Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from August, 2009

Tooba lil-Ghurubaa' (Blessed are the strangers)

A translation of an article by Abu al-Mu'tassim - Bayt al-maqdis - which appeared in al-Waie magazine number 254 March 2008. Imam Muslim narrated in his Sahih, on the authority of Sahl bin Sa'd as-Saa'adi (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: «بدأ الإسلام غريباً وسيعود غريباً كما بدا، فطوبى للغرباء» "Islam began strange and will return strange as it began, so Tooba (blessedness) is for the strangers." It was said: "Who are they Allah's messenger?" He صلى الله عليه وسلم said: «الذين يصلحون إذا فسد الناس» "Those who reform if the people become corrupt." Islam began a stranger with the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and his companions who believed in him and followed him. It was strange to their way of thinking and life, so they were strangers in the view of the society, with its deriding and scorning of them. They were strangers among their families and neighbours. They were strangers to the help of the societ

Clarifying misunderstandings of Taqdeer

The following is the transcript of a circle given in the middle of the month of Shaban 143o Hijri. يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ فَإِنْ تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآَخِرِ “O you who believe, Obey Allah, Obey His Messenger and those in authority from amongst you and if you differ then refer it to Allah and His Messenger if you believe in Allah and the Last Day.” [An-Nisa: 59] We have recently passed the 15th of Sha’ban, and the night which people call ‘Shabe barat’ or ‘Laylatul barat’ it is also known as Laylat al-Nusf min Sha’baan, in the Indian sub continent we see people engaging in all types of practices on this day, where some consider that it is like Eid, others go to graveyards saying the souls visit the world. People give out sweets, people spend the night in prayer, etc. In Arabic Bara’a means forgiveness and pardon. The ni

Urdu book: The main rules of fasting

The following is an abridged translation and explanation of the Arabic book 'Al-Jami al akham as-siyam' (Collection of the rules of fasting) by the Mujtahid, Sheikh Abu Iyas Mahmoud bin Abdul Latif al-Uweida (May Allah protect him). The translation and commentary is by brother Muhammad Ali. : http://www.khilafat.dk/pdfdata/Rozekebunyadiahkam.pdf Sheikh Abu Iyas is a respected scholar from Jordan, he has authored various books including: - Selected fiqhi issues: The book contains 321 issues in the form of questions and answers related to Salah (prayer), fasting, Zakah, Hajj, Umrah, economics, ruling, social relations and Jihad. The Sheikh has selected from the questions which he responded to between 1993 and 2007. The book can be downloaded from: مسائل فقهية مختارة - 'Al-Jami’ Ahkam as-Salah' (Collection of the rules of prayer): a very detailed book in Arabic upon the rules of Salah entitled which is over 500 pages long. - Hamlad da'watul Islam wajibat wa sifat'

Views on the News - 12 August 2009

Swedish paper tells of Palestinians killed to harvest organs Leading Swedish daily Aftonbladet claimed in one of its articles that Israeli soldiers killed Palestinians in order to trade in their organs. The report mentioned Brooklyn resident Levy Izhak Rosenbaum, who is accused of involvement in the recent human organ-trafficking case that caused a storm in the US and Israel . The report said Palestinians claim youngsters were forced to give up theirs before being executed. This suspicion, the report said, may lead to an international war crimes investigation against Jewish state. Aftonbladet also said Palestinian youths who were snatched from their villages in the middle of the night were buried after being dismembered. The reporter, Donald Boström, said he was informed of the alleged atrocities by UN employees while he was working on a book in the West Bank . According to Bostrom, a Palestinian from Nablus who for a number of years headed stone-throwing attacks against IDF soldiers w

Ramadhan Articles

As the blessed month of Ramadhan approaches it is time again for us to refresh our understanding of the various ahkam (rules), concepts and history related to this month. The following are links to articles related to the various aspects of Ramadhan and Eid: The obligation of beginning of Ramadhan when the moon is sighted in any country Ramadhan & moon sighting according to Classical scholars Deobandi & Barelvi original Fatawa - obligatory to follow sighting of Muslim from any land for Ramadhan & Eid Audio: The Fiqh of Determining Ramadhan & Eid Should we be 'Ramadhan Muslims'? Ramadhan - Month of the Quran & its affect upon us Ramadhan Timeline Comparisons from the Battle of Ain Jaloot A to Z of Ramadhan Ramadhan: Past & present Tafsir of verses on Ramadhan & Fasting - Part 1 Tafsir of verses on Ramadhan & Fasting - Part 2 Make Ramadhan the month of victory again Eid: Time to Reflect What did you do on Eid? Post Ramadhan worship

Imaan & Action

Based on the request of one of our readers for an article explaining this issue, the following is an extract from the book 'The Ark of Salvation' by Abdul-Kareem Hassan and Murad el-Adnany: Disagreement among the scholars of Islam has centred on whether action is part of Imaan or something based on Imaan. Some of the scholars of Islam have held the view that belief is simply an inward adherence (`aqd bi'l-qalb) and verbal confession (shahadah bi'l-lisan). Other scholars, such as Abu Talib al-Makki in Qut-al-Qulub , have maintained that action is a part of belief and Imaan is incomplete without works according to the pillars of Islam. Imam al Ghazzali in "The Foundations of the Articles of Faith" says there is no disagreement at all that anyone who combines in himself all three, i.e., inward adherence, verbal confession and works according to the pillars of Islam, will have his final abode in Paradise. Disagreement has occurred as to whether inward adherence an

Views on the News - 12 August 2009

20% of the European Union will be Muslim by 2050 Twenty percent of the European Union will be Muslim by 2050, according to forecasts cited in a Telegraph report this week. The current figure, according to the article, sits at five percent, and will be pushed up due to immigration, and low birth rates among native Europeans. The article noted that the UK , Spain and Holland would hit the 20% mark faster. According to the London-based newspaper, experts have criticized lawmakers' failure to address this "demographic time-bomb." They called for a discussion on how these demographic changes would affect "areas of life from education and housing to foreign policy and pensions." British army wants to enlist Muslims to fight the Taleban The new head of the Army wants to recruit British Muslims to help fight the Taliban. General Sir David Richards said the UK may be in Afghanistan for 40 years and it needs more ethnic troops to boost numbers. He told an MoD journal: &q

Nationalism: The Rotten Roots of Racism

The recent incident in the U.S. involving Henry Louis Gates Jr. highlights the racial and ethnic tensions that still exist in Western societies. Nationalistic and patriotic bonds existed prior to the revelation of Islam. Allah (swt) has established the Islamic Aqeedah as the bond between Muslims. Recent history has seen the re-introduction of nationalism and patriotism into the Muslim Ummah. We must think, feel and act only according to the Quran and Sunnah and not according to family/tribal traditions or customs relating to geographical locations. In mid July of this year, Henry Louis Gates Jr, a Harvard University professor and documentary film maker returned home from a trip to China to find his front door jammed. He and his driver attempted to gain entrance by forcing the door open. A neighbor passing by called police reporting a possible break-in. The ensuing confrontation resulted in Gates being arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. Prosecutors later dropped all the charg

Views on the News - 7 August 2009

A football anthem and a court room killing - Is Germany turning into a fortress of Islamophobia? An anthem sung by fans of the German football club FC Schalke 04 has drawn protests from Muslims because of its reference to the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم of Allah. The club has received hundreds of e-mails from angry Muslims recently, since Turkish media carried reports about the song. Police in Gelsenkirchen, in the industrial Ruhr region of western Germany, say they are taking the Muslim complaints very seriously. The song is the latest in a series of incidents that demonstrates that the Germany is becoming deeply anti-Islamic. Only a few weeks ago the German government rejected accusations that it tolerates xenophobia and anti-Islamic views after the killing of 31-year-old Marwa El-Sherbiny in a Dresden in which the German media remained relatively silent. Germany has the second-biggest Muslim population in Western Europe after France and is quickly turning into a fortress of anti-Is

Chapter 4: The Legally Responsible with respect to the Shari’ah Rulings

The following is the draft english translation from the Usul Al-Fiqh masterpiece of the Arabic book الشخصية الاسلاميَة الجزء الثالث (The Islamic Personality Volume 3 ) by Sheikh Taqiuddin an-Nabhani. Please refer to the original Arabic for accurate meanings. All the people are legally responsible [mukallaf] with respect to the legal rulings [ahkām]; thus it is said about the legal ruling [hukm shar’i] that it is the address of the legislator related to the actions of the servants. There is no distinction in this respect between the Muslim and the kāfir; all of them are addressed by the address [khitāb] of the legislator, and all of them are legally responsible in terms of the legal rule. The evidence for this is the totality of texts about this matter, all of which clearly indicate that the Islamic Shari’ah is addressed to all people, irrespective of their being Muslim or kāfir. Allah (swt) says, «وما أرسلناك إلا كافّة للناس بشيراً ونذيراً» “ And we have not sent you except as a giver