Something is most definitely going down.

Ay na’m.

Ramadhan be very much happening at the moment, and no doubt congratulations will be due to all those who can make it to the first day. Man Subhanallah, I think congratulations are due just to the fact that we can even hear it round the corner!

In any case, here is a nice article by the Hoodster, fresh off the Madinan press, on the fiqhi basis for congratulating one another on the entry of Ramadhan…


Congratulating each other at the commencement of Ramadan
By Hood Bradford

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

“Ramadan Mubaarak”!

Every year Muslims all over the world wait in eagerness for the coming of the month of Ramadan. Ramadan, the month in which every night Allah has designated people to be freed from the hellfire, the month in which there is a night better than one thousand months, whoever fasts it with faith and reflection then all of his past sins will be forgiven.

Because of the status of this month and its importance, many of us greet each other in excitement with phrases such as “Ramadan Mubaarak” , “Ramadan Kareem”, “Kullu ‘aam wa antum bi khair” anticipating the great blessings of this month and wishing them for others.

Yet these phrases and greetings, even though we use them frequently, do they have a basis in our religion? Meaning: is there a precedent which has been set for such greetings?

When discussing issues pertaining to custom and common practice, it is important to remember that the base ruling for all customs is that they are permissible as long as they do not contradict an established prohibition or contain a hazard to ones religion.

In the context of our discussion, not only is there no established prohibition for this type of greeting, but it is also void of any harm. Thus such a greeting in fact contains benefit, being that it is a manner of supplication by Muslims for each other, as well as a way to unite the
hearts. Therefore this type of greeting is permissible. [1]

In addition to this general principle, several scholars of the past have mentioned narrations which support this issue specifically, such as the hadeeth narrated by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad:

On the authority of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of
Allah (Peace and blessings upon him) said whilst giving glad tidings to his companions, “The month of Ramadan has come to you, a blessed month; Allah has obligated you to fast in it, in it the gates of paradise have been opened and the gates of hell have been closed, and in it the Shayaateen have been shackled; in it is a night better than one thousand months, whoever was prevented its good has truly been prevented.” [2]

Commenting on this hadeeth, Ibn Rajab Al Hanbali said:

"Some scholars have said ‘This hadeeth is a fundamental evidence for [the permissibility of] people greeting each other with [the commencement] of Ramadan…
So how can a believer not be given glad tidings when the doors of paradise have been opened? How can the sinner not be given glad tidings upon the closing of the gates of Hell? How can an intelligent person not be given the glad tidings of a time in which the Shayaateen are shackled...?" [3]

Although this hadeeth has a Saheeh (authentic) chain of narration up until the narrator Abu Qilaabah, who was from the generation following the Sahabah, he did not hear anything from Abu Hurairah, the narrator of this hadeeth. This then makes it a Mursal narration; Mursal narrations are slightly weak narrations because of the unknown narrator between the
Taabi’ee and the Companion.

Even with this slight weakness, it does however have some basis in what was narrated by both Bukhari and Muslim, the wording of Bukhari being:

“When the month of Ramadan comes to you, the gates of paradise are opened, and the gates of hell are closed, and in it the Shayaateen are shackled.” [4]

The remainder of the wording of Ahmad can be found in Ibn Maajah [5], yet with a weak chain.

So although these narrations (i.e. from Ahmad and Ibn Majah) have some weakness, the narration of Imam Ahmad is Saheeh Mursal, and even though Mursal narrations are considered weak, weak narrations are acceptable in acts of virtue (Fadaail al ‘Amaal). This opinion was held by many scholars of the past, from them the likes of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (Died 241), Ibn Mahdi (Died 198), and Ibn Al Mubaarak (Died 118).

Yet even with this, narrations with slight weakness were not left unrestricted. Al Haafiz Ibn Hajr placed conditions for the acceptance of these types of narrations.[6] All four Imams have accepted Mursal narrations, with certain conditions, in legislative rulings also. [7]

Therefore one should be careful not to accept just any narration concerning virtue because it seems acceptable to the self. Instead the acceptance of such narrations should be dictated by scholars who are well grounded in the science of hadeeth, because of the grave danger of lying in the Messenger of Allah’s (peace be upon him) name.

All of what has preceded supports the general principle mentioned in the beginning of this article, that this action is a custom and has not been contradicted by a known prohibition nor does it contain any harm. On the contrary, based on these previous narrations, we can say that there is some basis for greeting one another at the commencement of Ramadan, even if these
narrations have slight weaknesses. Therefore, the ruling remains that such an act is permissible.
In addition to what was just mentioned, it is suitable here to mention what Imam Ibn Al Qayyim has said while commenting of the hadeeth of Ka’b ibn Maalik may Allah be pleased with him [8], when he and his companions were given the glad tidings of their repentance being accepted. He says :

“…in it (i.e. the story of Ka’b) is evidence that it is recommended to congratulate the one who has had a religious blessing renewed for him, stand for him when he approaches and shake his hand, this is a recommended sunnah. It is also permissible [to be done] for the one who has had a worldly blessing renewed…” [9]

No doubt that reaching the month of Ramadan is a religious blessing, it therefore is more deserving to be congratulated with than other blessings which occur through out the year, being that it is not only reoccurring but also general for all Muslims.

This is supported by the narrations from the Salaf that they would supplicate to Allah “Oh Allah, deliver me to Ramadan, and deliver it to me. And receive from me in acceptance.” [10]

Imam Al Suyuti relates from Al Haafiz Ibn Hajr that he said “ Evidence for the general permissibility of congratulations when a blessing takes place, or an evil is averted is the permissibility of Sujood Al Shukr (Prostration of thanks) and of giving ones’ condolences; perhaps also the narration of Ka’b ibn Maalik in the two Saheehs…” [11]

Several contemporary scholars have commented on the issue, such as Shaikh Abdul Aziz Ibn Baz. When asked about congratulating one another at the commencement of Ramadan he said, “[It is] Good”. Similarly when Shaikh Muhammad ibn Saalih Al Uthaimeen was asked about it he said it was, “Very good”.

The great scholar of tafseer, Muhammad Al Ameen Al Shinqeeti, commented that because he does not know of any established precedent for this type of greeting, that sticking to what has been narrated would be best, but if one was to congratulate you on the commencement of Ramadan then there is no harm in replying to him out of “returning the greeting with better then it” and because “All supplication is good and blessed, yet one should not adhere to
a specific phrase or greeting”. [12]

To conclude, it seems, and Allah knows best, that the issue at hand is a permissible custom supported by the general permissibility of customs in Islam. In addition there is set precedence in the matter by way of narration as well as the statements of the scholars to underline this ruling.

May Allah bless all of us to gain His pleasure during Ramadan, be written among those freed from the Hellfire, and have all past sins forgiven. Ameen.

و صلى الله على نبينا محمد
و على آله و صحبه
و سلم


[1] [Al Sa’di, Almajmoo’ah al kaamliah 8/34].
[2] [Musnad Ahmad 2/230, 385, 425, see also Al Nisaa’i 4/126]
[3] [Ibn rajab, lataaif al ma’aarif P.281]
[4] [Bukhari, Al Jami Al Saheeh 1899]
[5] [Ibn Maajah, Al Sunan1644]
[6] [see Al Suyooti, Tadreeb Al Raawi P.222 and pg 350-351, also Al Qaasimi,
Qawaaid Al Tahdeeth 1/116].
[7] [see Al Suyooti, Tadreeb Al Raawi P.223-224]
[8] [narrated in Bukhari and Muslim]
[9] [Zaad al Ma’aad 3/512]
[10] [Ibn Rajab, Lataaif al Ma’aarif P.280]
[11] [Al Suyooti, wusool Al Tahaani, found in Al Haawi 1/83. See Also Ibn
Hajar, Juz’ fi al tahniah fi al ‘Ayaad; as well as Al Mawsooah Al fiqhiyyah
Al Kuwaitiyyah 14/99-100].
[12] [Al Muqbil, Hukm Al Tahni’ah bi dukhool Ramadan]

Just a few minutes ago, the following mosques around Manchester:

* Cheadle
* Didsbury
* Makki
* al-Furqan
* Madina
* Altrincham
* al-Sunnah

have all agreed that we will be starting Ramadhan together insha'Allah, based upon two independent Muslim countries sighting the moon.

Although unlikely, due to the unique occurence/possibility of a solar eclipse at the same time as the birth of the moon on Monday evening, there remains the faint possibility that we may therefore start our first fast on Tuesday 4th October. Hence Tarawih prayers will be on Monday 3rd October.

If not, then we will wait for the sighting of the moon on Tuesday and if not, then 30 days of Sha'ban will have been completed and we shall start our first fast on Wednesday 5th October insha'Allah.

This is also understood to be the decision of the main seven mosques in London, including Regents Park, East London and Masjid Tawheed. And Allah knows best.

An official release confirming this decision will be published tomorrow insha'Allah.

Despite the circumstances determining the start of Ramadhan, we are pleased that we have achieved at least some form of unity in a small aspect of the community, hopefully leading to that day when we can confidently decide these dates amongst the wider community using a local sighting.

This has now been agreed upon and Allah is the giver of all ability.

If you were worried that kuff-mas was getting close, then don't worry - its's been cancelled. This one's from Ilyas...

Writing is quite a skill, something I wish I was far better at than I am. The mark of a lame writer is that he takes 6 pages to say what he wants to say. Now you know why the ridiculous length of some of my posts…

:-(

But every so often a nice, short, simple, yet effective statement does come to mind. Such little one-liners have been called Witticisms by Haroon, the excellent if not limited Reflections of Usama Hasan (although they are solely deeni at the moment) which are both loosely based on the contemporary Contentions of AHM but more realistic and less, dare I say it, arrogant?

Saying that, anyone writing anything these days will be labeled with arrogance, myself certainly included. Maybe to say arrogant is a bit unfair but then I just get that feeling from some of his outrageous statements of ignorance alongside his breathtaking comments of genius.

Anyway, Allah knows best. Whenever a few come to my mind, I’m going to slap them down right there and then on the blog, before the moment disappears. Seeing as everything I ever do of benefit these days comes as little moments here and there (which I take as quite an insult my dear fiqh class), then I will assert them upon any unfortunate reader who tends to be here at that time. Hence, welcome to the start of Assertions.


Assertions


• The False Sufism: St Paul meets Guru Nanak.

• ‘Sidi’ X, ‘Sidi’ Y. That is just so 2001.

• Emmy award winning ‘Lost’ – does it get more ironic for America?

• Rozay in the 21st Century: skip your Coco-Pops and lunch.

• Pervez Musharraf is just anything but. ‘More-sharr’ maybe?

• Imran and Asam? Am I missing something?

• ‘Sidi’ – could you even try and humiliate a Salafi even more?

• Honestly Kaneria Saab, be afraid. Be very afraid…

• Deviants never cut it at the top. Remember Al-Muhajiwherehavetheygone?

• The science of Ru’yat al-Hilal today: wait for an email from Saudi.

• The False ‘Traditional Islam’ – where did all the Traditions go?

Good news masha'Allah for those who have been following Shaykh Safar al-Hawali's sudden illness a few months back. Here he is just about to leave with the (rather handsome and sprightly looking) Shaykh ibn Jibreen...



And here it is; confirmation that Shaykh Safar is well enough now to return back home wal-hamdulillah.



Jazakallahu Khayran to Nabeel for these pictures which must have taken like three days to upload on his miskeen Madinan internet connection...

:-)

May Allah preserve all our scholars, and produce from our children righteous leaders to establish His Deen.

Subhanallah.

These are apparently pictures of Hurricane Katrina before it devastated the American coast.

If you can't make Tawbah after seeing this stuff, then all I can say is good luck to you...

Want something to chew on? Here are some my random observations culled from the last seven days:

• Danesh Kaneria, your shirky days are numbered pal…

• Things must be bad when Doherty looks better than Moss.

• Iraqi police – is there still hope or are there further twists to come?

• ‘Derailed’ – bravo to the BBC

• Chatting up girls is a bad idea anyway but to do it in a gym where everyone else is bigger and better looking as well?! Where do you guys think you're going?

• Islam Channel, you’re trying to hard with those who can’t cut it. Move on.

• Da‘ees: it’s a very fine line between doing da’wah and getting your baistee done.

• Galloway still knocking da boots

• Real, get real over Raffa. You want to win more games, not lose more.

• Qiblah, Mecca, Zam Zam beware – our Deen wasn’t designed to become fizzy pop.

• Premiership move over. Blatantly.

• I’m becoming a TJ and going to convert the England team. Howzaat!

• Muslim leaders you pathetic bunch of pansies, take a leaf out of the Shi’i lad’s book.


Fasting obviously has its benefits but it can seriously starve a sane mind of oxygen…

;-)

Sha‘bān – The Neglected Month


One would agree that from the most unfortunate things possible is to be the rightful recipient of some good news – a present maybe, a gift of money, a bequest etc – but then one remains unaware of this fact, or doesn’t pay attention to all the phone calls informing him of such glad tidings.

So there’s your present waiting for you, and you’re not really aware to its full worth or value – no-one else is going to claim it on your behalf and if you knew its real significance, you’d never leave it to waste!

Yet the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) told us, as narrated by Imām al-Bayhaqī, that, “Sha‘bān is a month between Rajab and Ramadhān, much neglected by people. In it, the actions of all servants are raised to the Lord of the Worlds; I love that my actions are not presented except that I am fasting.”

Here is a man, the wisest and most eager of creation to obtain all possible good, who saw this blessed month of Sha‘bān very differently to many of us. He (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would never leave it to waste, rather he would be seen fasting almost the entire month of Sha‘bān, only ever surpassed by the fasting of the whole of Ramadhān.

So why exactly is that?

There are numerous authentic reports that detail how the majority of Sha‘bān was spent by our beloved Prophet in a state of fasting; a state which heightens our God-consciousness, makes us aware of our desires and the need for their control, makes us aware of the problems and difficulties of so many poor people around the world when we feel those pangs of hunger. The fasting one becomes very mindful of their tongue and how they abuse by it, their eyes and how they deviate from purity, their hearts and how much filth enters it without wilful control.

All in all, there is nothing more conducive to sincerely worshipping our Master, the Lord of the Worlds than doing so whilst fasting.

But doesn’t that occur whenever someone is fasting? Why then the month of Sha‘bān?

With Ramadhān just around the corner, where many of us really do ‘make it or break it’ for the rest of the year due to the quality of our ‘ibādah in it, it becomes paramount to prepare properly for this once in a lifetime opportunity. After all, do you know whether you’ll ever be lucky enough to greet another one? Weren’t the Sahābah described by Ma’lā bin Fadhl as those people who spent six months of the year asking Allah to accept their ‘ibādah of their previous Ramadhān and the next six months asking just to be allowed to reach the next one?

So often do many of us think we can just turn up to the show in Ramadhān, take a seat and watch the game, see the team win and go home happy at the end. What a huge mistake.

Spending thirty odd days of Ramadhān refraining from food and drink from morning to night isn’t the second pillar of Islam known as Siyām. No – I think people might be getting a bit confused there don’t you? That’s just a hungry and thirsty person, someone who in reality, has just wasted his time.

Rather as the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) advised us, we need to avoid all the well-known slips of the tongue, eyes, heart and really just our desires in general in order to be one who fulfils the conditions of Ramadhān. We need to make sure that we adorn our fasting with all other possible extra good actions such as praying extra nawāfil, giving charity, re-establishing family ties, increasing our social and da’wah work, displaying generosity to Muslims and non-Muslims alike, extra dhikr, memorisation of the Qur’an etc. Surely that is the whole point here – that we fast so as to be more aware of our actions and that they are presented to Allah ‘azza wa jall in their best possible light.

Only with such a high quality day of fasting can we really have hoped to achieve the desired consequence – that all our previous sins are forgiven and that we enter His Garden with His pleasure, insha’Allāh.

But don’t think such a day is easy to come by. Rather it is the exception although it shouldn’t be like that. Hence the greatness of Sha‘bān, that blessed opportunity to see whether we can make the mark, the mock exam before the impending finals, the last practice in front of the mirror before the key interview – although each practice is important itself, mistakes that are made here are blessed ones if they are learned from and not repeated at the key moment.

This has to be our aim in the remaining days of Sha‘bān. Try and make it a real and sincere practice effort for Ramadhān which is only a few weeks away – keep a note of all your external and internal actions during the day whilst you refrain from food and drink and be horrified at the amount of rubbish we espouse from our bodies on a daily basis. It’s going to be a major wake-up call and alhamdulillah for that – I would rather that I’m rudely awoken today than be found in a drunken stupor during Laylatul Qadr…

Don’t you want to take full advantage of Ramadhān when it comes? Don’t you want to profit whilst the doors of Heaven are thrown wide open, the doors of Hell are slammed shut and our greatest detractors of all, the devils, are firmly chained up? Which believer doesn’t welcome those open doors and which sinner of us doesn’t sigh with relief at the taming of the Fire – if but just for a small moment?

For as the poet said, “Whoever is shown mercy in Ramadhān is Marhūm (blessed, receiver of mercy), whoever prohibits for himself its good is Mahrūm (devoid of blessing and good) and whoever doesn’t take provision and sustenance from it is Malūm (has no-one to blame but himself).”

So at this ‘neglected time’, when the majority of our friends, family and community are not paying attention to what could be gained, the environment is not conducive to steeling one’s resolve and focus on that which is good, where people are concentrating on ‘enjoying’ themselves as much as possible before the ‘hardships’ of Ramadhān – during this time, let us strive to perfect ourselves now and learn from our mistakes whilst we prepare for the ‘Big One’, so as to really achieve the objective behind fasting and indeed life itself – to become those who are constantly aware of Allah (al-Muttaqūn). How on Earth can we possibly achieve this if we just dive into Ramadhān without a care in the world, not having conditioned our bodies, physically and spiritually in Sha‘bān? How can we work on preserving our energy during Ramadhān, not simply to last till Sunset, but to pray all the extra Sunnah available if we don’t try and test ourselves now? How will we know the looseness of our eyes if we don’t catch the eyes out now? How will we ever realise how much we gossip and backbite during Ramadhān when we don’t try refraining ourselves from the rafath and fisq during our fasts today?

Surely, the fact that we can perfect ourselves and reach the true goal during Ramadhān simply by exerting ourselves now during Sha‘bān is a compelling argument for why the Companions observed that when they saw the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) fasting at this time, they thought he’d never eat again - May Allah bless him, give him eternal peace and reward him with the very greatest of rewards!

Last, but certainly not least, for those who look for bargains and the like at such times (and who wouldn’t considering how miskeen to our Lord we all are!), there is another super jackpot moment in this blessed month. If all the obvious benefits were not enough, we also have a special night in which forgiveness is on a unique limited offer for the Believers.

In a much disputed hasan narration collected by ibn Hibbān, one of many other weak ahādīth, it is reported that on the authority of Mu‘ādh b. Jabal (radhy Allāhu ‘anhu) that the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Allah looks to His creation on the middle night of Sha‘bān and forgives all of His creation, except for the one who ascribes partners to Him and the one who holds malice against others.”

Which one of us isn’t in need of this special moment of forgiveness? Yes, Allah ‘azza wa jall descends in the last third of every night offering salvation to us but here is another special moment for us to profit from, not restricted by the length of the night and specifically chosen by Sayyidina Mustapha (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) to strive for.

Let us use this night to beseech our Lord for His bounty and pardon, prioritising our good deeds. After all, this is a night of forgiveness so what else better to do but to seek it!

Imām ibn al-Jawzi (rahimahullāh) was once asked, “Is it better for me to make tasbīh or to make istighfār?” He replied, “The dirty robe is more in need of soap than perfume.”

Hasan (radhy Allahu ‘anhu) once said, “Increase in making istighfār for you’ll never know when His Mercy will next descend.”

Indeed. So let us be aware of these blessed times in our times of need – let us pay attention to that which is neglected and make our Sha‘bān and Ramadhān our sources of salvation.

An interesting discussion that I've recently got involved in can be found below.

http://www.ahlalhdeeth.com/vb/showthread.php?p=209606#post209606

For those just wanting my own fitnah involvement, then that's below. It is just my contribution to the author's original assertion that we must all leave the West and return back pronto to the 'Muslim' lands. English version to be released next year...

:-)


السلام عليكم ورحمت الله

السؤال:

في كل يوم يشتد الظلم في العالم العربي من قبل الحكومات، فهل يجوز للمسلم أن يهاجر إلى بلد آخر يتوفر فيه العدل بين الناس؟ مع العلم بأن غالبية سكان هذا البلد من غير المسلمين

الجواب:

الأصل ألا يترك الإنسان بلداً إسلامياً، من أجل ظلم لا يتعلق بالدين، أو من أجل ظلم غير كبير جداً، لكن إذا كان الإنسان يخاف على نفسه أو دينه أو ماله؛ فلينتقل إلى بلد، ولو كان هذا البلد غير إسلامي، بشرط أن يكون قادراً على إقامة شعائر دينه، وبذلك ينطبق عليه الحديث الذي ذكره ابن حبان في صحيحه (4861) وهو حديث فديك – رضي الله عنه – وكان قد أسلم، وأراد أن يهاجر فطلب منه قومه وهم كفار أن يبقى معهم، واشترطوا له أنهم لن يتعرضوا لدينه، ففر فديك بعد ذلك إلى النبي – صلى الله عليه وسلم – فقال: يا رسول الله إنهم يزعمون أنه من لم يهاجر، هلَكَ فقال النبي – عليه الصلاة والسلام – حسب الحديث الذي يرويه ابن حبان: "يا فديك أقم الصلاة، واهجر السوء، واسكن من أرض قومك حيث شئت"، وظن الراوي أنه قال: "يكن مهاجراً".

إذاً يجب أن نعي هذه الألفاظ كاملة: (أقم الصلاة)، فمن يريد أن يقيم في دار الكفر فعليه أن يجعل من هذا الحديث دستوراً لحياته.

"أقم الصلاة واهجر السوء"، اترك الأعمال السيئة، لا ترتكب الفواحش، ولا تشرب خمراً، وأقم من دار قومك حيث شئت، وحديث ابن حبان رجاله ثقات، والحديث الذي يرويه الإمام أحمد في مسنده (1420) وفيه: "البلاد بلاد الله، والعباد عباد الله، وحيثما أصبت خيراً فأقم"، فهذا الحديث أصل في الإقامة في بلاد الكفر لمن يستطيع أن يظهر شعائره، وبصفة عامة فإن ثلاثة من المذاهب تميل إلى جواز هذه الإقامة، وهي: الشافعية، والحنابلة والأحناف، مع خلاف داخل هذه المذاهب، أما مالك – رحمه الله تعالى – والظاهرية فهؤلاء لا يجيزون الإقامة في دار الكفر، ويعملون بأحاديث أخرى منها: "لا تراءى ناراهما"، رواه أبو داود (2645)، والترمذي (1604)، والنسائي (4780) من حديث جرير بن عبد الله مع اختلاف صحة هذه الأحاديث، وفي تأويلها أيضاً.

فحاصل الجواب: أنه إذا كان في بلاد العرب أو بلاد الإسلام يلقى عنتاً وظلماً فإنه يجوز له أن يقيم في ديار غير المسلمين، بشرط أن يكون قادراً على إقامة شعائره، ولعلنا أن نضيف شرطاً آخر، هو: أن يستطيع أن يربي أولاده تربية إسلامية.

د. عبد الله بن بيه

فمع الأسف شديد, كلامك أخ الكريم ممدوح وفقك الله, بعيد جدًا من الواقع كما قال الأخ مصطفى الفاسي.

و أيدًا...

نص السؤال:

أرجو من العلماء الفضلاء أن يفتونا مأجورين فيما يتعلق بإقامة المسلم في بلاد الكفر، وأتمنى أن تكون الإجابة مدعمة بالدليل الشرعي من الكتاب الكريم وسنة المصطفى صلى الله عليه وسلم وأقوال أهل العلم الفضلاء، ومفصلة بعض الشيء، وذلك لأنني أقيم في بروكسل حالياً وأود أن أعرف حكم الشريعة الغراء في ذلك.

الجواب:

لقد كثر الحديث وطال عن موضوع إقامة المسلم خارج ديار الإسلام، وسمعنا مذاهب تتسم بالتشدد المطلق، بحيث توجب على كل من يعيش في هذه البلاد من المسلمين أن يرحل فوراً، اعتماداً على حديث يروى في ذلك يتضمن البراءة ممن يقيم بين أظهر المشركين سنأتي على بيان درجته ومعناه، وهذه المذاهب أوردت حرجاً على كثير من المسلمين.

والذي نراه في هذه المسألة التفصيل، فنقول: لا شك أنه لا يحل للمسلم أن يعيش بين غير المسلمين بغير هويته الإسلامية، إلا لإنسان تقطعت به الحيل ولم يجد سبيلاً للخلاص، والسبب في ذلك يعود إلى التمكين أو عدم التمكين للمسلم من وقاية نفسه ودينه ومن هو مسؤول عنهم كأهل بيته وأولاده، فإذا كان في بيئة يخاف منها على دينه أو نفسه وعياله فالواجب عليه أن يهاجر منها إلى بيئة يجد فيها تمكيناً له من حفظ ذلك، ولم يحل له المكث في البيئة التي يخشى فيها على الدين الفساد أو على النفس الهلاك.

قال اللَّه تعالى: {إن الذين توفاهم الملائكة ظالمي أنفسهم قالوا فيم كنتم قالوا كنا مستضعفين في الأرض، قالوا ألم تكن أرض اللَّه واسعة فتهاجروا فيها فأولئك مأواهم جهنم وساءت مصيراً * إلا المستضعفين من الرجال والنساء والولدان لا يستطيعون حيلة ولا يهتدون سبيلاً * فأولئك عسى اللَّه أن يعفو عنهم، وكان اللَّه عفواً غفوراً * ومن يهاجر في سبيل اللَّه يجد في الأرض مراغماً كثيراً وسعة} [النساء: 97-100].

فجعلت الآية من ظلم الإنسان لنفسه قبوله العيش في كنف الذل مع قدرته على الانتقال إلى أرض أخرى يجد فيها حريته وأمنه وأسباب عيشه، ولم تستثن من الوعيد الذي ينتظر هؤلاء إلا العاجزين الذين لا قدرة لهم ولا حيلة عندهم.

فالهجرة تكون مشروعة صحيحة إذا كانت إلى بيئة يقع له فيها تمكين أكثر للقيام بشعائر الدين، بل هذه الهجرة مطلوبة مرغوبة، كما تكون مشروعة من بيئة إلى أخرى لا تضر الإقامة فيها على الدين.
ومن ذلك الهجرة إلى الحبشة التي وقعت بإذن رسول اللَّه صلى الله عليه وسلم للمستضعفين من أصحابه بمكة، هاجروا من بيئة كفر وظلم إلى بيئة غير إسلامية لكنها كانت عادلة، آوتهم وحمتهم وأقاموا فيها بين قوم نصارى لم يكونوا مسلمين، فأحسنوا البقاء بين أظهرهم، وحافظوا على دينهم وأنفسهم ومن كان معهم من أهليهم، ومكثوا بينهم إلى أن مكّن اللَّه تعالى لنبيه صلى الله عليه وسلم وأظهره على الكفار، فحين رأوا استقرار أمر دولة الإسلام رجعوا باختيارهم لا بأمر رسول اللَّه صلى الله عليه وسلم.

فالعبرة إذاً بالقيام بالدين والمحافظة عليه ووقاية النفس من الظلم والأذى، فإذا كانت تلك الإقامة في بلد ما مساعدة على ذلك فإنه لا يمتنع أن تكون في بلاد غير إسلامية أسوة بمهاجرة الحبشة، وإن كانت تضر بالدين وجبت الهجرة منها إلى بلاد يقدر الإنسان فيها على حفظ دينه ونفسه وأهله.
وأما الحديث الذي يتعلق به المشددون، وهو حديث جرير بن عبداللَّه البجلي قال: بعث رسول اللَّه صلى الله عليه وسلم سرية إلى خثعم فاعتصم ناس منهم بالسجود، فأسرع فيهم القتل، قال: فبلغ ذلك النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فأمر لهم بنصف العقل، وقال: «أنا بريء من كل مسلم يقيم بين أظهر المشركين» قالوا: يا رسول اللَّه لِـمَ؟ قال: «لا تراءى ناراهما». فهذا حديث لا يصح (1)، ولو ثبت فإن سبب وروده مفسر لمعناه، وهو أن أناساً أسلموا ومكثوا مع قومهم الكفار ولم يهاجروا إلى بلد الإسلام، حتى إذا وقعت مواجهة بين المسلمين وأولئك الكفار لم يتميز أمر أولئك المسلمين من بين سائر قومهم الكفار، فيقتلهم المسلمون في المعركة لعدم معرفتهم بهم حيث لم تميزهم علامة، فالبراءة منهم من جهة أن المسلمين لو قتلوهم فلا تبعة عليهم بذلك، وهذا المعنى لا وجود له اليوم، فتنزيل هذا الحديث على الواقع ممتنع، واقتطاع طائفة من الناس طرفاً من الحديث دون سائره وسببه من أكبر الآفات المفسدة للفهم الصحيح، نسأل اللَّه أن يلهمنا وإخواننا الهدى والصواب.

(1) أخرجه أبو داود (رقم: 2645) والترمذي (رقم: 1604) من رواية قيس بن أبي حازم عن جرير بن عبداللَّه.وحكم البخاري فيما نقله عنه الترمذي ووافقه، بأن الأصح فيه أنه حديث مرسل، والمرسل من أنواع الحديث الضعيف، وكذلك أعله أبو حاتم الرازي (كما في كتاب «علل الحديث» رقم: 942).

و أخيرًا فمن سيعطينا الإقامات؟

سعودية؟

;-)

Quite simply the greatest test series I’ve ever witnessed – maybe the best ever. In any case, if you don’t like cricket then I suggest you come back in about two or three days time. If you do like cricket, there here is my tribute to a quite remarkable summer of the beautiful game.

:-)


The two greatest bowlers in the world today, playing together in the UK for the last time, always promised that this would be a deadly and thrilling series.



Trecothick was solid and reliable all the way – I was seriously impressed by his resilience all the way through and a very much improved batsman over the last five years. Good on ya lad.



Another guy who I had doubts over but Simon Jones (sic) was easily the big bowling discovery of the year, with his Waqar-esque inswinging and outswinging antics. Well deserves his place.



I’m still not overawed by Strauss, in fact he was lucky many times during his meaningful innings. Still, left-handed openers are always a result and freak out the opposing captain, and there’s no doubt he has the ability. Keep focused lad, keep focused.



Saying that, he took the catch of the series for me – this diving one-hander at slip was just magical. Catches do indeed win matches and we saw many excellent ones to feast upon, which a young England team should excel in.



Don’t forget the Aussies when it comes to catches. They were excellent in the field (with one huge exception coming up…) and Ricky Ponting took some amazing catches at silly point and mid-on – what is it about Aussies that make you grudgingly like them all anyway eh?



This new guy, Shaun Tait, was my hero of the series. Well, hero in the sense of how David James was every Man Utd fan’s hero in the season when he kept dropping the ball for Liverpool and handing us victories for nothing. Tait has got to be the worst fielder ever seen by man, providing much entertainment and receiving more stick on the boundary from the Barmy Army than any good man should ever have to put up with. Fair Dinkum Shaun!



So he’s risky, South African, and a pure poser – but boy does he hit that ball hard. Pieterson’s innings at the Oval was not even close to the best innings of the match – that was easily Giles’ knock of 59 (as correctly observed by Flintoff) but still, he’s given the game that buzz it deserved so well done anyway.



Yep, the man himself, although not cleaning up with the ball, Giles has been a revelation in cool and collected batting – a real hero. As for Hoggard then that’s another survivor; why is it when you think of the words ‘dogged resistance’, Hoggard comes to mind, especially as he looks like something out of a Dulux ad. And what fantastic swing bowling throughout the series too – well deserves his places for the next few years.



Captain fantastic was anything but to be honest. He’s looked well out of sorts this summer, even though he’s easily England’s best natural batsman. This summer he’s been spending more time on the balcony looking like a plum – nice field positioning though mate. Oh yeah, he’s a Yorkshire man too and we, the Red Roses, hate all Yorkshire men.



Hmm – so what happened there then?



Err – am I out again?



One of my favourite – and most brave – batsmen is Justin Langer. He’s struggled and battled all the way through the series and holds the unenviable record for taking the most beats to the head and body from England’s opening pair of Harmison and Flintoff. Miskeen.



Freddie definitely deserves to be England’s man of the series – his batting has been solid and fierce at times (I can’t wait to see him and KP take on Afridi during the Pak tour this winter), but his bowling has just been devastating. I have been shocked by his perfection of line and length with vicious late swing and bouncers too! What a guy.



And yet all the way through, the series has been played hard and fair. Most of the time, cricket really is honourable game of chivalry and respect. And by the way, if you’re falling for Freddie’s basic and honest approach and accent, then know that that’s how all of them are like up here in the North West. “Lancashire, la la la, Lancashire, la la la…”



This guy – hmph! – he can’t bat, he can’t catch, he can’t do jack. Geraint Jones has to go, simple as that. He could have really cost us the Ashes this little rascal…



And seeing as we’re on the hunt, Ian Bell has to be dropped. Honestly, please, I beg you, especially if you know someone from the ECB, replace him with anyone you like. What a load of rubbish.



From the ridiculous to the sublime: Brett Lee has been amazing this summer; I’d put him above Shoaib Akhtar every day of the week as the world’s premier pace bowler.



Oh oh!



Oh oh multiplied by 6954!



Easily the best player of the series with both bat and ball – Shane Warne for me is the greatest cricketer of all time bar none and I challenge anyone to prove me wrong. He is just a one-man colossus; I can’t get a single thing done when this guy is bowling – now that he’s retiring, my work output will probably increase by about, err, 700%?



You’ve got to hand it to Team England – in a summer of stress, distress, fitnah and depression, it’s sport that gives you that small dunyayi relief, and England have bought it home.

It’s coming home, it’s coming home, it’s coming, the Ashes are coming home…

:-)

Here is a nice email reminder to myself and anyone else who wishes to benefit from understanding the one single greatest danger to all Muslims and their practising of Islam: Sincerity.



Sincerity: Statements from the Salaf

By Shaykh Husayn al-'Awāyishah

1. It is reported about Bishr al-Hāfī that he said: That I seek the world with a wind instrument is more loved by me than that I seek it with the Dīn.

2. It is reported from Ibrāhīm an-Nakha'ī that he said: When Shaytān comes to you whilst you are engaged in prayer and says: 'You are showing off', (then) increase it in length.

3. One of the Salaf said: Direct me to an action by which I will never cease to be performing for Allah the Exalted. It was said to him: (Always) intend good because you will never cease to be performing even if you do not do any actions. The intention performs even in the absence of any actions. Whoever intended to pray at night and then slept the reward for what he intended will be written for him.

4. One of them said: I love that I have an intention for every single thing to the extent of my food, drink and sleep.

5. It was said to Sahl: What is the hardest thing for the soul (to achieve)? He said: Sincerity, when there is no other desire in it.

6. It is reported from Ya'qūb al-Makfūf that he said: The sincere person is the one who hides his good deeds just like he hides his evil deeds.

7. One of them wrote to his brother: Make your intention sincere in all of your actions and little action will suffice you.

8. It is reported from Ayyūb as-Sakhtiyānī that he said: Purifying the intention is harder than all other actions for those who act.

9. It is reported from Yahyā bin Mu'ādh that he said: Ikhlās separates (good) actions from faults like the separation of milk from dung and blood.

10. It is reported from as-Sūsī that he said: What Allah desires from the actions of His creation is Ikhlās and nothing else.

11. It is reported from al-Junaid that he said: To Allah belong servants who understand, and when they understand they act and when they act they make (their action) sincere. Their recalling of Ikhlās at the time of doing righteousness is what accumulates the greatest (good for them).

12. It is reported about Hawshab that he used to cry and say: My name has reached the large mosque. [1]

13. It is reported from as-Sūsī that he said: Ikhlās is to lose the vision of Ikhlās (in oneself).

14. One of them said: Whoever sees sincerity in his sincerity, his sincerity is itself in need of sincerity. The destruction of every sincere person lies in his sincerity, (he is destroyed) to the extent that he sees sincerity in himself. When he abandons seeing sincerity in himself he will be sincere and purified.

15. It is reported from Abu 'Uthmān that he said: Ikhlās is to forget the vision of creation by constantly looking at the Creator.

16. It is reported from Ibrāhīm bin Adham that he said: He is not truthful to Allah who loves fame.

17. It is reported from ath-Thawrī that he said: They used to hate fame and reputation due to wearing nice garments so that eyes would stretch towards them.

18. Ibn al-Jawzī reports from al-Hasan that he said: I was with Ibn al-Mubārak one day and we came to a watering place. The people were drinking from it and Ibn al-Mubārak came closer in order to get a drink. The people did not know him and shoved and pushed him. When he came out he said: Life is but this, meaning we are not known nor are we respected.

19. It is reported from Na'īm bin Hammād that he said: 'Abdullāh ibn al-Mubārak frequently used to sit in his house for long periods of time so it was said to him: Do you not feel lonely and isolated? He said: How can I feel isolated while I am with the Prophet (sall-Allāhu 'alayhi wa sallam).

20. It is reported from Ibn al-Mubārak that he said: I heard Ja'far bin Hayyān say: The foundations of these actions are the intentions. Indeed a man reaches with his intentions a position he does not reach with his actions.

21. One of the people of wisdom used to say: When a man is speaking in a gathering and his speech amazes him let be silent and when he keeps silent and his silence amazes him let him speak.

22. It is reported from Mutraf bin 'Abdillāh ash-Shakhīr that he said: That I spend the night sleeping and wake up remorseful is more loved to me than that I spend the night standing (in prayer) and wake up in admiration.

23. It is reported from an-Nu'mān bin Qais that he said: I never saw Abīdah (rahimahullāh) performing any voluntary prayers in the mosque of al-Hayy.

24. It is reported from Alī (radī Allāhu 'anhu) that he said: The one who shows off has three characteristics: He is lazy when by himself, he is lively and energetic when with others and he in creases in his actions when he is praised and decreases in them when he is criticised.

25. It is reported from al-Hasan (rahimahullāh) that he said: The one who shows off desires to overcome what Allah has decreed for him. He is an evil person who desires to inform the people that he is righteous in order to hear what they would say. He has obtained a position of vileness and wickedness from his Lord. It is therefore essential for the hearts of the believers to recognise him.

26. It is reported from Sahl bin 'Abdullāh (rahimahullāh) that he said: There is nothing which is tougher upon the soul than (achieving) Ikhlās. How many times have I tried to remove riyā' from my heart except that it sprouted in a different colour (i.e. in a different form).

27. It is reported from Ibn Mas'ud (radī Allāhu 'anhu) that he said: Do not learn knowledge for three (things): To amaze and confound the foolish, to argue with the learned and to make peoples faces turn towards you. (But) seek what is with Allah with your hearts and actions, since only that will remain and whatever is besides it will go.

28. It is reported from Abu Suleiman ad-Dārinī (rahimahullāh) that he said: Tūbā (the tree in Paradise) for the one who took a single step desiring nothing but the face of Allah by it.

29. Some of the Salaf said: Whoever had a single instance in his lifetime which was purely and sincerely for the sake of Allah the Exalted will be saved, and this is due to the greatness of Ikhlās.

30. It is reported from Abu Suleiman ad-Dārinī (rahimahullāh) that he said: When the servant is sincere, riyā' and the many whisperings (of the Shayatīn) are cut off from him.

31. It has also been said: Ikhlās is that the servants inward and outward actions
are equal. Riyā' is when the outward appearance is better than the inner self and truthfulness in one's sincerity is when the inner self is better cultivated and more flourishing than the outward appearance.

32. Some of the Salaf have said: Ikhlās is that you do not seek a witness over your action besides Allah and nor one who gives reward besides Him.

33. It is reported from Makhūl (rahimahullāh) that he said: Never does a servant maintain sincerity for forty days in succession except that the streams of wisdom from his heart appear on his tongue.

34. It is reported from Adiyy ibn Hātim that he said: The people destined for the Fire will be ordered (to come) towards Paradise until they come close to it and smell its fragrance, see its palaces and what Allah has prepared in it for its people. Then an announcement will be made (to the angels) that they be turned away from it. There will be no portion for them in it. They will return in loss and ruin just like the ones before them (who were also commanded likewise). Then they will say: O our Lord. If you had entered us into the Fire before You showed us what You have shown us from Your reward and what You have prepared for you friends and allies it would have been easier upon us. Then the Exalted will say: This is what I intended with you. When you used to be alone you would combat me (or show boldness to Me) with grave sins and when you used to meet people you would meet them with humility. You would show to the people other than that which you used to give Me from your hearts. You feared people but you did not fear Me. You honoured the people but you did not honour Me, you abandoned (actions) for the people but you did not abandon for Me. This day (therefore), will I make you taste a tormenting punishment along with your prevention from receiving that reward.

35. It has been said: The damage (caused) to every servant lies in his being pleased with himself. Whoever looks at his soul and sees something in it which he deems to be good has caused its destruction. And whoever does not suspect his soul at every single moment is one who is deceived.

36. Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullāh) said: Ikhlās is the Tawhīd of one's wish/intent.


Footnotes:

The sayings have been taken from Ihyā 'Ulūm ad-Dīn of al-Ghazālī, Mukhtasir Minhāj il-Qāsidīn of Ibn Qudāmah and Kitāb uz-Zuhd of Ibn ul-Mubārak. [TN] The author said, "I have quoted these statements without knowing their authenticity and it is allowable for a Muslim to take from what has been narrated from the Salaf without verification if the particular statement is in agreement with the Book and the Sunnah."

[1] i.e. he disliked to be known out of humility and that people should mention him for fear of fame and repute.

I won’t pretend to know what’s going on concerning the recent hullabaloo over the ‘desecration of holy sites in Hejaz’ – but it does deserve a deeper look I suppose.

No doubt, certain quarters of the Muslim community are just using these incidents (if they are true that is) as political propaganda against the Saudi regime – the ‘Wahabis’. For such people, anything they can find against the Muslims they hate so much is good enough to go to the press with, and encourage the non-Muslims to spew further bakwas against the Saudis.

At this point, let me put my hands up and express my guilt. I’ve never been a big fan of the Saudi style and their approach to Islam, what used to be reasonably referred to as ‘Wahabi’ Islam. I found a few of their ultra-conservative ideas strange and extreme, their emphasis on certain parts of Islam unbalanced, and their mega-usage and abusage of the juristic Sadd al-Dharā‘i principle (ie blocking all the possible means to evil) both over the top and possibly out of date for our times.

But certainly, I’ve always considered their good to far outweigh their bad points. I mean who exactly is free from criticism these days anyway?

Sure, they didn’t help the perception that they were anti-Madhabs even though many of their leading scholars are strict Hanbalis. Sure, they go a bit over the top with the complete separation of men and women but on the other hand, as I also heard Hamza Yusuf point out the other day, what would it be like to have the Egyptians or Turks running the Haramain? Shudder! At least with the Saudis we get a real intense passion for the Deen despite their misunderstandings and other possible issues. And hey, what about Tarawih? And they gave us Ghamidi, Shur’aim and Sudais.

That’s Sudais man, Sudais!

:-)

In any case, especially in recent times with the pathetic attempt of the enemies of Islam to associate anything that isn’t to their liking to be ‘Wahabi’, then this is just absurd and ridiculous. And how humiliating for those Muslims amongst us who have joined the same bandwagon in order to gain favour with their ‘leaders’ – absolutely ignorant of what these ‘Wahabis’ actually say or do or what Islam really is or isn’t.

And so perversely enough, even though I didn’t think it’d ever be possible, I have found myself in recent times standing in solidarity with all and any Wahabi – surely these days anyone who practises their Deen conservatively and with principle must join me! It’s similar to the ‘Al-Qaeda’ and ‘terrorist’ label as well – anything to do with Jihad or establishing the word of Allah puts you in their categories too.

That’s why in today’s political climate, I would feel it an honour to be referred to as a Wahabi terrorist member of al-Qaeda. In fact, if anyone is in the T-shirt business out there, make me one with a huge Nike tick on the back and on the front the words:

“Be a Wahabi-Terrorist. Be al-Qaeda. Just do it.”

Anyway, back to the issue at hand. Are the Saudis guilty of the desecration of certain places like the birth place of Muhammad (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) and certain mosques that the companions were said to have visited or prayed in etc?

Maybe. But is that such a real sin in the Deen? Surely that should be the ultimate question right?

In my own personal opinion, I’d love for these sites to be preserved – if not just for our Islamic heritage, for our history and culture, to show off to our children and make them proud of our basis especially when such history and culture in the West is so emphasised and celebrated. It can be seriously damaging for our future generations to become firmly attached to historical points of interest instead of Islamic history itself.

Yet at the same time, many of us are able to learn what we really need to know about history from the books and lessons of the rightly guided ‘Ulema and their guidance to those places which really do have significance in our Deen. As the Qur’an and Sunnah is our guide in life, do any of these so-called ‘holy sites of Hejaz’ have any Shar‘i significance?

I just wonder. I stand to be corrected but I don’t believe they do – therefore making their destruction, moving or disregarding although unfortunate for the romantics of us, but something legally permissible.

Surely if they really had any Deeni significance (forget my own personal cultural desire) then the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would have mentioned it and given us guidance in that matter right?

For example, the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) told us about Masjid al-Haram in Makkah, exalted its status and then told us to pray there in order to achieve 100,000 times the reward. He told us about the Ka’bah and ordered us to take it as our direction for prayer in order to establish its validity. He told us about the Hajr al-Aswad, and told us to kiss it, prostate on it, or touch it even simply to allow it to witness our presence – so that it may intercede for us on that day when everyone of us will need such intercession. He (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) told us about the Rukn al-Yamani, informed us to touch it, again to off load our many sins. He allowed the companions, although not reportedly doing it himself, to cling to the door which is called al-Multazam and plead for Mercy.

He (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) informed us, and specified for us the locations of Safa and Marwa in order that our Hajj rites be accepted. He told us to respect these holy places and gave us specific Du’a to recite there. He told us, and showed us the valley through which Hajar (‘alayha-salām) ran and told us to run through it too, thereby giving this holy place a religious significance. Desecration would be out of the question.

He (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) told us about the blessed status of the Haram area in general and warned us to be careful; sins are multiplied but good deeds are likewise multiplied bi-ghayri hisāb.

He then told us about the mount of Muzdalifah and told us to sleep near there. He told us of Masjid al-Khaif and advised us to pray there due to its barakah. He told us about the holy place of the stones of Shaytān, informed us how to go there and act, and specifically showed us how to utilise this holy place and time by making du’a between the first and second, and second and third Jamrah, a du’a the length no less of Surah al-Baqarah.

Allahu Akbar.

He (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) told us about his Masjid in Madina, informed us of its Barakah and told us our prayers would be multiplied a thousand times over. He showed us arguably one of the holiest sites in Islam, a portion of the garden of Paradise – the Rawdah. Good deeds in these blessed places were legislated by the best of generations. We were informed to visit the graves and make du‘a for their occupants – the Prophet’s grave is no exception.

He (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) told us about the importance of the Mawāqīt, those places from which the state of Ihrām starts for those performing ‘Umrah and Hajj – he told us to start our rites from there but didn’t tell us to do anything else there. The exception is to be found in Dhul-Hulayfah, the location of another holy place, a valley in which the Prophet prayed, instructing us again to the specifics of respect.

He showed us the Masjid of al-Qiblatain but we were not instructed to do anything there. He also told us about Masjid al-Quba and instructed us to pray the Duha prayer there in order to achieve the reward of 'Umrah. Now that's a holy place.

He (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) told us about Masjid al-‘Aqsa, its blessings and how to conduct ourselves there. A holy place, with holy actions legislated resulting in much reward.

All the above is to be found in the authentic Sunnah of our Nabi (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and the legislative actions of his illustrious companions (may Allah be pleased with them all).

So the first (objective) question is, have the Saudis respected or desecrated these real and authentic holy places?

I personally think they have shown much respect at much cost. I think it’d be difficult to prove otherwise and Allah knows best.

Next, do any other places claimed as ‘holy’ have any basis in the Deen?

I doubt it. More importantly, if there are, then their authenticity might have been established by way of secondary principles as opposed to primary clear cut evidences. If so, then any body of scholars (such as the Saudis) have the right to assert their own juristic opinion over their people. If they have made a sincere ijtihād, then for them is a reward regardless if they make a mistake.

It is important I believe in issues of controversy to be careful and not be overly simplistic. As my teachers used to tell me, the mind is like a parachute – it only really operates well when it is open.

Also, we shouldn’t totally disregard the Saudi dependence on the juristic tool of ‘blocking the means to a greater evil’ – despite its common misuse and my own personal bias against it. Indeed it is authentically narrated from Sayyidina ‘Umar (radhy Allāhu ‘anhu) that he had the tree of Hudaybiyyah chopped down, a tree actually mentioned in the Qur’an where the companions pledged allegiance to the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam).

Was this a holy place? Well it was mentioned in the Qur’an so it must be right? Well I don’t think so to be honest – why didn’t the Prophet single it out and instruct us to some ‘ibadah at this site. Why didn’t the companions? Also, it is correct to say that everything simply mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah is to be considered a holy place? It is obvious that this would make half the world a holy place! Funnily enough, maybe that’s not so incorrect as it seems…

But then why did ‘Umar chop it down anyway? I would have just loved to have been able to show my children this place and explain its role in defining history. Actually, ‘Umar saw something else different to us – he saw people going over the top and actually giving this site more respect than it deserved, creating a dangerous precedent for themselves in the religion, and hence had it cut down to prevent a greater evil.

Whatever your opinion or understanding of this methodology, what can’t be denied is the fact that many generations of Muslims have indeed fallen into the same trap, taking for themselves graves of saints and pious people as well as other locations as mosques and places of worship. My time in Pakistan and Egypt have shown me the real extent of the sheer ignorance of many many poor people who go to such places making du’a to their dead occupants and ultimately putting themselves at risk of the greatest disaster possible itself – shirk.

There are many facets to this discussion, and not enough time to continue now. I’d also mention that politics is no easy matter. We, as an ever increasingly rich nation, are demanding more and more access to Hajj and ‘Umrah like never ever before. The demand for new hotels, new accommodation, new shops and restaurants, new facilities and of course, the inevitable expansion of the Haramain often means the sacrifice of other places, call them ‘heritage’ spots, ‘holy places’ or just whatever – it is naïve to simply assume that capitalism is the sole reason for such expansion. Rather we are the force pushing for these changes even if we don’t realise it. We ourselves have become the catalysts for this change.

Also, chuck in a bit of Saudi hatred for the Turks and all their remnants in Saudi and you have left one whole huge debate between the Muslims that I’m sure we’ve done nothing to but just scratch the surface of.

But oh how much I would have loved to have seen these historical sites…

:-(

For anyone involved in Da’wah, or even just ‘practising’ their Deen, one of the most common problems you’ll hear about are those Muslims who have unfortunately mixed too much with someone from the opposite sex – and naturally fallen in love.

Quite a few of those cases that I’ve heard often involve semi-‘practising’ brothers or sisters, rather naively assuming that they’d be able to control such contact (ok ok, I know that Hamza from MM can be a bit silly sometimes and exaggerate a tad but you get the point) and although no real immoral actions actually occur, the deed has been done with love and affection starting to settle in to the hearts.

In any case, this Sunday evening’s advice is primarily for myself and all others who often have to deal with such people having these problems. Wouldn’t many of us admit that we all too easily go straight into the, “Brother, this is a major disaster and you must never ever go there again. Shut it out and forget all about it. Oh and fear Allah too.”

I know I get accused of being a bit of a romantic but here is the response of one of our beloved scholars, to a question from a man who has fallen in love with a Muslimah at University, but the girl’s father is not having any of it. When the brother asked what to do, he was given the normal answers from some scholars i.e. as above. Our sheikh wrote to those scholars quoting the narration below:

روى الأصمعي فقال : أنه بينما كنت أ سير في البادية , إذ مررت بحجر , مكتوب عليه هذا البيت

أيا معشر العشاق بالله خبروا **** إذا حل عشق بالفتى كيف يصنع

قال الأصمعي : فكتبت تحته

يداوي هواه ثم يكتم سره **** ويخشع في كل الأمور ويخضع

ثم عدت في اليوم التالي , فوجدت مكتوباً تحته

فكيف يداوي والهوى قاتل الفتى **** وفي كل يوم قلبه يتقطع

فكتبت تحته

إذا لم يجد صبراً لكتمان سره **** فليس له شيء سوى الموت أنفع

ثم عدت في اليوم الثالث, فوجدت شاباً ملقى تحت ذلك الحجر ميتاً , فقلت : لاحول ولاقوة إلا بالله العلي العظيم , ووجدته قد كتب قبل موته

سمعنا , أطعنا , ثم متنا فبلغوا **** سلامي إلى من كان للوصل يمنع

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On the authority of al-Asma‘î, that he said, “I was once walking in the village when I came across a stone. Someone had written on it:

O lovers! By Allah, tell me!
If a man is overcome by love, what should he do?

So I wrote underneath it:

Let him treat his desire, then conceal his secret
And be patient and humble himself (before his Lord)

I returned the next day and I found written underneath it:

But how can it be treated when that desire fights the man?
For every day his heart is torn to pieces

So I wrote underneath it:

If he is unable to be patient with concealing his secret
Then there is nothing for him except death that will benefit

I then returned on the third day to find a young man lying dead at the stone. I said, ‘Lâ hawla wa lâ quwwata illâ billâh al-‘Alî al-‘Adhîm!’ and found that he had written before his death:

We have heard and we have obeyed; now we have died so tell everyone
My salâm to the one who prevented me from attaining (her)

*************************************************************************
So dear readers, next time we give advice to such people, just remember you’re dealing with hearts full of love not vessels full of stone.

As a self confessed religious theocrat, one does get slightly tired with the continuous 'Western' calls for democracy, democracy, democracy.

What a load of codswallop

As for the horrors of Hurricane Katrina then we hope and pray that Allah protects us from such a fitnah and that He makes it easy on the people trying to recover.

Here is another collection of pictures showing the tremendous damage caused by just one hurricane. Can one imagine then what the 'Sayhah' must be like, or what it must have been like to be from the Ashab al-Aykah, the people of Soddom, the people of Nuh and others throughout history who have been hit by the fury of nature.

Bush has much to think about as he continues fulfilling his whims and desires at the expense of not only the world's population but the American people. Will he ever consider anything other than his own interests before he opens his mouth?

Indeed, maybe Katrina was a blessing in disguise for his war campaign - anything to take attention away from the chaos and anarchy that Iraq has been thrown into.

But as long as independent photographers continue to push for the truth, sites such as this will continue to bring the horrific truth of American oppression to the rest of the world. Please be warned, these graphic pictures are horrific and will easily shock and upset.


Finally someone asks the question:

It is my understanding that suicide terrorism is not condoned as Jihad in Islam. So why has militant theology used it as a vehicle for political opposition?

Indeed it’d be difficult to fully explain the answer here to this important question but we can make a few points:

- Islam and the Muslims are not responsible in any way for the misguided abuses of Islamic legal theory to suit extremist agendas. Whatever textual or scriptural justification they attempt to use should be sought from them and not from the rest of the Orthodox Sunni community.

- Islam is indeed a theology which differs from many other belief systems in that Islam is implemented in all facets and aspects of our lives. Hence, the Muslim expects Islam to regulate all personal and societal matters and not just those theological issues related to the personal relationship between man and God. Moreover, this theology which necessarily then produces a fully functioning political system to allow society to flourish, will like every other political ruling system, have a military aspect to it. Therefore Islam, as Capitalism, doesn’t have a militant theology, rather a theology that recognises the need for military power.

- Political opposition in the world today takes many forms, changing due to the varying contexts and conditions that the opposition occurs. The UK for example has its political opposition organised through the Houses of Parliament where, on the whole, opposition is respected and the security to express that opposition is guaranteed. This is not the case in other more despotic regimes, or in occupied lands. In such places, the absence of any form of justice and security leads to a different form of opposition, something which is widely understood in a war context where the defending people usually resort to any measure to protect the lives of the families and their people.

In some places, where such defense and opposition cannot be achieved through conventional discussion or even weapons as such, then various scholars have ruled on the permissibility of ‘suicide operations’ against the occupying forces due to their necessity. The discussion concerning the legality of such operations (in such a specific scenario such as occupied Palestine) is lengthy and likely to be misunderstood in such a limited forum. Likewise, one would hope that to naively write off all such opposition in such extra-ordinary circumstances and contexts as a militant extremist theology, would likewise be avoided to prevent misunderstandings and over-simplifying the issue.

And Allah knows best.