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Showing posts from February, 2008

Why Muslims Don’t Laugh at Insults to their Religion

Twelve cartoons, first published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on September 30th 2005, satirised the prophet Muhammad and were received negatively by Muslims in Denmark and throughout the world. Muslims generally perceived them to be derogatory and took the insult as an attack upon Islam. Protests were organised all over the world, and serious violence occurred at a number of them: embassies were ransacked and western institutions and property in the Muslim world bore the brunt of these expressions of anger. Other forms of protest included economic boycotts of Danish companies leading to considerable financial loss for the companies affected, which formerly had a substantial market investment in the Muslim world. Regardless of the nature of the Muslim expressions of anger, many westerners were incredulous. The extent and universality of Muslim anger were to them very surprising. Why, they asked, should Muslims be so upset by harmless cartoons that should not have hurt anybody

Buying meat from non-Muslims?

The following is a useful Q&A published in Khilafah Magazine many years ago. Question: Are Muslims allowed to buy fresh or canned meat from Jews, Christians, Hindus and other non-Muslims? And are Muslims allowed to buy canned meat for pets? Answer: Despite the fact that this issue is not crucial to the Ummah, it is something that Muslims always worry about, especially people living and studying in the non-Muslim countries. It is high time that Muslims learnt the verdict of tadhkiya or dhabiha (slaughtering), in order to develop a clear understanding and put a halt to the confusion which government scholars have created. Tadhkiya in Shari‘ah terminology means the slaughtering of animals. Muslims are forbidden from eating the meat of an animal unless it has been properly slaughtered according to the Shari‘ah rules. The four conditions that must be met to make the meat halal are: 1. The slaughterer must be a Muslim, or be from the People of the Book (a Christian or a Jew). It is forbi

Is it allowed to perform Hajj on someones behalf?

The following is a translation from Arabic. Question: Is it allowed to make Hajj on the behalf of your parents if they were unable to perform Hajj due to illness or if they have passed away? Also is it permitted to perform it on the behalf of another Muslim due to the same reasons? Answer: It is correct in the Sharee’ah for a son to make hajj on behalf of his father or mother who are unable to make Hajj or are not alive. This is due to the hadith narrated on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas who said: A woman from Khath’am came to the Messenger (saw) in the year of the farewell Hajj (hijjatul wida’) and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah (saw)! The obligation of Hajj enjoined by Allah on His servants has become due on my father and he is old and weak, and he cannot sit firm on the Mount; may I perform Hajj on his behalf?" The Prophet (saw) replied, "Yes, you may.’ [Reported by Bukhari] : عن ابن عباس قال: «جاءت امرأة من خثعم عام حجة الوداع، قالت: يارسول الله: إن فريضة الله على عباده في ا

Election results: What does it mean for Pakistan?

The following was received from a brother. Musharraf’s party, the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) was routed in the Pakistani parliamentary elections held on 18/2/2008. The opposition PML (Nawaz Groups) and Pakistan ‘s Peoples Party under the stewardship of Zardari have done really well, but lack the majority to form the new government. This result does not damage Musharraf’s position as yet, as he has plenty of room to forge close ties between PPP the largest vote taker of all the parties and other smaller parties loyal to Musharraf. There is even possibility for PPP to team up with PML (Nawaz) and form a new government. These two parties have a great opportunity to form a national government, dismiss Musharraf and overturn Anglo-American policies in Pakistan. But expected outcome is that they will follow their predecessors, implement western policies and be counted as traitors by the Pakistani people. 21/2/08

American pressure on India exposes double standards on nuclear conventions

The following was received from a brother. On 20/2/08 Senator Kerry, the South Asian Affairs Sub-Committee chairman, told Mr. Singh and other top Indian government officials “‌In order to be able to have time to debate this and pass it in the Senate, it would really probably have to be received somewhere in May, at the latest, in order to give time to be able to pass," he said. "So I think somewhere in the next weeks some kind of decision has got to happen because we are just going to run out of time.” The pact would give India access to American nuclear fuel and reactors. However, America ‘s position exposes its hypocrisy towards nuclear conventions enshrined in the charter of the IAEA. India rather than being punished has been rewarded for its refusal to sign treaties on non-proliferation and nuclear testing. She is one of the few countries to have tested atomic weapons in 1974 and again in 1998. In the case of Iran , it has fully complied with IAEA conventions, but is st

Kosovo independence: An important precedent

The following was received from a brother. On 18/2/08 Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, said that the West had crudely broken international law by supporting Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence, which Russian diplomats say will stir up strife in the Balkans. Russia , Serbia and several other view Kosovo’s independence as a violation of UN resolution 1244 and fear that this will set precedence for secessionist movements across the world to demand independence. There is no question that the West under the leadership of the US has weakened both international law and the UN its principal proponent. The Kosovo war of 1999 was fought by the West outside the ambit of international law. Again in 2003 the UN was bypassed as the Anglo-American war machine invaded Iraq . Now, Kosovo’s declaration of independence has gravely undermined the credibility of international law and exposed the nefarious intentions of the West. The Muslim world should not view these developmen

Despite Britain ‘s animosity to Islam it plans to enter the Shariah bond market

The following was received from a brother. On 17/2/08 it was revealed by the British media that the Chancellor Alistair Darling is expected to announce in his March 12 Budget if the Treasury will go ahead with plans for so-called "Sharia bonds (Sukuk)". The Treasury spokesman added: "We want the City of London to be one of the gateways globally for Islamic financial products and we want it to be competitive on all products you can imagine, so we should be competitive on Islamic finance as well as any other. Just because of your faith, there shouldn't be any issue about your access to financial services in the UK ."‌ Sukuk is now estimated to be worth £ 5.5billion in a £125 billion global Islamic financial market. The announcement highlights a contradiction in Britain‘s commitment to its ideological values. On the one-hand, the British establishment regularly brow beats the Muslim community to compromise its Islamic values in exchange for the adoption of British

Western notion of freedom is an open license to vilify Islam

On February 13th 2008, at least seventeen Danish newspapers vowed to defend freedom of expression and reprinted a cartoon of Prophet Mohammed. The conservative broadsheet Berlingske Tidende wrote in an editorial: "Freedom of expression gives you the right to think, to speak and to draw what you like... no matter how many terrorist plots there are...â€‌ It is evident that the Danish media did not learn anything from the outcry of Muslims that accompanied the newspaper Jyllands-Posten decision to publish the original cartoons in 2005. Denmark is the not the only western country that insists on vilification of Islam. The Dutch government has refused to take action against Dutch Member of Parliament Geert Wilders who has recently made a derogatory movie about the Quran. The government has defended Wilder’s actions by citing freedom of expression. A year earlier, the Dutch government banned the Burqah. In Britain under the guise of freedom and tolerance, the Shariah debate has been us

Indian Caliphate?

The following interesting article appeared in Time Magazine on March 17th 1924, it can be seen on Time Magazines official website, the link is given below: Indian Califate? The Mahammadans of India have voiced bitter resentment against the action of Mustafa Kemal, Turkish President, in virtually abolishing the Califate (see Page 11). Mahammad Ali, Indian leader, said last week that the Califate is the essence of Islam and will not be abandoned by Indians. Mahatma Gandhi has often expressed the opinion that the future of Islam is in India. Mahammadans have always been the most fanatical opponents of the British raj. If they attempt to create an Indian Califate, anarchy is almost sure to follow. Source The following articles from that period are also interesting to read: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,717931,00.html http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,718013,00.html http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,729267,00.html http://www.time.com/t

All Bribery is Haram (Forbidden)

The following is an extract from the draft translation of the book 'Shaksiyyah Islamiyyah' (The Islamic Personality) Volume 2 by Sheikh Taqiuddin an-Nabhani: Whoever possesses an authority/competence (salahiyya) which obliges upon him to fulfil a benefit among the people’s benefits, then the money which he takes in order to execute the benefit is bribery nor is it a wage in any way whatsoever. The distinction between the wage and bribery is that the wage is taken in exchange for undertaking an action which is not obliged upon him; as for bribery, it is taken in exchange for performing an action he is obliged to perform without exchange from the one for whose sake the action is performed or in exchange for not performing an action obliged upon him to perform. Accordingly bribery is the money given in order to fulfil/execute/carry out (qadha) a benefit obliged upon the taker to execute or to execute a benefit by the taker not doing that which he is obliged to do, whether the bene

Urdu leaflet from Denmark on reprints of cartoons

The Danish newspaper behind the publication of the infamous cartoon depicting Muhammad (saw) as a terrorist has decided to reprint the inflammatory drawing. It justified its decision by claiming it as a protest against an alleged murder plot of the cartoonist behind the offensive ‘cartoon’ and in order to ‘uphold freedom of expression’. This hostile action was repeated by multiple newspapers across Denmark, showing solidarity with their fellow journalists. Hizb ut-Tahrir in Denmark held a demonstration in protest of this. You can view and download the Urdu version of a leaflet by them from: http://www.khilafat.dk/pdfdata/ls.pdf

Urdu Usul al-Fiqh Book published

Usul al-Fiqh - Islam Ki Tashri Asaas By Muhammad Ali This is currently one amongst a few books that have been written on the subject of Usul al-Fiqh in the Urdu language. The author based the contents of this 116 page book upon Sheikh Taqiuddin an-Nabhani’s (ra) masterpiece ‘Shaksiyyah Islamiyyah’ (The Islamic Personality) Volume 3. As well as referring to the excellent book ‘Teyseer al wusool Ila al-Usul’ (To make understanding Usul easy) by Sheikh Ata ibn Khalil Abu al-Rishta (May Allah protect him). This book aims to clarify key subjects that establish the framework of Islamic juristic thinking such as: * Al-Hakim (the legislator) * The principles related to things & actions * The types of Ahkam Shariah * Qareenah (Legal indicators) * The various types of Talab (request) * The circumstantial rules such as Sabab (cause), Shart (conditions), etc. * General principles (Qa'ida kulliyah) * The sources of Shariah * Understanding Daleel (evidence) * Ijtihad & Taqleed

Somalia: Humanitarian crisis

The situation in Somalia has deteriorated since America sponsored the invasion over a year ago. A UN official summarized the situation “as the world's most urgent humanitarian crisis – worse even than Darfur”. More than 1 million people have been displaced and do not have access to basic necessities due to the ongoing violence. The situation in Somalia demonstrates the extent that the US and others are willing to go to undermine Islamic Rule. As reported by Reuters, a senior U.N. refugee official declared that Somalia is the “world's most urgent humanitarian crisis – worse even than Darfur”: 60% of the Mogadishu population has fled the city because of fighting Over 1 million people have been uprooted from their homes in Somalia. 15% suffer acute malnutrition while health services are very limited and while sanitation, water and shelters are extremely poor. Due to the ongoing fighting, it has been difficult for aid agencies to deliver food and other necessities. The Muslim Rule

The Khimar issue is an Islamic issue

The following is a translation from Arabic. بِسْـــمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰـــنِ الرَّحِيـــم The Khimar issue is an Islamic issue… It cannot be solved except under an Islamic State. (Translated) On 14th January, 2008, Prime Minister Erdogan answered rather queries of European journalists in Spain regarding the issue of banning of Khimar in Turkey which evoked strong reactions and continues to evoke emotions. He said: “Is it a crime that the Khimar is a political symbol?! Is it possible to ban symbols and emblems?!.... It is a tragedy that we face such difficulties in our country. We have this problem in the universities and I think we will overcome the problem by this amendment. We will overcome this problem of curtailing liberties, liberties of education”. During the press conference arranged at the airport on Erdogan’s return from Spain on 16th January, 2008, he stressed: “If Turkey is still unable to solve this issue, then that will be a real hindrance of liberties. We can together overc

New Book: Understanding Usul al-Fiqh

Due to the intellectual decline that befell the Muslim Ummah during the last few centuries various confusions exist today regarding Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh). Most of these relate to misunderstanding subjects related to the principles and foundations of jurisprudence (Usul al-Fiqh). Different extremes exist today where some Muslims look at evidences from the Qur’an and Sunnah and attempt to interpret them without having the necessary framework to extract the correct meanings. Whilst others disregard the Shari’ah evidences altogether, utilising their own logic rather than the revelation and some who believe that the doors of Ijtihad are closed. This book aims to clarify key subjects that establish the framework of Islamic juristic thinking such as: • Understanding the key terminology of Usul including Daleel, Shari’ah and Fiqh. • The definitive sources of Shari’ah – the Qur’an, Sunnah, Ijma’ as-Sahabah & Qiyas. • Sources of Shari’ah not agreed upon by all Ulema (scholars) – Ijma’