AE

New blog active now. AE.

2007-04-14T23:48:00.000+01:00

Let's keep it short and sweet.

New blog. Free at last. Alternative Entertainment.

I think I'm officially cool now. Yeah.

It's a long name but so what when you can save the link and can click here?

That's AE. Just in case you missed it the first two times...sorry three times.

:-)

al-Adab al-Mufrad this Friday the 13th

2007-04-10T23:41:00.000+01:00

So here it is. Finally. After nearly a six month break due to health, politics and general uselessness on my behalf, we start again this Friday the 13th.

Unlucky for some but nothing but the perfect day for us...

Insha'Allah, it is going to better than ever with His tawfiq and blessing jalla wa 'ala. It's going to be great having that Friday feeling again once more.

So, be there or be an aloo paratha. Or a Pakistani cricket Arsenal fan. Or something equally ignominious.

PS: don't complain about there being nothing else but that poster above for the last few weeks. My new blog is ready now after everyone moaning for the last few years for one reason or another so just give me another week and bi-ithnillah I hope to start to post on it daily again...

:-)

2007-04-06T23:19:00.000+01:00

Other than what has been obvious here in the West of the fitnah over the last 10-15 years of the discussion of finer points of 'aqidah amongst those eminently unqualified to talk about it, it is sad to be informed that this is still very much the case today amongst the youth and even du'at in many Islamic forums, blogs and discussion groups.

And yes, that was eminently "unqualified".

Let me remind myself firstly, and then all my brothers and sisters to concentrate on the very little that we know and then to practice and then implement it.

And let me leave you with a warning from one of our greatest authorities in Islam, Imam al-Shafi'i (r):

"That I speak about a subject in which it is said to me "you've made a mistake", is more beloved to me than that I speak about a subject in which I'm told "you've commited kufr".

2007-03-31T15:00:00.000+01:00

The Qur’ān and Us – Part II

Something which the Muslims and indeed the non-Muslims have come to realise is the immense power of the Qur’ān – once tasted, never forgotten.

Muslims throughout history dream about it day and night, wondering how incredible it would be if they could memorise it.

Others dream how great it would be to recite like the masters of old, being able to capture the hearts of those listening in an intense and indeed overpowering moment of feeling, enchanted by His Words and Wisdom; didn’t he (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) say, “Hasbuk! Hasbuk!” (Enough! Enough!) unable to continue with the power of His words upon him.

Students of knowledge and scholars alike wonder how it would be if they knew the true meanings of His Verses ‘azza wa jall; a gift that very few will ever have the pleasure and satisfaction of achieving.

Then we have the general Muslims who might have given up on trying to commit this miracle to heart but are willing to sacrifice everything they have in order that their children will become the next generation of preservers – they wait patiently in order to receive their promised crowns of light in the next life, at the hands of the intercession of their offspring.

And what of the non-Muslims? There are those who have wondered all their lives what all the fuss was about and there are others who have entire departments working for them in order to destroy its message and power.

Others have already given up and realised that as long as the Qur’ān exists amongst the Muslim nation, it will never be overcome. It is of little surprise then to see that after the failed efforts to fabricate, deviate and destroy its message, new attempts centre on banning the book entirely from public access.

This would be laughable if it wasn’t something already alluded to by Islamic practice and tradition. The way of our early fathers was to commit the Qur’ān to personal memory, with the physical book (mush-haf) version being a luxury. To this effect, the Prophetic injunctions to memorise the Qur’ān and the excellence and honour of such an action in addition to the rewards promised by Allah ‘azza wa jall, make this a clear priority in the life of the practising Muslim.

Add to this the declaration of the Creator, “Hence, indeed, we have made this Qur’ān easy o bear in mind; who, then, is willing to take it to heart.” (al-Qamr, 17) and thus we should try and investigate as much as possible how to memorise as much of this blessed book as we can.

The only problem is to decide on which method to use in memorising the Noble Book and thus enter the company of that exclusive honoured group: the Preservers of the Scripture.

This series was written based on the author’s experiences of the ultra-traditional method of the Shanqiti tribe in North West Africa yet one should be quick to realise the immense difficulty of trying to apply this blessed method with our present situation in the West.

The problem becomes clearer when we look at the basic Shanqiti method: arising early at Fajr time, utilising that blessed morning period for a few hours to read the chosen pages to ones Shaykh, and then after having it corrected, proceeding to write out the chosen verses a number of times and then repeated continuously for often as much as a couple of hundred times to commit it to memory. The rest of the day is spent in revision, in tandem with other students to check each other and the valuable teaching of other younger children to further cement previous memorised portions. After the Maghrib prayer, there will be a further revision period of the day’s appointed portion as well as the revision of yesterday’s pages. An early night would be encouraged and thus we have a general outline of what happens in a traditional mahdhara such as found amongst the tribes of the Shanqitis, with a few minor variations to suit specific schools.

So what’s wrong with trying to apply that here in the West or more specifically the UK?

Firstly, one should always be realistic about ones ability and logistically prepare themselves for what they are able to do. Those who are truly serious about their desire to memorise the Qur’ān will often take a few years out to travel to a specialist centre in the Muslim world to be able to dedicate themselves to this most noble of tasks. The sheer silence and pristine environment of the Saharah Desert or the mountains of the North West Frontier in Pakistan has its own blessing in trying to pursue this aim, out of sight of mobile phones and internet connections and the other numerous distractions that day-to-day life bring.

Unfortunately, the above scenario will remain just a dream to many, especially those who are married, something which invariably proves to destroy ones crack at serious study despite all the time and effort expended in choosing a partner “who will want to go abroad and study seriously with me”, only to find parents, pregnancy and a new home suddenly appear out of nowhere to change ones life direction.

For those who are willing to try and implement some form of classical system into their daily routines living in the West, unfortunately come across many hurdles which de-motivate the individual which perhaps a clearer picture of the task ahead might help to avoid. Part of that clarity would be to be realistic about ones working day in the UK.

The tremendous variation in the length of the night is probably one of the single most key factors. During the summer, one is unable to go to sleep until very late, often 11-11:30 pm but yet will have to arise before 4am for the Fajr prayer. With no siesta in the working day, it is very difficult to expect to work on just four hours sleep for a full twenty four hour working day to allow oneself to revise after Fajr when the majority of people will utilise the post-Fajr period to prepare sleep-wise for the working day. Although there will be a further period for study available later on in the day during these long days, it is a time of noise, business and family and hence not conducive to memorisation as are the early Fajr hours.

This extreme then flips to very long nights in the Winter which brings its own problems of late Fajr prayer times (hence not allowing any time post-Fajr because the working day has begun) which require students to rise early in the dark of Tahajjud and stay awake, something which is more difficult to do in terms of memorisation.

Throw into this the lack of qualified scholars to revise with, the constant distractions of modern day life in a developed country and most importantly, the fact that our hearts collectively are too dark with mistakes and sin to allow space for the light of the knowledge of God and we really have a problem on our hands. All this, and when we remember that the Qur’ān itself has been made easy and joyous to recite and memorise, we recognise that it is our merry selves that have made it so difficult!

One details these issues only to bring a sense of realism to our endeavours to become Preservers of the Holy Scripture. Although we want to encourage everyone to become closer to the amazing miracle that is the Qur’ān, we shouldn’t kid ourselves that the rewards promised by Allah for the memorisers are something achieved in a flash without utter dedication. Did anyone expect the Qur’ān to intercede for us on the Final Day just based upon our mere good intentions?

What this means is that we have to be dynamic in our approach to becoming closer to the Qur’ān, and in particular when it comes to memorisation. Muslims will continue to live the lifestyles they currently do and the Qur’ān will need memorising as it always has. As times evolve, we can adapt without having to betray our heritage and culture.

The Muslim Arab world in particular has been studying many modern-day memorisation techniques that have been developed by leading thinkers and academics from the West, modified to fit the religious context Muslims desire and are claiming good results already due to their suitability to the Western lifestyle. This can be seen as similar to the boom in online-based Islamic learning systems as well as intensive weekend seminars and case-based learning models which have only become popular due to the scholars that have endorsed them as the replacement to classical learning for those unable to pursue the normal route in the West.

Also it should be noted that some will still be able to derive the principles of the classical methods of numerous repetitions and utilise times more conducive to their working day, and then cleverly make use of opportunities with their Shaykh a few times a week and depend on high quality digital recordings of the Qurrā’ to maintain discipline and authenticity on the other days. This has been witnessed widely by this author in the West, and alongside a greater concern from parents to use their children’s free early years to memorise the Qur’ān whilst young with parental supervision and other modern media aids, has proved to be a real solution for those who are willing to confront the challenges of modernity face-on with a sincere, patient and dynamic attitude.

And with Allah is all success. It is He we ask to grant us ability - indeed, He is All-Capable of that.

2007-03-28T23:49:00.000+01:00

Do you want the good news or the better news?

The good news is that we have another new Muslim to add to the Cheshire ranks.

Alhamdulillah for the blessing of Islam - my goodness is it enough for us as a blessing!

The better news is that the image you get of footballers on the back pages isn't so accurate after all...

:-)

2007-03-26T01:02:00.000+01:00

It's back.

:-)

2007-03-22T11:15:00.000Z

It is with great sadness that I announce the passing away of Shaykh 'Abd al-Ghaffar Hasan this morning in Islamabad, Pakistan.

The Shaykh has been ill for some time now. You will probably know of the Shaykh in that he was the father of our beloved teacher Shaykh Suhaib Hasan and thus the grandfather of Imam Usama Hasan of Leyton, East London.

This is incredibly sad news for many of us who benefitted from him and not just for the obvious news of the loss of more of our senior scholars as we slip further into times of ignorance.

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un.

Please take some time out to ask Allah 'azza wa jall to shower His Mercy upon him.

The Janazah prayer will be held tomorrow in Islamabad after the Jumu'ah prayer insha'Allah, almost certainly at King Faisal Masjid for those fortunate enough to be there to pray over him.

Rahimahullah rahmatan wasi'ah.

2007-03-19T10:05:00.000Z

The Cricket World Cup has truly been overshadowed by the shocking news of the death of Bob Woolmer, the Pakistani cricket coach.

All deaths are unfortunate but for the sporting world, and significantly the Pakistani cricket team, it is difficult to imagine a darker hour.

Many were amazed that even the gutsy Woolmer would take on what has to be one of the highest pressure jobs and most difficult positions in sport – to manage a cricket team that enjoys and indeed suffers from the fanatical support of hundreds of millions of Pakistanis, intrinsically linked to the corrupt politics of the country and all this in addition to the nuances that working with Pakistani culture bring.

People blame Pakistanis for being conspiracy theorists but how can we not be when a year in the life of the Pakistani cricketing fraternity throws up a greater story-line than any Hollywood movie could dream of weaving? What other soap-opera could produce a team where religion, ego, dictatorships, skill, corruption, power, quality, pride, arrogance, grittiness, hedonism, cheating, drama and every other adjective you can imagine to describe the ups and downs of the Pakistani cricket team?

And all this handed on a plate to the quintessential Englishman Bob Woolmer to try and sort out. Good luck Bob everyone said at the time. Luck obviously would count for nothing.

Aside from the marvellous professional that he was, it was his human touch that was most impressive. Trust me, it’s not easy to go to foreign countries and cultures to ply your wares; it’s hardly ever going to be enough money to do so anyway. His acceptance of the ICC’s development manager role for the smaller non-cricket playing nations indicated it but it was his acceptance of the Pakistan position which really proved that, despite the cynics and his pay package at the time, this was someone who really was in love with the sport and wanted to hone and perfect the art in a country that has more talent than any other, despite the obvious dangers, threats and pressure applicable to a white Englishman foreigner.

Personally this was nothing new to me. Since the day he came visiting the Ilford Cricket Festival as the coach of Warwickshire at the time, and he and his team signed the bat of this young Essex cricket fan, you could see his real innocent, sincere and indeed childlike enthusiasm for the beautiful game and its development in the youth and all others not exposed to its finer and more honourable points. When I think of him now, I just feel like I lost a close friend; that is how much I read and followed his opinions and advice.

Anyone who kept up with his Cricinfo column and his commentary in the wider media recognised that this was a voice of unparalleled authority in the game coupled with a sense of calm, gentleness and ease that was just asking for thugs like Shoaib Akhtar and his cronies at the PCB would totally use and abuse.

I feel most of all sorry for him that apparently no-one from the practising Muslims in his team were successful in giving him the gift of faith before his death. I feel sorry for his family. I feel sorry for cricket. I feel sorry for sport for it has lost one of its greatest ever teachers and scholars.

But what now for Pakistan? A team in such disarray has been thrown almost impossibly into a greater state of chaos and anarchy. Bob Woolmer brought back a little quality, honour and unity to the Pakistan team. He raised the international profile of the team and indeed country, on the field with his skill and off the field with his positive statements on the unifying and religious nature of the team and their culture, despite how difficult it must have been for him.

Isn’t it unbelievable that it is the English foreigner coach who pays with his life, whether out of shock and stress or something even more sad, rather than all the corrupt politicians and under-performing players being held more accountable for their actions? Could it possibly be worse from a PR point of view that the martyr for the cause to rectify the Pakistani cricket team was a foreigner?

Who on Earth will take such a job now? What effect will this have on some of the players in the team? Where does Pakistani cricket go from here?

There is only one answer, and in fact, there has always only ever been one answer in Pakistan: Allahu A’lam.

2007-03-17T23:48:00.000Z

Who said I supported Pakistan anyway?

It's Ronaldo we support up here, Ronaldo. Yeah.

And hey it doesn't matter as long as the Indians get battered too.

:-)

2007-03-15T10:57:00.000Z

We spent all of last year discussing the rights of our mothers in the explanation to al-Adab al-Mufrad (which we hope to re-start in about a months time).

This is a nice reminder though on the same topic. Submitted by Zakariya Goga, jazahullahu khayr.

Mothers Day

During the mid 18th century “Mothering Sunday” was the traditional day of the week specifically set aside to honour the mother for her duties to the family in England. Following the industrial revolution this custom was deserted due to the very nature of capitalism which by extension pre-occupies one’s psyche with the self. It was not until 1915 that this “Mother’s Day” was made an international holiday through the fortitude of Anne Jarvis (USA), who endeavoured to establish a set day in the year to commemorate mothers worldwide following the death of her own beloved mother.

Again, it is that time of the year. The whole world honours the mother - for 24 hours – and that is it.

I am obliged to write this short article following my reflections on the recent birth of my child and the endeavour of his mother in looking after him along with the rest of the house; a phenomenon I admit to my own limitations in simply changing a nappy.

Our pristine religion called for this celebration of our mothers as being a necessary action, intrinsic in the nature of parenthood, and in particular with regards to the mother. It comes as no surprise now, at the myriad of familiar verses of the Qur’an and Hadith in indication of this honour, and certainly not the least unexpected that Imam al-Bukhari’s first chapter in his great work al-Adab al-Mufrad began with the chapter on Motherhood.

It is exceptionally difficult to appreciate the state of pregnancy/labour unless one is in that state. Nine months of first hand experience travelling through this emotional and physical rollercoaster as my wife’s “pregnancy/birthing partner” resulted in myself immediately and profusely apologising to my mother for each time I have simply distressed her; and that was the least.

The sleepless nights, washing of defecation, feeding on demand, disruption of personal life, stress at the thought of the immunisation process, concern over a snuffly nose or a graze, constant pursuit of keeping warm, gifts, toys, silly faces and embarrassing songs – the list is endless. And all of the above mentioned is only for the first 6 months of life.

So now each time I witness my son’s nappy being changed or the sound of baby songs at 3am, a tear finds it’s way on my cheek, and the du'a “Rabb-irham huma kama rabbayaani saghira” (“Oh my Lord, show mercy of them as they did when I was small”) is moist on my tongue.

Remember the words of ibn ‘Abbas, which is a reflection of all the verses of the Qur’an and Hadith of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, “I do not know any action that will bring one closer to Allah than showing kindness to the mother” [Adab-al-Mufrad]

Smile often, plant kisses on her forehead, embrace her each time you meet, once a week make breakfast in bed, and shower her with flowers, scent, delicatessens regularly – as it is the regular actions that embed in the hearts real affection or abhorrence between two parties.

2007-03-11T00:02:00.000Z

Much Ado About Hijrah

Fewer issues cause as much angst and disputation, whether at the top level of scholars or amongst general laymen, as does the ruling concerning Hijrah or technically “the emigration from the land of non-Muslims to the land of Islam.”

I wish to make the following various (and totally random) points to clarify what some of you may have understood from what I have said in a khutbah given in 2003 and various postings since then and thus to provide for reflection for those arguing about it.

- Firstly at the onset so as to make my intentions clear and save everyone reading on if they so wish, I follow the opinion that it is not an obligation upon the Muslims living in non-Muslim lands to make Hijrah unless they are prevented from performing the very basic aspects of their religion.

- This is an issue which has been differed over, more so in recent times by the contemporary scholars reflecting the fact that it is (in general) a relatively new problem. This difference in essence reflects their varying understanding of what “difficulty in practising their religion” actually means and whether the Muslims really are better off in their non-Muslim lands than other Muslim lands they might be able to move to.

- That said, Muslim minorities have always existed in pockets distributed in various non-Muslim lands and areas throughout the last 1400 years; the scholars in general preferred their living with the Muslims under the rationale that their practising of their religion would become more pure, safer and more complete. The classical books of fiqh are replete with statements confirming the obligatory nature of Hijrah unless the Muslims were amongst tribes and people that didn’t restrict their practices.

- It becomes an absolute obligation for the Muslims to make Hijrah if they are unable to fundamentally perform their religion because Allah ‘azza wa jall says in Sūrat’l-Nisā’:

“Verily, as for those whom the angels take while they are wronging
themselves, they say, 'In what condition were you?' They reply, 'We were weak and oppressed in the Earth.' They say, 'Was not the Earth of Allah spacious enough for you to emigrate therein?' Those will find their abode in Hell, and what an evil destination.” (4:97-98)

- Remember again that as the exegetes of the Qur’ān tell us, this above verse refers to in principle those Muslims who were fighting against the Islamic state on the side of the Polytheists, and those who are unable to practise their religion at all. At the very least, this verse is a severe warning for all Muslims who live in non-Muslim lands to assess their roles and functions in those societies.

- The inability to perform ones religion leads to the absolute individual obligation of emigration to any other place that allows one to do that, worst case being to another non-Muslim land and best case a true Muslim country running by Sharī‘ah as it should be (and not as it has been claimed to be in the last 100 years). This is of course from the basics of Maqāsid al-Sharī‘ah i.e. that to preserve ones religion takes priority over preservation of life and wealth and other necessities.

- Also, one must understand that the above verse does not obligate moving to an Islamic state but rather to where there is no fear, weakness and oppression i.e. where the person can live safely in security and confidently practise his/her religion fully. This can be seen in the action of the Companions who were sent by the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) from a land of warring and oppressive non-Muslims to another non-Muslim land (Abyssinia) with its own set of problems yet ultimately being ruled with justice and peace and hence allowing the Muslims to practice their Deen to an acceptable level.

- Also note, there is no evidence to show that the Companions were forced to return back to the Islamic state once the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) took control which would of course have been the case if it was an obligation. Rather they returned out of their own volition.

- Other than in this extreme situation (where one cannot pray, dress modestly and worship etc), there is no clear-cut evidence that puts the Muslims in sin for not emigrating to a Muslim land. The only other exception (which was also differed over) is when the Khalīfah gives a command to the Muslims to do so – unless it is impossible, to disobey him would be sinful according to the majority. Others opined that as a result of their refusal to make Hijrah, their families would not get the full-amount of blood money due if that country/area was attacked as can be found in the books of fiqh. Naturally this discussion doesn’t apply when a Jihād is declared for which it becomes obligatory for the Muslims to participate in.

- It is not lost on you I am sure that rather than having a Khalīfah calling us to Dār’l-Islām at the moment, we have many Muslim leaders trying their very best to make it is as wholly difficult as possible to live in a Muslim country. That is of course, if you can make it in. Once in, and as a foreigner, you can guarantee that you’re already as big a suspect on the “War on Terror” as you think you might be back in the West, except that at least you have a fair chance of escaping torture back in Blighty. At least the Lib Dems and Gareth Peirce might be watching your back.

- Likewise, to slightly complicate the issue albeit admittedly this does not provide legal evidence in this debate, it would be absolutely impossible to house the hundreds of millions of Muslims that live in Europe, the USA, India, China etc into Muslim countries. This is a geographical, social, cultural and most importantly a political fact.

- At the very least, this reality would lead to a change in the conditions affecting a fiqhi (legal) ruling on the obligatory nature of Hijrah as is well known from the principles of usūl ul-fiqh.

- Muslims should realise that in principle, they belong in Muslim lands where they can practice their Islam with strength, respect and honour. A Muslim shouldn’t normally leave such a land for the land of the non-Muslims except temporarily for a specific legal reason. It is sheer folly to try and argue otherwise. As for the Muslim born and living in a non-Muslim land, it is recommended for him to be in a land where Islam is fully established, so that he can enjoy and utilise the strength of the nation in expressing his religion.

- The oft-repeated ‘narration’ of the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) which many use as the main evidence to prohibit the residence of Muslims in non-Muslim lands namely:

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

Jarīr b. ‘Abdullah is reported to have said that the Messenger of Allah (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) sent a battalion to the tribe of Khuth‘um. Some of the members of the tribe sought salvation in performing prostration. However, the battalion hurriedly killed them. When the Messenger of Allah heard of this, he ordered their families to be paid half the amount of blood money and said, “I am free from every Muslim who lives amongst the Polytheists.” We asked, “Why is that, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied, “You could not distinguish between their two fires.” (i.e. between who were Muslims and who were non-Muslims)

This narration was collected by Abu Dāwūd and Tirmidhi. It was graded weak by al-Bukhāri, al-Nasā’i, Abu Hātim al-Rāzi, al-Dāraqutni as well as many others (see ‘Ilal al-Hadith of Abu Hātim, No. 942). Such a weak (and mursal) report cannot be used as evidence that the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) has prohibited for Muslims to remain amongst non-Muslims.

- For the sake of argument even if the above narration was authentic, it doesn’t in any way indicate that it is impermissible for Muslims to live amongst non-Muslims. Rather it indicates, as is found in the books of fiqh under the chapters of jināyāt and diya, that those who choose to live like this will take responsibility for their own lives. So for example, if a Khalīfah established himself as a leader of the Jihād in Afghanistan and decided to launch a nuclear attack against the UK in retaliation to the invasion of 2001, and we British Muslims all died alongside British non-Muslims, our extended families would not be able to claim for blood-money, or could only claim limited damages against the Khalīfah, as discussed and differed over by the Fuqahā’. This is because we chose to live here despite being warned by the leader not to. If the above hadith was authentic, then it is the same: the leader declaring himself free of any liability arising out of Muslim or peaceful non-Muslim deaths.

- At the same time, no-one should be so naïve to believe that Muslims have it all good in the non-Muslim lands just because Muslims are able to pray, fast, cover their hair and get double stamp duty exemption. Those scholars who obligated emigration did so for the hidden and subtle damage that occurs to the belief and faith of the Muslim as they live their lives and sub-consciously ingest the diseases of disbelief and hypocrisy. Please do not patronise these scholars and those who sincerely make Hijrah in the belief that they are protecting their families and religion. “And for every man is that what he intended.”

- This fact should make many Muslims in the non-Muslim lands be very careful and weary in case they are indeed in sin. And no doubt, many Muslim families have fallen foul of our religious requirements especially when it comes to protecting the family, failing miserably in the tarbiyyah of their children who are now the biggest drug users and abusers, dealers and pimps in this country; and if not drugs then the Asians and then British Muslims have reached a greater percentage of inmates in the British prison system than their percentage of the population of this country.

- Likewise, one shouldn’t be so naïve to believe that one will become a better Muslim by being in so-called Muslim countries for it often leads to the exact opposite for some. Hence, one should deal with the issue on an individual case-by-case basis; it is all about the maslahah and the mafsadah and whether the good outweighs the bad.

- People need to judge their own situations specifically and make decisions that are well thought out and planned that will be the best for their Deen and Dunya and future generations, ensuring that priority is given to the Right of Allah ‘azza wa jall and then promote His justice throughout the world as the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said collected by Imām Ahmad (1420):

"البلاد بلاد الله، والعباد عباد الله، وحيثما أصبت خيراً فأقم"،
“The lands are the Lands of Allah, and the servants are the Servants of Allah, so wherever you come across good, then stay there.”

- The Muslim who lives in non-Muslim lands doesn’t have to feel guilty every day and night just because they might not be a scholar or a student of knowledge helping and guiding other people, as is mistakenly quoted by some. Rather the obligation concerns the preservation of ones own religion and then the propagation of it as a gift to others only if one has that particular ability. And God does not burden a soul more than it can bear.

- Just because the level of fitnah in “The West” is high (although rapidly reaching parity in many Muslim lands) it is not the answer to run away and not a reason to obligate Hijrah; this isn’t just because of the old adage established by ‘Umar (radhy Allāhu ‘anhu) of worship in times of fitnah being better and more rewardable. Rather if you believe that by moving to some Muslim land (or even the Khilāfah established upon Prophethood) that you will be protected from fitnah, then you have made a huge mistake.

- The land/country/area that you reside in will not become some sudden shield for you if your heart is still diseased and your mind ignorant from the laws, principles and details of Islam. It is of no surprise to learn then that when Abu al-Dardā’ settled in Palestine and wrote a letter to his very close friend Salmān al-Fārisi (radhy Allāhu ‘anhum) inviting him to leave Iraq where he was staying and return back to “al-‘Ardh al-Muqaddasah” (the Holy land of Palestine), Salmān replied:

ان أبا الدرداء كتب إلى سلمان الفارسي ان هلم إلى الأرض المقدسة فكتب إليه سلمان ان الأرض لا تقدس أحدا وإنما يقدس الإنسان عمله

“The land never makes someone holy; rather what makes man holy are his actions.”

- The real issue is the level and quality of your Islam after your Hijrah. There are some people who take a greater portion from their prayer performed in more difficult circumstances surrounded by fitnah in the lands of disbelief than those who are absent in mind and indeed absent in heart whilst standing in front of the very Ka‘bah itself. Never has a Prophetic narration made more sense than when one actually experiences this reality.

- It is wholly incorrect to argue against the benefits of making Hijrah to a Muslim country because of illegal bribery, corruption, inefficiency and lower modern standards. Indeed those who live in the non-Muslim lands who know anything about how Governmental agencies and departments work will recognise that all the above occurs here too – but just in a more subtle form and indeed “legalised.”

- We must remember that the reason for Hijrah is to become closer to Allah and use all possible resources to reach that objective in whichever land you reside. Hijrah to some Muslim countries in the form of job promotion to the Middle East or returning back to countries of ethnic origin to live with extended family might be all well and convenient, cheaper, provide high quality education for the kids at private foreign schools (the irony!) and eventually lead to an easier life but has Hijrah been done because one is sick of tired of working 9-5 every day or because it is for the pleasure of your Lord?

- Back to the issue of “being able to practice ones religion”. A good working standard could be that which was offered by the hadith of Fudayk (radhy Allāh ‘anhu), despite the difference over its authenticity:

– 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 –: "يا فديك أقم الصلاة، واهجر السوء، واسكن من أرض قومك حيث شئت"

A Companion called Fudayk became Muslim and wanted to make Hijrah but his people, who were non-Muslims, wanted him to stay, and promised him that he could practice his religion freely. He came to the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and said, “O Messenger of Allah, they claim that the one who doesn’t emigrate is destroyed,” to which the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) replied, “O Fudayk, establish the Prayer, stay away from sin and then live in the land of your people wherever you wish.” (Ibn Hibbān, 4861)

What are the key points or conditions then of living in a land like ours: to establish the prayer i.e. you must be able to perform all your prayers at any time without any problem. Secondly, that you must stay away from and protect yourself (and family) from as much sin as possible. If you are sinning yourself or having problems with prayer which are related to your location, then you must leave – it becomes a fardh al-‘ayn and that’s why the asl of Hijrah is obligatory, i.e. that one moves to a place where Islam can be established and the Deen can be practiced.

In conclusion to all these many random points, listed here only really to show the depth of the discussion concerning Hijrah and illustrate some potential mistakes that protagonists on both sides are guilty of, I would like to end with this:

The practical reality (and not the legal ruling of course) is that there are millions of Muslims who are firmly settled in their countries and societies from birth and who have a huge responsibility to safeguard their Deen and that of their families, friends and communities. Many have claimed that the grass is greener on the other side but it has proved anything but for a small number of Muslims who became too concerned with the external Hijrah and left the internal Hijrah for later.

The internal always comes first, then followed by the external. If we can all focus how to purify our lives and preserve our surroundings the best we can, we might be able to fulfill the Prophetic injunction which precedes any physical Hijrah to another land, rather it starts with the internal Hijrah obligatory on every soul in every corner of the Earth, namely:

المهاجر من هجر ما نهى الله عنه

“The real Muhājir is the one who leaves that which Allah has forbidden.”

For many millions of Muslims, the only Islam they know is the particular nuanced flavour of Islamic culture they live out in their various communities around the world. Although it might be possible yet very difficult for many Muslims to try and adapt totally to a new culture and way of life in a Muslim country, they are not obligated to leave their current areas as long as their particular flavour of Islam tastes the same as the blessed Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). By the way, a change in the packaging is okay.

And Allah ‘azza wa jall knows best.

2007-03-09T21:13:00.000Z

This was only forwarded to me tonight so that means tomorrow night, you should either go there and support CagePrisoners (because remember, ala National Lottery, it could be YOU next...), or you'd better be studying along with me or you could sit at home and watch Pop Idol or Ice Skating or whatever fraud phone-in bakwas they're pushing these days. Yeah.

An evening with Moazzam Begg

Fundraising meal for the Cage Prisoners campaign and Respect with guest speaker Moazzam Begg (ex-Guantanamo Bay prisoner) and speaker from Respect - the Unity Coalition.

7.30pm, Saturday 10th March
Saffron Restaurant, Old Town Hall,
Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester.
Tickets £15 (£10 unwaged - £8 children - under 5s free)

To help us plan this event successfully please could you book in advance. This will help us in ordering the right amount of food. You can book in three ways

1. Call Nahella on 07976 616 091
2. Reply to this email (request the number of tickets and then pay cash/cheque on the door)
3. Book online and pay by credit/debit card at http://www.respectnorthwest.org/moazzam

2007-03-08T13:26:00.000Z

Ok, apologies for being late on this especially after those who have been querying.

The first Season of our class, the explanation of al-Adab al-Mufrad by Imam al-Bukhari (r), will be showing on air tonight on the Islam Channel.

As the students will remember, it is a 50-minute class but Islam Channel have cut it in half into two 25-minutes programmes and re-edited the show with their own intro and whatnot (and hence all good/bad feedback to them and not PG!). The first part will be tonight at 10pm and then the second part will be on Sunday 4pm.

Thereafter, it will be shown every Tuesday and Thursday at 10pm. Then every Sunday at 4pm, there will be the full 50-minute version shown as a repeat for those wanting to catch up on the previous week’s two 25-minute episodes, rather like the Eastenders omnibus that all of you watch (yeah we know) every Sunday at 3pm. I advise all those students who wish to revise Season One to pay attention to this particular 4pm time-slot as it will be more conducive to your own notes.

Hopefully one day, PG shall host the full un-edited classes on some kind of server-thingy when someone shows them how to do something like that. Don’t hold your breath.

Also, following the good news of avoiding an operation on my knee wal-hamdulillah, we hope to be starting the second Season of al-Adab al-Mufrad, same time, same place maybe around April 13th, but we’ll keep you posted insha’Allah.

Finally there is a sister in difficulty, new to Manchester with two children who is urgently looking for accommodation. I don’t have full details yet but if anyone in the Manchester/North West area can help, please get in touch via here or normal channels or the PG site/brothers.

Jazākaumullahu khayran.

2007-03-06T09:11:00.000Z

I wanted to watch an old movie favourite of mine but haven't found the time. It's called "No Retreat No Surrender".

Good film you know. Maybe Amjad you could recommend it to Aisha sometime...

;-)

2007-03-05T13:55:00.000Z

It's good to see that Saifullah is still proving, wal-hamdulillah, that leaving Cambridge for Sri Lanka hasn't affected the quality of our premier Islamic site on the web - a website that has made our lives a whole lot less stressful (and actually, rather lazy to be honest!) when having to deal with the plethora of Orientalist shubuhat and the like.

Long live the Indians. And pay up to keep the website running itself too - otherwise known as "defending the Deen" and "saving oneself by Sadaqah".

Yeah.

Documentary Evidence For Early Islam

2007-03-04T16:33:00.000Z

For those who were recently asking about how to understand Taqlid, Hood comes up with the goods bang on cue, saves me a whole load of time and so he's a jolly good fellow.

And so say all of us, us, us.

Taqlid

2007-03-02T16:18:00.000Z

An interesting dilemma facing scholars in modern times is how to approach the issues of eclipses - or more accurately, whether we should promote the actions recommended during an eclipse well before the actual event due to the technological advances that have enabled us to accurately predict the exact second when it will occur. Hence, the awe of the moment is almost lost as people wait for it to happen and you should know that it is a definite 'illah in eclipses to shock and remind the people of the Power of Allah 'azza wa jall. The sudden nature of eclipses is indeed part of that.

Frankly, we have little choice but to remind ourselves of what to do because if we don't, then the majority of us don't have a clue when it does happen - should we stand there and gawk at it or take advantage and follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (s) and try to gain the pleasure of Allah instead?

Anyway, there will be a full lunar eclipse tomorrow night (3rd March) starting technically at 8pm-ish (GMT) but the serious stuff occuring between 9.30pm to 11.30pm-ish and then finishing just before midnight. Alhamdulillah, at least being vague about the exact times might instill some emotion when it does actually fully occur and then instead of wasting time with 'Match of the Day', or even worse sitting there hand in hand with your girlfriend/partner/mate wondering "O how romantic!", we might try and follow the Sunnah instead.

And hence, in the best of Blue Peter fashion, here's a little something that I prepared earlier. Well, a few years ago. Whatever.

Understanding Eclipses the Islamic Way

2007-03-01T13:23:00.000Z

So I'm walking down this aisle in the supermarket, concentrating on the shelves as I'm in a rush and then I hear someone to the front of me on the left hand side say, "Err...excuse me...".

You know, in one of those exact voices you do when you want some help from the shelf-stacker on trying to find the sugar or the boxed raisins.

Anyway, I ignored him of course. I thought to myself, "Does it look like I work here? Does this dress look like a uniform to you??"

I heard the same guy again (but I didn't see what he looked like) ask the same thing and I ignored him again, not out of rudeness of course, but this really was a case of the questioned knows no more than the questioner. Or so I thought.

Anyway, I actually hear him for a third time. This time I turned around (as I was just about level to him now down the aisle) and I realised that a little old lady shopper had now stopped at his side to respond. The guy was white, about 45 odd, in casual jeans etc. Looked normal.

"Can you please tell me what this label says?" he asked her.

He couldn't read. He wasn't looking for any products or anything. He just wanted someone to read the label for him.

Woops. Now that's what I call my baistee being done.

Moral of the story: as my teacher always used to say (whilst I was obviously daydreaming), "Never assume son, for it only makes an ass out of u and me."

:-(

2007-02-26T09:46:00.000Z

During my time working in Pharmacy, particularly during clinical placements in hospital, the single most depressing aspect of my job is having to witness and destroy patient-returned medication and "expired" medication.

Not only is this depressing from the point of view that I pay thousands of pounds a year in taxes to help support a health system which is haemorrhaging losses from the 'hidden' side that we healthcare staff witness every day, but then my time abroad either studying or working with charities in the poorer countries has shown me how desperate they are for some of these medications and how useful they could be in the field.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain is hosting an ethics consultation for the revision of its Code of Ethics for Pharmacists etc. We all, Pharmacists and non-Pharmacists, have a chance to try and convince the authorities to change their policy on the prohibition of donating returned and "expired" medication to charities etc as explained by one of my colleagues here:

I request all my readers to visit the RPSGB site here and complete the questionnaire requesting the following change at Question 2:

Pharmacists should be allowed to give patient-returned as well as near-expiry date medicines (after their professional judgement has been applied to ensure safety) to licensed, reputable humanitarian organisations allowing millions of needy people around the world to gain access to such drugs they could beneficially use.

Now that you've done it, it's only fair to provide a bit of meat about the debate itself.

Obviously the discussion at hand isn't as straightforward as one might imagine. Of course the authorities don't wish to waste medicines and money in the way it currently is but the present legislation prohibiting their use for charity is to prevent drugs companies and indeed the government becoming liable to potential prosecution and lawsuits in the future.

It has been argued that if someone, wherever in the world, was to become ill due to a medicine being past its expiry date or a medicine which is returned by a patient and hence has not been kept in controlled conditions conducive to its safe and sound storage, then the license has been breached and therefore people are being given unfit medicines and therefore negligence could be claimed.

Also, these same drug companies are not always the big criminals that they are made out to be. It can be argued that many of them donate good sound stock to various disaster areas as has been well-documented. Also, they do set up local manufacturing units in all foreign countries where they make significantly less profit to allow local populations to afford their needy drugs albeit the fact that many still can't afford their costs. Let it be said though that this is more a failing on behalf of those governments' respective health services than a failing of the drugs companies.

Our response to this is that much more can be done by drugs companies in light of their massive profits and especially due to the helpful legislation they receive in respect of their fixed income from all governments around the world. They're not being asked to do it all for free but to be more ethical, more charitable and more broad in vision to the illnesses of the world's needy.

Also, the reality behind much of the medicines that are returned is that they are in perfect condition to be able to used again. Indeed, even medicinal expiry dates according to popular opinion amongst academics are over-compensated for and are 'good to use' for months afterwards depending of course on the form, stability and excipients of that particular medicine, something which any good Pharmacist will be able to determine.

Naturally, we are not asking the government to allow us to use expired medicines but certainly the other two types as mentioned above. Also, it could possibly be legislated that with the use of such medication, there would be no corporate and governmental liability in case of any problems.

There is no doubt that the real solution to this problem is for governments around the world to become more efficient, rid themselves of corruption and provide their citizens from the very basic of human rights: a good and compassionate health service. In the meantime though we cannot stand around and watch all these drugs burn in flames whilst thousands of people in pain can't even get hold of some co-codamol to help gain relief.

I believe, along with a majority of my colleagues and one hopes the general public, that such a change in medicines legislation would prove beneficial to our government here in the UK in saving costs of hundreds of millions of pounds in destroying such medicines safely and also help the rest of the world's citizens which must also be one of our key civic duties.

2007-02-24T16:10:00.000Z

Before I put the next post on memorising the Qur'an which will be (admittedly) exclusively centred around the methods of the Shanqiti nation in Mauritania, here is a transcript of the fabulous TV interview that al-Jazeera did (which I've been looking for for ages!) with the inimatable and truly great, Shaykh al-Allamah Muhammad Sālim wald-‘Udūd al-Shanqīti, hafidhahullah.

He is one of the few remaining great senior scholars on the face of this Earth, uncle of the well-known Muhammad Hasan "al-Dadu" al-Shanqīti in Riyadh, and someone I had the immense pleasure of sitting with and taking blessing from at his mahdhara near Nouakchott nearly eight years ago.

I know it's in Arabic but it'd be great if someone could translate it for us in the comments. If not, just look at the words, breathe slowly, close your eyes and just pretend you're there...

Ya Salam...

Interview with Shaykh Muhammad Salim

2007-02-22T12:37:00.000Z

The most amazing thing about the Mercy of Allah is that it's constant, never stops, whether you realise it or not. Its independence from our daily ignorance and oppression is itself an incredible mercy.

What's also amazing is the way we are sometimes reminded of His Mercy by something that might happen and you believe it to be a disaster at the time - yet afterwards, on reflection, you realise that it was as the Prophet (s) asserted in so many ahadith, ya'ni "it's all good."

Last night, we were the victims of an attempted burglary where the miskeen guy shimied up a broken pipe, jumped on to a ledge, forced upon a locked window (!), set off the alarm, entered a bedroom, panicked, ripped off a few sensors in hope of trying to stop the alarm, ran about a bit, tried to break the 'alarm pad', the alarm of course continued alerting everyone, panicked even more when my neighbours came round with police on the way, hid and waited and then legged it out the front as soon as they went to call me. The End.

Alhamdulillah, just a bit of minor damage and a little bit of mud but other than that absolutely nothing. Jack diddly, zilch. Just his baistee.

Why? Because what made me really laugh was the way he ripped my wireless Netgear router off the wall and smashed it in the full belief that this was my 'alarm box'. Miskeen.

The good thing is all the beneficial lessons. We've had our 'first time' now and got away with it so we can thank Allah for that. Also we'll be bolstering up gates and locks even more and don't discount their value for every deterrent has its value in these situations. We don't ever expect such things to totally stop someone getting in and doing something he's intent on but it'll sure be a huge pain in the backside for him trying to get it done. And then there's the satisfation that you've freaked the miskeen out after his huge big master-plan goes pear-shaped. Also, the warm feeling that he fell down the stairs as evident from his sliding footprints is more than enough for me to smile about.

Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah.

Remember, there has been an increase in thieves targetting Asian households particularly in Cheshire/Stockport/Manchester for a quick smash and grab for their gold and "non-taxable" earnings (of course) so be careful.

Unfortunately for Mr Tillah Banda, he forgot that 2nd generation British-Asians aren't all scamming minicab drivers and shopkeepers, so no kaash under the bed. Oh, and we Wahabis don't do gold either.

Alhamdullillah. Alhamdulillah.

So the moral of the story? Don't mess with Netgear - my internet was back on and running after the battering it took within...ooh...all of ten seconds?

:-)

2007-02-19T20:20:00.000Z

Although I don't like to use the post page for non-PG adverts (so please no-one ask me in future), the following two events are at my two local Masjids at which I teach anyway so that's probably okay then right?

:-)

2007-02-18T11:24:00.000Z

I've decided this week that it's not easy being a Muslim in the West, for two reasons:

1. After listening to the Amaechi interview this morning on Radio FiveLive, I've realised that the one group of people that we can empathise most with in terms of trying to be practising Muslims and yet normal citizens in our societies...are homosexuals.

Now that's depressing.

2. It's one thing not being able to listen to music, but missing out on quality music? Ouch.

:-(

On the issue of music, those who will have read Shaykh Juday's infamous bahth on music and singing might be interested in reading a detailed "academic" refutation here.

Be warned, it's not pretty. It's quite heavy reading (over 600 pages), very technical (I enjoyed the revision of my usul al-fiqh), but in my trying-my-hardest-to-be-fair-and-honest-and-objective opinion...pretty poor.

Many points are missed out, the arguments tend to be around peripheral issues and most importantly for myself at least, incredibly rude, exaggerated and belittling.

The lack of adab will be the first thing you notice about this book and the last thing you remember after reading it. Let that be a lesson to the Shaykh who wrote it, and Allah knows best.

Update: the link is correct but it seems that the book has been removed temporarily, either out of common sense or maybe worse, plans to mass-produce it instead...

2007-02-15T11:52:00.000Z

Pakistan Supreme Court Ruling Controversy
By Tillah Banda

After the recent controversy surrounding the custody of young British teenager Misbah Rana, a seven year old boy was at the centre of a courtroom drama yesterday in Karachi, Pakistan when he challenged a court ruling over who should have custody of him.

The boy has a history of being beaten by his parents and the judge initially awarded custody to his aunt, in keeping with the child custody law and regulations requiring that family unity be maintained to the highest degree possible. The boy surprised the court when he proclaimed that his aunt beat him more than his parents and he adamantly refused to live with her.

When the judge suggested that he live with his grandparents, the boy cried out that they also beat him.

After considering the remainder of the immediate family and learning that domestic violence was apparently a way of life among them, the judge took the unprecedented step of allowing the boy to propose who should have custody of him.

After two recesses to check legal references and to confer with child welfare officials, the judge granted temporary custody to the Pakistan Cricket Team, whom the boy and the courts firmly believe are "not capable of beating anyone."

:-(

2007-02-14T16:34:00.000Z

The Unicef report into the welfare of children released yesterday makes for interesting reading.

Frankly, from a British point of view, it doesn’t tell us anything that we didn’t know already – our children, if left to the machinations of society, will turn into walking disasters illa mun rahimallāh.

Also, I wouldn’t read too much into the differences between say the Scandinavian countries at the top and the US and UK at the bottom. If this had been a worldwide study of both developed and ‘undeveloped’ nations, I doubt that many Eastern or Muslim countries would fare much better. What is being essentially highlighted is that our relationships with our children, wherever and whoever, are extremely poor.

What worries me personally is when the secular countries start to complain of their own societies; everyone is utterly bored of the Muslims continually stating that the state of our state is in a right state but when it comes straight from the horse’s mouth – we’re in trouble.

If Muslims weren’t already paranoid enough about everything that could possibly affect their children today whilst outside the home and indeed inside the home with the increasing prevalence of lewd and crass programming and the development of wonder gaming machines such as Wii et al, these figures should still be a wake-up call. Maybe this report is what we need to refocus the many people who, correctly it must be added, believe that there is no obligation of “emigration to a Muslim country” neither tatbīqan or tahqīqan i.e. neither from the sources of Sharī‘ah and neither is it practically a possibility today for the hundreds of millions of Muslims living in non-Islamic countries today.

Hence some of those who have decided to integrate fully into our societies here in the West have become careless in their filtering and guarding of what their children are exposed to, or at least instilling their children with that innate defence which is required to withstand the forces of overwhelming consumerism, materialism and every other harmful “ism” you can think of.

This tarbiyyah process of culturing and building up our children as it is known has now become more important than ever. All those criticisms that some previously used to hold of “Western” society in a possibly bigoted and patronising fashion, need to be reinforced again with a more mature, practical and useful analysis as it should always have been and as is deserving of a people who claim to be followers of the divine way of life that is Islam.

Every aspect of our lives needs to be re-evaluated, critically but sensibly: if our children are at greater risk of being led astray by the powerful and deviant in society, their connection and respect to their parents, elders and scholars needs to become even stronger and even deeper.

The first step in this process is to recognise and admit there is a problem – that the Muslim community is absorbing the ills and diseases of the secular society surrounding us and allowing it to permeate our way of life 24 hours a day.

I was recently discussing this issue with a work colleague in Lancashire who said, “I know exactly what you mean! My mother used to work as a carer in a nursing home and she always used to say that things were really bad but then one day she came home and said, “That’s it, it can’t get any worse. We took in our first Muslim resident. If they’re doing all this nursing home malarkey, there’s no hope left for us anymore.”

Indeed.

Let’s examine a few key areas. The mother-child relationship: are mothers who are working actually forced to work? I mean, are her financial circumstances that desperate? If not, then this could possibly be one of the main reasons behind the lack of love and discipline that can develop in our children when not bringing up such children full-time, not to mention other health, psychological and even social deficiencies.

Take for example breastfeeding (radhā‘ah), something which is intrinsically blessed and indeed a protected right of the infant, which many Muslim women in competition with their own more secular counterparts are depriving their children of. The Prophetic and Qur’anic injuctions for don’t simply emphasise the health benefits of radhā‘ah but also establish its importance in developing that special relationship between the mother and child, a teacher-pupil link which will before anything else instil the importance of moral values, respect and faith into the child before being ravaged by the big bad world outside.

Has the mother been given real opportunity to devote her time to her children? Is her lack of time or need for financial support because of well-known male irresponsibility?

And thus we have the husband-wife relationship: are men treating their wives as is their due right? Are they working as hard as required to fulfil all the financial needs of not just the home, but actually extra so as to allow the mother to free herself completely for her children, especially in a society today very unlike the early days – we can no longer rely on the village teacher and Shaykh in his mahdharah to raise the child or the wet-nurse next-door neighbour or the surrounding family and tribe members to fulfil their societal responsibility as it was done back in the golden days in our golden villages and not as in today's global village.

In our times, Muslim parents have to become mult-faceted, multi-skilled, expansive and hard-working people. They have to take many extra roles and responsibilities on which we can’t expect the nannies, teachers and our childrens’ peers in present-day society to take on.

Then we have the father-child relationship: are our occupations reaching such a level where we find no time for our children? Or is it not work but the allure of the internet that means we spend more times with our friends than we do helping, filtering, educating and cultivating our children? There were various methods used to try and measure well-being in children in the Unicef report, one of them being the family meal. Although there was nothing intrinsically Islamic in a family meal eaten together in terms of the Sunnah, it has become Islamically intrinsic to do so if not just for the opportunity to spend quality time with our children and pass on that which our parents used to pass on to us. And as the old adage asserts, ‘it never did us any harm.”

Most important of all, have we as parents ensured that we are doing our utmost best to empower our children with their greatest gift, asset and defence of our chosen way of life – the Magnificent Qur’ān? Without reflecting on our childrens’ educational needs and ways of learning and then adapting that to memorise the Words of Allah sent as a perfect guide to life, without this first step our children will be in mortal danger of succumbing to the threats posed by a more attractive ideology headed by money and immorality. And the parents will be the ones who will have to shoulder the blame.

In reality, the entire report needs to be studied in detail and our response as Muslim parents living in societies, not just those lambasted by Unicef but actually all over the world, to review our ways and behaviour around and with our children should be even more detailed and comprehensive. Although there are some obvious Islamically unique solutions to much of the criticisms the report makes of the UK and US for example such as poverty, pregnancy rates, teenage smoking, drinking and risky sexual behaviour, other points and indicators need to be considered deeply in general ways which are common to both religious and secular ideologies. We should all be thankful to this reminder and the benefit to parents that this study has provided.

2007-02-08T12:39:00.000Z

About time!

2007-02-05T15:28:00.000Z

I mentioned before that I had a few points I wanted to make with respect to the physical external adab of the Qur'an, physical adab in terms of internally with the Qur'an and then propose some solutions and ideas on how to memorise more of this Mighty and Final Testament.

I don't wish to touch on those issues which are already well known, or agreed upon between the scholars, but rather those more specific issues that are discussed these days or are unique to our situation in the 21st Century today.

Anyway, here is the first installment. It's long and there's no pictures and the screen is black and the writing is painfully white. So it might not be too much fun. But it never was meant to be either. Yeah.

Expect the second in a few weeks or so insha'Allah.

The Qur’ān and Us – Part I

One of the results of living in our post-modern societies in the West is our increased cynicism with all that which is classical, holy, blessed, miraculous, supernatural etc. This has been a direct side-effect from growing up and living in a community which is purely secular in nature, where God has no significance, and where anything that can not be directly observed and proved is immediately rubbished. Call it the Age of Empiricism or call it the Age of Ignorance, what can not be doubted is how it has affected the mindset of millions of Muslims in the “developed” world, and worse even, now starting to play its way down into the Muslim (often synonymous with the) “developing” world.

It’s unfortunate that many Muslims hesitate to act freely in certain issues, afraid that others surrounding them might consider such actions or beliefs as backward or strange. Hence for example, we find some Muslims whilst still having an internal theoretical faith in the subject, are unwilling to express their belief in the supernatural or as the Qur’ān describes it, al-‘Ālam’l-Ghayb or the “Unseen Realm”.

Consequently, we find great difficulty in having a serious discussion about Angels or the Jinn. We find it complicated to talk about al-Hajr’l-Aswad (the Black Stone) or al-Rukn al-Yamāni (the Yemeni Corner of the Ka‘bah) etc. Likewise, to freely extol the blessings of a certain act, or a certain day or a certain night such as Laylat’l-Qadr becomes strained, especially if questioned on the rationale or logic. Naturally, the Believer recognises the basis of such belief in the Unseen and is strong upon that but yet must still recognise the threat. If the prevailing environment still hasn’t shaken the internal belief, it seems apparent from ones observations that the frequency and intensity of religious devotional practice of the external is very much in danger.

Add to this the incredibly fast-paced way we live our lives with the further problem of materialism and secularist ideology insisting that religion be practised and expressed on the “down-low” and then we can recognise a real problem facing our Muslims today.

Couple this modern problem with the ever-existent ikhtilāf or difference of opinion that exists amongst scholars with respect to certain spiritual acts and rituals and one might not be blamed for believing that deep spirituality and emotions such as esteem and sanctity are under attack.

As this section is dealing with the Qur’ān, one can observe specific problems of a similar nature with respect to our direct relationship with the Holy Book.

It is a sad fact that people are not reflecting and benefiting from this great gift to humanity: a deep spiritual message and yet expansive code of conduct for life itself. It is a shame that so many people, whilst recognising its internal beauty and melody, its healing power and the way it invokes ones strongest emotions and yet logically clarifies ones senses, still find difficulty in connecting to this holiest and most sanctified of words – indeed the words of our Creator, Allah, the Mighty and Exalted.

Maybe one of the starting points to re-establishing our relationship with the Qur’ān is to recognise its status and thereby allow it to gain our utter respect and reverence. Hence, adab with the Qur’ān is a vital beginning point.

Rediscovering our Adab

The Muslim recognises from the very fundamental precept of faith that the Qur’ān is not just some created book but actually the real spoken words of Allah ‘azza wa jall Himself, gifted to mankind as a whole yet directed to us specifically as individuals. If one was to internalise this fact for the briefest of moments, its sheer profoundness manifests itself.

This is enough to shake the Believer to his core when dealing with the Qur’ān. Hence, all such scenarios that involve disrespect to the Qur’ān in any way possible such as to intentionally throw it, step on it, tear it up, deny its rulings etc are tantamount to disbelief. Likewise, the Islamic rulings concerning the obligation of purity before the Qur’ān such as being in a state of ablution or free from sexual and menstrual impurity are well known and indeed ‘religiously’ followed.

Indeed, many scholars of the Qur’ān have advocated going much further and established a recommended code of conduct with the Qur’ān in order for Believers to further express their awe in which they view the Words of Allah, with the hope that such sanctification and wonder will further increase the effect of the Qur’ān upon their respective beliefs and actions. Hence, albeit without much technical evidence from the Prophetic period, scholars recommended Muslims that before they read the Qur’ān to perfume themselves, to wear pure and clean clothes, to face the Qiblah, to ensure sufficient previous rest and many other points.

Yet some scholars throughout history have argued that such recommendations cannot be justified without Prophetic sanctioning and also put the case forward that such ‘codes of conduct’, albeit for the sake of argument only ‘recommended’ and hence voluntary, were actually acting as barriers for millions of Muslims who just wanted to discover and reflect upon the true meanings of His Words, at all times and places, at every single opportunity. And still the debate goes on.

It is in the opinion of this author that there does not need to be a contradiction between both approaches. It is of no doubt that the most important relationship and indeed obligation with the Qur’ān is for its followers to act upon it and not to read it or venerate it in a physical sense.

Yet, especially in the age that we live in where Muslims are losing touching with the physical sanctity of the Qur’ān as previously mentioned alongside the growing “progressive” lobby which increasingly views such “ritualistic actions of insignificance” as defunct, there is a real need for Muslims to get back into an intense adab relationship with the physical Qur’ān itself whilst at the same time recognising that to concentrate on reflecting upon its spiritual depths at the same time is the key objective.

Scholars have always suggested in their classical texts a possible approach to increasing adab with a person – such as explaining how one should present themselves in their daily prayers in front of Allah ‘azza wa jall as one would do if presenting themselves to the King of the land but of course recognising the infinitely greater and more perfect nature of the Creator of the Universe. Using such examples with the Qur’ān itself are not out of place - treating the Qur’ān like a very precious object such as a priceless diamond can help focus the Believer on its sanctity and help us on the way to further our relationship with the Qur’ān.

Hence to keep the Qur’ān in a high position, to keep the Qur’ān on top of other books and never below other books, to never rest anything upon the Qur’ān be it paper, or pens or even using it as a pillow as mentioned in the books of fiqh – simply treating the Book as if it were something else very rarely helps us to internalise the importance.

Likewise to read the Qur’ān sitting in an upright position and facing the Qiblah, to not point our feet towards the Qur’ān or even intentionally turn our back to it; such recommendations have been gleaned from the later generations of the Companions and Salaf or the early founding fathers of Islam.

Unsurprisingly, without actual legal evidence, certain scholars were more prudent in their advising of Muslims to enter in to such practices fearing that they would be seen as necessary parts of religious practice and hence become blameworthy innovations.

Of course, the various suggested points of adab have only been religious advice and much of it simply subjective opinion of what respect actually is. What might be seen as disrespectful to one group of people could be seen as totally normal to another culture and so on. Take the case of pointing the feet towards a copy of the Qur’ān upon its holder. Some said that there was not a single piece of evidence to suggest this was blameworthy. The reply of course was that there are many cultures that hold it incredibly disrespectful to sit in front of them with their feet pointing towards them. It just wouldn’t be done. So how can one not do an action out of fear of offence to a normal person and yet do it so lackadaisically to the Book of Allah?

Here, certain Usūli scholars mentioned a principle concerning the Qur’ān which this author feels would be applicable for our study:

“Every action that has not been prohibited by the Sharī‘ah and is intended to make takrīm and ta‘dhīm (honour and veneration) of the Mus-haf (a written copy of the Qur’ān), then this is good and acceptable. This is because all actions which are permissible in principle, when used to arrive at something legislated, become ‘legislated’ themselves in that specific restricted sense as long as the person does not belief as a result of this that said action is recommended (Sunnah) by itself or necessarily required – this is out of fear that something be added to the religion of Islam that which is not from it. ” (1)

The support for honouring the Qur’ān as such comes from the statement of Allah, “As for those who honour Allah’s sacred rites, that comes from the taqwa in their hearts.” (al-Hajj, 32) which is general in all that which Allah has shown and taught his servants with respect to the religion. A general evidence is really all that is required here since the Mus-haf as we have today wasn’t really around at the time of the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam); thus, any permissible action used in relation to the Qur’ān out of respect and honour is considered permissible except that this often leaves the door open to people exaggerating and going to extremes in their behaviour. Therefore, it is necessary to have some sort of guidelines to reign in peoples’ subjectivity in this issue and those guidelines are seen to be the actions of the Companions and their Successors (Sahābah and Tābi‘īn). Note that these generations are not being used in a legislative sense, rather simply as a standard to avoid any mistakes and exaggeration since they were the closest of all people in history to the Qur’ān and most in awe and respect of it.

Using this principle helps us to achieve that balance one feels is required in our times, avoiding fallacious concepts such as standing for the Qur’ān when it is brought into the room or walking out of a room backwards that contains a Qur’ān in it, yet protecting age-old practices of ‘urf (culture) that our elders and predecessors have used to maintain their love of the Qur’ān.

However despite this principle, other points of adab still remain contentious with scholars who were either critical of the above principle in their attempt to safeguard the pure religion or they were in doubt over the existence of early generational ‘support’ for such actions such as the kissing of the Qur’ān, even though it is seen as a perfectly natural way of expressing love and respect for something which is incredibly precious and dear to the hearts.

This action has been established on the authority of the Companion ‘Ikrimah b. Abi Jahl (radhy Allāhu ‘anhu) who would take the Mus-haf whilst reciting and hold it against his face whilst crying, saying, “The Book of my Lord! The Book of my Lord!” (2)

Therefore we can say that actions such as this, showing fondness and connection to the Mus-haf and/or kissing it and all that in the same meaning as the above is permissible and good, but cannot be classified as the Sunnah as mentioned previously.

Likewise the debate still continues on whether the Qur’ān should ever be placed on the floor especially with many scholars declaring that to be permissible as long as the floor is clean enough to be prayed on. In fact, some weren’t even so stringent, supporting their position with the narration of ‘Atā’ b. Abi Rabāh that a man came to ibn Abbas (radhy Allāhu ‘anhumā) and said to him, “Can I place the Mus-haf on a floor that I have intercourse on, that I have wet dreams on and that I sweat all over?” “Yes,” replied ibn ‘Abbās. (3)

It is important to try and restrain emotion in such discussions in order to reach the correct position and many scholars disliked the idea that the Qur’ān be placed on the floor, even extending such dislike to the normal books of religion such as in law or theology for example.

The basis for this was the action of the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) himself as narrated in the hadith of ‘Abdullāh b. ‘Umar (radhy Allāhu ‘anhumā) when the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was invited by a Jewish tribe to judge on a Jew who was accused of adultery. When he arrived, they called for a cushion upon which the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) sat upon, whom then asked for the Torah to be brought. When they arrived with it, the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) withdrew the cushion from underneath him and placed the Torah upon it and said, “I have believed in you and the One who sent you,” and the judgement continued. (4)

What this hadith shows other than the supreme conduct of the Messenger of Allah, particularly to non-Muslims, is that there is an understanding of respecting the Holy Books and one such way is to raise them from the ground as one does to other people or precious objects - if this was with the Torah, then what of the Qur’ān?

It is important to note that this does not mean it is an obligation to raise the Qur’ān above the floor rather it is an excellent action of respect; nevertheless one mustn’t accuse the one who doesn’t do it of being an ‘evil person’ who disrespects the Qur’ān, as can be understood above in the athar of ibn ‘Abbās.

Another example of what is construed as bad adab is the fact that many Muslims wet their fingers with spittle in order to help them turn the pages of the Qur’ān easier. Many scholars found no problem with such an action, as found in the books of Hanafi and Shāfi‘ī fiqh. (5)

The Mālikiyyah on the other hand were very strict against such an action, in particular the great ibn ‘Arabi and ibn al-Hāj who almost took the touching of the Mus-haf with spittle to that of prohibition. (6)

One of the world’s leading Fuqahā’, Shaykh Muhammad Mukhtar al-Shanqiti, was asked about such a person who wetted his finger to turn a page of the Qur’ān. He replied after explaining that this was something that the people of knowledge differed over..:

“A student of knowledge who believed strongly that this was permissible would argue with my father (who gave a fatwa instructing people to stay away from such a practice) about this. My father then said, “Ok, fine.” He then placed his finger in his mouth and approaching the face of the student, said, “What do you think if I rub this on your face?” The student took a step back and my father said, “So if this is with you then what of these blessed pages (al-suhuf al-mukarramah) which have a greater right to be preserved??”

…anyway, these are from the issues concerning honouring the Book of Allah, and it is more complete (in veneration) and excellent to avoid such actions as much as one possibly can.”

This author, in keeping with the series on the Qur’ān with its main objective to increase ones connection to His Words and reflect more upon it and eventually memorise more of His eternal guidance, shall be predominantly keeping to the Māliki school in approach to this subject, not merely out of whim but rather greater experience of that school and their unique skill in the Qur’ān and indeed memorisation as expressed by the inimitable Shanqiti tribe.

There are many ways for the Muslims to rediscover the Qur’ān and realise its intense impact that is stored within. One feels that by allowing the Muslims to feel comfortable and indeed proud of respecting the adab of the Qur’ān in ways similar to the various permissible ‘urf practices they have grown up with, coupled with a serious and authentic study of its deep meanings via memorisation will be a successful approach, particularly at these times where spiritual veneration is on the wane.

Allah knows best. And with Allah alone is success.

(1) ‘Ulūm’l-Qur’ān, al-Juday’ P. 562 (Mu’assasat’l-Rayyān)
(2) Narrated by al-Dārimi (3228) with an authentic chain, despite many scholars declaring there to be a hidden fault. And Allah knows best.
(3) Narrated by ‘Abd al-Razzāq (1331) on the authority of ibn Jurayj with an authentic chain.
(4) Authentic. Narrated by Abu Dāwūd (4449) with a good chain, via ibn Wahb.
(5) Al-Durr al-Mukhtār (322/1)
(6) ‘Āridhat’l-Ahwadhi (240/10) and al-Madkhal (318/2)

2007-02-04T19:57:00.000Z

My goodness.

Am I exaggerating here or is this one of Galloway's best speeches?

Surely this is the best orator the world has seen for a long time, right?

I know, he has lapses, but he has moments. And more moments than lapses mind you.

Galloway's Parliamentary Speech

Watch it. You won't be disappointed.

2007-02-01T17:39:00.000Z

If you don’t like sport, I suggest you scroll down and find something else that tickles your fancy.

And if you don’t like cricket, then I advise you to click that little button in the top right hand corner with the cross on it. This is going to be hardcore.

It’s been ages since I let myself go on everything sporting over the last few months, so I’m going to get a fix right now.

So firstly, the football.

Fantastic Footy

It’s great to see Man Utd playing fabulous football again. Of course it's important to win the Premiership this year but it’s even more important for the Reds to do it in style – and devastating style at that. Ronaldo of course has been excellent but what of Rooney’s recent goals? Absolutely amazing, especially the Cantona chip into the far corner of the net over one of the tallest keepers in the league – if only Rooney knew how to celebrate and look cool and arrogant, it would go down as one of the all-time classics.

But it won’t. Because he doesn’t have that Va Va Voom.

And that’s why, despite Obefemi Martins's rocket of a goal against Spurs a few weeks back which is a goal of the season candidate if I ever saw one, the winner will of course be Thierry Henry.

What else can be said about this Jinn of a footballer? I think I was the only Reds fan who started laughing and giving him respect when he scored that bitter last-second winner against us last week – we just have to appreciate sheer genius. But it’s his angry ambivalent attitude whilst knowing that he is the very best in the world that is his piece de resistance. How can you not smile when he celebrates as he did?

And how can you not stand up and acknowledge his wonder-goal against whoever it was a few weeks ago, starting from the back, running the length of the pitch, one-two with Fabregas and into the top corner. And then the attitude. Oh I love it.

And then a little jig at the end? Stop it. Stop it!

And that’s exactly what Rooney hasn’t got. He scores a great goal and we get that lame English attempt at being happy/cool/proud – continuing in the same not-so-enviable line of celebrations as seen from Messrs Lineker, Shearer et al. Va Va … splutter.

And finally, I would probably agree that most people would like to watch Arsenal when their own team isn’t playing. I know I certainly do.

Oh and finally finally (honest), isn’t it great to hear that the Muslims still have something left from our glory days of 1400 years ago, even though it’s only good business sense. Sheikh Mohammed’s Dubai Investment company pulling out of the proposed take-over of Liverpool FC should give us all hope – even the Muslims aren’t going to buy into an over-rated lame Scouse team that would have proved to be the worst waste of money ever. Period.

PS: thanks for beating Chelsea for us by the way.

Cracking Cricket

Firstly, although I’m gutted that England have had their baistee done so badly down in Oz (as very fleetingly alluded to earlier this month), you just have to admit that they’ve been beaten by a mighty cricket team playing the very highest quality cricket. The Aussie team (and supporting cast) have been right on the money as usual, proving that it was more down to their lack of form than something intrinsic in England’s form during the Ashes of 2005.

And what of Ricky Ponting? He is certainly the best batsman I have seen in my 20 years of following cricket, which I suppose is a bit of a grandiose statement especially since we’ve had Tendulkar, Lara, Waugh, Gooch, Border, Miandad et al during the same period. Of course, there is a general tendency to remember the most recent over the past so I could be wrong, but really, his form in recent years is something to marvel at. I think Mohammed Yousuf has a long way to go to catch him.

Which leads nicely to the recent series against South Africa, which itself has been very entertaining, especially with Cricinfo’s ball-by-ball coverage whilst you’re at work. It’s a great service which we’ll miss until May 2007, as all International Test Match cricket is put on hold whilst we get over the World Cup.

We fought hard against the South Africans, with a depleted bowling attack and facing my favourite attack bowler in world cricket – Makhaya Ntini. The last test match especially was an absolute nail-biter (aren’t all Pakistan games?) where Asif and Kaneria bowled out of their skins but in vain as Kallis saw the Africans home.

Anyone want to argue the fact that Jacque Kallis is the best all-rounder in the world? And by a country mile at that? I thought not.

Inzamam’s innings in the 2nd Test was one of the best ever. Asif’s line and length were incredible. Younis Khan’s slip catching was excellent. And that’s probably about it for the positives.

What an incredibly inept opening pair we have (and have had since Saeed Anwar and Co). This is what Imran Khan misses when he criticises Mohammed Yousuf’s batting position being too low in comparison to Ponting at No. 3. You see, Ponting actually has someone to knock the shine off the ball above him whereas Yousuf seems to be batting against a new cherry virtually every innings he plays! Our 1, 2 and 3 positions are a major problem that will always ensure we remain at the second level of cricket’s giants.

What of Shoaib? Get rid of him. Who needs him anyway? I think I’ve lost my patience with this guy, especially when he tried it with Bob Woolmer who has single-handedly brought respect and credence to Pakistani cricket. Only after we lose him to England after the World Cup will Pakistan realise what a man they had.

What of Mr Akmal? Well, enough is enough. Look, I don’t even care that he doesn’t score any runs whatsoever, but it’s the fact that his dropped catches are blatantly costing us matches. Hence he has become a negative force on the team and not even a neutral one! ZulQarnain the reserve keeper has to be given a shout in the ODIs and at least we know one thing: he can’t possibly do any worse.

Which leads on to the impending One Dayers and World Cup – what is our best team?

I’m kind of falling for the idea that Shahid Afridi, who I believe to be playing the poorest cricket ever, should come back and captain the side. I know that sounds crazy, even moreso if it means side-lining Inzy et al, but I think it’s the only way we can control the immense talent of our one true match-winner, by giving him more responsibility. Just a thought.

Anyway, it’ll be great to have Abdur-Razzaq back after injury, especially after watching Jacob Oram’s fantastically clean hitting against England and Australia, and Chanderpaul going mental against the Indians. We need some big-hitters back in our side, especially as we’re getting all classy and stylish again with Inzy and the two Ys. There’s nothing like a good bish-bash-crash-bang-wallop right out of Gotham City.

Which is why I think we still have to give Rana Naved a chance. I know he hasn’t bowled very well but we know that he has incredible talent and can be deadly on his day. He has also proved very handy with the bat and could keep our tail wagging for that bit longer. I also think Kaneria shouldn’t be too disappointed at being left out of limited overs cricket because he is expensive and does bowl too short far too often. More importantly, we already have at least one spinner (Malik) and another leggie as well (Afridi) who are there for their batting. If Malik is still going to be injured, maybe he should be considered or maybe Abdul Rahman but what of his batting? Kaneria I think is better and that's saying something...

So, my suggested eleven in batting order:

S Malik, Afridi (c), M Hafeez, Y Khan (vc), M Yusuf, Inzamam, ZulQarnain (w), Abdul Razzaq, Naved, U Gul, M Asif.

I know I might be dreaming but hey, what’s wrong with that? And if Shoaib suddenly rediscovers his adab, then I’m sure we could make a bit of a space. Hypocritcal of me? Of course it is. But we must win. At all costs. So there.

It’ll be very interesting to see how the SA One Day series works out and then we’ll be better placed to see whether we have any chance of competing with the likes of Australia at the World Cup.

And Ramiz Raja? Again?! Enough! Enough!

And that’s it. Really.

2007-01-31T12:21:00.000Z

"And now, we've got to find out how fast it goes round our track, and that of course means handing it over to our tame racing driver.

Some say he once threw a microwave oven at a tramp.

(Shrug of the shoulders)

And long before anyone else...he realised that Jade Goody was...a racist pig-faced waste of blood and organs.

(Huge applause)

All we know is...he's called The Stig."

No-one puts it like Clarkson.

2007-01-30T13:45:00.000Z

We said, “Ya Shaykh! Be careful what you say these days otherwise they’ll put you in jail!”

He said, “Don’t worry Ya Ikhwan, they don’t have any space…”

:-)

2007-01-27T16:19:00.000Z

I just realised that I forgot to wish everyone a Happy New Year for 1428, so I hope everyone can get themselves together and make it a better year all round with plenty of New Year resolutions insha'Allah.

One thing that I'd like to believe is on most peoples' lists is to better their relationship with the Qur'an, whether just more time reading it, or reflecting about it or even hopefully memorising it. Insha'Allah I hope to put up some useful stuff on this in the next few weeks.

Also, let's not forget the blessings and excellence of fasting the 9th and 10th of Muharram, known as Tāsū‘ah and ‘Ashūrā’ for which the reward is well known - not just following the Sunnah of our Prophet (s), but honouring Moses (as) and also getting a year's sins wiped out for free too. Quality.

The 9th and 10th will be Sunday 28th and Monday 29th of January according to Makkah so all the best to you wherever you are.

2007-01-26T22:24:00.000Z

After just watching CNN's attempt at a documentary entitled "The War Within" i.e. another load of bakwas about the Muslims, I couldn't help but laugh (indeed, I think I became a Dhahhûk...) when Omar Brookes (Abu Izzadeen), trying to work up some steam and put on a good show, comes out with a blunder straight out of "It'll Be Alright On The Night":

"(The Prophet (s) said, "I am al-Dhayyâq al-Qattâl!!"

Err...excuse me?

al-Dhayyâq?!?

Goodness me, what a travesty. May Allah protect our Messenger's honour from the ignorant who claim to follow him, and from those who describe him (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) with names taken from their own pockets.

Goodness me. Again.

2007-01-25T20:28:00.000Z

This is for you Jamal Byron:

"What a mess on the Prairie."

'Nuff said.

2007-01-22T14:15:00.000Z

The Disease of Our Inherent –isms

Once again over the last few weeks, the media has effectively illustrated the bubbling intensity of feeling that lurks within the societal collective, regardless of race, gender or religion.

Call it the disease of the –isms, racism being the most obvious. Sexism and ageism are also sad realities today, Islam treating both subjects carefully. Unfortunately, Islam is also being asked to explain the perceived incidences of anti-Semitism, extremism and possibly egoism from the Dispatches show last week.

Jade Goody’s behaviour in the latest series of Big Brother indicated what some anthropologists call our “inherent racism” – something which I believe that most if not all people suffer from. And it is a widespread disease amongst all people of all ethnicity and religions. It lurks inside and raises its ugly head when our comfort zone is threatened – that zone of normality which we are brought up with from early years to later life. Everyone feels comfortable and relaxed alongside that which you know best and understand. That which we don’t know, the foreign, the strange, the different is always a threat until one makes the effort to overcome that ignorance.

You’ve seen the type that Miss Goody represents. You’ll also know the type that some Pakistani, Indian, Bengali and Somalian Muslim communities in the UK exhibit towards their white neighbours – well, that is when they actually acknowledge said neighbours even exist around them. Everyone feels more secure amongst their ‘own’.

Then you have those who can’t be bothered to make that effort and are happy to wallow in their ignobility, or find solace in the company of like-minded people and delight in their stupidity by playing to the audience with the lowest common denominator: we are the superior, civilised and developed bunch.

It’s amazing to see that Jade has become Public Enemy No. 1, despite the fact that her friends in the house have been as disgraceful and racist, as well as being generally representative of a certain social class under ‘New Labour’ whom we all know have great difficulty in refraining from their prejudices. Even worse was the incredibly ignorant and indeed arrogant statements denying racism by Big Brother and Channel 4, insisting that the general public were all blind stupid monkeys in what we saw – actually, maybe that fits the racism pattern quite well…

Of course, this feeling isn’t restricted to just one country or one race of people. Although Big Brother has illustrated, as correctly observed by some, the widespread reality it is here in the UK, it carries on unabated in the rest of the world. The controversy of a black Presidential candidate called Obama in the US has been well documented. The disgraceful behaviour of Pakistani cricket fans to South African fielders and the pathetic racist behaviour from Herschelle Gibbs and indeed his Captain Graeme Smith is just another example.

Anyway, I don’t want to go on too much about racism. There are some American Muslim bloggers who blog about nothing else. What should be of more interest to the Muslim is the psyche of the one who comes out with such personal and/or racial vitriol. Jade Goody, once in her stride, was away like the clappers. But why did it continue to get worse and worse?

It’s just that the best in a society are those who control their weaknesses and ill feelings; they are those who despite their anger, consider the consequences and keep in control. They are those who when hit by calamity, do not fall for the base emotion of blaming others but have patience. Importantly, as the Prophet (s) pointed out to the Companions, they are those who despite deep-seated prejudices, quell that deviant emotion and do not allow it to ever come to the fore – to get rid of the Jahiliyyah or ignorance of the Pre-Islamic period.

Muslims are fortunate in that we act as if we can see the Lord of all the Worlds in front of us, and if not that then at least have the knowledge that He sees our every action. This helps the Muslim be accountable for his actions, his feelings and his words and reach a higher spiritual satisfaction in this life. Likewise on the flipside, a Muslim runs the grave risk of becoming a hypocrite when acting loosely as if God doesn’t see him and retribution threatens to be severe for him.

I raise this because the reason Jade and her friends continued to get worse and worse in their attacks on the Indian actress, and why Gibbs felt it okay to abuse Pakistanis and why so many people who do crimes of every other kind is simply because they think no-one can see them, no-one can hear them, no-one can find out. In the age of secret cameras (I hope the irony of that is not lost on Jade in a house of hundreds of known cameras), stump-microphones, continuous recording and live broadcasting, we get a fascinating insight into the total lack of responsibility shown by people for their base emotions and prejudices.

Think Dean Jones and his off-camera terrorist remark to Hashim Amla, except that the mic was still on. Think Ron Atkinson and his attack on black players except that again, the mic was still on. Even worse, think of the Gibbs outburst caught on the stump microphone and the unbelievable response by the South African coach Micky Arthur: “Some things should remain private on the field.”

Wrong Mr Arthur - if you can’t purify your soul from your disease, then let it remain private not on the field, but deep and hidden away in the field of your dark heart.

One shouldn't criticise without offering a solution. All of us, whites and blacks, men and women, Muslims and non-Muslims must realise that the solution to our prejudices is to humanise the big “other”, humanise the fear, humanise the “unknown”. Further natural contact between the different people and the pursuit of knowledge about that which you don’t know or are not comfortable with, is the only solution to getting rid of our ignorance and dealing with the disease of many inherent –isms.

It’s amazing how the media (and again, Channel 4), despite how much it is criticised, has so clearly brought this home. A few Muslims would also do well to get to know other non-Muslims and start to act like a responsible person in civil society before labelling certain non-Muslim groups as “dirty”, or likening Jews to snorting pigs and other such inappropriate, unwarranted and most importantly un-Islamic behaviour.

Muslims have a duty to cleanse society of its deviations, whether at the governmental level or the personal and social level. They have an added responsibility to do this in the Prophetic manner; one of wisdom, style, appropriateness, mercy and above all, upholding the common best interests of the community. May we all be guided to such a way.

2007-01-20T00:15:00.000Z

Many of us will know about the plight of Babar Ahmad and his family at the hands of the "War on Terror", but few will know that he has recently been moved from London to Strangeways, here in Manchester.

Things are tough as they are for Muslim prisoners but Babar is being singled out for specific punishment by the North's finest criminals; may Allah give him patience.

I wish to appeal to my congregation here in Manchester, to my friends, my students, and all others local to the North West - show Babar that we do not forget those who are less fortunate than us in which ever way Allah chooses that to be. The brothers from Hhugs have specifically asked for us to write to Babar so here is his address:

Babar Ahmad
MX 5383
HMP Manchester
Southall Street
Greater Manchester M60 9AH

Don't let us down, wa jazakumullahu khayran.

2007-01-18T21:37:00.000Z

They’re still asking about Jihad. They always will.

So here it is. The real truth about Jihad and Terrorism.

If that clip doesn’t make you laugh your head off, you’re speaking the wrong language. Absolutely hilarious.

PS: Thanks to Hood for this one who once again proves that Arabicized Convert Madinans still do it better…

:-)

2007-01-17T12:22:00.000Z

They ask about Jihad. They always do.

Although there were a few pantomine performances of note in the Dispatches programme, there's nothing new here. Same old drivel, same old bakwas.

So, when they ask about the Khilafah, women's rights, gays and all the rest of it, I say:

"Anyone for cricket chaps?"

(Yawn)

2007-01-15T13:57:00.000Z

He (s) said, "Love for your brother that which you love for yourself."

I came across a box of "Prestige" Ferrero Rocher Chocolates; it has your normal ones around the side, a little section in the middle which are "cherry chocolates" and then six intriguing looking chocolates labelled "espresso".

Be warned. Take it from a chocolate connoisseur. It is the most earth-shatteringly rough chocolate you will ever have. It has a warning label printed at the bottom saying "liquid centre". I only wish I read warning labels and acted upon them before eating the chocolate, and not crying afterwards.

Just a friendly piece of advice. Stay away. Like the plague.

2007-01-13T22:44:00.000Z

For those Arabic speakers of you, take advantage of Shaykh Juday's first course of the year. It will be based upon his own 'Ulum al-Qur'an book, from which over the next few weeks I might post a few of my own personal notes during our studies together.

Imam Tahir mentioned in the advert can be contacted at Leeds Grand Mosque, which you will need to do in order to book a place and also to reserve a copy of the text.

2007-01-12T22:41:00.000Z

Call this a "consultation document" - PG would appreciate some feedback from all those who expressed interest in the audio/visual/streaming of the 1st season of the al-Adab al-Mufrad class.

If it were to be screened on TV or streamed over the internet, what would be a good time of the day/night? And what day(s) of the week? Is 6pm-7pm better than 11pm-12pm or vice-versa? Consider 7pm-11pm difficult although if a strong case is put forward, it could be arranged. Also, if it was to be repeated during the daytime (in a week), what kind of time is more preferable?

Incidentally, please pass on to those other friends/students enquiring (I cannot keep up replying personally) that the 2nd season of the class will not be on for at least another few months. Your du'as for tawfiq and ikhlas are requested.

You can either leave feedback on this post or email dawah@PropheticGuidance.co.uk

2007-01-09T22:00:00.000Z

They ask about divorce. They always do.

Of course, it is usually bad news for those involved. No-one can deny that.

But don't forget the mercy that it is for so many people who fall into mistakes or difficulties, whether through fraud, scams, or just simple naivety - and they need a way out to restart their lives.

Which makes it even more clearer that the Prophet (s) didn't say, "The most hated of the permissible (actions) according to Allah is divorce." (أبغض الحلال إلى الله الطلاق)

Just for the record: this hadith was narrated by Abu Dawud (2177), Hakim (196/2), Bayhaqi in al-Sunan (322/7) as well as others.

It is a weak hadith from the Prophet (s). It is authentic as a mursal report only, with one authentic chain as a mawquf report to Ibn 'Umar (r).

As for those who said so: Abu Hatim, Khattabi, Ibn Ma'een, Daraqutni, Bayhaqi, Ibn Hajr and many many others. See the Muwaffaqat (200/1) for a beneficial discussion on the chains by Sh Mashur Hasan.

PS all those people I've been discussing marital issues with over the last week: this is not a hint, ok?

I'm just getting things out of my system that's all... :-)

2007-01-08T11:40:00.000Z

This is, truly, an excellent article. Please pass on to irritating atheist/agnostic/"secular humanist" colleagues, friends and neighbours with happiness.

I certainly will be.

Secular fundamentalists are the new totalitarians

Militant secularists like Richard Dawkins are taking their revenge on us believers for refusing to stay in the closet

Tobias Jones
Saturday January 6, 2007
The Guardian

There's an aspiring totalitarianism in Britain which is brilliantly disguised. It's disguised because the would-be dictators - and there are many of them - all pretend to be more tolerant than thou. They hide alongside the anti-racists, the anti-homophobes and anti-sexists. But what they are really against is something very different. They - call them secular fundamentalists - are anti-God, and what they really want is the eradication of religion, and all believers, from the face of the earth.

In recent years these unpleasant people have had a strategy of exploiting Britain's innate politeness. They realised that for a decade overly sensitive souls (normally called the PC brigade) had bent over backwards to avoid giving offence. Trying not to give offence was, despite the excesses, a noble courtesy.

But the fundamentalists saw an opening. Because we live in a multiconfessional society, they fostered the falsehood that wearing a crucifix or a veil or a turban was deeply offensive to other faiths. They pretended to be protecting religious sensibilities as a pretext to strip us of all religious expressions. In 2006 Jack Straw and BA fell into the fundamentalists' trap.

But Britons are actually laissez-faire about such things. And so the fundamentalists deployed an opposite tactic. Instead of pretending to protect religious sensibilities, they went on the offensive and sought to give offence. The subsequent reactions to the play Behzti in Birmingham, to Jerry Springer the Opera and to the Danish cartoons were wheeled out as examples of why religious groups are unable to live with our cherished freedom and tolerance.

In recent years the nastier side of this totalitarianism has become blatantly apparent. It emerged with the hijab issue in France. With the hijab ban in French schools, a state was banishing religion not only from its corridors, but also from its citizens.

It was an assertion that after centuries of the naked public square (denuded of religion referents) the public now too had to go naked. The former had been true tolerance, something exceptional and laudable. It allowed everyone to bring their own cosmic testimony to the square. But this new form of "tolerance" changed things. From everyone being welcome, it had become everyone but.

There's a background to all this. Since 2001, lazy intellectuals have been allowed to get away with repeating the nonsense that terrorism and war are the consequences of belief in God. Believers are ridiculed for being, in contrast to the stupendously brainy atheists, very dim. Listen to Richard Dawkins' comment on Nadia Eweida (the BA employee who refused to take off her cross): "she had one of the most stupid faces I've ever seen." Nice.

There's also the fact that we live in a cultural milieu dominated by postmodernism. Broadly speaking, it attempts to deconstruct power and its narratives. It tries to rescue the marginalised. A noble intent, but because it doesn't believe in truth, anything goes. The tyranny of orthodoxy has been replaced by the tyranny of relativism. You're supposed to believe in nothing, and hence nihilists and atheists are suddenly rather chic. Postmodernism has taken tolerance to the extremes, where extremists thrive. It's a dangerous form of appeasement.

The greatest appeasers, however, have been the believers. Until recently many hid their religion in the closet. They conceded that it was something private. Until a few years ago religion was similar to soft drugs: a blind eye was turned to private use but woe betide you if you were caught dealing. Only recently have believers realised that religion is certainly personal, but it can never be private.

The reasons for that "outing" of believers are complex. But what is certain is that wise agnostics pleaded with believers to take a public lead again, because the point about believers is that they are obeying (and disobeying) all sorts of commandments that the state doesn't see or understand. Because they are able to differentiate sin from crime, they have a moral register more nuanced than most. Even a wise atheist (and I've met a few of them in church, as they desperately try to get their kids into the local C of E school) knows that believers can deal with social anarchy much better than the state ever can.

That is why these fundamentalists are so in evidence. They're not only needled by their own hypocrisy; they are also furious that believers have broken the old pact to stay out of public debate. Witness, for example, Mary Riddell's astonishing sentence in the Observer last month (try replacing "religion" with "homosexuality" to get the point): "secularists do not wish to harm religion or deny its great cultural influence. They simply want it to know its place." In other words: get back in the closet.

Christians feel particularly aggrieved because we believe that Jesus invented secularism. Jesus's teachings desacralised the state: no authority, not even Caesar's, was comparable to God's. As Nick Spencer writes in Doing God, "the secular was Christianity's gift to the world, denoting a public space in which authorities should be respected, but could be legitimately challenged and could never accord to themselves absolute or ultimate significance". Christianity, far from creating an absolutist state, initiated dissent from state absolutism.

And so for centuries a combination of British agnosticism and pragmatism meant that believers were judged not by the causes of their belief, but by its consequences. Everyone could taste the fruits, even those who couldn't believe in a sustaining, invisible root. These new militants, however, believe themselves to be the only arbiters of taste; they want to eradicate the root and cause. They will dictate what you can wear and what you can say. That, after all, is what totalitarians do.

· Tobias Jones is the author of The Dark Heart of Italy; his new book, Utopian Dreams, is published this month

2007-01-07T16:46:00.000Z

A question was raised during last night's Tafsir class concerning Verse 77 of al-Nisa' where Allah 'azza wa jall says, "The Hereafter is better for him who has Taqwa..."

So, as Shaykh Kehlan said, it's a simple equation: those who have Taqwa will never have any issues in this life because they always remember that the Akhirah is the ultimate objective and far better for them. Hence all problems, setbacks and difficulties in this temporal life are all taken in ones stride.

The question though: do you know anyone who has Taqwa?

In fact, have you ever seen anyone have proper Taqwa?

We hear about Taqwa in the Qur'an all the time. We know that Jannah is reserved for the people of Taqwa. We know that there is no position better than to be from the people of Taqwa. We are reminded every week to have Taqwa. And when we slip up, we are warned by our better folk to have Taqwa.

So surely there must be a some who took heed out there right? A few even?

Really?

I can't think of anyone. If I honestly sit down and have a deep think about it, I can't think of a single person (and most definitely not myself) that is in a continuous state of Taqwa - a Muttaqi.

When was the last time you saw a person fear Allah and be aware of Him whilst speaking on the phone?

When was the last time you sat with someone and you thought to yourself, "This person really fears Allah."

When was the last time you met anyone who acted as if they were being watched by Allah, were aware of Him, and feared His Command 'jalla wa 'ala?

Exactly.

Depressing isn't it. But hey, just a reminder innit?

2007-01-03T13:34:00.000Z

"This is the way of men?!"

I'd never have ever thought it possible for there to be such a sadness, such support and such unity of feeling from the general Muslims around the world at the death of a man who oppressed and butchered thousands of people during his reign.

Thus ends the chapter of history that was al-Ra'ees Saddam Hussein.

From the shock on 'Eed morning until five days later, I've been reflecting on how on Earth could there be such a PR turnaround? How does one of the world's greatest criminals become the Muslim world's greatest "martyr" of the 21st Century? How is it that after reading through hundreds of Arabic and English reports, comments and commentaries on the whole episode, that there seems to be so much consensus of opinion between scholars and lay-people, friends and foe that Saddam died with honour and for "the cause", surely a massive own-goal from an intentionally provocative American execution.

I've struggled over this. Iraqis who had brothers and fathers killed by Saddam swore a few days ago that they wished they were in his place and died with such dignity. Iraqis who fled 15-20 years ago from Saddam's tyranny never to see their ageing families again, personally swear to me that he died a Muslim Shaheed, forgiven for his evil throughout his life and a changed man at the end.

"You what?!" I exclaim, but they insisted on it, and who am I to argue with those who hold the right to avenge for their own slain families. But I have come to realise that this forgiving feeling stems from the incredible insult and attack on our Deen by the aggressive invaders and their leaders on the Day of Sacrifice. As we got ready to slaughter sheep for ourselves, the invaders tried to slaughter the Deen via the hanging of a man and ended up causing such families above to slaughter their deep emotions; anger and revenge against Saddam turning to pardon and forgiveness with the new enemy clearly set in their hearts.

You may think this is all a farce because Saddam was a criminal etc, yet I am relaying first-hand from such families. Other stories and support are clear to see in the Muslim world ranging from the sublime to the maybe-not-so-ridiculous. Indeed, one of the less serious statements I heard from a Jordanian Shaykh was his analogy between Saddam's death and that of the man who killed 99 people, the last of them being a "monk" who gave misguidance and yet was forgiven by Allah in the famous Prophetic hadith. Well, as the Shaykh said, Saddam is the same except that his "Priest" was Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr...!

What?!

Distractions aside, I can't doubt the clarity of Saddam's testament at the end - so to Allah is his affair and indeed to Him we all return.

As for honour, then it is difficult to deny him that. As he was pathetically taunted by the Safavid transgressors on behalf of the internal and external enemies of Allah, his composure and dignity was scary. "This is the way of men?!" he replies to the chants of "Muqtada! Muqtada!" And then there was that Shahadah...

Was he playing the crowd? Was he sincere? I don't know but he certainly achieved the desired effect amongst many.

Many a brutal and evil man has gone down "honourably" at the final hour in order to milk the watching masses or even holding an utterly sincere belief, although sincerely wrong, that they were leaving as heros and martyrs. One incident narrated in the Saheeh always brings a smile to my face, simply for the utter arrogance and pride of the criminal. When the Prophet (s) requested 'Abdullah b. Mas'ud to go and check on the condition of Abu Jahl who had been mortally wounded at Badr, Ibn Mas'ud came to Abu Jahl and asked him mockingly whilst holding his beard, "So you're Abu Jahl?"

"Is there a man more greater than the one you have killed??" he immediately replied.

Ibn Mas'ud was a small man, especially compared to the obese Abu Jahl. In a further narration collected by al-Hakim, Ibn Mas'ud climbed on to the huge immobile frame of Abu Jahl, and placed his small leg on Abu Jahl's neck and said, "May Allah humiliate you, O Enemy of God!"

"And what have I been humiliated by? Is there anyone more honoured (than me) to be killed by someone (so noble) like you?" he replied.

His sarcasm was not missed by Ibn Mas'ud, who climbed on to him to which Abu Jahl said, "O Shepherd boy! You have climbed very high today!" to which Ibn Mas'ud took off his head.

I know, I know, what's the link? Well, there isn't one. It's just that when I saw Saddam the Tyrant acting so defiant and proud at the end, it reminded me of Abu Jahl's defiance and cockiness as well.

Except of course that one died a humiliated resident of the Fire at the hands of the greatest generation to walk the Earth, and the other died in dignity at the hands of the greatest transgressors of our times as a resident...

...of heaven?

Now that's something to think about.

2006-12-29T15:46:00.000Z

Good news, alhamdulillah.

Spain cathedral shuns Muslim plea

At least no-one can complain that we didn't ask nicely when we march in and take it back over soon - insha'Allah...

:-)

"Who could do greater wrong than someone who bars access to the Mosques of Allah, preventing His name from being remembered in them, and goes about destroying them? Such people will never be able to enter them - except in fear. They will have disgrace in the world and in the Hereafter they will have a terrible punishment."

2006-12-28T00:02:00.000Z

Beards are definitely back in fashion as we enter 2007, owing a lot to its growing popularity in sport in general.

The Beard of the Year awards for 2006 which has annually recognised the best/stylish/bravest and usually most high profile beard every year for a few years now, has been coming to its conclusion.

And this year for the beard has been the year of sport. Footballers and cricketers have dominated proceedings from Rooney's short flings to Ellington's more Deeni-orientated attempt, all the way through to good old Mushy and countless other Desi cricketers. Interestingly, cricket has dominated the awards (organised by the 'Beard Liberation Front') for the last two years with Freddie Flintoff's designer stubble getting us under way.

But when we're talking high profile in the media this year (previous winners have been Robin Cook etc), then you can see that it whittles down to four: Hashim Amla for simply being Hashim Amla, Muhammad Yousuf for being fabulous and having the most photographed beard this year on the sports pages due to his world record, Gatuso lifting the World Cup this year making his the most viewed sporting beard on a single occasion, and of course the real catalyst behind the sporting beard in the West: Monty Panesar.

I like Monty's small and honest little number, respect Amla's qatta-straight-out-of-Deoband version but it's just a bit too thin on the cheeks for me and Anelka's subtle little number is quite cute. But Yusuf's flowing mane of manhood is definitely my favourite but that's just me.

Anyway, the Archbishop of Canterbury came third, Castro came second but the prize went to Monty in the end which is fair enough - he's helped loads of us extremists in the UK just feel that little bit less extreme, and for that he's surely a jolly good fellow...and so say all of us.

:-)

2006-12-25T23:35:00.000Z

A brother recently enquired about a famous and popular hadith which is often mentioned during khutbahs/reminders etc. Below are are the results of a brief study which I have collated from various sources, in particular from the Multaqa.

For those not so enamoured with the Shar'i sciences and want a simple paragraph summary (and hey, I can live with that), then we're talking about that hadith where Companion X was identified to being a man of Paradise and upon investigation, appeared as such simply for the fact that he held no bad feelings for any other Muslim. Remember now? Yep, it's that same hadith. And after much deliberation, I tentatively lean to the opinion that the hadith is weak, and Allah knows best.

And now on to the real fun:

حديث انس قال كنا مع النبي فقال يطلع عليكم ألآن رجل من أهل الجنة فطلع رجل من الأنصار تنظف لحيته من الدفع قد تعلق نعليه في يده الشمال فلما كان الغد قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم مثل ذلك فطلع ذلك الرجل مثل المرة الأولى فلما كان اليوم الثالث قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم مثل مقالته أيضا فطلع ذلك الرجل على مثل حالته الأولى فلما قام النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم تبعه عبد الله بن عمرو بن العاص فقال إني لأحيت أبي فأقسمت أن لا أدخل عليه ثلاثا فإن رأيت أن تؤيني إليك حتى تمضي فعلت قال نعم قال أنس فكان عبد الله يحدث أنه بات معه تلك الثلاث الليال فلم يره يقوم من الليل أنه إذا تعار وتقلب على فراشه ذكر الله عز وجل وكبر حتى تقوم صلاة الفجر قال عبد أني لم أسمعه يقول إلا خيرا فلما مضت الثلاث وكدت أن أحتقر عمله قلت يا عبد الله لم يكن بيني وبين أبي غضب ولا هجرة ولكني سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول لك ثلاث مرات يطلع عليكم الآن رجل من أهل الجنة فطلعت أنت الثلاث المرات فأردت أن آوي إليك لأنظر ما عملك فأقتدي به فلم أرك تعمل كبير عمل فما الذي بلغ بك ما قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال ما هو إلا ما رأيت إلا ما أني لا أجد في نفسي لأحد من المسلمين غشا ولا أحسد أحدا على خير أعطاه الله إياه فقال عبد الله هذه الذي بلغت بك وهي التي لا نطيق

Anas Ibn Mâlik (radhy Allâhu ‘anhu) reported that he and other companions were sitting with the Messenger (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), who said, "A man from the people of Paradise will enter now."

Then, a man from the Ansâr entered, his beard dripping with water from ablution whilst holding his sandals in his left hand.

The following day, the Prophet (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said the same thing and the same man entered.

On the third day, the Prophet (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) again repeated his statement and the same man entered in an identical state as he was on the first day.

When the Prophet (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) left, 'Abdullah Ibn 'Amr Ibn al-'Aas (radhy Allâhu ‘anhu) followed the man and said, "I quarrelled with my father and I swore I would not go to him for three days and nights. Would you shelter me for this time?" The man replied, "Yes."

Anas said, "'Abdullah said that he stayed with this man for three nights and he did not see him praying at night, but every time he moved and changed position in bed he would remember Allah and say, 'Allahu Akbar' until he arose for Salat'l-Fajr."

'Abdullah said, "I didn't hear anything but good from him. When the three nights had passed, I said, 'O servant of Allah! There was no problem/anger between myself and my father and I did not abandon him either; but I heard the Messenger of Allah (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) speaking of you on three separate occasions. The Prophet had said that a man from the people of Paradise would enter, and you were the one to enter on each of the three times. So, I wanted to stay with you to see what you do so that I could follow you, but I have not seen you doing too much. So what is that you do for Allah's Messenger (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) to say what he has said?'

The man replied, "Nothing more other than what you have seen, except that I have no place in myself for disloyalty to any of the Muslims, nor do I have any envy towards any Muslim in what Allah has given them."

'Abdullah said, "This is what has made you deserving of the praise and this is what we cannot do."

This is the version as narrated by Imam Ahmed in his Musnad (12697 of al-Arna'ut and 3/166 of the original) - it has also been collected in the Musannaf of 'Abd al-Razzaq (20559) with his own similar isnad as well as al-Bazzar (1981, Kashf'l-Astar), al-Bayhaqi (6650, al-Shu'ab), al-Nasa'i in 'Amal (863) and al-Baghawi (3535).

Although there are a few slight variations in the wording of this hadith, the discussion on its authenticity centres around the relationship between Zuhri and Ma'mar, the various deficiencies of the supporting asanid, and most importantly the break between Zuhri and Anas ibn Malik.

From the classical, those scholars which graded the sanad authentic were 'Iraqi in his takhrij of the Ihya' (231/3), Ibn Kathir in his Tafsir (95/8) and al-Mundhiri in Targhib (32/4). Al-Haythami graded the chain acceptable in his Majma' (78/8) as did al-Busiri in Mukhtasar Ittihaf al-Sadah (286/8).

From the contemporaries, this is also the position of Shaykh Shu'ayb in his tahqiq of the Musnad (145/20) where he says: an authentic chain ('Abd al-Razzaq from Ma'mar from al-Zuhri from Anas) according to the conditions of al-Bukhari and Muslim.

It is important to note here that very few if any risked grading the hadith authentic in its entirety but restricted their ruling to the chain only, as I shall clarify soon.

Those scholars who graded it weak included Ibn Abi Hatim (365/2) from his father, al-Hafidh Hamzah al-Kinani in Tuhfat'l-Ashraf (395/1) commenting on the same position held by Hafidh al-Mizzi, as well as Hafidh Ibn Hajr in Nukat al-Dharaf where he said, "...and it appears to be ma'lul (contains hidden faults)."

Of the contemporaries, al-Albani graded it weak due to the inqita' as mentioned above in his tahqiq of Targhib (1768).

And this is all from the angle of the chain only.

Some scholars found difficulty with the text of the hadith itself for how could it be possible that 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr, a notable Sahabi, actually lie? Surely this is not possible and hence the matn of this hadith is strange and alongside the potential problems in the chain, lead to a weak grading for the hadith.

Yet many defended the text of the hadith suggesting that this was just a "sleight of hand" from ibn 'Amr for he did indeed have bad relations with his father in the past and was possibly referring to that in an obscure sense to achieve his aim of finding out the special quality of the man he was with.

Imam al-Nawawi controversially mentions in Riyadh that lying is of different types, so if one can achieve a praiseworthy objective without lying, it is impermissible to lie. Yet if it is not possible to achieve that objective without lying, then it is permissible to do so. Less controversially, he also confirms that if a certain objective is obligatory then to lie also becomes obligatory if that is the only option.

Although this may sound strange, it has been 'supported' by Imam al-Ghazali in the Ihya' when he divided lying into five types (prohibited, disliked, permissible, recommended and obligatory). This was also done by other scholars, yet how applicable are these divisions to this scenario here? Allah knows best.

Al-Albani also defended Ibn 'Amr when he said, "الكذب (lying) is not impermissible simply because it contains the letters " الكاف " and " الذال " and " الباء " but it is impermissible because of its consequences, the usurping of the rights of others and other hidden or obvious harms; here, there has been no harm from the Companion."

Other scholars say that if the person who tells such a 'lie' retracts it himself without any harm or without any consequences occuring based on that statement, then it is not seen as a lie.

But this doesn't answer the question about ibn 'Amr convincingly. There are also other questions that could be problematic in this text such as how is it that the Prophet (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) told such a gathering that here was a man of Paradise and no-one responded except one single Companion? And even this, after three separate occasions?!

Where were the people to praise him, ask him, speak to him in all this time? One of my teachers told me concerning this incident, "How can this be? If I was there, I would have jumped up and have been the first to congratulate him!" Other issues might be raised concerning the length of time Ibn 'Amr stayed with this man. Was he (some narrations name him as Sa'd ibn Malik although they are all weak) not married? How can a man have someone sleep next to him for three continuous days like that?

These are not major issues but the point is to combine them to build a case, and it seems that the case for the hadith being problematic from both text and chain is a fair case which can only be rebutted with a strong, clean and authentic chain.

This does not seem to be the case here and hence I (cautiously) lean towards the opinion that taking everything into account, in particular the 'ilal in the chain, it is indeed a weak hadith and Allah knows best.

2006-12-23T01:00:00.000Z

It's nice to be back to "normal" again.

Shudder.

For those enquiring, the al-Adab al-Mufrad class is postponed for the forseeable future for a number of reasons despite our previous plan to restart post-Hajj - if health and circumstances permit, we may start within a month or two insha'Allah and various outlets shall advertise that fact (apologies for the static nature of the PG site but our Webmaster has gone AWOL...)

The fiqh lesson at Cheadle Masjid is back to normal every Wednesday at 8pm.

Finally, I am responding again to email and other queries as before, but keep 'em simple.

:-)

2006-12-21T01:13:00.000Z

After a long and very beneficial trip through the entire Middle East, from Sham to the Hijaz, through the Khaleej back to Blighty, I have come to the conclusion that the House of Saud win my vote for “Most Miskeen State in need of Support.”

Hence, I am dedicating the rest of this week to the Najd, Saud and his family and the Wahabi Empire – mistakes, deficiencies, bid'ah and kufr have been placed aside and now I’m only wearing rose-tinted glasses, wal-hamdulillah. Witnessing the total collapse of any form of traditional Deen in the world today, it seems as if only Mutawwa’ism is going to save the day…

And what better place to start but to announce that Dhul-Hijjah has officially started in Saudi and hence ‘Arafah will be next Friday and ‘Eed al-Adha on Saturday the 30th of December.

“What about your position and support for local sightings?”

Hey, everyone sees the light sometime you know. Or maybe I just can’t be bothered chasing a lost cause any more. Or maybe I really am a closet Wahabi from the Nimatullahi order. Or maybe I just don’t care…

In any case, have a great 10 days whenever you start and a happy ‘Eed too whatever day you choose it to be.

2006-12-19T00:02:00.000Z

The problem when returning to a full inbox of interesting stuff is what exactly to choose to share with others - what is actually worth it, or what hasn't already been discussed etc.

Anyway, I've decided to leave everything...except for one truly classic photo which is doing the rounds at the moment:

Surely its irony is even greater in the midst of Shaykh Nasir al-'Umar's public statement backed by many from the Hijaz as well as Shaykh Salman al-'Awdah's much reported appearance at the "Istanbul Conference" where recent Safavid trangsressions have been identified as one of the major fitnahs of our time, wa nas'al-Allah al-'afiyah.

2006-12-18T16:22:00.000Z

A'yibuna, Ta'ibuna, 'Abiduna li-Rabbina Hamidun.

:-)

2006-11-16T23:30:00.000Z

To all those enquiring, this blog will indeed be quiet for the next month whilst I am away - your du'as are requested as always.

The fiqh lessons will resume at the end of December insha'Allah. As for Season II of al-Adab al-Mufrad then we hope to start around the end of January 2007 insha'Allah - please visit the PG website in a few weeks time (currently under construction) for the latest update on start dates (www.PropheticGuidance.co.uk).

Finally, please take advantage of a blessed gathering of scholars and professionals at the IMEF Conference this weekend, including a rare appearance from one of the leading scholars in the West, Shaykh 'Awadulla al-Azhari. Visit www.imef.org.uk for more information.

Enjoy (but benefit)!

2006-11-15T19:59:00.000Z

For the craicket aficionados...

An interview with the Spin Legend
By Robin Martin-Jenkins, reproduced with kind permission from The Wisden Cricketer.
This article will appear in the November issue on sale Friday 13 October.

In the chaotic aftermath of Sussex’s Championship-clinching match at Trent Bridge I am witnessing the scenes from the dressing-room balcony. There are 400 or so Sussex supporters waving flags and smiling. Some sing, others chatter excitedly. Cameras flash at me from all angles and the air smells of beer and champagne. People shout congratulations and thanks but I’m not out here to milk the applause. I’m looking for a little bearded legspinner to interview.

As in the Where’s Wally? books I had as a child I keep on seeing glimpses of features that fit; a beard here, a Sussex shirt there but no Mushtaq Ahmed. Then I see a pack of media men surrounding someone. Like hyenas at a fresh kill they are pressing in on him with tape recorders and cameras. He is undeniably the man of the moment. Ten minutes ago he took his 102nd first-class wicket of the summer to help Sussex clinch our second Championship title in four seasons. Mushtaq was, of course, the pivotal player in both successes but it is not just with his bowling that he has helped to bring silverware to the club. His bubbly personality has rubbed off on everyone at Sussex and his strong commitment to his Muslim faith and the discipline that goes with it has been an eye-opener for many of our players, both young and old.

Before he came to Sussex in 2003 I had seen him bowl many times for Pakistan, most memorably in the 1992 World Cup final when he bamboozled Graeme Hick with a magnificent googly. I had also played against him in my second ever Sunday League match in 1995. I faced two balls from him. The first was a big legbreak that beat my forward prod by several inches. The second was a bit shorter and I made room to cut only to see the undetected googly fizz back and hit my off stump before I could bring my bat even halfway down. I felt a fool but need not have done. Hick had fallen the same way and since Mushy has played for Sussex I have seen what is surely the best googly in cricket do for scores of batsmen, some considerably better players than me.

When he finally gets back to the dressing room I am dubious that he will grant me yet another interview. I ask him for a few words. Someone pops a champagne bottle and sprays it around the room. Mushy ducks his head under his jumper to protect his vow of alcoholic abstinence and beckons me outside. I reckon I have got my man.

Robin Martin-Jenkins Do you feel safer out here, Mushy?
Mushtaq Ahmed Absolutely, Mr Tucker (his usual method of address; a Mr followed by a nickname). Much more of this and I won’t be able to call myself a proper Muslim.

RMJ You look tired but happy as you should be after winning the Championship for the second time in four years.
MA Yes, and thank you to Allah who actually gave us this victory. If you pray to him and ask him for success, he will give you success. It’s been a team effort and I’m very, very happy.

RMJ Is this a better feeling than in 2003 when we won?
MA In a sense, yes, because when we did it once everyone said it was a one-off season and then Sussex weren’t going to win ever again. Now we’ve won two trophies in a season people will say there has to be something special about this side. We’ve beaten plenty of really good teams this year.

RMJ And we’ve had fun this year.
MA Definitely. I’ve loved my time at Sussex. I came here at the right time in my life. I love the family atmosphere at the club. People care about each other more than the performances. I feel like it’s my second home. People respect me here and I want to perform 100% for them in return.

RMJ Do you and your family like Brighton?
MA We love it. It’s a good spot with the beach and pier. There’s lots of things for them to do and that takes the pressure off me because I know they can go out on their own and enjoy their life.

RMJ You should get a job with the Brighton tourist board when you finish cricket. When you play at places like Leicester and Edgbaston you have many friends come and watch but in Brighton there is a very small Muslim community.
MA But this actually helps my cricket. When I finish the game I just want to go home, relax and enjoy my family and my home.

RMJ And eat pizza.
MA Exactly. I don’t want to be distracted by friends asking me out all the time.

RMJ When you play for Pakistan you have many other devout Muslims around you. Here at Sussex we have quite a secular-minded team. Is that ever a serious problem for you?
MA I’ve never had a problem with it at Sussex. Whenever I want to pray in the dressing room you guys give me space, you turn the music off and you put clothes on if you’re walking past to the showers. All these things help me to worship. I think you all know my first priority is to my religion.

RMJ I think we respect you because the discipline involved in your worship is so alien to most of us and we are genuinely interested in Islam as it’s having such a big impact on the world at the moment.
MA I love it when you guys ask me questions about it. Why do you pray five times a day? Why do you read the Koran? In this way we can share information about our faiths. I think it’s great that 90% of the Sussex dressing room now knows what proper Islam is all about. It can only help in the longer term.

RMJ And it’s obviously helped your cricket. You are a much more consistent bowler now than in your pre-Muslim days.
MA My naughty days?

RMJ Yes, your naughty days in which you have given us so many tantalising glimpses of what you got up to without ever revealing what really went on. Don’t you miss all that champagne being drunk in the dressing room?
MA (ignoring my last question with a smile on his face) My faith has definitely helped my cricket. Big time. I’ve talked a lot about it in my book Twenty20 Vision that’s coming out soon.

RMJ Nice plug.
MA Thanks. But seriously, I’m not worried about tomorrow any more. I’m worried about now. And I’m not worried about now even because I know it’s not in my hands. All I have to do is work hard and do the right things and I know Allah will provide bread and butter for my family.

RMJ Would that be naan bread and butter?
MA Yes. And the odd pizza. But if I treat people well, forgive them, don’t take revenge, don’t talk behind people’s backs – all these things help to build up a positive personality and with that I become a positive player. That, and the discipline, has helped my game.

RMJ The discipline?
MA It helps my temperament. If I get hit for four now I think to myself ‘it doesn’t matter actually’ because there’s more to life. So the next ball I’m back on the spot.

RMJ You obviously live for cricket, and your commitment to county cricket, both here and when you were at Somerset, has been immense. You must have seen changes in the way the game is played over the years. When I first joined the Sussex staff we had no pre-season training programmes, for example, and the second-team boys were not allowed in the first-team dressing room without the permission of the captain.
MA There is much more professionalism in county cricket now. People are more into fitness.

RMJ Even you?
MA Ha, ha. Well I still do it in my own special way but I have to follow the lead of everyone else and that means working more on fitness than the old days. The other big difference is that most teams bat all the way down to 10 or 11 now. You don’t get tailenders as such. Everyone puts a price on their wicket. There’s so much more at stake on the cricket now:much more prize money, trying not to get relegated. Every day vital points are at stake and so every day is a tough day. This toughness is definitely showing through with results for the England team.

RMJ So have two divisions been the biggest factor in this improvement?
MA I think so. All the coaches, captains and players want to play first division to play against the best.

RMJ And what about from a spinner’s perspective? Have English players become better players of spin?
MA Definitely. You can see the results. They recently drew a Test series in India. India have been lethal at home, beating Australia a couple of times. These players have faced a diet of much better spinners in county cricket in recent years. Murali, Shane Warne, Saqlain. Take Mr Strauss. He scored a brilliant hundred against us at Hove just before he started playing for England. He will have played against these spinners and that would have given him experience and confidence this summer against Pakistan.

RMJ He was out to Danish Kaneria only twice this summer – once past 100 and once past 50. Does this mean you don’t advocate overseas players because the England players can get used to them and then perform better against them on the international stage?
MA But it goes both ways. You can’t clap with one hand. People have played me better in county cricket the more they have faced me but I still got 100 wickets this year. Why is that? Because I have come up with game plans for them too. We can learn about England player’s weaknesses as well and then it depends who is cleverer and who uses the information the best. But the advantages that overseas players bring to English cricket far outweigh the disadvantages. Far. The passion, experience and skills they bring rub off on young people here. How many youngsters at Hampshire want to bowl like Shane Warne now?

RMJ Talking of which, I saw you chatting to Warne when we played Hampshire. Do you get on well with him?
MA We have a lot of respect for each other. When we played each other in Test cricket we used to share ideas with each other. I’d show him a googly and he’d talk about his big legspinner.

RMJ When I faced him, I could pick his googly quite easily. When I face you in the nets I can pick you only some of the time (Mushy looks at me doubtfully). I’ve seen good players of spin, like Andy Flower, struggle to pick you. How come Shane Warne has nearly 700 Test wickets and you have only 180?
MA I was dropped from the Pakistan side when Saqlain was bowling well. I had one bad game and I was left out. My confidence dropped big time. Confidence is such a big thing in cricket, especially for a spinner. Shane Warne has always played in a winnning team with great bowlers around him. Maybe if I’d played as many Test matches as him I’d have been able to take as many wickets.

RMJ Young English spinners haven’t had many role models in recent times but they’ve got a big one now in Monty Panesar. What do you feel about his impact on the English game?
MA I think he can become a world-class match winner. If he combines with Flintoff, Harmison and the others, England are always going to believe they can beat anyone. He adds to their belief and that’s what winning is all about. Belief.

RMJ In county cricket now it is the spinners that are winning matches. Go back 10 or 20 years and it was the fast bowlers. It used to be Marshall, Holding and Garner. Now it’s Mushtaq, Murali and Warne.
MA Captains have realised they can bowl their spinners all day whereas the fast bowlers get tired and aren’t so effective against the tail. And you know another reason for this? The weather. It used to be cold and the wickets would seam in April, May, June and then again in September. Nowadays it’s much warmer and the wickets are drier throughout the year.

RMJ So global warming has been good for you. You should be encouraging people to burn more fossil fuels.
MA I think there’d be more money for spinners in the game then.

RMJ How much longer have you got playing the game?
MA The day I’m a liability in the field, or the day I stop enjoying the pre-match football, then I’ll stop.

RMJ And become Pakistan coach, after your stint as assistant last winter?
MA Inshallah.

2006-11-12T21:22:00.000Z

Just how do the Shawafi' travel on the London Underground??

In fact, if it wasn't for Kebabish and East London Mosque, who needs London anyway...

Ay na'm.

:-)

2006-11-08T13:39:00.000Z

إِن يَمْسَسْكُمْ قَرْحٌ فَقَدْ مَسَّ الْقَوْمَ قَرْحٌ مِّثْلُهُ وَتِلْكَ الأيَّامُ نُدَاوِلُهَا بَيْنَ النَّاسِ وَلِيَعْلَمَ اللّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَيَتَّخِذَ مِنكُمْ شُهَدَاء وَاللّهُ لاَ يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ

"If a wound hath touched you, be sure a similar wound hath touched the others. Such days (of varying fortunes) We give to men and men by turns: that Allah may know those that believe, and that He may take to Himself from your ranks Martyrs. And Allah loveth not those that do wrong." (3:140)

I've been thinking about this ayah over the last week after receiving a few emails about different people.

The first email was concerning the most recent attempt to revive the case for the freeing of Sheikh 'Ali Timimi - visit here - which is a noble effort to help free someone who has been instrumental in helping Muslims to come closer to Allah. No doubt his imprisonment was a blow to the da'wah.

Arguably a bigger setback was that of Anwar Awlaki, a more 'mainstream' Da'ee, who has just been imprisoned in Yemen in the latest act of the War Against Truth. I remember fondly the days when we would reminisce over Shatibi's Muwaffaqat, something which I (sold out and) left studying to return back to England whereas he carried on and completed it under his illustrious teacher. May Allah give him and his family hope, patience and strength, Ameen.

His da'wah has been touching hearts for many years now and this act of oppression from the world's puppets, the latest of just a continuous worldwide attempt to kill off and imprison Muslims by proxy in every 'Muslim' country in the world, will shock many of us in the West who benefitted so much from his exposition on the Sirah and other aspects of Islam.

But that's always the way - nothing has changed. 'Ulema, du'at and tullab al-'ilm all the way down to basic Muslims who have a concern for the fellow people and call them to what is right, have always faced struggles in their da'wah. No-one lives for ever. People come and go, da'wah peaks and troughs, good times with the bad, ease with difficulty, indeed as He said, "Such days (of varying fortunes) We give to men and men by turns..."

I suppose all us old-timers have to probably water down our shows even more, and if not then get ready for the slammer (or even worse if you get caught outside the West in a Muslim country by-proxy of course). The only problem is...how do you water down water?

A lot of noise is being made about Shaykh Hamza and how much he 'watered down' his da'wah post 9-11 (often confused for maturity of thought), yet you have deviant 'Muslims' appearing from all corners condemning Shaykh Hamza for being extremist. My goodness me.

Moral of the story: hold your nerve, stick to your Deen, and don't compromise. Or at the very least, make Yasir Arafat proud: "The mountains are never shaken by the wind!"

Alternatively, maybe us old dogs should step aside and let the new blood come through with a new twist. The third email showed me what could well possibly be the future direction of da'wah in the interim at least; young Muslim lads presenting a simple easy form of the Deen with a giggle and a google - you can't help but admire the efforts of lads like these.

Watch the latest example of their offering here.

Finally, remember one thing: it's one of His greatest blessings upon us that the work of da'wah and its results are not in our hands, but in His, jalla wa 'ala. Alhamdulillah, the last time I checked, the Qur'an was still there on the table so things aren't too bad...

May Allah accept the Shuhada', may He hasten the release of those wrongly imprisoned and may He strengthen us all to remain firm and patient upon His Path, Ameen.

2006-11-06T22:50:00.000Z

This was sent to me by my old friend Imam Tahir Anwar, although how he heard about this in sunny California before I did (and I live on that forsaken motorway and surrounding areas!) beats me...

:-)

A Musalla for Musafirs.

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Most Beneficient.

By the Grace of Allah, a local charity in Preston has become instrumental in an enduring project aiming to provide muslims travelling across the UK the opportunity to offer daily prayers at motorway services.

Directors at Hilton Park services have granted a license to a Preston based charity to occupy a special designated room for prayer purposes equipped with ablution facilities at the popular M6 Hilton Park Services.

A Prayer Room facility – A Musalla

Hilton Park services at Junction 10A off the M6 is notably the first service station in the UK to offer a prayer room with ablution facilities starting from December 10th 2006. The project has been an objective of the charitable trust for quite some time, and it is with the grace of Allah that permission has been granted by the service operator to provide such a needed amenity.

Peace of Mind for Travellers - Musafirs

For many years, Muslims were unable to find suitable praying or washing facilities at the UK’s service stations. Quite often, Muslims were forced to offer prayer outside the services where they could find a bare patch at the car park or nook behind the buildings. Futhermore, they found it difficult to perform ablution in the toilet washbasins particularly during busy periods- which caused inconvenience to regular users who find individuals removing their socks and placing bare feet into washbasins unsightly.

A Local Charity Project.

The local charity trust aims to acquire more locations for prayers at crucial motorway service locations across the UK. This project of many intends to alleviate the problems faced by Muslims who have been unable to offer prayer at a convenient and safe place on the UK’s Motorway network – inshAllah, Ameen.

2006-11-02T00:13:00.000Z

Now before you smirk, remember two things:

1. The only reason that such a picture exists is because the apnai are driving all the taxis or claiming all the dole this country can muster.

2. It's no good smiling whilst the very same Polish bloke in the picture is currently plastering your extension - whilst you stand over his shoulder and try and pretend to be busy and important...

And that means you Q.

:-)

2006-11-01T07:02:00.000Z

From Hood. Nice. Masha'Allah.

The animals and the Ark

Rendered to the English by Hood Bradford
from the original Arabic of Ahmad Shawqi

When Noah’s Ark was done, water ensued to swell,

Divine assistance came to move its hefty hull.

And then inside a sight than no one thought to see,

The waves had not splashed out upon the open sea

Until you saw the Lion stroll as donkey’s pal.

A cat he frolicked, mice caressing on his tail

And elephants they listened so, they could not bore,

to foul sounds of comfort that came from the Boar.

The feline race, it raced up to the Canine’s side.

The wolf’s fang now for sheep to love & kiss in pride.

Gazelles they leaped to reach up to the vultures height,

While ants they met with aardvarks almost every night.

Small chicks they groomed the foxes coat so ever soft.

The rabbit’s love then tamed the weasel’s wily craft.

So old disputes were squashed and thought as never so,

and jubilation spread within the Ark below.

Until the day that great ship onto Judi lay.

And all in it ‘came certain of another day.

Returned they did to former tendencies and ways,

And took upon themselves the mode of long-gone days.

So correlate to this the likeness of mankind

When danger strikes and hazard fills the heart and mind

But yet you only see from them such struggle, strife

For most of them they live a sort of normal life…

2006-10-30T07:42:00.000Z

Despite the obvious need for more Muslims to get themselves heard in the ‘West’, particularly to write more for the print media, online-editions of the papers and other news outlets as well as to appear more on TV and the Radio, we have to be ultra careful that it doesn’t backfire – neither on an individual level and more importantly, on a collective level.

A recent email I received was requesting more Muslim bloggers to get involved in the chaotic mess which is “Comment is free” from the online Guardian site – a request not from Muslim bloggers, but non-Muslim bloggers.

It’s hardly surprising though – with the massive interest in anything Islamic, from when we change our undies to brushing our teeth, the greater public are just literally dying to read or hear what we have to say.

Back in the day, we’d be more worried about the different people representing us in the media and bringing shame, humiliation and ignorance upon the Muslim community. Although that still exists to some extent, we have a large pool of people who are well capable of speaking/writing for the Muslims but the danger now is the intrinsic wilful mischief from different sections of the media and their associated forums. You might write something for the Guardian but be prepared to ridiculed over it. Expect your 20 minute interview for Channel M to be cut into two damning sentences. Know that your BBC TV interview will give you no time to say anything, but rather only allow you to answer a closed question.

I think I do my fair share across the range of media that contact me these days and I always believed myself to be savvy to the nuances of journalists and their lies and tricks, but I’ve been stung a few times. Well, actually, more than a few times...

It feels even worse, maybe more so for my naivety, when the journalists are Muslims.

So for now at least, let me warn potential spokespeople of a certain Abul Taher who writes for the Sunday Times – that’s "butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth Abul Taher" – who tried every single trick in the book (legal and illegal I may add) to try and catch me on certain details of the Aisha Azimi niqab story last week – in the end, after a real tug-of-war, he still went ahead and deliberately misquoted me in yesterday’s Sunday Times.

All for his big story. What a petty price my brother, a petty pathetic price.

The details are irrelevant, but the lessons invaluable. Of course we all know the stereotypical yet true nature of the media, not just trash tabloids but the ‘respectable, quality’ sections as well, but that doesn’t mean we still shouldn’t be careful. These people make themselves out to be so sincere and honest but believe me, they can never and must never be trusted. That’s the only reason I write this as no doubt Abul Taher and others read this: do not trust anyone in the media if asked to comment, speak or write about anything to do with Islamic issues.

I’ve started to slowly cut down on such responsibilities, doing much less writing these days but conversely I’ve been reading a bit more and it’s heartening to see that there are eloquent, Islamically educated, astute, well-grounded Muslims out there in the “Islamic Blogosphere” that could represent the Muslims more – people such as Yusuf Smith, Zaid Shakir, Tariq Nelson, Amir Butler, Haroon Moghul, Osama Saeed, Umm Zaid and Riyadh Nadwi just to name a few and of course there are so many more – all doing a noble job and who need to step up to the next level yet it must be with caution for as the opportunities and needs present themselves, so will the dangers.

As long as they remember all the normal golden rules which we often so forget in that pressure situation, and always refer to the people of Knowledge in issues of doubt, then hopefully we can be those who are a credit to the Da'wah and not a evidence against it.

"Our Lord! Make us not a trial for the Disbelievers."

2006-10-27T22:13:00.000+01:00

Random thoughts over Ramadhan 1427

It’s been a busy time for all for the last month or two, not just with people concentrating on their personal ‘ibadah etc, but also the almost unprecedented attention that anything remotely Islamic has received in the media.

Anyway, I have some random thoughts/questions concerning said goings on that if anyone can provide an answer for, I’d be mighty grateful. Also, it gives this blog some life for another week or two as well…

:-)

1. Why do fasting people making tasleem (ending the prayer) insist on breathing all over you if you’re even 0.1 seconds too slow on the first salam?

Is there any way we can combine between the fiqhi positions of the madhahib so that we all give tasleem at the same time? Even if just for Ramadhan?

Please?

2. Can we all agree that chaining devils won’t help us if we can’t rein in the sayyi’aat of our ownselves?

3. The Niqab seems to be working better than ever – men up and down the country are feeling uncomfortable trying to develop conversation with our wives.

Masha’Allah! And there was me doubting whether it was actually working or not…

4. I never considered how potentially embarrassing it would be to find your local Mosque’s phone number in your address book until I realised that only a certain type of person ever calls up their local Mosque – think about that continual ringing you can hear on the last night of Tarawih, or even worse, during the ‘Eed prayer…

Exactly.

5. Is there anything more irritating than Musalleen trying to correct an Imam reciting in a qira‘ah other than Hafs?

Actually maybe there is – the 100 wannabe-Imams trying to correct the Hafidh during the only part of the Qur’an they have memorised: the last few pages.

6. Which ‘Alim will be brave enough to declare that home is the best place for I‘tikaf – for men?

7. Find a place in Ramadhan next year where you get spiritually touched by the recital of just two pages and all you think is, “Allahu Akbar!”, as opposed to struggling through a whole juz’ where all you think of is, “When’s he gonna say Allahu Akbar!”

8. Shouldn’t we give da‘wah to Saira to keep her Niqab on…permanently?

9. Can someone please tell me what on Earth is going with Pak Cricket?

10. Although uncovered meat might get devoured when left outside, sometimes that meat isn’t even cooked, sometimes its burnt, sometimes its halal and even kosher, and sometimes that meat is just totally minging.

Nice meat should be and must be considered extremely attractive, tasty and more at risk of being bought but remember, there will always be sick animals out there that eat meat in every way it comes.

2006-10-24T11:04:00.000+01:00

'Eed Mubarak to all and sundry - may Allah accept the little that we may have done for His Sake alone, Ameen.

May He, 'azza wa jall, also give us all the ability to follow up Ramadhan with the blessed six from Shawwal, in order to be counted as those who have fasted the entire year. And always remember the bonus as per the authentic narration from the Prophet (s) that the one who fasts three days from every month (preferable the three bright nights of the 13th, 14th and 15th) then for him/her is the reward of fasting the entire year - glad tidings to those who wish to enter by Rayyan!

And I couldn't end this blog by not including a little bit of email banter last night, originally started by Hood celebrating his dodgy 'Eed in Madinah yesterday, when he sent the following short poem:

He sprang to his email, gave his address book a click,

And away began writing yet with out all the shtick.

and then he exclaimed, in a mail-out so light,

"Eid Mubarak to all, and to all a good night!"

Of course I was sitting at the PC and couldn't help but respond:

...And so he leapt to the button, the one labelled "Reply"

And began hastily typing, on the evening before the Day draws Nigh

"What Day?" one hears the people exclaim...

Ah, tis' 'Eed ul-Fitr, the real one, for it is you to blame

That you be sending mubaraks on the 30th of Ramadhan

And that thou started thy fasting on the last day of Sha'ban

But lest we forget, then at least the Month of Forgiveness has taught us

That Maghfirah be offered to those who have made such a mistake so enormous

And that for next time we need a Hilal to start any act of 'Ibadah

Just ignore it and close your eyes, follow the Saudis - like Lambs to the Slaughter.

:-)

I never can resist a bit of banter, especially on 'Eed...

2006-10-07T23:24:00.000+01:00

You wanted a debate Jack. You’ve sure got one.
Abu Eesa Niamatullah

Calls for a public ‘debate’ and ‘discussion’ about anything remotely Islamic these days in the West are becoming as predictable as a DFS sofa not being offered at full price – by the way, that means very predictable for anyone living outside the UK.

Jack Straw has asked for a debate about the veil, after eventually declaring he would rather have it abolished. Well, a debate he has certainly found.

At the onset should be a note of caution to Muslims: one cannot expect to practise ones religion so publicly and yet become overly offended when people want to question certain aspects. Jack Straw, insincere intentions aside, has not attacked the Muslims directly and has only addressed an issue which the greater British public at large have been wanting clarification on for a while now – indeed, this is an excellent opportunity for qualified Muslims to debunk the mysteries behind such a visually obvious, mysterious and perhaps even shocking statement of a Muslim woman’s identity.

Islamically speaking, the majority of scholars consider the covering of the face for an adult Muslim female with the face-veil or niqāb in the presence of non-related adult males as a religiously praiseworthy action, whereas a minority considered it an obligatory act. Thus, for a Muslim woman to remove her veil in the presence of ‘foreign’ men would be considered abominable at the very least and at its most serious, totally prohibited.

Islamic Law recognizes that the niqāb can be removed for various civil needs such as that maybe suggested by Mr Straw, particularly the Hanbali school of legal thought as confirmed by the eminent Jurist Ibn Qudamah in his masterpiece al-Mughni. Muslim women have the choice in various scenarios to remove the veil for a certain need as detailed in the legal texts yet her desire to not become too friendly or involved with ‘foreign’ males shouldn’t leave at least other female members of the community in despair. Indeed, maybe one should debate the great problem that non-related men exactly have if certain Muslim women don’t wish to develop relationships with them, even in the most insignificant sense. Does one sense male insecurity here? Hurt male pride? Now that’s a thought.

Many people enquire on the exact wisdom behind such a piece of clothing which is so at odds to what they would normally wear. From the benefits of this ensuing debate is that finally the public at large have realised that Muslim men are not sitting at home with a whip, forcing their women to cover their selves up but rather it is a decision based upon ones deep spiritual convictions to the concept of modesty and respect and above all, a sign of ones complete devotion to the Law of God. This, significantly, therefore takes the matter to the theological frame of reference and hence outside the rationale of human beings, something which is often forgotten in debates surrounding religion.

Of course, the Muslims are not alone in acting upon such a concept. The fascinating and deeply spiritual Jewish concept of Tzniut expresses the same sentiment; an attempt to refocus people from concentrating on the external appearance of a person but rather make sincere necessary contact with the inner self by encouraging modest dress and the covering of the hair and face even, exhibited most vividly in the Bedeken during marriage ceremonies; here, the groom brings down the veil over his bride's face, reminiscent of Rebekka's covering her face with her veil upon seeing Isaac before marriage as per Jewish Scripture. The veiling symbolizes her duty to live up to Jewish ideals of modesty and reminds others that in her status as a married woman she will be absolutely unapproachable by other men. According to Rabbinical teaching, “The covering of the face symbolises the modesty, dignity and chastity which characterises the virtue of Jewish womanhood.”

Indeed one might possibly excuse Jack Straw for his rather ignorant assertion that not being able to make full use of a woman’s cheeks and lips during conversation could inhibit better and deeper understanding. One social commentator has suggested that Mr. Straw would do well to take a few lessons from his blind constituents in how they are able to move forward with their inter-human interaction. May I also suggest that Mr. Straw, as a follower of the Jewish faith himself, try and gain a better understanding of Tzniut first before asking Muslims to change their own religious convictions.

Let us not forget the other great religion that used to proudly control much of the Western and Eastern World: Christianity. The Christian directive towards men and women dressing decently and modestly is something well documented and indeed most visibly demonstrated by Christian nuns. More relevantly to the issue of covering the hair, neck and face, followers of the more orthodox Eastern Churches will be most accustomed to Epanokamelavkion and other forms of covering for nuns and monks. Indeed, the female emphasis on maintaining such an external appearance draws it’s strength from King David in the book of Psalms, who states, "the dignity of the daughter of a king is her inwardness" – something remarkably similar to the Islamic concept of modesty or hayā’ and the Jewish practice of Tzniut.

Of course, living in the UK today, the Secularist lobby are rather indifferent to the justifications of religious groups if they go against their personal viewpoints and likewise react furiously to any suggestions by Muslims (or indeed others) that a female’s state of undress as one witnesses so often in society could be contributing to the moral and spiritual breakdown in law and order; they refuse to accept that a radical change in society’s approach to sexuality and male-female interaction such as that offered by the hijāb and niqāb is anything but an oppression and an insult to females. Fair enough, that’s their opinion - Muslims criticise it but that’s about as far they go in the debate.

Maybe British Muslims should leave said debate to their Christian friends to continue with as they quietly protect their values and beliefs, watching and waiting in the sidelines as others espouse a defence without the normal Islamophobic connotations attached. As the popular Christian author John Piper writes, “Many women (and men) today … judge [freedom] on the basis of immediate sensations or unrestrained license or independence. But true freedom takes God’s reality and God’s purpose for creation into account and seeks to fit smoothly into God’s good design. Freedom does include doing what we want to do. But the mature and wise woman does not seek this freedom by bending reality to fit her desires. She seeks it by being transformed in the renewal of her desires to fit in with God’s perfect will (Romans 12:2). The greatest freedom is found in being so changed by God’s spirit that you can do what you love to do and know that it conforms to the design of God and leads to life and glory.”

The Church, like all great religious establishments, not only identifies the problem but suggests the solution according to scripture. Their call for “discreet behaviour” and “modest modes of clothing” is a fair response, based upon Proverbs 11:22, "As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion."

There is no need for a Muslim voice to reply back to Jack Straw, fueling all the puppets straining at the leash to scream at the Muslims, “Why is it that whenever we question something you do in your religion, you’re always complaining!?” The Muslim community is wasting its time trying to suggest that possibly, just possibly, the irresponsible indecent exposure in society today by women exacerbates the sexually aggravated crimes and behaviour we witness today spiraling out of control. Why should the Muslims be so ‘predictable’ when Christian authorities put forward a response to the age-old “to lust or not to lust” argument. As one Catholic commentator replies:

"Girls, when you pull on that tight sweater that amplifies your bosom and reveals your bare midriff, are you putting your Christian brothers before yourself? When you sit down and let your skirt ride up to reveal your thighs and underclothing, are you helping your Christian brothers "keep a covenant with [their] eyes" (Job 31:1)? The man who "looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart," according to our Lord in Matthew 5:28. Are you laying a trap for this lust and adultery by the way you dress? You may respond, "Well, I am not responsible for the way boys think. That is their fault if they can’t keep their minds off my body." Dear sister, you are grievously mistaken. "Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness" (Proverbs 30:20)."

Interesting isn’t it when it comes from the mouth of someone other than a Muslim?

But placing these arguments aside, one must also try to understand where secular humanist/feminist opposition to the veil stems from. ‘Defenders of social justice’ might be excused for their opposition due to the use of the veil in ancient times of the Assyrian and Greek nations where only the noble women would be allowed to wear such dress as a distinguishing feature. One could quite fairly, although utterly incorrectly perceive the Muslims playing a class game with their veils in light of this historical context

Also, it is quite possible that some might have confused the Islamic basis for the face-veil with the basis offered by the Bible for the covering of a Christian woman’s hair, which as mentioned in Corinthians 11: 3-10, “…A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head". One doesn’t believe that this is the case any more with modern day Christian women who dress modestly and it certainly isn’t the case with Muslim women who neither look to attain noble status out of arrogance to those in a state of undress neither cover their faces as a sign of a male’s authority over them; rather it is in order to conceal their beauty from anyone who may possibly have mischief in his heart, and to enable her to maintain her modesty and honour; the Qur’an states in 33:59, “O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks all over their bodies. That will be better, that they should be known so as not to be annoyed (by others).”

In fairness then, it is largely the irreligious Secularist section of modern society that has a real problem with all religious directives whether Christian, Judaic or Islamic, and naturally the niqāb provides a perfectly convenient concept to attack, sorry “question” – for indeed the best form of defence of ones ideology (and thus for example, the right to publicly wear as little as possible) is to attack the opposition. Muslim female adults, Christian nuns and Jewish married women are that opposition.

But here lies the conundrum. As British citizens living in Secular Britain today, we have signed up to a new standard of human rights – a set of guidelines that protects peoples’ freedom of speech and freedom of belief as per classic secular humanist ideology, different only from religiously driven human rights in that every person’s idea, opinion and belief is protected irrespective of the opinion of “God” or the “Religious directive.”

If that is the case, then surely the Muslim woman just as any other British citizen has her full right to wear exactly what she wishes to wear. It can be questioned and even criticized by others from society but that’s as far as it should go. Muslims cannot expect any less especially when they also, alongside their Christian, Judaic and other religious colleagues, criticise the huge rise in indecent and immoral clothing practiced in our societies today - Muslims in particular feel totally aggrieved at this state of affairs yet tolerate it patiently. This is what we have all signed up for living in Britain in the 20th Century and we either accept it or look for the exit door. This should be a debate about civil liberties but it is in danger of becoming nothing but sheer bigotry and possibly even racism through the back door.

If Muslims as well as Jews and Christians wish to preserve their honour in their own ways, the law of the land insists they be allowed to do so. Be critical, but respect their right. Muslims will also be critical no doubt of the converse, but have accepted their right as citizens of this country.

What this debate should teach us at the very least is that community relations and their success are not based upon “chance meetings in the street” as suggested by Straw or men wanting to improve better relations with their community by befriending all other women. Rather, people must recognize that if they wish for better community relations, people have to make an effort and get to know people properly, personally and sincerely. For anyone to use the other party’s niqāb as an excuse for their inability to develop a relationship with someone is not only ignorant, but rather pitiful at the same time. To then incite the community to react against innocent women, creating in the very least a tense atmosphere for a woman in niqāb and at the very worst physical abuse and attack as has been witnessed in recent times, only goes to prove the hypocrisy our ‘tolerant’ and ‘multi-cultural’ country is drowning in.

Maybe Muslims should ‘get out’ and ‘go back to where they came from’, back to their own houses in their own country - Great Britain - rather unfortunately for the bigots. It seems that the only people who are forcing Muslim women into their homes under a real oppressive veil, a veil of hostility and fear, are those wanting to discriminate against them according to their personal prejudices under the false pretence of trying to promote interaction, integration and community relations. How much are these social ‘experts’ actually helping to solve this very real problem?

Now that’s what I would call a debate.

2006-09-21T08:22:00.000+01:00

With Ramadhan only a few days away, and considering that we are nothing like the early generations of Muslims who would treat every day like it was their last, then let us at least recognise that it's time to get serious again with respect to ourselves and our relationship with Allah 'azza wa jall.

In that vein, Friday night's Adab programme will be the last for the next three months insha'Allah until PG re-start it when we're ready to roll. Likewise, my fiqh class is on hold from today.

Here's a reminder from last year which I suppose will be okay for this year too. I wish you all the very happiest of months and may Allah make it an opportunity for us to receive forgiveness for our innumerable mistakes and sins, for He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Merciful.

Ramadhān – Have you got what it takes?
By Abu Eesa Niamatullah

There are things in life which are not very important, those which are quite important and then those things which are absolutely vital for our collective well-being.

Let this be a reminder to me and anyone else who wishes to read on – there is simply nothing more vital for us in our very short and limited lives than to take absolute maximum benefit from the blessed month of Ramadhān.

The really interesting thing about the statement of Allah ‘azza wa jall, “So remind (them), for indeed the reminder benefits those who have Imān,” (51:55) is that those who have the pure characteristics of faith do indeed benefit, even though human nature by itself would seem to oppose that. Isn’t that sadly true? When someone believes they know what to do, they don’t necessarily appreciate being told again how to do it. If someone believes that they’ve heard everything they need to hear, it takes a seriously patient and magnanimous person to sit there and hear it again.

By now we’ve certainly heard all the Prophetic narrations on the blessings of this very special time; a time in which our righteous ones delight as the gates of Paradise are flung open, and in which our sinful ones breathe a sigh of relief and take time to reflect as the gates of Hell are locked up.

So at this moment of clarity, where the stomachs, hearts, eyes, ears, tongue and mind are all enjoying their greatest moment of purity, let us all try and make sure that we profit from the following points gleaned from the advice of our Pious Predecessors…

1. Make sure that this blessed month becomes a period of accounting for your actions, a revision of your daily routine, an opportunity for the betterment of your life for all your years to come. To enter Ramadhān not believing it to be so will be a total loss. You’ve actually made it all the way here now, so let’s reap the harvest! Think about all those who were aiming for this month but found a dark grave instead. Reflect on all those who woke in the morning but found that their evenings never materialised.

Consider for just a second as our ‘Ulemā said: if you can’t change your ways and gain at such a blessed time then at what time will you change?!

2. Try to make sure you perform all of the Tarāwīh prayers in congregation for the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Whoever prays with the Imām until he leaves, it is written for him that he prayed the entire night.”

3. Do not waste/be extravagant with your wealth, for not only is that impermissible, but you reduce the opportunities of giving more in Sadaqah for which you could be rewarded for.

They said about the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) that he gave in charity especially during Ramadhān like the one who didn’t fear or even recognise poverty.

4. Commit yourself to continue after Ramadhān that which you have prepared yourself to do during Ramadhān.

The Salaf would say, “The sign of one’s fasting being accepted from him in Ramadhān is the continuation of his good actions and character after Ramadhān.”

5. Remember: this is a month of worship and hence action, not lethargy and sleeping.

This is even more relevant here in the West considering winter is so close with its short days and long nights. It is well known from the Companions, in emulation of the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) that they used to say, “Reap the benefit of winter by fasting its days and standing (in prayer) during the nights.”

6. Make your tongue habitual in the dhikr of Allah so that you don’t become from those, “who do not remember Allah except little.”

7. When you feel the pangs of hunger, just remember how weak you actually are, how dependent you are upon food and other such necessities from the immense blessings of Allah, may He be glorified.

8. Make a concerted effort to permanently leave that which doesn’t benefit you, but rather causes you harm. This is even more so when you are fasting.

Maymūn used to say, “The weakest of fasts is that in which only food and drink is left out.”

9. Remember: your actions are a trust from Allah so audit yourself like any successful company does; have you performed and fulfilled your deeds as is deserving of them? This obviously applies to all our actions such as prayer, dhikr, manners but particularly fasting.

Ibn Rajab (rahimahullah) said, “Our fasts need istighfār to make up for their deficiencies, and good deeds to intercede for them.”

10. Hasten to seek forgiveness from those whom you have oppressed in any way, before they take from your (very few) good deeds. Don’t forget, the greatest oppressive tool is the tongue so tether it as strongly as possible.

Sha’bi narrated that ‘Umar (radhy Allahu ‘anhu) said, “Fasting is not just refraining from food and drink, but refraining from lying, falsehood, backbiting and swearing (by Allah).”

Abu al-‘Āliyah (rahimahullah) used to say, “The fasting one is in a continual state of worship until he says about another person that which they would not like to hear.”

11. Strive to feed the fasting one so that you can obtain a reward equal to his.

Ibn ‘Umar (radhy Allahu ‘anhu) used to always break his fast sharing with the poor; if any of his family tried to prevent him from that, he would refuse to spend the night with them. It was also reported from him that whenever someone would come to him asking for food, he would give them his share and then return home to find his family had eaten what was left of food in his house. He would not let on and would end his fasting day without eating anything.

12. Know that Allah is the Most Generous and that He is the Most Merciful. He accepts the repentance of the penitent, more so than ever at such a special time.

13. If you have committed a sin or done something wrong which Allah, may He be glorified, has concealed for you from the people, know that this is an opportunity for you to seek repentance for those mistakes. Hasten to seek forgiveness and make sure that you do not return back to that sin.

14. Try to increase your knowledge of the explanation of the Qur'ān (Tafsīr), the narrations of the Messenger (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), his biography (Sīrah), and the principles of our religion – to seek such sacred knowledge is one of the highest forms of worship.

15. Stay away from such company and people which don’t benefit you; try to accompany righteous good folk as much as you can. Good people always spread their blessings to others.

16. Going significantly early to the Mosques is a sign of great love and desire to please Allah; a sign that you are in need of him at all times, not just those times in which all the congregation are together.

Abu Hurayrah (radhy Allahu ‘anhu) said, “The companions would often spend much of their fast in the Mosque so as to purify it (i.e. purify the fast itself from useless talk, gossip, backbiting etc).”

17. Pay attention to those who are under your authority such as your family, guiding them to that which will benefit them in their Deen, for they will far more willingly take their example from you than from other people.

18. Do not go to extremes by preparing many different dishes for the Iftār meal. This leaves the women of the house no opportunity to benefit during the daytime of Ramadhān such as reciting the Qur'ān etc especially if they are just busy cooking all day.

19. Reduce the amount of time you spend shopping in the night-time during Ramadhān, especially the last ten nights. This will prevent you wasting your time at such a precious and blessed period of your life.

20. Strive to spend these last ten special nights of Ramadhān standing in prayer. Remember: there is one particular night amongst these ten, known as “Laylat al-Qadr” which is in fact greater than a thousand months of worship. Surely to hit the jackpot on such a night is beyond our wildest dreams yet it is a jackpot available to everyone with no need to purchase a ticket and no need to take any risk – that’s gambling Deen style.

21. Don’t forget that ‘Eed is a special day of thanksgiving to our Lord, so don’t make it a day where you lose control of yourself, wasting all the good works of your heart and soul as it kept your desires in check for the entire month.

22. Set aside for yourself, even but for a small time, a period of isolation in the mosque known as I'tikāf – you will probably never enjoy such an intensely beneficial period for your soul to reflect upon how it is so cultured by day-to-day life in the 21st Century. This period of respite for the heart, mind and soul will allow you to replenish your vital organs with what they really need – the elixir of life which is nothing other than to be immersed in the worship of Allah jalla wa ‘alā.

23. On the festive day of ‘Eed as you enjoy yourself with your family, take a brief moment to remember all those brothers and sisters of ours who are orphans, stricken by poverty, famine and war. Know that if you have the ability to make a difference, hasten to such an excellent deed; if you are unable, do not forget to thank Allah ‘azza wa jall for his unlimited favours He bestows upon us.

24. Set aside for yourself regular days of fasting throughout the year – don’t just make your relationship with fasting limited to Ramadhān only. Now that you have seen the rewards on offer for the fasting one, his special entrance of ar-Rayyān in Paradise, his supplication which is not rejected, his closeness to his Lord during his fast, his moment of joy as he breaks it, his increased ability to refrain from the bad and embrace the good – now that you’ve actualised these benefits, carry them over to the six days of Shawwāl just after Ramadhān which is equivalent to fasting the entire year! Don’t forget also the middle three ‘bright’ days of every month, Mondays and Thursdays when our actions are presented to our Lord, as well as a host of other special occasions to double up from such as the days of ‘Arafah, Tāsū’ah, ‘Āshūrā’ etc.

25. Finally, reflect upon your overall condition; make an audit of all your daily affairs so that you can identify areas for improvement and rectification. These will include: sticking to the congregational prayers, paying Zakāt fully and on time, maintaining your family ties, being honourable with the parents, being mindful of your neighbours, rectifying old feuds and problems between previous friends and colleagues, cutting out extravagance and the wasting of wealth, culturing and educating those under your guardianship, being concerned with the affairs of your fellow Muslim brothers and sisters around the world, delighting in and then acting upon sincere advice, protecting oneself for riyā’ (showing off), loving for your brother that which you love for yourself, not allowing yourself to fall into the trap of backbiting others. Carry on reciting the Qur'ān and reflecting deeply upon its meanings and last but certainly not least, humble yourself as you listen to His Words being recited.

The list could simply go on and on – surely there are enough points here to make even the most heedless one reflect upon their state and consider changing their actions for the better.

O Allah, give us the ability and strength to make this Ramadhān our Ramadhān, a time for change and maturity, a time for quality and success, Ameen.

May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon His Beloved Messenger, his family and all those who follow in his footsteps until the Final Day.

2006-09-19T23:22:00.000+01:00

I get a phone call from Q early this evening with, "Are you watching Panorama?!"

"Of course I'm watching it you so'n'so!"

Of course, you'll only really understand the above (brief) conversation if you're a serious football fan, and no doubt many a fan was left totally shocked by tonight's classic Panorama expose on all the dodgy behaviour behind those Managers we all love: Big Sam and Good ole' Harry.

Tell me which one of us wasn't holding our breath when the naming and shaming of the clubs was happening; naturally I'm delighted to confirm that my Shayateen al-Ahmar were proved the real Saints of the night and that the Dirty Scousers were proven to be the criminals that we always knew they were. Told.

But seriously speaking, the baistee that people like Allardyce have got to face now is a going to be hard work. Sorry Sam, but you're dodgy mate, in a dodgy sport, which is rotten from top to bottom.

Which is why love it so much. :-)

I must say though that a more impressive and infinitely more significant expose by Mark Urban of Newsnight (watch the first report) confirmed exactly what we knew already: the hand that Israel plays in stoking up the fitnah in Iraq specifically and then the Middle East in general, all with the blessings of its Guardian, the good old U S of A. In short, from their site:

Also tonight a Newsnight exclusive - we have obtained the first pictures of Kurdish soldiers being trained by Israelis in Northern Iraq. The sensitivities for the Kurdish authorities are serious, since their political enemies have long accused them of being in cahoots with Israel. The Kurdish authorities have previously denied allowing any Israelis into northern Iraq.

The Zionist lobby with their American and British friends continue to allow the Muslims to eat each other up and thus leave them the oil for dessert, whilst we sit around and muse over...well, football.

And finally, because I can't get time to do regular postings, and I did promise to write up the recent Pak-Eng series review, I'm glad to say that Osman does a perfectly capable job right here and mentions almost everything I wanted to say. So that's that then.

Oh and finally finally, if you can make it then try and support the protest this Saturday against Bliar in Manchester...

2006-09-15T22:30:00.000+01:00

The Pope's comments are nothing new so I don't really understand what all the fuss is about. I mean, what did you expect the Head of the Catholic sect of Christians to say about Sayyidina Muhammad (s)?

In fact, it's amazing he hasn't said so much more and worse considering our turbulent history, and in particular between the Muslim Empire and the Byzantine Empire back in the good 'ole days.

I was more impressed with his speech which has valuable points and interesting observations although littered with sloppy factual mistakes.

I also liked his focus on the "Dehellenisation" of Christianity - this is something I like to think some of our own super-scholars tried to do such as Ghazzali and Ibn Taymiyyah with all the best intentions in the world, perhaps inadvertently getting a bit too caught up in the means and methods and flirting with plenty of danger; this danger has taken many victims throughout Islamic History from the People of 'Aql and Bid'ah.

But back to the anger from Muslims due to the Pope's speech. I think the 'shock' witnessed at his comments from Muslims in the West is a tad naive, and a direct result of the false lull of security and 'peace' we have got used to through the plethora of "inter-faith" events that we have here in the UK and US.

Although these may be intrinsically good things to have and communities do need something to ensure happy smiles all around and we especially need the support of well-established faith groups to ensure increased rights and protection for the Muslim community, indeed I'm involved in one this coming Wednesday (Lloyds Hotel, Chorlton, 7pm), but the danger is that it just becomes a night of self-praise, adulation, pat each others backs, lovey-dovey speech and see you guys next year. Take care, bye!

It instills a laziness to Da'wah, something which I have noticed over the last few years. Muslims don't want to rock the boat by speaking the truth or calling our panel members to Guidance, but rather feel happier to praise their activities and love and peace and all the rest of it. And I'm getting tired of all this bakwas. I don't know how long I can keep this up.

To strike the balance has to be the imperative in our relations with non-Muslims, ensuring that pure quality Da'wah is given serious priority as well as joint peace events and other inter-faith forum behaviour. It is because the latter has become the norm to so many Muslims in the West that they are suddenly shocked to find the Christians have 'rocked the boat' so publicly and blatantly.

We should know different by now.

2006-09-13T00:01:00.000+01:00

You know folks, we get to read a whole load of rubbish these days - but read this standard response below from Monarch Airlines after people complained about their pathetic actions in ejecting two Manchester lads who were speaking Urdu from a Malaga plane due to a 'security threat', and then you tell me how difficult it was for you not to say: "what a load of b*******."

But of course you didn't say that. Cos' we don't do things like that. Innit?

What did I say to Jane Fuller and her 'Customer Service' team? Oh, I just wrote:

To Jane Fuller and 'Customer Services'

That, Madam, was the biggest load of pathetic rubbish I have ever read in a personal email.

Well done for reaching those parts that comedy shows could only dream of.

Hey - I was created weak okay??

Now here's that 'pathetic rubbish' I was telling you about.

And promise not to swear. Ramadhan is far too close.

Dear Sir

Thank you for your recent email regarding the incident involving two passengers on our flight from Malaga to Manchester on 16 August. I have also read many of the press reports myself and I can therefore understand the reason for your concern.

Before commenting specifically on the incident on 16 August, I think that it might be helpful if I reproduced the full text of a statement that we issued to the media:

Monarch's overriding priority at all times is the safety and security of its passengers and crews and it will take whatever actions are necessary to maintain the highest levels of safety and security. From time to time that may entail the further security checking of individual passengers or indeed whole flights. Any such decision to request further security checks is taken by the Captain after giving full consideration to all the available information and that decision is not taken unless there are genuine concerns.

Whatever the views and opinions of other passengers may be, those views and opinions would not on their own be the reason to request further security checks on other passengers. That decision will be taken by the Captain only if he or she has genuine concerns for the safety and security of the passengers and crew and for no other reason whatsoever. It is Monarch?s policy not to comment upon individual incidents where security is concerned.

Regrettably much of what was reported in some sections of the media concerning the incident on 16 August was either inaccurate or incomplete. The two passengers who were offloaded from the flight were removed because the Captain had genuine and serious concerns for the security of the aircraft and for the safety of all those on board. In fact all passengers were disembarked from the aircraft and a full security search of the cabin, including all cabin baggage, was undertaken. That would not have been undertaken if the intention was simply to remove two passengers because of whom they were.

Certain information had been passed to the cabin crew by a number of the passengers concerning the behaviour of the two passengers in question and, furthermore, the Captain had been made aware of certain other relevant information relating to events in the terminal prior to the boarding of the aircraft. Together, that information was the determining factor in the decision to undertake a full security search of the aircraft as well as to request further security checks on the two passengers in question. Unfortunately, due to crew duty hours, it was not possible for the aircraft to remain on the ground at Malaga whilst those security checks were completed and therefore both passengers were re-booked onto a later flight with us. Had crew duty hours permitted, then those passengers would then have re-joined their original flight.

I hope that this letter reassures you that Monarch?s actions were undertaken solely on the grounds of security and in no circumstances whatsoever do we, or would we, condone or practice unlawful discrimination.

Yours sincerely

D K Summers

Director, Customer Services

2006-09-12T20:18:00.000+01:00

As a lead-up to my annual summer series review of the cricket, naturally cramming in our frivolities before really serious times are upon us, I wanted to share this pic if only for the fact to prove: I am still alive. You should know now that I only bother blogging if there is time to. Oh and the reason you can't get to this blog through PG is because the website is being developed and then we'll be divorcing each other for good; 3 talaqs and all that jazz...

What does it depict? Nothing really, other than providing us with probably our single moment of cricketing pride in a totally lame summer for Pakistani cricket. Well ok, maybe not so lame, but still disappointing as you'll come to see by the end of the week God willing.

And what is it then? Abdul Razzaq going absolutely mental.

2006-09-08T22:57:00.000+01:00

Now if tonight's moon isn't that of laylat'l-nisf min sha'ban then I don't know what is.

All the best for everyone tonight - remember us all in your du'as.

2006-09-06T23:49:00.000+01:00

For all those who missed out taking full advantage of the summer holidays with their kids, don't miss the National Trust's fantastic offer this Saturday, where they'll be opening their doors around the country for our dream price - free!

Those up our end, don't miss out on the fabulous Lyme Park.

PS: the informal PG family trip to Alton Towers on the 17th of September (separate to the cancelled "Islamic Leisure" trip) has only got a few tickets remaining, and will be available at the end of the Adab circle this Friday at Makki Masjid. They're running out fast so don't say you weren't warned...

2006-09-05T22:47:00.000+01:00

You know you cheered when he lamped it through midwicket...

;-)

2006-09-04T22:19:00.000+01:00

This wasn't just Australia's loss. This was a loss for millions of us around the globe.

Steve Irwin - Obituary

Was he insane for all the death-defying stunts? Probably.

But were his programmes the best entertainment money couldn't buy without the swearing, the filth and all the other normal rubbish that TV is famous for? Without doubt.

I've got no shame in admitting to being saddened by his death, and I'll miss his mental approach to our predatory world.

And I don't think I'll be alone in that.

2006-08-29T06:40:00.000+01:00

You know, I was just about to write about how nice it was to see a return for our full-strength pace attack, how this was the team that has the best chance for the World Cup since ages, that minus Afridi for Kaneria it is our best Test team, that Inzamam is the Izzat Master, that Woolmer deserves every penny in his job plus some, that...until the Eye went and published this...

...and I thought, "Hmm. Maybe not."

But just for the record, I know there seem to be a few similarities between myself and the list, but I must contest one difference: I love the Jews.

Yep. I love the Jews.

Orange Juice, Pineapple Juice, Apple Juice, Grapefruit Juice...

(Yeah yeah, it's an old one I know I know.)

2006-08-25T00:43:00.000+01:00

My goodness, did you realise that Ramadhan is like less than a month away!

But before then, there's the small matter of Sha'ban.

So in the best of Blue Peter tradition, here's a little something I prepared last year...

Sha'ban - The Neglected Month

2006-08-23T00:57:00.000+01:00

Further to what I mentioned in the previous post and in addition to a few comments from ARG et al:

All practising Muslims should recognise the need to be fully in tune with our families' needs and desires, especially in an ever-increasing materialistic world which demands more and more of our time, and that just simply to maintain financial parity with the rest of society. Inevitably, it is our family that will suffer as a result of it and indeed our Deen itself for as the Prophet (s) said, "the best of you are those who are best to your families."

All possible opportunities must be taken, both 'religious' and 'secular', to keep involved with our children and spouses in every way possible. This is even moreso when in the name of dignity and honour, we expect our wives to successfully bring up our children without recourse to employment and going out in the 'big wide world' to maintain their sanity and take a break from the demands of motherhood. All cultures and communities will deal with this in their own way, but it must be dealt with.

Yet at the same time, and pertinently so with respect to this horrific murder, we can see the difficulties for those Muslims who try and strike this balance but outside the framework that Islam advises for society to adhere to.

Substantiated facts from extended family members and others in the community (and not tabloid gossip) do indeed confirm what we feared: that marital discord due to an illicit affair were from the causes of this crime. Again one is sadly not surprised to discover the history of the two families, their relations and their modern-day understanding of how British Muslims should conduct themselves in flagrant disregard to the religious etiquette that they claim to follow.

And the children?! "For what sin was she killed?" (81:9)

It seems overtly simplistic, obscene even, to suggest that these murders in Cheadle Hulme has its basis in such an innocuous concept of infidelity and/or a failure of realising our familiy responsibilities, yet let this be a warning to all of us: the fitnah and fasad that awaits us as Muslims if we continue to ignore the challenges that contemporary societal life throw at us will only serve to increase the horrific loss of innocence and indeed innocent life as we witness so often today.

This story has dominated the entire discourse of my community, congregation, and acquaintances. What we must be weary of is to fall into the, "I told you so" category as every third person adds a 'new' fact to the tragedy, but rather learn our lesson as no doubt this is and say, "O Allah, protect us from the evils of our own souls and the trials of life."

Wa Allahu Musta'an.

2006-08-21T14:48:00.000+01:00

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un.

The tragic news today about the deaths of a young Muslim family on Turves Rd in Cheadle Hulme, 300-400 metres down the same side of my road has understandably left many people, especially the local Muslim community, in a state of shock.

It’s hard enough to come to terms with this horrific crime, but even worse when we learn that the three children were only 5, 7 and 11 years old. The father, a local minicab driver, who is not known as one of our local Mosque attendees, is still missing from apparently four weeks back. The investigation is naturally centred on finding him. Allah knows best.

After our Mosque had been contacted last night, a brother and nephew of the family have now taken temporary charge of affairs but the local community should expect news of Janazah prayers soon if the post-mortem is completed by today as expected.

I was visited by my elderly neighbour today who has lived here for over 30 years. She was absolutely distraught, namely because it reminded her of an incident that occurred in the house of my neighbours on the other side to me. In 1999, A cardiac specialist nurse from Malaysia who married here from Manchester took her life and the life of her two children, 8 and 10, whilst the husband was away at work. My neighbour used to baby-sit those children and it had left her and her husband clinically depressed then, and it was reliving the same nightmare again for them today with the sad news from Turves Road.

At the very least, it is a reminder how we should never take our families for granted and the pressure that they may be under and yet we might not be aware of it due to life just going on as if everything is fine and dandy. Hopefully, we'll all look at our children in our 'safe and perfect' lives here in the West and realise that security and safety is not just about being out of the path of cluster bombs and missiles. Rather, it is about bringing up your family as best as you can by implementing the Islamic ideals of love, mercy and responsibility between you, your spouse and your children.

May Allah shower His Endless Mercy upon those who have left this Dunya, and give them Peace in the Hereafter, Ameen.

2006-08-20T20:19:00.000+01:00

I've always, in the best of pragmatic British tradition, given sports officials the benefit of the doubt when they make mistakes on the field of play, whether in football, cricket, tennis or any other sport for that matter - I'm a firm believer that the incredible technological advances in cameras have allowed for all commentators and third parties far too great a benefit in being able to criticise those officials who are forced to make a split-second decision under pressure and all the rest of it without all such benefits of hindsight etc.

And anyway, I've held the belief that bad decisions seem to even themselves out at the end of the game; you'll have a few bad ones and then gain as a result of a few bad ones and that's the great nature of sport. Look at today for example: Pakistan might have complained about some horrible decisions in the previous and current Test but they don't come much worse than the shocking lbw decision against Andrew Strauss today who looked in absolute imperious form, and looked to be the key player in preventing an England defeat.

But - and this is from a person who has to had to put up with years of criticism, (from people I respect in the game and not just ignorant bigots or armchair viewers) of Darrell Hair as being someone who has a major xenophobic attitude to South Asians, and Pakistanis in particular - I think I'm now convinced. He is an absolute disgrace.

His record isn't exactly that great either. And as much as the Pakistanis have consistently complained against him and his bias (racism possibly?), I can't defend him any more. His ignorant and insulting attitude towards an International team today and hence the Country itself have left him a rightly condemned man.

And condemned with no recourse as well. Don't try to tell me that it was a joint decision between him and Doctrove who is just plain rubbish, not worthy of umpiring a game of tiddly-winks forget an international test-match, or as Boycott would say, "my mum can umpire better him". No, this was all Umpire Hair and all him alone - an independent, biased approach to the game, a direct insult by offering a new ball choice to the batsmen, not telling Inzamam anything, and then his arrogance of not clarifying with 'those Darkies who can't speak English properly anyway' no doubt and forfeitting the game.

He's a joke and I can't find any words to disgrace him further. Someone call that DrM bloke to try instead - he has more insulting adjectives than a thesaurus...

What a sad end to a test-series, especially when relations between the two countries were indeed on the mend, Pakistani players dominating the County circuit and bringing real joy and skill to the British public, and especially with such a turbulent history behind us all as well.

Sigh. Thank God for the Premiership...

Oh by the way, summaytuha...Iman.

:-)

2006-08-17T21:22:00.000+01:00

Anger as father ejected from US

Yes, that is our Azhar miskeen from Cheadle.

And yes, Mark Hunter better do something about it.

Yeah.

2006-08-15T23:43:00.000+01:00

Please note:

- Shaykh Kehlan's classes are cancelled for the next three weeks.

- The Shaykh's next lesson will be on Saturday 9th September 2006, between Maghrib and Isha at Makki Masjid, Manchester.

- I will not be doing anything in place of the Tafsir lesson so please take the opportunity to revise your notes and enjoy the 'Conference Season' as no doubt many of you will.

- The 'Umdat'l-Fiqh lessons continue after Maghrib at Cheadle Masjid on Wednesday, and the Adab class remains at the same time of after Maghrib salah on Fridays at Makki Masjid insha'Allah.

- Other than that, this site will be quiet for a while as other projects are given priority in these troubled times.

May Allah give us all the tawfeeq to do that which He loves, Ameen.

2006-08-12T19:21:00.000+01:00

Sad news for us in the North West and then personally as well with the death of our beloved teacher Shaykh Abdullah al-Juday's Father, inna lillahi wa inna ilahyi raji'un.

Should anyone wish to pay their respects and express their condolences in person, Shaykh Abdullah will be at the Masjid to receive you for three evenings:

after Maghrib today (Saturday 12 August 2006)
after 7:30pm tomorrow (Sunday 13 August 2006)
after Maghrib on Monday 14 August 2006

Indeed to Allah belongs what He has taken and to Him belongs what He gave and everything with Him has an appointed time. May those He left behind have patience and hope for Allah's reward.

2006-08-11T23:20:00.000+01:00

Imām al-Bukhāri (r) narrated that his companions told him, “Hammād (ibn Salamah) once visited Sufyān al-Thawri and Sufyān asked him, “Do you really think that Allah could forgive someone like me?” Hammād said, “If I was to choose between being accountable for my actions by Allah and being held accountable for those actions by my Parents, I’d choose being accountable to Allah for He is more Merciful to me than my Parents.”

Read it again. Think about it.

2006-08-10T18:16:00.000+01:00

Please note: the Adab class is now between Maghrib and Isha.

That's tomorrow, Friday the 11th of August, between Maghrib and Isha.

Be there. Or be bi-adab.

:-O

2006-08-08T21:25:00.000+01:00

You want thoughts of the last few days eh?! I'll give you thoughts...

Geneva - absolutely the most beautiful place you can imagine. Period.

Geneva Pt II - beauty is going to cost you some serious paisa. Start saving now.

British Airways - deplorable. I don't know what I forgot about how rubbish BA have always been but being a glutton for punishment, I thought I'd put myself through it again. I'll never complain about Paks In the Air ever again...

London Underground - my heartfelt condolences to all those who live in London and are forced to use this ayah of the Day of Judgement. My airways and sanity have been preserved for the last eight years. Until Sunday that is. Never again. Tawbah Tawbah...

George Galloway - I can't say I'm his biggest fan but his latest rant cannot be faulted for the facts. Stylish beard by the way...

Monty - ...who has anything but a 'stylish' beard but is in phenomenal form. Never mind that he battered the apnai today, it's great news for us (what, you thought I was going to support the Paks when they're getting battered??) when we take on the Aussies in the Ashes. More importantly, 'Monster' becoming as popular as he is, has had a much more important telegenic effect: the normalisation of the non-trimmed 'religious' beard and that's great news for all and sundry!

"A British Muslim and British Sikh bowl England to Victory!" - yawn.

The Pathan - there is no doubt who the King Pathan is. After Afridi has been exposed as one of the worst batsmen I've ever seen, step up Sayyid Yunus Khan Saab, who was simply magnificent in every aspect throughout the Headingley Test. He didn't run anyone out, his captaincy excellent, his batting sublime, and his courage simply...well...Pathan. ;-)

The Rest - Well, we do have the best middle order in the world. And that's it. The openers are rubbish. Faisal Iqbal, what is he doing in this team? Kamran Akmal - Subhanallah, they were saying he was the new Gilchrist six months ago. Haha!

Sure, we've got our opener Shoaib Malik missing and our best bowler Rana Naved is not there and would have won us this game with his eyes closed, whereas the quicks Akhtar and Asif would have given KP and Co something to think about at Old Trafford, but we've been generally poor in this series.

Anyway, la ba's; I'm happy for our (blue cap back on again) chances down Under in the Ashes because my pick of keeper last year, Chris Read, was excellent. KP looks tasty, Monty as I mentioned above has left Giles for dead as the best spinner on the Island and I'm happy to have been proved wrong about Bell's talent.

And most importantly, Dean Jones stands gutted when he tried it against "ar-kid" Hashim, masha'Allah, and came out with his serious baistee done. Told.

The Profiling Policeman at Gatwick - hi there! You didn't send me your email so please do. And I told you I wasn't going to write an article about you - no, just mention you anonymously, get more people bewildered, and cause more of a stir that way instead...

Propaganda my friend. It works both ways. Never underestimate the power of the blog.

Anyway, better luck next time. Profiling someone returning from advising the World Economic Forum on all those questions you asked wasn't probably what you were expecting but hey, we all have stinking days from time to time...

But seriously, it was a nice way to kill 90 minutes and I do appreciate the "VIP" service on getting on my connecting flight. But as you said, shame there wasn't a first class section you could've blagged me on to...

:-)

Is that enough for a week then? Good.

Oh by the way, did I mention how lame BA and the Tube are?

Ay na'm.

2006-08-05T23:17:00.000+01:00

The Eye needs no excuse to get involved as only it could...

2006-08-02T20:27:00.000+01:00

I apologise in advance.

I simply couldn't resist.

:-)

2006-08-01T14:30:00.000+01:00

I have a deep passion for the sciences of Prophetic narration, or what has been termed Mustallah al-Hadīth or ‘Ulūm al-Hadīth by various contemporary scholars, as do many people who have been brought up in an environment of studying under scholars and contemporary Muhaddithīn who are particularly proficient in hadīth and their various aspects such as Shaykh ‘Abdullah al-Juday and Shaykh Suhaib Hasan or Shaykh Muhammad Sālim wald Udūd (may Allah preserve them all). The whole subject is a truly fascinating area of study.

But what has been specifically on my mind of late has been the whole topic of criticism – by that, we mean criticising those who narrate hadīth to ensure they are not making mistakes or even worse, lying – which is what the science of hadīth has always been traditionally called: al-Jarh wa Ta‘dīl, or possibly translated as “the Science of Disparaging and Approving Narrators.”

I say ‘possibly’ because this is the whole crux of the matter. The English translation seems very negative and will always require a detailed explanation as to the job of the Muhaddith when it comes to appraising a narration and the entire chain of all its narrators from the person who related it to the Muhaddith himself all the way to the Successor (Tābi‘ī) and then the Companion (Sahābi) and then the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam).

Anyway, my intention is not to give an introduction to this science, rather what has fascinated me is what kind of relationship did the people of Naqd (or those Muhaddithīn who specialised in finding hidden faults in various narrators) actually had with those narrators. What I mean by that, is that often, a major Muhaddith such as Yahya b. Ma‘īn or Imām Ahmad would critically take a narrator down, often quite publicly, and yet know that narrator personally as well.

Can you like imagine that? Remember of course, our major scholars have preserved this science of ensuring only the best and most authentic hadīth get narrated without personal bias and subjectivity against various characters in our history. They had nothing to gain personally, had no conflict of interests, and if there ever were, it would be stamped down upon and spotted very quickly by the other Muhaddithīn who would not fail to take note of such behaviour. Yet still, can you imagine, meeting and seeing a person who on all accounts was a really nice, righteous, decent Muslim yet for some reason or the other, was a danger to the science of narration either through his mistakes, his poor memory, his ignorance, his deviance in ‘aqīdah or some other factor?

There are hundreds of books that detail this science of hadith, starting from the Muqaddimah of ibn al-Salāh to the present day Tahrīr ‘Ulūm al-Hadīth of Shaykh Juday, and they all detail the various nuances and skills required as well as all the different types and variations of faults that are to be discovered in the chains of narrations. Yet, in my experience so far, and certainly not from my bookshelf, I have not yet come across a detailed study into the psychology of the earlier Muhaddithīn in how they preserved any sort of relationship with a narrator they knew yet had criticised or rubbished his hadīth. And if anyone does have something, then please do share it.

I for one would love to understand and master that psychology. We know in our present times and experiences that the art of criticising has been understood to a certain degree. Winters wrote that “Criticism is infectious.” I’ll add then that if this is so (and it most certainly is), then “to respond must be the plague.” And we know more as well. Look at blogs for example. If you were to take a random sample of blogs and monitor them for a while, you’ll find that all they effectively are (in the main) is a critique of various things such as society, ideas, politics, people, religion, etc. Indeed, have a think about the media as a whole and you’ll suddenly discover that the massive majority of what we hear, read, or see is one massive bundle of criticism. Frankly, one could say that us writers / authors / bloggers / lecturers / teachers / journalists / commentators (basically all of us) do nothing else but criticism. Even when we praise, we criticise!

It’s amazing. And I think we should understand its principles a lot more than we attempt to do if it is going to consume so much of our time, because as long as we are more constructive and objective in what we do, then criticism is not necessarily all that bad.

But what lessons have we learnt in modern times, or what questions can we at least ask ourselves to answer? Let me suggest a few:

- Have you all noticed how the more anonymous you make yourself, the easier it is to take another person down?
- Have you noticed the more you distance yourself from someone, the easier it is to be angry at them?
- Have you seen how you can ‘cuss and slate’ someone when they are not there but do nothing when they’re in front of you?
- Have you realised how easy it is to say something, whether negative or positive, when you don’t have to worry about the consequences, or you don’t believe you have any responsibility with respect to what you say?
- Have you seen how easy it is to make reconciliation on the phone, but face to face becomes so much harder?
- Isn’t it interesting how deep the statement, “Look me in the eye” now seems?
- Have you noticed how easy it is to even praise someone lavishly in their absence, much more so than when you are with them? On the same note, you feel like praising someone or something they’ve done but possible perceptions of others makes you hesitate, due to your identity being known?

All these things are very real, and happen all the time to a lot of us. Take this blog for example: there was an (unfortunate) time not too long ago when comments were not moderated and people would write in their 20s, 50s and even 100s of useless comments, virtually all of them anonymous or hidden behind some irrelevant pen-name. They would say the most crazy things, the most ridiculous and baseless criticism and at the same time, the most silliest and over-exuberant praise, all I suggest fuelled by the absence of any inter-personal contact and that devilish air of power than anonymity offers; once comments become moderated and people had to register, then the stat-counters show more and more readers but not even 1% of the numbers of comments – indeed cyber-silence is golden, Alhamdulillah!

And all this goes to show how interesting the psychology and interaction would have been between the scholars of old who were criticising for very valid Deeni reasons and yet had to deal with all the rest of the fallout that must have been inevitable as a result of that. We sit here and lap up all the glory of their hard work but my Goodness, it must have been a stressful job dealing with it.

I was thinking the same thing recently when a group of us met some people that we would have no doubt criticised very easily due to their deviations in the fundamentals of Islam, yet when we were interacting with them, they suddenly became all…well…human! The alarm bells started ringing and confusion started to set in – the whole criticising and disparaging thing wasn’t so easy anymore was it now?

Another take on this could be the recent ‘riots’ at the possible filming of Monica Ali’s new book about Brick Lane, where the majority of the people who were being interviewed didn’t have a clue who she actually was and hardly any of them had even read her book and what she was meant to have said.

Indeed, this follows the general pattern of complaint/riot/anger/criticism and the like; it is far easier to do when we don’t have to think about it, when we don’t have to worry about the consequences, when we don’t have to work out the logic or rationale behind our actions or statements etc.

So is it a surprise then when we read the severe warnings from the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) to be careful what our tongues say for how often does a single, loose and often instantly forgotten statement come back to haunt the one who uttered it so heedlessly?

May Allah protect us and guide us to that which He loves, Ameen.

The very least this little piece should make us all do, primarily myself as I sit here writing it, is make us reflect how we should conduct ourselves when we naturally criticise, how the early Muslims would do it, how to understand the psychology involved behind it, how not to absolve ourselves of our responsibility to criticise deviation and threats to our pure Deen and yet understand how to deal with the very real difficulties of applying these principles in politically and socially sensitive times today.

2006-07-31T00:03:00.000+01:00

Lebanon hasn't just become an international political issue for the World to stress about, but another crisis for the Muslims, and also, another fitnah for the Scholars to potentially lose their way in.

But that's what happens in fitnah. People get confused.

And why wouldn't they? We have the mass murder of innocent women and children on a continual basis. That's a disgrace - the fact that they are Christians, Atheists, Muslims whether Shi'ah or Sunni - has no bearing on this whatsoever. Islam can never allow that to happen under its watch and justice must be sought.

As for certain fatawa being passed around on the impermissibility of supporting Hizbollah and the like, then no-one should let his emotions cloud his judgement. Fatwas such as this one, do not say the Lebanese nation is not to be helped and supported as is being popularly spread, rather it is clarifying the position of Sunni Muslims on the Rafidhi sect which dominates the militant Hizbollah group. Indeed, now is a time where we must support the oppressed and injured in Lebanon by every political and financial means possible.

Let's not mix issues here. No-one should have any doubt from all those who follow Sunni Islam and the way of the blessed Prophet (God's peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions (may God be pleased with them all) that the violent oppressors from the extreme Rawafidh Shi'ah sects have helped decimate the Sunni population of Iraq and have their political plans to do much more given the opportunity. They are criminals beyond our imagination.

But in this case, against the Zionists, the fight is one. It is one of justice and truth against murder, oppression and falsehood. And it will always be the case. We might not stand together, fight together, support one another, but the Zionists have shown the world now why all the Muslims have always and will always resist their transgression against humanity until the very last person and the very last day.

As for Zionist offers of cease-fires and the like, then we'll take all we can get as the weak side on the back foot always does. Don't count on anyone else in the World to try and get that though, for they all have a vested interest in the further destruction of the Middle East despite their claims. Anger at the US and the UN and the rest of their cronies for not stepping in immediately is a waste of time - what on Earth do you expect from those who wish to destroy you anyway?

And as for peace, then as a certain Shaykh Salman al-'Awdah once said, during a blessed time where sentences were not repeatedly read over and edited time and time again for political sensitivity's sake, "As for peace with Israel, then let peace be upon it."

Amen to that.

2006-07-29T05:30:00.000+01:00

Either I've got it all so wrong and Denmark is the happiest place in the World, or the people who responded to this survey were employees of Jyllands-Posten itself, involved in the World's greatest ever PR-recovery stunt to be pulled off.

Whatever you say about the health and wealth and all the rest of it, it's far too expensive there and there are no Mosques. Well, no proper minarah kinda Mosques, if you know what I'm saying - just dodgy back-street jobs and the like, with all the Muslims on the serious down-low.

As for Switzerland, then funnily enough I'll be there in a few weeks time insha'Allah, so let's see if that gets a better report, although from what I hear, I suspect it's another rich man's Paradise.

I see that Madinah got left off the list although the two Harams still got on the "Happy Map" (see map), Swat was ignored, and the Khilafah (aka the 'Ole Blighty) only came in at number 41 - so as I thought then, Danish criminals scamming the voting system again...

2006-07-28T23:41:00.000+01:00

Is it just me, or is Ramiz Raja getting on your nerves?

2006-07-24T13:40:00.000+01:00

Bush might be a total loser, but at least he's a lot more honest than many Muslims...

2006-07-17T22:50:00.000+01:00

As a follow up to my previous 'Assertions' and keeping in mind the various Reflections and Contentions in recent months, I think it's time I clean my desktop from the next lot that I've been collecting since last September during my spare time.

Enjoy!

Assertions II

1. The False Sufism: veiling the Sunna with their Prophets

2. Fitnah; and no Ahmad for it

3. “…Nabeee’aaa”. Qālūn: refreshes those parts that other recitations just can’t reach

4. Big buildings cause Earthquakes. Earthquakes destroy big buildings. Listen to the Prophet.

5. Better to appear guilty than impotent

6. “Allāhumma ighfir-l’Abbās” – will we ever find out why…?

7. Usury is to zina as stealing is to shirk

8. “It is from Patriotism to defend ones Country from its Government.” (Briers)

9. Those who leave after eight should leave after two

10.
The Disbelievers: Islam is just another –ism
The Believers: Islam is the primordial ism

11. Another annus horribilis or rather the sunna of God?

12. The one who can’t dance always claims that the Earth is bent (Arab.)

13. The Sahīh Sitta. What good is gold in the hands of the chimneysweep?

14. The False Salafis: “Hey, it wasn’t me!”

15. Being afraid of the dark helps keep you alive

16. “The man who wants nothing is invincible.” (Anon)

17.
Liberalism: if you can’t beat them, join them
Extremism: if you can’t beat them, kill them
Islamism: if you can’t beat them, pray for them

18. The Muslims are the best hope Judaism and Christianity have

19. But for Sufism, Capitalism would have remained in the desert

20. Life is like a pharmacy bag – it’ll fit insha’Allah

21. To the ‘News of the World’: we have enough fake Sheikhs already thank you very much

22. The False Sufism: a successful flight into complexity

23. The False Salafism: a successful flight into simplicity

24. “The mountains are never shaken by the winds!” (Arafat)

25. Sufism and Salafism is to believe there are no political interests in Islam

26. If criticism is infectious then to respond must be the plague

27. Ibn Taymiyyah: ignore him at your own peril

28. The False Humanist: you have that much confidence in your mind?

29. The only ta‘rīf in the False Sufism is tahrīf

30. Know your Khandāna so you may seek their bakhāna

31. “I don’t do forgiveness. That’s for God. I’m just making sure they both meet up.” (D. Washington)

32. Beware that Day from the witness of the eloquent

33. Ibn ‘Arabi or Ibn al-‘Arabi? Be definitely sure about the definite

34. Be worried when the closest we may get to Jannat al-Firdaus is when it’s rubbed on our hands

35. “The Bible vs. The Qur’ān”?! Nay, justice necessitates “The Bible vs. Fadhā’il al-A‘māl.”

36. Laylah: an Arab dream, a Wahabi nightmare and the confusion of the Sufi

37. Ahl al-Sunnah are those who cry “Ahlan!” to the Jamā‘ah

38. Unity has lowered our standards. Viva ikhtilāf!

39. “I’d rather my brother have cancer than be a homosexual.”

40.
My friend Abdullah is a pious old soul
And indeed a religious man is he
When he starts his weekly Tahajjud at 2.55
He’s all done and in bed by three

41. “It is enough for us that he produced ibn al-Qayyim.” (ibn Hajr)

42. Vision knows no bounds – Arab eyes see the impossible

43. Better to aim for the moon and land in a puddle than to drown in your apathy

44. The power of science has overtaken the power of spirituality - we have guided missiles yet misguided men (MLK)

45. Abu Hanifah – one often attacks what one can’t understand

46. More boxers?! Enough! Enough!

47. “If sins had a smell, no-one could possibly sit with me.” (ibn al-Wāsi‘)

48. “Jesus said we should turn the other cheek. Unfortunately, Figo is not Jesus Christ.” (Scolari)

49. Mafhûm al-Mukhâlafah: Bloggers bring the art of balâgha back to life

50. What did they choose to represent a unified Islamic community? The Crescent

51.
The Pathan said to the Arab, “Musharraf? We call him Mutarraf!”
The Arab replied, “Mutarraf!? We call him Mushrik!”

52.
They said: “Sticks and stones may break our bones but names will never hurt us.”
We said: “Sticks and stones will break our bones and names hurt too!”

53. “There is no peace in retreat. There is no honour in retreat.” (Rodriguez)

54. If cricket was football, Pakistan would want to be Brazil (Abbasi)

55. Claiming a Madhab is like claiming to be a Lawyer - beware of being charged with misrepresentation (Bradford)

56. If this is Progression, give us back the Stone Age!

57. If there was a Khilāfah today, only non-Muslims would wish to live there

58. Hanafiyyat’l-Samhah: easy in everything but the usūl and the fiqh

2006-07-16T23:58:00.000+01:00

Just in response to quite a few queries this week (?) on why I don't blog more, and why I don't disucss more "Ummah" issues such as Politics, Social concerns and the like.

Well, it goes something like this:

This blog/site is a spare time hobby and that's all. This is not meant to be my loudspeaker to project a khutbah out to the online world, but my (hopefully) halal past-time, as opposed to what I consider the real da'wah or teaching that one does in the Masjid, in classes, in the khutbah, or Conferences etc.

Put it this way: the Salaf used to say (as narrated by Wahb b. Munabbih) that they would split their time into four hours; the first would be to beseech the Lord with our actions, the second would be holding oneself accountable, the third would be spending time with the community teaching, learning, and reminding them of Allah, and a fourth hour that one spends fulfilling ones desires from that which is permissible and good to fulfill two purposes: to help fulfill the other three hours and to give the heart relaxation and rest. (al-Musannaf 'Abd al-Razzaq 22/11).

Of course, this is well known from the Sunnah as well, including the Prophetic advice given to Abu Bakr (r) and other Companions, but my point is that I see my own personal fourth hour as my time spent with sport, entertainment and the internet (and hence this site).

This also means that my third hour is where I consider to be the majority of what I call to or teach, with the various activites and lessons in the Masjid and other responsibilities that one has. I do not consider anything on the net to be from the third hour, despite recognising that there is much "Deeni" benefit to be taken online.

Also, I freely admit that during my relaxing on a site like this, I will often write up a bahth, or occasionally have a khutbah-style rant, or give a bit of Political analysis or answer some questions etc, but I have no doubt that all this comes out of my free, spare hobby time, and not my 'serious' time. I mean for crying out loud, it's on this site that I can get away from the rest of my responsibilities!

I hope this makes sense. Why? Because it allows me to continue to do as I wish without people believing I am being irresponsible, "not setting a good example", not talking about the issues which matter, etc. I know I know, the current URL names don't exactly do me any favours, but I'm such a pathetic technophobe luddite that I can't seem to set up another kind of site thingy - I've been trying to work out how to do one of those Wordpress sites because they look so refreshing and smart and I feel I could really have a doss and look cool too but hey, maybe some other day...

;-)

So, call me irresponsible if I don't teach the obligatory nature of Jihad during our fiqh lessons, or tell me I'm not setting a good example if I don't practice what I preach in the community, but please don't do so if you don't get to read here what you came here expecting to read - this is a chill zone I'm afraid.

Also, I'm a firm believer in two things: if it ain't broke, don't fix it (i.e. there are Muslims on the net who are already giving good specific content) and secondly, there are far too many people talking too much anyway so minimise those whom you listen to/read online/let influence you and therefore I advise you to stick to a few quality sources and you'll find your Deen becomes more stable and pure.

I know this started due to my comments on the current fighting between Zionists and the Shi'ah Hezbollah, so I'll re-state again what I said: we should worry more about what Islam will do when it is finally in a position to dictate terms like everyone else does, and what we are all doing to make sure that happens one day. We may curse and slam the Zionists for their terror but they don't care and neither should they care for they've earned their position of power and the Muslims have earned their position of weakness. Likewise we may curse and hate on George Bush and his cronies for speaking such utter rubbish and blaming everything on the Arabs but hey, that's the kind of stupidity you can do and get away with when you know that not a single person in the entire world can challenge what you say or do.

I say good luck to them. Enjoy yourselves whilst you can, and remember these times - just allow others to have their day when they achieve such strength and responsibility, and only then will we know who was upon truth and justice.

For those who want more Muslim political analysis or a constant watch on current affairs that affect the Muslims in the West etc then brothers such as Yusuf, Osama and Haroon do a great job. As for social commentators (as everyone believes they are) then my limited experience on the web suggests a few like a brother called Tariq Nelson who does a good job for the African-American community in the USA, Amir Butler for the Aussies and Sister Saraji for pretty much everyone and everything in the world so I'm sure you'll find something you agree with.

As for here, then it's all a blag - sorry, blog - innit?

2006-07-13T10:42:00.000+01:00

2006-07-11T19:08:00.000+01:00

Reflections on the MLT Conference, Copenhagen

You get the gist – post 9/11, Muslims under the microscope, need to address the Muslim identity and integration “crisis”, organise meetings and seminars to tell everyone that “Islam is Peace” for the 453rd time, celebrate diversity and tolerance, and basically try and show the entire world what Islam would be like if the Muslims could ever actually get round to practising it.

Oh and hold a few more expensive conferences just to re-emphasise the whole thing just in case anyone missed the previous one last week. But hey, when there’s so much American cash plus Saudi ‘guilt donations’ flying about exactly for that reason, then why not right?

So that is what gathered a hundred odd Muslims in the loosest possible definition of the word (trust me, that is no exaggeration as many of the attendees themselves will no doubt admit) in Denmark a few days back: The ‘Muslim’ Laddoos of Tomorrow Conference.

Actually, maybe a Laddoo is the wrong kind of sweet to use seeing they are so nice and uniform in appearance and nice and uniform throughout, sweet tasting all the way with no real surprises. No, indeed Mas’ud had a much more fitting conclusion to the event – the actual MLT cake itself: nice to look at, sweet in places, a rather disappointing fringe element with a strange (and ultimately) nutty conclusion deep inside.

Hmm.

I must say it was a chastening experience, both valuable and eye-opening. I am grateful to have met so many interesting and diverse people, all who at least claim to have submission to Allah (“Islam”) as something particularly in common – ok, our friend Mona ElTahawy had some interesting variations to this understanding, blaming her stay in Saudi Arabia on her bizarre take of the Shahādah, but then Yasir Qadhi claimed that Saudi helped develop his take on the Shahādah, on their same flight down from the States no less. Come on guys, something’s going to have to give here.

So what else went on there?

Ilhām. Nice word isn’t it? I didn’t think that you could play around with that word, although Ani seems to have found an interesting use for it.

Used in its more conventional sense, it was no doubt the name of an Italian attendee but more fittingly, it seems that Anas was holding a monopoly on the concept every time he talked masha’Allah. Have you ever witnessed a more serene, complete and devastating deconstruction of kufr than when the barakah of the Nawawiyyah was flowing? Simply stunning.

‘And it don’t stop.’ (in my best Brooklyn…) If the Nawawi barādari wasn’t content on dealing with things at a whisper, then there was always that other screaming maniac to fall back on. Shaykh Azhar Usman, most befitting of the title than any of us, showed all the Imams how futile their attempts were in three days by bettering all their work in 3 minutes.

Laugh little, for it brings too much light to the heart.

Which reminds me Ya Billy Boy Azhar, revenge will be sweet next time. As for Keica Ali, then I think she can already claim that I have been at her feet albeit for 10 seconds to write down my details at breakfast. But my promise stands – I’ll be at those feet for much longer as a Mustafti if God willing, you qualify in Iftā’. Until then of course, Irshad can keep giving us new fatwas to help us solve the rather serious problem we obviously seem to have: no usūl, no fiqh, no scholars, no tradition, no standards, no ethics, no Qur’an, no…

But Idhlal, let me please thank you in advance for quite simply the greatest photo of all time in the scheme of things (have patience children for indeed all incredible things come to those who wait...). We do some serious photos exclusives on this blog bakwas but this one will top them all – and you guys thought that the only Twin Towers to fall used to be in Manhattan. Daisy, I await your files and I promise that legendary status awaits you…

And don’t read too much into that, which means you of course Mona – I know I’m sick to the death of all this integration rhetoric and hence would like to promote a ‘disintegration’ policy, but I’m not quite ready to blow myself into pieces just yet despite what you and your colleagues might believe…

;-)

But back to Imam issues; I find leading the prayer and giving the khutbah far too much responsibility for a full-time profession yet it seems that Imam Tahir Anwar seems to be pulling it off ok. Do you really have a number plate called “The Imam”? That kind of thing costs serious paisa down our parts but I wonder if my congregation would allow me to get with away such dunyai behaviour…or the collecting of fridge magnets of all the destinations I visit…or all the…actually I don’t want you to think that he’s not the bazurg masha’Allah kinda guy that he is - that’s “holy” to all you Arabs and not Picard’s sworn enemy.

I was also honoured to hear the clarity of Reza’s thoughts (isn't Google just so useful?) during the weekend, the stunning poetry of Su'ad (please send me the hilarious yet poignant poem from Sunday so I can share it with everyone), to have met some of the team behind the MuslimYouth.Net website which is something we all really need to support much more, to meet the excellent Daanish who sorted out the football in the main hall as well as just about everything else, to meet the wonderful Imam Yahya Pallavicini (who now needs to go and teach Materazzi what an Islamic terrorist is no doubt) and our other immensely talented European brothers and sisters who spoke such wonderful English and shamed us Anglophiles as usual – next time it should be in French or Arabic even to see how we get on. And talking about the French but is it just me who believes that Zidane’s wonderful headbutt – sorry, shocking haram act of terrorism - summed up the conclusion to our gathering or am I being too pessimistic?

Sure, there were a few crazy things going on and many low points, especially as a Brit. I can’t believe that at a conference held in Europe, there were just so many Yanks! It is part and parcel of being British to moan about American hegemony, regardless of whether there may be good in it or its Islamic etc. It’s the principle you see.

Oh and you might have to excuse me now as it’s time to pray – this isn’t Denmark you know. That’s not even a bad joke by the way. Yesterday I had to be reminded to re-programme my day back into one which revolves around the prayer as opposed to revolving around ma‘siyah.

I forgot about Denmark: wide roads, clean-ish, loads of bikes, takes ages to cross the road and no where to eat. But hey, plenty of lovely pastries. Just stick to where you at folks.

But actually I can honestly say that I return having gained much: I have never felt so glad to see our Masjid again. It was great to see the basic nās again. It was great to see the miskeena wife again. It was great to see my books again. It was great to see the Qur’an again. Hey man, it was just great to return back to the Khilāfah that is the Blighty.

I can’t conclude a review without my apologies can I? Firstly, I wish to apologise to Hisham who thought I was quite difficult as an audience member. I must agree. I’d find myself quite difficult as an audience member where a panel were chatting ‘pure breeze’ but put it this way, it could have been worse: it could have been me on the Panel or even worse, moderating. And you thought that Aftab went on…

Who else do I need to apologise to? Am I being too arrogant or am I right in believing that I was pretty sound otherwise?

:-)

As for something tangible about the conference itself then one of the journalists there dug up an old article (well, 5-minute reaction piece would have been more accurate) from a year back on the 7/7 bombings to use in some piece today. After reading it again a year on, and in light of the continuing insanity of terrorism as seen today in India, it’s interesting to read some of the vitriol found in the comments back then which maybe illustrates that although perhaps on the decrease here in the West, it still has a long way to go in actually permeating the Muslim countries in the rest of the World.

Finally, with reference to some of the attendees sincerely enquiring about my 'positions' and where I stood ‘on the line’ and all that in-fashion 'label' bakwas due to my late arrival (and missing the all-important “coming-out” session), especially the young lady with the hat more suited to Ladies Day at Ascot, then let me say this then as per MLT definitions: Sunni neo-con, part-time Imam and Khatib, taught by Salafi and Sufi teachers over the last ten years, Brit-Pak Muslim.

All of which means I end up a Salafi-Sufi right? Or a Salufi?

Or just Silly?

;-)

I end with this: since inna’l-hasanāt yudhibna’l-sayyi’āt, then I calculate we need to pray 7522 rakats of nafl to make up for the weekend.

Sigh.

2006-07-08T01:23:00.000+01:00

Well, at least for the next few days that is. I mean come on, it's not exactly good adab to be rude to your host whilst at his house now is it?

As for when I'm back, then I guess that's another story altogether...

;-)

PS: I don't read Danish either so don't look at me, but hey the pictures look exciting right?

2006-07-04T22:35:00.000+01:00

Hey, it's only a game.

But my goodness, what a game!

Forget all this integration bakwas, which reckons 65% want further integration into 'British' society - put me in the other 35% cos' I have had enough of all this stupidity...

I want an Azzurri Passport.

They do it much better...

;-)

2006-07-03T14:11:00.000+01:00

A few weeks back in the Adab class when we were looking at the magnificent biography of Amir al-Mu’minīn ‘Ali b. Abi Tālib (radhy Allāhu ‘anhu), I made the point that one of his most, if not the most amazing characteristic he had was his absolute commitment to all that which was good and noble and his utter hatred for all things evil and prohibited.

Why was this so amazing?

Because this is so much more difficult for those who have never seen or tasted evil and corruption. The fact that ‘Ali was born into a Prophetic household, raised his entire life under the tutelage of the greatest man ever born (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and remained that way until he was martyred means that he was about as pure as they come, and yet was able to develop such a standard of morality without having to be exposed to its opposite – something so valuable that the majority of us in the West as “born again Muslims” and the large Revert community use to a large extent to maintain our levels of Īmān and Islam in our day to day lives, especially as we have seen and tasted the ‘Jāhiliyyah’ so prevalent in our societies.

I know some of you wanted further clarification and I was just perusing through the Majmū’ of ibn Taymiyyah until I came across a wonderful passage that really only tells us what we knew already, but hey isn’t it so better when we hear from the Imams themselves?

He (rahimahullāh) said (10/300):

“As for what some people believe, that those who are born into Islam and never disbelieve (“born Muslims”) are better than those who used to be non-Muslims and then accepted Islam (“Reverts”) is not correct, rather whoever of them had the most taqwa of Allah at his appointed time, it is he who is better.

In fact it is well known that the early initial Muslims from the Muhājirūn and Ansār who had faith in Allah and His Messenger after their disbelief, were far better than those who were born into Islam from their children and others; indeed whoever knows and experiences all that which is evil and then gets to know and experience all that which is good, his knowledge and love for good and his knowledge and hate of evil is much more complete than those who haven’t known good and evil and tasted them both. In fact, the one who knows nothing but good can sometimes come across evil and will not be able to (fully) recognise it and so he will either fall into it or he will not be able to warn against it as others who know (the reality) better will be able to.

It is because of this that ‘Umar b. al-Khattāb (radhy Allāhu ‘anhu) said, “Of a surety, Islam will fall apart bit by bit if those who come into it have not known Jāhiliyyah.”

And it is as ‘Umar has said; the complete Islam entails the enjoining of good and forbidding of evil, the peak of which is Jihād in the Path of Allah. Whoever is raised in Islam in nothing but good and not knowing anything else, will not have the knowledge of evil and its harms that others will have. Likewise he will not be as effective in Jihād as others will be who are more knowledgeable (of the opposing side/ideology).

It is for this reason that the one who has had some experience of evil and its causes but purifies his intention, then he will be the most prepared, the most admonishing and the best in Jihād, that others are not capable of. Hence, the Sahābah (radhy Allāhu ‘anhum) were the greatest in Faith and Jihād than anyone after them due to their knowledge of good and evil, and their immense love of all that which was good and their hate of all evil from what they knew of the excellence of being in a state of Islam and Īmān, (performing) righteous deeds and their disgust for being in a state of disbelief and sin. That is why when you find someone who has tasted poverty, illness and fear then you will find him to be even more protective and grateful of wealth, good health and a state of peace than those who have not tasted the opposite.

Thus, it is said: the opposite expresses the excellence of its opposite
It is also said: things are clarified by their opposite.

‘Umar b. al-Khattāb (radhy Allāhu ‘anhu) used to say, “I’m not a fraudster but I will not be deceived by a fraudster (either)”. A sound, praiseworthy heart then is the one that desires good and not evil and from the perfection of this is to know exactly what is good and bad and thus the one who doesn’t know evil then this is a deficiency within him, and not praiseworthy.

The point here isn’t that every single person who has experienced disbelief and sin will be more knowledgeable of them and will hate them more than the one who hasn’t experienced them at all; no, rather the Doctor is much more knowledgeable of illnesses than the sick one, and the Prophets (‘alayhim’l-salātu wa-salām) were Doctors of Religion. They were the most erudite in what was best for the hearts and what corrupts them even if one of them had not experienced from evil what the rest of the people have.

Actually, the point being made is that there are some people who after experiencing evil will know its reality and flee from it and have a greater love for all that which is good that others will be unable to achieve i.e. such as those who were Polytheists, Jews or Christians and came to realise the doubts, falsity, oppression and evil of their beliefs and then Allah opened their hearts to Islam and showed them its beauty. Such a person will have much greater fervour for it (Islam) and greater hatred for disbelief than others who don’t know the realities of disbelief and Islam, rather they will be unaware of certain aspects and details or will be those who blindly follows others in their praise of something or their criticism of something (without themselves actually knowing the true nature)…”

2006-07-01T19:06:00.000+01:00

Updated 10.25pm

There are advantages and disadvantages writing so soon after major events and the like due to the overwhelming influence ones emotions have on the final piece.

But there was no major event today, so that doesn't apply does it?

;-)

If we're honest, England deserve to lose. Sure, the rest of the team played a superb rear-guard action from the 62nd minute but they've been rubbish all the way through, would have been rubbish if they'd gone through and at least now they're through and through.

And as the more religious and insightful ones remind me, at least we'll be saved from the drunken fitnah of the obnoxious celebrations that might have possibly occurred, putting thousands of innocent people in the streets at risk of serious harm and abuse - I live in a quietish suburb and it's been mayhem here so what of other more central and busier places?

One thing you've all got to admit is that although I enjoy gloating when I'm right, I accept defeat and when I'm proved wrong pretty well too, right?

Argentina crashed out. I was wrong. But in fairness, that was because the Germans paid off that rascal of a Argentinian manager Pekerman. I can't believe he's just going to get away with it like that, not being sacked, beaten or shot by some South American mental footie fan as usually happens over there. To leave Messi on the bench requires a hadd from football fans the world over.

What a scandal.

As for the England game, then I saw most of the first half, and the extra time. The game itself was not even half as entertaining as the other England game: I had Radio 4 on all day today listening to the excellent TMS as England were so utterly humilated and destroyed by the Sri Lankans, it was just unbelievable.

As for the very sad news of Freddie Trueman's death, then although that might be lost on many readers, any cricket fan will bear witness to the true genius that he was, and how well did Aggers the miskeen do from not crying as he received the news live during England's batting - it was truly a sad moment, yet summed up in classical Yorkshireman style by Boycott when he paid tribute to Freddie, "this was the greatest English bowler there has ever been, bowling against the very greatest Batsmen cricket has seen, not like today's crop playing against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe (said with the utmost impunity of course) who even my mum could bowl against."

May Allah guide his beloved family, county and country to better than that what he died upon. He was a real English hero - England really did lose something a lot more than the World Cup today.

As for the footie, then I'll accept my second mistake: England were never going to win this were they, whatever false hope I had. I stand ashamed and corrected.

But 'I aint goin' down like dat. I'm taking pure people down with me...'

Lampard played rubbish all the way. Robinson has seriously disappointed me with his keeping. Neville didn't look match fit. Rooney was rubbish but then it was a minor miracle that he's actually here anyway - yet I put the blame on him squarely for this defeat; if you're not good enough, fit enough or not upto it with good temperament however frustating things get, you can't put your team and country in that position just for you to have a little rant.

You cost us mate, and as a Reds fan, I think we should give you beats before we give Ronaldo beats when he gets back, because my goodness it'd take a brave boy to walk back into a dressing room with Rooney, Neville, Ferdinand et al and the rest of the entire Premiership waiting to kick your head in and stand on your privates throughout the Coca-Cola Cup or something equally obscure.

So there goes Man U's chances of the title next season, unless we get that Tevez freak. Chelsea must be laughing their heads off...

But there are heros too. My goodness is Stevie G the best player England has seen for years or what? The guy is a real superstar in skill and stamina and Liverpool must be feeling on top of the world for the new season with all their players returning better, more experienced and turning in worthy performances in a woeful formation by the utterly useless Eriksson.

As for the biggest find then no doubt about that: Aaron Lennon can stand proud in this team and his future looks very bright. My respect goes to Beckham who was rather noble in appreciating how rubbish he is a footballer and faked injury to give us the only real chance of victory we had i.e. a Lennon substitution. Beckham 'me ole cockney sparrow': I salute you.

My hero of the England squad though, and very much because I slated him so much before the Cup itself, was Owen Hargreaves. I have to admit that I couldn't see why he was there like pretty much the rest of the English football public (that's why we're called the public and do mundane jobs like Pharmacy and Council work etc.) but he was the best player by far. A true colossus.

My final bit of humble pie eating comes with the great Shaytan himself - Sven Goran Eriksson. It is well known from me that I have hated two men on the face of this Earth with a passion, unable to control myself and take the moral higher road and simply collapse into the simplicity of sheer hatred and anger towards them: George W Bush and Sven the Tillah.

But, and it's a major But, I am utterly amazed by this Sven creature. How it is humanly possible to totally detach your outwardly emotions from your inner emotions; it is not just a skill, it's impossible. But he does it. I mean, he just does it doesn't he? To call him the Ice-man would be an insult to Marvel comics; to put him in the Sub-Zero fridge reserved for the Aston Martin DB9 on Top Gear would be an insult to Jeremy Clarkson.

No, Sven needs to be recognised by the world over as a sign from God Almighty Himself. That there are men, disbelieving and all the rest of that jazz, that are just in control. And I mean control.

Sven - I salute you my Swedish nemesis. I wish I had 1% of your cool mate.

Right, with only Murray to look forward to after his excellent victories, and Brazil giving Germany a good battering in the Final insha'Allah (in tribute to Jean Charles de Menezes of course), and then the Paks giving the lamest England team that history has ever witnessed a battering bigger than that dished out by the Tigers, then well, we might get a few quiet weeks for once...

:-)

(PS the fact that one of the greatest entertainers in tennis which would have been a main story on any other day, the final time we'll see Agassi at Wimbledon was a sad story. I used to watch that guy in the late June nights when I was a nipper and then run down to the end of our road (jumping over the gate illegally of course) into the tennis courts of Loxford Park and pretend my Agassi returns of serve against any miskeen I could find to hit the ball at me. A true legend of the game.)

Updated 10.25pm: of course, the above sentence should read France giving Germany a good battering in the Final insha'Allah (in tribute to our brother in Deen Ribery, our kinda-like brother Zayn ud-Deen, and the Jinn Henry). Hey, any excuse to have the Germans battered, even the "Deen card"...

As for all those people like Waqs, Q, Zeb and all the rest of the losers who kept claiming that Henry was...you've just got to sit down to believe this...a 'bottler' of all things on the big stage...(can you like believe these 'people'?!), then all I've got to say in the big Jinn's defence is, "You're not singing, you're not singing, you're not singing any more..."

;-)

Oh and as for my previous reluctant acceptance of Diego maybe being the greatest ever, then consider that well and truly abrogated. My response to all those quotes of excellence on Deigo are three of my own I heard today on the radio:

Alberto Di Stefano: "When Zidane is on the ball, it's like he has a silk glove on each foot."

Clive Tyldesly (I told you he was the best!): "Zidane is unquestionably for me the greatest player I have ever seen of his generation." (Don't even try and argue that Diego was the previous generation 'cos' I ain't listenin' any more'...)

And the best of all, with my Shaykh Judai' hat very much on my head, good ole Tel Venables: "Whenever he gets the ball, just start playing the music..."

Ay na'm.

:-)

2006-06-28T00:19:00.000+01:00

I think its time for a few thoughts on the sport of the last few weeks and the next couple of months:

Football

- The great thing about watching Ronaldo is that it gives all the fat boys like us eternal hope right? The scary thing about it all is how HD TV replays show that pait wobbling up and down – so is that we I look like when I’m scoring all my goals?

- So far, I’ve got my wall-chart spot on, except that I had Holland-England for Saturday and not Portugal. I still reckon that we’ll fluke it against Scolari and then we’ll have a Brazil-England clash just before the ‘Umdat’l-Fiqh class next Wednesday. And yes, anyone who wants to watch the 2nd half at my house until 35 minutes – can.

- What is it that I can’t see in Torres? Please tell me that we’re not going to waste £20 million on him.

- What a wonderful game between France and Spain, spoiled only by Henry’s cheating. The biggest baistee is that I recently told a friend that Henry, Larsen, Zidane et al were my favourite footballers because they never faked fouls and they always play like men. I think I'll shut up right about now.

- Argentina are still going to win this I reckon. Their bench is just too scary, forget about the eleven on the pitch! And someone please find me some good quality gossip that we’re going to sign that Tevez; don’t worry son, we got over Stevie Bruce, and we’re doing our best with Rooney – we can make you a stud as well…

- Isn’t Motson just so rubbish? If it wasn’t for Adrian Chiles, Lineker, Wrighty, Hansen and the stud of all studs Leonardo, the BBC would be flat on its face in this World Cup. Five Live is excellent as usual, although Alan Green has got to sort out his vendetta against Beckham. ITV is absolutely lamentable; their teams are just rubbish, despite nicking Steve Ryder from the Beeb, although Clive Tyldesley has been the better TV Commentator.

- There’s been plenty to laugh at during the games, my favourite being the shot of the three players sent off during Portugal-Holland having a little moan at the game from the sidelines like naughty children in detention. Also, is it only me who (shamefully I admit) finds those dratted Yankees so insanely funny on the Budweiser ads after each game?

- I could go on about the game for ages, but I end with this: the world and certainly myself has never witnessed a greater footballer than Zinedine Zidane. Discuss.

Tennis

Well this is easy enough. Congratulations Roger; shame about your football team though mate.

And the women? Don’t know, not meant to be watching that remember?

Rugby

Nothing but continual baistee for England. I’m looking for a new team to support outside of the Wallabies – might try Wales considering I work there so much…

Cricket

- How comes England have become so rubbish?

- Why can’t India beat the lame West Indies? I hope I don’t have to eat my words when we (with my Pak cap on now) meet them later on this year…

- What is the best Pak eleven to play against the Pommies, despite how rubbish they’ve suddenly come? Losing Shoaib was a massive blow, but to lose Rana Naved Hasan is much more serious – he’s easily the best bowler we have at the moment. I can’t believe that left Arshad Khan at home either; his off-spin is of the highest variety but I suppose they reckon that its wiser to go with Shoaib Malik and his batting. And we all want Mushy back, just for old times sake…

- Therefore, I reckon it should be: Salman Butt, Shoaib Malik, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yusuf, Inzamam, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul, Danish Kaneria (with Rana replacing Umar if he’s fit, and Shoaib Akhtar replacing Kaneria on a seamer; Mushtaq gets a game if Kaneria is not bowling well). Discuss.

That’s enough lahw for a week me thinks…

2006-06-27T13:38:00.000+01:00

It is a sign of the times that those who have no qualifications whatsoever act as spokesmen on issues of Islamic fiqh and belief; the current rather boring furore over music as I understand it involves one established singer, one "Islamic" singer, a journalist/celebrity/presenter/come-what-may, a comedian, 20,000 concert goers, a couple of hundred thousand angry young men and women and exactly zero scholars of any worth with any evidence of a tahqiqi position.

That's fiqh 21st Century style.

Anyway, stay away from such stuff that'll only waste your time. If you want to see the position of Ahlus-Sunnah and hundreds of thousands of their 'ulema throughout the last 1400 years bar a few that you can count on your hands, pick up any classical fiqh text from any of the four main madhabs and any of the other subsidiary ones, and you'll find the evidences for why modern day music is not Islamically permissible.

But if you like being the weirdo odd-one out, fancy a bit of fatwa-shopping, and like to have those things made permissible that either will bring you a financial, fame, celebrity or just plain entertainment benefit, then let me direct you to one of the 'Ulema who has written a detailed bahth on the issue and passed music as permissible with certain conditions in the only detailed scholarly study of its kind. You can have a rare opportunity in meeting the Shaykh himself here:

And yes I know he's one my teachers, but hey, it's a good thing that we study with more than one person and it's an even better thing that the Shaykh can take a joke as I like to remind him every once in a while.

Now, where's that Mozart CD again...