places of interest.

For example:

A brother knew a group of young Muslims who had a passion for bike riding, but little connection with the mosque. With the intention of developing a stronger relationship with these young Muslims, he purchased a bike and participated in their rides together. Long story short, after a few rides, through the brother’s effort those same youth are now dedicated volunteers at their local masjid. This isn’t his method; It is the method of the beloved Prophet Muhammad . He first wrestled with Rukana and then invited him to Islam; which he accepted. [Tirmidhi (vol. 4, p.247)]

Start Young(er)

When we hear the word ‘youth’, we generally think of teenagers. A lot of our events are generally directed at Muslims teenagers and above. It is the case that some Muslim parents aren’t able to provide their children with the correct Islamic education (tarbiya). The moment they step foot into society, they become extremely vulnerable. We should lower the age for our events and activities so that we can fill any gaps of curiosity and doubt before they reach their teenage years.

It is also paramount to acknowledge that this generation was born into a technological era unaware of what it was like for the internet to be too slow to connect. There is a famous Turkish proverb that says “a tree bends while it is young,” which depicts in essence our approach to getting our Muslim youth to take ownership of their identity early on in life.

Address issues that are relevant and relatable.

The average attention span of humans, according to a study by Microsoft Corp, has now descended to an astounding eight seconds (apparently goldfish have an attention span of nine seconds). What does this mean for us? Your introduction is very important. The style of the message you’re conveying is very important. It must be appealing and relatable.

For Example:

At the start of a talk given to a group of youth, the speaker informed the audience that his topic was an explanation of ‘Surah Al-Instagram’. When he mentioned this, all the youth in the room developed excitement and curiosity. Obviously the students knew there wasn’t a surah titled ‘al-Instagram’, but it was sufficient to draw in their attention. In that talk, the speaker elaborated to the youth some of the effects Instagram has on an individual. But to address such issues, we first have stay up-to-date with social media (see 1^stpoint).

What not to do:

I once attended an Islamic lecture given to a group of Muslim youth (millenials) where the speaker mentioned that our pious predecessors would do “thousands of adhkar (rememberance) on a daily basis”. The moment young Muslims are presented with examples that are difficult for them to relate with, they can lose interest and deem themselves inferior. Wisdom entails saying the right thing at the right place at the right time.

Food & Games are an ideal way of Da’wah

Some Muslims limit da’wah to every sentence starting with “Qala Allah , Qala Rasulullah ” (Allah said, the Prophet said). Da’wah however, can be in the form of any invitation that leads us to the goal; that is Allah . From reminding someone of a verse from the Holy Quran, to smiling at the face of your brother/sister, da’wah has a much broader scope than we think.

I once asked for advice from a local scholar with regards to dealing with youth, and he mentioned the following pearls of wisdom: “There are some youth you lead with your mind, and there are others you lead with your stomach.” The simplicity of this statement had a profound effect on me as it was both practical and effective. My local mosque for example continues to provide pizzas for the youth after their weekly lectures as an incentive, and it works.

Sports and Sport stars

The influence of sports players has dramatically increased. Young people LOVE sports! And they respect successful sports players more than we think. We may not have many Muhammad Ali’s at this time, but we do have the Sonny Bill Williams, Mohammah Salahs, and the Khabib Nurmagomedovs that don’t shy away from their religious identity. One might simply say the sports these players perform is futile or haraam, and as a result dismiss its’ impact. Yet a lot of young Muslims will still watch and still follow them regardless of one’s religious stance.

On the other hand, you can utilize and engage with such sports stars to draw in the younger crowd for a greater objective. A seeming reality is that an Islamic reminder uttered by a successful sports star has greater impact on young Muslims than Muslim leaders themselves. So look out into your local communities to see if there are any prominent Muslim sport stars your organisation can engage with.

For Example:

A friend of mine is a young, successful, and practicing Muslim BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) coach. Through his achievement in the sport on a global level, and his identity as a practicing Muslim, he is able to influence his Muslim students simply through his actions. He once mentioned to me that “during training one day, I told students I will be pausing for prayer and went to pray. After I gave salaam, I realized there was about 30-40 students praying behind me”.

(Note: World Cup 2018 is coming up in June, so make sure to utilise this massive event as a source of attraction for youth in your organisations.)

And finally, the most important point…

Approach Muslim Millennials with the eye of mercy and compassion.

We have already established simple methods in how we can bridge the gaps between the years. Yet let us not forget we too were young with a lack of experience and it was only through the mercy of Allah that we found our feet before the exponential boom of distractions. We must be very sensitive and cautious in our approach towards our fellow brothers and sisters. We must understand the gravity of the challenges they are facing in today’s hypersexualized society before we begin to address them. We should not criticize them nor be overly judgemental. We should not complain about how “entitled” or how “corrupted” some of them may have become.

The golden rule in dealing with Muslim Millennials is that we approach them with the eye of mercy and compassion, and with sincere belief that we are not superior to them. This way, our relationships will be stronger and more effective, and as a result the Ummah’s future will be in trustworthy hands inshaAllah.

Notes:

– This advice caters to the majority of ‘Muslim Millenials’ according to the established behavioral mindset of the times.

– Everything mentioned above can be implemented by any type of Muslim organization: youth organizations, schools, madrasas, mentoring institutes and the like. In short, anything or anyone that/who is related to engaging with Muslim Millennials.

Melbourne born and raised, Talha Bozkurt has qualifications in Islamic Studies from the University of Marmara, Turkey and is also a graduate of the Cambridge Muslim College, UK. He has also studied the Arabic language and Islamic Sciences under prominent scholars in Egypt, Jordan and Yemen. He was a previous youth president for an Islamic organisation and has extensive experience working amongst Muslim youth both as a community member and as an Islamic Studies teacher. He is currently pursuing postgrad studies in Islamic studies at the University of Melbourne.

The Male Lust, The Female Form and The Forbidden Gaze

2018-04-20T09:19:00.003+05:00

Allah ﷻ informs in the Holy Qur’an: Made beautiful for mankind is the love of desires for women and offspring, of hoarded heaps of gold and silver, of branded horses, cattle and plantations. [3:14] Although such things are elsewhere spoken of positively in the Qur’an, as blessings for which people should be thankful, here they are spoken of seductively in terms of objects which men lust over, crave and covet. Unsurprisingly, women top the list. This fact rings loudly in a hadith in which the Prophet ﷺ informed: ‘I have not left after me a fitnah more harmful for men than women.’1 It’s a warning that only a fool or a fasiq would be keen to overlook or take lightly. Another hadith states: ‘The world is green and sweet and Allah has placed you in it as custodians to see how you behave. So be mindful of the world and be wary of women; the first fitnah of the Children of Israel was to do with women.’2

If alcohol breaks inhibitions such that people will sexually behave in ways they usually wouldn’t when they are sober, then the devil is even more potent in removing modesty, boundaries and inhibitions between the sexes. The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘A woman is ‘awrah;whenever she goes out, the devil beautifies her.’3

The word ‘awrah, often translated into English as ‘nakedness’, can also mean weakness, vulnerability or something that is unseemly and indecent.4 Women are considered to be ‘awrah because of their desirability. In Islam, the feminine form – desirable, alluring and sensuous in the privacy of the marital home – should not be made to appear so in the public sphere. It’s not just the objectifying male gaze that demeans or threatens women; sometimes some women need saving from their own intemperate selves.

Of course, in our e-world awash with sin, porn and the sexualisation of even children, such revealed wisdom is unlikely to be received with the openness it would have done in a not so long ago age. Notions of modesty, decency or respectability with regard to how the sexes should interact are utterly alien to our consumer-driven, sexually-charged culture. To even suggest, as Islam does, that there could be a modest or dignified way of being a ‘lady’ (and, of course, a ‘gentleman’) is to court ridicule or scorn from an often uncritical public: some may even shout misogyny. I’ve previously written on contemporary gender interactions in Beards, Hijabs & Body Language: Gender Relations, so I’ll confine myself to these few remarks:

The principles of modesty, restraint and respectability have long been written out of our social norms and mores, and this was bound to impact Muslim attitudes too. One hadith says: ‘Modesty and faith are two close companions; if one of them is removed, the other follows.’5 Indeed, as Muslims themselves begin to relax these principles, or compromise them in the hope of being welcomed to the table of liberal sensibilities, can we perhaps see in where it has led others, where we too could be heading?

It’s not just the hijab or niqab we’re talking about. It runs far deeper than that. It’s about much more than just the externals. It’s about how one behaves; it’s about how one carries themselves; of how one disposes their soul towards the opposite gender. Ultimately, it’s about the heart’s purity and its attachment to its Lord.

♦

Allah ﷻ commands: Tell believing men to lower their gaze and guard their modesty. That will be purer for them. For Allah is aware of what they do.[24:30]. On citing this verse, Ibn al-Qayyim noted:

‘Allah put purification after lowering one’s gaze and guarding the private parts. This is why restraining the gaze from the forbidden necessitates three benefits of great worth and tremendous significance. Firstly, [experiencing] the sweetness and delight of faith that is far sweeter, pleasant or delightful than that which the gaze was left, or averted from, for Allah’s sake. Indeed, whoever leaves a thing for Allah’s sake, He shall replace it with what is better than it.6 The soul is deeply enamoured with gazing at beautiful forms. The eye is the scout for the heart, and it sends its scout out to see what’s there. If the eye informs it of something it finds visually attractive and beautiful, it is moved to desire it … Whoever allows their gaze to roam free will constantly be in regret. For the gaze gives rise to love, which begins with the heart having an attachment (‘alaqah) to what it is beholden too. As it strengthens, it becomes an ardent longing (sababah); the heart now hopelessly besotted with it. Growing more, it becomes an infatuation (gharam); it sticks to the heart as a creditor (gharim) sticks to his debtor (gharimah) from whom he doesn’t part. Growing stronger, still, it becomes passionate love (‘ishq); an excessive love. Then it becomes a burning love (shaghaf); a love which reaches to the very lining of the heart and enters it. Intensifying further, it becomes worshipful love (tatayyum) … the heart becoming a slave [worshipper] of that which it isn’t worthy of being enslaved to. And all of this is because of the harmful gaze.’7

Leave aside the debate on whether the greater onus is on women dressing modestly, or men lowering their gaze. There’s no doubt that in today’s ambiance it falls upon men to lower their gaze and to refrain from the lustful, illicit and harmful glance. Shaykh Jaleel Akhoon recently remarked that sins usually leave a black stain on the heart, that can be cleansed through the act of contrition and repentance. But if the heart is captive to the object of its love; enslaved to it by its ‘ishq, then this is worse than the ‘usual’ sin. For the heart isn’t just stained or darkened, he stressed; it is inverted. This has certain echoes of Ibn al-Qayyim when he said: ‘Many a passionate lover will admit they have no place at all in their heart for other than their passionate love. Instead, they let their passionate love completely conquer their heart, thereby becoming an avid worshipper of it … There is no comparison between the harm of this dire matter and the harm wrought by sexual misconduct (fahishah). For this sin is a major one for the one who commits it, but the evil of this ‘ishq is that of idolatry (shirk). A shaykh from the knowers of Allah (‘arifun) said: “That I be tested with sexual misconduct by this beautiful form is more preffered to me than to be tested with it through ‘ishq, by which my heart worships it and is diverted from Allah by it.”‘8

The cure, Shaykh Jaleel says, is that as soon as the heart is tempted by what it must not gaze at, one reins in the gaze and diverts it from the haram or harmful. No effort can be spared in doing so, lest the forbidden glance secretes its poison into the heart, causing it irreparable injury, anguish and torment.

We Ask Allah for safety, sensibility and success.

≈

1. Al-Bukhari, no.5096; Muslim, nos.3740-41.

2. Muslim, no.2742.

3. Al-Bazzar, no.2061; at-Tirmidhi, no.1173, who said it is hasan gharib.

4. Cf. Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon (Cambridge: Islamic Texts Society, 2003), 2:2193-4.

5. Al-Bukhari, al-Adab al-Mufrad, no.1313; al-Hakim, Mustadrak, 1:22, who declared: ‘It is sahih as per the conditions of the two shaykhs.’

6. Possibly paraphrasing the hadith: ‘Indeed, you will not leave anything for the sake of Allah, except that Allah will replace it with something better.’ Ahmad, no.22565, and its chain is sahih. See: al-Albani, Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da‘ifah (Riyadh: Maktabah al-Ma‘arif, 1992), 1:62; no.5

7. Ighathat al-Lahfan fi Masayid al-Shaytan (Makkah: Dar ‘Alam al-Fawa’id, 2011), 75. The other two benefits he discusses are: Secondly, the heart being illumined and given to see with spiritual clarity and insight; thirdly, the heart is given strength, courage, firmness and honour.

8. Al-Da’ wa’l-Dawa’ (Saudi Arabia: Imam Dar al-Hijrah, 2014), 514-5.

Importance of Saying Salaam | Benefits of “As-Salaamu Alaikum”

2018-04-04T09:00:00.002+05:00

“Salaam” is an Arabic word; its literal meaning is ‘peace’. It also used for harmlessness, benefit, and protection from the evils. Salam is a name of Allah Almighty its meaning is “May the blessing of His name descend upon you.” Hence when someone greets Salaam to another it is as if he/she is saying to him/her “I am offering you safety and security and I have no intention to harm you anywhere.”

Muslims should greet each other by saying “As-Salaamu Alaikum”. One should respond with “Wa-Alaikumus Salaam”. The response of Salaam has the similar reward as of saying salaam. Saying salaam is the Sunnah but its response is a Fard. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: “The person closest to Allah is the one who precedes others with greetings” (Abu Dawud). The greeting is one of the best things in Islam as Holy Prophet (PBUH) made spreading of Salaam a part of faith.

Saying Salaam is one of the rights over another Muslim as Holy Prophet (SAW) said in one of his hadith: “The Muslim has five rights over his fellow-Muslim: he should return his salaams, visit him when he is sick, attend his funeral, accept his invitation, and pray for mercy for him when he sneezes” (Bukhari).Muslims should greet another fellow Muslims no matter we know them or not. By greeting we can establish friendly relations with one another in a society. In Holy Quran Allah Almighty said about salaam in these words: “And those who believed (in the Oneness of God and His Messengers and whatever they brought) and did righteous deeds, will be made to enter Gardens under which rivers flow, – to dwell therein forever (i.e. in Paradise), with the Permission of their Lord. Their greeting therein will be, salam” (Quran, 14:23). Every one of us should make a habit of saying “As-Salaamu Alaikum”. Every time when you enter the house or see a child or an adult say, Salaam.

Benefits of saying As-Salaamu Alaikum

There are many benefits of saying As-Salaamu Alaikum some of them are given below:

Saying As-Salaamu Alaikum is a means of extensive reward.
Salaam is an aspect of Imaan. Once a man asked from Holy Prophet (SAW) about which aspect of Islam was the best then Holy Prophet (PBUH) replied: “Feeding the hungry and saying salaam to those you know and those you don’t know.”(Bukhari)
Our beloved Prophet (SAW) said: “When two Muslims meet (give salaam), and shake hands, they are forgiven their sins before they part (with each other)”(Abu Dawud). So we can say that As-Salaamu Alaikum is a source of getting rid of sins.
Saying salaam is a means of entering Jannah. Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “You will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I not tell you about something which, if you do it, you will love one another? Spread salaam (the greeting of peace) among you.”(Muslim)
In Holy Quran, Allah Almighty says: “Then, those that feared their Lord shall be driven in companies into Paradise. When they draw near its gates will be opened, and its keepers will say to them: “Salaamu ‘Alaikum”, you have done well. Enter and live in it forever.”(Quran, 39:73). From this verse of Noble Quran, we can say that Salaam is the greeting of people of Jannah.
Salaam is a prayer of peace and blessings.

In a nutshell, Salaam is a blessing that Allah Almighty Himself send down for us so we should use it to get rewards from Allah Almighty. Salaam also helps us to get close to each other and also a source of removing arrogance. May Allah Almighty help us to revive the Sunnah of saying “As-Salaamu Alaikum”! Ameen

10 Great Tips to Raise A Muslim Kid

2018-04-04T08:50:00.001+05:00

Children are the future of a generation, therefore, when couples become parents their primary focus is upon raising the kids in the best manner possible. There focus is on eliminating the factors, which they think bad and bring in the factors, which they think, are good and necessary for the upbringing of their children. The teaching of religion is one compulsory part of the upbringing process.

For Muslim parents it is necessary to work on the upbringing of children as in the life hereafter they will be held responsible for the upbringing of their children. There are some tips that can help Muslim parents raise their children in a better way so that they become closer to Islam and be better practicing Muslims. The lines below discuss a few such tips.

Tell Them The Importance Of Worship:

Being human comes with one of the major objectives of worshipping Allah Almighty. For a Muslim it is imperative that he or she worships Allah Almighty so that they know that He is the Lord and we as humans are supposed to turn to Him and worship Him only. It is the fundamental of Islam and without knowing and acknowledging the fact that Allah is the Only One worthy of worship a Muslim cannot proceed in faith. Therefore, it is the duty of Muslim parent to teach the children the importance of worship, mainly about the five pillars of Islamso that the kids understand the Lordship of Allah and subjugate to Him only.

Arrange Quran Tutor:

In addition to teaching children about the importance of worship in Islam, a Muslim parent must also arrange a Quran tutor for the children who can teach them to read Quran. Quran is the conduct of life, which a Muslim is to follow, therefore, the sooner the kids get exposed to Quran the better understanding they get of Islam in addition to attaining reward for Quran recitation. The benefit of a Quran tutor is that he or she can also teach Quran to the kids with translation and explanation of verses, hence, kids get a better and thorough understanding of Islam.

Be Kind To Them:

The one thing about Islam is that there is no compulsion in it. A person can only tell the other about Islam in a better way so that the other person gets attracted towards it and wishes to know more about it. If the preaching of Islam is done in a less than kind or impolite manner, then the results are adverse which result in the person going further away from Islam. Therefore, when it comes to teaching children about Islam, never be harsh, rather under any circumstance and teaching whatever you wish to teach them, never ever let go of kindness. The more kind and polite you are in teaching children, the more they will be open to learning and would put up little resistance.

Tell Them Stories:

Moral stories are what are used to teach children about ethics and values. Moreover, children look forward to stories as they inspire them and provoke their imagination. When it comes to raising children on Islamic values, it is imperative that you as a Muslim parent tell the children stories about Islamic ways of life, Muslim heroes and how they contributed to Islam and the way they lived their lives. When children will listen to their stories they will get ideals to look forward to while growing up. This way children will have ideals in front of them in addition to knowing about the true values and norms of Islam pertinent to living life in a better way.

Make Islam Interesting for Kids

It is definitely a difficult thing to get your kids into the habit of Islamic learning. However, you can make it easier for you by making Islam interesting for them. In this technological era, there have been many teaching methods in place that can effectively help you.

Let Them Sit With Adults:

Perhaps the biggest problem with Muslim parents is that they try keeping children away from the company of adults because there are discussions that are not suitable for kids and thus they are to be kept away from sitting in the adults. Although this action is undertaken to protect children from adult discussions, however, this consistent attitude of keeping them separate results in them being deprived from precious Islamic knowledge the sharing of which takes place during Islamic discussions among adults. Therefore, in order to ensure that children get maximum exposure to Islam, a Muslim parent must make sure that children are a part of adult Islamic discussions and lectures.

Give Them Importance:

If you are truly serious about Islamic upbringing of your children then you must be aware of the fact that you need to boost confidence in them so that when they grow up and chose the path of Islam they will stick with it because the way of Islam is different than any other way. Therefore, to prepare children for the time when they will be different you need to give them importance during their youth. The importance you give them in the matters of family, in discussions on Islam and in general understanding and perception of Islam gives them confidence that helps them in learning and then practicing it in later years of their life.

Reward Them:

Once you have educated your children about a particular Islamic principle or value, then you need to associate the practice of it with some kind of reward so that the children get encouragement to practice it. Therefore, the element of reward must be associated with everything good done or practiced by the children during their education and upbringing phase.

Conclusion:

When it comes to upbringing and raising of Muslim children, the parents must never take the route of coercion, rather they should teach and educate their children about Islam in the politest and kindest of manner along with being an example to them by practicing Islam.

The Fundamental Beliefs and Components of Faith in Islam

2018-04-04T08:43:00.001+05:00

Every religion has some fundamentals that lay down the framework of that particular religion. The followers then ensure that the fundamentals are maintained and observed on regular bases to ensure that the religion stays true to its original form and that the people have a single path to follow.

Like other religions, Islam also has its set of fundamentals. The fundamentals of Islam can be distributed into two categories. The first category can of the Islamic fundamentals that are related to practice or that require demonstration, while the second category can be the fundamentals that stand as core Islamic beliefs.

The lines below discuss both these categories so that the readers of this post can increase their knowledge about Islam and the fundamentals it is based upon.

Fundamentals To Be Practiced:

The first category of Islamic fundamentals comprises of beliefs of values that are to be practiced. These are generally referred to as the Five pillars of Islam and it is obligatory on any Muslim to observe and practice these fundamentals. The five pillars of Islam with their brief detail are as follows.

Shahada – The first major fundamental of Islam without which a Muslim cannot be a Muslim is the believe in and proclamation of Shahada. It refers to a Muslim exclaiming that Allah is the only God and that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is the messenger of Allah. Although it is a statement that needs to be said once and believed in, however, the reason why it is included in pillars is that a Muslim has to put it in to practice in his or her conduct. In life a Muslim has to behave in a way that shows that he or she submits to Allah only and that Muhammad (PBUH) is the true Prophet to him or her.

Salah – The second pillar of Islam is Salah. It refers to the obligatory prayers that a Muslim has to offer five times a day. Salah is compulsory upon both Muslim men and Muslim women and there is no relaxation in it and it will be one of the first things to be asked about on the Judgment day. Therefore, all Muslims are suggested to learn Namaz and regularly offer prayers to please Allah and achieve success hereafter.

Zakah – In Islam there is the concept of Almsgiving of Zakah which is applicable on people that have a certain amount of wealth. All those who are wealthy enough to pay Zakah, they ought to offer it to the poor and it is obligatory upon them to offer it. Zakat is calculated upon a certain amount of money, or personal belongings such as Gold, Silver, etc saved for a certain period of time. There are numbers of ways you can calculate the Zakat amount on your personal belongings. The one which is considered useful nowadays, is using a Zakat Calculator. The Zakat calculator entails a list of possessions and you can use it to compute the amount on your particular possessions.

Sawm – The fourth pillar of Islam that requires demonstration is Sawm. It refers to fasting in the month of ramadan where Muslims fast from dawn till dusk for a whole month.

Hajj – It is the pilgrimage to the house of Allah in Makkah. The offering of Hajj is also an obligation on all the Muslims who are wealthy and can afford to offer it. Hajj is a symbol of recognizing the Supremacy of Allah and gives a message of universal brotherhood. It is the holiest obligation considered among Muslims and every Muslim wishes to at least once visit the Holy Home of Lord. To know how Muslims perform the Hajj, you can download Complete Hajj Guide and know everything about this holy obligation.

Fundamental Beliefs:

In addition to the fundamentals that have to be practiced, there are others that comprise the belief of a Muslim. A Muslim has to believe in these fundamentals in order to have pure and complete belief. The core fundamentals in which a Muslim must believe from the bottom of the heart are discussed below.

Believe In Allah – Firstly a Muslim has to believe in Allah as the Lord of this universe and whatever is in it. No matter whatever a Muslim says from the tongue, this belief should be instilled and engraved in the heart of a Muslim.

Believe in Angels – Secondly, a Muslim has to believe in angels as the creation of Allah Almighty. These angels are servants of Allah and all they do is carry out His orders and praise and worship Him.

Believe in Prophets – Besides Muhammad (PBUH) a Muslim has to believe in all the other Prophets that Allah Almighty sent for the guidance of mankind and give them equal respect and reverence.

Believe In Divine Books – Like other Prophets, a Muslim has to believe in all the other books that were revealed to those Prophets for the guidance of their nations. Therefore, in addition to Quran, the other divine books are also to be believed in by a Muslim.

Believe in Judgment Day – A Muslim is to have the belief that the Judgment day is inevitable and once it arrives, all the people will be held accountable for their deeds which they committed in this world.

Believe in Destiny – A Muslim must also believe that there are some things that are beyond human power and comprehension and should be regarded as elements of destiny or faith.

Believe In Resurrection – A Muslim must believe that there is life after death and once a person dies, he or she will rise again and the life that will be given to a person then will be the eternal life with no end.

Conclusion:

In a nutshell, in order to be a true Muslim and complete in belief, a Muslim has to believe in and practice the core fundamentals of Islam. The personification of these fundamentals can be seen in the personality of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), therefore, every Muslim must find guidance from His Sunnah.

Learn How To Pray

2018-02-14T16:16:00.002+05:00

Prayer in Islam, is worship of Allah the Almighty, Praising and Thanking Him, acknowledging His Sovereignty and committing oneself to obey and remember Him at all times. It is the central part of a way of life, which is based on submission to the Creator of us all.

The five prayers are among the best acts of worship that the Muslim performs. Performing them is the best deed after having the correct belief in God and His Messenger. Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh), was asked what the best deed was and he said it was performing the obligatory prayers at the beginning of their times.

When we say "prayers" we are referring to an act of worshipping God which has a specific format as God revealed to Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh). The prophets, from Prophet Adam to Prophet Muhammad (Pbut), ordered their followers to pray as per God's orders.

Since the prayer is the most important matter of Islam after having the correct belief in God and His Messenger, one must plan his life around the prayer. It would be a great sin to neglect praying when at work if a prayer was required at that time. If a believer is shopping at the mall or waiting at the airport and there is no way to get home or to a mosque, he is still obligated to perform the prayer within its due time instead of purposely leaving out or delaying the prayer. This indicates the importance of the obligatory prayer. Performing the obligatory prayer on time takes priority over other non-obligatory matters.

Each of the 5 prayers have different number of units (Raka'at) for each.

Fajr (Dawn Prayer) is 2 units (Raka'at)
Dhor (Noon prayer) is 4 units (Raka'at)
Asr (Afternoon prayer) is 4 units (Raka'at)
Maghrib (Sunset prayer) is 3 units (Raka'at)
Isha (Night prayer) is 4 units (Raka'at)

A unit (Raka'a) of prayer is from step 2 to step 8 of the above tutorial.

Step 1 is performed once at the beginning of each of the 5 daily prayers

Step 2 to step 8 is repeated for each unit (Raka'a) of prayer.

Step 9 to step 14 is a repeat of steps 2 to step 8 and is the completion of the first 2 units (Raka'at) of prayer.

The first 2 units (Raka'at) of prayer consist of 2 chapters from the Qur'an and the 3rd and forth unit is only 1 chapter. The first chapter that is recited is chapter 1 of the Qur'an 'Al Fatiha' (The Opening).

Al fatiha (The opening) is recited for each and every unit of prayer. When praying the first 2 units, recite Al Fatiha (The opening) and also one of the short chapters of the Qur'an such as chapters 112-114. You are free to recite any of the chapters of the Qur'an after Al Fatiha even the lengthy ones but I recommend that you start with the short ones as they will be easier to memorize.

Eg. 1st unit (Raka'a) of prayer = Chapter 1 plus Chapter 112
2nd unit (Raka'a) of prayer = Chapter 1 plus Chapter 113
3rd unit (Raka'a) of prayer = Chapter 1 only
4th unit (Raka'a)of prayer = Chapter 1 only

After you have completed 2 units (Raka'at) of prayer, you move onto step 15 unless you are performing the Fajr prayer which is only 2 units (Raka'at) so instead of moving onto step 15, you move onto step 28.

After you have completed step 28 move onto step 29 and 30. Your 2 units (Raka'at) of prayer are now complete.

If you are performing the Maghrib (sunset) prayer which is 3 units (Raka'at), complete steps 2 to 21 then move onto steps 28, 29 & 30 to complete your prayer.

If you are performing any of the prayers which contain 4 units (Raka'at) of prayer ie Dhor (Noon prayer), Asr (Afternoon prayer) & Isha (Night prayer) you will need to complete all of the steps ie 1-30

Shortened Prayer

Until you memorize the full prayer, you can perform a shortened prayer.

Please note, the shortened prayer is NOT meant to replace the full prayer but rather it can be done in the short term.

Below, in the 'prayer mat' section, there is a 2 part shortened prayer mat that you can print out and stick together. Place the print out in front of you so that you can see it while you are praying.

There is also an image of the prayer mat complete, so you can see it complete but we have cut it into part 1 and part 2 for printing purposes.

You will also find, in the prayer mat section, the full prayer as well, also divided into part 1 and part 2.

You will also find a prayer booklet which will put everything into perspective for you and also give you a background.

Lastly, we recommend that you watch the video below which will show you step by step how to perform the prayer and also give you a background on prayer itself.

We recommend that you first read the booklet, then watch the video with the prayer mat open so that you can visualise everything, then perform the prayer.

Memorization

In relation to memorization of the Qur'an, the best and most easiest transliteration is This One

The best way that we found to memorize verses from the Qur'an is to repeat the verse 20 times before moving onto the next verse. Then repeat the next verse 20 times. Then repeat the first and second verse together 10 times then move onto the 3rd verse and so on.

For example, the first verse in Surah (Chapter) Al Fatiha (The opening) is "AL-HAMDU LILLAAHI RABBIL'AALAMEEN"

Repeat the first verse 20 times (This is only when memorizing the Qur'an, not while praying)

The Second verse in Surah (Chapter) Al Fatiha (The opening) is "ARRAHMAANIR RAHEEM"

Repeat the second verse 20 times

Then combine what you have just memorized "AL-HAMDU LILLAAHI RABBIL'AALAMEEN, ARRAHMAANIR RAHEEM"

Repeat the combination of the first 2 verses 10 times then move onto the 3rd verse

The 3rd verse in Surah (Chapter) Al Fatiha (The opening) is "MAALIKI YAWMIDEEN"

Repeat the third verse 20 times

Then combine what you have just memorized "AL-HAMDU LILLAAHI RABBIL'AALAMEEN, ARRAHMAANIR RAHEEM, MAALIKI YAWMIDEEN"

Repeat the combination of the first 3 verses 10 times then move onto the 4th verse and so on and so on.

Baby steps and patience are the key to success!

MY PRAYER - STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SALAH

Flash Desktop Presentations

Download

Prayer Presentation for Men (1.5MB)
Prayer Presentation for Women (1.4MB)
Ablution/Wudu Presentation (1MB)
Tayammum (If no water available) Presentation (1MB)

Prayer Mats

Shortened Prayer (Image for viewing)
Shortened Prayer Part 1 (PDF For Printing)
Shortened Prayer Part 2 (PDF For Printing)
Full Prayer (Image for viewing)
Full Prayer Part 1 (PDF For Printing)
Full Prayer Part 2 (PDF For Printing)
My Prayer Booklet (PDF For Printing or Viewing)(4.1MB)

How To Convert To Islam

2018-02-14T15:57:00.001+05:00

The word "Muslim" literally means a person who submits to the will of God, regardless of their background.

Converting to Islam is a very easy process and can be done online in privacy, or you can also do it in the presence of other Muslims. If you have a real desire to be a Muslim and believe that Islam is the true religion of God, then, all you need to do is say the "Shahada" (Declaration of Faith). The "Shahada" is the 1st of the five pillars of Islam.

As soon as you say the Shahada and believe in it sincerely, you immediately enter the fold of Islam and have become a Muslim!

As soon as you convert to Islam for the sake of God, Allah forgives ALL of your previous sins and you begin a new life with a clean slate, as if you had been reborn!

As soon as you accept Islam, it is an automatic repentance from your previous beliefs and ways. Your record is now clean and you should try to keep your record clean as much as possible.

The Declaration of Faith (Shahada)

To convert to Islam and become a Muslim, all you need to do is say the below testimony with conviction and understanding its meaning:

"Ash Shadoo an La ilaha illa Allah, Wa Ash Shadoo ana Muhammadan rasoolu Allah."

The translation of which is:

"I bare witness that there is no true god except God (Allah), and I bare witness that Muhammad is the (Final) Messenger of God."

To hear the Testimony, Click here!

As soon as you pronounce the above testimony with conviction, you have become a Muslim! You can do it alone, or you can do it with an adviser, ie another Muslim so they can help you.

Welcome to Islam and congratulations on your decision!

The first few days can be a little overwhelming so the first resource that we would like to give you is a website called New Muslim Academy. This website is dedicated to new Muslims and helps to guide you step by step to make the whole experience easy for you. Just watch the video below for Andrew's story and how much it has helped him.

Need an Incentive?

At the time when you pronounce your declaration of faith, you will feel an overwhelming feeling! This feeling is thousands of angels of the highest ranks descending from the heavens to witness you saying it and they bring with them, mercy from your Lord. Watch the video below titled 'Muslim Heart Softness Test' to see the affect of that very moment!

Allah is making a deal with you and Allah never fails in keeping His end of the deal. Allah says that the second you pronounce (say) your declaration of faith, He wipes away ALL of the sins that you have ever committed in your life no matter how great or small the sin was so that you start your life from that moment, reborn and without sin.

Isn't that an excellent deal?

Well, Allah makes an even better deal than that. Not only will He wipe away ALL of your sins but He will transform all of those sins into rewards and give them back to you, so not only do you start your life from that moment without sin but also, you will be wayyy in front with all of those rewards and will be the envy of every Muslim out there because we all still have sins.

It is up to you to keep away from sin so that you can retain your high status in Islam.

Do you want to know what the last person to get into paradise gets?

The last person into paradise is a person that hasn't done any good deeds in his life but he believes in the declaration of faith ie "Ash Shadoo an La ilaha illa Allah, Wa Ash Shadoo ana Muhammadan rasoolu Allah".... If I told you that you would get a whole country to yourself, for you to keep, would that make you happy? What about the whole Earth? Well, the last person to get into paradise will get 10 times this Earth and everything in it in size!!!

Can you imagine owning real estate that is 10 times the size of this Earth?

Well, that's the LAST person on level 1 and there are 99 levels in paradise. Level 1 compared to level 2 is like the size of a ring that you wear on your finger compared to the entire desert. So your ring is level 1 and the desert is level 2.

Level 2 is a ring in level 3's desert and so on all the way up to level 99.

So if level 1 will get 10 times this Earth, what will level 2 get?

It is up to us to try and achieve the highest level in Paradise and that should always be your goal ie by doing good deeds.

The ones who are most deserving of your good deeds are your parents and helping your parents will earn you the highest rewards so serve them well.

We only get 1 chance at life so use it wisely because we do not know when it will be our turn to die and once we die, that's it, we will NOT be coming back to try again. what's done is done.

If you do happen to fall into sin in the future, always turn to Allah in repentance ie Always ask Allah to forgive you.

Allah said that if the son of Adam (ie all human beings) came to Me with sins mounting to the sky, without associating any partners with Me and they asked me to forgive them, I would forgive them.

So be sure to always turn to Allah for in repentance.

Remember, don't try to do everything at once because it will be overwhelming for you. Take everything in baby steps ie 1 thing at a time.

The first baby step was your declaration of faith. The next baby step is learning how to pray.

Be sure to visit New Muslim Academy to begin your baby steps.

If you need any help, please join our Live Islam Chat below and one of our friendly team will guide you and answer any questions you may have.

EMOTIONAL CONVERTS TO ISLAM

The True Religion of God

2018-02-14T15:54:00.000+05:00

Each person is born in a circumstance which is not of his own choosing. The religion of his family or the ideology of the state is thrust upon him from the very beginning of his existence in this world.

By the time he reaches his teens, he is usually fully brain-washed into believing that the beliefs of his particular society are the correct beliefs that everyone should have. However, when some people mature and are exposed to other belief-systems, they begin to question the validity of their own beliefs.

The seekers of truth often reach a point of confusion upon realizing that each and every religion, sect, ideology and philosophy claims to be the one and only correct way for man. Indeed they all encourage people to good. So, which one is right? They cannot all be right since each claims all others to be wrong. Then how does the seeker of truth choose the right way?

Like every other religion or philosophy, Islam also claims to be the one and only true way to God. In this respect it is no different from other systems. This article intends to provide some evidence for the validity of that claim. However, it must always be kept in mind that one can only determine the true path by putting aside emotions and prejudices, which often blind us to reality. Then, and only then, will we be able to use our God-given intelligence and make a rational and correct decision.

There are several arguments which may be advanced to support Islam's claim to be the true religion of God. The following are only three of the most obvious. The first argument is based on the Divine origin of the names of the religion and the comprehensiveness of its meaning. The second deals with the unique and uncomplicated teachings concerning the relationship between God, man, and creation. The third argument derives from the fact that Islam is universally attainable by all men at all times. These are the three basic components of what logic and reason dictate necessary for a religion to be considered the true religion of God. The following pages will develop these concepts in some detail.

The Religion's Name

The first thing that one should know and clearly understand about Islam is what the word "Islam" itself means. The Arabic word "Islam" means the submission or surrender of one's will to the only true God, known in Arabic as "Allah". One who submits his will to God is termed in Arabic a "Muslim". The religion of Islam is not named after a person or people, nor was it decided by a later generation of man, as in the case of Christianity which was named after Jesus Christ (p), Buddhism after Gautama Buddha, Confucianism after Confucius, Marxism after Karl Marx, Judaism after the tribe of Judah, and Hinduism after the Hindus. Islam (submission to the will of God) is the religion which was given to Adam (p), the first man and the first prophet of God, and it was the religion of all the prophets sent by Allah to mankind. Further, its name was chosen by God Himself and clearly mentioned in the final scripture which He revealed to man. In the final revelation, called the Qur'an in Arabic, Allah states the following:

"This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and I have chosen for you Islam as you religion." (Qur'an 5:3)

"If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to God), never will it be accepted of him." (Qur'an 3:85)

Hence, Islam does not claim to be a new religion brought by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) into Arabia in the seventh century, but rather to be a re-expression in its final form of the true religion of Almighty God, Allah, as it was originally revealed to Adam (p) and subsequent prophets.

At this point we might comment briefly on two other religions that claim to be the true path. Nowhere in the Bible will you find God revealing to Prophet Moses' (p) people or their descendants that their religion is called Judaism, or to the followers of Christ (p) that their religion is called Christianity. In other words, the names "Judaism" and "Christianity" had no divine origin or approval. It was not until long after his departure that the name "Christianity" was given to Jesus' (p) religion.

What, then, was Jesus' (p) religion in actual fact, as distinct from its name? His religion was reflected in his teachings, which he urged his followers to accept as guiding principles in their relationship with God. In Islam, Jesus (p) is a prophet sent by Allah and his Arabic name is Eesa. Like the prophets before him, he called upon the people to surrender their will to the will of God (which is what Islam stands for). For example, in the New Testament, it is stated that Jesus (p) taught his followers to pray to God as follows:

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Luke 11:2; Matt. 6:9-10)

This concept was emphasized by Jesus (p) in a number of his statements recorded in the Gospels. He taught, for example, that only those who submitted would inherit Paradise.

Jesus (p) also pointed out that he himself submitted to the will of God.

"None of those who call me 'Lord' will enter the kingdom of God, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven." (Matt. 7:21)

"I cannot do anything of myself. I judge as I hear and my judgment is honest because I am not seeking my own will but the will of Him Who sent me." (John 5:30)

There are many reports in the Gospels which show that Jesus (p) made it clear to his followers that he was not the one true God. For example, when speaking about the final Hour, he said:

"No one knows about the Day or Hour, not even the angels in heaven, not the son, but only the Father." (Mark 13:32)

Thus, Jesus (p) like the prophets before him and the one who came after him, taught the religion of Islam: submission to the will of the One true God.

God and Creation

Since the total submission of one's will to God represents the essence of worship, the basic message of God's divine religion, Islam, is the worship of God alone. It also requires the avoidance of worship directed to any person, place or thing other than God. Since everything other than God, the Creator of all things, is God's creation, it may be said that Islam, in essence, calls man away from worship of creation and invites him to worship only his Creator. He is the only one deserving of man's worship, because it is only by His will that prayers are answered.

Accordingly, if a man prays to a tree and his prayers are answered, it is not the tree that answered his prayers but God, Who allows the circumstances prayed for to take place. One might say, "That is obvious"; however, to tree-worshipers, it might not be so. Similarly, prayers to Jesus (p), Buddha, Krishna, St. Christopher, St. Jude, or even to Muhammad (p), are not answered by them, but are answered by God. Jesus (p) did not tell his followers to worship him but to worship God, as the Qur'an states:

"And behold! Allah will say: 'O Jesus, the son of Mary! Did you say to men, worship me and my mother as gods besides Allah?'; He will say: 'Glory to you, I could never say what I had no right (to say)'" (Qur'an 5:116)

Nor did Jesus (p) worship himself when he worshiped, but rather he worshiped God. And Jesus (p) was reported in the Gospels to have said:

"It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.'" (Luke 4:8)

The basic principle is contained in the opening chapter of the Qur'an, known as Surah al-Fatihah, verse 4:

"You alone do we worship and from you alone do we seek help."

Elsewhere in the final book of revelation, the Qur'an, God also said:

"And your Lord says: 'Call on Me and I will answer your (prayer).'" (Qur'an 40:60)

It is worth emphasizing that the basic message of Islam (namely, the worship of God alone) also proclaims that God and His creation are distinctly different entities. God is neither equal to His creation nor a part of it, nor is His creation equal to Him or a part of Him.

This might seem obvious, but man's worship of creation, instead of the Creator, is to a large degree based on ignorance, or neglect, of this concept. It is the belief that the essence of God is everywhere in His creation or that His divine being is or was present in some parts of His creation, which has provided justification for the worship of God's creation and naming it the worship of God. However, the message of Islam, as brought by the prophets of God, is to worship only God and to avoid the worship of His creation either directly or indirectly.

In the Qur'an, God clearly states:

"For We assuredly sent amongst every people a prophet, with the command: Worship Me and avoid false gods." (Qur'an 16:36)

When idol worshipers are questioned as to why they bow down to idols created by men, the invariable reply is that they are not actually worshiping the stone image, but God Who is present within it. They claim that the stone idol is only a focal point for God's essence and is not in itself God! One who has accepted the concept of God being present in any way within His creation will be obliged to accept this argument for idolatry. Whereas, one who understands the basic message of Islam and its implications would never agree to idolatry no matter how it is rationalized.

Those who have claimed divinity for themselves down through the ages have often based their claims on the mistaken belief that God is present in man. Taking one step further, they claim that God is more present in them than the rest of us, and that other humans should therefore submit to them and worship them as God in person or as God concentrated within their persons. Similarly, those who have asserted the godhood of others after their deaths have found fertile ground among those who accept the false belief of God's presence in man.

It should be abundantly clear by now that one who has grasped the basic message of Islam and its implications could never agree to worship another human being under any circumstance. God's religion, in essence, is a clear call to the worship of the Creator and the rejection of creation-worship in any form. This is the meaning of the motto of Islam:

Laa ilaaha illaa Allah" (there is no god except Allah)

The sincere declaration of this phrase and the acceptance of prophethood automatically brings one within the fold of Islam, and sincere belief in it guarrantees one Paradise. Thus, the final Prophet of Islam (p) is reported to have said:

"Any one who says 'There is no god but Allah', and dies holding that (belief) will enter Paradise."

Belief in this declaration of faith requires that one submit his/her will to God in the way taught by the prophets of God. It also requires the believer to give up the worship of false gods.

The Message of False Religions

There are so many sects, cults, religions, philosophies, and movements in the world, all which claim to be the right way or the only true path to God! How can one determine which one is correct or whether, in fact, all are correct? One method by which the answer can be found is to clear away the superficial differences in the teachings of the various claimants to the ultimate truth, and identify the central object of worship upon which they call, directly or indirectly. False religions all have in common one basic concept with regard to God: they either claim that all men are gods, or that specific men were God, or that nature is God, or that God is a figment of man's imagination.

Thus, it may be stated that the basic message of false religion is that God may be worshiped in the form of His creation. False religions invite man to the worship of creation by calling the creation or some aspect of it God. For example, prophet Jesus (p) invited his followers to worship God, but those who claim to be Jesus' followers today call people to worship Jesus (p), claiming that he was God.

Buddha was a reformer who introduced a number of humanistic principles in the religion of India. He did not claim to be God, nor did he suggest to his followers that he be an object of worship. Yet today most Buddhists who are to be found outside of India have taken him to be God and they prostrate themselves to idols made in their perception of his likeness.

By using the principle of identifying the object of worship, we can easily detect false religions and the contrived nature of their origin. As God said in the Qur'an:

"That which you worship besides Him are only names and you and your forefathers have invented for which Allah has sent down no authority; the command belongs only to Allah: He has command that you worship Him; that is the right religion, but most men do not understand." (Qur'an 12:40)

It may be argued that all religions teach good things, so why should it matter which one we follow? The reply is that all false religions teach the greatest evil: the worship of creation. Creation-worship is the greatest sin that man can commit because it contradicts the very purpose of His creation. Man was created to worship God alone as Allah has explicitly stated in the Qur'an:

"I have only created jinns and men, that they may worship Me." (Qur'an 51:56)

Consequently, the worship of creation, which is the essence of idolatry, is the only unforgivable sin. One who dies in this state of idolatry has sealed his fate in the next life. This is not an option, but a revealed fact stated by God in His final revelation to man:

"Verily Allah will not forgive the joining of partners with Him, but He may forgive (sins) less than that for whomsoever He wishes." (Qur'an 4:48,116)

Universality of God's Religion

Since the consequences of following a false religion are so grave, the true religion of God must have been universally understandable and universally attainable in the past and it must continue eternally to be understandable and attainable throughout the entire world. In other words, the true religion of God cannot be confined to any one people, place, or period of time. Nor is it logical that such a religion should impose conditions that have nothing to do with the relationship of man with God, such as baptism, or belief in man as a savior, or an intermediary. Within the central principle of Islam and its definition (the surrender of one's will to God) lie the roots of Islam's universality. Whenever man comes to the realization that God is one and distinct from His creation, and submits himself to God, he becomes a Muslim in body and spirit and is eligible for paradise.

Consequently, anyone at any time in the most remote regions of the world can become Muslim, a follower of God's religion, Islam, be merely rejecting the worship of creation and turning to God alone. It should be noted, however, that in order to actually submit to God's will, one must continually choose between right and wrong. Indeed, man is endowed by God with the power not only to distinguish right from wrong but also to choose between them. These God-given powers carry with them an important responsibility, namely, that man is answerable to God for the choices he makes. It follows, then, that man should try his utmost to do good and avoid evil. These concepts are expressed in the final revelation as follows:

"Verily, those who believe (in the Qur'an), and those who follow the Jewish faith, and the Christians, and the Sabians (angel-and-star worshipers) - any of these who believe in Allah and the Last Day and work righteousness shall have their reward with their Lord. They will not be overcome by fear or grief." (Qur'an 2:62)

If, for whatever reason, they fail to accept the final message after it has been clearly explained to them, they will be in grave danger. The last Prophet said:

"Whoever among the Christians and Jews hears of me but does not affirm his belief in what I brought and dies in that state will be among the inhabitants of Hell." (Sahih Muslim [English Translation], Vol.1 P.91 No.284)

Recognition of God

The question which arises here is: How can all people be expected to believe in the one true God, given their varying backgrounds, societies and cultures? For people to be held responsible for worshipping the one true God, they all need to have access to knowledge of him. The final revelation teaches that all human beings have the recognition of the one true God imprinted on their souls as a part of their very nature with which they are created.

In the seventh chapter of the Qur'an (Al-A'raaf, verses 172-173),God explained that when He created Adam He caused all of Adam's descentants to come into existence and He took a pledge from them saying:

"'Am I not your Lord?' To which they all replied, 'Yes, we testify to it.'"

Allah then explained why He had all of mankind bear witness that He is their creator and the only true God worthy of worship. He said:

"That was in case you (mankind) should say on the Day of Resurrection, 'Verily we were unaware of all this.'" (Qur'an 7:172)

That is to say, we cannot claim on that Day that we had no idea that Allah was our God and that no one told us that we were supposed to worship Allah alone. Allah went on to further explain that:

"It was also in case you should say, 'Certainly it was our ancestors who made partners (with Allah) and we are only their descendants; will You then destroy us for what those liars did?'" (Qur'an 7:173)

Thus, every child is born with a natural belief in God and an in-born inclination to worship Him alone. This in-born belief and inclination is called in Arabic the "Fitrah".

The Prophet Muhammad reported that Allah said, "I created my servants in the right religion, but devils made them go astray." The Prophet also said, "Each child is born in a state of Fitrah. Then his parents make him a Jew, Christian or a Zoroastrian." If the child were left alone, he would worship God in his own way, but all children are affected by the environment. So, just as the child submits to the physical laws which Allah has imposed on nature, in the same way his soul also submits naturally to the fact that Allah is his Lord and Creator. But, if his parents try to make him follow a different path, the child is not strong enough in the early stages of his life to resist or oppose the will of his parents. In such cases, the religion which the child follows is one of custom and upbringing, and God does not hold him to account or punish him for his religion up to a certain stage of his life.

The Signs of God

Throughout people's lives, from childhood until the time they die, signs of the one and only true God are shown to them in all regions of the earth and in their own souls, until it becomes clear that there is only one true God (Allah). God says in the Qur'an:

"We will show them our signs in the furthest regions (of the earth) and in their souls, until it becomes clear to them that this is the truth." (Qur'an 41:53)

The following is an example of God revealing by a sign to one man the error of his idol-worship. In the south-eastern region of the Amazon jungle in Brazil, South America, a primitive tribe erected a new hut to house their man-idol Skwatch, representing the supreme God of all creation. The following day a young man entered the hut to pay homage to the God, and while he was in prostration to what he had been taught was his Creator and Sustainer, a mangy old flea-ridden dog slunk into the hut. The young man looked up in time to see the dog lift his hind leg and pass urine on the idol. Outraged, the youth chased the dog out of the temple, but when his rage died down he realized that the idol could not be the Lord of the Universe. God must be elsewhere, he concluded. As strange as it may seem, the dog urinating on the idol was a sign from God for that young man. This sign contained the divine message that what he was worshiping was false. It liberated him from slavishly following his traditionally learned worship of a false god. As a result, this man was given a choice: either to seek the true God or to continue in the error of his ways.

Allah mentions Prophet Abraham's quest for God as an example of how those who follow His signs will be rightly guided:

"So also did We show Abraham the power and the Laws of the heavens and the earth that he might (with understanding) have certitude.

When the night covered him over, he saw a star. He said: 'This is my Lord.' But when it set, he said: 'I love not those that set.'

When he saw the moon rising in splendor, he said: 'This is my Lord.' But when the moon set, he said: 'Unless my Lord guide me, I shall surely be among those who go astray.'

When he saw the rising sun in splendor, he said:

'This is my Lord, this is the greatest (of all).' But when the sun set, he said: 'O my people! I am indeed free from your (guilt) of giving partners to Allah.

For me, I have set my face, firmly and truly, towards Him Who created the heavens and the earth, and never shall I give partners to Allah.'" (Qur'an 6:75-79)

As was mentioned earlier, prophets have been sent to every nation and tribe to support man's natural belief in God and man's in-born inclination to worship Him, as well as to reinforce the divine truth in the daily signs revealed by God. Although much of these prophets' teachings became distorted, portions revealing their God-inspired messages have remained untainted and have served to guide mankind in the choice between right and wrong. The influence of God-inspired messages down through the ages can be seen in the "Ten Commandments" of Judaisn's Torah which were later adopted into Christianity's teachings, as well as in the existence of laws against murder, stealing and adultery in most societies throughout the ancient and modern world.

As a result of God's signs to mankind through the ages combined with His revelation through His prophets, all mankind has been given a chance to recognize the one and only true God.

Consequently, every soul will be held accountable for its belief in God and its acceptance of the true religion of God, namely Islam, which means total submission to the will of Allah.

Conclusion

The preceding presentation has demonstrated that the name of the religion of Islam expresses Islam's most central principle, submission to God, and that the name "Islam" was chosen not by man, but by God, according to the holy scriptures of Islam. It has also been shown that Islam alone teaches the uniqueness of God and His attributes and enjoins the worship of God alone without intermediaries. Finally, due to the divinely instilled inclination of man to worship God and the signs revealed by God throughout the ages to each individual, Islam may be achieved by all men at all times.

In short, the significance of the name Islam (submission to God), is Islam's fundamental acknowledgement of the uniqueness of God and Islam's accessibility to all mankind at all times convincingly support Islam's claim that from the beginning of time in whatever language it was expressed, Islam alone has been and will be the true religion of God.

In conclusion we ask Allah, the Exalted, to keep us on the right path to which He has guided us, and to bestow on us His blessings and mercy, for He is indeed the Most-Merciful. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be on Prophet Muhammad and all the prophets of God and their righteous followers.

IS THERE A TRUE RELIGION? - DR. BILAL PHILIPS

Who is Muhammad (pbuh)?

2018-02-14T15:47:00.000+05:00

One in every five persons on this earth firmly believes that the Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) is the last Messenger of God. He was a Muslim and there are more than 1.3 billion such Muslims today.

Not only individuals but entire countries take pride in declaring their allegiance to him. There are 54 such Muslim states today, ranging from those as large as Indonesia and Bangladesh, with populations of 200 and 125 million respectively, to those as tiny as the Maldives or Brunei with populations of 230,000 and 260,000. Even in non-Muslim countries, large Muslim populations constitute significant minorities; as much as 120 million in India and 20 million in China.

Indeed, within the last half century, Islam, the religion brought by the Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh), has become the second largest religion in most European countries, as also in America and Canada.

Black and white, red and yellow, followers of the Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) come from all human races. Whether in Asia or Europe, Africa or America, in every nook and cranny of this globe, you are sure to find Muslims. They live in the most advanced, sprawling megalopolis as well as in the most primitive nomadic tent, village, hamlet, and even in the bush.

As now so always, down the centuries, across the planet, from end to end, billions and billions of men and women have lived all their lives, loving the Prophet (Pbuh) and trying to follow in his footsteps, as no one else has been so loved and followed. They have lived and died, believed and acted, married and raised families, worshipped and ruled, made war and peace, even eaten and dressed, walked and slept, just as he did or taught them to do.

Indeed, never in history has a man influenced mankind, even beyond his death, so deeply and so pervasively as he has. He brings light and peace to countless hearts and lives. Muslims love him more dearly than their own selves. In him they find their greatest source of inspiration and guidance. He is the ultimate norm and the perfect example for them. Faith in Allah and His Messenger is their mainstay and Allah is their chief source of support and comfort in all personal vicissitudes and tribulations. To him they also look to lead them through social and political turmoil. He has always inspired them to greater and greater heights of spiritual and moral upliftment and civilizational achievements. And still does.

In short, Muslims believe that through him, a human like themselves, God has spoken to them, and guided him to live amongst them, setting an example and a model for all times to come. Even today he motivates and induces whole populations to yearn and strive to shape their private lives, politics and policies according to Allah's teachings.