Treatment of women

This question seems to be stuck in a revolving door and no matter how much you answer the question someone else comes and asks the same question. What does Islam say about the treatment of women? Now there are many parts to this question and the main part seems to revolve around the negative treatment that women bear at the hands of some tyrants.

So what we would like to do is start by looking at the Quran and the wonderful examples of women we find there.

Glimpses of women in the Quran

The fourth chapter in the Quran is called the Women/Al-Nisa and this has many clues and insights that need to be pondered over.

Sura Nur (Quran 24:4) states something that is rarely reported.

"Those who accuse chaste women but do not produce four witnesses are lashed eighty times; and do not accept their testimony afterwards."

Eighty lashes are their recompense if someone accuses a chaste woman of illegal fornication without proof. Also any testimony, from the accusers, after this event is not accepted from them in any court after this. Why? because the honour of a woman is something precious. Look how Allah (the Exalted) guards the honour of a woman from those who are unrighteous.

Note that there is no equivalent verse about accusing men although they are under the same ruling but not specifically like women. Allah (the Exalted) knows that if the honour of woman is tarnished once she can rarely re-build it again and this is why this injunction is in place. 

The only woman mentioned in the Quran, by name, is Maryam the mother of Jesus (upon him peace). She was a mother who kept herself pure from the diseases of her time.

“Maryam, the daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity, so We breathed into her of Our inspiration and she accepted the truth of the words of her Lord and His books, and she was of, the obedient ones.” (Quran 66:12.)

She is mentioned as a female waliyyah or saint and the greatest women of her time. She is addressed in the most respectful manner and she has a Quranic chapter named after her. Even the Christians do not have a chapter in the bible named after her!

Look at the mention of the queen of Sheba who was described as a just leader. When it becomes clear that she was incorrect, in her previous beliefs, she changes to the religion of Suleyman/Soleman (Quran 27:44). Consider how difficult it is for an average person to change your beliefs nevermind a ruler!

All the women in the Quran that are either implied or stated are inspirational. As is the story of the wife of the Pharaoh (Sura Yusuf 12) who after repenting later married Yusuf (upon him peace) and her story is one that should also inspire. As a woman can repent and attain a high rank.

Look at way the mother of Musa (upon him peace) placed her infant son into the river when babies were being killed. Yet the events that transpired meant that she was given her son back when the child came into the house of the Pharaoh.

There are the wives of the Prophets mentioned in many different verses: Sarah wife of Ibrahim (upon him peace), the wife of Adam, Aisha’s (may Allah be pleased with them) innocence is declared and so on. Ponder how Allah (the Exalted) declared the innocence of Aisha in the Quran. Had Allah (the Exalted) wished He could have simply instructed the angel Jibreal (upon him peace) to do so. Yet Allah (the Exalted)  decided, in his infinite wisdom, that it be part of the Quran. As it is an enormous sin to accuse a chaste woman. 

The women who are disbelievers, like the men, are not specifically mentioned with the exception of the wife of Abu Lahab who used to place thorns in the path of the Beloved (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him), she rejected the message and displayed open, violent opposition to the early community. Even though she is not named in the Sura she is described as the wife of Abu Lahab; as he is also mentioned specifically. (Sura Al-Massad 111).

Also look how Allah (the Exalted) shows mercy to those who were married before because in many cultures women who have been divorced are seen as if they have something wrong with them. And often, after one failed marriage, they are unlikely to marry again and are often blamed for divorce. Allah (the Exalted) placed women who were divorced before women who were unmarried. This could be one of the reason that the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) married women who were divorced or widowed  to teach the men that women who were divorced should not be left alone.

“Those who were married and those virgin.” (Quran 66:5)

Look at the order of the words the divorced woman is before the unmarried woman. So this obsession, that some men have, of marrying a pure like snow woman who has never spoken to man should be put away. As many of the men who want virgin women are not virgins themselves! And only one of the women who the beloved Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) married had not been married before and all these women became known as the mothers of the believers. Yes, the majority of those who are the mothers of the believers are those who were married before. This was one of the most honourable terms that they could attain because of their marriage to the Chosen one (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him).

Someone told me that if a man read and understood Sura Mujadilah (58) he would never abuse his wife.

“Allah has heard the speech of the woman who was conversing with you about her husband, and was complaining to Allah. Allah heard the conversation.”

The first line is Allah's (the Exalted) response to Khawlah ibn Tha’lib’s problem because of the actions of her husband. Think for a moment that Allah (the Exalted) listened to the complaint of the wife over her husband. There is no equivalent verse about men; this shows how much Allah (the Exalted) values women because he responds and listens to their complaints.

Also look at the term ilyla' which is when a husband swears not to go near his wife for four months. Although the male might not consider this as anything, he now has to perform an expiation/kafarah before approaching his wife! In the books of Fiqh you can also look at the term Al-Zihar which is when the man says that his wife is like the back of his mother. This constituted as divorce in pre-Islamic Arabia but now he has to perform kafarah/expiation. 

Ponder how the unjust words of the husband are being taken into account in this chapter and if he is being taken into account for his words what would be the case about his actions? Read the chapter again and again. This is the justice of Islam towards women which is something so many of us do not understand.

Women have more rights in marriage than men! Women have the right to the marriage gift (mahr), expenditure for their housing which has to be her choice, clothing, food and even conjugal relations. And only the latter does the man have any rights in. 

The pronouncement of the word divorce three times means that the wife has to marry someone else before re-marrying her former husband. Marriage is not a joke or a piece of clothing that someone wears and casts aside when they feel like it. Also insulting ones wife, with the intention of divorce, can also cause irrevocable divorce. I am not joking it’s time to study the chapters of divorce! If you really want to divorce your wife then prounce it once and only after careful consideration, take your time. So this also gives you two chances to take her back because if you give her three at once she has to marry someone else before she can re-marry you. This is the consensus of the Ahl-Sunnah wa Jammah, the Hanafi's, Shafi's and Maliki's. Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali rejected the opinion outright that there could be a possibility that three pronouncements, at once, meant one divorce, he said it meant three. (See his biography in Jamma' Al-Ulum wa Hikma).

You do not punish her with three pronouncements you punish yourself because she now has to marry someone else and consummate the relationship before returning to you. Marriage is not a joke and when you play with its rules you pay the price.

When the Prophet Musa/Moses (upon him peace) left his people after it became clear that they were going to punish him after an accident. He made the following supplication (Quran Al-Qasas 28:24) 


رَبِّ إِنِّي لِمَآ أَنزَلْتَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ 

"O Lord, I am in need in whatever good you bestow upon me."

The answer was forthcoming, Shu'ab offered one of his daughters to him as well as a job. So ponder now how valuable this supplication is. When a Prophet asked for goodness he was sent a wife and a job. Is not your wife a great goodness in your life? 


The famous Quranic passage, "Men are maintainers of women, since Allah has made some of them excel the others." (Quran Women 4:34). 

 ٱلرِّجَالُ قَوَّٰمُونَ عَلَى ٱلنِّسَآءِ بِمَا فَضَّلَ ٱللهُ بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ وَبِمَآ أَنْفَقُواْ مِنْ أَمْوَٰلِهِمْ 

The meaning of this passage is that men have a responsibility towards their women folk. In terms of their education, upbringing and so forth. So this responsibility starts with the father then continues with the husband. Men have a duty of care towards their women and this is not to be misunderstood to be that the male is better, as only those who are more pious are better. This is of course regardless of gender, race and nationality. (Sheikh Abdullah Adhami Gender relations cd) There are some women who maintain their men so how high would their rank be!

So all these passages show us how highly Allah (the Exalted) has placed women. So all the women in the Quran are positive and shown as being pure, devoted mothers, devoted spouses, strong, just in leadership and most of all their hearts were full of faith and divine providence.

Abuse

Now thanks to the largely biased, war mongering and xenophobic media we are often treated to delights of myriad cases of abuse, forced marriages and wife beating.  I am not saying that this does not occur as it does and it’s a sad fact of life. But when one man beats his wife up and another man does the same. Why would religion be a distinguishing fact between one and the other? Islam allows a man to admonish his wife but not the extent of bruising or physical harm as that is simply abuse. And the man who does that has gone beyond the normal limits that he was given and his relationship with his wife is forever ruined. Of course mental abuse which is all the more harmful and is also out of the question.

If the passage that is often quoted about beating ones wife, "Strike them." (Quran: Women 4:34), meant actual beat then why didn't the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) do it? And we all know he did not so it must mean something else then, right? It means admonishment and a beating that does not injure (according to many Quranic commentators). Everyone knows that women bruise easily so how can you have a beating that does not cause bruising? Answer it means admonish them and not a beating.

Women are the physically weaker gender (in most cases) yet are, in other cases, the mentally stronger. They can cope with situations that bring some men to their knees. Despite this endurance men should never abuse their spouse and should seek to heal the scars in their own soul. If they are feeling provoked then they must seek resolution in a dignified manner. Women are hurt much easier than men like to admit. Please see section of marriage for more details. 

Although it should be noted that the treatment of women by men in many countries and many places leaves a lot to be desired. Those without religion abuse their wives as well. So its really a world wide problem and its not limited to a race or religion, no matter what the headlines would have us believe.

Has the love gone? Last year I was observing a exceptionally cute baby boy when what was happening with the parents began to concern me. The father was treating his wife harshly. They were both tired in the plane and he fell asleep then she rested her head on his shoulder. When he woke up he got up and brushed past her in a rough manner which asking her to even move out of the way. It was clear that the husband was upset about something and he had not informed her. She on her part did not complain about her harsh treatment. If the love has gone out of marriage then some sort of resolution must be sought. even if she did something wrong it does not allow him to treat her unjustly. Talk the problem out and do not allow it to get worse than it is. 

The masjid

In the Hanafi school women are encouraged to pray at home and are discouraged from attending daily prayers. There are opinions that women of a mature nature can attend Fajr and Isha prayers, If tribulation is avoided. (Quduri) In addition to this it is highly recommended (sunna mukaddah) for women to attend the tarawiah prayers – those held during the evenings of Ramadan. This also has a geographical element as in some places it is common practice that women have designated areas to pray like in Turkey, Maroc and other places.

Now the majority of women are not allowed in any masjid, (in the UK) they may even be stopped from praying in some places. Although there are other places where women are allowed. Even though I have no axe to grind here but the majority of women do not feel that they have place in the masjid and it’s solely a place for men. Even now most Masjids do not open their doors to women in Ramadan or even other events.  

This leads some women to wander off to other less mainstream groups as they have an open door policy and welcome them in. So there needs to be a solution here because we are losing sisters. It would be logical to think that the correct Islam would accommodate women and the incorrect version of Islam would not be bothered. In China, the Hanafi’s have women’s centres where women support women. This is something we may to look at instead of brushing more debris of lost youths under the mosque carpet! Why not have specific learning centres for both men and women so they can be taught their religion as well as maintain links with the masjid.

In masjids that are run by Arabs there is more family feeling to them; as women and children are allowed. This is not common practice for those who come from other areas. 

Knowledge

Following on from the above point the access that women have to knowledge is limited. Not only is it limited it is locked within the confines of certain spiritual groups and even leaders. The Masjids have made sure that women are not allowed into the Masjids because the elderly men see them as a threat because for them it’s a ‘male’ only area.

Generations of women do not know the basics of their religion and it’s so sad and shocking to see. We saddened to hear about a woman who was repeating part of her hajj because she said that she had no intention when she had done it! The strange thing is none of the men knew any better to tell her! So many women have questions about their belief that have been buzzing around for years which they cannot get the answers for. The men are in a similar condition so please be aware that this is not just limited to women.

Another obstacle is when women have their monthly cycle they are not allowed to enter the prayer area so they cannot attend classes. So when masjid’s hold classes then this has to be taken into account when it is being built and not after when it is too late.

Guides and role models

It goes without saying that the role models that women can aspire to are those mentioned in the Prophetic life story.

Look at Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) the devoted wife and mother of the scions of the Ahl Al-Bayt. She is the greatest woman of Islam because of many aspects her chastity being just one. She is also considered to be the greatest woman of all time. So do not belittle yourself housewives because you are following the footsteps of the greatest woman in history.

Look at the story of 'Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) she was a strong and intelligent woman who later became a light to pass on sacred knowledge that she had learnt. At times she was outspoken and she is the woman who narrated the most hadith; and only four men are before her!

Look at Khadijah Al-Kubra (may Allah be pleased with her) a woman in total devotion to her husband and the cause of Islam. She was a powerful woman who possessed much wealth yet her criteria for marriage was not wealth like many people. She choose character and when she heard about the Prophet's (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) honesty she offered herself in marriage. In all these examples you find devoted wives and mothers who were strong. There is no doubt these are the choice examples that women should look for to inspire themselves.

As for our time, we are in dire need of trained spiritual guides for women to use as role models to follow. Female spiritual masters are needed in this time but we have yet to see any. This, like the previous note, is something that women need because a male spiritual master can only advise so far but a female spiritual master would go further with her student.

Right now we do not have many women who are ready to teach and even those who possess knowledge are not willing to teach which is very sad.

We need female doctors of all kinds of fields. This is a congregation obligation upon an area and if they do not fulfill then a whole area are sinful. Has an area tried to address this or even attempted?

Role models are important because people look to others for inspiration so then they begin to copy it. But when there is no living example it becomes more difficult. We have few female leaders but those who do lead are outside the tradition fields of classical Islam and its understandings. So when they transmit what they learn they are found wanting in terms of classical training which is something that needs addressing. This is also down to the fact within some traditional circles there are no opportunities for them to study but there are in non-traditional circles. So where would they go if they wanted to learn?

Marriage

We need people who support those who are having problems marrying. We need to be aware that couples do need counseling and this service needs to be provided by trained professionals. Women must find out their rights and stipulate them in their marriage contacts.

Men have to be aware that they have responsibility of children especially when they conceive with a partner that they are not married with. Just for the sake of clarification the act of procreation outside marriage is unlawful/haram; I am mentioning this here because it is a common problem. Sometimes men conceive with non Muslims which means that the offspring are brought up without faith. The men should have thought of this before the acts were done and not after. As you are now responsible for the child's future which you have destroyed because the mother is not going to bring them up Muslim. So why are you thinking about Islam now? This is one of reasons for its prohibition of marrying or procreating with those without faith. Children must occur in wedlock and there needs to be a conscience effort for them to get the best upbringing possible and this can only occur with a Muslim wife.  

Nowhere in any religious law does it allow the man to beat his wife up. (see above section on abuse)  Those men who do this are the lowest of the low and you are showing how wretched they are. Any man who treats a woman with respect is a man worthy of respect and any man who dishonors women is worthy of being dishonored. If you are a man doing this then seek some professional assistance and try to manage your anger. There are many avenues that you can purse to rid yourself of this. So follow them because your wife's curses will catch up with you one day.

Recently I was informed of case of a woman who was in an abusive relationship and I almost wish that I had not found out. Her ex-husband would beat her so badly and she would not be able to sleep because of the pain she was in. A man like this needs to be thrown to hungry wolves, naked.

Some men will be resurrected with the great oppressors of history even though the only thing they were responsible for was their families.

If you are woman and are suffering abuse then know if your husband has done the above once, he will do it again. Seek assistance from elders in your family and or professional assistance if no other option is available. Do not allow yourself to be a punching bag for an unjust spouse.

A lot has been made about the fact Islam allows polygamous relationships. This is also something that men threaten their wives by. That they will get another wife and she will not have a choice! Islam is not a religion that is just for a single period of time as there many times in which polygamy was an answer to social ills. But what is the most important condition that Allah (the Exalted) has placed on these marriages? Justice, the man has to be just with all his wives, so if buys one a dress he must buy the others a similar dress! Anyone who has children knows how difficult it is to be seen as being just with them. So forget about being just with adults as this is almost impossible. 

“If you are not just; then one (wife).” Quran: Women 4:3.

So this dispels the myth that a polygamous marriage is all about the 'fun' rather it is a serious commitment to justice and not mere amusement.

Non-Muslim women

The treatment that some men meter out to women of other faiths is sometimes better than they treat their own and other times its worse. There is a little point in a man who just respects his mother but disrespects all other women.  Some Muslim women have left their husbands in favour

We keep hearing news reports of disgusting acts that have been committed. And as usual there is very little education about how to treat women in any form. There needs to be more things spoken about these in the public spheres in terms of educating the masses.

This criminal element must be dealt with in the most severe way possible. A clear message that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated and it must be driven home. Yet given the weakness of community leaders and the failure of those in influence means that there will be nothing done. 

Most of those who run for public office are local ‘uncles’ who can barely comprehend the needs of the people. So when these issues occur they are totally unaware of what their response should be. We need community leaders who are in tune with the needs of the people and who can reach out not those ‘uncles’ who are interested in a nice wage packet or people who are out of sync with the needs of the communities they serve.

Hajj

Attending the pilgrimage gave me a sad insight to the treatment that women face there. Thanks to the dominance of the bedouin culture women are not safe in the sacred cities of Mecca and Medina. 

They are treated as second class citizens which is something very sad to see. It is not uncommon to see these things in the vicinity of Ka’aba itself which makes it even worse.

Even their ablution facilities were outside which were in full view of other men in Muzdhalifah. Yet this was not the same for those who were Arab. 

Ideas to change our condition and our role

We need communities that support their women and try forward them in the areas of Islamic knowledge and the other areas that we have outlined above. Of course this might not be for everyone but we should have sufficient women in an area to fulfill their needs. 

The most important role that a woman plays is the role of the mother and this is something that cannot be understated. Her role of establishing the values of her child are paramount to their upbringing. Boys need to be taught how to respect all women and not just their mothers. It is always strange when a father has more concern about the righteousness of his daughter (s) but lets his sons have all the freedom in the world. The father also has an important role that he needs to play by showing his sons how to treat women and how to be a man. Remember even if you do not teach them they'll learn by your behavior.

We need a cultural shift that will bring a new change into the lives of people. We do have the ability to change our condition but we need brave people to stand up and be counted. We need community leaders and individuals who are going to stand up and make changes even if it’s just in their own homes. As many a time we cannot change the outside world but we can change what’s in our own homes. Use this to make positive changes to your world. We really need courage in this time of cowardice.

For a Muslim, the Quran is our model and we need to go back and look at the examples mentioned above and realise there is a distinct disparity in the times we are living.

May Allah (the Exalted) forgive us for treating women in manners that they do not deserve. Remember you as an individual can have a massive effect on your environment all you have to do is try...

The reward of women in Paradise

http://sheikhynotes.blogspot.com.au/2010/01/womens-reward-in-paradise-in-islam.html

How the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) treated women
http://sheikhynotes.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/how-prophet-treated-women.html
 

Sheikh Abdul Hakim Murad

Muslim Obesity

Khalid Blankenship

The Life of Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him)

Sulayman Nyang

The History of Islam in America

Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, Hakim Archuletta and Ruquaiyyah Maqsood

Islam in America: A Panel Discussion

The Disputations

Part Ten

1. War is the murder of civilians in their homes as the papers report collateral damage.

2. Dehumanising humans means that we are losing our humanity.

3. The only thing that you can do is control your own choices.

4. If the world was a place that justice was prevalent then there would be no point in the day of judgement.

5. Slavery still exists except the difference is that they stay in their own countries.

6. How can the children of the founding fathers not give religious freedom to Muslims when their forefathers fled England to America to seek religious freedom?

7. Until we starting asking Creator to solve our problems than asking creation, our problems shall remain.

8.  The liberal fascism of the west is the envy of the world

9. Actions distinguish words.

10. Apparent talent is karaoked out of the youth!

11. I find it strange that people think that they can spread Islam by being harsh and not following the merciful nature of the one who they claim to follow. Because without mercy Islam would not have reached all the corners of the globe.

12. Do not make the Ahl Al-Bayt a means of punishment for you by being harsh or worse to them. Make them a cause for your salvation by asking for their intercession.

13. The love of the Ahl Al-Bayt is mere lips service.

14. If you want to commit evil you will find many people to join you but if you want to do something good then you’ll find no one to help you.

15.  Tribulations are opportunities for you to excel

16. Anyone can speak but only a few can teach.

17. Every Muslim seems to think that he is a dictator for the Ahl Al-Sunnah

18. If you filter Ahl al-Sunnah through by one scholar you leave Ahl Al-Sunnah.

19. You only lose when you give up.

20. How merciful Allah is to you! When your sins pile up he sends you a tribulation to remove it and then gives you an opportunity to attain reward for your patience! So he takes your sin away and gives you chance to excel. What a generous Lord!

Sheikh Abdul Hakim Murad

Breaking the two desires

Urdu is not the language of the Quran

Recently something occurred that bothered me a lot. I came across a man who had difficulty understanding my broken Urdu as much as I had difficulty understanding his broken English. He then said something that really annoyed me and that made me think that this type of backward attitude is keeping Muslims down.

He said that I should speak Urdu because Urdu is the language of Islam and that speaking English meant that I was almost a Gora. Gora normally refers to someone who is English and not Muslim. It is also a derogatory term. So he was accusing me of not being Muslim because I did not know how to speak Urdu fluently.

I was not going to take his statement lightly so I retorted that Arabic is the language of Islam as the Quran is in Arabic not Urdu. He said something that I cannot possibly put into the English language, “Ouuu.” It could mean that he disagreed or it could mean “you know something.”

He left my company quite abruptly with the worst manners which is something in opposition to the one he is claiming to follow!

There are so many problems with this person and this has happened many times. It is nothing sort of backward village style mentality.

Here is a list of this person’s problem

1.       According to him the only Muslims are the ones who speak in Urdu.

2.       Arabic language means nothing compared to Urdu.

3.       Insulting and being abusive is fine

4.       Everyone is wrong except me

5.       I define Islam.

This is not something new and many people come into contact with such people. So many people think that only a Pakistani can be a Muslim which is something absurd, so how do they explain the Christians and Jews that are Pakistani?  It is beyond bafflement that such people live in the west and do not make a good effort or even a meagre effort to learn the language of the place in which they live!

I have often heard children say “he cannot be Muslim! He is not Pakistani!” Or when they meet a new Muslim they say, “You cannot be Muslim,” which means you cannot be a Pakistani. So if you are a new Muslim and you hear someone say this then you know where it comes from.

It is also the same when some Arabs of today that you cannot be a true Muslim without proper Arabic. So maybe it is because of these false modern attitudes that the Indonesian Muslim population outnumber the rest of the ethnic groups.

New Muslims who come into Islam need to learn Islam not Pakistan! Or any other nationalist mentality, but are we concerned? In many cases people come into Islam, see what we have and flee. Why? because we are not teaching them what they need to know.

We have a lot of work to do and people who have this attitude should be sent to their own countries and left there. People who are in the west need to understand Islam  better and remove their village mentalities.

Abu Hanifah giving the benefit of the doubt

We often witness people who are quick to judge each other. Yet this is not part of Islamic history as even the books of jurisprudence give Muslims the benefit of the doubt. But does this happen now? The answer is a resounding no but look at Imam Abu Hanifah’s reaction to the statements made by this man:


The Imam (Abu Hanifah), may Allah show him mercy, was asked by a man, “I do not hope for paradise, I do not fear hell, I do not fear Allah the Exalted, I eat the dead, I pray without recitation, bowing or prostration, I testify to that which I do not see and I love tribulation.”

His students said, “The matter of this man is a problem.”

The Imam said, “This man hopes in Allah not in paradise, he fears Allah not the fire, he does not fear oppression from Allah the Exalted in his punishment, he eats fish and grasshoppers, he prays the funeral prayer, he testifies to the oneness of Allah, he detests death and this is truth and he loves wealth and children, they are tribulation.”

The man arose and kissed the Imams head and said, “I testify that you are a treasury of knowledge.”


Al-Ashbah Al-Nazahir by Ibn Nujam (may Allah show him mercy).


This is not just a story for you to praise Allah. This is a real event in which you should practice giving the benefit of the doubt. But who will? And how we are in dire need of this now.

The Disputations

Part nine

1. Loss is something that the living have to learn to deal with.

2. A good teacher is more important than the sound foundations of a masjid...

3. A masjid is an empty building without a good teacher.

4. There are so many empty buildings across the country...

5. As much as you are affected so are they...

6. Persistence is a key to knowledge that most people abandon when the going gets tough...

7. If perfection is beyond you then it’s beyond others.

8. Don’t look for perfection in a partner because you are not perfect.

9. Listening is a lost art...

10. The difference between barakah and knowledge is that barakah helps you for a day or two and beneficial knowledge helps your forever.

11. If you give all your time to knowledge you’ll get something. If you give a little time for knowledge then you’ll get nothing.

12. Arrogance in blessing means you have changed it into a curse.

13. Some things are not meant to work out.

14. Black magic is like sending a invisible gang to fight someone.

15. Seeking knowledge is a cause of felicity and abandoning knowledge is the cause of duplicity.

16. “And that's the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does too.” Khaled Hosseini, the Kite Runner.

17. Some people like being lost.

18. Knowledge is something strange.

19. Don’t let the darkness fall before you do something.

20. Wasting time is your biggest crime.

Sheikh Abdul Hakim Murad

The Muslim Influence on Europe and the West

Sheikh Abdul Hakim Murad

Muslim Theology and Islamic Mysticism

Sheikh Abdul Hakim Murad

Spiritual links of Judaism, Islam and Christanity

Dr Suleyman Nyang

Role of Women in the Prophetic period

Dr Suleyman Nyang

History of Islam in India

The Purple Book of Generalities

Here's a link to a something we wrote in 2004-5. We were just making observations about our environment etc. We hope you enjoy it and there might be more on the way...
http://www.scribd.com/doc/91681319/Purple-Book-of-Generalities-PDF

Imam Zaid Shakir

Jihad: A Just Struggle or Unjust Violence?

Sheikh Abdul Hakim Murad

Muslim-Christian Views of One Another

Khalid Blankinship

The History of Islam in the Middle East, Asia and Europe

Habib Umar ibn Hafiz dialogue with Mark Davis

Interview and Q and A

Khalid Blankinship

The Qur'an: Historical Basis For Its Compilation

Sheikh Hamza Yusuf

America: Commerce & Benevolence

Habib Umar ibn Hafiz

Fruits of Sincerity

Beauty and love

Love has many forms and similarly there are different types of beauty. Someone can love a sibling (still don’t like that word) in a different way that one loves their partner and even their mother or father.

Love towards brethren is also different because sometimes we do not chose brothers; especially those who claim to be adherents of a spiritual path!

Love is not always a pleasant experience as one of the most damaging things that occurs to someone is unrequited love. This can be so difficult for the one in love because the object of their devotion may feel little or nothing of their own feelings. Posing the painful question how can someone I love, not love me back?

Love does not last in a relationship as sooner or later it runs out and what really lasts is friendship. A common adage that some mothers say to their daughters is marry your best friend which is something worth pondering about.

Some men are looking for the untouched beauty that will drop out of the sky into their lap on a sunny day. Some women are waiting for their knight in shining armour to come and rescue them from a life of celibacy. Okay you were both dreaming and this ain’t going to happen you’ll have to accept that your partner has flaws as you yourself have flaws.

It does not work that way, marriage is about hard work it’s not as simple as it seems. People look for different things in marriage; men have desire to copulate and women desire security. So at times both want separate things but the union of the sexes fulfils both needs.

Beauty is something that cannot be defined in people. As some people do not have obvious beauty and others do. You may see someone who looks attractive but they might be repulsive to someone else and yet someone who is not attractive on the outside may be attractive in terms of their character. Some people can become arrogant because of this and see others as lower than themselves. How beautiful am I and how ugly you are!

Some people who are not beautiful at first sight can at times become more beautiful as the days go by. This type of beauty is something very strange and does not happen often. When we look for a partner are we looking beyond the physical but males often do not. If you are female you might be looking his bank balance. These are unfortunate facts of life and just because someone is religious does not mean they look beyond this.

Beauty can make a fool out of you because you are chasing something that is not yours to own and even if you get it, it won’t last. Will you still love them when they are not as beautiful as they once were? You see because of this outward attachment to beauty men look for and women seek to fulfil it. It is not uncommon for a woman to beautify herself. This is part of their natures yet as Muslims there are lines draw for us to follow. Men like to look at foreign women and some women enjoy the attention and many do not. Many of us are attached to outward beauty in this life.

As Muslims we know beauty has different forms as we know that the most beautiful human being was Muhammad (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him). There is no human being described in such detail as he was. His beauty was immense and overwhelming yet it was almost inaccessible to some people as those who described him were mostly children not adults.

To many Muslims loving the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) is the only subject yet this is at the neglect of many other important subjects. So you won’t find it uncommon that men love another, but in this case this is more than just a man, He is the best of creation.

Emotions do not last and sooner or later run out. The beauty of someone goes as ages come to them and the love goes as the sands of time drain away. So be careful what you look for in a partner as making the wrong decision could cost you dearly.

Yet because we are all looking for something to cherish know things that disappear with time are not worth cherishing. Only Allah (the Exalted) is everlasting and that is who we should love. The greatest pleasure of paradise is gazing at Allah (the Exalted) this is greater than anything we could ever experience. Loving what Allah (the Exalted) made obligatory makes your life easy.

If you look at the Masjids across the Islamic world there is one common denominator, beauty. From the shores of Morocco to the heart land of Medina; beauty is something that is part of the aesthetic of every masjid in the world. We love beauty because it’s part of our being, whoever we are. Yet in these modern times we have been brainwashed into thinking there is one type of beauty and anything else is ugliness. It does not work like this and beauty can be found in many people and in so many things.

All you have to do is look and you’ll surprise yourself...

Fellowship is more important than love

Love is important but not as a goal in itself as it completes things. The hadith of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) does not mean you need love and that’s it. You need action; you need to follow up on the Sunnah of the Messenger (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) because that is the only way that you can attain closeness to the Creator. Then your fellowship is complete and it is beautified by love.

The problem that I see here, on a daily basis, is that there is very little in terms of fellowship or action. Instead there is the disillusion that love will save them. How can it when our actions are against the Sunnah and we think that we are going to attain salvation without performing the actions of those who have attained salvation?

It’s like loving our partners but being involved in an adulterous relationship. We live under the illusion that our partners might not ever leave us and take the kids. When we know they will and they do. So when are you going to wake up?  Or its like taking the icing of a cake and pretending thats the cake! The core of the cake is important as the icing. But when there is no cake you cannot convince that the icing is all I need!

People have to awaken their minds or else suffer thinking that they will arrive on the day of judgement with good actions but instead receive bad news not good news. Then it’s too late to go back and change anything. Our love is insincere and unfounded. 

Loving the family

One of the many side effects to insincere love is when people claim to love the family of the Beloved (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him). This is something that does not exist now except in mere words and in the pages of books. Otherwise this proven practice of Islam has been destroyed a long time ago.

How can I say this when there are so many lectures about this subject? Well this is something that is used to excite the people but like a bursting a balloon it has no lasting effect. We have witnessed a member of the family/Ahl Al-Bayt suffer these indignations:

1. Being called a disbeliever

2. Being struck

3. Being cursed

4. Insulted

5. Other verbal attacks

Not by those who do not claim to love the family but by those who do. Many groups try to use this love and twist Shia tendencies into Sunni Masjids.

Listen

When you follow someone’s footsteps it has to mean more than mere words. Words with action mean so much more than words bereft of action. This is something missing in many people. The solution is to follow up on the Sunnah and start with yourself. Stop lying; cheating, cursing, attacking people and you’ll see things change. If you meet someone of the family/Ahl Al-Bayt then be kind to them.

Your fellowship of the Sunnah means the practice of the final Messenger (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) is still alive and your role in this is paramount. So put one Sunnah into practice and change your life for the better. You have but one life to live and you should follow the best person there ever was.

Our love is not true and our actions are not actions of those infused by his (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) example. They are instead the actions of those who are infused with partisanship and racism. That is the sad reality of the situation that we find ourselves in.

We have too many self righteous people pretending to be standard bearers of their teachers but in reality they are the causes of tribulation in their respect regions. We really need honesty in this time. The honesty that shone from every moment of our Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him). 

How far are we from those who are honest and those who have the true understanding of this religion. Many are thirsty and dying because they do not have knowledge of what Islam is. But my greatest fear is that they have already met one of us which made them flee from the religion like an arrow leaves the bow, never to return again because we have shown them the worst of our actions and nothing of this amazing religion. 

If you think that this is too much then ask yourself these tough questions; am I following the Sunnah? And what does my love mean when it does not inspire me to act?

Habib Umar ibn Hafiz

Women: reviving the prophetic values

Sayyid Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki

Isra wa Miraj

Sheikh Samir Al-Nass and Imam Zaid Shakir

Mawlid at the Summer retreat 2011

A very simple guide to the Islamic Prayer/Salah/Namaaz

After ablution/Wudu, stand on Massalla/prayer mat or clean mat. In the direction of Mecca/Qibla. Make intention to perform a particular Salat/namaaz.

Say: ‘Allah u Akbar’ (God is the greatest)
And raise hands to the level of the ears and then down onto waist, below the navel. Clasping right hand over left.

Now say: Subhana kalla humma wa bihamdika wa tabarkasmuka wa ta’ala jadduka wa la ilaha ghairuk
(Glory be to thee Allah! And the praise is thine, blessed is thy name, and exhalted is thy majesty, there is none worthy of worship besides thee.)

A'aoodtu billahi minash shayta nirrajeem
(I seek refuge from the accursed Satan)

Bismillah ir rehman nirrahim
(In the name of God the most gracious, most merciful.

Now say Sura fahita:
Alhamdulillahi rabbil aa'lammen ar rahman nir rahim maaliki yumiddeen iyyaka na budu wa iyya ka nastaeen, ih dinas siraatal mustaqeem. Siraat talladeena an amta alaihim Gharil maghdhooba alaihim wa lad dhaalleen (all praise to Allah. The Lord of all worlds, most gracious, most merciful, master of the day of judgement: thee alone we worship, thee alone we ask for help, show us the straight way, the way of those on whom thou hast bestowed thy grace, those whose portion is not wrath and who do not astray.)

And other sura you know (If you do not know any other Sura, Sura Fatiha suffices) or Surah iklaas

Qul huwal la hu ahad, allahus samad, lam yalid wa lam yulad, wa lam yakullahoo kufuwan ahad.
(He is Allah, the one and only, the eternal, absolute: he begetteth not, nor is he begotten, and there is none like unto him.

Then say ‘Allah u akbar’ (God is the greatest) Now bow at waist, hands close or on the knees and look at the floor and repeat 3 times,
‘subhaana rabbiyal atheem.’
(Glory unto the Lord, most high)

Then as you are straightening yourself up, with hands by either side and say:
‘samiallahu liman hamidah’
(Allah has heard who has praised him)

When you are fully standing say ‘Rabbanna la kal hamd’.
(O' our Lord, praise be to thee)

Say ‘Allah u akbar’ and prostrate on the floor. Forehead, nose, palms of both hands, knees, both feet should be touching the ground. Fingers straight, in Qibla direction.
Then say ‘Allah u akbar’ and sit back on left foot while right is under the thigh.

Then say ‘Allah u akbar’ and prostrate again. While in that position repeat 3 times ‘subhana rabbiyal a’la’
(Glory be to my lord, most high)

Now stand up and Surah Fatiha again:
Alhamdu lil lahi rabbil aa'lammen ar rahmannir rahim maaliki yumiddeen iyyaka na budu wa iyya ka nastaeen, ih dinas siraatal mustaqeem. Siraatalladeena an amta alaihim Gharil maghdhooba alaihim wa lad dhaalleen,

And then Surah iklaas
Qul huwal la hu ahad, allahus samad, lam yalid wa lam yulad, wa lam yakullahoo kufuwan ahad.
(He is Allah, the one and only, the eternal, absolute: he begetteth not, nor is he begotten, and there is none like unto him.
Or any other Surah you know.

Say ‘Allah u akbar’ Now bow at waist, hands near knees and look at the floor and repeat 3 times,
‘subhaana rabbiyal azzem.’

Then as you are straightening yourself up, with hands by either side and say:
‘samiallahu liman hamidah’

When you are standing straight, say ‘rabbanna la kal hamd’.)

Say ‘Allah u akbar’ and bow on the floor. Forehead, nose, palms of both hands, knees, both feet should be touching the ground. Fingers straight, in Qibla direction.

While in that position repeat 3 times ‘subhana rabbiyal a’la’.

Then say ‘Allah u akbar’ and bow again. While in that position repeat 3 times ‘subhana rabbiyal a’la’

Then sit again as before and say
‘at atahiy yatulil laahi wa salawaatu wattay yiabatu assalamu alaika ay yuhan nabiyyu warah matullahi wabarakatuh assalaamu alaina wa 'ala 'ibadil lahis sa aliheen ash hudhu an laa ila ha illal lahuwa ashadu anna Muhammad abdu wa rasooluh’

(All good deeds and acts of worship are for the pleasure of Allah : o’Holy prophet, may Allah’s blessing and salutations be on your sacred soul, and on all the righteous servants of Allah. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is his servant and prophet.)

Now you have completed two units of a prayer and if that is the correct amount then recite the final sitting (directly below).

If you are praying a four unit/rakah prayer then repeat the steps from the first Sura Fatiha, in order to complete two more units, and then say what the final sitting requires which is directly below.
If you are praying three units then start from Sura Fatiha and finish with the statement as below.

And the third and fourth units of the fard prayer need no extra recitation after sura Fatiha.


(this is said in the final sitting of prayer)
allhumma sali ala Muhammad in waala ale muhammadin kama sallaita ala Ibrahima wa ala ale Ibrahima innaka hamidum majid. Allahuma barik ala muhammadin wa ala ale Muhammadin kama barakta ala ibrahima wa ala ale ibrahima innaka hamidum majid.
(O’Allah bestow blessing on Muhammad and his descendants just as thou didst bestow upon Ibrahim and his descendants, for thou art the praiseworthy and exhalted. O’Allah Exalt Muhammad and his descendants , for thou art the praiseworthy and exalted.)

Then turn face to right, looking down on the shoulder and say:
‘assalamu alikum, wa rahmutullah’ and then repeat when turning to the left.

Your prayer is now complete and now supplicate for oneself and the Muslims.


The Witr prayer (after Isha) the 3 witr are said like other 3 salaat prayers except in the last rakat, after the last surah that has been read, say ‘Allah u akbar’
And read: ‘Allahumma inna nasta eenuka wa nastighfiruka wa numinu bika wa natawakkalu alaika wa nusni alaikal khaira wa nashkuruka wa la nakfuruka wa nakfula’u wa natruku manyyaftjurka allahumma iyyaka na buduwa laka nusalliwa nasjudu wa ilaka nas’aa wa nahfidu wa narjoo rahmataka. Wa nakhsha athabaka inna athbaka bilkuffari mulhiq.

(O Allah, we beseech thy help and ask for thy pardon: we believe and depend on thee, we thank thee and are not ungrateful, we forsake one disobedient to thee O’Allah thee alone we worship and thee alone we turn to for help. We pray for thy mercy, and fear thy chastisement; verily, thy chastisement overtakes the unbelievers.)

Then say ‘Allah u akbar’ and carry on as per normal prayer.


Prayer Units

These are the Fard/obligatory prayer maintain these and build from here:
Fajr 2 units
zhur 4 units
Asr 4 units
Maghrib 3 units
Isha 4 units and 3 witr are wajib/necessary.



Here is a complete prayer rakat guide, check local mosque for correct prayer times.
Names of Prayer/Salah/Namaaz
Sunna before, Obligatory, Sunna after Optional Witr Nafil after Witr
Fajr (before sunrise) 2 2
Zhur (just after midday) 4 4 2 2
Asr (Late afternoon) 4 (optional) 4
Maghrib (after sunset) 3 2 2
Isha (night prayer) 4 (optional) 4 2 2 3 2

Jummah 4 2 4



If you are struggling then please seek assistance or simply attend a prayer and see what they do. Please note that there are differences and this is the basic prayer. more can be added later when you are ready, by adding all the sunnah parts of the prayer.

Fiqh of prayer please click here

 Forty hadith on prayer click here

Fiqh Primer click here

The danger of self obedience

The story of the first man is something that has caused much reflection over many centuries. This is of course referring to the exchange that occurred when Adam (upon him peace) was created. And then Allah (Almighty and Majestic) ordered the angels to prostrate to him. This was not a prostration of worship, as some claim, rather it was a prostration of respect.

They all prostrated except one individual who was with them but was not of them. Satan was with the angels because of his obedience and righteousness yet he was from the Jinn and like man he had the option of whether to obey or not. Unlike the angels, who were created for obedience; so it was something they did instinctively. As for the Jinn they could disobey or they could obey like mankind. Satan refused to obey the command then Allah (the Exalted) asked why. Know that Allah (the Exalted) did not need to ask for Himself but this was done in order to manifest what was in the being of Jinn. His response was something that was not according to his previous behavior. He said that he was better than Adam (upon him peace) as he was created from fire and Adam (upon him peace) was created from clay. He saw his being as more important than the being of Adam (upon him peace) yet he had failed to grasp the most important point which was to obey Allah (Almighty and Majestic). 

Disobedience in the court of the king is not that the same as disobedience out of the kings court. Thus he was cursed and he promised to mislead all of mankind except those who are made sincere as they are the elite of the servants of Allah (Almighty and Majestic).

Going back to his disobedience we can see that he refused because he saw his self as better than Adam (upon him peace). Yet, this was not about the substances that they were created from, this was about the command of Allah (Almighty and Majestic). Satan had to obey when he heard the order yet he refused and in this refusal he rejected Allah (the Exalted) because Adam (upon him peace) was a representative of Prophethood. Prophets were sent to man to be obeyed by the permission of Allah (the Exalted).

In another story, during the life of the Prophet Musa (upon him peace) satan came to him and asked him to pray to Allah (Almighty and Majestic), when Musa did, the response was for him to prostrate at the grave of Adam when satan heard this he said, “I did not prostrate to him when he was alive I shall not now he is dead.” (Imam Al-Ghazali – Ihya Ulum Ad-din)

Here, satan asked for assistance from Prophethood but disobeyed once again. He was the first to disobey and he continued to rebel since. Envy/hasad was the first sin and then disobedience to Allah (the Exalted) because he thought he knew better than to follow a prophet. All of mankind is like this when they refuse to follow the prophets of their time.

The Pharaoh

One of the most repeated stories in the Quran is the story of Musa (upon him peace) going to the Pharaoh to admonish him in an excellent manner. One of the responses of arrogance towards the mighty Prophet was that the Pharaoh himself was a Lord and he attested himself to this!

So here, once again, Allah commanded a prophet to go to a tyrant and speak gently. Giving even a tyrant chance to repent. Despite this, he openly rebelled against Prophethood and this was something that would cause his greatest downfall. As he even refused miracles and claimed that it was magic.

Here again, we see the Pharaoh follows his self and rejected the guidance that came from Prophethood. Yet, this story comes up frequently in the Quran as a reminder to Qurayesh that their position was not about wealth rather was about their position with Allah (the Exalted). As they were rejecting the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) because they thought he was lower than them, they even claimed that a king should receive the message. They were like Pharaoh rejecting the message whilst being afraid of losing position and power. The Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) is the greatest creation and what great loss it is for those who do not see this.

If we look clearly at this story we can see that the rejection of Prophethood is rejection of Allah (the Exalted). Nothing hurls oneself into the fire unlike the rejection of Prophethood. In terms of doctrine, a Muslim is he who believes in all what the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) came with, with the condition that it is definite/qati. (ref: Jawharah Al-Kalamiyyah) This should clarify why is so important to accept Prophethood.

Yasin

The Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings be upon him) described this Surah as the heart of the Quran. And its primary message is accepting Prophethood as it describes some of the followers of the Prophet Jesus (upon him peace) preaching in Antioch then being killed. 

The heart is the place of belief so when the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings be upon him) described the surah as the heart of the Quran; he was describing this as place that faith dwells. The Quran is memorised by heart, ponder over this.

How does this apply to us?

Important note, a Muslim who does not pray is still Muslim but is sinful for not fulfilling the commands of Allah (the Exalted). A person who prays should not think he is better than someone who does not pray. Often, people who do not pray have no pride just repentance when they supplicate to Allah. Often, the people who pray have arrogance in their hearts. When Allah (the Exalted) looks at peoples hearts, He is pleased with the heart that turns to Him in repentance. So outwardly and inwardly are two different matters, that can mislead one, beware!

Simple, ask yourself the easy question how do you find your heart when the command of Allah (the Exalted) comes? Do you hasten to fulfill it as soon as you can or do you delay it or you reject it or do you just sit and wait? When the time of Fajr comes in are you too lazy to get out of bed or do you jump out of bed? Or do you crawl out of your bed? Or do you ignore it and obey yourself? Are you listening to your laziness? Is that better than listening to Allah? That extra ten minutes of sleep often means that you will miss the prayer. 

When you obey yourself you are rebelling against Allah (the Exalted) in your heart. This is also done by lack of action of the limbs, external or internal rejection. Often the limbs reciprocate the heart. Whether knowingly or unknowingly you are rejecting God given guidance and preferring misguidance. As for those who delay their actions they still have a station that shall be envied but true envy is for those who hasten to pray when the time comes in. Sins of the heart are as bad as sins of the limbs, see this link for effect of sins post. Also see sins of the heart in Imam Al-Ghazali's beginning of guidance.

Yet this is not just about prayer, how do you find your heart when your partner makes demands of you? Do you ignore them or do you attack them with the ferocity of a loin, for disturbing your evening’s viewing? Looking in the mirror of your self is one of the darkest things that you can do but from this bitterness can fruit of sincerity grow. If you look at it and decide to make a change.

How is your heart when you hear Quran and when you hear hadith? Does your heart say I am the Lord most high or I am better than him? Look, think ponder, reflect and be honest with yourself because when we meet our Lord we hope to give an honest answer on that day because if we do not we may be punished. People often argue about religion with teachers and this is a bad sign for them. Question them yes but do not argue.

When you see someone possess what you do not, do you look down on them? Because you are better? You deserve it and they do not? You are rebelling against the decree of Allah (the Exalted) that gave him that thing. Envy consumes good actions like fire consumes wood so it is not something that you should let yourself to delve into.

Abu Muhammad Abdullah Ibn Amr Ibn Al-‘Aas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) said, “Not one of you believes until his passion is in fellowship of what I have come with.” (Ibn Abi ‘Asim in As-Sunnah 15, Al-Khattab in History of Baghdad 4/369.)

Following the Sunnah is way that you can escape the mud trenches of your own ego. So warn and admonish yourself when you see it wander over to the pits of disobedience. As the fall in these is great and leads one to greater difficulty. What we want to hear is welcome words of being admitted into paradise because we are pleased with whatever Allah (the Exalted) is pleased with. That is the true sanctified soul that returns to Allah (the Exalted) and is given paradise as its eternal reward. This is only done by following the path of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) by the permission of Allah (the Exalted). 

And do not slip on the slope of our egos as they descend into the pits of disobedience. The danger of self obedience is leaving prophetic guidance and that is the greatest loss.

Please read effect of sins

What is the sunnah click here

The Disputations

Part eight

1. If you do not put work in, how are you going to get anything out?

2. Partisanship is destroying Islam from the inside causing roars of laughter in the corridors of power.

3. Allah gave you a disease so he could bless you with a cure. Then give you a reward for both!

4. Do not wish to change your circumstances because whatever position you are in, you’ll have problems.

5. Opening your mouth is one the mistakes that you cannot take back.

6. You haven’t connected with Allah until you enjoy acts of worship.

7. Is it not strange how we do things differently when we know we are being watched? So then is it not strange that we should have more taqwa if we realised this fact?

8. Its not the words you use it’s the feeling that’s behind them, that’s important.

9. Allah puts up with all your bad character that people cannot bear. So to whom are your loyalties?

10. There is a pleasure in delighting the hearts of a fellow Muslim.

11. People are dying all the time, so why do you think that your time is not due?

12. Death is as close to you as your clothes.

13. Reminders that the end is close are surrounding you like blanket

14. Once trust is lost it can never be regained, ever.

15. Whatever you do, do not expect an easy ride. The captain has declared that its not going to be plain sailing all the way, it’s going to be rough in some parts. So do not surprised when a storm comes.

16. Do not ruin your present by digging up something from the past...

17. Sometimes you cannot mend what should not have been broken.

18. Giving someone another chance is sometimes like giving yourself a kick in the face.

19. It never ceases to amaze me how people stand on legs of fresh air!

20. When you are given clear signs, go for it and do not hesitate as your loss maybe too difficult to bear.

Imam Khalid Hussain

Judgement Day

Imam Zaid Shakir

Politics and Youth


Youth, Politics & Islam - Imam Zaid Shakir from Tariq Subhani on Vimeo.

Habib Umar ibn Hafiz

How to connect your heart with Allah

Sheikh Atabek Nasafi

The Four Schools or follow Quran & Sunnah directly?

 

Straight Translations

http://straighttranslations.blogspot.co.uk/

Above is a link to our new blog that contains all the translations that we have been blessed to work on. So please take a look. Apart from the published work it's all free to view.

Sheikh Abdul Aziz Fredricks

Tawqa and Knowledge

Habib Umar ibn Hafiz

Tranquility

Imam Zaid Shakir

Allah loves strong believers

Imam Zaid Shakir

Living Islam

Habib Umar

Is it Possible to be Spiritually Purified in Non-Muslim Lands? 

Sheikh Hamza Yusuf

Relationships

The misleading nature of emotional speech and dehumanisation

"In declarations is magic,” (Al-Bukhari) the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings be upon him) eloquently put something that we need to understand.

Politicians know the art of manipulating words to inspire their audience. They have speeches that are well prepared and set out in manner to excite their audience into displays of arrogant partisanship. This is the problem with emotional speech it moves were sometimes the truth does not. The truth is almost always delivered in rational manner which is not the case for lies because lies are delivered in a manner that the person finds hard to deny.

This is not something specific to politics as this happens in all spheres of our lives. Many speakers get overexcited and we think that they are correct because our ear drums have taken a severe beating. This is almost never the case. Sit back and examine what the words that are actually said, then you’ll find ignorance and arrogance hiding in-between. This is the essence of misleading speech. It sounds wonderful but once you break it down it is nothing but inflated speech without substance.

The cause?

Invariably the cause is partisanship. Rational examination of the ‘other’ side is never done as no quarter is given to them. No matter if the other side do any good or not, everything is discounted because we hate them therefore no good could ever come them.

So when we are all gathered together one of them speaks using foul and abusive language. We all accept it because if we do not them we will be accused of following the other side. Now we have truly entered a sect and now we are no longer part of the mainstream.

Mainstream Sunni Islam is not about partisanship nor is about following scholars who have twisted the Sunnah to allow them to swear and apostatize whole groups of Muslims. This has never been the case is Classical Sunni Islam.

Another cause, is when we experience difficulty and are unwavering in our response for immediate justice. The brutality of some regimes in the world has lead to many condemnations of certain leaders. Yet the Muslims seem to be totally unaware of how the leaders work. They will do anything in their power to hold onto power.

Killing is just nothing to many of them but do not let that fool you because who are happily selling these regimes weapons? Do they care? The followers of the Prophets are being killed and they are counting the profits made in the arms trade as the innocent count their dead relatives. Have we not seen oppressors before in the Muslim world? It is something new? Look at the story of Pharaoh and Musa (upon him peace). Many leaders won’t go unless they go in a box. And if you think the west is going to save you then you have been successfully brainwashed by western media.

Dehumanisation

Dehumanisation of Muslims is something that has happened for centuries but ask yourself one question, why? The answer is simple when you remove the humanity from someone them you ‘engineering consent’ to their murder. The war of terrorism has cost the lives of more innocent people that the actual terrorists. Innocent civilians such as those of Iraq and Afghanistan who had nothing to do with anything but because they lived in a land, they became targets.

Recently sixteen civilians were killed by one of the occupying forces in Afghanistan. But who cares because they are subhuman anyway? Who cares about the brutality of the torture that the Iraqi’s faced in secret bases? Who cares about the Geneva Convention? Human rights who cares that only for us not them. Who calls for those when we do not what we like to them because they are not with us they are against us! This is part of the diatribe that you will hear which lead the cost of the lives of innocents.

“Dehumanisation and attribution of blame reduce our ability to empathise with the victims in croding their human status and holding them responsible for their own fates.” (The New Order of war by Bob Breacher p.207.)

So ask yourself again is emotional speech misleading? You must answer yes especially when it’s not accompanied without any truth.

The media

The media is full of incorrect reports and false information but when you are constantly reminded of these things it becomes difficult to reject them. The media is full of reports that constantly dehumanise Muslims and for this reason the press has come under much scrutiny and not a moment too soon. Why hasn’t any wealth Muslim thought about purchasing a large broadsheet and put in balanced information? Why bother when I have my Ferrari and my football club? That’s all I need. None of it will benefit you in the afterlife. 

Why is it that we let the television talk to you all night yet you do no let an unrighteous person into your house?

Yet the television is worse because its filling you with unrighteous thoughts and ideas. This is how they have conquered the mind of just about every individual who watches it. Take the television out of the house and throw it away! The box has colonized millions of minds so forget about sending an army send a ship load of Televisions.

Beware!

Know there are people who want to influence you into thinking like them. They want you to tow the party line, they want to become like them. So its time to think and ponder about the information that you are being given, ponder the validity of it.

Think and research yourself look into trusted sources of information then make your own mind up. Do not be a docile vegetable that accepts whatever you are told, open your eyes and use your brain.

If I was a non Muslim I would like to know what Islam is and not rely on the sources of misinformation that are being presented. Similarly, a Muslim should look at his own sources of misinformation and compare them to the classical sources.

Sheikh Hamza Yusuf

Exploring Freedom of speech

Sayyid Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki

Sayyid Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki

Welcoming the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him)

Sheikh Yahya Rhodus

Part Four
bidyat-as-sul-fi-tafdil-ar-rasul

Sheikh Abdullah Adhami

Sheikh Yahya Rhodus

Part three bidyat-as-sul-fi-tafdil-ar-rasul

Sheikh Atabek Shukurov

40 Hadith on Imam Mahdi

Sheikh Yahya Rhodus

Part two of bidyat-as-sul-fi-tafdil-ar-rasul

Sheikh Yahya Rhodus

His honor and rank
part one of bidyat-as-sul-fi-tafdil-ar-rasul

Sheikh Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi

On disciples

Sayyiduna shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani was asked with exclamation, "Your students are not the same; some are good and some are bad!"

He answered, "the good is for us and we are for the bad," meaning that we benefit from the good disciples and we benefit the bad ones. 

This means that the good ones who are ready for the Divine treasures will take from us to fill in their vessels so they are for us. The friends of Allah look for their heirs as an owner of a jewel looks for a safe box for it. As for the bad ones, they are here in order for us to empty in their vessels of all impurities; they could not do it by themselves. We take from these something and give those something.

In another way, people with bad behaviour join the sufi way and accompany shaykhs to find a way to repent and get rid of their sins and bad habits. Good people join the sufi way in order to reach higher spiritual states and attain ma'rifa. Therefore, no one should complain if they see brothers or sisters misbehaving at each other or even around the shaykh; if they do not make mistakes they will not be corrected. They are around us in order to help them. In the same way, good murids should not complain about misbehavior of other murids; they should help them improve.

What a great source of wisdom are the words of sayyiduna shaykh Abdul Qadir may Allah allow us to benefit from him and his works.

Source https://www.facebook.com/shaykhabulhuda

Habib Umar ibn Hafiz

Standing at the Door of Allah

Imam Zaid Shakir and Sheikh Hamza Yusuf

How Just Islam is to other religions

Sheikh Yahya Rhodus

Glasgow Lecture

Sheikh Jihad Brown

Generation self

Generation Self "Vignette" Shaykh Jihad Brown from Talibudeen Peeples on Vimeo.

The Conquest Of Constantinople

Habib Umar ibn Hafiz

Women: reviving the Prophetic Values

Imam Zaid Shakir

The Irony of Democracy

Dr Justin Mccarthy

Armenian Question LSE