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ইসলামিক গান ও কবি কাজী নজরুল ইসলাম

2020-10-10T10:05:00.002-07:00

শ্যামা সঙ্গীতের রেকর্ডিং শেষে কাজী নজরুল ইসলাম বাড়ি ফিরছেন। যাত্রাপথে তাঁর পথ আগলে ধরেন সুর সম্রাট আব্বাস উদ্দীন। একটা আবদার নিয়ে এসেছেন তিনি। আবদারটি না শোনা পর্যন্ত নজরুলকে তিনি এগুতে দিবেন না।

আব্বাস উদ্দীন নজরুলকে সম্মান করেন, সমীহ করে চলেন। নজরুলকে তিনি ‘কাজীদা’ বলে ডাকেন। নজরুল বললেন, “বলে ফেলো তোমার আবদার।”

আব্বাস উদ্দীন সুযোগটা পেয়ে গেলেন। বললেন, “কাজীদা, একটা কথা আপনাকে বলবো বলবো ভাবছি। দেখুন না, পিয়ারু কাওয়াল, কাল্লু কাওয়াল এরা কী সুন্দর উর্দু কাওয়ালী গায়। শুনেছি এদের গান অসম্ভব রকমের বিক্রি হয়। বাংলায় ইসলামি গান তো তেমন নেই। বাংলায় ইসলামি গান গেলে হয় না? আপনি যদি ইসলামি গান লেখেন, তাহলে মুসলমানদের ঘরে ঘরে আপনার জয়গান হবে।”

বাজারে তখন ট্রেন্ড চলছিলো শ্যামা সঙ্গীতের। শ্যামা সঙ্গীত গেয়ে সবাই রীতিমতো বিখ্যাত হয়ে যাচ্ছে। এই স্রোতে গা ভাসাতে গিয়ে অনেক মুসলিম শিল্পী হিন্দু নাম ধারণ করেন। মুনশী মোহাম্মদ কাসেম হয়ে যান ‘কে. মল্লিক’, তালাত মাহমুদ হয়ে যান ‘তপন কুমার’। মুসলিম নামে হিন্দু সঙ্গীত গাইলে গান চলবে না। নজরুল নিজেও শ্যামা সঙ্গীত লেখেন, সুর দেন।

গানের বাজারের যখন এই অবস্থা তখন আব্বাস উদ্দীনের এমন আবদারের জবাবে নজরুল কী উত্তর দেবেন? ‘ইসলাম’ শব্দটার সাথে তো তাঁর কতো আবেগ মিশে আছে। ছোটবেলায় মক্তবে পড়েছেন, কুর’আন শিখেছেন এমনকি তাঁর নিজের নামের সাথেও তো ‘ইসলাম’ আছে।

আব্বাস উদ্দীনকে তো এই মুহূর্তে সরাসরি ‘হ্যাঁ’ বলা যাচ্ছে না। স্রোতের বিপরীতে সুর মেলানো চট্টিখানি কথা না। আবেগে গা ভাসালে চলবে না। গান রেকর্ড করতে হলে তো বিনিয়োগ করতে হবে, সরঞ্জাম লাগবে। এগুলোর জন্য আবার ভগবতী বাবুর কাছে যেতে হবে। ভগবতী বাবু হলেন গ্রামোফোন কোম্পানির রিহার্সেল-ইন-চার্জ।

নজরুল বললেন, “আগে দেখো ভগবতী বাবুকে রাজী করাতে পারো কিনা।” আব্বাস উদ্দীন ভাবলেন, এইতো, কাজীদার কাছ থেকে সবুজ সংকেত পেলাম, ভগবতী বাবুকে কিভাবে রাজী করাতে হয় সেটা এখন দেখবেন।

গ্রামোফোনের রিহার্সেল-ইন-চার্জ ভগবতী বাবুর কাছে গিয়ে আব্বাস উদ্দীন অনুরোধ করলেন। কিন্তু, ভগবতী বাবু ঝুঁকি নিতে রাজী না। মার্কেট ট্রেন্ডের বাইরে গিয়ে বিনিয়োগ করলে ব্যবসায় লালবাতি জ্বলতে পারে। আব্বাস উদ্দীন খান যতোই তাঁকে অনুরোধ করছেন, ততোই তিনি বেঁকে বসছেন। ঐদিকে আব্বাস উদ্দীনও নাছোড়বান্দা। এতো বড় সুরকার হওয়া সত্ত্বেও তিনি ভগবতী বাবুর পিছু ছাড়ছেন না। অনুরোধ করেই যাচ্ছেন। দীর্ঘ ছয়মাস চললো অনুরোধ প্রয়াস। এ যেন পাথরে ফুল ফুটানোর আপ্রাণ চেষ্টা!

একদিন ভগবতী বাবুকে ফুরফুরে মেজাজে দেখে আব্বাস উদ্দীন বললেন, “একবার এক্সপেরিমেন্ট করে দেখুন না, যদি বিক্রি না হয় তাহলে আর নেবেন না। ক্ষতি কী?” ভগবতী বাবু আর কতো ‘না’ বলবেন। এবার হেসে বললেন, “নেহাতই নাছোড়বান্দা আপনি। আচ্ছা যান, করা যাবে। গান নিয়ে আসুন।” আব্বাস উদ্দীনের খুশিতে চোখে পানি আসার উপক্রম! যাক, সবাই রাজী। এবার একটা গান নিয়ে আসতে হবে।

নজরুল চা আর পান পছন্দ করেন। এক ঠোঙা পান আর চা নিয়ে আব্বাস উদ্দীন নজরুলের রুমে গেলেন। পান মুখে নজরুল খাতা কলম হাতে নিয়ে একটা রুমে ঢুকে পড়লেন। ভেতর থেকে দরজা বন্ধ করে দিলেন। ঘরের বাইরে দাঁড়িয়ে আব্বাস উদ্দীন খান অপেক্ষার প্রহর গুনছেন। আইনস্টাইনের আপেক্ষিক তত্ত্বের মতো সময় যেন থমকে আছে। সময় কাটানোর জন্য আব্বাস উদ্দীন পায়চারী করতে লাগলেন।

প্রায় আধ ঘন্টা কেটে গেলো। বন্ধ দরজা খুলে নজরুল বের হলেন। পানের পিক ফেলে আব্বাস উদ্দীনের হাতে একটা কাগজ দিলেন। এই কাগজ তাঁর আধ ঘন্টার সাধনা। আব্বাস উদ্দীন খানের ছয় মাসের পরিশ্রমের ফল।

আব্বাস উদ্দীন খান কাগজটি হাতে নিয়ে পড়তে শুরু করলেনঃ-

“ও মন রমজানের ঐ রোজার শেষে এলো খুশির ঈদ

তুই আপনাকে আজ বিলিয়ে দে, শোন আসমানী তাগিদ।”

আব্বাস উদ্দীনের চোখ পানিতে ছলছল করছে। একটা গানের জন্য কতো কাঠখড় পোড়াতে হয়েছে তাঁকে। সেই গানটি এখন তাঁর হাতের মুঠোয়। তিনি কি জানতেন, তাঁর হাতে বন্দী গানটি একদিন বাংলার ইথারে ইথারে পৌঁছে যাবে? ঈদের চাঁদ দেখার সাথে সাথে টিভিতে ভেজে উঠবে- ও মন রমজানের ঐ রোজার শেষে...?

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দুই মাস পর রোজার ঈদ। গান লেখার চারদিনের মধ্যে গানের রেকর্ডিং শুরু হয়ে গেলো। আব্বাস উদ্দীন খান জীবনে এর আগে কখনো ইসলামি গান রেকর্ড করেননি। গানটি তাঁর মুখস্তও হয়নি এখনো। গানটা চলবে কিনা এই নিয়ে গ্রামোফোন কোম্পানি শঙ্কায় আছে। তবে কাজী নজরুল ইসলাম বেশ এক্সাইটেড। কিভাবে সুর দিতে হবে দেখিয়ে দিলেন।

হারমোনিয়ামের উপর আব্বাস উদ্দীনের চোখ বরাবর কাগজটি ধরে রাখলেন কাজী নজরুল ইসলাম নিজেই। সুর সম্রাট আব্বাস উদ্দীনের বিখ্যাত কণ্ঠ থেকে বের হলো- “ও মন রমজানের ঐ রোজার শেষে এলো খুশির ঈদ...”। ঈদের সময় গানের এ্যালবাম বাজারে আসবে। আপাতত সবাই ঈদের ছুটিতে।

রমজানের রোজার পর ঈদ এলো। আব্বাস উদ্দীন বাড়িতে ঈদ কাটালেন। কখন কলকাতায় যাবেন এই চিন্তায় তাঁর তর সইছে না। গানের কী অবস্থা তিনি জানেন না। তাড়াতাড়ি ছুটি কাটিয়ে কলকাতায় ফিরলেন।

ঈদের ছুটির পর প্রথমবারের মতো অফিসে যাচ্ছেন। ট্রামে চড়ে অফিসের পথে যতো এগুচ্ছেন, বুকটা ততো ধ্বকধ্বক ধ্বকধ্বক করছে। অফিসে গিয়ে কী দেখবেন? গানটা ফ্লপ হয়েছে? গানটা যদি ফ্লপ হয় তাহলে তো আর জীবনেও ইসলামি গানের কথা ভগবতী বাবুকে বলতে পারবেন না। ভগবতী বাবু কেন, কোনো গ্রামোফোন কোম্পানি আর রিস্ক নিতে রাজী হবে না। সুযোগ একবারই আসে।

আব্বাস উদ্দীন যখন এই চিন্তায় মগ্ন, তখন পাশে বসা এক যুবক গুনগুনিয়ে গাওয়া শুরু করলো- ‘ও মন রমজানের ঐ রোজার শেষে এলো খুশির ঈদ’। এই যুবক গানটি কোথায় শুনলো? নাকি আব্বাস উদ্দীন খান ভুল শুনছেন?

না তো। তিনি আবারো শুনলেন যুবকটি ঐ গানই গাচ্ছে। এবার তাঁর মনের মধ্যে এক শীতল বাতাস বয়ে গেলো। অফিস ফিরে বিকেলে যখন গড়ের মাঠে গেলেন তখন আরেকটা দৃশ্য দেখে এবার দ্বিগুণ অবাক হলেন। কয়েকটা ছেলে দলবেঁধে মাঠে বসে আছে। তারমধ্য থেকে একটা ছেলে গেয়ে উঠলো- ‘ও মন রমজানের ঐ রোজার শেষে এলো খুশির ঈদ’। আব্বাস উদ্দীন এতো আনন্দ একা সইতে পারলেন না। তাঁর সুখব্যথা হচ্ছে।

ছুটে চললেন নজরুলের কাছে। গিয়ে দেখলেন নজরুল দাবা খেলছেন। তিনি দাবা খেলা শুরু করলে দুনিয়া ভুলে যান। আশেপাশে কী হচ্ছে তার কোনো খেয়াল থাকে না। অথচ আজ আব্বাস উদ্দীনের গলার স্বর শুনার সাথে সাথে নজরুল দাবা খেলা ছেড়ে লাফিয়ে উঠে তাঁকে জড়িয়ে ধরলেন। নজরুল বললেন, “আব্বাস, তোমার গান কী যে হিট হয়েছে!”

অল্প কয়দিনের মধ্যেই গানটির হাজার হাজার রেকর্ড বিক্রি হয়। ভগবতী বাবুও দারুণ খুশি। একসময় তিনি ইসলামি সঙ্গীতের প্রস্তাবে একবাক্যে ‘না’ বলে দিয়েছিলেন, আজ তিনিই নজরুল-আব্বাসকে বলছেন, “এবার আরো কয়েকটি ইসলামি গান গাও না!” শুরু হলো নজরুলের রচনায় আর আব্বাস উদ্দীনের কণ্ঠে ইসলামি গানের জাগরণ।

বাজারে এবার নতুন ট্রেন্ড শুরু হলো ইসলামি সঙ্গীতের। এই ট্রেন্ড শুধু মুসলমানকেই স্পর্শ করেনি, স্পর্শ করেছে হিন্দু শিল্পীদেরও।

একসময় মুসলিম শিল্পীরা শ্যামা সঙ্গীত গাইবার জন্য নাম পরিবর্তন করে হিন্দু নাম রাখতেন। এবার হিন্দু শিল্পীরা ইসলামি সঙ্গীত গাবার জন্য মুসলিম নাম রাখা শুরু করলেন। ধীরেন দাস হয়ে যান গণি মিয়া, চিত্ত রায় হয়ে যান দেলোয়ার হোসেন, গিরিন চক্রবর্তী হয়ে যান সোনা মিয়া, হরিমতি হয়ে যান সাকিনা বেগম, সীতা দেবী হয়ে যান দুলি বিবি, ঊষারাণী হয়ে যান রওশন আরা বেগম।

তবে বিখ্যাত অনেক হিন্দু শিল্পী স্ব-নামেও নজরুলের ইসলামি সঙ্গীত গেয়েছেন। যেমনঃ অজয় রায়, ড. অনুপ ঘোষল, আশা ভোঁসলে, মনোময় ভট্টাচার্য, রাঘব চট্টোপাধ্যায়।

দুই.

কাজী নজরুল ইসলামের ইসলামি গান লেখার সহজাত প্রতিভা ছিলো। খাতা কলম দিয়ে যদি কেউ বলতো, একটা গান লিখুন, তিনি লিখে ফেলতেন।

একদিন আব্বাস উদ্দীন নজরুলের বাড়িতে গেলেন। নজরুল তখন কী একটা কাজে ব্যস্ত ছিলেন। আব্বাস উদ্দীনকে হাতের ইশারায় বসতে বলে আবার লেখা শুরু করলেন। ইতোমধ্যে যুহরের আযান মসজিদ থেকে ভেসে আসলো। আব্বাস উদ্দীন বললেন, “আমি নামাজ পড়বো। আর শুনুন কাজীদা, আপনার কাছে একটা গজলের জন্য আসছি।”

কবি শিল্পীকে একটা পরিস্কার জায়নামাজ দিয়ে বললেন, “আগে নামাজটা পড়ে নিন।” আব্বাস উদ্দীন নামাজ পড়তে লাগলেন আর নজরুল খাতার মধ্যে কলম চালাতে শুরু করলেন।

আব্বাস উদ্দীনের নামাজ শেষ হলে নজরুল তাঁর হাতে একটা কাগজ ধরিয়ে দিয়ে বললেন, “এই নিন আপনার গজল!” হাতে কাগজটি নিয়ে তো আব্বাস উদ্দীনের চক্ষু চড়কগাছ। এই অল্প সময়ের মধ্যে নজরুল গজল লিখে ফেলছেন? তা-ও আবার তাঁর নামাজ পড়ার দৃশ্যপট নিয়ে?

“হে নামাজী! আমার ঘরে নামাজ পড়ো আজ,

দিলাম তোমার চরণতলে হৃদয় জায়নামাজ।”

তিন.

কাজী নজরুল ইসলাম বিখ্যাত হয়ে আছেন তাঁর রচিত নাতে রাসূলের জন্য।

১। ‘ত্রিভুবনের প্রিয় মুহাম্মদ এলো রে দুনিয়ায়

আয় রে সাগর আকাশ-বাতাস দেখবি যদি আয়’

২। ‘মুহাম্মদ নাম জপেছিলি, বুলবুলি তুই আগে,

তাই কি রে তোর কন্ঠের গান, এমন মধুর লাগে।'

৩। ‘আমি যদি আরব হতাম মদীনারই পথ

আমার বুকে হেঁটে যেতেন, নূরনবী হজরত’

৪। ‘হেরা হতে হেলে দুলে নূরানী তনু ও কে আসে হায়

সারা দুনিয়ার হেরেমের পর্দা খুলে যায়।

সে যে আমার কামলিওয়ালা, কামলিওয়ালা।’

গানগুলো ক্লাসিকের মর্যাদা পেয়েছে। গানগুলো রচনার প্রায় নব্বই বছর হয়ে গেছে। আজও মানুষ গুনগুনিয়ে গানগুলো গায়।

বাংলায় ইসলামি গানের যে নবজাগরণ নজরুল সূচনা করেছিলেন, যে পথ দেখিয়েছেন, পরবর্তীতে সেই পথের পথিক হয়েছেন জসীম উদ্দীন, ফররুখ আহমদ, গোলাম মোস্তফা, গোলাম মুহাম্মদ, মতিউর রহমান মল্লিক এবং হাল আমলের কবি মুহিব খান।

তথ্য উৎসঃ

১। আব্বাসউদ্দীনের আত্মজীবনী - ‘দিনলিপি ও আমার শিল্পী জীবনের কথা'।

২। Roar Media, বাংলা ইসলামি গান ও কাজী নজরুল ইসলাম।

৩। যুগান্তর, 'নজরুল এবং ও মন রমজানের ঐ রোজার শেষে', শামস আরেফিন।

৪। যুগান্তর, 'হামদ-নাতে নতুন ধারা সৃষ্টি করেছিলেন নজরুল', আদিল মাহমুদ।

৫। Risingbd, সুরের আকাশে উজ্জল নক্ষত্র আব্বাসউদ্দীন।

৬। সিলেট টুডে টুয়েন্টি-ফোর, মানবতাবাদী নজরুল থেকে ইসলামি কবি বিলকুল।

সংগৃহীত -

লিখেছেনঃ আরিফুল ইসলাম।

রাসূল (সা:) এর মনি-মুক্তা

2020-10-09T13:52:00.001-07:00

রাসূল (সা:) স্পষ্ট ভাবে বলেছেন যে, ইহুদী-খৃস্টানদের কেউ তাঁর আগমনের কথা শোনার পর যদি তাঁর প্রতি বিশ্বাস স্হাপন না করে, তাহলে সে দোজখে যাবে। আল্লাহর রাসূল (সা:) বলেন- “ঐ সত্বার শপথ, যার হাতে আমার জীবন! ইহুদী ও খৃস্টানদের কেউ যদি আমার কথা শোনার পর আমার রিসালাতের প্রতি বিশ্বাস না এনে মৃত্যু মুখে পতিত হয়, সে অবশ্যই জাহান্নামের আগুনে নিক্ষিপ্ত হবে।” সহীহ মুসলিম।।

2020-10-09T13:13:00.000-07:00

Magicians and Moses : Learning from the story

2014-12-04T19:59:00.003-08:00

Almost universally, the confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh is branded on human culture and memory. That epic face-off evokes familiar empathy for things like justice, struggle against apparent odds, and spectacular escape and triumph. If you're a reader of the Quran, you can't help but notice how the confrontation is told in several places and that the treatments offer subtle changes in emphasis and scope. But consistently they feature two mortals of opposing archetypical mien meeting on ancient soil. One is a man of tremendous temporal authority, whose conspicuous quality is apparently incurable hubris, a narcissism that has become part of the national myth. The other is an Israelite Prophet confessing his fears and shortcomings. No polity or standing army behind him, he comes with only his brother, a warning and promise from above, and a special staff that challenges the Pharaonic serpent cult.

The Moses-Pharaoh narrative is packed with nuance. Take, for example, the sudden conversion of Pharaoh's Magicians in their contest with Moses . That stunning public announcement in favor of the God of Moses and Aaron provokes discussion about modern reactions to spiritual awakening and the deconstruction of a continuous sacred narrative.

Moses is commanded by God to go to Pharaoh
To set it up, Moses receives the voice of God commanding him to go to Pharaoh, which he does, ultimately standing before Pharaoh and his courtiers, demanding the release of the Israelites from humiliating bondage. Moses tells Pharaoh that he has clear proofs from "your Lord," contravening Pharaoh's own declaration of himself being the lord most high. Pharaoh taunts Moses to show him these proofs. Moses throws down his staff which transforms into a slithering serpent. His courtiers move in and assure Pharaoh that this is some kind of sorcery. They plot to give Moses and Aaron unmolested respite, so that the courtiers would gather the very best and brightest among Egypt's magicians to expose the "ensorcelled" trick of Moses' staff. Pharaoh assents and challenges Moses to a kind of dual set for a day of festival that had communal meaning to Pharaoh's Egypt. Prior to making their appearance before the multitudes, the Magicians eagerly ask Pharaoh what their boon would be if they prevail over Moses . Pharaoh guarantees that their place is secure with him, a proximity that comes with inducements and untold perks.

Moses and the challenge of the magicians
When the big moment arrives, the Magicians offer Moses the option to cast first or last. Moses demands that they throw first. The Magicians then throw their cords and staffs, and they appear to turn into serpents. The Magicians exult in their accomplishment and vow "by the might of Pharaoh" that they are the victors for having bewitched the eyes of the onlookers. Internally, Moses is strengthened by heavenly sakina that steadies his heart. He throws his staff, which not only becomes a serpent, but a serpent that gulps up the "machinations" of the magicians who suddenly are dumbfounded by what they had just seen. Aware that their "serpents" are well-done machinations that spellbind "the eyes" of the spectators, what they see in Moses' staff is something else altogether, a true break of the natural order. To boot, the miracle swallows their prefabricated magic, which they know, perhaps better than anyone, is impossible in the realm of magic and the occult.

Magicians realize the ultimate truth
It is here that the Magicians have an epiphany, in the older sense of the word: a sudden revelation or manifestation of the truth, which creates a pointed expansion of the mind. Uninterested in Pharaoh's disappointment and unmoved by the loss of their boon, the Magicians fall to their faces in prostration and declare their belief in the unseen Lord of the worlds, the Lord of Moses and Aaron. Pharaoh is incensed that his prized Magicians would have a religious makeover without his permission. His threats are not subtle: torment, severed limbs on opposite sides, and crucifixion. He spins the embarrassing situation by claiming that the Magicians had been part of the Moses-Aaron axis the whole time, a sleeper-cell perhaps. Inspired by the inner roar of awakening, the Magicians are unimpressed with what Pharaoh may do to them. They restate their resolve and affirm that regardless of what they are forced to endure, they ultimately will return to God, a short journey obliged to all, the tormented and the tormentors alike.

The Magicians' spiritual makeover speaks to what we observe of our context today, specifically, the diminishing role of the "universal storyteller," a term coined by theologian and professor Robert W. Jenson, who correctly laments postmodern pressures to dismiss the notion of an unbroken sacred narrative that permeates the entirety of time. This sacred narrative is a continuous, supernal line of thought and perspective that answers unchanging questions of human origin, purpose, and post-soil existence. This narrative, moreover, is not squeamish about attaching values to human conduct; it stoutly raises issues about morality, ethics, and consequences, all associated with "teachings" that are universal and timeless.

If we look at the Magicians again, these masters of the dark arts had a peculiar reaction to their defeat-a reaction outwardly inconsonant with their strutting just moments before. It's one thing to realize that what Moses threw down was truly otherworldly. Responding is something else. The Magicians' hearts could have merely sunk at Moses' triumph; they could have despaired of their fate in the face of such humiliation; they could have tried to conjure up excuses to spare their lives or to save face. But what their realization unveiled was irrepressible, and their reaction to it was connected to the presence of a sacred narrative that survived Pharaonic pressure and cult.

Abrahamic message continues
For all the religio-babble and tyranny of Pharaoh, the Abrahamic message of monotheism did not lose traction. How it dodged dilution and meaninglessness in that Egyptian context is something to study, particularly as it relates to the presence of the Israelites, regardless of their station in Egypt. We do know that the Magicians boldly took refuge in the "Lord of Moses and Aaron," and you sense that the option to do so was available even in the political straits of ancient Egypt. Within a short span of time, the Magicians moved from Pharaoh's delight to his utter scorn; from the promise of a life of privilege to a sentence of crucifixion; from champions of the occult to devotees of the great Lord of the worlds, unseen and all-powerful.

Thoughtful men and women representing various faith communities observe the modern dilution of all things sacred. The insistence that truth is closely attached to historical currents and, therefore, should be deconstructed and reinvented as the "times" and history change seriously threatens modern man's receptivity to divine signs and, yes, epiphanies. The raucous handling of the "past" tells the dull progression of humankind as measured by the tools we invent and irreverently denies the freshness and relevance of sacred beliefs established thousands of years ago.

It's unlikely that there's ever been unanimity about these critical questions of human existence and purpose. Religious thoughts and philosophical paradigms have been numerous, diverse, and conflicting. But what has consistently poked out as essentially unchanged and remarkably relevant is the oneness of God and our return, as preserved by the gracious Abrahamic narrative, Israelite then Ishmaelite. It seems that the great challenge of this tradition is to reaffirm the continuous nature of the sacred narrative and reclaim its inarguable importance in human life.

Ibrahim N. Abusharif is a Chicago-area writer and editor of Starlatch Press. He also maintains a blog at http://fromclay.blogspot.com He can be contacted via e-mail at starlatch@hotmail.com

- See more at: http://www.islamicity.com/articles/Articles.asp?ref=IC0902-3809#sthash.0SuSTOfp.dpuf

Prophet Abraham ~ The Inter-faith Superstar

2014-12-04T19:45:00.005-08:00

All prophets / ambiya are said to have spoken with divine authority; but only those who have been given a major revelation are titled "rasul' or messenger. Notable rusul/messengers include prophets Adam, Noah/Nuh, Abraham/Ibrahim, Moses/Musa, Dawud/David, Jesus/'Isa, and Muhammad (peace be upon all of them).

Prophet Ibrahim is considered the first known international religious personality; having been born in 'Ur/'Urfa, traveled throughout the Middle East, established in Jerusalem, ventured to Makkah and lies buried in Hebron, Palestine. Each of these places still of historic, religious and spiritual significance today.

Description in the Qur'an

Prophet Abraham / Ibrahim is mentioned 69 times by name in the Qur'an with an entire chapter (14) titled Ibrahim. Muslims consider Ibrahim the khalil/ friend of the Divine, as Allah states: "Who can be better in faith than one who submits his whole self to Allah, does good deeds and follows the way of Ibrahim, the one who was true in faith? For Allah did take Ibrahim as friend." [Qur'an 4:125]

Prophet Ibrahim is referred to as ... inspired [Qur'an 4:163], most truthful [Qur'an 19:41], a prophet [Qur'an 19:41], mild, imploring, penitent [Qur'an 11:75], soft-hearted and long-suffering [Qur'an 9:114], upright [Qur'an 3:67,95; 16:120,123]. Believers are called "millat- Ibrahim" the people /community of Ibrahim throughout the Qur'an [Qur'an 2:130; 135; 3:95; 4:125; 6:161; 12:37-38; 16:123; 21:73; 22:78]. Another verse in the Quran portrays Ibrahim as the ab/father of all believers. "Strive in the way of God as you ought to strive with sincerity and discipline. He has chosen you and has not laid upon you any hardship in the observance of your faith - the faith of your father Ibrahim." [Qur'an 22:78] Yet another verse confirms that Ibrahim is part of the fraternity of God's prophets. "(O Muhammad), We have sent revelations to you just as We sent to Noah and the Prophets who came after him. We also sent revelations to Ibrahim, Ishma'il, Ishaq, Ya'qub, his descendants, 'Īsa, Ayyub, Yunus, Harun, and Sulayman, and to Dawud We gave the Zabur/Psalms." [Qur'an 4:163]

Positive and benign attitude

Prophet Ibrahim's logical attitude in his search for truth [Qur'an 5:75-79]; his respectful debate with his unbelieving father [Qur'an 19:41-49] and his loving relationship with his son [Qur'an 37:102] are all timeless examples of excellence. True Believers are those who follow the way of Ibrahim [Qur'an 2:258; 16:123; 6:162-163]. Faithful worshippers send (darud- Ibrahim) salutation on Ibrahim and his family along with the Prophet Muhammad and his family in every one of their daily prayers.

Unifier

Prophet Ibrahim is pioneer of universalizing tawhid, the only scriptural figure who enjoys the unanimous acclaim of all three major faith traditions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam), the only one referred to by all three as "father". Allah advises us; "Strive in the way of Allah as you ought to strive, with sincerity and discipline. He has chosen you and has not laid upon you any hardship in the observance of your faith - the faith of your father Ibrahim." [Qur'an 22:78]

In theory, this remarkable consensus should make Prophet Ibrahim an interfaith superstar, a special resource in these times of conflict and mistrust. His history constitutes a kind of multi-faith harmony, a case study for monotheism, a unifying symbol for people of faith in a time of tremendous strife. O Allah! Send salutations upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad as You sent salutations upon Ibrahim and upon the family of Ibrahim; indeed, You are Worthy of all Praise, Most Glorious. O Allah! Bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim; indeed, You are Worthy of all Praise, Most Glorious.

*****

Shaykh Sadullah Khan is the Director of Impower Development International www.impowerinternational.com.
- See more at: http://www.islamicity.com/Articles/articles.asp?ref=IC1210-5297#sthash.L9eOPezu.dpuf

Woman Leads A Wave Of Change For U.S. Muslims

2014-12-04T19:36:00.003-08:00

Matthai Chakko Kuruvila, Chronicle Religion Writer

A former Catholic, Canadian-born woman who is a widely respected scholar is arguably the most influential Muslim in America.

Ingrid Mattson, the recently elected president of the 43-year-old Islamic Society of North America, is the first convert, first non-immigrant and first woman to lead the largest Muslim umbrella organization on the continent. Her rise to prominence comes as more women and native-born Muslims are defining the faith, making Islam more of an American religion.

"There certainly has been a very strong tendency in Muslim societies to consider it better for women to not assume public office, although (Muslim) women have been political leaders, religious leaders and scholars," said Mattson, 43, who will speak tonight and Saturday at a conference of Muslims in Santa Clara about the life of the prophet Muhammad.

"The fact that our community has decided that being female is not a barrier is the result of many years of scholarship and education on the part of a number of scholars and teachers in our community."

The soft-spoken Mattson is not afraid to challenge long-held assumptions among believers. She wears a head scarf and loose clothes, and she is a forceful advocate for women's rights. She wields a powerful administrative role in establishing American Muslim institutions, and she's hands-on in shaping the minds of the nation's Muslim chaplains.

The Islamic Society of North America serves as an incubator for an array of Islamic institutions around the country, building the infrastructure for a faith that is relatively young in the United States.

Prominent mosques in Fremont and Santa Clara as well as a Muslim domestic violence hot line in Palo Alto have their roots in ISNA or its members.

Mattson's ascendancy underscores the complex roles of Muslim women in America. They have founded and operate several nonprofits and institutions, particularly in the Bay Area. Many sit on the boards of their mosques, especially those run by African Americans, the single largest ethnic bloc of American Muslims.

But there are mosques that physically exclude women, segregate them behind walls or block them from leadership. Mattson's rise has been celebrated by many Muslims as a harbinger of the future.

"Muslim organizations have been dominated by an immigrant group of men that has had a hard time passing the torch to the next generation," said Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, founder and past president of the Muslim Women's League, based in Los Angeles. "She represents that change."

Mattson's coming of age brought her to Islam. Growing up in Kitchener, Ontario, her family lived near a Catholic complex, including a convent, church and school. But at age 15, the once-pious child had more and more questions, and the nuns who taught her had fewer answers. They sent her to a priest, who couldn't satisfy her either. God disappeared.

"Religion wasn't ever to me about dogma," she said. "It was more about how I felt, my own spiritual connection. How much my inability to grasp Catholic theology had to do with my fading spiritual connection, I don't know." She stopped attending church.

In her senior year of college, she went to Paris and befriended several Senegalese, who happened to be Muslim. "As I got close to them, I wanted to know more about them," Mattson said. She returned to Canada and began reading the Quran.

Certain verses gripped her, explaining God to her in new ways. The verses "brought me to believe in God, which I didn't," she said. "It just opened this complete, new universe of meaning to me."

Mattson had never heard of a Muslim before going to Paris. But within a year, she became one. She believes her Christian upbringing -- and a sister who converted to Judaism -- frees her from inter-religious barriers others might have. She thinks her perspective will allow her to better mediate between a minority faith and Christianity in the United States.

"I feel very privileged," she said. "I'm sure I have my own barriers, but I think I'm able to be pretty open to people ... about who they are and what they believe."

After college, in 1987, Mattson volunteered in a refugee camp in Pakistan. There, she met and married her husband, Aamer Atek, an Egyptian engineer and fellow volunteer.

She went on to earn a doctorate in Islamic studies from the University of Chicago. Since 1998, she has taught courses on Islam at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut.

In 2001, she was elected to the first of her two terms as the Islamic Society's vice president, foreshadowing her current position.

When Mattson was elected president in August, it was because "she was the most qualified," said Ameena Jandali, a Berkeley resident who was on the five-member election committee overseeing the process. "It wasn't a matter of gender."

Mattson's most important role may be as the director of the nation's only Islamic chaplaincy program, also at Hartford Seminary. Mattson is responsible for helping train a generation of leaders who will counsel the most vulnerable believers: those in colleges, prisons, hospitals and the military.

Her students' stories about her help reveal her perspective on Islam. In one class three years ago, she stood before her students, urging them to question the authenticity of a quote long attributed by Muslims to the prophet Muhammad.

"If God had told anyone to bow to anyone but him, then he would tell women to bow to their husbands," Muhammad reportedly said, according to one hadith, a religiously sanctioned compilation of the sayings and deeds of Islam's revered prophet.

Several students disagreed with Mattson's questioning of the verse. They said she was introducing subjectivity into centuries of tradition that had validated the quote.

But Mattson calmly gave them criteria to weigh a hadith's authenticity -- whether it is congruent with the Quran, congruent with Muhammad's other sayings and logically a part of Islamic teaching.

Mattson said the quote didn't pass muster with the Quran's call for gender equality, or Muhammad's body of teachings. Questioning had nothing to do with subjectivity, she said. In fact, Islamic tradition required it.

"She's thought-provoking," said former student Sohaib Sultan, 26, now a chaplain at Wesleyan and Trinity colleges in Connecticut, recalling the scene. "She makes us think outside the box. But by her own calm demeanor, she shows how we can have differences of opinion and at the same time respect each other."

Mattson said her quiet confidence in conflict is the product of her childhood.

"My ability to remain calm is the fruit of having grown up in a large family -- four brothers, very opinionated, a huge extended family," she said. "I was smaller than everyone. I couldn't yell louder. I just had to be calm."

She wants her students, particularly women, to leave her classes with the same quality. She verbally pushes them, and some students initially think she's mean.

"If they're a woman and they're trying to make a point, they have to learn to hold their ground, to articulate a point without getting upset," she said. "If they can't handle me challenging them, they can't handle the rest of the world."

Hazrat Shah Jalal

2014-12-04T19:28:00.001-08:00

Shah Jalal is one of the most revered legendary Islamic heroes of Bangladesh and one of the key founding fathers of Islam in the country. He was a great saint and a great warrior. He, along with his disciples, had unique contribution in liberating the people of Sylhet region both from the racial rule of the Hindu kings and the prejudices of paganism.

His full full name is Sheikh-ul Mashaek Mokhdum Sheikh Shah Jalal Mozorrodh Bin Muhammed. Although historians are divided on the issue of his birth-palce, the majority of them thinks that he was born in 1271 in Konya, Turky.

Shah Jalal's father was contemporary to Mawlana Jalal Uddin Rumi. Rumi's mazaar is also situated in Shah Jalal's birthplace, Konya in Turky. His ancestors came from Yemen, hence he is also called the Mozorrodh-e-Yemeni. Shah Jalal was raised by his maternal uncle, Syed Ahemd Kabir, in Mecca. He became a Hafiz (those who know the Holy Koran by heart) and also became proficient in Islamic theology. Legend has it that one day his uncle gave him a handful of earth and ask him to go to Hindustan with the instruction that whichever place in Hindustan matches this earth completely in smell and color, he should settle down for preaching and establishing Islam.

Shah Jalal journeyed eastward and reached Hindustan (modern India) in c. 1300. In Ajmir, he met the great Sufi mystic (Dervish/Pir), Kwaja Gharibnawaz Moinuddin Hasan Chisty. He also met with Nizam Uddin Awlia (1236-1325), a prominent Dervish, in Delhi. Nizam Uddin requested him to go to Sylhet to rescue Sheikh Burhan Uddin. The Sheikh was only a handful of Muslims living in the kingdom of a Hindu King, Gaur Gavindha. He secretly slaughtered a cow to perform his son's Akika (christening of child in Muslim culture). It is said that a crow carried a piece of meat and dropped it in the king's yard. The enraged king ordered killing of the Sheikh's son and the Sheikh himself was imprisoned. Sheikh Burhan Uddin's mazaar (shrine) is located in the banks of river Surma in Sylhet town.

Shah Jalal reached Sylhet with 360 Awlias (disciples). Some of the awlias originally followed him from Delhi, and some joined on the way to Sylhet. Knowing that Shah Jalal was advancing toward Sylhet, the king removed all ferry boats from the river Surma. Legend has it that Shah Jalal crossed the river Surma by sitting in a Zainamaaz (prayer rug). Muslim force was defeated by the king twice previously. However, this time the king ran away after being deafeated by the force led by Shah Jalal after a fierce battle. Shah Jalal also found a match of the earth his uncle once gave him. He settled down in a placed called Drag Mahallah, near Choukidhiki. He preached Islam from there. He and his disciples also travelled as far as Mymensingh and Dhaka.

In his book "Afdalul Hawaade", poet Hazrat Amir Khosru gave exact dates of Shah Jalal's travel to Sylhet. Khosru was a Moghul court poet, and considered the founder of Urdu language. Persian traveller, Ibn Batuta, also came to Sylhet to meet Shah Jalal.

The exact date of his death is unknown. According to Ibn Batuta, it was 1347. He died at Sylhet, Bangladesh.

Shah Jalal's nephew, Hazrat Shah Paran, lived out of town, in Major Tila area. Legend says that he was of very high temper and would curse people when they are unruly and the curse would come true. To save people from his wrath, Shah Jalal ordered him to settle down just the outskirt of the town.

Source: http://www.islam-bd.org/heros/shahjalal/shahjalal.html

The Role of Muhammad (s)

2014-11-30T12:41:00.004-08:00

HISTORY RELATES OF MEN who distinguished themselves by deeds and left permanent imprints on their societies; of prophets who delivered the message of the true God to their peoples; of statesmen who distinguished themselves in the service of their nations; of authors who left monumental additions to the literary wealth of mankind; of conquerors who led their followers to victories, wealth, and renown; and of those who by force of personality or unusual calling succeeded in transforming values or completely revamping the societies into which they were born. Muhammad , the prophet of Arabia, has fulfilled for his people a role that combines the functions - of a distinguished prophet, statesman, author, and reformer. He has earned for himself as a consequence the respect and reverence of countless people, Muslim and non-Muslim everywhere. By vocation Muhammad was a prophet in the true Biblical sense with a message for his people, a message anchored in religious belief but aiming at the realization of fundamental social, economic, and political reform. The religion he founded was hampered by no wrangling creed or barrier to man's relations with God or to his fellow man. He succeeded, both as prophet and as reformer. The fact that Muhammad's mission was accomplished in his lifetime is a living testimony "to his distinctive superiority over the prophets, sages, and philosophers of other times and countries." 1 While our knowledge of men who filled similar roles from Moses to Zoroaster to Jesus is shrouded with legend, often incomplete and frequently colored, and while the accounts of Muhammad's life and deeds contain their share of incompleteness and coloring, the fact remains that he was the first to live and preach in the full light of history. We have more information relating to his career than we have of his predecessors. His life by and large is not wrapped in mystery, and few tales have been woven around his personality.2 For the biography of Muhammad we are dependent on the work of ibn-Ishaq (d. 767) as preserved in the recension of ibn-Hisham (d. 834). Ibn-Sa'd, a historian of the ninth century, compiled an encyclopedic work on the Prophet and his followers which contains valuable information on the life and preachings of Muhammad . But no source or work can yield more dependable information on the genius of Muhammad or provide a greater insight into his personality and accomplishments than the Qur'an, the sacred book of Islam. While the Qur'an in Islamic theology - conveys strictly the word of God, it remains in respect to the message contained therein a true mirror of Muhammad's character and his accomplishments. Complementary information is obtainable also in the sayings and deeds of the Prophet that have been amassed in voluminous quantities but carefully scrutinized by scholars of the early Islamic centuries. These non-canonical texts, which contain eye-witness accounts of Muhammad , fall under the category of hadith (utterances) and sunnah (observed conduct). The life and preachings of Muhammad are in marked contrast with what Arabian society had ordained for his fellow Meccans. The established facts of his life have been subjected to much less variance of interpretation than those of preceding prophets. This is due to the circumspection of available sources. He was born about 571 A.D., the posthumous son of 'Abdullah and Aminah. On his father's side he descended from the impoverished house of Hashim, adjudged by the Quraysh the noblest of the dominant aristocracy; on his mother's, from the Najjar branch of Khazraj, a major tribe of Yathrib, his adoptive city. His grandfather, 'Abd-al-Muttalib, formerly the custodian of the Kacbah and one time the virtual head of the Meccan commonwealth, took charge of his upbringing upon the death of his mother when Muhammad was only six years old. When the grandfather died, the care of the child was entrusted to his paternal uncle Abu-Talib. Most of his youth was evidently uneventful as the lack of biographical information on Muhammad's early life suggests. The most important landmark in his youth prior to the prophetic call is his marriage to Khadijah, a wealthy Qurayshite widow who was impressed by Muhammad's personality and virtues when he served as a factor in her caravan trade with Syria. He was twenty-five at the time and she fifteen years his senior. The marriage lasted over fifteen years. During this period Muhammad would have no additional woman for a wife, an unusual disposition for the times when polygamy was widely practiced by his fellow Arabs. Yet these were the years that afforded him the happiness which escaped him, as an orphaned youth. GA_googleFillSlot("IC1.0_Articles_250.250"); GA_googleCreateDomIframe("google_ads_div_IC1.0_Articles_250.250_ad_container" ,"IC1.0_Articles_250.250"); Khadijah bore him two sons, who died in infancy, and four daughters. Two of the daughters married the future third and fourth caliphs of Islam. His daughter Fatimah married his first cousin 'Ali, the son of Abu-Talib, whom he had taken under his wing and raised as an act of gratitude when Abu-Talib, Muhammad's uncle, died. The mission of Muhammad began after a careful period of soul-searching and spiritual reassessment lasting over fifteen years. When the call to prophecy came at last, there was no turning back. He hesitated but he did not fail to respond. Muhammad was a mature man of forty when he received the first revelation. It came to him as he was contemplating in a cave on Mt. Hira', above Mecca, to which he habitually withdrew. The injustices permeating all levels of Meccan society in his days undoubtedly weighed heavily on his mind and caused him much anguish. The wealthy lorded it over the poor; the helpless were at the mercy of the strong; greed and selfishness ruled the day; infanticide was widely practiced by Bedouins who lacked adequate means of sustenance, and there were numerous other evils prevailing on all levels of Arabian society that had the effect of widening the gulf between the privileged aristocracy and the deprived multitudes of Mecca. With such considerations preying on his mind, Muhammad found himself confronted by a twofold crisis: spiritual and social. In his early life he had understood only too well what poverty accompanied by orphanage meant. Now he had time to do something about both. It is important to note here that Muhammad's preaching of monotheism and of social reform went hand in hand. Indeed, no other message is so thoroughly underscored in the revelations received from Allah with so much stress on equal treatment and social justice. To Muhammad these constituted a vital concomitant of worship. The revelations of the one and only God enjoin consistently the exercise of mercy and benevolence as the necessary adjuncts of belief in Him. This dual role of Muhammad as preacher and reformer is largely evident in his life and career. What he sought was the cohesion of Arabian society through uniform beliefs and a unified faith. He knew this could be accomplished only through the worship of the one God alone and through laws authorized by the sanctity of divine command. With such laws Muhammad would bind the hitherto scattered ends of Arabia. He preached belief in the one God, God of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, and the brotherhood of all Arabs in Islam, or "submission" to God. To preach such a radical message in Arabia at this time was to be truly daring and, judging by the standards of the day, it was an undertaking fraught with risks and formidable obstacles. Muhammad himself was overwhelmed when he awakened to the awesome realities of the task he was being charged with. "No incipient prophet," said Edward Gibbon, "ever passed through so severe an ordeal as Muhammad." Indeed, as the commandments of Allah became increasingly manifest in the revelations that were descending upon him, Muhammad undertook to show that the whole organization and institutional beliefs of pagan Arabia were not in conformity with the divine will. The voice of Muhammad amidst the strong chorus of opposition was indeed a lone voice. Yet he persistently challenged the moral and social norms governing Arabia, and particularly the values and institutional practices of Mecca, the hub of Arabia, under the powerful leadership of the Qurayshite oligarchy. -

(Excerpted from the book "Islam" - An academic analysis of the life of the Prophet of Islam by Caesar E. Farah. Prof. Farah teaches History at the University of Minnesota and earned his Ph.D from Princeton in 1956.) - See more at: http://www.islamicity.com/articles/Articles.asp?ref=IV0602-2910#sthash.wWuLAaDG.dpuf

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Thanksgiving and Muslim Heritage

2014-11-30T12:28:00.001-08:00

As American Muslims, should we stand with the Pilgrims or the Indians?

Since Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation in 1863 in the midst of the Civil War, Americans have celebrated a November Thursday as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise. Since 1970, a Native American group in New England has observed this same day as a National Day of Mourning. They are descendents of the indigenous Wampanoag Indians who encountered the Pilgrims that landed at Plymouth Rock. Each year at Plymouth Rock itself, the group - along with hundreds of allies - mourn the theft of their lands and food by the Pilgrims, and the enslavement and subjugation of their ancestors. At the same time, they also look forward to an America filled with justice and freed of brutality.

So, should American Muslims give thanks and praise the Creator, or should we mourn on this day? We should both give thanks and remember the past. We should stand in earnest compassion with the Pilgrims and in genuine solidarity with the Indians, helping each in their needs. As the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "A person should help his brother whether he is the oppressor or the oppressed. If he is the oppressor he should prevent him from doing so, for that is his help; and if he is the oppressed he should be helped against oppression."

As Muslims, we should always be thankful and truly grateful for all that we have. Although things could be better, things could also always be much, much worse. We should be mindful of the distance we need to go — as individuals, as a community and as a country. As America marks a Day of Thanksgiving, let American Muslims also commit ourselves to both an unfailing gratitude and to the struggles for racial and economic justice and peace.

Let's make this a day of thanksgiving and remembrance of our heritage as American Muslims. Let's recount the good and the bad, so we can better understand our role in America in these remarkable times.

This Thanksgiving, let's remember the Muslims who arrived in America in the hulls of slave ships after crossing the Middle Passage. After all, Malcolm X did say, "We didn't land on Plymouth Rock; Plymouth Rock landed on us!" Historians estimate that a quarter of African slaves brought to America were Muslim. When Alex Haley traced his Roots, he traced them through Kunte Kinte to a Muslim village in West Africa. Historian Sylviane Diouf has eloquently described this experience in her book "African Muslims Enslaved in the Americas". Let's give thanks for those lifted out of slavery, and for the dignity in struggle of the late Rosa Parks and her generation.

Let's remember the vision of religious pluralism of our Founding Fathers. According to James Hutson, chief of the Library of Congress' Manuscript division, the Founding Fathers - especially Thomas Jefferson & George Washington - "explicitly included Islam in their vision of the future of the republic". Thomas Jefferson was more proud of his effort to pass Virginia's landmark Statute for Establishing Religious Freedom in 1786 than he was of his presidency. (Some say a future president would be similarly more proud of his stint as the manager of baseball team in Texas.) In his Autobiography, Jefferson praised the Virginia Statute's "mantle of protection," which included "the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mahometan, the Hindoo and the Infidel." Let's give thanks for the religious freedoms we enjoy.

Let's remember the hand of friendship extended by the Sultan of Morocco, who made Morocco the first country to recognize the independence of the United States. Isn't it amazing that it is a Muslim land that has that honor? The 1787 Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Morocco and the United States stands as the basis for the longest unbroken treaty relationship between the US and any foreign country in the history of the Republic. Let's give thanks for those sincere efforts at peacemaking and bridge building in our time.

Let's remember the great American landmark, the Washington Monument on the Capitol Mall in Washington, DC. It was completed in the 1880s in part with the gift of funds from the Ottoman sultan in Istanbul, who as Caliph was also the figurehead leader of all Muslims. The Sultan's subjects included the populations of today's Middle East hotspots: Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. If you go to the Washington Monument, you can see the Sultan's commemorative plaque inside the Monument, which features a specially commissioned calligraphed poem in the Arabic script for the American people. Let's give thanks for wisdom, foresight, and small kindnesses in our leaders, communities, and families.

Let's remember the first American colonial conquest and occupation in the Muslim world which occurred during the Philippines-American War in the early 20th century, a war in which about 1.4 million Filipinos died. General Pershing accomplished in 10 or so years what the Spanish couldn't in 400 years. Fresh from fighting the Sioux at Wounded Knee, Pershing helped conquer the Muslim Moro peoples of the southern Philippines. The Colt .45 Gun, which was the standard issue handgun of the US Armed Forces until 1985, was invented specifically for the conquest of the Muslim Moro peoples. In one fateful siege, the Battle of Bud Bagsak, American troops killed 2000-3000 Muslim men, women, and children. Let's give thanks for those Muslims and Christians in the Philippines and around the world who are today breaking barriers and working for a new dawn free of oppression, exploitation and hate.

Let's all remember our own shortcomings, and give thanks for the infinite mercy, forgiveness, and love of our Creator.

Let's give thanks. Let's pray and work for a future of peace, justice, and nonviolence.

Mas'ood Cajee, a board member of the Muslim Peace Fellowship, lives in San Joaquin County, California. He is currently researching the stories of Muslim rescuers during the Nazi genocide. He welcomes comments at mcajee@yahoo.com.

Zakah: Connecting Humanity

2014-07-25T00:31:00.001-07:00

Zakah (Community Wealth Tax). The Muslim contribution to life is open, without limits: he gives of his effort, his mind, his knowledge, his status and his money. The Prophet (peace be on him) said, "Every Muslim must perform a charity." They asked, "Messenger of God, what if a person cannot find anything to give?" He answered, "He should work with his hands to benefit himself and give in charity." "And what if he could not find that?" they asked again. "He should assist an aggrieved person in need." "And what if he could not do that?" "Then he should do good and refrain from evil - that would be his charity." (related by al-Bukhari)

Zakah regulates the wealth contribution in its minimum, making it a religious obligation from which the individual cannot free himself or take concessions, since it is the right of society to be devoted to the benefit of the needy and disabled individuals and classes.

In its proper sense, zakah is a practical manifestation of the brotherhood between the faithful and establishes mutual solidarity between them by the firm bond it creates between rich and poor, in a way that strengthens the individual's sense of relation to the community and the community's awareness of the value of the individual, and that it is strengthened by his strength and weakened by his weakness.

An analysis of zakah in the Islamic system reveals its various functions in a Muslim society:

(a) a religious function: In this respect zakah is a manifestation of the faith that affirms that God is the sole owner of everything in the universe, and what men hold is a trust in their hand over which God made them trustees to discharge it as He has laid down: "Believe in Allah and His Messenger and spend of that over which He made you trustees" (Quran 57:7). It is also an expression of gratitude towards the Bestower Who said: "If you give thanks, I will give you more." (Quran 14:7) In this respect zakah is an act of devotion which, like prayer, brings the believer nearer to his Lord, and being one of the pillars of religion, avoidance of payment is a manifestation of shirk (serving other gods besides God).

(b) an economic function: Its economic function is revealed in many ways: firstly, zakah gives a strong incentive for investing wealth for the benefit of society and makes us refrain from hoarding it. When the amount reaches the taxable minimum and has been possessed for a whole year, zakah falls due on it whether it has been invested or not. Those who do not invest their wealth expose it to continuous reduction of at least 2.5% annually. Gradually it will be removed from their possession to be used for the benefit of society.

Apart from this, zakah is a means of compulsory redistribution of wealth in a way that reduces differences between classes and groups, thus preventing the many social disorders from which Communist and Western societies alike suffer, no less than contemporary Muslim societies that have neglected zakah. Moreover, zakah is a means of establishing justice indirectly. It rectifies whatever wrongs, injustices or means of exploitation in trading and industrial relations that have arisen. This may explain the fact that it is called a "right" rather than "charity", or an act of beneficence. Zakah also facilitates the proper direction of purchasing power in society. It transfers part of the power of consumption, which may be used extravagantly to fulfill a proper function in the lives of those who need it.

(c) a social function: Zakah makes a fair contribution to social stability. By purging the soul of the rich of selfishness and the soul of the poor of envy and resentment against society, it stops up the channels leading to class hatred and makes it possible for the springs of brotherhood and solidarity to gush forth. Such stability is not merely based on the personal feelings of the rich: it stands on a firmly established right, which, if the rich denied it, would be exacted by force if necessary.

Zakah is not used merely to meet the present needs of the poor and needy, but serves other functions that deeply affect social life. As the Quran laid down, it solves the following problems:

(i) The problem of freedom, by assisting slaves seeking their freedom to attain it (slavery was an established system in the world at the time the Quran was revealed).

(ii) The problem of indebtedness which threatens an individual with bankruptcy, hardship, stress, humiliation or loss of good name, whether caused by the necessities of life or fluctuation in the market resulting in hardship to a good producer or an honest merchant. The Quran allots a portion of the zakah fund to solving such problems of indebtedness - a better solution than any contemporary system of insurance, as it is more positive and more in line with true cooperation and social solidarity.

(iii) The problem of defense and security of Muslim land against external threat and such matters as may be related to struggle in the cause of God.

(iv) The need of those who are away from their home seeking knowledge or a lawful livelihood and have not attained a settled life yet - the Quran devotes a portion of the zakah fund to meeting their need.

All this is contained in the Quranic verse that specifies the items upon which zakah should be expended, and recipients of the fund: "The alms are only for the poor and the needy, and those employed in collecting them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and to free the slaves and the debtors, and for the cause of Allah, and (for) the wayfarer, a duty enjoined by Allah; Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise." (Quran 9:60)

In its lexical definition zakah means "purity" and "growth", in both of which we can perceive its religious connotations: it purges society of destructive afflictions and causes human and social virtues to grow, leading to sound social relations, peace and stability.

In this light we can understand the position taken by Abu Bakr, the first Khalifa (may God be pleased with him) in the face of the first attempt to suspend payment of zakah by those who refused to pay it. He used the Muslim army to uphold this social right and compelled the recalcitrant faction to pay the community wealth tax, asserting a principle in which he was following the Prophet, "I swear by God, if they refuse to pay to me even a small piece of robe which they used to pay to the Messenger of God, I would fight them for it." (related by al-Bukhari).
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Maximize the last 10 days of Ramadan

2014-07-22T21:45:00.001-07:00

Maximize the last 10 days of Ramadan

By: Abdul Malik Mujahid

Laylatul Qadr (the Night of Power) is described in the Quran as, "better than a thousand months" (97:3). Any action done on this night such as reciting the Quran, remembering Allah, etc. is better than acting for one thousand months which do not contain the night of Qadr.

Allah's Messenger used to exert himself in devotion during the last ten nights to a greater extent than at any other time." (Muslim). Allah's peace and blessings be upon our beloved Prophet.

Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, related that the Prophet said: Look for Laylatul Qadr on an odd-numbered night during the last ten nights of Ramadan (Bukhari).

The Prophet said: "Whoever prays during the night of Qadr with faith and hoping for its reward will have all of his previous sins forgiven." (Bukhari and Muslim recorded from Abu Huraira).

Here are some tips of things we can do on the Night of Power and the time before and after it.

1. Take a vacation for Allah.We take a break from our jobs for almost everything in life. Why not this time to focus on worshiping and thanking our Creator.

If this is not possible at least take a few days off if you can. This can make it easier to stay awake at night to do extra Ibadah, not having to worry about getting to work the next day. It will also facilitate doing Itikaf.

2. Do I'tikaf.It was a practice of the Prophet to spend the last ten days and nights of Ramadan in the masjid for I'tikaf.

Those in I'tikaf stay in the masjid all this time, performing various forms of zikr (the remembrance of Allah), like doing extra Salat, recitation and study of the Quran. They do not go outside the masjid except in case of emergencies, therefore, they sleep in the masjid. Their families or the masjid administration takes care of their food needs. I'tikaf of a shorter period of time, like one night, a day or a couple of days is encouraged as well.

3. Make this special Dua.Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: I asked the Messenger of Allah: 'O Messenger of Allah, if I know what night is the night of Qadr, what should I say during it?' He said: 'Say: O Allah, You are pardoning and You love to pardon, so pardon me.' "(Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and Tirmidhi).

The transliteration of this Dua is "Allahumma innaka 'afuwwun tuhibbul 'afwa fa'fu 'annee"

4. Recite the Quran.Perhaps you can choose Surahs or passages from the Quran, which you have heard in Tarawih this past Ramadan to recite.

If you attend a class where the recitation of the Quran is taught, this is a great time to put your knowledge into practice.

5. Reflect on the meaning of the Quran.Choose the latest Surah or Surahs you've heard in Tarawih and read their translation and Tafseer. Then think deeply about their meaning and how it affects you on a personal level.

6. Get your sins wiped out.Abu Huraira narrated that the Messenger said: Whoever stands (in prayer) in Laylatul Qadr while nourishing his faith with self-evaluation, expecting reward from Allah, will have all of his previous sins forgiven. [Bukhari and Muslim).
Don't just pray using the shorter Surahs that you know. Try to make your prayers longer, deeper and
meaningful. If you are familiar with longer Surahs, read the translation and explanation and then pray reciting these Surahs, carefully reflecting on the meaning while you pray.

Even if you are only familiar with the shorter Surahs, read the translation and explanation beforehand, and then pray reflecting on the message of the Surahs.

This is a good way to develop the habit of concentration, even in regular prayers, where many of us tend to be fidgety and/or easily distracted.

7. Make a personal Dua list.Ask yourself what you really want from Allah. Make a list of each and everything, no matter how small or how big it is, whether it deals with this world or not. Allah loves to hear from us. Once this list is ready, you can do three things:

Ask Allah to give you those things
Think about what actions you have taken to get those things
Develop a work plan to get those things in future.

8. Evaluate yourself.

Ask yourself those questions that need to be asked. Do an evaluation of where you are and where you are going. Let this evaluation lead you to feel happiness for the good you have done and remorse for the bad you have done. This latter feeling should make it easier to seek Allah's sincere forgiveness when making the Dua mentioned in tip number one above.

9. Make long, sincere and deep Duas
One of the best times to do this is during the last part of the night.

Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, related that the Prophet said: When the last one-third of the night remains, our Lord, the Glorious One descends towards the heaven of the earth and proclaims: Who is that who supplicates for Me, and I grant his supplication? Who is that who begs Me for anything and I grant it to him? And who is that who seeks My forgiveness, and I forgive him? (Bukhari, Muslim).

That means for instance, waking up one hour before Suhoor time to ask Allah for anything and everything you want that is Halal. This can be done using the Duas of the Sunnah, but also Dua in your own language, with sincerity and conviction.

10. Memorize a different Dua every nightThey don't have to be long. They can be just one line. And be sure to know what they mean generally at least, even if you don't know the exact translation in English.

You can put them on index cards (or and keep them with you during the day, glancing at them during work, while driving, waiting in line, etc.) Then practice them at night in prayer.

11. Have Iftar with the familyIf you've spent Iftar time on weekdays in your cubicle at work alone with a couple of dates, now is the last few days you'll have this Ramadan to spend with your family. Use it wisely.

12. Take the family to TarawihHave your spouse and kids missed Tarawih most of Ramadan because you weren't there to drive them to the Masjid, which is too far away to walk to? If so, do all of yourselves a favour and bring everyone for Tarawih in these last ten nights.

13. Attend the Dua after the completion of Quran recitationAlmost all Masjids where the Imam aims to finish an entire reading of the Quran in Tarawih prayers in Ramadan will be completing their recitation in these last ten nights. They may try to end on one of the odd nights and read the Dua at the end of a reading of the Quran. Attend this particular night's Tarawih prayer with your family. See if you can attend different Masjids' Tarawih prayers
the night they finish reading the Quran.

14. Finish reading a book on the ProphetRead about the Prophet's life, which can increase your love for him and Islam by seeing how much he struggled for Allah's sake. It may inspire you to push yourself even harder during these last ten nights. This community is built on sacrifice.

15. Plan for the next yearOnce you've done a self-evaluation, you can plan on where you want to go, at least in the next 12 months. Laylatul Qadr is a great night to be thinking about this (without taking away from your worship), since you'll Insha Allah, be in a more contemplative state. You may choose to dedicate one night of power for evaluation and one night for planning for the next year.

16. To do list for the Night of PowerMake a to do checklist for each Night of Power. This should define how you would like your night, the one better than a thousand months, to be used. Pick things from this list and define the sequence you would like to do things in. This will help you avoid wasting your time in unproductive chats which common in the festive atmosphere of Masjids at the Night of Power.

Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid is founding Chairman of Sound Vision Foundation, the leading producer of educational content on Islam and Muslims. He is also executive producer of the daily Radio Islam talk show on WCEV 1450 AM in Chicago.

The following letter was sent to Negus (Najashi)

2013-12-24T19:03:00.000-08:00

The following letter was sent to Negus (Najashi)

Late in the six year A.H., on his return from Hudaibiyah, the Prophet Muhammad , decided to send messages to the kings beyond Arabia calling them to Islam. In order to authenticate the credentials of his envoys, a silver seal was made in which were graven the words: “Muhammad the Messenger of Allâh” [Sahih Al-Bukhari 2/872,873]

The following letter was sent to Negus (Najashi)

“In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
From Muhammad the Messenger of Allah to Negus, king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia).
Peace be upon him who follows true guidance. Salutations:
I entertain Allah’s praise, there is no god but He, the Sovereign, the Holy, the Source of peace, the Giver of peace, the Guardian of faith, the Preserver of safety. I bear witness that Jesus, the son of Mary, is the spirit of Allah and His Word which He cast into Mary, the virgin, the good, the pure, so that she conceived Jesus. Allah created him from His spirit and His breathing as He created Adam by His Hand. I call you to Allah Alone with no associate and to His obedience and to follow me and to believe in that which came to me, for I am the Messenger of Allah. I invite you and your men to Allah, the Glorious, the All-Mighty. I hereby bear witness that I have communicated my message and advice. I invite you to listen and accept my advice.
Peace be upon him who follows true guidance.”
When ‘Amr bin Omaiyah Ad-Damari communicated the prophet’s letter to Negus (Najashi), the latter took the parchment and placed it on his eye, descended to the floor, confessed his faith in Islam and wrote the following reply to the Prophet :

“In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
From Negus Ashama to Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah.
Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah! and mercy and blessing from Allah beside Whom there is no god. I have received your letter in which you have mentioned about Jesus and by the Lord of heaven and earth, Jesus is not more than what you say. We fully acknowledge that with which you have been sent to us and we have entertained your cousin and his companions. I bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allah, true and confirming (those who have gone before you), I pledge to you through your cousin and surrender myself through him to the Lord of the worlds.”
Source: [Za'd Al-Ma'ad 3/60, 61] by Ibn Al-Qayyim

According to Sahih Muslim, the Prophet [s.a.w.s.] had asked Najashi to send Ja‘far and his companions, the emigrants to Abyssinia (Ethiopia), back home. They came back to see the Prophet [s.a.w.s.] in Khaibar. Najashi later died in Rajab 9 A.H. shortly after the battle of Tabuk. The Prophet announced his death and observed prayer in absentia for him. Another king succeeded Negus to the throne and another letter was sent to him by the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) but whether or not he embraced Islam is still a question not answered yet. [Sahih Muslim 2/99]

– End

HAJJ Pilgrimage –Rituals of Hajj

2012-10-15T18:03:00.000-07:00

The Building of Kaabah

With the help of his son Ismaeel (Ishmael), Ibrahim (alaihis salam) built the House of Allah on the ground where the Kaaba stands to this day.
The Archangel Jibraeel brought from Paradise a stone, known as the Black Stone (Al-Hajar Al-Aswad), which was set into one corner of the Kaaba.
In the Holy Qur’an, the Kaaba is described as follows:

“The first House (of worship) Appointed for men was that at Bakka (Makkah) Full of blessing And of guidance. For all kinds of beings.” (Aal-e-Imran, 3: 96)

There are three Ways of Performing Hajj:

Hajj al-Tamattu’
Hajj al-Ifrad
Hajj al-Qiran

The stages of Hajj al-Tamattu’ and the rituals that must be performed are described in the following:

Ihram

Ihram is distinctive garb of the male pilgrim worn during Hajj or Umrah. It consists of two pieces of white un-sewn and plain cloth. One of the pieces is wrapped around the midriff to cover his body from just above his navel to his ankles, and the other is draped around his shoulders to cover the upper body. The pilgrim should wear a pair of stitched or unstitched sandals or shoes which do not cover the ankles. The head should not be covered, and no other clothing should be used. For ladies, their ordinary and unpretentious clothes of everyday wear which fulfill the Islamic conditions of public dress, regardless of the color, constitute their Ihram. Their hands and face should be uncovered in Ihram but heads should be covered.

Things to be avoided in the state of Ihram

A Muhrim (someone who is in state of Ihram) must avoid the following acts: Cutting hair, shaving any parts of the body, clipping nails, putting perfumes or colognes, killing or hunting animals, sexual intercourse, making marriage proposals, or marriage contracts. He should be focused solely on the Hajj.

Entering the Masjid Al-Haram

The pilgrim should enter the Holy Sanctuary (al Masjid al Haram), preferably right foot first through the Bab as-Salam gate, reciting the Talbiyah:

‘Labbayk, Allahumma Labbayk.
Labbayk, La Shareeka laka labbayk.
Innal-hamda wan-ni’mata laka wal-mulk
La shareeka lak’

The above means:

‘Here I am O Allah, (in response to Your call), here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. Verily all praise, grace and sovereignty belong to You. You have no partner.’

He should then say: "In the name of Allah, may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. O Allah, forgive me my sins and open to me the doors of Your mercy. I seek refuge in Allah the Almighty and in His Eminent Face and in His Eternal Dominion over the accursed Satan."
After this, the pilgrim moves forward to prepare for the circumambulation of the Kaaba (Tawaf).
To prepare for the Tawaf, he must ensure ablutions have been performed. He should pass the upper garment of the Ihram (the rida’) under the right arm and over the left shoulder, thus leaving the right shoulder bare. This procedure is called iddtibaa’.
When he reaches the Black Stone (al-Hajar al-Aswad), he has arrived at the starting point for the circumambulation (Tawaf), and he may cease reciting the Talbiyah.

Niyyah (Intention)

The pilgrim next stands facing the Kaaba, with the Black Stone to his right and performs the Niyyah (i.e. express his intention to start the performance of Umrah).

Performing the Welcome Tawaf and Sa’y

Tawaf is the devotional act of circumbulating (i.e. walking around) the Ka’bah while reciting prayers and supplications. One complete circuit around the Ka’bah constitutes a shawt ( pleural: ashwat), and seven ashwat complete one Tawaf.. During Tawaf (circumbulating), the pilgrim cannot enter inside the Kaaba nor stop anywhere around it.

Doing Sa’i between Safa and Marwah

After expressing Niyyah for Sa’I the pilgrim performs the act of running between the hills of Safa and Marwah during the Umrah.
Safa - a small knoll (i.e., hillock) approximately 200 yards from the Ka’bah inside the Masjid Al-Haram.
Marwa – a small knoll located approximately one hundred and fifty yards from the Ka’bah.
Ihram for Hajj al-Tamattu’
If one performs Hajj al-Tamattu’, he completes the Umrah and ends the Ihram. The pilgrim then re-enters the state of Ihram for Hajj from his location in Makkah.

8th of Dhu’l-Hijjah

On 8th of Dhu’l-Hijjah the pilgrim bathes himself (ghusl); puts on the white clothing of Ihram; and after donning Ihram and verbally declaring the intention to perform Hajj, recites the Talbiyah. The same prohibitions of Ihram are applicable once again.

Going to Mina from Makkah

Mina is a desert location approximately three miles from Makkah where several Hajj rites are performed. The Pilgrim goes to Mina on 8th of Dhu’l-Hijjah. He stays in Mina for one day from after dawn prayer (Fajr) on 8th of Dhu’l-Hijjah till after dawn prayer (Fajr) on 9th Dhu’l-Hijjah. He performs five prayers, starting with the noon (Zuhr) prayer and ending with dawn (Fajr) prayer on the day of Arafat. The pilgrim also collects some of the seventy small pebbles that are needed later for the "stoning" ceremony (ramy).

9th of Dhu’l-Hijjah (Going to Arafat from Mina)

This is the Day of Arafat. The pilgrim stays in Arafat from after dawn until after sunset on 9th Dhu’l-Hijjah.
After performing the dawn (Fajr) prayer at Mina, the pilgrim leaves for Arafat on the morning of the 9th of Dhu’l-Hijjah. In Arafat, as much time as possible is devoted to prayers, repentance for sins, and in seeking the forgiveness of Allah.
From noon onwards, Wuquf should be performed at Arafat. This is the most holy of times when the pilgrim stands alone with Allah. Facing the Qibla in the Holy City of Makkah, hands should be raised and prayers offered to Allah with all one’s heart, even in one’s own language, for the forgiveness of sins.
When the sun has set, the pilgrim should leave Arafat for Muzdalifah.

Going to Muzdalifah from Arafat

(9th – 10th of Dhu’l-Hijjah: The pilgrim stays in Muzdalifah from after sunset on 9th of Dhu’l-Hijjah until after the dawn prayer (Fajr) on 10th of Dhu’l-Hijjah.
The stay in Muzdalifah is under the open sky. The evening prayer (Maghrib) is offered followed by an overnight stay.
While at Muzdalifah, the pebbles needed for the "stoning" ceremony (ramy) should be gathered. Some pebbles may have been collected in Mina but one should ensure having enough by picking up as many as required from the foot of the hills at Muzdalifah. 70 pebbles in total are needed.
At dawn, after offering Fajr (the dawn prayer), before the sun has risen, the pilgrim sets off for Mina.

10th of Dhu’l-Hijjah (Proceeding to Mina from Muzdalifah)

The next stage is proceeding to Mina for the stoning (ramy) of Jamarat ul Kubra; the stoning is performed according to pre-determined schedules. The stoning is followed by the sacrifice and the shaving/cutting of hair (Halq/Taqseer).
After the stoning of the devil, a Sacrifice of an animal such as a lamb is required.
The pilgrim then leaves the state of Ihram, by shaving his head (or, if a woman, by clipping her hair). The prohibitions imposed by Ihram are now removed, except for sexual relations. (Husband and wife may not enjoy conjugal relations until after Tawaf al-Ifadha – the Circumambulation of the Kaaba, central to the Hajj rites.)
The next stage is proceeding to the al Masjid al Haram in Makkah to perform Tawaf al-Ifadha.

10th of Dhu’l-Hijjah (Tawaf al-Ifadha in the Holy City of Makkah)

The pilgrim returns to the Holy City of Makkah to perform Tawaf al-Ifadha on 10th of Dhu’l-Hijjah.
Tawaf al-Ifadha is an essential element of Hajj.
The pilgrim circumambulates the Kaaba seven times and then offers prayers (rakaat) behind Maqam Ibrahim; performs Sa’y between Safa and Marwah and drinks water from the Well of Zamzam. The Hajj Tawaf (Tawaf al-Ifadha) having been completed, the state of Ihram is completely ended and all restrictions are lifted including those relating to sexual relations with one’s spouse.

11th – 13th of Dhu’l-Hijjah (Returning to Mina from Makkah)

The pilgrim stays in Mina for up to three days for the stoning of the three pillars representing Satan (ramy of the three Jamarat).
The three pillars will be stoned in a set order, performing ramy al-uula, ramy al-wusta and ramy al- kubra. The pilgrim then may return to al Masjid al Haram to perform the Farewell Tawaf after ramy on 12th of Dhu’l-Hijjah, or he may stay till 13th of Dhu’l-Hijjah, performing ramy for the third time, before returning to al Masjid al Haram for the Farewell Tawaf.
The act of stoning the devil (shaytan) commemorates the three attempts the devil made to tempt the Prophet Ibrahim (alaihis salaam). The Prophet rejected all three of the devil’s attempts, stoning him and driving him away. The three stone pillars mark the places where the failed temptations took place and the act of stoning commemorates the Prophet Ibrahim’s constant obedience to Allah and the vanquishing of the devil.

Farewell Tawaf in the Holy City of Makkah

This, the Farewell Tawaf (Circumambulation), marks the end of one’s Hajj. Sa’y does not form part of the Farewell Tawaf.

Departing for home

The Hajj is now completed and the pilgrim can leave the Holy City of Makkah promptly for his next destination.
(Hajj al-Tamattu’ has an extra stage after performing the Welcome Tawaf and Sa’y i.e. the third step Ihram for Hajj al-Tamattu’ which is not included in Hajj al-Ifrad and Hajj al-Qiran.)
More information regarding the details and specifics (such as duas, etc.) are available here www.hajinformation.com

Observing the first Ten days and nights of Dhul-Hijjah (Hajj Season)

2012-10-15T17:55:00.001-07:00

Most Muslims very well know the blessings of the nights of Ramadan, especially the last ten nights. However, not everyone knows that the first ten days of the last month of the Islamic month, Dhul Hijjah, are equally packed with blessings.
Allah has provided Muslims numerous opportunities throughout the year to renew their faith and to encourage them towards acts of goodness by specifying such special days. So, we have another such opportunity that we shouldn’t let pass by just like any other period in time.
Allah says in the Quran in Surah Al-Fajr (interpretation of the meaning):
“By the dawn; By the 10 nights” [al-Fajr 89:1-2].
Most scholars agree that these ten nights refer to the first ten nights of Dhul-Hijjah. Ibn Katheer also had validated that opinion by stating: “This is the correct opinion.” [Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 8/413]
Ibn ‘Abbas reports that the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) said,
“No good deeds done on other days are superior to those done on these days [meaning the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah].”
Among the deeds recommended during those ten days are observing voluntary fasting, offering animal sacrifices (lamb, goat, etc.), sincere repentance, recitation of the Quran, staying up the night and finally praying the Eid prayers on the tenth day of Dhul Hijjah.
Hafsah reported, “There are five things that the Messenger (saws) never abandoned: fasting the day of ‘Ashurah, fasting the [first] 10 [days of Dhul-Hijjah], fasting 3 days of every month and praying two rak’aah before the dawn prayer.” [Related by Ahmad and an-Nasa'i]
Abu Hurairah relates that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said, “There are no days more loved to Allah for you to worship Him therein than the ten days of Dhul Hijja. Fasting any day during it is equivalent to fasting one year and to offer salatul tahajjud (late-night prayer) during one of its nights is like performing the late night prayer on the night of power. [i.e., Lailatul Qadr].” [Related by at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and al-Baihaqi]
The Prophet (SAWS) commanded us to recite a lot of Tasbeeh (“Subhan-Allah”), Tahmeed (“Al-hamdu Lillaah”) and Takbeer (“Allaahu akbar”) during this time. ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (SAWS) said: “There are no days greater in the sight of Allah and in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Him than these ten days, so during this time recite a great deal of Tahleel (“La ilaaha ill-Allah”), Takbeer and Tahmeed.” (Reported by Ahmad, 7/224; Ahmad Shaakir stated that it is saheeh). (Islam-QA.com)
For Muslims who do not attend Hajj, fasting on the day of Arafah is highly recommended. Fasting on the day of ‘Arafah is a confirmed Sunnah for those who are not performing Hajj. It was narrated from Abu Qataadah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was asked about fasting on the day of ‘Arafah and he said: “It expiates for the past and coming years.” Narrated by Muslim (1162). According to another report: “I ask Allah that it may expiate for (the sins of) the year that comes before it and the year that comes after it.”
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said in al-Mughni (4/443), which is a Hanbali book:
It is a great and noble day, and a blessed festival which is of great virtue. It is narrated in saheeh reports from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that fasting it is expiation for two years. End quote.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: What is the ruling on fasting the day of ‘Arafah for non-pilgrims and pilgrims?
He replied: Fasting on the day of ‘Arafah for non-pilgrims is a confirmed Sunnah. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was asked about fasting on the day of ‘Arafah and he said: “I ask Allah that it may expiate for (the sins of) the year that comes before it and the year that comes after it.” According to another report he said: “It expiates for the past and coming years.”
As for the pilgrim, it is not Sunnah for him to fast on the day of ‘Arafah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not fast on the day of ‘Arafah during the Farewell Pilgrimage. In Saheeh al-Bukhaari it is narrated from Maymoonah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the people were not sure whether the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was fasting on the day of ‘Arafah, so she sent him some milk when he was standing in ‘Arafah, and he drank it whilst the people were looking on. End quote.
Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (part 20, question no. 404) [Source: islam-qa.com]
So, as Muslims we should welcome the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah with the same fervor and enthusiasm as we welcome the last ten days of Ramadan or any other blessed days in Islam. Lets make the most of it.

Just One Message!

2012-04-24T18:30:00.002-07:00

    After the creation of Adam, just one original message has been repeatedly delivered to mankind throughout the history of humanity.
     Thus,to remind people about it and bring them back on track, many prophets and messengers including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad were sent by the only true God to convey this message:

" The true God is only One. Worship Him ALONE and keep His commandments."

The True God, The Creator send to convey_
Adam God is One
Noah God is One
Abraham God is One
Moses God is One
Jesus God is One
Muhammad God is One

   God send these major prophets as well as many other prophets and messenhers to accomplish several tasks and missions, some of which are:

1) To receive guidance from God and deliver it to people.
2) To convey the message that God is One.
3) To be role models to their people.
4) To instruct their people to fear God and keep His commandments.
5) To teach their followers important religious and moral tenets and worldly matters.
6) To guide those who deviated, disobeyed God, or worshipped other gods or idols.
7) To tell people about their final destination (the last day) and what leads to paradise or Hellfire.

    It is the same God who created and send those prophets and messengers. He is the Creator of all humans, all animals, and all objects. It is this ONE TRUE GOD who created the whole universe(including nature) and all it contains. He is the Creator of life, death, and life after death.

Dr. Naji I. Arfaj

Origins and History of April Fool Day

2012-03-31T12:39:00.000-07:00

It may be "cool"…but its an unislamic practise of another fool!

The Holy Quran says: "Truly Allah guides not one who transgresses and lies." [40:28]

“Curse of Allah upon those who lie.” [3:61]

There are differing opinions concerning how this day originated:

Ø      Some said it developed from the celebrations of spring at the equinox on March 21.

Ø      Some said that this innovation appeared in France in 1564 CE, after the introduction of a new calendar, when a person who had refused to accept the new calendar became the victim of some people who had subjected him to embarrassment and made fun of him, so he became a laughing-stock for others.

Ø      Some said that this innovation goes back to ancient times and the pagan celebrations connected to a specific date at the beginning of spring, so this is the remnant of pagan rituals. It was said that hunting in some countries was unsuccessful during the first days of the hunt in some countries. This was the origin of these lies which are made up on the first day of April.

Ø      The Europeans call “April Fool” le poisson d’avril (lit. “April fish”). The reason for this is that the sun moves from the zodiacal house of Pisces to the next house, or because the word poisson, which means fish, is a distortion of the word passion, which means suffering, so it is a symbol of the suffering endured by Jesus (peace be upon him), according to the claims of the Christians, and they claim that this happened in the first week of April.

Ø      Presently people call this day April Fools’ Day, as it is known to the English. That is because of the lies that they tell so that those who hear them might believe them and thus become a victim for those who are making fun of him.

The first mention of April Fool in the English language was in a magazine known as Dreck Magazine. On the second day of April in 1698 CE, this magazine mentioned that a number of people were invited to come and watch the washing of black people in the Tower of London on the morning of the first day of April.

‘Aasim ibn ‘Abd-Allaah al-Qurawayti wrote that many of us celebrate what is known as April fool or, if it is translated literally, the “trick of April”. But how much do we know of the bitter secret behind this day? According to his research Islam was flourishing in Spain and the Christians after careful study concluded that it was because of the taqwa[piety] of the Muslims that Islam was so successful. So they introduced the younger Muslim generation to wine and other intoxicants and made such evils freely and cheaply available.

This tactic on the part of the Christians produced results, and the faith of the Muslims began to weaken, especially among the young generation in Spain. The result of that was that the western Catholic Christians subdued the whole of Spain and put an end to the Muslim rule of that land which had lasted for more than eight hundred years. The last stronghold of the Muslims, in Grenada, fell on April 1^st, hence they considered this to be the “trick of April.”

From that year until the present, they celebrate this day and consider the Muslims to be fools. They do not regard only the army at Granada to be fools who were easily deceived, rather they apply that to the entire Muslim Ummah. It is ignorant of us to join in these celebrations, and when we imitate them blindly in implementing this evil idea, this is a kind of blind imitation which confirms the foolishness of some of us in following them. Once we know the reason for this celebration, how can we celebrate our defeat?

Let us make a promise to ourselves never to celebrate this day. We have to learn from the Spanish and adhere to the reality of Islam and never allow our faith to be weakened again.

It does not matter what the origins of April fool are. What matters more is knowing the ruling on lying on this day, which we are sure did not exist during the first and best generations of Islam. It did not come from the Muslims, but rather from their enemies.

The things that happen on April Fools’ Day are many. Some people have been told that their child or spouse or someone who is dear to them has died, and unable to bear this shock, they have died. Some have been told that they are being laid off, or that there has been a fire or an accident in which their family has been killed, so they suffer paralysis or heart attacks, or similar diseases. There are the endless stories and incidents that we hear of, all of which are lies which are forbidden in Islam and unacceptable to common sense or honest chivalry.

We have seen how Islam forbids lying even in jest, and it forbids frightening a Muslim whether in seriousness or in jest, in words or in actions.

Abu Umamah Al-Bahili (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, " I guarantee a home in the middle of Jannah for one who abandons lying even if its just for the sake of fun'' [Abu Dawud].

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah(RA) that the Messenger of Allah(peace be upon) said:“The signs of the hypocrite are three: when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is entrusted with something, he betrays that trust.”  (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 33; Muslim, 59)

Hazrat Wasilah[Allah be pleased with him] reported that the Messenger of Allah(peace be upon) said: “Do not display pleasure at your brothers misfortune.”[Tirmizi]

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah[RA] said: “They said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, you joke with us.’ He said, ‘But I only speak the truth. ”  (narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1990)

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever imitates a people is one of them." (narrated by Ahmad)

It was narrated by Mu‘aawiyah ibn Haydah[ra] that he heard the Prophet (pbuh) say: ‘Woe to the one who talks to make the people laugh and tells lies, woe to him, woe to him.”(narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 235. He said: this is a hasan hadeeth. Also narrated by Abu Dawood, 4990).

It was narrated by Asmaa´ bint Yazeed[ra] that the Messenger of Allaah (pbuh) said: “It is not permissible to tell lies except in three (cases): when a man speaks to his wife in a way to please her; lying in war; and lying in order to reconcile between people.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1939)

When our Muslim Ummah is being disgraced and humiliated by the Kuffaar from East to West, how is it possible for a believer with even a minute degree of Imaan[faith] to engage in this evil custom of April Fool’s Day!

Source : eislam.co.za

The Ten Commandments: Allah's Universal Message

2012-03-27T18:50:00.000-07:00

'Ubadah ibn Samit - may Allah be pleased with him- said that Prophet Muhammad used to take pledge of Islam (bay'ah) from the people in Makkah by reciting these verses. Some scholars call them as "al-Din al-Jami'" (the Universal and Comprehensive Teachings of Religion). These commandments include belief, worship, ethics, and laws pertaining to social, economic and civic matters. Similar teachings were also given in the Torah (Exodus 20:2-17; Deuteronomy 5:6-21) to Bani Israel and they are known among Jews and Christians as the Ten Commandments. They are generally summarized as follows:

You shall not worship any other god but God.
You shall not make a graven image.
You shall not take the name of God in vain.
You shall not break the Sabbath.
You shall not dishonor your parents.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery
You shall not steal.
You shall not commit perjury.
You shall not covet.

In the Quran these commandments are given in three verses. Each verse has a very appropriate ending. In the first verse there are five commands ending with the statement 'so that you may understand.' In the second verse there are four commands ending with the statement so that you may remember.' In the third verse there is one command ending with the statement that you may become God-conscious.' The obvious meaning is that when you use your reason, remember your responsibilities and follow the Divine Path then you can acquire righteous and pious character, Taqwa. This should be the final objective of your faith. Let us look at these three sets of commands:

Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi is the imam and director of the Islamic Society of Orange County, California, USA and former president of the Islamic Society of North America. (Khutbah at ISOC - Safar 10, 1430/ February 6, 2009)

The Story of Adnan Oktar's Life (Harun Yahya)

2012-03-27T18:32:00.000-07:00

Adnan Oktar, who writes his books under the pen-name "Harun Yahya", is an idealist person who devoted his entire life to share his views on the existence and unity of God and the graces of the Quranic morals with other people. Starting from his university years, he has spent every moment of his life, serving to this cause and never dreaded facing difficulties. There has been several campaigns of persecution against Mr. Oktar because of his faith and ministry. He has been arrested many times, kept in custody, tortured by Turkish authorities for many months, but always found innocent at the end. Today, he still stands firmly against all the pressure and slanders that he confronts by displaying the same patience and fortitude.

Below, you will find the brief biography of Adnan Oktar, whose works you will find on website listed at the end of the page.
Adnan Oktar was born in 1956 in Ankara and spent his life in Ankara until the end of high school. His commitment to Islam got even more steadfast during high school years. Reading various religious books during this period, he gained profound knowledge about Islam. Moreover, he himself grasped important facts and decided to share these with the people surrounding him. In 1979, Adnan Oktar moved to Istanbul to attend Mimar Sinan University. It was by this time that he undertook the mission to call people to the faith and morals of Islam.
Years in Mimar Sinan University

By the time Adnan Oktar entered Istanbul Mimar Sinan University, the school was already under the influence of various illegal Marxist organizations and militantly atheistic views were prevalent in the university. Everyone, be him a faculty member or a student, was a materialist adhering to the atheist way of thinking. Indeed, instructors took every opportunity to propagate the materialistic philosophy and Darwinism in their lectures albeit irrelevant with their topic.
In an environment where each and every religious and moral value was disrespected and outright rejected, Adnan Oktar started to call the people around him to the unity and existence of God. As may be understood, under such circumstances, any theistic idea was not given an opportunity to gain ground. As Mediha Oktar, his mother, relates, during that period he only had a few hours sleep each night, spending his time reading, taking notes and keeping files. He read hundreds of books, including the basic works on Marxism, communism and materialistic philosophy and thoroughly studied the books on secular ideologies, both classical works and rarely-read ones. He worked on them, marking the significant sections and taking notes at the back. He became highly knowledgeable about these philosophies and ideologies, far better than their own advocates. He also made extensive research on the evolutionary theory, the allegedly scientific basis of these ideologies, and gathered documents and information about it.
Having gathered ample information on deadlocks, contradictions and lies inherent in these philosophies and ideologies based on the rejection of God, Mr. Oktar used this accumulation to tell the facts. He told the existence and unity of God and the truth of the Qur'an in the light of rational and scientific evidence almost to everyone, including the students and instructors in the university. In the course of a conversation in the school cafeteria, on the corridors or during breaks, one could see him refuting the materialist philosophy and Marxism, quoting from these ideologies' own reference books.
He particularly gave emphasis to the theory of evolution, i.e. Darwinism. This theory, advanced against the fact of creation, was widely adopted by university students.
His First Booklet on Darwinism

With this purpose in mind, Adnan Oktar primarily concentrated his efforts on proving the invalidity of this deception. As Darwinism was advanced in the name of science, he thought science would serve as the best means to disclose its fallacy. He wrote a booklet titled The Evolutionary Theory, which was a summary of his extensive researches and studies. He, himself, paid all costs of this booklet by selling some of the estates he inherited from his family. Then, he started distributing free copies of this booklet to university students and discussed it with anyone he met. This booklet was indeed a comprehensive work revealing that the evolution theory was a fraud which had no scientific and rational value whatsoever. Furthermore, some militant students at the university were straightforwardly threatening Oktar stating that he would put his life to risk if he did not stop his activities. Yet, all these pressures and threats made Oktar even more committed and resolute.
In a university under the Marxists' domination where terror was reigning, the religious people were harassed because of their beliefs. At that time in Turkey, many young people were murdered because of the ideological tension. Under such circumstances, Adnan Oktar was openly preaching the existence and the unity of God, and the righteousness of the Qur'an. In a school where people never dared to disclose their faith, he regularly went to the Molla Mosque and fulfilled his prayers, never being intimidated the reactions and threats he encountered.
The Anxiety of the Atheist Instructors

Adnan Oktar always entered the lectures with scientific documents and research files he always kept with him and had discussions with the instructors about the materialist philosophy and the evolutionary theory. At that time, there were two well-known faculty members who were continuously talking about evolution and making atheist propaganda. Thus, they were popular among Marxist students and earned their respect. However, their desperate efforts to defend their ideas throughout the discussions they had with Adnan Oktar, and the illogical answers they provided revealed the futile and unrealistic nature of their ideologies.
One day after the lecture, one of these instructors made a brief, yet efficient discussion about the deadlocks of the evolutionary theory with Adnan Oktar. This person could bring no reasonable explanation and answer to the scientific and rational arguments provided by Adnan Oktar. All he could do was to leave that place immediately.
However, that he met such a defeat before the very eyes of the students was what most distressed him. From that time on, this person, who used to wander around the corridors and hold serious lengthy philosophical conversations with his students after the lectures, started to hastily run to his room all alone to avoid Adnan Oktar.
Alone for Three Years

Adnan Oktar was alone when he started communicating Islam at Mimar Sinan University. For more than three years, there was no one supporting his views. However this lack of support did not change his commitment. He knew that God was his sole Companion and he did all this to earn the good pleasure of God.
Adnan Oktar made a remarkable exam score in the entrance exams of the Mimar Sinan University. He had an exceptional ability in drawing. If it was what his goal, he could easily have a degree in fine arts and make a brilliant career. He could normally think, "First let me make my career and then I can start communicating Islam"; but he didn't. He devoted all his time, energy and means to only one purpose.
Having no support throughout these years, Adnan Oktar could simply think his efforts to be vain and simply give up. But he did not. With determination and commitment, he continued to convey the words of God to people around him. Keeping in mind the words of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, "The skill is not to have many listeners but to earn the good pleasure of God", he went on.
In 1982, for the first time, a few young people who were new at Mimar Sinan University, decided to support Mr. Oktar in his ideological struggle. As months and years passed by, the number of young people embracing the same views increased. The evidence for creation, the invalidity of Marxism and materialist philosophy, which was then a dominant ideology, were the major subjects of Adnan Oktar's conversations with these young people. His main ambition was to guide them in being honorable people. From 1982 to 1984, a group of 20-30 young people was formed.
During the two years following 1984, conversations held with young people, who were then attending private high schools in Istanbul, were about moral values. During these years, Oktar did not attend Mimar Sinan University. He enrolled to a new faculty, Istanbul University, Philosophy Department.
His name appeared in Nokta (The Point) magazine for the first time in 1986 and this was the first time he became to be known by the general public.
First impression in the press

The news about Adnan Oktar appeared as the cover story of Nokta (The Point) magazine after the visit of Rusen Cakir, a correspondent for the Nokta (The Point) magazine, to the mosque where Adnan Oktar gathered with his friends and held conversations. The story published under the headline "Disciples from Colleges" covered basically Adnan Oktar and the way he communicated the message of Islam to the young people who shared his ideas. During this period, many university students, mostly from Bosphorus University, one of the most prestigious universities of Turkey, started to participate in the conversations of Adnan Oktar.
Until the beginning of the summer of the same year, press organs made a full coverage of Adnan Oktar almost everyday. Many newspapers carried his name to the headlines. Adnan Oktar, who spread the message of Islam into the section of society which seemed to be the most secularized, was understandably startling for the media.
The First Persecution

The powers in the Turkish society who are at odds with Islam, which are traditionally organized under the banner of Freemasonry, were greatly disturbed by the ministry led by Adnan Oktar. On the other hand, some distinguished families of Istanbul were concerned about their children who changed their way of living and started to observe their religious duties. Essentially these two factors initiated a campaign of persecution to halt the activities of Adnan Oktar.
In the summer of 1986, Adnan Oktar was arrested for a crime he never had the chance to know. As was related later, he was arrested because of his words "I am from the nation of Abraham and Turkish ethnicity." This statement appeared in an interview which was published in a newspaper. This was also the time when false reports, unfounded information and slanders started to appear in the media.
Torture in the Mental Hospital

Adnan Oktar was first arrested and imprisoned. Then, he was transferred to Bakirkoy Mental Hospital and placed under observation on the pretext that he was mentally unwell. In the hospital, he was placed in the "14A" ward, a special section where only very dangerous patients who were immune to punishment were kept. Since murders were very ordinary incidents among these mentally sick people, Oktar was expected to be murdered. For a certain period of time, he was chained to bed by his ankles and exposed to cruel treatments. By force, he was given drugs blurring consciousness. Meanwhile, his young friends who had the chance to secretly visit and see him witnessed that he never lost his commitment and enthusiasm in the meanwhile. Moreover, all the things he went through added more to his commitment.
Oktar was held in prison and mental hospital for a total of 19 months and then acquitted and released by the court since his statements were found to be inoffensive. After his release, he saw that during the time he was in the mental hospital, the number of his young supporters increased dramatically. Since visiting him was prohibited they could only see him behind the hospital bars. A few minutes talk they had with Adnan Oktar behind these bars -one could only go to this place by jumping over the hospital fences- made these young people have a profound and everlasting love and respect for him.
Darwinism

Since 1979, the year he started to communicate his views about religion, disclosing the real face of the Darwinism had been the major goal of Adnan Oktar. This subject never lost its importance throughout the years however. The theory of evolution always had priority for Oktar. With resoluteness, he carried out his studies on Darwinism. In 1986, he compiled all his valuable researches on Darwinism in his book Living Beings and Evolution. In the light of scientific sources, this book showed the impasse of the theory of evolution and revealed the fact of creation.
During those years, the friends of Adnan Oktar also concentrated their efforts on the evolutionary theory. They put forth a great effort to tell people the groundless nature of the theory. In colleges and high schools, scientific arguments were carried out among students. This was a total surprise to some instructors blindly attached to Darwinism. In their lifetime, this was the first time they met such students, who were very knowledgeable about the theory. To their surprise, they actually knew more than themselves and defended creation eloquently.
These were actually the preliminary works of the campaign which would be launched in 1998. The goal of the campaign was already set: to eradicate the evolution theory and materialism from the Turkish society.

By the time Adnan Oktar was released in 1988, most of his friends were in the university. Mr. Oktar's efforts to spread the message of Islam and moral values were no longer limited to schools. It was the time when different sections of society were informed about these views. Adnan Oktar and his friends took upon themselves the responsibility to remind young people, who aimed nothing but to make the most of their life, that they will be hold responsible for their acts and thoughts and that they will be ultimately judged in the presence of God. Accordingly, they recommended them to reorient their lives and submit to the Will of God. Indeed, some of those who were indulged in extremes as a way of life abandoned this degenerate life style and became conscientious and responsible people.
The Science Research Foundation

During the two years following his release in 1988, Adnan Oktar laid the ideological basis of the Science Research Foundation which was founded in 1990. He held conversations over moral values with his friends who shared his views. It was during this period that the intellectual groundwork of the Science Research Foundation was shaped by the contribution of Adnan Oktar.
Finally, in January 1990, Adnan Oktar and his young friends founded the Science Research Foundation to carry out their services under the name of an institution and to address to larger masses. Adnan Oktar was declared the Honorary President of the foundation. The Foundation carried out several activities; the members of the foundation published books and conducted cultural studies, held panels, discussions and conferences to cherish and revive moral values.
After the establishment of the foundation, a great police raid was made to a regular meeting in which more than 100 members participated. More than a hundred members were taken into custody and were interrogated by the police. The following day, some newspapers covered the story of this operation as if a big crime ring was caught. Majority of the members were released in 3-4 hours. However the slander campaign launched by the press continued for days. The press wrote incredible scenarios about Adnan Oktar and the members of the foundation. The main purpose of the subjective news was to mislead the security and judicial institutions by these imaginary accusations. Yet all these efforts were in vain. Adnan Oktar who was kept in custody and interrogated for a week was released, as there was no element of crime in the incident. It was evident that the same circles were trying to give a message in their own way.
Cocaine Plot

During 1990, activities of the Science Research Foundation continued with an even stronger determination. In the midst of 1991, two foundation members officially married. However, the families of these young people filed complaints against this marriage. What is more, Adnan Oktar was surprisingly blamed for this ordinary marriage, which had by no means any illegitimate aspect. Accordingly, Adnan Oktar was once again arrested. However, this time, the existence of a more inclusive plot was evident. Officers who broke into the house of Mr. Oktar in Ortakoy where he lived with his mother found a packet of cocaine in a book. There were some thousand books over the bookshelves covering two walls, and the officers found the cocaine in a few minutes as if they had just left it there.
Just after this event Adnan Oktar, who was then in Izmir with a couple of his friends, was arrested. He was then transferred to Istanbul Security Headquarters, where he was detained for 62 hours. After 62 hours, he was sent to Forensic Medicine Institution for a cocaine test. The result was very interesting indeed! Very high doses of a by-product of cocaine were detected in Adnan Oktar's blood!
Yet subsequent evidences proved that this was merely a plot. Firstly, it was found out that the cocaine alleged to be found in Mr. Oktar's house was part of the plot. A short while before this plot, Adnan Oktar felt that a stealthy plan was being hatched against him and left his house in Ortakoy, Istanbul. Then, he called his mother and said that it was likely that a plot was being hatched against him and he wanted his mother to clean and check the house thoroughly with a couple of other people so that they could be witnesses. Upon this, Mr. Oktar's mother Mediha Oktar called one of her neighbors and the doorkeeper and they all together thoroughly cleaned the house, dusted one by one all the books over the bookshelves. Despite the fact that Adnan Oktar had never been at home after this cleaning, 16 police officers raided the flat and suddenly found a "a packet of cocaine" in one of the books. The neighbor of Mediha Oktar and the doorkeeper gave their individual testimonies before the notary public stating "We cleaned Adnan Oktar's books thoroughly one by one; and there was not such a packet there."
The second part of the cocaine plot was the cocaine by-product detected in Adnan Oktar's blood. Scientific and judicial evidences disproved this allegation. Adnan Oktar had been in the Security Headquarters for 62 hours and the test was conducted after 62 hours. Normally, by looking at the amount of the by-product of cocaine detected in the blood, one can scientifically calculate the exact amount of cocaine taken. This calculation can also indicate how many hours ago the cocaine was taken. The dose of the cocaine detected in Adnan Oktar's blood was, however, at a fatal level, had it been taken 62 hours ago. In other words, such a high dose of cocaine would kill him if he had taken it 62 hours ago. This result clearly revealed that the cocaine detected in Adnan Oktar's blood was given to his body during those 62 hours. In other words, he was given cocaine during the time he was detained in the security headquarters. The cocaine was actually mixed to his food when he was under police detainment.
This fact was also confirmed by 30 international forensic medicine institutions, including Scotland Yard. They all examined the file sent to them about the case. Their conclusive view was the following: "Cocaine was mixed to his food when he was under police detainment. The event is a plot. "
The Secluded life of Adnan Oktar

After Mr. Oktar shaped the mission of the Science Research Foundation, he closely monitored the activities of the foundation for an uninterrupted two years and then by 1991, he devoted all his time to work on his books. Especially after the cocaine plot made against him, he retreated into a secluded life in order both to prevent similar plots and assaults and to have time for his books. He spent all his time in his house. He occasionally visited his friends and participated in discussions. He constantly refused to give interviews to newspapers and TV channels despite their insistent requests.
During this time, Adnan Oktar's involvement in the activities of the Science Research Foundation was limited to giving ideas at the stage of laying down the general principles of the foundation. Meanwhile, he was only giving some recommendations to the members of the foundation about the principles of the Qur'an and good manners. This period lasted until November 12, 1999, the day a police operation was conducted against the SRF community.
Communicating Islam to the Prominent People

One of the major goals of Adnan Oktar was to make a radical change in society's firm conviction about religion that "religion is a phenomenon that addresses merely to elderly people or a particular section of society." This conviction utterly hampered the penetration of the Qur'anic truth to a considerable part of society. Those who were to set examples for the young people were homosexuals, forgers, indecent people etc. Degenerate masses, totally bereft of their religious and moral values, were committing themselves to more destruction each day. However, there might be a hope to save majority of these people if they were told the truth.
In order to eliminate this prejudice prevalent in society, Adnan Oktar took the initiative to contact people who could make a "symbolic" impact over society and inform them about moral values. This was why some SRF members contacted celebrities like models, singers and movie stars. This is explained in the press release of the SRF as follows:
Gulay Pinarbasi is a notable example of this spiritual awakening. She was a model before she met the SRF community; but then she decided to change her entire life. Soon she abandoned her old way of living and started a decent life. She devoted all her time to scientific and religious studies and after a while she started her career as a columnist in a conservative newspaper. Meanwhile, some male models who were also impressed by the truths told by the SRF members quit their career and started to reorient all their lives in a totally different way.
Unrelenting Struggle against Darwinism

In early 1998, Adnan Oktar and his friends launched a great intellectual campaign against Darwinism. To start with, thousands of free copies of Adnan Oktar's book, The Evolution Deceit and the booklets based on this book were distributed in every corner of Turkey. The Science Research Foundation started to hold a series of conferences "The Collapse of the Evolution Theory and the Fact of Creation" all around Turkey. The first three of these conferences which were held in Istanbul and Ankara hosted world renowned American scientists as lecturers.
Then similar conferences were held in 120 different cities and towns of Turkey. In these conferences, the SRF members, each an expert in his own field, delivered lectures. The purpose was to scientifically disprove Darwinism, a fallacy propagated under the guise of science, and thus to bring the materialist thought and moral understanding to ruin.
These activities carried out by the Science Research Foundation in the leadership of Adnan Oktar proved to be a great success. People, who were not knowledgeable about the theory of evolution until then, had the opportunity to learn the real truth about the evolutionary theory and the dimensions of the scientific forgery it committed worldwide. Turkish people acknowledged the fact that the education system, based on the indoctrination of the evolutionary theory to the young brains, was a part of the stealthy plan against the social and moral values and our future generations.
Publication of books, organization of conferences, production of videotapes and CDs were the basic activities carried out by the contribution of the Science Research Foundation. These productions were essentially about the scientific invalidity of the evolutionary theory, the ideological background of the theory and the fact of creation.
The books written under the pen name "Harun Yahya" and the productions made by the contribution of the Science Research Foundation include more than 190 books on political, scientific and religious issues, 14 documentaries, dozens of tape-cassettes and interactive CD on the collapse of the theory of evolution and the fact of creation. This collection of high quality works with aesthetic appeal and well-founded content is an important source.
And Pressure Again...

All these committed activities highly annoyed and disquieted some particular centers. With the provocation of materialist centers and Mason circles, they launched a campaign against these activities. The circles in question made declarations like "Conferences held by the Science Research Foundation must absolutely be stopped." The aim was to prevent any scientific study refuting evolution. They were enraged by the deathblow these activities gave to their philosophy they could hardly sustain. Unable to provide any scientific response, they only claimed that these activities had to be stopped as soon as possible. They could not stand the total rebuttal of the theory they were blindly attached to before the very eyes of the Turkish Public. These efforts of Adnan Oktar and his young friends to prove the scientific invalidity of the theory of evolution continued until the fall of 1999. This was exactly the time when the news about the Global Freemasonry, a great book by Harun Yahya in three volumes, spread. All these laid the ground for the greatest police operation of the Turkish Republic.
Surely Adnan Oktar was not openly accused of "inviting people to the true path of God, reminding them God, religion and the good morals of Islam, and standing against materialism, disbelief and immorality."
By November 12, 1999, some media organs, which had enmity against Adnan Oktar, employed their usual methods to produce groundless slanders, scenarios and lies. Inconceivable lies and slanders appeared in the press every day, all of which, interestingly, contradicted with one another.However, as Adnan Oktar always states, they, too, have inevitably submitted themselves to the Will of God and, albeit unknowingly, they perform the duty assigned to them in the best manner possible since this is what is predestined for them by God.
They are not aware but they actually served to the purposes of Muslims in the sense that Muslims were tested and they earned the good pleasure of God by means of these incidents. Furthermore, by this way, those who tell the truth became apparent so that everyone could recognize them.
In accordance with the verse, "Repel (Evil) with what is better" (Surah Fussilat: 34), Adnan Oktar always has a peaceful and tolerant approach to those who bear enmity against him. He underlines the fact that "The fate God creates is always perfect and there is goodness in all".

Source: http://www.harunyahya.com

The Hadith of the day

2012-03-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

The Prophet (PBUH) said, "A man set out to visit a brother (in Faith) in another town and Allah sent an angel on his way. When the man met the angel, the latter asked him, "Where do you intend to go?'' He said, "I intend to visit my brother in this town". The angel said, "Have you done any favour to him?'' He said, "No, I have no desire except to visit him because I love him for the sake of Allah, the Exalted, and Glorious.'' Thereupon the angel said, "I am a messenger to you from Allah (to inform you) that Allah loves you as you love him (for His sake)".

[Muslim].
Riyad-us-Saliheen (379)

Things! What You Can Do For Islam.

2012-03-20T17:10:00.001-07:00

Increase your time for Islam

Jannah isn’t free. We must work for it while making Dua for Allah’s Mercy to enter this beautiful place of eternal rest and tranquility. The time to work is now. Not tomorrow. Not the Next Life. This beautiful Guidance from God is subject to a lot of ridicule in today’s America. This dehumanization of Islam and Muslims is hurting Muslims as well as America. Muslim Americans can be the bridge-builders who liberate the middle path from Islamophobia as well as the extremism of some Muslims.

Questions to ask Yourself:

• How much time have I volunteered for Islam? How does it compare with the time I spend watching TV?
• Is my family a part of the Muslim community?
• Are Muslims working together in my city?
• What do I know about Islamophbia and other forms of prejudice in society?
• Is my Masjid a part of any social, justice, peace, or interfaith coalition?
• Is my faith connecting me to the cause of the poor and the oppressed?

Things to incorporate into your plan:

• Take a vacation for Islam. Devote one or two weeks working for an Islamic cause of your choice.
• Volunteer to organize an open house at your mosque.
• Become an agent of Muslim unity. We can do a lot better for Islam and America if Muslim organizations can work together as a federation putting their resources to work for the common agenda.
• Ask your Masjid leadership what they are doing for Muslim unity.
• Meet, call, and write to Muslim leaders you know and ask what they are doing to bring Muslims together.
• Start classes for interpersonal communication at your Masjid.
• Volunteer in soup kitchens or homeless shelters run by other groups.
• See what Islamic books and audio-visual material your library has available and what it can order.
• Attend a local interfaith, labor or peace and justice network. Showing up sometimes is half of the work.

Dua: “Our Lord! Let not our hearts deviate from the truth after You have guided us, and bestow upon us mercy from Your grace. Verily You are the Giver of bounties without measure” (Quran 3:8).

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him used to pray: "I seek refuge in You, O Allah, from knowledge that does not benefit and from a heart which does not fear".

The Environment and Faith

2012-03-03T23:44:00.000-08:00

The relationship between man and the environment should be as sincere and upright as practical and rightly poised. Any deviation from this sensible and middle-path philosophy will invariably result in pushing man to the extremes on either side, all of which, however, are resolutely rejected by Islam. Not only does this doctrine apply to man's relationship with the environment, but also to everything else related to each and every segment of his existence. This is so because Islam as a universal code of life, and with it the whole Islamic community (Ummah), is made justly balanced, "that ye might be witnesses over the nations, and the Messenger a witness over yourselves." (al-Baqarah 2:143)

Man must respect the environment in that he is dependent on it. As God subjected it to his use, so did He make it an indispensable field of the vicegerency activities entrusted to man. To put it in a nutshell, man cannot but coexist with the environment, giving away and receiving in return proportionally to what he offered. From this partnership, man is bound to attain either peace, happiness and prosperity in this world, plus salvation in the Hereafter, or frustration, disgrace and chastisement in both worlds. For this reason will it be apt to depict this world as a plantation, or a farm (mazra'ah), which must be diligently taken care of, should its owner harbor any hope of an abounding harvest on the Day of Judgment. The Qur'an proclaims: "But seek, with the (wealth) which Allah has bestowed on thee, the Home of the Hereafter, nor forget thy portion in this world: but do thou good, as Allah has been good to thee, and seek not (occasions for) mischief in the land: for Allah loves not those who do mischief." ( al-Qasas 28:77)

Man's rights over nature are rights of sustainable use based on moderation, balance and conservation. Nature's rights over man, on the other hand, are that it be safe from every misuse, mistreatment and destruction. Greed, extravagance and waste are considered a tyranny against nature and a transgression of those rights. Ali b. Abi Talib, the forth Muslim caliph, once told a man who had developed and reclaimed abandoned land: "Partake of it gladly, so long as you are a benefactor, not a despoiler; a cultivator, not a destroyer."

The creation of nature and its perfect equilibrium preceded the creation of man. Nonetheless, no sooner had man come into existence than he became an integral part thereof. The guardianship of nature, besides, became placed in his care, constituting the essence of his vicegerency assignment. Inasmuch as he is endowed with the power of free will and the other outstanding capacities, such as intelligence and knowledge, man is capable of steering his own bark. Provided he uses his abilities and talent rightly, man furthermore puts himself in a position to attain, to some extent, mastery over the forces of nature and subdue them to his services. If the perfectly executed environmental equilibrium is sustained, man should be commended for that, for he lived up to the demands of his reputation as the vicegerent and custodian of the earth. But if the same becomes disturbed and damaged, it is man again who must be held responsible for the disorder, in that he committed a breach of the sacred trust put on him. The state of the earth is a testimony of man's either success or failure while on it.

In most cases, however, it is they who rebelled against God and His will that rebel against, and ill-treat, the environment and the flawless forces that govern it. They thus intend to satisfy their personal delirious greed and secure some societal short-term gains at the expense of the long-term vision and objectives of the whole of mankind. When consequently Allah's wrath descends on such men, and when the favorable position in which Allah has placed them, changes, there is no turning back. Only a substantial change in their conduct and attitude may give those men a reasonable hope of God's clemency, and a possible turnaround in their fortunes. The Holy Qur'an is pretty clear about this: "Mischief has appeared on land and sea because of (the meed) that the hand of men have earned, that (Allah) may give them a taste of some of their deeds: in order that they may turn back (from evil)." (al-Rum 30:41)

"If the people of the towns had but believed and feared Allah, We should indeed have opened out to them (all kinds of) blessings from heaven and earth; but they rejected (the truth), and We brought them to book for their misdeeds." (al-A'raf 7:96)

"Allah sets forth a parable: a city enjoying security and quite, abundantly supplied with sustenance from every place: yet was it ungrateful for the favors of Allah: so Allah made it taste of hunger and terror (in extremes) (closing in on it) like a garment (from every side), because of the (evil) which (its people) wrought." ( al-Nahl 16:112)

"And remember! your Lord caused to be declared (publicly): "If ye are grateful, I will add more (favors) unto you; but if ye show ingratitude, truly My punishment is terrible indeed." ( Ibrahim 14:7)

"...Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves." ( al-Ra'd 13:11)

Isma'il Raji al-Faruqi, while discoursing on the theme of "the principle of the economic order", concluded that Islamic responsibility demands that no damage occurs to nature in the process of man's utilization of it. He said: "Islam teaches that nature's materials and forces are gifts granted by God to us. The gift, however, is not transfer of title. It is a permission to use for the given purpose. The owner is and always remains Allah (SWT). As the Mesopotamian used to say: 'He is the Lord of the manor, and man is merely the servant.' This attitude is perfectly Islamic as well. The gift then must be returned to the Creator at our death or retirement, improved and increased through our production. At the very least, it must be returned intact, as it was when received. The Qur'an has emphatically reiterated that to Allah (SWT) everything in creation returns."

From the Islamic perspective, man's treatment of the environment is closely related to his faith. The more is he attached to the normative teachings of Islam in carrying out his daily acts, the healthier is his relationship with the environment. Similarly, whenever a person distances himself from Islam and its beliefs and value system, his behavior degenerates. This deeply affects his surroundings - comprising all animate and inanimate beings - and his fellow human beings. So significant is man's relationship with the environment in Islam that in some instances the same is capable of taking precedence over the other deeds of a person, placing him then on the highest, or dragging him to the lowest, point of existence. For example, under certain circumstances certain noble environmental acts can obliterate a person's past misdeeds and ensure him Paradise, whereas some atrocious environmental acts of a person under certain circumstances can make his past good deeds gain naught, promising him nothing in return in the Hereafter but Hellfire. On the subject of animals, for example, the Prophet (pbuh) once said: "A woman was sent to the Fire because of a cat. She imprisoned her and neither fed her nor set her free to feed upon the rodents of the earth."

The Prophet (pbuh) also related the story of a woman from among the Children of Israel guilty of fornication, who found a dog near a well panting with thirst. She took of a shoe, tied it with her veil, and then managed to collect some water for the dog which it drunk. The dog quenched its thirst, and, as a result, God forgave the woman her sin.

*****

Dr. Spahic Omer, a Bosnian currently residing in Malaysia, is an Associate Professor at the Kulliyyah of Architecture and Environmental Design, International Islamic University Malaysia. He studied in Bosnia, Egypt and Malaysia. His research interests cover Islamic history, culture and civilization, as well as the history and philosophy of the Islamic built environment. He can be reached at spahicoyahoo.com; his blog is at www.medinanet.org.

How the Quran shapes the brain

2012-02-29T19:22:00.000-08:00

"If it wasn't for their political problems and constant fighting between each other, the Muslims would have been on the moon by the 1400's" was the statement made by a non-Muslim professor in a 400-level undergraduate class on the history of science. It seems that the rate of discovery and advancement in science achieved by the Muslims was quite impressive and has yet to be replicated. What was it that they were doing that allowed for their fast progress?

The teacher in me immediately thinks about their education system, and the neuroscientist in me wants to examine the factors involved in shaping the brains of such a civilization. Interestingly, many Muslim religious scholars will say something about how the Muslims were the leaders when the Quran was the center of their education, and only when they abandoned the Quran that they lost their reign. The amazing thing about this is that while Muslim religious scholars are typically talking about spiritual and moral realities, there is actually a material reality to what they're saying, which takes place in the brain.

A quick disclaimer here: The list of all that is affected in the brain by the Quran and how that can influence other functions is quite exhaustive. But in the interest of keeping it short, I chose some major areas to present in this article.

Before getting into the brain and how the Quran changes it, one should be familiar with how traditional Muslim education took place. In case you're wondering where I'm getting this from, it's from reading the biographies of major figures of scholarship in the traditional Muslim world such as Ibn Rushd, Ibn Sina, and others. This is also based on my personal experience and what I have been told by some of my teachers.

The very first thing taught to an aspiring student was the Quran, which had to be memorized completely. Unlike anything else encountered in spoken Arabic, Quran recitation is a very specific science. Local dialects of Arabic or different ways of pronunciation are not permitted when reciting the Quran. In fact, part of learning the Quran is learning what is called in Arabic taj'weed, which means elocution. The very first thing the student must do is replicate exactly how the teacher is reciting the verse. This refers to where individual letter sounds are being generated in the mouth and throat and where the tongue is to be placed exactly. Once this is done, the student writes the verse on a wooden board in the Othamni script, which follows different spelling rules than regular Arabic writing. The student then takes his board and goes away to memorize the verse. A typical memorization session for a beginner starts with repeating one verse multiple times as it is read on the board to also memorize how it is spelled using the Othmani script. The next day the student reviews the verse several times before returning to the teacher to receive the following verse. After repeating it with the teacher to ensure exact replication of sound and pronunciation, the student writes the new verse and goes away to begin a new memorization session. The third day begins with reviewing the first verse one final time, followed by the second verse several times before going to receive the third verse. On the fourth day the first verse is not reviewed anymore as it would have taken hold in memory, and the second verse takes its place for being reviewed while the third verse is repeated several times before going to receive the fourth verse. At the end of the week is a complete review session for everything that was memorized in the previous days.

As the days pass the capacity for memorization increases and the student is able to take on several verses or even pages at a time instead of only one or two verses. The writing using Othmani spelling continues, as well as the review sessions. Eventually, the whole Quran having more than 6,200 verses is memorized word for word with their specific pronunciation and Othmani spelling. Now the hard task begins as the student works to review all the verses on a monthly basis so as to not forget them. This usually means taking the 30 parts of the Quran as it has been divided to facilitate memorization, and reviewing one part everyday until all 30 have been recited by the end of the month.

It should be mentioned here that the Quran has 10 different modes of recitation. This refers to the placement of diacritical marks on the words and how certain words are pronounced. Some students take this task on and memorize the Quran in all the different modes of recitation, which requires a very careful attention to where the pronunciations are different so they're not confused with each other given how subtle they sometimes can be.

There are a couple of important qualities about the Quran that relates to how it sounds. Verses in the Quran rhyme and change rhythm often, which gives a pleasurable effect to the listener. Furthermore, as one recites, they're supposed to sing it rather than simply read it. In fact, the very practice of Taj'weed (elocution) forces the reciter into a singing tone as they enunciate the words of each verse.

A final note to bring up is in regards to the Arabic language and writing in Othmani script. Part of studying the different modes of recitation requires the student to write not only in an unusual spelling, but also to exclude the diacritical marks from the words. This would allow the student to learn the variations of recitation without having the diacritical marks visually interfere with their memorization of different modes of recitation. Moreover, the grammar of the Arabic requires the proper use of diacritical marks in pronunciation so as to not confuse things such as the subject and predicate. This means that the one learning the Quran must always keep track of how the words are enunciated so as to not alter the overall meaning of the verse.

How all of this relates to the brain is quite impressive. The brain is recognized to be a malleable organ that can change its connections and even its size of certain areas based on how active they become. Understanding how involved the brain is of someone learning the Quran using the traditional Muslim method can explain how they were able to achieve such success in their knowledge endeavors.

While learning the Quran, the careful attention to listening and pronunciation of verses stimulates an area of the brain located in the temporal lobe. The temporal lobe is also where the hippocampus is located, which is the memory consolidation center. It's also the brain region activated for processing of musical sounds such as the case when the Quran is recited. Moreover, it becomes involved when the student engages in handwriting exercises similar to the ones on the wooden board. Where this matters is that this is the part of the brain whose activity levels and capacities have been correlated with a person's aptitude for learning new information. The more activation this area receives, and the more involved this activation is such as the case with the Quran, the better and more efficient it becomes in its functions for learning and memory.

The parietal lobes are also quite heavily engaged as one learns the Quran. The left parietal lobe deals with reading, writing, and functions in speech. It's also the part whose activity is important for math and logic problems. The right parietal lobe handles speech tone, which is related to elocution. It's also responsible for visuospatial relationships and understanding facial expressions. The front part is responsible for the sense of touch discrimination and recognition, which is active during handwriting. The back part plays an important role in attention. Both lobes are also activated during skill learning tasks. Overall, having parietal lobes that have been well activated translates to better logic and math-solving skills, eloquence in general speech, better ability at reading emotional states from facial cues, improved attention, and enhanced capacity for understanding visuospatial relationships.

This last one can explain why Muslims were so good at astronomy.
Other brain regions the activity of Quran recitation strongly activate are the frontal lobes and the primary motor cortex. The frontal lobes activity deals with higher order functions, including working memory, memory retrieval, speech production and written-word recognition, sustained attention, planning, social behavior, in addition to others. For example, as the student is reading the Othamni script, his brain must quickly decide on the proper pronunciation of the word, which without the diacritical marks means it must be distinguished from other possibilities that include not only wrong words, but also wrong enunciation depending on the specific recitation he's using out of the 10 valid ones. The amazing thing about this is that the brain after practice will do these things without conscious control from the student. This trains the area of the brain responsible for inhibition, which is important for social interaction. Children with ADHD have been shown to have this area to be under-developed.

Given the Quran's content that for example includes descriptions of individuals and places, it activates the occipital lobes, which are involved in generating mental imagery. This brain region is also important in visual perception. Becoming active as a result of generating mental imagery indirectly improves visual perception capacities since the area activated is within the same region. The Quran is also rich in its content for history, parables, and logical arguments, all of which recruit different areas that become more efficient and better connected as they are continually activated due to the consistent review sessions.

Putting all this together, it's no wonder Muslims were able to make such vast contributions to human knowledge in a relatively short amount of time, historically speaking. After the aspiring student during the height of Muslim rule has mastered the Quran, his education in other sciences began by the time he was in his early teenage years. Given the brain's malleable nature, the improved connections in one region indirectly affect and improve functions in adjacent locations. The process in studying the Quran over the previous years has trained his brain and enhanced its functions relating to visual perception, language, working memory, memory formation, processing of sounds, attention, skill learning, inhibition, as well as planning just to name a few. Now imagine what such an individual will be able to do when they tackle any subject. It makes sense how someone like Imam Al Ghazali can say he studied Greek philosophy on the side during his spare time and mastered it within 2 years.

What was the Muslims' secret for their exponential rise in scientific advancement and contribution to human knowledge? Literally, the Quran when it was the centre of their education system.

Source: Mohamed Ghilan

Use It Before It's Gone

2012-02-19T17:18:00.000-08:00

A Few Days ago, my mom came home from work and related a conversation she had there. The talk turned to exercise, and her colleague endorsed walking as a good option, since one can also make use of it for other purposes.

I pray for others while I walk, she said. That way I don't waste the time.

I thought, subhanallah, she is selfless enough to exercise to stay healthy and still put her time to wise use.

And she was not Muslim.

What do we, as Muslims, do with our time? Do we make use of every second? Time, the Sunnah tells us, is the most precious of all worldly commodities, for once it's gone, it never comes back. We need, then, to ensure we don't let it pass in vain. We should make certain that when we stand before Allah for Judgment we can justify how we spent His priceless gift.

The Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, said: "Take advantage of five, before five! Youth before old age. Good health before sickness. Free time before occupation. Wealth before poverty. And life before death" (Al-Hakim).

In the fast-paced societies we live in, people really do come to feel they have no time. They are working, studying, chauffeuring children, doing business on the cell between errands-running a gauntlet of daily obligations.

Time itself seems to be shrinking- a true sign, in fact, of our approaching Hour of Judgment, according to the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam. Days become weeks. Weeks, months. Months, years. Before you know it, a decade's got behind you. And you wonder, What have I done with my life?

In the course of our talk, my mother pointed out her colleague's admirable concern with giving time to others. Walking is no waste of it, of course. It is worship, if properly intended to please God and maintain His grant of health.

Still it is done for one's own benefit. What, my mother asked me, have you done for others?

I answered honestly. Not as much as I would like, though helping others- as countless ahadeeth attest and the Prophet's own glowing example ceaselessly shows-can take on many forms. Teaching people a skill you have, making dawah, organizing masjid events, or just taking the time to talk to others about their problems-all are shapes of volunteerism, of help.

Giving for the sake of God means more than donating money. Time can be a gift. By offering some of it for a good cause, you diminish none of what you have for yourself. Allah actually puts barakah in your time. He blesses it so you get more done with it when you spend it wisely in His path.

Give of your time, and you shall be rewarded. Give of your time, and you shall surely use it more effectively for your own benefit.

When I tell others I have no time, I wonder, What am I trying to achieve? Am I making up selfish excuses about why I can't part with it? Or is it just me trying to persuade myself of this?

Sure, I am busy. But I can't fool myself. There are times when I have nothing to do, or am doing nothing. No doubt, we all "do" some of this. Yet if we reconsider our priorities and refine our attitudes, we will find we have substantial time on our hands. We can choose to put it to some good use, or lose it.

*****

Article provided by Al Jumuah Magazine, a monthly Muslim lifestyle publication, which addresses the religious concerns of Muslim families across the world.
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Honour Killings, Domestic Violence and Misogyny Are Un-Islamic and Major Crimes

2012-02-17T14:35:00.000-08:00

The thirty four Imams and the Islamic leaders affiliated with the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada have issued the following Fatwa reminding Muslims that honor killings, domestic violence and misogyny are un-Islamic actions and crimes in Islam. These crimes are major sins in Islam punishable by the court of law and almighty Allah.
FATWA (religious edict)
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
We, the undersigned Imams, are issuing this Fatwa as a reminder to the Muslims of North America regarding the issues of domestic violence, honor killings and misogyny in our society. The recent Shafia family trial in Kingston, Ontario has reminded all of us that we need to do more in order to prevent such tragedies in future. There are some Muslims who would commit a crime and then use Islam to justify their crime. According to the Qur'an the biggest liar is the one who tells lies on Allah.
There is no justification for honor killings, domestic violence and misogyny in Islam. These are crimes in the court of law and in the sight of Allah. Therefore, this Fatwa is issued based upon the command of almighty Allah in the holy Qur'an;
"Let there among you be a group that summon to all that is beneficial commands what is proper and forbids what is improper; they are the ones who will prosper." (3:104)
"Believing men and believing women are protecting friends of one another; they enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong; they perform salat and give zakat..." (9:71)
"Those who, if We establish them in the land (with authority), establish regular prayers and practice regular charity and enjoin the right and forbid the wrong..." (22:41)
Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said in a Hadith;
"When people see a wrong-doer and do nothing to stop him, they may well be visited by God with a punishment."
It is an obligation upon us (the Imams) to inform all Muslims in Canada and around the world that in Islam:
1. Honor killings, domestic violence, misogyny, spousal abuse, child abuse in all forms are forbidden.
2. The relationship between the husband and wife is based upon mutual love and kindness.
"And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): verily in that are Signs for those who reflect." (30: 21)
In the event of a family dispute, the Qur'an urges husbands to treat their wives with kindness.
"Live with them on a footing of kindness and equity. If ye take a dislike to them it may be that ye dislike a thing, and Allah brings about through it a great deal of good." (4: 19)
"And in no wise covet those things in which Allah hath bestowed His gifts more freely on some of you than on others: to men is allotted what they earn, and to women what they earn: but ask Allah of His bounty: for Allah hath full knowledge of all things." (4:32)
In Islam there is no gender based superiority. In fact, the relationship between a husband and wife is based upon mutual love, respect and care.
"They (wives) are your garments. And ye are their garments." (2:187)
3. Some people quote the following verse from the holy Qur'an to prove that a man has superiority over his wife.
".... but men have a degree over them (wives) and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise." (2:228) The above verse is not about the superiority of the man. Rather, it is about the greater responsibility of the man in running the home such as fulfilling the food, shelter, clothing, education and safety needs of family members.
The Qur'an recognizes gender equality. The idea of superiority is based on honesty/piety only. "O Mankind, We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is he who is the most righteous of you" (49:13).
4. We would also like to clarify the translation of verse 34 of Surah Al Nisa. Some translators have the Arabic word, "wadhriboo-hunnah" ( وَٱضۡرِبُوهُ نَّ ) translated as "strike" OR "hit" (with toothbrush). In our opinion, this is not the correct translation.
In a case when a married woman develops a sexual relationship outside the marriage, the Qur'an requires the husband to follow three steps and not to become violent.
a. First educate her
b. Second take separate beds
c. Cite her to authority
Here is the correct translation of verse 4:34.
The men are supporters/maintainers of the women with what God bestowed on some of them over others and with what they spent of their money, so the righteous women are dutiful; guardians to the unseen with what God guarded. And as for those women you fear their disloyalty, then: (first) you shall advise them, and (second) abandon them in the bed, and (lastly) cite them (to the authority). If they obeyed you, then seek not against them a way; Truly, God is High, Great. (4:34)
5. In Islam, obedience of Allah is NOT acceptable to Allah unless the person does it with his or her heart. In Islam the reward of a good deed from Allah depends on a person's intension. If the person is forced to do certain things against his/her will then there is no reward from Allah.
"There is no compulsion in religion......." (2:256)
Therefore, beating or abusing a family member in order to force them to follow Islam is not acceptable to Allah. Parents have the responsibility to educate children about the teachings of Islam but they have no right to abuse or harm them. They need to be a role model for their own children. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, "help the oppressed and the oppressor". People asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): "We understand how to help the oppressed, but how should we help the oppressor?" He replied, "By stopping him from the oppression".
In Islam, if a person commits un-Islamic actions (crimes) an institution with authority, such as the police, courts or government, can punish that person - not family members or other private citizens. Honor killing is a major sin in Islam. Those who commit honor killings should face the justice of this world, and they will face Allah's justice too.
Those who cause harm to a family member or anyone else because they believe that the family member or a person have brought disgrace to them OR their honor has been damaged by the actions of a family member commit a major sin / crime by taking the law into their own hands. Only the court system of a country has the authority to decide guilt or innocence, and punish a person, not the family members such as the father, mother, husband, brother, etc.
Honor killing is an un-Islamic practice which has roots in paganism. In Islam, killing or hurting someone in the name of honor is a criminal act which should be punished by the court of law and it will be punished by Allah on the judgment day.
6. Domestic violence is a huge problem across the world. We believe it is not a Muslim problem. It is a human problem. Domestic violence crosses all boundaries. Domestic violence exists in the developed and in the developing worlds. Domestic violence takes place in Christian, Jewish, Muslims, agnostic, Buddhist, Hindu, atheists, etc. houses. It is everywhere. However, as Muslims we must follow the holy Qur'an and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) which forbids causing harm to children, wives or any other person due to disagreements, disputes or conflicts. All family issues must be resolved within the laws of the country we live in.
As the Imams and religious leaders in the community we have an obligation to inform everyone that Islam condemns domestic violence, honor killings and misogyny. We offer every Muslim family in Canada and the United States the support and guidance they need if a family member seems to be violating the Islamic code of conduct. However, we want to be very clear that no one, except the Canadian/American courts, has the right to punish anyone. It is the requirement of Islam that citizens must follow and respect the laws of their countries. Therefore, Muslims who live in Canada must follow and respect the laws of Canada. Similarly, American Muslims must follow the laws of the United States.
On this important day of Eid Milad un Nabi (peace be upon him), the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada announces "ISCC Families Network" project, which will be rolled out across North America in cities where ISCC's affiliated mosques and organizations exist. This network will work with the young girls and the boys and their parents to help and guide them in resolving issues and conflicts. This network will establish separate girls and boys clubs where they can discuss issues and share their experiences at home, at school and at work. This network will establish working relationships with the police, teachers and other mainstream Canadian and the American organizations in the field of domestic violence, racism, discrimination and bullying. All the services provided by this network will be free to all families.
We pray for the victims of domestic violence and honor killings especially the victims of Shafia family. We extend our full support to the victims of domestic violence. We request all the Canadian and the American Muslims to join "ISCC Families Network". May Allah guide us and protect all of us from the evil of Satan and the wrongdoers. Ameen.
Signed by:
1. Prof. Imam Syed B. Soharwardy - Calgary

2. Imam Mufti Shabbir Alam Misbahi - Toronto
3. Imam Syed Mukhtar Hussain Naeemi - Houston, USA
4. Imam Muhammad Masood Ahmed Soharwardy, Ashrafi - New York, USA
5. Imam Hafiz Qari Ghalib Hussain Akber Chishty - Calgary
6. Imam Hafiz Muhammad Nasir Qadri - Montreal
7. Imam Abdul Latif No'mani - Vancouver
8. Imam Muhammad Ibrahim Hussain Chishty Al Alawi - Toronto
9. Imam Qazi Bashiruddin Sahib - Brampton
10. Imam Hafiz Muhammad Zareef Naeemi - Calgary
11. Imam Syed Akram Abbas - Montreal
12. Imam Syed Ahmed Amiruddin Khan Naqshbandi - Mississauga
13. Imam Hafiz Muhammad Masood Pirzada, Mississauga
14. Alima Hafizah Zaheera Tariq Soharwardy, Calgary
15. Imam Hafiz Intizar Hussain Qadri, Montreal
16. Imam Nizamuddin Sayed Chishti - Calgary
17. Imam Saeed Ahmed Saifee - Toronto
18. Imam Shahid Bashir - Calgary
19. Imam Sayed Sajid Qadri - Calgary
20. Imam Muhammad Anees Siddiqui - Calgary
21. Sister Frana Jahangir - Airdrie
22. Alima Fatema Zahra Soharwardy, Toronto
23. Sister Sumaiya Zaman - Toronto
24. Dr. Lubna Anees - Calgary
25. Sister Alia Shahzad - Calgary
26. Sister Nighat Amir - Mississauga
27. Sister Nurgus Moghal - Mississauga
28. Sister Ezra Asghar Shah - Montreal
29. Mr. Hamza Zahid - Halifax
30. Imam Salim Chishti - New Lebanon, New York, USA
31. Imam Abdul Ghani Owaisy - Houston, USA
32. Imam Muhammad Amin Mujaddadi - Live Oak, California, USA
33. Imam Faiz Rasool Qadri - Houston, USA
34. Imam Zubair Naqshbandi - San Francisco, USA For further questions, please contact Imam Syed Soharwardy at 403-831-6330 or 416-994-5467 OR email, contactislamicsupremecouncil.com. Thanks
Note: We are in the process of getting more endorsements from various Imams across North America. Their names will be posted on ISCC's website.

*****

Source: Islamic Supreme Council of Canada

Bringing Faith Meaning and Peace to Life in a Multi-Cultural World: The Risale-i Nur's Perspective

2012-02-17T14:24:00.000-08:00

Peace to all who follow guidance (Quran 20.47).

I would like to start with the words of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (1878-1960) uttered in the mosque of Damascus, "I am like a child before this gathering, among whom are close on a hundred religious scholars, who goes to school in the morning and learns his lesson, then in the evening returns and repeats it to his father. His father sees whether or not what the child has learnt is correct, and the child awaits either approval or guidance from him."

Today's topic " Bringing faith meaning and peace to life in a multi-cultural world: The Risala-i-Nur's perspective" is of great significance in contemporary world. The word culture has a wider meaning and scope; it does not denote only the way of dressing, eating, living, taste in fine arts, language, education but its circle is wider than that. Moreover, bringing faith signifies to enlighten the vision of a person, increasing the foresightedness, developing optimist approach and inculcating tolerance not only to decipher the social, political, economic, religious issues emerging from a multi-cultural world but also to benefit from the richness of thoughts, methods, technologies, researches by enjoying access to others. A culture cannot be at ease with differences outside it unless it is at ease with its own internal differences. A dialogue between cultures requires that each should be willing to open itself up to the influence of and learn from others, and this presupposes that it is self-critical and willing and able to engage in a dialogue with itself.

Diversity of culture existed in the times of all Prophets Adam, Noah, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa, till Muhammad (Peace be upon all of them) and to deal with the issues of all the times emerging from such diversity; the river of guidance continued to flow from Allah, in the form of revelations in accordance with the needs and demands of the respective times. In nut shell the panacea for all the illnesses of the present people and the people to come can be summarized in one single command of the All-Wise Lord, " then when guidance comes to you from Me, anyone who follows My guidance will have no fear, nor will they grieve" (Quran 2:38). Now it depends upon the bearers of the "Trust" (Amanah) i.e., the children of Adam that how will they benefit themselves from this Guidance to perform their duty entrusted to them that is to acknowledge "Oneness of Allah" and spread this Truth to those who are heedless towards this. In other words revival of faith was the message of every Messenger of Allah in one single creed, "there is no god but Allah". Man, in his prior state of existence acknowledged God as his Lord but had since, upon assuming his current physical form, forgotten that acknowledgement. For indeed, the term for man in the Qur'an, that is, "insan", is etymologically related to the root "to forget". This is as if to say that life on this earth is a journey towards remembrance of that first testimony which man has forgotten.

" We made a covenant with Adam before you, but he forgot, and We found him lacking in constancy" (Quran 20:115).

" One who believes in Allah has grasped the strong handhold that will never break" (Quran 2:256) and belief in the messengership of Muhammad (Peace be upon him) breaks the bonds and walls of enmity towards the People (Ummah) of former Prophets. Because one who believes in the Final Messenger his faith is not complete unless and until he believes in all the Messengers who came before him thus cultivating in them love, unity, tolerance and foresightedness.

" The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and [so do] believers. They all believe in Allah and His angels, His scriptures, and His messengers. They say, 'We do not differentiate between any of His messengers. We hear and obey. Grant us Your forgiveness, Lord, to You we shall all return!" (Quran 2:285).

There are a number of verses in the Quran addressing mankind as a whole in the words like, " Ya Ayyuhan nas, Ya Ayyuhal Insan, Ya bani Adam, etc" which gives us the concept of unity of mankind". (Sahih al Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 2,Hadith Number 12)

The Prophet said, "None of you will have faith till he wishes for his brother what he likes for himself."

Furthermore, among innumerous examples from the Prophet Muhammad's life, stretching from "hilf-ul-fudhul to Khutbat-ul-Widda", the well known example of living in peace in a multicultural society is that of the Prophet's "pact of Hudaibiyah" and "the Constitution of Medina" (Mithaq-e Medina). One important aspect of the model of Islam (Peace be upon him) is the successful effort to construct a peaceful multi-cultural society on the basis of the constitution.

For the revival of faith, Allah not only raised the prophets but a hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) affirms that, " Allah will raise for this community at the end of every century the one who will renovate its religion for it" (Sunan abu Dawood, Kitab-ul-Malahim, Book 31, Chapter 1).

" In the fourteenth Islamic century, the Risale-i Nur appear all around and serve to the very same purpose. With the meaning fortified by the clear expression of the hadith, says Harun Yahya in his book "Jesus will return", it is our conviction that, in terms of reviving the religion, the Risale-i Nur is in the position of a mujadid".¹

"Bediuzzaman"² (wonder of the age) understood an essential cause of the decline of the Islamic world to be the weakening of its very foundations, that is, a weakening of belief in the basic tenets of the Islamic faith. This, together with the unprecedented attacks on those foundations in the 19th and 20th centuries carried out in the name of science and progress, led him to realize that the urgent and overriding need was to strengthen, and even to save, belief. What was needed was to expend all efforts to reconstruct the edifice of Islam from its foundations, belief, and to answer at that level those attacks with a 'non-physical jihad' or 'jihad of the word.' As for external jihad, he refer it to the decisive proofs of the Illustrious Shari'a. For conquering the civilized is through persuasion, not through force as though they were savages who understand nothing.

His message to the world is that " we are devotees of love; we do not have time for enmity. Our way is to adopt the morality of Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace) and revive his practices. Our guide is the illustrious Shari'a, our sword its decisive proofs, and our aim to uphold the Word of God. The way of this Union is love; its enmity is only for ignorance, poverty, and strife. Non-Muslims should feel sure that this Union attacks only those three facts. Our actions towards non-Muslims consist only of persuasion, for we know them to be civilized. And we suppose them to be fair-minded, so we should demonstrate that Islam is lovable and elevated" ³.

Said Nursi explains the communal harmony in a beautiful way, " the person who does not understand the true meaning of co-operation is more lifeless than a stone. For some stones arch themselves to co-operate with their brothers. Such a stone, despite being a stone, leans towards his brother in the dome when he leaves the builder's hand and bows his head so it touches his brother's head, and so they keep from falling. That is, the stones of domes stand shoulder to shoulder so as not to fall" ⁴.

In the form of "Six Words," Bediuzzaman describes a number of those positive truths of Islam, which form the cure for the grievous sicknesses besetting the Muslim community, viz. hope; honesty; love and brotherhood; self-sacrifice; awareness of the luminous bonds uniting the believers; mutual consultation. These are not the qualities that may be dispensed within the face of the difficulties or threats; on the contrary, they form the very foundation of Muslim society ⁵.

Answering the question about the "İttihad-i Muhammed”", Nursi responded that "what is meant when we say the İttihad-i Muhammed” (Muhammadan Union), which is Islamic Unity, is the unity between all believers, whether potential or actual. It does not refer to the society in Istanbul and Anatolia. A single drop of water is still water. The word cannot be thought of as specific. Its true definition is as follows: Its foundations stretch from east to west and from north to south; its centre are the holy places of Mecca and Medina; its point of unity is Divine Unity; its oath and pledge is belief; its code of regulations, the practices of the Prophet (PBUH); its code of laws, the commands and prohibitions of the Shari'a; its clubs and councils, all the religious schools, mosques, and Sufi meeting-houses; the society's eternal press organ are all Islamic books, and its constant one is foremost the Qur'an and all Qur'anic commentaries (and at this time, the Risale-i Nur, which is a Qur'anic commentary), as well as all moderate religious papers and journals whose aim is to uphold the Word of God; its membership consists of all believers; and its leader is the Glory of the World (PBUH)" .

His focus was not only to bridge but to wipe out the gaps between man and his Omniscient Creator by putting the stamp of transitoriness on the beauty and loveliness of all the objects except the Ever-Existing One from whom the spring of love, peace, unity, brotherhood, equality, justice, solidarity, hope, and subsistence gushes forth. "Mobilize all your strength for this present hour, and think of Divine Mercy, reward in the Hereafter, and how your brief and transient life is being transformed into a long and eternal form. Instead of complaining bitterly, give joyful thanks". In "Tabiat Risalesi" [Nature, Cause or Effect], Bediuzzaman demonstrates that all beings on all levels, are interrelated, interconnected and interdependent, like concentric or intersecting circles. And beyond doubts Bediuzzaman proved his challenge that " I will demonstrate to the world that the Qur'an is a spiritual sun that shall never set and shall never be extinguished" through his teachings comprising in Risale-i Nur. ========
Notes:

1. Harun Yahya, Jesus will Return, http://www.jesuswillreturn.com/s1_6a.html, accessed on 31-01-2012
2. Said Nursi, (1877-1960) born in Eastern Turkey author of Risale-i Nur.
3. Excerpt from ÒThe Damascus SermonsÓ.
4. Said al-Nursi, An Allusion of Surah-al-Ikhlas.
5. The Damascus Sermon by Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, tr from Turkish ÒHute-I SamiyeÓ by Sukran Vahide, 1996, accessed on January 30, 2012

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Abida Quansar is a Junior Research Fellow, Department of Islamic Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.