Islamic Revival

The following is the translation of an Arabic Q&A from the  website of Sheikh Ata' Abu Rashta . Question: What came in the economic system about the value and the price is not clear and in particular the issue of recording the dowry ( mahr ) in terms of value and price. Please explain this in some detail, may Allah bless you? Answer : The value is the amount of benefit present within the commodity, which is fixed at all times and places. So the benefit of a jug is estimated, in itself as an object, by the materials it is made of, its suitability for carrying water, whether for drinking or ablution. These uses are never detached of it today or tomorrow, whether its price increased or declined. If it is estimated by the benefit of another commodity, the benefit of the other commodity should be equal to the benefit of the jug at the moment of estimation. If the value of the jug was estimated by the value of a chair as an example, then it is necessary that the internal

Impediments to Strengthening the Islamic Disposition – Part 1: The Lower Desires One of the impediments to a person building h/her  nafsiyya  and strengthening it is the pull of one’s desires ( ahwa ). Allah makes it a mandatory directive to restrain the lower desires if Paradise is the aim. Allah says: { But as for he who fears standing before his Lord and prevents his desires, the Paradise will definitely be his place …}. [1] What are the dangers of failing to restrain one’s desires? They include : Harmful desires distracts one from prioritising the goals that Allah and His Messenger have set. Harmful desires lead one to seek and want things that are not ultimately beneficial (as defined by Islam) which opens the door to sin and wrongdoing. Harmful desires often take the form of strong sexual desires and if this is left unbridled then it can lead to other wrong actions. Harmful desires are capricious, unstable, erratic and unpredictable. Harmful desires are not the cr

Slavery Part 3: The Solution regarding  Istirqaq The honourable shaykh and  mujtahid  Imam Taqi al-Din al-Nabhani (d.1977) writes in his masterpiece  al-Shakhsiyya al-Islamiyya  (‘The Islamic Personality’): The ways of taking slaves in the ancient systems were varied and very well known in the world when Islam came. They would take the bankrupt debtor as slaves and if the debtor became poor or bankrupt, he would then be taken as a slave. Those who committed a sin or mistake would also be taken as a slave as a punishment for the crime. Free persons would offer themselves as slaves where they would then sell themselves off to others on the condition of later being manumitted based on an agreed date. Also, stronger tribes would enslave members of weaker tribes and wars and battles would be one general situation in which families were taken as slaves. They would also permit enslaving any person from a particular country when they were conquered. Others would restrict enslaving to