What I believe?

What follows below: This is what I believe. This is the center of my life about which all my efforts are directed, around which my days revolve. This is my world-view.

"TAHAWI'S STATEMENT OF ISLAMIC DOCTRINE (AL-`AQIDA AL-TAHAWIYYA)

In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate Praise be to Allah, Lord of all the worlds.

The great scholar Hujjat al-lslam Abu Ja'far al-Warraq al-Tahawi al-Misri, may Allah have mercy on him, said: This is a presentation of the beliefs of Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama`a, according to the school of the jurists of this religion, Abu Hanifa al-Nu`man ibn Thabit al-Kufi, Abu Yusuf Ya`qub ibn Ibrahim al-Ansari and Abu `Abdullah Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani, may Allah be pleased with them all, and what they believe regarding the fundamentals of the religion and their faith in the Lord of the worlds.

We say about Allah's unity, believing by Allah's help that:

1. Allah is One, without any partners.

2. There is nothing like Him.

3. There is nothing that can overwhelm Him.

4. There is no god other than Him.

5. He is the Eternal without a beginning and enduring without end.

6. He will never perish or come to an end.

7. Nothing happens except what He wills.

8. No imagination can conceive of Him and no understanding can comprehend Him.

9. He is different from any created being.

10. He is living and never dies and is eternally active and never sleeps.

11. He creates without His being in need to do so and provides for His creation without any effort.

12. He causes death with no fear and restores to life without difficulty."

Read the rest of the article here.

Why talk of creed? Hamza Yusuf answers the question:

Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

Proof of Ijmah in Quran

Surah Nisa, Ayat # 115:

"And whoever contradicts and opposes the Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the believers' way, We shall keep him in the path he has chosen, and burn him in Hell - what an evil destination!"

The 'emphasis part' of the quote is the proof.

Love your fellow men as you love yourself

A friend of mine gave a very wise advice. He said, "Don't have contempt for people, because the person you disdain may become friend of God someday - you never know it."

Soul's yearning

After listening to the strange rhythmic lines in the preceding video, reader/listener may be wondering what sense does it make? Partially because, as it proves, you don't know Arabic, which neither do I; and partially: if I don't understand Arabic poetry - then? So what? For my ears detect harmony in these words recited by Abdul-Hakim Murad. I listen to these short melodic lines again and again, its very pleasant for my soul. May be there is a treasure hidden in these lines that awaits me to unlock it...

God, Man and Choice

Frithjof Schuon says in the Light on the Ancient Worlds, "Man does not choose; he follows his nature and his vocation, and it is God who chooses." Yet there are people on earth suffocated enough, blind in their vision that makes them to take such statements lightly because they find their defenses against the devil so down, so to say them being dominated by him, that they are unable to free themselves of the hatred of wisdom he induces in us. Revolt against Islam is revolt against oneself, against Man. And even Derrida believed that Islam is not Islamism...

Read "Riyad-us-Saliheen"

Riyad-us-Saliheen is perhaps when of the most read books of hadith in Muslim world. It was written for us, non-scholars, ordinary people (in terms of their degree of knowledge). And this is the beauty of this book, it helps us avoid the pitfalls of misunderstanding certain hadiths. This happens mostly when its interpretation requires a considerable amount of knowledge, which I will try sometime to write at length as to why?; and that what sciences are involved in this complex art of decoding the correct meaning out of certain hadith that seem confusing, Insha Allah. You can read the book here. Download in pdf-form here.

Of Proofs!

"Man is the proof of God. The man of God is the proof of religion." And that "He who knows himself, knows Islam."

-Abdul-Hakim Murad

These contentions should never be taken lightly for they are the extracts, like perfumes, of penetrating intellective vision, of deepest meditations, reflections and study of truth - suffice to say, these are nothing but expression of the Truth, which can only be perennial.

Which charity is the most superior in reward

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

"Seek, and you will be found." I wish to add: seek, and you will get the guidance. These days I really was feeling incomplete just for the fact that I have not been able to give charity even when having enough to give out in Allah's way. Perhaps, I was worrying about the best or superior kind of charity, and today I found the answer which is being posted here - curiously my intuition (answer from within) predicted that only such kind of charity, as mentioned in next lines, could be of superior kind, which explains the truth that Islam is the religion of fitrah:

Narrated Abu-Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him): ‘A man came to the Prophet (May Allah exalt his mention and protect him from imperfection) and asked: “O Allah’s Messenger which charity is the most superior in reward?” He replied: “The charity that you give while you are healthy, niggardly and afraid of poverty and wishing to become wealthy. Do not delay it to the time of approaching death and then say: ‘Give so much to so and so, and so much to so and so.’ (And it already belongs to such and such (his heirs)).”‘ (Bukhari)

Riyaadiss-Saliheen (The Meadows of the Righteous) (Abridged)
By Imam An Nawawi Vol. (1)
Publisher: Dar Al-Manarah
ISBN: 977.6005.23.3
Chapiter 12, Page 205, Number

* This post has been taken from the following blog: Salaat Time’s Daily Islam.

Educating Muslim Youth by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

Chittick says that Muslims have stopped to think. One of the major reasons for that is that Muslims have brushed the Islamic model of education replacing it with Western model of education, the latter not compatible wholly with the former. "Everyone nowadays is Qadi al-Qudat, Judge of Judges" - thanks to this alien system's intellectual outlook. While another oppression of the imported system is that it has replaced the fear of God in Muslims with an overwhelming fear of dunya (world) - overwhelming so to say to the mind rooted in tradition - the worth of which, i.e., dunya, is no more than a dead dog. I find this following lecture by Shaykh Yusuf invigorating, as if really 'revitalizing the dying organism' which is our mentality, generally speaking. Hope our elders get the point, reflect deeply on these matters, and do something about 'the dying organism' our youth is. But then again, as he proves, its on youth to take initiative to change, which, taking myself as an example, they can naturally do.

Part 1.


Part 2.

A false way of utilising the knowledge of Shari'a

"Beware the Shari 'a of the Cheshire Cat: able to bite but not to nourish."

- Abdul-Hakim MuradImage source

British Muslims Condemn Anti-Semitism

Source

"In the Name of God, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful

16th January, 2009

Dear Fellow Muslims,

We are deeply saddened to hear about anti-Semitic assaults on British Jews, and a recent arson attack on a London synagogue. Although the perpetrators are yet unknown, we unreservedly condemn attacks on innocent British citizens and the desecration of all places of worship.

The ongoing killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza by Israeli forces has angered us all.

However, this does not, and cannot, justify attacks on our fellow citizens of Jewish faith and background here in Britain.

Most Muslims are completely against such behaviour. However, we call on all Muslims to continue to remain vigilant against attempts to bring our own faith and community into disrepute. British Jews should not be held responsible for the actions of the Israeli government.

Yours in Islam and peace,

Shaikh Abdal-Hakim Murad, Cambridge
Shaikh Mawlana Shahid Raza, Leicester/London
Shaikh Sayyid-Mohammed Musawi, London
Shaikh Ali Qadiri, Barking
Shaikh Mufti Barkatulla, London
Shaikh Dr Musharraf Hussain MBE, Nottingham
Shaikh Dr Usama Hasan, London
Shaikh Bilal Abdullah, London
Shaikh Aftab Ahmad Malik, Bristol
Shaikh Irfan Chishti MBE, Rochdale
Dr Tahir Abbas, Birmingham
Navid Akhtar, London
Parvin Ali OBE, Leicester
Kamran Fazil, Birmingham
Rokhsana Fiaz, London
Ed Husain, London
Azeem Ibrahim, Glasgow
Maajid Nawaz, London
Dr Zahoor Qureshi, London
Usman Raja, Berkshire
Yasmin Sheikh MBE, London
Zeshan Zafar, London. "

Okay, this is a late news. Unfortunately, I never came to know about it. That sometimes makes me believe that scholars of Islam are not being reported by media on such issues.

Remember death

Remembrance of death is the best drug to treat the base desires issuing out of our ever-changing heart.

Tea & Me

I am smiling at myself in innocence. Here is this self before me which is nothing but a dichotomy of what it says and intents, and what it does at the spur of the moment. Right now, what's the time - 12:29 AM - I have to wake up very early in the morning, prepare myself for a grueling academic, and yet when it comes to tea, all of my preemptive efforts fail to bear fruits - I fail to resist it. So now I am going to sleep not before an hour, I know the consequences, yet i am heedless. What a piece of work is man!

Image source

What is Islam?

Image source

'What Islam is about is taking away fear. See if you are a Muslim what are you afraid of? The first thing you accept about Islam, the very first thing: There is no god but Allah. Which means that there's nothing I should fear of but God.' (Shyakh Hamza yusuf in lecture at University of Toronto.)

The Philosophy of Life

"Search of truth is the ultimate aim of intellect. Applying truth in every action is called justice. Search for truth begins with oneself, try to know who, what, why you are? This is the first and most vital step. Then comes the long process of doing good for the greater happiness of greater number."

A few years back, upon asking my teacher about the aim of intellect and philosophy of life, he gave me this comprehensive and splendid answer. I was amazed at the coherence of the message of the intellectual and its practicality. In those days, I was seeking, and still am, 'the secrets of self'. Now I need to stop and self-examine a bit. And i shall be brief. From the early teenage days, when my faculties of discernment were flourishing, I dreamed of knowing the Quran so much so that I'd be able to decode the philosophy of life. What I failed to do was to take the necessary steps to achieve such a monumental task, i.e., I did not only failed to learn how to properly recite it, I didn't also give any attention to know its meaning. This is a precise sorrow, regretful glimpse of my past. What now I am going to do about? Now i am acting on the advice of my 12-year old friend! He, Raees Jamal, said to me,"You should learn Quran, and I believe you can, the way a molvi (traditional scholar) did. Well, he took 8 years to learn up one surah of Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah. He used to learn one ayat daily, and after knowing its translation he acted upon it and then moved forward. This is how he learned the whole surah." I appreciated his zeal, and decided to use this knowledge. Just to correct secondary details that this man was none other than Hazrat Abdullah, son of the second Calip hazrat Umar, who himself learned the same chapter of Quran in 12 years. Curiously, he had a mastery over Arabic, he witnessed the events of Revelation, yet he exhausted 8 years to learn a single chapter of 286 verses? It was because, as Mufti Taqi explains, he had to learn and master all the relevant sciences to know the meaning of Quran. (See The Quranic Sciences of Quran, by Mufti Taqi Usmani.) That's the best thing I can do.

'On the Excellence of reciting the Qur'an'

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Prophetic Guidance Regarding the Excellence of Reciting the Qur'an

by Imam Nawawi
Translated by Ustadha Ayesha Bewley

"991. Abu Umama said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'Recite the Qur'an. It will appear on the Day of Rising as an intercessor for its people.'" [Muslim]

992. an-Nawwas ibn Sam'an said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'On the Day of Rising the Qur'an will be brought with the people who used to act by it in this world, preceded by Surat al-Baqara (2) and Ali 'Imran (3), arguing on behalf of those who knew them.'" [Muslim]

993. 'Uthman reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The best of you is the one who learns the Qur'an and teaches it." [al-Bukhari]

994. 'A'isha reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Someone who recites the Qur'an and is fluent in it, is with the noble pious angels. Someone who recites the Qur'an and stammers in it has two rewards as it is difficult for him." [Agreed upon]

995. Abu Musa al-Ash'ari reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The metaphor of a believer who recites the Qur'an is that of a citron - its scent is fragrant and its taste is good. The metaphor of a believer who does not recite the Qur'an is that of a date - it has no scent but its taste is sweet. The metaphor of a hypocrite who recites the Qur'an is that of basil - its scent is fragrant but its taste is bitter. The metaphor of a hypocrite who does not recite the Qur'an is that of colocynth - it has no scent and its taste is bitter." [Agreed upon]

996. 'Umar ibn al-Khattab reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "By this Book Allah elevates some people and abases others." [Muslim]

997. Ibn 'Umar reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "You can only have envy for two things: for a man to whom Allah has given the Qur'an and he gets up and recites it throughout the night, and for a man to whom Allah has given wealth and he spends it throughout the night and the day." [Agreed upon]

998. Al-Bara' ibn 'Azib said, "A man was reciting Surat al-Kahf (18) and he had a horse with him tethered by two ropes. Then a cloud came over him and began to draw near and his horse began to shy away from it. In the morning he went to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and mentioned that to him and he said, 'That was the Sakina which descended on account of the Qur'an.'" [Agreed upon]

999. Ibn Mas'ud reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Whoever recites a letter of the Book of Allah earns a good deed, and each good deed is worth ten like it. I do not say that 'Alif-lam-mim' is one letter, but that alif is a letter, lam is a letter, mim is a letter." [at-Tirmidhi]

1000. Ibn 'Abbas stated that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "A person who has nothing of the Qur'an inside him is like a ruined house." [at-Tirmidhi]

1001. 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "It will be said to those who know the Qur'an, 'Recite and ascend. Recite slowly as you did in the world below. Your station will be at the last verse you recite.'" [Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi]"

Source.

Intellect & Heart

Umer: Imam Ahmed said: Intellect is a natural thing. And Allah says in Qur'an: "Verily in this is a Message for any that has a heart..." (Surah 50: verse 37.) Now, these scholars call qalb (heart) as intellect. So what do you say?

Z. S: I have the opinion that: Intellect even if it means to discern between the right and wrong, it is natural though refined by the Divine. And if it means to know tha reality, as it actually is, then also at one hand it is presented more or less (but not absolutely) by the Divine in its pure form and then, on the other hand, established in the human soul in the form of more or less consciousness.
May Allah forgive me upon what I say, I said from my little intellect.

The matter would have been more clear, semantically speaking not intellectually, had I quoted the complete verse which goes on as: "Verily in this is a Message for any that has a heart and understanding or who gives ear and earnestly witnesses (the truth)."

Of A Very Fallible Attitude(s) Towards Ahadith and Sunnah

I don't know why but many of traditional Muslims (at least outwardly) are inclined not towards accepting some of the sayings of Prophet, as opposed to their accepting any verse of the Holy Qur'an, rather when a tradition is recited before them, it has become their instinct to judge it from their own frame of mind. They do not ask for the degree of authenticity of the traditions, or about its narrators, or anything else. they haphazdy pass fatwas about the truthfulness of the hadith by superficially correlating the traditions with the verse(s) of the Glorious Qur'an which in most cases is very general and comprehensive which needs explanation in order to be directly understood. They do this even when they have little or no knowledge of the Noble Quran itself! I do not say their intentions are corrupt, yet how can they claim to understand a hadith directly without having a complete knowledge of the sciences of Shariah? We have brilliant traditional, classical scholars with us who seem to have wasted their whole lives in understanding the meaning of Qur'an and Sunnah, thanks to our indulgence in this world and sins that we are intoxicated by the addiction of ignorance. Should we put them to no good use and let our lower self and speculative intellect fruitlessly try to penetrate the wisdom which can only be penetrated with the help of rigorous sciences which take decades to master? Where has gone our claims on objectivity as a goal of humanity?

The truth is that such people, upon deep investigation are found not to be the slaves of reason, but the slaves of their lower selves. If not, then why they are so impatient to reject, with all sorts of subtleties, sayings of Prophet which do no harm to anyone, as being rays of Divine guidance from the Divine Itself, but because they (kind of) seem incompatible/misfit with their own illusionary world-views or worldly desires? These crimes they are committing, misguiding themselves and their families, as I have been observing, are done not by apostles or rejectors of ahadith and sunnah but by those people who sing all the day long songs of their love for Prophet, s.a.w. It may be that they themselves don't know that how far they have been taken owing to their slavery of their lower selves and Satan such that they've become blind. And, this is indeed a pitiable condition of someone who belongs to Ummah of Muhammad, peace be upon him. What it implies is that all of us - and I am saying this to myself first - 'should be horrified by our selves'. Prayer is our weapon. Glory and proud are not for us, they belong to the One, Absolute Allah only. May Allah guide us and put us on the right path, His path. Ameen.

The bottom line is that "we are not giving any real significance to the way we respect Qur'an, at least by the words of mouth." Disrespecting Sunnah is in reality disobeying the Revelation of God. (I am not making that up, Muslims know that, because Qur'an says that - Insha Allah I will quote some ayats on this matter.) Let's humble ourselves, let's think of the most eminent thing on earth we know as death, let's surrender once again to surrender again and again till we attain certitude (yaqeen)! And, Allah is very merciful to the believers.

I fear Allah. Whatever I have said, I may be mistaken. I seek His mercy so that He may forgive me out His being the Generous Lord.

'The Power of Belief'

Belief is a great power. When I see that a proposition of mine is believed by another mind,my own conviction of its truth is thereby immensely increased.

Muhammad Iqbal, Stray Reflections, p. 23.

The Root Crime

Imam al-Junaid said:

The root cause of all the evil and crime in this world is 'ghaflah' (heedlessness/negligence).

We are people of negligence. We day dream all the time even on busy roads. Only we tend to forget that the reckoning is coming near. Prophet (SAW) said, "Take yourself to account, before you are taken to account." One who feels himself to be safe and finds himself busy in playing ('activity with no purpose, i.e., entertainment') doesn't care about results. Why should he tremble and weep? Wo ankh k hai surma e Afrang say rooshan; Purkar o sukhan saaz hai, namnaak nahi hai! (Iqbal)

This world(dunya) is an illusion, because it makes us think that we are permanent. Historical evidence proves how deluded we are. The remedy to this state of heedlessness: Consider yourself already in the grave! (Hadith from Sahih Muslim.) Contemplating on death, barazkh, and the day of judgment induces hikmah (wisdom) in me, which is really profound and serious. It increases as I think more about these matters. My faculties becomes sharp like the ears of a Rabbit, constantly looking out for dangers. Considering the reality of this temporal world (dunya), I can only consider my myself to be already in grave, and I cannot afford haughtiness.

“O my Lord! bestow wisdom on me, and join me with the righteous”,

(Surah Shu’raa, verse 83)