Bismillah, alhamdulillah, wa salat wa salam ala Rasulullah

“Oh Allah. May You be found by all who seek You tonight. Ameen.”

Allahumma salli ala Muhammad wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa sallim.
Alhamdulillahi rabbil Alameen. Ameen.
–
From Nader Khan

Bismillah, alhamdulillah, wa salat wa salam ala Rasulullah

I recall speaking to one of my teachers about all the books we’d read. He mentioned many of the classic books he’d read many of which were philosophical works. I mentioned some of the books I was reading and he was surprised I was reading. Our discussion turned to where we were getting our books from.

Most of the books from Western literature are not too difficult to get a hold of. But when we discussed the works by Muslims, you would think we are searching for long lost manuscripts! I made the point I hesitate to read too much of Western canon simply because I want to know my own tradition- that is, what comprises Muslim tradition, Eastern tradition and indigenous thought from the minds of Muslims- past and present. This is not to say, I don’t read Western canon- on the contrary I probably read more than I read of Muslim/Eastern works. But in our society one can’t help it.

Yet, it irks me how well versed the likes of Shaykh Hamza or Imam Zaid are in Western canon, and how poorly versed Muslims who come from Pakistan or the Middle East are in their own traditions. Comparatively speaking, its totally unbalanced.

Prof. Mortimer Adler compiling the Syntopticon. He was also a teacher of Shaykh Hama Yusuf at one time.

This is why I dream one day to compile a Muslim Syntopticon. The Syntopticon is a work compiled over a period of 15 years by Prof. Mortimer J. Adler, and in it are included all the great books of Western canon. Its a big piece of work, but at the beginning of it is a 2 volume index of all the great ideas in Western literature. I imagine a Muslim Syntopticon to be similar, including works of Western canon, but not so much, since Muslims are so spread out throughout the world, our intellectual spirit is connected with many different parts of the world. We have literature that is our own, religious literature, even heretical or questionable literature- but the main point is: it stress our experience of the world. A syntopticon would mean the culmination of all Muslim learning and knowledge with all the meaningful changes it has given to humanity. But I hope our career in this vein isn’t at an end.

I think we forget and are in real danger of permanently losing the defining features of what it means to be Muslim. There is much ambiguity on the Muslim experience- we have images of what it means to be Indian, or Arabian or African…but where is the unique thread of Islam that is absent from our consciousness and it seems we don’t quite know anymore what is expected of us, or what standards we are at or how to overcome them.

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

Normative Pluralism and the Theological Challenge of Progressive Islam

Lecture by Dr. Mohammad Fadel

Muslims have been engaged in numerous reform movements throughout the Islamic world over the last 200 years. While not all of these reform movements are liberal or progressive in any sense of that term, many of them are: numerous books and articles and scores of public lectures have offered what is believed to be the “true” message of Islam. Professor Fadel discusses the nature of the challenge for reformists working within the already-existing galaxy of Islamic pluralism.

Date: Friday December 11, 2009
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Auditorium, Noor Cultural Centre (Toronto)
Admission: $5

Mohammad H. Fadel joined University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law in January 2006. He received his B.A. in Government and Foreign Affairs (1988), a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago (1995) and his J.D. from the University of Virginia (1999).

While at the University of Virginia School of Law, Professor Fadel was a John M. Olin Law and Economics Scholar and Articles Development Editor of the Virginia Law Review.

Prior to law school, Professor Fadel completed his Ph.D in Chicago, where he wrote his dissertation on legal process in medieval Islamic law.

Professor Fadel was admitted to the Bar of New York in 2000 and practiced law with the firm of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York, New York, where he worked on a wide variety of corporate finance transactions and securities-related regulatory investigations.

In addition, Professor Fadel served as a law clerk to the Honorable Paul V. Niemeyer of the United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit and the Honorable Anthony A. Alaimo of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia.

Professor Fadel has published numerous articles in Islamic legal history.

Short URL: http://tinyurl.com/yhqkgnr

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Bismillah, alhamdulillah, wa salat wa salam ala Rasulullah.

For you oh, Lover of the Quran!

1) Ti’baq: A type of antithesis where opposites are used.

And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colors. Verily, in that are indeed signs for men of sound knowledge. -Surah Rum (30:22)

In this verse, Allah shows a relationship between tongues and skin colors, to Heaven and Earth. Tongues come from Heaven because “Allama Adamu asma- Allah taught Adam the names of all things”; Allama means to imprint language, which Chomsky calls the “universal grammar”- everyone has the ability to learn language, its innate. The complexions come from the Earth, because Allah said Adam was created from all the topsoil of the Earth, including all the variances in human complexion; pure white, red soil, yellow soil, brown soil, black soil. Udma means topsoil so Adam means the one created from topsoil. Complexion is related to Earth and language is related to Heaven. Language is meaning, complexion is sensory- so there is a relationship between meaning and sensory; joined in the human being- what is significant and what is palpable. What we understand and what we see, touch and feel.

2) Iltifat: Changing the person in balagha, technique to grab you and draw you in and create multiple perspectives so consciousness is expanded. One must remember this works because Allah is 1st, 2nd and 3rd person and transcends meaning of the words. This is “how the Quran means.”

Persons

hikayah: 1st person narrative ex: “I did this. I really had to consider…”
khitab: 2nd person narrative ex: “You’re not the type of person to do this, but here you are. So you sit there and think about it…”
gheba: 3rd person narrative, similar to the omniscient narrator ex: “He pondered for a moment. He then did that.”

Example: Surah al-Fatiha

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim- In the Name of Allah. Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Alhamdulillahi rabbil alameen- All praise be to the Lord of the World
Ar-Rahman ar-Rahim- Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Maliki yawmi din- Master of the Day of Judgement

In the above verses, Allah is referred to in the third person. The recitation is as if Allah isn’t present or somewhere distant. These verses come of as very ceremonial and at a distance from one’s own personal self, as if they are routine.

Iyaka na’budu wa iyaka nasta’in- You alone we worship and you alone we seek for help

Here is the transition to the second person, where now God is being addressed with “You” as if He is coming nearer to the reciter but still from afar.

Ihdinas sirat al-mustaqeem- Guide us to the Straight Path
Sirat aladhina an’amta alayhim- The Path of those whom you have favored
Ghayril maghdubi alayhim wala dhal’een- Not the Path of those who have earned Your anger, nor of those who go astray
Ameen

And in the last verses, the final transition is made to the first person. Now, you are speaking for yourself to Allah directly, as if it were face to face. The intimacy of this is referred to as “Munaja” where one speaks to God directly. The address of ‘others who came before’ in this verse only heightens this relationship, because it indicates you have an understanding of God’s ‘personality.’

Literally, and figuratively al-Fatiha brings you spiritually closer to God

3) Mumashat ma’al khasm: This refers to the argument technique Ibrahim alayhi salam implemented. In the Quran 6:75-79, one by one, Ibrahim alayhi salam takes the star, moon and the sun as his “god” and rejects each of them, finally submitting to Allah. In a cursory reading, this isn’t very easy to grasp, but take a good week’s worth of time of simply marveling at the sun, moon and stars and you understand how the heavenly bodies were perceived in earlier times. When he makes the star, his god, it means he sees nothing greater than it- he is literally face to face with his lord, likewise with the moon and sun. If we assume Ibrahim is being sincere, in his frame of mind, he is absorbed in the majesty and power of these celestial bodies- as if nothing else compares with or exists except the sun or the moon or the star, because that is how one reach a point of worshiping these objects. If you were to study the sun all the time and become absorbed by it, and then consider it to be God manifest- you are in a very powerful situation being totally consumed by its daily, powerful presence. And in reality, these are great objects which Allah swears by in the Quran. There really isn’t anything more fantastic in our worldly experience than these phenomena.

Now, in putting himself in this position, he shows to the pagans he understands the belief and position of the mushrikeen, how they are consumed by it and yet still, even after all this, he chooses Allah. If there is no real greater manifest phenomena in the world than the sun, and now one realizes it cannot be god, because it sets, than nothing lesser than it can be god either. And the sum total of all these magnificent phenomena do not compare to Allah, who logically is the One who all these heavenly phenomena are contingent upon. In this gradual way, Ibrahim makes the pagans to step back for a minute and he opens their mind to the possibility of Allah, distinct, one, and unlike creation, greater than anything they know and without superior- that there could be something greater than their minds, and more spiritually consuming than these heavenly bodies and therefore truly worthy of worship. And by merely opening their minds to the possibility, he convinces them and shows them he is upon a belief that is better than theirs.

“And of mankind are some who take others beside Allah as Andaadan (rivals). They love them as they love Allah. But those who believe, love Allah more (than the idolators love for Allah or their idols). If only, those who do wrong could see, when they will see the torment, that all power belongs to Allah and that Allah is severe in punishment.” (al Baqarah 2:165)

The closest understanding in English to mumashat ma’al khasm we have is what is called the ‘thought experiment,’ where a person thinks in a different way to understand a different viewpoint or uncover a hidden wisdom or meaning. This is similar to verstehen, the German style of thinking where one tries to understand the social meaning of things. Mumashat ma’al khasm can be used to successfully counter many arguments against Islam, for example: in the fate/free-will debate one question Muslims ask is, “If the universe wasn’t pre-determined by Allah, and left to go as is, would chaos not ensue and how would justice be ensured?” This is simply one example, but unfortunately the ‘thought experiment’/Ibrahim alayhi salam’s method is very under-used by Muslims.

Is it not a universal message? How does one study messages of the Divine?

4) Considering perspectives: from God’s perspective, your own, the angels, the jinns, the perspective of the pious and the perspective of the Prophets, the wicked, the hypocrites, the sinners, the poor, the oppressed, the tyrants, etc. The pious do not read, understand, interact and experience the Quran in the same way as the spiritually weak. Understanding this difference is key, because the verses are the same, but the experience can be very different. The Quran maintains the claim of being an inclusive revelation for all creation, and not being a revelation specifically to a one group, but to the individual, unique in his/her own right, while simultaneously also to the entire grouping of creation. Keeping this idea in mind, the Quran also serves as a bridge in understanding the different worlds people live in, so, there is no single perspective to the Quran, because its connected on the various experiences of the world in respect to life and God, it takes on multiple viewpoints to the world. And that is why we say the Quran can guide people and misguide others.

Here is an example of a woman’s experience with the Quran in Tafsir ibn Kathir of the closing verses of Surah Ale Imran detailing how women are not excluded from God’s mercy:

Allah said,

[فَاسْتَجَابَ لَهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ]

(So their Lord accepted of them), answered their invocation. Sa`id bin Mansur recorded that Salamah, a man from the family of Umm Salamah said, “Umm Salamah said, `O Messenger of Allah! Allah does not mention women in connection with Hijrah (Migration).’ Allah sent down the Ayah,

[فَاسْتَجَابَ لَهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ أَنِّى لاَ أُضِيعُ عَمَلَ عَامِلٍ مِّنْكُمْ مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَى]

(So their Lord accepted of them (their supplication and answered them), “Never will I allow to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female.)

The Ansar say that Umm Salamah was the first woman to migrate to them.” Al-Hakim collected this Hadith in his Mustadrak, and said, “It is Sahih according to the criteria of Al-Bukhari but they [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] did not collect it”.

Allah’s statement,

[أَنِّى لاَ أُضِيعُ عَمَلَ عَامِلٍ مِّنْكُمْ مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَى]

(“Never will I allow to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female,) explains the type of answer Allah gave them, stating that no deed of any person is ever lost with Him. Rather, He will completely reward each person for his or her good deeds.

5) Ask yourself: Who is the Author of the Quran? One simply has to look at the author of the Quran, His Divine capabilities and what He choose to write about, not write about, and what its significance could be. It need not be a verse is relegated to one narrow meaning, because many verses are meant to touch the soul of a person. The fact God is its author is in itself a literary technique embedded in the experience of reading the Quran. The piece of artwork below illustrates this idea.

6) “The best tafsir (explanation) of the Quran is time.” This is a saying I came across and its very true. The history of the world, the past, present and future are testimony to the wisdom of the Quran, its message and its comprehensiveness. It details what has happened, what is happening to you now, how its happening, how something could happen to you. The beauty of this is the further one is in time (our time vs. our grandfathers) and the more one understands the world, the more one can ponder the Quran in-depth, but obviously not really to the extent of the Tarjuman al-Quran, Ibn Abbas who is the greatest mufassir (explainer) of the Quran.

7) “Quran yufasiru al-Quran;” the Quran interprets and explains itself! Earlier verses are elucidated or hinted at or abrogated. How merciful is Allah, that He reveals something as weighty as the Quranand also shows us how to extract and learn from it?

—

Sources

-Refinement of the Hearts by Imam ibn Juzayy al-Kalbi explained by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf; CD. 3

-Explanation at local Halaqa by Deobandi Aalim

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

Bismillah, alhamdulillah, wa salat wa salam ala Rasulullah

Know that if love of God takes hold of the heart its affects manifest on the limbs in seriousness in obedience, activity in the service of Allah, covetousness in trying to please Allah, pleasure in intimate discourse with Allah, contentment with Allah’s Decree, patience over His calamities, yearning to meet Allah, intimacy in remembering Him, alienation from other than Him, fleeing from humanity, a desire to be alone with God in private, leaving this world from the heart of love of anything other than Allah, loving everything Allah loves and everyone whom Allah loves and preferring God over everything other than God. -Ibn Juzayy al-Kalbi (rahimullah)

Love is surrendering to the beloved with all of your existence and then it is preferring Him, the Beloved over your self, your Ruh (soul), and its your concordance in secret and manifest with everything that is with concordance with the Beloved and then it is your knowledge of your inability to truly fulfill the rights of the Beloved. “And those who believe love God more.”
-Imam Harith ibn al-Muhasibi (rahimullah)

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa anta astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

When you are content with somebody all you see is their perfection, but when you dislike someone all you see is their faults. And I don’t feel respect towards the one who shows me no respect and I don’t see in others what they don’t see in me. If you draw near to me, my love draws close to you, but if you turn away from me- you’ll see me turn away from you. Each is independent of each other and when we die we’ll be even more independent of each other.

-Imam ash-Shafi’i

Don’t you love how he is so direct, honest, down-to-earth?

So as I posted earlier, I painted my car with the whatiseid.com stuff. And yesterday something interesting happened.

I came back to my car from class and noticed the the ticket police car just waiting there behind my car. I thought as I walked closer, “Shoot! He probably saw this is a Muslim guy’s car and is going to give me a ticket or be prejudiced or something. Hey, wait, my friend is across the street I should just cross the street and talk to him and pretend this car isn’t mine and just go away.” And then I was thinking, “Ah whatever. Its my car, I’ll man up.” I unlocked the car door and the ticket police guy honks his car horn and makes a gesture for me to come over there. I get over there and he’s like, “I was just writing you a ticket !! But you’re here now, right on time, so I’ll forget about this ticket. You have a good one!”

Phew! So I thought to myself and realized the kicker…if I had pretended my car with the awesome dawah message wasn’t mine- I would’ve gotten a ticket. But when I stood behind those dawah words, I didn’t get a ticket. Couldn’t help but think there was some divine wisdom in that one.

Bismillah, alhamdulillah, wa salat wa salam ala Rasulullah

I was reading some 40 Hadith Nawawi a few nights ago and I realized a lot of the obstacles in memorizing hadith come from how we approach hadith as opposed to how the Sahabas lived and lived with new hadith almost on a daily basis.

Let me explain what I mean:

When we think of learning hadith, it comes to mind similar to a Quran hifdh assignment, like homework, we just wanna avoid it. I think the secret to this is making the hadiths meaningful to yourself (not others, but YOU!). So attaching them to a time of need, a special holy time of year or a time of high emotion. Also has to do with our love of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam- many talk about “FOLLOW THE SUNNAH!” rather than point us to the door from which we can easily come to follow the Sunnah: Loving the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam (lots of salawat, reading poetry, etc.)

Think about it…the more you increase in loving Nabi salallahu alayhi wasalam, the more genuine your motivation to say his words, treasure them and live by them. You see those words as if they were spoken yesterday in front of you. You won’t hesitate in learning new hadith and chase after the khayr, no?

 

The other way in which we see hadith differently from the Sahabas is we see them as a written text- so now we have to say things like “Rewahul Bukhari” and this adds to the feeling of always referencing. This is less natural than how the Sahabas were saying, “Abu Hurayrah heard from…who heard from”- thats much more similar to a conversation you or I would have about something that happened today.So I think learning a hadith when you first hear it from the shaykh ADDS to making it memorable. You make the hadith an event, that happened to you and not just something you read as homework- and this brings it closer to your daily experience and its easier to recall that hadith and put that hadith into action. Just more connected with the everyday.

 

I think referencing is great, but as our communities grow with the deen and become more en-cultured with Islam- referencing will lose importance, because its like me quoting Fatiha- everyone knows it. So its unnecessary to mention “Reewahul Muslim” because everyone knows where I got it from. I think when we reached that it’ll be a sign of success.

 

Hadith as ConversationI figures since unlike Quran, hadith is largely “he said, then he said, then she said…” conversation like, to perhaps work with that.

 

Rather than rushing through the hadith (like how we rush through surahs!) to instead take it SLOW (the Slow Hadith Movement begins!)…we don’t rush through conversations in everyday life, so why rush through a hadith.

Which leads me to my next grand point….

How about a Telephone Game?

One bro calls another bro and says, “Fakhbirni anil Imaan? (Tell me about Imaan)” and then the other replies, “An tuminu billah, wa malaikati, wa kutubihi…” (Its to believe in Allah, His angels, His books…)

Depending on your phone-rates you could pretty much call any student who is serious enough for this and just go back and forth. Could be pretty neat. I haven’t tried it, but I could see myself doing it.

My oldest method for memorizing hadith involves taking notes from audio talks and taking special note as to “how” the speaker says the hadith: the rhythm, intonations, emphasis, every aspect of it- and make that memorable, like how people make comedic impersonations memorable- and then write the text down and review it consistently, re-playing the voice of the speaker saying it. I believe some people, like Shaykh Hamza Yusuf have a gift or a baraka in their speeches- I can memorize his words very easily, and a handful of other scholars have this as well, so you have to also look at which scholars method of delivery best suits you.

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

How many Muslim Nobel prize winners are there? There are 2 how many Jewish Nobel prize winners are there? About 1/4th of all Nobel prize winners are Jewish. There are 2 billion Muslims in the world, and 15 million Jews. Had Islam’s intellectual standing not collapsed in 1100- they would have every single Nobel prize today! -Prof. Neil deGrasse Tyson (this number has changed although not drastically)

So the question is WHY?

I’m taking a class on the sociology of science, which naturally crosses over into the philosophies involved with science so I’ve been reading and learning a lot lately about science, how it operates, its philosophies and approaches. So naturally, I reflected on it and realized where Islam fits in today…

Muslims don’t like science, even though we are very educated- what we do is we have to aspects of ourselves, the religious self, and the educated self- and neither speaks to each other. What this means is we approach Islam in the same way we approach superstitions (i.e. backwards). This is why you’ll see PhDs forwarding the stupidest most obviously fabricated ‘Islamic’ emails about if you don’t forward this you are going to Hell.

Misapplication of Islamic piety

The reason for the Muslim approach is because we fear the certainty of science and how its certainty can lead us into doubting Islam. This is not new, Imam Ghazali was against Mathematics because he feared (why do we even have fears against shaytanic forces? it teaches powerlessness before evil) it would lead to the student to view the world in a very exact, precise way- through the lens of mathematics and therefore, apply this view of science, to Islam. Now, this is not uncommon- the science of biology (observation) is different from physics or math which are rooted in laws- every science has its own dynamics and they do compete (Richard Feynman, great physicist described psychology as a bunch of “cargo cult science”) so this needs to be noted. Consequently, Imam Ghazali’s fears are among the reasons why Islam’s Golden age of learning collapsed and the so-called Ummah was “revived.” Whether, this is a false dichotomy or not, can be debated, but referring back to my point about the PhDs sending mindless, stupid, emails degrading to Islam leads me to believe this is a far assumption: When Islamic dogmatism rises, science suffers. But I also believe that, if Islamic understanding rises to a level of yaqeen (certainty and confidence) in the deen where one will not be afraid to dive into the worldly sciences, knowing for a fact, they cannot contradict Islam.

The man who crippled the Golden age of Islamic learning and discovery, and yet, revived the religion

Yet contrary to these assumptions one must understand one essential truth: science is rooted in doubt. You question the phenomena of this world- whether they be societies and human interaction (sociology) or animals, and you test hypotheses. If they don’t pan out, you note that down- that is your discovery, x doesn’t work as an explanation- and then what do you do? You try again. Conversely, medieval notions of religion are rooted in absolute, all-encompassing certainty to such a degree and in such a way that all doubt is avoided.This is a key distinction.

How do Muslims approach certainty and doubt?

We need to understand Allah’s promise that Islam is universal as enough. We need to stop doubting this truth because everything scientific, whether it be historical, literary, intellectual, psychological spiritual or even biologically oriented- speaks to the truth of Islam. If we can approach that with certainty we can look at science in-depth, and for reasons I will prove, more successfully . But if we keep doubting Islam, we will avoid the sciences and the ummah resembles jahiliyyah.

In the early eras of Islam- doubt was welcomed. But Muslims today are so pitted and shocked into a fear of everything ‘un-Islamic.’ How many know that the notion of evolution was actually first proposed by a Muslim? Surprised? It doesn’t contradict Islam because Islam leaves this chapter of the human story open to many explanations and understandings.

But for Muslim scientists in the golden age, their mentality doesn’t conflict with religion. They see these ideas as tools, theory is a tool to be used. It doesn’t purport absolute certainty- because remember science is rooted in doubt. If science boasted absolute certainty, its not science anymore- doubt, questions, and the prospect of discovery is gone; now its religion. Dogma has no place in science because every successful science has kept his foot grounded in doubt and question, while holding onto a handful of certainties for stability. Understand that even rationality can be questioned in science as the philosophers of the past have said: “Prove the validity of reason, without presupposing it.” That should show us why we should not try to legitimize Islam with science, because if we were to hypothetically achieve that, its not Islam anymore, its not religion anymore, its science- devoid of certainties and full of doubt (much like many of the world’s religions). This amounts in my opinion to abusing the religion of Islam.

Conclusion

Muslims need to realize everything about our religion is scientific- if not supra-scientific: our hadith, our fiqh, our religious sciences all have validity and reliability in their explanations of the human spirituality; in short, they work but we are always discovering why and how they work. They don’t fit into traditional or Euro-centric conceptions of science, in the same way chiropractry or acupuncture doesn’t fit, but again it works so one can’t out rule them. Furthermore, spiritual states in the science of tasawwuf are very rigorously understood- the different spiritual experiences are accounted for and understood in Islam; but a step further, from different viewpoints (tariqas). Not only this, but many aspects of Islamic belief, canon and religious wisdom have always been ahead of the curve (a few I know for a fact: memory and cognitive science, psychology and forgiveness, washing/hygiene and spiritual wellness, time and dromology, and of course the classic scientific miracles of the Quran). But, here is the catch- you wouldn’t make these discoveries into the Divine wisdom present in Islam, if you did not learn the sciences!

So there are 3 obstacles as to why Muslims lag behind in the sciences:

1) Fear of Sciences as a threat to Islam: It should be a fundamental precedent to not indulge outside scientific inquiry into religion because most Muslims will not be able to overcome this fear. Trying to legitimize Islam with outside science is a pointless pursuit, because we know it will be proved in time- its inevitable, so why rush it now? It will not deal with our problem and no benefit to the rest of humanity, if only to simply placate the inferiority complex of the Muslims (which it won’t ever achieve because it presumes, without justification, science to be greater than Islam).

2) Preoccupation with Islam: Many of the doctors employed by the Muslims in Muslim history were Christians. Scientific advancement requires a great deal of time and devotion and if you are always busy struggling with Islam, you simply don’t have the same opportunity a non-Muslim has in pursuing scientific studies. If you can’t balance yourself, it simply won’t happen- here is a positive side to being in a very religious community where perfecting your Islam isn’t hard. Furthermore, we are coping with so much in the Muslim world- warfare, poverty, disease, globalization and competiting cultural forces, sectarian and religious confusion, apathy and a lack of leadership and vision. Being busy with the turmoil all these issues creates makes it difficult for us to succeed scientifically, let alone put in the time for it.

3) Superficiality: Saudi Arabia is building a new university- KAUST and in speaking to a friend who is learning Arabic in Jeddah, I know for a fact, as many other scholars have verified, the intellectual roof there is very low. Its no secret Islam in Saudi resembles authoritarian, repressive rule, to the point Islamic development is repressed and censored. I doubt any real advancement will happen with this new university- its being built more for show and possibility in hopes it will lead to something in future generations.

4) Why don’t we make prayer for ideas or scientific advancement? This indicates a lack of desire among the pious for any sort of scientific progress. When we think of knowledge, we think of Islamic knowledge- not knowledge of the world (knowledge of the world is actually a commentary on religious wisdom). Now, its important if we want Islam’s glory- that our pious people take up the sciences of the world and learn how to balance both their deen and dunya for God’s sake, not their own.

How the Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wasalam) Approached the Sciences

Understanding the above will lay fertile ground for scientific advancement in the Muslim world. The hadith delineates science and religion in a very powerful way. The sahabas saw the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam being surprised by how they pollinated the date palms in the Madina (there are male and female parts that one manually has to pollinate). This was strange to him, because he was from Mecca. The sahabas interpreted this surprise as something they shouldn’t do because they felt they upset him (salallahu alayhi wasalam). And so their crops ended up badly and they went to him and told him what happened. Nabi (salallahu alayhi wasalam) said: “Antum adra bi umuri dunyakum- You know your worldly affairs better than I do.” Our Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam didn’t come to guide us in agriculture!

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

Wheeling and dealing in Dawah…my boy Hasan’s website.

Bismillah, alhamdulillah, wa salat wa salam ala rasulullah

I’m no financial expert but from what I’ve noticed in the community is whenever there are fundraisers, tax receipts are offered. Some people turn down the tax receipt by saying, “No I am only donating for the sake of God.”

But what they don’t realize is the money they would get back from the government is money they could re-give in charity! Its totally bogus to ignore that tax receipt, when you could get back 50% of what you donated from the government, and then give it in charity again- thereby, increasing the amount you give in charity without doing anything!

So take those tax receipts!!

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa anta astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, Ameen.

Bismillah, alhamdulillah, wa salat wa salam ala rasulullah

Disclaimer: This post is a historical-sociological Islamic discussion and does not condone violence or actions of extremists. Nothing in this post is of encouraging militant actions or violent actions of any kind.

I have come across this word and concept before but not in great detail. I’m going to explore it here because I think this is the key to what makes Awliya and Imams- the real peoples of distinction. Furthermore, its amazing how a few hadith and verses of the Quran were applied so boldly and successfully.

As for Murabatah, it is to endure in acts of worship and perseverance.

Applications

It also means to await prayer after prayer, as Ibn `Abbas, Sahl bin Hanif and Muhammad bin Ka`b Al-Qurazi stated. Ibn Abi Hatim collected a Hadith that was also collected by Muslim and An-Nasa’i from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet said,

«أَلَا أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِمَا يَمْحُو اللهُ بِهِ الْخَطَايَا، وَيَرْفَعُ بِهِ الدَّرَجَاتِ؟ إِسْباغُ الوُضُوءِ عَلَى الْمَكَارِهِ، وَكَثْرَةُ الْخُطَا إِلَى الْمَسَاجِدِ، وَانْتِظَارُ الصَّلَاةِ بَعْدَ الصَّلَاةِ، فَذلِكُمُ الرِّبَاطُ، فَذلِكُمُ الرِّبَاطُ، فَذلِكُمُ الرِّبَاط»

(Should I tell you about actions with which Allah forgives sins and raises the grade Performing perfect ablution in unfavorable conditions, the many steps one takes to the Masajid, and awaiting prayer after the prayer, for this is the Ribat, this is the Ribat, this is the Ribat.)

They also say that the Murabatah in the above Ayah refers to battles against the enemy, and manning Muslim outposts to protect them from enemy incursions inside Muslim territory.

Rewards

There are several Hadiths that encourage Murabatah and mention its rewards. Al-Bukhari recorded that Sahl bin Sa`d As-Sa`idi said that the Messenger of Allah said,

«رِبَاطُ يَوْمٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا عَلَيْهَا»

(A Day of Ribat in the cause of Allah is better than this life and all that is in it.)

Muslim recorded that Salman Al-Farisi said that the Messenger of Allah said,

«رِبَاطُ يَوْمٍ وَلَيْلَةٍ خَيْرٌ مِنْ صِيَامِ شَهْرٍ وَقِيامِهِ، وَإِنْ مَاتَ جَرَى عَلَيْهِ عَمَلُهُ الَّذِي كَانَ يَعْمَـــــــلُهُ، وَأُجْرِيَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقُــــهُ، وَأَمِنَ الْفَتَّان»

(Ribat for a day and a night is better than fasting the days of a month and its Qiyam (voluntary prayer at night). If one dies in Ribat, his regular righteous deeds that he used to perform will keep being added to his account, and he will receive his provision, and will be saved from the trials of the grave.)

Abu Dawud related it. Ibn ‘Abbas said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah say, “There are two eyes which the Fire will not touch: an eye which weeps out of fear of Allah and an eye that keeps watch in the way of Allah.”

Ribat- Mujahideen Monasteries

Ribat is mentioned in the Quran- “Arm yourselves against them with all the firepower and cavalry (ribat) you can muster.” (8:60)

Ribat in Montasir, Tunisia

As Muslims grew territorially they would establish these locations on the outskirts of Muslim territory, for the security of Muslim lands, also called Ribat, based on this ayah and the concept in the Hadith. Often, they would be buildings or fortified structures for defense. Now, the other meaning which relates to prayer and perseverance, meant these structures would also be used for religious and spiritual training, especially among the Sufis. Therefore, these building were also centers of learning and spiritual growth, yet also defense- passive in that they were outposts for observing and guarding, and active in that they could involve combat near the frontiers of Islam. The Murabitun, would usually stay their for brief stints of time (since “monks” aren’t permitted in Islam) and then go back home to spread what they learned. But being in the position of the borders of Islam, meant they were also ambassadors of Islam- and would also assist in protecting neighboring territory, whether it was Muslim or not. But if in defense an expedition resulted in territorial expansion, the ribat would take on the role of dawah- spreading and teaching Islam to converts. So its easy to see how the ribat would have to be places of learning but also combined with jihad- great piety. And this makes sense because even in the hadith piety has associations with fortresses, just think of “Hisnul Muslim” and where that name comes from. And in lieu of the hadith mentioned above, this service was also considered a guaranteed entrance to Jannah and salvation from Hellfire. These buildings were common throughout the Muslim lands, and even coastal areas, and played an immense role in the well-being of the Muslim Ummah. Eventually, some of these buildings would be turned into government outposts or zawiyyas would take over the role of spiritual development. I am uncertain as to how widespread this was, but it was common in Morroco and parts of North Africa and the Arab world where Sufism is still strong today. In the East, there were similar practices in how Sufis prayed for the well-being of communities and moved to certain communities so that Islam would be spread there and by the mere presence of the Sufi, someone who was beloved to Allah, He would spare those towns from destruction.

The Significance of the Ribat Today

I originally started writing this with a focus on murabatah, but when I realized how this concept had been employed and applied to Muslim social life, I was really amazed. There is so much to learn from that I’m surprised I’ve never heard Muslims talk about this. I’ll try to tun through the main points:

1) The Ribat meant that spiritual growth of Muslims would be translated into a geographical and physical spread of Islam. This is quite literally the message our teachers give us today, that if we bettered ourselves we would not be humiliated in the world and here we have a historical example. This happened both via the spread of more ribat and also the spread of Islam through jihad and dawah work that occurred on these ribat. In moving outwards onto the frontiers of Islam- what one could perhaps call ruralization as opposed to what we know of today as ubranization. If you go back further in our history- we realize that Mecca and Jerusalem were uninhabited, inhospitable places to live in yet Allah willed a movement to these areas for spiritual growth. Perhaps Muslims could resurrect this practice of moving to rural areas whereever they live?

2) Today we find Islam to be very fragmented. In the past Sufism was connected directly into mainstream Islam- it was not seen as separate or specialized. Today we have a greater disconnect between Sufism and mainstream Islam- and in some respects Sufis have helped perpetuate this gap- and this disconnect has naturally lead to criticisms of the Sufi community. Also one can consider how Jihad was also part and parcel with all of this, and how now there is no such thing as passive jihad. Above all, consider in this historical example how Islam was central to the design of society- sufism, jihad, architecture were intimately inter-related and how this could also mean a great deal of unity to their communities, with few differences.

4) One can also note the absence of political interests. I wonder how true this is but from what I’ve read, its clear there was a high degree of “societal sincerity (ikhlas).” Perhaps this came from the growth of these ribat? Or from the social works of the Sufis (these ribat also served as shelters for refugees and travelers)? In any case, today we find political ambition to be at the center- not Islamic ambition.

5) Stability seems to be a great benefit from all of this. Today we have many different groups- from Islamists to extremists- and so it is difficult to create a unity among Muslims. It is harder to control the fringe elements in Islam and with this are the aspects of fragmentation among Muslims but also fragmentation in Islam- since globalization has skewed the understanding of Islam geographical proximity created.

Many of the points have mentioned are common to other historical examples of Mujahideen such as Emir Abdul Qadir al-Jazairi, Imam Shamyl and Omar Muktar. Sufism was connected with jihad and the dominant form of Islam, and there was also a connection to them living/fighting in inhospitable conditions (desert, mountains). This connection of Sufism to Jihad is also common today with Yemen, which is known mainly for Sufis and Mujahideen. Spiritual training does require an almost military-like attitude. Perhaps jihad served as a counter-balance to the excesses of sufism. The constant reminder of an on-coming death (martyrdom) meant the murid had to take the spiritual development seriously, and also meant greater demands and therefore, maintenance of higher standards from the Sufi shaykh who had to be all the more scrupulous due to the pressured nature of his position- he had both life and death in his hands. So this may have ensured the shaykhs would be bonafide, less likely to indulge in personality cults and the murids, more successful.

This is by no means, a complete discussion and I’m quite sure I’ve made some mistakes or missed some things. But I think Muslims need to re-visit this history and see how we could Islamicize the “design” of our societies and communities. I think among the religious community we need to understand how Muslims understood Islam and how they applied it to their everyday.

–

Sources and More Reading:

-Islamic references above from Tafsir Ibn Kathir Online: Surah Ale Imran.

-Castles of God: http://books.google.ca/books?id=g6PqNavNEdgC&pg=PA218&lpg=PA218&dq=ribat+islam&source=bl&ots=EZovE2kVDd&sig=K_8YIAOa3FEMR0kWtMOEzYqbM5o&hl=en&ei=JjDzSuOxDYScswPMleUY&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CBcQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=ribat%20islam&f=false

-The Ribats in Morocco and their influence in the spread of knowledge and tasawwuf: http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:4Xe4yV25frAJ:bewley.virtualave.net/ribat.html+ribat+islam&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca&client=firefox-a

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

Bismillah, alhamdulillah, wa salat wa salam ala Rasulullah

The following is a serious guide to self-rectification (tazkiya) and is meant to be taken seriously. It may look simple enough but is a flexible model that can be applied to any aspect of spiritual life provided one’s own creativity. It requires one to be dead-serious and stubbornly and unwaveringly relentless in the battle against oneself.  This is the methodology of all the great Sufis and reformers, it is a powerful path.

As for Musharatah, it is to set a condition or a goal or choose an act of worship you wish to perfect you want to achieve until its a regular habit and helps you transform yourself. One may take an oath for this but it is not necessary. As for Murabatah, it is to endure in that act of worship and perseverance.

The two components of this seem to be: perseverance, consistency and going above and beyond. I would liken it to a marathons- running long distance and pushing the human spirit. I think the driving spirit for this is ikhlas (sincerity) and a sense of adventure. We want to journey to new places in our soul using what we have already. I can imagine how Muslims would pray 100 rakah a night or fast the fast of Prophet Dawud (alayhi salam), every other day or increasing the amount of dhikr you do.

Tama ar-ribat arba’una yawman- Ribat is completed in 40 days (khurooj) -weak Hadith

Inna jalna ma al’al-ardhi zinatulaha linabluwahum ayuhum ahsanu amala

Verily! We have made that which is on earth as an adornment for it, in order that We may test them (mankind) as to which of them are BEST in deeds. (Quran, Surah al-Kahf 18:7)

As for Muhasabah it is to take your self to account. If you succeeded you will give thanks to God- give to the poor or sadaqa to those who are needy. If you failed in what you aimed to do, you will move to Muaqaba, which is punishing yourself for those shortcomings by means of a penalty. You may have to make it more realistic or harder if you want to improve even more, or change it to something that is meaningful to you if it hasn’t worked so far.

One then continues to apply this model to other aspects of oneself, its a life-long struggle. But its better than looking at yourself 4-6 years ago and realize you are no better- you are still missing your prayers or faltering on the same sins and problems. You want to be better than that. All of us do. But It requires a serious attitude, and naturally it isn’t easy. Above all, one must focus on the aspect of Murabatah, being consistent and putting in one’s utmost.

Stories and Examples

Ibn Umar (radiallahu anhu) came across a Christian monk who had 2 bags of white stones and black stones and he was taking himself to account (Muhasabah) for the day to see which he had done more.

Ibn Wahb, a Maliki Muhadith, (rahimullah) trained himself to control his tongue by making an oath to fast a day for every instance of backbiting he committed, until he reached a point when he was fasting all the time. Since fasting was easy for him, he changed the muaqaba to paying a dinar, and his love of money eliminiated his backbiting.

Shehu Uthman dan Fuduye (rahimullah) was a scholar of West Africa. We know of him today as the founder of the Sokoto Caliphate, but his story is a unique one. He decided to make salawat to Nabi salallahu alayhi wasalam endlessly and continuously for one year, no matter what state he was in or what he was doing until Allah bestowed upon him a great spiritual opening and great spiritual strength, which he was able to revolutionise East Africa with.

The scholars of the past would compete as to how many hadith they could memorize with numbers reaching thousands to ten thousands. Imam Bukhari had memorized into the hundred thousands, but we must also consider he was a savant and more likely than not, had photographic memory. Many others would go through the entire hadith volumes over and over, hundreds of times because reciting hadith is also a dhikr.

Above all this requires and builds sincerity (ikhlas), and one begins to truly see what sincerity is in oneself and how doing greater and bigger deeds affects sincerity so slightly and so gradually, its like physically growing- you feel the same, but there is no denying you have changed for the better.

All the best.

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

Bismillah, alhamdulillah, wa salat wa salam ala rasulullah

I just finished this book and its one of my first goes at reading Islam from the social science perspectives. I’ve only glanced at a few books sparingly but I went through this one in its entirety.

A few things I learned that I shall share:

-It is disappointing there exists very little research on Muslims as far as anthropology and sociology are concerned, even now, despite 9/11 there seems to be less work being done than their should be. ‘Zone’s of theorizing’ exist in discussing Islam- the study of anthropological Islam being tainted and biased by ideological and political interests in theory-making.

-Marranci focuses inexhaustibly on the question as to exactly what a Muslim is? This at first seemed an easy question to me, but I realized why this is such a difficult topic- since shahadah isn’t enough to shape identity, there has to be a “Muslimness,” he finally arrives at a definition I feel compromises a little bit: it is to “feel Muslim” and the Muslim experience (key focus being the emotional experience) is likened to a map (of discourses)  for a territory analogy- loose,changing and approximate(consider how Qadianis or non-heterosexual Muslims or alcoholic Muslims will never answer ‘no’ to the question of “Are you Muslim?”). There are a number of questions regarding the schizophrenic nature of being Muslim in the West- juggling multicultural, religious influences with personal ambition- and unfortunately, this aspect of our social life has been characterized by writers as more pathological, perhaps to avoid the fact it is a product of pluralism? Also, there is the struggle with essentialist ideas of Islam and Muslims- reductionist thinking making Muslims into ‘ideal types’ which usually, don’t exist, anywhere. I find this difficulty to grasp Muslims and Islam intriguing because their is an intensity of the Muslim experience and it is very hard for academics to take it apart and get intimate with it, whether they are Muslim or not, because it is such a vast experience. It encourages me to think about the richness and unique aspects of our experience and how it has shaped me.

-Marranci discusses a number of ethnographic experiences in studying Muslims and how it has become difficult for anthropologists to see how Muslims live their daily lives and explore Muslim behavior, because of Muslim fear in the wake of 9/11. Nonetheless, its encouraging to read about how there exist interviews and studies on many aspects of Muslim life- from village life, to living in the West, to the experience of Muslim women, in shelters, non-heterosexual Muslims, to mosque conflicts. I would like to mention when Marranci attended a talk in North Ireland by a Sufi speaker. In the weeks following the talk, the Sufi would continue to teach her and others via dreams. Another writer, K.P. Ewing mentioned a similar experience after having baraka transfered to her by a Sufi shaykh. Both of these anthropologist were non-Muslim, yet had this unique experience, which shows us what Islam can tell us about ourselves as human beings, the most rudimentary aspects of the human condition, the soul and the human psyche.

-A discussion on the ummah was probably necessary. Its interesting how Marranci keeps coming back to a mental definition for much of what is described- “feel to be Muslim” and how ummah is more of a mental construct uniting Muslims, despite the contradictions of racism and sectarian strife. Personally, I think this contradiction is characteristic of Muslims- we tolerate contradictions and pardon our shortcomings for greater solidarity with each other and being associated with the glory of Islam- one can just recall the story of the Muslim ruler who launched a war because a Muslim woman’s honor was violated, he believing only he had the right to oppress his population. Marranci somewhat accounts for this aspect by mentioning though there are no charismatic leaders for the entire ummah- charisma and”special-ness” (think baraka) is dispersed throughout the ummah (perhaps as a sort of bonding force?).

-Gender and Islam is a topic I was expecting would be discussed, but it was great to see some ignored criticism- how western feministic models will just replace patriarchy, being no better and strip away the Islam of Muslim women. Its very true how Westerners view Muslim women as mysterious, exotic and/or erotic objects of the Other- even among converted Muslims, or even born and raised Muslims, there is this attitude of the veil being both oppressive and yet seductive. In light of this fact, it was refreshing also to see a discussion on masculinity in Islam- although it wasn’t too developed, it was a start considering there isn’t much written on this topic.

I would recommend this book and I would also recommend readers to visit the author’s blog and website.

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa anta astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

http://marranci.wordpress.com/

Bismillah

I’ve just gotten into Twitter lately and masha Allah, its a really nice tool. You can add me here.

I’m still new to it, but its a good way to stay in touch with a lot of people whom I used to be in touch with via Facebook. There is also a Twitter widget on the right panel of this blog- near the very bottom. Hopefully, this way, readers can get an idea as to the projects that are going on here.

Baraka Allahu feek.

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, Ameen.

Bismillah, alhamdulillah, wa salat wa salam ala Rasulullah

This is a very important piece because in the West there is a big imperative on Muslims taking Sufi shaykhs. And its very much indoctrinated among the Sufi people I have come across, which is something I question. I think many question this as well and wonder but can’t find someone to explain this to them. So this is why its very important.

I’ve never taken a shaykh and I was glad to come across Shaykh Hamza talking about this controversial topic since this is a big criticism of Sufism that is very valid. I’ve transcribed it below as best as I could, listened to it like 3-4 times to make sure I didn’t put my own interpretation in it.

Question: How necessarily important is it to commit to one shaykh to develop your spirituality?

Answer:
You’ll get different opinions depending on who you ask. There’s a nice translation of Ibn Abbad’s letter on whether its obligatory to take a shaykh. There’s a saying, “Whoever doesn’t have a shaykh, Shaytan is his shaykh.” Generally, first and foremost it means you have to have a teacher for the Shariah. You have to have someone who teaches you the religion. When we visit Sh. Mimmar (spelling?) the other day, what did he keep saying? “Get teachers even if you have to pay them. Have teachers. You need teachers to guide you. You need to have sources of knowledge.” In terms of spiritual advancement, if people are having spiritual experiences its good to have people who know what they are doing. Suhba (companionship) is also good. Many of the shuyukh of this period, like Shaykh Ahmad Mashur al-Haddad, who I studied with, Dr. Umar studied with, Sidi Abdul Hakim Winters studied with- he was of the opinion that the idea of taslim was over, the surrendering yourselves to a shaykh completely was over, this wasn’t its time. And there are a lot of dysfunctional aspect in a lot of relationships that happen, so there are problems in all these systems. And surrendering your sovereignty, you have to be very careful with that, who you surrender your sovereignty to, some people demand a lot. There’s a poem by Robert Frost, “They say the truth will make you free, my truth will make you slave to me.” So you just have to be careful, there’s a lot of manipulation out there. People from Pakistan know very well about the peer sahibs, and what happens there. I’m not making this up, am I? A lot of these people are flat-out charlatons, there’s charlatans all over West Africa, you know ‘Sufi shaykh, come and be a murid.’ The danger of Sufism that bothers me, is there are a lot of principles in Tasawwuf that are very easily manipulated into certain cultic control mechanisms and they become very dangerous. I think for those of us in the West, we come from a tradition of individual sovereignty and independence of self. And I personally believe those are very high Islamic characteristics and qualities. I think a lot of the problems in the East is all this slavishness, and devotion and obsequiousness to the grand Master Pu-Ba whoever. I mean, if you want my personal opinion, I do believe that. That does not mean I don’t show the utmost respect to my teachers. Sh. Abdullah bin Bayyah is my teacher and what I love about him is he’s somebody who respects my opinion, listens to my opinion, he’s never been despotic in any way. Habib Ahmad Mashur al-Haddad was not despotic at all, he didn’t get angry at people, he didn’t abuse people. Sifadur Harawi was like that. You just have to look to people and observe them. You just have to be careful. And then there are some people who are just deluded or they are trying to keep something alive and they have their limitations. Sidi Ahmad Zarruq said that there weren’t any complete teachers by his time, the 9th century, the completed masters were gone and to just find people that could do the best that they could do and recognize their shortcomings and don’t have greater expectations that they can do that. Wallahu Ta’ala Alaam. Allah knows best.

–Taken from Shaykh Hamza Yusuf’s CD set on Tasfiyah al-Qublub, (Refinement of the Heart) by Imam Ibn Juzayy al-Kalbi, CD 12, Track 3 and 4 (copyright)

I think this is something for brothers and sisters who are into the Sufi scene to ponder over deeply, especially considering its from Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, and for people who criticize Sufism to realize these concerns aren’t marginal at all.

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

Bismillah…

An interesting event happening soon in Toronto hosted by Qurba Academy…

—

Without it…

prayer is just exercise,

fasting is hunger,

life has no direction.

Welcome to Belief: Securing Faith.

Whoever believes through mere following

Their faith is not safe from creeping doubts

[Ibrahim al-Laqani, Jawharat al-Tawhid]

Is your faith safe?

Life is full of ideas, events, and people that test your beliefs. Sometimes, even shake them. In our culture of scientism and skepticism, religion is seen as foolish, irrational, and outdated. This leaves Muslims with the responsibility to know and articulate their beliefs – or be outsmarted.

Know your Aqida

This course gives you the tools to navigate through philosophical clutter and learn the sources of Islamic theology. Through a highly organized and uncomplicated curriculum, you’ll discover what you need to have sound belief.

You Will Learn…

• The orthodox tenets of Islamic belief and their sources
• The relationship between knowledge, faith, and action
• To have complete trust in Islamic theology, so that you can live your life with confidence, purpose, and clarity

Who Should Attend?

• Any Muslim who wishes to know, with complete confidence, the articles of their faith and the tenets of their beliefs
• Anyone who desires to love God, but wants to first know Him better
• Any Muslim who wants to follow the Prophetic example by truly understanding his message of tawhid

Topics Covered in this Course

1. Tenets of Faith
2. Threshold of Valid Belief
3. Epistemology (The Ways of Knowing)
4. The Sources
5. Realizing One’s Faith
6. The Relation Between Knowledge, Faith and Action
7. Increasing One’s Faith

Program: Essentials Certificate Program

Course: BEL1101 – Belief: Securing Faith

Teacher: Shaykh Ramzy Ajem

Course Format: In-class

Date & Time: November 21-22, 2009

Location: Ryerson University

Price: $99 CAD $89 before Nov 1

Register Now!

Seats are Limited

Shaykh Ramzy Ajem

Shaykh Abu Shamsudin Ramzy ibn Mahmoud Ajem is of Tunisian descent and was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. In 1995, he left Canada to begin his Islamic studies in Damascus, Syria. He completed the two year pre-college program with honors at Abu-Nur Islamic Institute of Syria. While in Damascus, he had the honor to meet and study with a number of scholars including Sh. Ramadan al-Bouti, Sh. Muhammad al-Yaqoubi, Sh. Abd al-Rahman Kharsa, Sh. Nur al-din Ittir, Sh. Adib Kallas, Sh. Farid al-Jazairi, Sh. Abdul Mu`iz al-Nafti, Sh. Muhammad Kaylash, Sh. Mu’min Al-Annan, and Sh. Jihad Hashim Brown.

In pursuit of the classical Islamic education, Shaykh Ramzy traveled to west Africa, where he was amongst the first westerners to be accepted by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Endowments of Morocco to study at the Ancient Madrasah of Tanalat in the Atlas Mountains of Southern Morocco (Madrassat al-Hajj Muhammad al-Habib). As a full-time student at the school, he studied some of the known texts of the various Islamic sciences under its current director and teacher, Sidi Sheikh al-Haj Muhammad al-Ghali, who is one of the foremost students of its very founder: the famous Shaykh, al-Zahid, al-Wali, and Mujahid Sidi Muhammad al-Habib al-Susi (Allah have mercy on him). After completing basic texts in Grammar, Morphology, Aqida, and Fiqh, he received permission from his teacher Sidi Shaykh al-Haj Muhammad al-Ghali to teach in these fundamental fields of sacred knowledge.

Now back in Toronto, he is continuing his studies with Shaykh Ahmad Talal Ahdab, may Allah protect them all and benefit us by their baraka and knowledge. Shaykh Ramzy founded, directs, and teaches at Dar al-Marifa, an institution that offers homeschooled children weekday classes in Arabic and Islamic studies. He also is a part-time teacher at Kitab Academy, where he directs its Arabic and Islamic curriculum. In addition, he has volunteered at a Toronto Deen Intensive, Camp Nur, the Muslim Student Association in Toronto and Montreal, and the local mosque Imdad al-Islam. Shaykh Ramzy currently lives in Toronto with his wife and four children.

I really liked this video…it truly captures the human struggles of Gaza and Palestine in general. Spread it around.

Bismillah, alhamdulillah, wa salat wa salam ala Rasulullah.

I had a realization the other day. I have always tried to help people in my everyday experiences, holding the door open for others or picking up things they have dropped. But one characteristic of our time, is we are always in a hurry. So often, I will help someone, but I will help them in a hurry. This has the curious effect of them thanking me for a ‘deficient’ good deed.

A lady drops some paper towels from her groceries. I pick it up and give it to her and hurry on my way. But I forget the fact she is carrying a number of items in her hand and placing the paper towels back onto her trolley will also inconvenience her. I could possibly have put it back on her trolley for her. In this way, my good deed turns into “half a good deed” for which she may say ‘thank you,’ but I have not done my best in trying to help. Another example: I will hold the door open for someone coming behind me, they’ll say ‘thank you’ and then I will hold open the next set of doors for them, for which they will say ‘thank you’ again, but then they will jog a little, to quickly go through the doors so as to not inconvenience me nor waste my time in trying to help them. The fact I am holding open those second set of doors means, they are now obliged to enter those doors while at the same time, not make me wait for them. I can imagine this creates a feeling of resentment in them for me (for being forced, by my philanthropic intentions) and my resentment for them, if I am indeed truly in a hurry. And on top of that, they must say ‘thank you.’ Islam demands ihsan (excellence) in all our actions and deeds, and its not hard to see how haste makes us lacking in that excellence.

Our culture of speed causes a number of issues in our society. I did a great deal of reading, thinking and writing on the topic of a speed culture, dromology and what social philosophers and thinkers have said about it. But its even more fascinating to read about what Islam says about speed and how that relates to what these writers have said about it. There is a saying of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam, “Deliberation (or slowness or calmness) is from Allah and haste is from Shaytan.” Its interesting to note the wisdom in this saying, especially in light of the incidents I have mentioned above. I intend to write more on how acceleration and the culture of speed have captivated our society and how it dilutes the Muslim way of life, in sha Allah.

So from now on, its important to be very slow in helping others, so as to be truly considerate of them!

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

Yusuf, brother of Omar Mullick, requested I spread the word about this awesome photo exhibit happening later this week.

The exhibit is on Thursday October 8th from 6pm to 9pm, at 16 West 23rd Street in New York City.

See here for a map

Gallery Website

Facebook Event

If you can’t make it check out some of the artwork at his website. Also there is a short interview with Omar Mullick here.

Its important we support our artists- they are the sources of inspiration. They are the ones who safeguard the secrets on how to love our community and appreciate the hidden beauties in Islam. This is all the more important because there is so much hatred in our communities. I don’t say that because I’m also becoming a bit of an artist (ok, maybe a little) but because I do really believe that. I am really touched by this photo exhibit, because I am always in awe of watching our brothers and sisters pray. Just that alone- still amazes me and that is no exaggeration.

I don’t live in NYC, but if I did I would definitely check this out. I encourage you check it out, 100-200 years from now these photos will really mean something!

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

Bismillah, alhamdulillah, wa salat wa salam ala Rasulullah

I thought rather than jumping around…I would contnue and show you the son of Umar bin al-Khattab so you can see for yourself what sort of father and how his piety affected his family.

May Allah make us pious parents and pious children and grant us and our progeny the same, ameen.

Abdullah ibn Umar bin al-Khattab (radiallahu anhuma)

Nafi narrated that Abdulah ibn Umar (radiallahu anhuma) said: “The truth is that I have never once ate my fill since I became Muslim.”

Abdullah, son of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, narrated that Abu Bakr ibn Haf said: “Abdullah ibn Umar (radiallahu anhuma) never sat to eat a meal unless an orphan had a share in it.”

Salim bin Asim narrated that Abdullah ibn Umar (radiallahu anhuma), never turned away a beggar unsatisfied, and that he sometimes ate with a leper from the same plate, and at times the leper’s hand may have been plasmatic.

Abu Hamed bin Jabla narrated that Maimun bin Mihran said: “I visited the house of Abdullah ibn Umar and I noticed that the value of its combined contents did not equal the price of a shawl.”

Abdullah bin Muhammad narrated that Abdullah ibn Umar (radiallahu anhuma) said: “One does not become a truly knowledgeable alim except: 1) If he is not met with the jealousy of those higher in rank; 2) if he is not belittled by those who are less knowledgeable than he; and 3) as long as he does not take advantage of his knowledge for monetary gain.

Salem bin Abi’l Ja’ad narrated that Abdullah ibn Umar said (radiallahu anhuma): “A man does not attain the station of true faith (iman) unless he regards others as incapable of understanding the reasons behind his immoderate religious exertions.”

Muhammad bin Hayyan narrated that someone said to Abdullah ibn Umar (radiallahu anhuma): “O Abu Abdu-Rahman, Zaid bin Haritha al-Ansari has just died.” Abdullah replied: “May the mercy of Allah encompass him.” The man continued: “O Abu Abdu-Rahman, he left one hundred thousand Dirhams behind him!” Abdullah ibn Umar replied: “Yet they did not leave him.”

Nafi narrated that Abdulah ibn Umar (radiallahu anhuma) said: “The best thing a man must cleanse is his tongue.”

Malik bin Anas Narrated that Ubaidullah, son of Abdullah bin Utba said: “Ikhlas (sincerity) was easily recognizable in Umar bin al-Khattab and in his son Abdullah ibn Umar and anyone could clearly recognize their birr (trueness to their Lord) in the way they spoke and in their actions.”

Adam bin Ali narrated that Abdullah ibn Umar (radiallahu anhuma) said: “On the Day of Judgment, a group of people will be called the ‘Deficient Ones.’ Someone asked: What does the ‘deficient ones’ mean?” Abdullah replied: “Such are the ones whose ablutions and prayers are inadequate through lack of concentration and hastiness.”

Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal narrated that Mujahid said: “I was walking with Abdullah ibn Umar and we passed by a ruin. Abdullah said to me, “Say, ‘O ruin, tell me, what did your people do?’” I turned to the ruin and said, ‘O ruin, tell me, what did your people do?’ A moment of silence passed, then Abdullah ibn Umar said, “They have gone, and these are the effect which they have left behind them!”

Mujahid narrated that Abdullah ibn Umar (radiallahu anhuma) said: “Today loyalty (mwalat) to people is centered exclusively around selfish wordly interests,a nd such politically motivated endorsements bring its people nothing but havoc.”

Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal narrated that Nafi said: “One time, Abdullah ibn Umar fell sick and I bought him a cluster of grapes for one dirham. As soon as I placed the grapes before him, a beggar knocked at the door, and Abdullah said to me: ‘Take these grapes and give them to that man.’ I said, ‘First take some of them!’ He replied, ‘No, give all of them to him.’ So I did, but I also went out after the beggar, I bought grapes back from him for one dirham, and I brought them back to Abdullah. The beggar who took the one dirham went away for a few moments, but shortly after that, he returned to the door and asked for something in charity. Again Abdullah ibn Umar said to me, ‘Give these grapes to the man at the door,’ and again I said, ‘Eat some at leaste, taste them!’ He insisted, “No. Give all of them to that man,’ and I did as he told me. Like that, for the third time–or perhaps the fourth time– I handed the grapes to the same beggar, and I further went after him and bought them back for one dirham, and everytime he took the money, he went away for a moment before he returned to the door and asked for something in charity. After the third or fourth time, I became upset, and I went after the beggar and I said to him, ‘Aren’t you ashamed of your actions?’ Finally, I bought the cluster of grapes from him for another dirham, and he agreed to leave, and at last, I brought the grapes to Abdullah ibn Umar who ate some.”
Mujahid narrated regarding Abdullah ibn Umar (radiallahu anhuma) that a young man stood up and asked God’s Messenger (salallahu alayhi wasalam): “O Messenger of Allah, who is the most diligent of believers?” He replied: “The one that remembers death most, and who is best prepared for it, such are the most diligent ones.”

(From Hilayah al-Awliya)

There are many more narrations on his generosity. Today we hesitate to give to the people on the street and so its amazing to see how stubborn and consistent Abdullah ibn Umar (radiallahu anhuma) was in his giving charity- more stubborn than even a beggar would be in asking for charity !!

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, Ameen.

Something my main man, Hasan from QuranJam.com put together a while back. I was meaning to do a post on this…

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Do you know the feeling? Are you content to simply complain, or do you want to help me do something about it?

“Yes! Finally!” you might be thinking, “Grab your torches, everybody! Down with the uncles!“

Wrong.

I’ve noticed that a lot of the uncles giving khutbahs have amazing, amazing potential. All they need to do is refine their technique of delivery a little and they’ll be giving some super awesome khutbahs, in sha Allah.

So instead of tearing down the uncles, we’re going to help them become better. All it’s going to take is a printer and a designated brother sitting in the first row during every jumuah at your masjid.

Bismi Allah,
Step 1: Print out the attached Word document. It’s a letter that will teach the khateeb how to give awesome khutbahs.
Step 2: Fold it (or put it in an envelope) and stash it in your pocket.
Step 3: Sit in the first row during the jumuah khutbah (if you’re a sister, you can give it to your brother/husband/father and have him sit in the front row).
Step 4: If you think the khateeb can benefit from the document, pull it out from your pocket and hand it to him after the prayer.
Step 5: Make dua that he benefits from your naseehah.

So who’s going to help me in this? If you’re down with, in sha Allah, printing out the document and using it at your next jumuah (and every jumuah thereafter, if you like), post here with a special dua for this success of this project.

Jazaakum Allahu khaira!

Download HERE

Taken from AlMaghrib Forums thread

Some other helpful links

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

Bismillah, alhamdulillah, wa salat wa salam ala Rasulullah

I had a discussion with a local hafiz after taraweeh about recitations of the Quran in prayer and also the adhaan. At first he thought I was referring to the psychological effect of the qirat on the listener, but I clarified- what I am looking at here is what the recitation suggests about the reciter.

What mood are they in? Are they mechanically reciting? Are they reciting with their whole soul and heart? Are they emotional? Why aren’t they emotional?

Especially in adhans, you hear desperation, depression, some adhans you hear a low self-confidence, and in the rare adhan you hear the majesty of Islam. I try hard to recall and memorize the adhans/recitations that provoke feelings of spiritual grandeur and glory- but they are so rare, I have heard maybe one or three in the past 3 years.

Is this a reflection of our state? Is the melancholy you hear in their voice from the inferiority complex among the believers? Or is it just the style and how they were taught?

Comparing it to the chants you hear from Christian monks that sound really grandiose, the adhan and qirat I think are over-emphasized among Muslims (everyone wants to be like Alafasy!) but they aren’t emphasized in the sense of conveying your heart and spiritual state in the recitation, if that makes any sense. I often wonder if perhaps, the recitation has a negative effect on the imaan of the Muslims. Yes, of course we know it can really boost our imaan, but if its in a very dreary voice, even if its with perfect tajwid, it can really drag some people down rather than inspire iman. Its an interesting notion so I wonder…

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, ameen.

An email I got from the folks at Qurba…
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Qurba Academy Presents…

Quran and Sunna: Knowing the Sources

This course unravels the meticulous history of Islam’s primary texts. Students will learn how the blood, sweat, and sacrifice of great scholars preserved this religion. By the end of this class, students will have the clarity to filter out fictitious claims and the confidence to live the Sunna with excellence.

You Will Learn…

• About the phenomenal and methodical task of compiling, transmitting, and preserving the Quran and Sunna
• How to have a living relationship with the most important book you’ll ever read
• The essence of the connection between the Quran and Sunna and how they form the bases for all of the Islamic sciences
• About the incredible men and women in history who struggled and laboured to preserve the sources of this religion accurately and authentically

Who Should Attend…

• Anyone who desires to be close to Allah Most High
• Anyone who aspires to follow the Prophetic example, peace and blessings upon him
• Anyone who intends to further study Islam and needs a solid foundation of the Islamic sciences
• Anyone who wants to have confidence and clarity about the most important texts in Islam

Topics Covered in this Course

1. Revelation
2. Compilation and Preservation of the Quran
3. The Quranic Message
4. Compilation and Preservation of the Sunna
5. The Message of the Sunna
6. The Relationship Between the Quran and Sunna
7. The Relation of the Primary Sources to the Islamic Science

Register Now! Limited Seats

Program: Essentials Certificate Program

Course: PRN1101 – Quran and Sunna – Knowing the Sources

Teacher: Shaykh Talal Ahdab

Course Format: In-class with supplementary online material

Date & Time: Saturday October 10 – 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday October 11 – 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Location: Ryerson University
Price: $89 until Eid, $99 thereafter

Bismillah, alhamdulillah, wa salat wa salam ala Rasulullah

I thought I would share this adkhar written by Imam an-Nawawi (rahimullah). Its made largely of adkhar from the Sunnah you can find in Hadith, some Quran, and some duas of Imam an-Nawawi’s writing. For those who don’t know Imam an-Nawawi (rahimullah) is the author of Riyadus Saliheen (ahadith which discusses the various moral and spiritual virtues in Islam) and the compiler of the 40 Hadith Nawawi (ahadith which discuss the core beliefs in Islam). He was a sage and a savant and the only similar work to this Wird is his book Al-Adkhaar (a compilation of the various dhikrs, duas, spiritual exercises he compiled) which has yet to be made accessible to  the English language.

You can download the image files here:

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

The last 10 nights of Ramadan are coming to a close so they should find you making lots of tahajjud, reciting lots of Quran, dhikr and duas. I am uploading this Wird now, because its a nice dhikr to do at night, especially when you get tired of doing your istighars, tahlils and run out of ideas as to what else to recite. Its beauty should get you moving again.

This video is a recitation of this Wird by Shaykh Abdullah al-Kadi

Subhana kallahumma wa bihamdika ash-haduana la illaha illa ant astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, Ameen.