Most Beloved Deeds [to ALLAH (SWT) and Prophet (PBUH)]
Most Beloved Deeds
"So strive as in a race in good deeds."
[5:48]
1. "The most beloved of deeds according to Allah are the continuous ones, even if they are little."
[Agreed upon]
2. "The most beloved fast according to Allah is the fast of Dawud; he would fast every alternate day. The most beloved prayer according to Allah is the prayer of Dawud; he would sleep half the night, stand a third and then sleep for a sixth."
[Agreed upon]
3. "The most beloved of deeds according to Allah are the prayer in its right time, then to treat the parents in an excellent manner, and then Jihad in the path of Allah."
[Agreed upon]
4. "The most beloved prayer to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلّم) was the one that was done regularly (throughout the life) even if it were little. And whenever the Prophet offered a prayer he used to offer it regularly ."
[Sahih al-Bukhari]
5. "The most beloved word according to me is that which is most truthful."
[Sahih al-Bukhari]
6. The most beloved mountain to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلّم) was Uhud.
[Sahih al-Bukhari]
7. "The most beloved to me amongst you is the one who has the best character and manners."
[Sahih al-Bukhari]
8. The most beloved people to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلّم) were the Ansar. "The Prophet stood up and said thrice, "By Allah! You (the Ansar) are from the most beloved people to me."
[Sahih al-Bukhari]
9. The most beloved garment to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلّم) to wear was the Hibra (a kind of Yemenese cloth).
[Sahih al-Bukhari]
10. "The most beloved words according to Allah the Most High are four: Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, La ilaha illallah and Allahu Akbar; there is no problem with which one you start with."
[Muslim]
11. "The most beloved of speech according to Allah is when the servant says, 'Subhanallahi wa bihamdihi' [Glory be to Allah and we praise Him]."
[Muslim]
12. "The most beloved of speech according to Allah the Most High is that which Allah chose for his Angels: Subhana Rabbi wa bihamdihi, Subhana Rabbi wa bihamdihi, Subhana Rabbi wa bihamdihi."
[at-Tirmidhi, Sahih]
13. "The most beloved of religions according to Allah the Most High is the 'easy and flexible religion.'"
[Ahmad, Hasan]
14. "The most beloved of people according to Allah is he who brings most benefit, and the most beloved of deeds according to Allah the Mighty, the Magnificent, is that you bring happiness to a fellow Muslim, or relieve him of distress, or pay off his debt or stave away hunger from him. It is more beloved to me that I walk with my brother Muslim in his time of need than I stay secluded in the mosque for a month. Whoever holds back his anger, Allah will cover his faults and whoever suppresses his fury while being able to execute it, Allah will fill his heart with satisfaction on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever walks with his brother Muslim in need until he establishes that for him, Allah will establish his feet firmly on the day when all feet shall slip. Indeed, bad character ruins deeds just as vinegar ruins honey."
[at-Tabarani, Hasan]
15. "The most beloved deed according to Allah is to have faith in Allah, then to maintain the ties of kinship, and then to command to good and forbid the wrong. The most abhorrent of deeds according to Allah is to associate partners with Him, then to cut the ties of kinship."
[Abu Ya'la, Hasan]
16. "The most beloved Jihad according to Allah is that a word of truth be spoken to a tyrant ruler."
[at-Tabarani, Hasan]
17. "The most beloved of names according to Allah are Abdullah, Abdur-Rahman and Harith."
[Abu Yala, Sahih]
18. "The most beloved dish according to Allah is that which most hands feed from."
[Ibn Hibban, Hasan]
19. "The most beloved of deeds according to Allah is that you die and yet your tongue is still moist from the remembrance of Allah."
[Ibn Hibban, Hasan]
20. "The most beloved servant of Allah is he who is most beneficial to his dependents."
[Zawa'id az-Zuhd, Hasan]
21. "The most beloved to Allah Ta'ala of his servants are 'those who are the best in attitude towards others.'"
[at-Tabarani in al-Kabir, 1/181, 183]
22. "The most beloved to me and the closest to me on the Day of Resurrection will be those of you who are the best in attitude and character."
[Ahmad, Jayyid isnad]
Some reports add: "Those who are down to earth and humble, who get along with others and with whom others feel comfortable."
23. There aren't any days greater, nor any days in which deeds done in them are more beloved to Allah, the Most High, than these ten days (of Dhul-Hijjah). So, increase in them the saying of Tahleel (Laillaha illAllah), and Takbeer (Allah Akbar) and Tahmeed (alamdulillah)"
[Musnad - Imam Ahmad]
Sunday, December 4, 2011
WHY ARE WE SO DIVIDED?
WHY ARE WE SO DIVIDED?
... Because of Shirk, innovations and leaving the Sunnah
All Praise is for Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) Lord of all the creation and May His peace and Blessings be upon is last Prophet Muhammad (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) and upon the Prophet's (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) family and upon the companions and on all those who follow the path of guidance until the last day.
We saw in last weeks issue that without doubt the Muslim Ummah is in a divided and fragmented state and that this division is prohibited in Islam. Rather Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has enjoined upon us to hold onto the rope of Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala), which we established is the Qur'an and the Sunnah as understood by the Companions. But how did we reach this state in the first place, what causes disunity?
Shirk - Associating partners in worship with Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala)
Without doubt one of the major causes for people splitting up the religion and leaving holding on to the rope of Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) is shirk. This is the grave sin of ascribing partners with Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) in worship. Today throughout the world there are numerous examples of shirk amongst the Ummah, such as those who call upon the dead in the grave. Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:
"And invoke not besides Allah anything that will neither profit you nor hurt you, but if (in case) you did so, you shall certainly be one of the Dhal (polytheists and wrong-doers)." [Surah Yoonus 10:106]
Verily Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has created us to worship Him alone, as He (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:
"And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)." [Surah adh-Dhaariyaat 51:56]
So the one who gives worship to other than Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has he not committed the most severe sin. Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:
"Verily! Allah forgives not (the sin of) setting up partners (in worship) with Him, but He forgives whom He wills sins other than that." [Surah an-Nisaa 4:116]
It is reported that Ibn Masood (radhi-Allaahu 'anhu) asked the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam):
"Which is the Greatest sin?" The Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said: "That you set up a rival for Allah, While He is the one who created you." [Bukhaaree]
O noble reader it will not be hidden from you that throughout the world Muslims are stooped in such practices of calling upon the dead saint in the grave, asking him to remove their difficulty whether it be Abdul Qaadir al Jeelanee or al Badawee or other people who's graves have been made places of worship. How can unity be achieved amongst the Muslims when some Muslims cannot unify their worship for Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) alone? O noble reader consider the following, how many Muslims:
Wear Amulets and charms, despite the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) saying:
"Whoever wears an amulet has committed shirk." [Ahmad]
Read astrology in magazines or go to fortune tellers, despite the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) saying:
"Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and asks him something and believes in his words, will have his prayers rejected for forty days." [Muslim]
So while all these non-Islaamic beliefs and practices are present amongst the Muslims how can unity take place? Is not our first obligation to give da'wah to those Muslims who are stooped in these practices? Thereby calling to tawheed as all 124,000 Prophets from Aadam (alayhi-salam) to the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) did. They all began their call to the people with Tawheed - worshipping Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) alone.
Having incorrect beliefs
Another major reason for disunity is the wide range of beliefs prevalent amongst the Muslims. Despite us having the same Qur'an and the same Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), Muslims still have different beliefs. Why is this? If we all are referring back to the Qur'an and the Sunnah in every matter then why the differences. Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:
"(And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), if you believe in Allah and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination." [Surah an-Nisaa 4:59]
So verily O noble reader, imagine if every Muslim acted upon this ayah - would there be any differences then? NO, except maybe in the issues of fiqh, such as the prayer. But our beliefs and methodology would be one, so why is this not the case? It is because many Muslims today do not refer every issue back to Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) and His Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), rather they ask their local Imaam or their parents or refer it back to their madhab.
Know O noble reader that the first thing that all the Prophets called to was the rectification of the beliefs, before calling to the Islaamic state or to Jihad, the first thing was purifying the beliefs of the Muslim. So how can we have unity while there are Muslims who believe:
That Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) is everywhere, despite Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) saying:
"They fear their Lord Who is above them, and they do what they are commanded." [Surah an-Nahl 16:50]
That the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) was not human and was made from light, despite Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) saying:
"Say (O Muhammad sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam): 'I am only a human being like you. It is revealed to me that your Ilaah (God worthy of being worshipped) is One Ilaah (God)." [Surah Fussilat 41:6]
That the saying of an Imaam should be acted upon over the hadeeth, despite Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) saying:
"And let those who oppose the Messenger's (Muhammad sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) commandment (i.e. his Sunnah) beware, lest some Fitnah (trials i.e. shirk) should befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them." [Surah an-Noor 24:63]
That Imaan does not increase or decrease, despite the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) saying:
"Imaan has seventy odd or sixty odd branches. The most virtuous of them is the statement, 'There is none worthy of worship except Allah, and the slightest of them is to remove something harmful from the road. And hayaa is a branch of Imaan." [Bukhaaree and Muslim]
Bid'ah - Innovations in the religion
Another cause for disunity and not holding fast to the rope of Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) is the occurrence of innovations in this Ummah.
Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has informed us in the Qur'an that He has completed this religion of Islam for us as He (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:
"This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion." [Surah al-Maa'idah, 5:3]
Since the religion is complete how can it be that we need to add new things and ways of worship to Islam? Whatever was not part of the religion at the time of the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) cannot be accepted as a part of the religion now. The Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) has warned us against adding new things to the religion when he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said:
"Whoever Innovates in this affair of ours that which is not from it will have it rejected." [Muslim]
The people who propose unity at all costs have a saying that 'An innovation that unites us is better than a Sunnah which divides'.
SubhanAllaah look at such a statement O noble reader, innovations are grave and serious and a cause for entering the fire as he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said:
"... and every innovation is misguidance and all misguidance is in the Hellfire." [Reported by an-Nasaa'ee (1/224)]
So if someone said to you look there is a fire over there, lets all hold hands and unify and then go in to it, you would think they were crazy! So how can we come together upon something as dangerous as innovations, such as the innovations of mystics, who practice all kinds of weird and innovated invocations, which at times involve switching off the lights or chanting one of Allah's name so that after some time what they are chanting is unrecognisable as a name of Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala). Or the innovations of those who take their scholars as 'spiritual leaders' giving their allegiance to them and 'selling' themselves to these 'scholars' obeying everything they say. How O noble reader can unity occur amongst all the Muslims as long as these practices, which have nothing to do with Islam, keep occurring?
Blind following and Partisanship
This is one of the most evil of occurrences today and a major cause for disunity. Muslims are following their madhahab or their scholars over and above the Sunnah of the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) despite Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) saying:
"And whosoever opposes the Messenger (Muhammad sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the believers' way, We shall keep him in the path he has chosen, and burn him in Hell - what an evil destination!" [Surah an-Nisaa 4:115]
When you tell Muslims that 'you should do this because it says so in the Qur'an and the Sunnah', they reply 'well that's not what it says in my madhab' or 'that's not what my Shaykh says'. SubhanAllaah, O noble reader why did Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) send us His final Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) if it was not to teach us the religion of Islam.
Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:
"But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission." [Surah an-Nisaa 4:65]
No Muslim will openly say I am disobeying the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), but how many of us ask for the proof on issues of beliefs and practices and look to see what is the truth.
Another problem is the setting up of groups and parties with members, then being loyal only to that party, believing in the beliefs and aims of that party - not questioning it. Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has warned against this:
"And be not of Al-Mushrikoon (polytheists). Of those who split their religion, and became sects, each group rejoicing in that which is with it." [Surah ar-Room 30:31-32]
Setting up groups is a cause for disunity and spreads hatred amongst the Muslims so that a Muslim from one group will not give salaam to a Muslim from another group just because they belong to different groups. Or a group from one masjid will not like Muslims from another masjid to come and pray in their mosque. All this stems from partisanship and it divides the Ummah. Unity will not occur whilst Muslims are in this state rather unity will occur when an end is put to partisanship (hizbiyyah) and Muslims love each other because they are all have the same aims, beliefs and practices.
The Means for Revival
Having looked at the reason why we are so divided, the question now arises as to what the means for reviving this Ummah are. Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has given us the means for the revival of this Ummah, when He (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:
"Verily! Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves." [Surah ar-Ra'd 13:11]
The Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) also said:
"When you involve yourselves in interest bearing business transactions, and you hold on to the tails of cows, and you are pleased with agriculture (i.e. the land) and you abandon making Jihad in the Cause of Allah, Allah will send humiliation down upon you. He will not remove it from you until you return back to your Religion." [Abu Dawood and al-Bayhaqee]
So this humiliation that Muslims are under will not be removed from us until we return back to the religion of Islam. So what is the religion of Islam if not Tawheed, having the correct Aqeedah, worshipping Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) correctly? So should we not start our revival with these issues.
So just as the condition of the Arabs during the Days of Ignorance (Jaahiliyyah) was not rectified except by the coming of their Prophet Muhammad (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) with revelation from the heavens, which aided them in this world and which will save them in the next, then know O noble reader the foundation that the Islamic revival must be built upon in this time, is nothing else but the return to the Qur'an and the Sunnah, as implemented by the noble companions.
We know from the Book of Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) and the Sunnah of His Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) that the way towards realising this revival is only one way, and it is the way which Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has mentioned in His (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) saying:
"And verily, this is My Straight Path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His Path." [Surah al-An'aam 6:153]
The Messenger of Allah (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) explained this to his Companions. Thus, one day he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) drew a straight line for them on the ground and then drew short lines on the sides of it. Then, while his (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) noble finger moved up and down the straight line, he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) recited the aforementioned verse. Then he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) pointed to the lines that were drawn on the sides of the straight line and said:
"This is the Path of Allah and these are the (other) paths. At the top of each of these (other) ways, there is a devil calling towards it." [Authentic hadeeth, graded in Dhilaal-ul-Jannah fee Takhreej-is Sunnah(16-17)]
Furthermore, Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:
"And whosoever opposes the Messenger (Muhammad sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the believers' way, We shall keep him in the path he has chosen, and burn him in Hell - what an evil destination!" [Surah an-Nisaa 4:115]
In this ayah there is profound and extensive wisdom, for Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala), has connected the "the believers' way" to what the Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) came with. The Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) has (also) indicated this point in the hadeeth about the splitting up of the Ummah into sects. When he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) was asked concerning the saved sect, he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) responded: "That which (adheres to what) I and my companions are upon today."
What then is the wisdom behind Allah's mentioning of "the believers' way" in this ayah? And what is the significance in the Messenger of Allah's (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) linking of his companions to himself in the previous hadeeth?
The answer is: These noble Companions (radhi-Allaahu 'anhum) were the ones who received the two revelations (i.e. the Qur'an and Sunnah) from the Messenger of Allah (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), having that explained to them by him (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) directly, without there being any intermediary. They best knew how to implement the Sunnah, so after knowing this O noble reader can any Islaamic revival take place when the way of the Companions (radhi-Allaahu 'anhum) is abandoned and not adhered to, rather No it can not. For us to revive Islam and bring unity to the Muslims we must adopt the way and example of the Noble Companions (radhi-Allaahu 'anhum).
Imaam Maalik (rahima-hullaah) said:
"The latter part of this Ummah will not be rectified except by that which rectified its former part." [ash-Shifaa of Qaadee 'Iyyaadh, (2/676)]
So it will be clear to the reader that the only way to revive the Ummah is to return every affair of the Muslim back to the Qur'an and the Sunnah as understood and implemented by the best generation, the Companions (radhi-Allaahu 'anhum). To believe as they believed, to worship as they worshipped, to look like them, to give da'wah in the way they gave it. Then only will we be united and have a true Islaamic revival.
So dear noble brothers and sisters your Lord (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says....
"Has not the time come for the hearts of those who believe to be affected by Allah's Reminder (this Qur'an), and that which has been revealed of the truth." [Surah al-Hadeed 57:16]
... Because of Shirk, innovations and leaving the Sunnah
All Praise is for Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) Lord of all the creation and May His peace and Blessings be upon is last Prophet Muhammad (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) and upon the Prophet's (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) family and upon the companions and on all those who follow the path of guidance until the last day.
We saw in last weeks issue that without doubt the Muslim Ummah is in a divided and fragmented state and that this division is prohibited in Islam. Rather Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has enjoined upon us to hold onto the rope of Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala), which we established is the Qur'an and the Sunnah as understood by the Companions. But how did we reach this state in the first place, what causes disunity?
Shirk - Associating partners in worship with Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala)
Without doubt one of the major causes for people splitting up the religion and leaving holding on to the rope of Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) is shirk. This is the grave sin of ascribing partners with Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) in worship. Today throughout the world there are numerous examples of shirk amongst the Ummah, such as those who call upon the dead in the grave. Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:
"And invoke not besides Allah anything that will neither profit you nor hurt you, but if (in case) you did so, you shall certainly be one of the Dhal (polytheists and wrong-doers)." [Surah Yoonus 10:106]
Verily Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has created us to worship Him alone, as He (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:
"And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)." [Surah adh-Dhaariyaat 51:56]
So the one who gives worship to other than Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has he not committed the most severe sin. Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:
"Verily! Allah forgives not (the sin of) setting up partners (in worship) with Him, but He forgives whom He wills sins other than that." [Surah an-Nisaa 4:116]
It is reported that Ibn Masood (radhi-Allaahu 'anhu) asked the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam):
"Which is the Greatest sin?" The Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said: "That you set up a rival for Allah, While He is the one who created you." [Bukhaaree]
O noble reader it will not be hidden from you that throughout the world Muslims are stooped in such practices of calling upon the dead saint in the grave, asking him to remove their difficulty whether it be Abdul Qaadir al Jeelanee or al Badawee or other people who's graves have been made places of worship. How can unity be achieved amongst the Muslims when some Muslims cannot unify their worship for Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) alone? O noble reader consider the following, how many Muslims:
Wear Amulets and charms, despite the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) saying:
"Whoever wears an amulet has committed shirk." [Ahmad]
Read astrology in magazines or go to fortune tellers, despite the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) saying:
"Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and asks him something and believes in his words, will have his prayers rejected for forty days." [Muslim]
So while all these non-Islaamic beliefs and practices are present amongst the Muslims how can unity take place? Is not our first obligation to give da'wah to those Muslims who are stooped in these practices? Thereby calling to tawheed as all 124,000 Prophets from Aadam (alayhi-salam) to the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) did. They all began their call to the people with Tawheed - worshipping Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) alone.
Having incorrect beliefs
Another major reason for disunity is the wide range of beliefs prevalent amongst the Muslims. Despite us having the same Qur'an and the same Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), Muslims still have different beliefs. Why is this? If we all are referring back to the Qur'an and the Sunnah in every matter then why the differences. Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:
"(And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), if you believe in Allah and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination." [Surah an-Nisaa 4:59]
So verily O noble reader, imagine if every Muslim acted upon this ayah - would there be any differences then? NO, except maybe in the issues of fiqh, such as the prayer. But our beliefs and methodology would be one, so why is this not the case? It is because many Muslims today do not refer every issue back to Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) and His Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), rather they ask their local Imaam or their parents or refer it back to their madhab.
Know O noble reader that the first thing that all the Prophets called to was the rectification of the beliefs, before calling to the Islaamic state or to Jihad, the first thing was purifying the beliefs of the Muslim. So how can we have unity while there are Muslims who believe:
That Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) is everywhere, despite Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) saying:
"They fear their Lord Who is above them, and they do what they are commanded." [Surah an-Nahl 16:50]
That the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) was not human and was made from light, despite Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) saying:
"Say (O Muhammad sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam): 'I am only a human being like you. It is revealed to me that your Ilaah (God worthy of being worshipped) is One Ilaah (God)." [Surah Fussilat 41:6]
That the saying of an Imaam should be acted upon over the hadeeth, despite Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) saying:
"And let those who oppose the Messenger's (Muhammad sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) commandment (i.e. his Sunnah) beware, lest some Fitnah (trials i.e. shirk) should befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them." [Surah an-Noor 24:63]
That Imaan does not increase or decrease, despite the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) saying:
"Imaan has seventy odd or sixty odd branches. The most virtuous of them is the statement, 'There is none worthy of worship except Allah, and the slightest of them is to remove something harmful from the road. And hayaa is a branch of Imaan." [Bukhaaree and Muslim]
Bid'ah - Innovations in the religion
Another cause for disunity and not holding fast to the rope of Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) is the occurrence of innovations in this Ummah.
Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has informed us in the Qur'an that He has completed this religion of Islam for us as He (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:
"This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion." [Surah al-Maa'idah, 5:3]
Since the religion is complete how can it be that we need to add new things and ways of worship to Islam? Whatever was not part of the religion at the time of the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) cannot be accepted as a part of the religion now. The Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) has warned us against adding new things to the religion when he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said:
"Whoever Innovates in this affair of ours that which is not from it will have it rejected." [Muslim]
The people who propose unity at all costs have a saying that 'An innovation that unites us is better than a Sunnah which divides'.
SubhanAllaah look at such a statement O noble reader, innovations are grave and serious and a cause for entering the fire as he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said:
"... and every innovation is misguidance and all misguidance is in the Hellfire." [Reported by an-Nasaa'ee (1/224)]
So if someone said to you look there is a fire over there, lets all hold hands and unify and then go in to it, you would think they were crazy! So how can we come together upon something as dangerous as innovations, such as the innovations of mystics, who practice all kinds of weird and innovated invocations, which at times involve switching off the lights or chanting one of Allah's name so that after some time what they are chanting is unrecognisable as a name of Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala). Or the innovations of those who take their scholars as 'spiritual leaders' giving their allegiance to them and 'selling' themselves to these 'scholars' obeying everything they say. How O noble reader can unity occur amongst all the Muslims as long as these practices, which have nothing to do with Islam, keep occurring?
Blind following and Partisanship
This is one of the most evil of occurrences today and a major cause for disunity. Muslims are following their madhahab or their scholars over and above the Sunnah of the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) despite Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) saying:
"And whosoever opposes the Messenger (Muhammad sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the believers' way, We shall keep him in the path he has chosen, and burn him in Hell - what an evil destination!" [Surah an-Nisaa 4:115]
When you tell Muslims that 'you should do this because it says so in the Qur'an and the Sunnah', they reply 'well that's not what it says in my madhab' or 'that's not what my Shaykh says'. SubhanAllaah, O noble reader why did Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) send us His final Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) if it was not to teach us the religion of Islam.
Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:
"But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission." [Surah an-Nisaa 4:65]
No Muslim will openly say I am disobeying the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), but how many of us ask for the proof on issues of beliefs and practices and look to see what is the truth.
Another problem is the setting up of groups and parties with members, then being loyal only to that party, believing in the beliefs and aims of that party - not questioning it. Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has warned against this:
"And be not of Al-Mushrikoon (polytheists). Of those who split their religion, and became sects, each group rejoicing in that which is with it." [Surah ar-Room 30:31-32]
Setting up groups is a cause for disunity and spreads hatred amongst the Muslims so that a Muslim from one group will not give salaam to a Muslim from another group just because they belong to different groups. Or a group from one masjid will not like Muslims from another masjid to come and pray in their mosque. All this stems from partisanship and it divides the Ummah. Unity will not occur whilst Muslims are in this state rather unity will occur when an end is put to partisanship (hizbiyyah) and Muslims love each other because they are all have the same aims, beliefs and practices.
The Means for Revival
Having looked at the reason why we are so divided, the question now arises as to what the means for reviving this Ummah are. Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has given us the means for the revival of this Ummah, when He (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:
"Verily! Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves." [Surah ar-Ra'd 13:11]
The Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) also said:
"When you involve yourselves in interest bearing business transactions, and you hold on to the tails of cows, and you are pleased with agriculture (i.e. the land) and you abandon making Jihad in the Cause of Allah, Allah will send humiliation down upon you. He will not remove it from you until you return back to your Religion." [Abu Dawood and al-Bayhaqee]
So this humiliation that Muslims are under will not be removed from us until we return back to the religion of Islam. So what is the religion of Islam if not Tawheed, having the correct Aqeedah, worshipping Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) correctly? So should we not start our revival with these issues.
So just as the condition of the Arabs during the Days of Ignorance (Jaahiliyyah) was not rectified except by the coming of their Prophet Muhammad (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) with revelation from the heavens, which aided them in this world and which will save them in the next, then know O noble reader the foundation that the Islamic revival must be built upon in this time, is nothing else but the return to the Qur'an and the Sunnah, as implemented by the noble companions.
We know from the Book of Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) and the Sunnah of His Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) that the way towards realising this revival is only one way, and it is the way which Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has mentioned in His (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) saying:
"And verily, this is My Straight Path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His Path." [Surah al-An'aam 6:153]
The Messenger of Allah (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) explained this to his Companions. Thus, one day he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) drew a straight line for them on the ground and then drew short lines on the sides of it. Then, while his (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) noble finger moved up and down the straight line, he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) recited the aforementioned verse. Then he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) pointed to the lines that were drawn on the sides of the straight line and said:
"This is the Path of Allah and these are the (other) paths. At the top of each of these (other) ways, there is a devil calling towards it." [Authentic hadeeth, graded in Dhilaal-ul-Jannah fee Takhreej-is Sunnah(16-17)]
Furthermore, Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:
"And whosoever opposes the Messenger (Muhammad sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the believers' way, We shall keep him in the path he has chosen, and burn him in Hell - what an evil destination!" [Surah an-Nisaa 4:115]
In this ayah there is profound and extensive wisdom, for Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala), has connected the "the believers' way" to what the Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) came with. The Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) has (also) indicated this point in the hadeeth about the splitting up of the Ummah into sects. When he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) was asked concerning the saved sect, he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) responded: "That which (adheres to what) I and my companions are upon today."
What then is the wisdom behind Allah's mentioning of "the believers' way" in this ayah? And what is the significance in the Messenger of Allah's (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) linking of his companions to himself in the previous hadeeth?
The answer is: These noble Companions (radhi-Allaahu 'anhum) were the ones who received the two revelations (i.e. the Qur'an and Sunnah) from the Messenger of Allah (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), having that explained to them by him (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) directly, without there being any intermediary. They best knew how to implement the Sunnah, so after knowing this O noble reader can any Islaamic revival take place when the way of the Companions (radhi-Allaahu 'anhum) is abandoned and not adhered to, rather No it can not. For us to revive Islam and bring unity to the Muslims we must adopt the way and example of the Noble Companions (radhi-Allaahu 'anhum).
Imaam Maalik (rahima-hullaah) said:
"The latter part of this Ummah will not be rectified except by that which rectified its former part." [ash-Shifaa of Qaadee 'Iyyaadh, (2/676)]
So it will be clear to the reader that the only way to revive the Ummah is to return every affair of the Muslim back to the Qur'an and the Sunnah as understood and implemented by the best generation, the Companions (radhi-Allaahu 'anhum). To believe as they believed, to worship as they worshipped, to look like them, to give da'wah in the way they gave it. Then only will we be united and have a true Islaamic revival.
So dear noble brothers and sisters your Lord (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says....
"Has not the time come for the hearts of those who believe to be affected by Allah's Reminder (this Qur'an), and that which has been revealed of the truth." [Surah al-Hadeed 57:16]
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
The beginning of a New Islamic Year!!
The beginning of a New Islamic Year
This month marks the beginning of a new Islamic year, which was initiated after the Hijrah, or emigration, of Prophet Muhammad and which marked the formation of the first Muslim nation within an independent Islamic territory under the rule of Muslims.
The Muslims had no formal annual calendar until the caliphate of ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab . In the third or fourth year of his caliphate, ‘Umar received a message from Abu Moosa Al-Ash’ari who suggested that their future correspondence be confirmed with the appropriate date.
Therefore, ‘Umar gathered some of the surviving companions of the Prophet and consulted them on this matter. Some of them suggested adopting the Persian Calendar; others proposed adopting the Roman Calendar; others still proposed that the Muslims should form their own calendar and that it should start from the birth of the Prophet ; another group agreed but thought that the new Islamic Calendar should start from the day on which the Prophet embarked upon his mission; another group believed that this new Islamic Calendar should begin from the emigration of the Prophet while a final group believed that it should start from his death.
After a discussion, they all agreed unanimously to adopt that the Islamic Calendar should start from when the Prophet emigrated from Makkah to Madeenah and that the first month of this new Calendar be that of Muharram. This is because Muharram is a sacred month and because it follows Thul-Hijjah which is the month in which the Muslims perform Hajj, or the pilgrimage, which is the last of the five pillars of Islam that was enjoined upon the Muslims.
Muharram also follows the month in which the Ansaar (the Madeenan supporters of the Prophet ) pledged allegiance to the Prophet which was prior to his migration to Madeenah. This pledge of allegiance was one of the introductory acts of the emigration itself and therefore Muharram was deemed the most suitable month to start the Islamic Calendar by the companions of the Prophet .
It is truly saddening that some Muslims have chosen to use the Gregorian Calendar instead of the Hijri calendar. The Gregorian calendar has no relation with Islam and although it has been in existence for longer than that of the Hijri Calendar, that is no excuse for the Muslims to adopt it. It is well known that the companions of the Prophet would hate that any Muslim would use the Roman or Persian Calendar.
We have just ushered in the new Hijri year. Allaah Says (what means): “Verily, the number of months with Allaah is twelve months (in a year) so was it ordained by Allaah on the day when he created the Heaven and the Earth; of them four are Sacred - that is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein...” [Quran 9: 36]
These are the months that Allaah has appointed for the whole of mankind. He, The Most Exalted, also Says (what means): “They ask you [O Muhammad], about the new moons. Say ‘They are measurements of time for the people and for Hajj (Pilgrimage].” [Quran: 189]
Therefore, we know that these months, based on the lunar calendar, were appointed for all of mankind and not just for the Arabs. This is due to the fact that the lunar months can very easily be detected and calculated by the sighting of the crescent-moon, which marks the end of the month and the beginning of a new one.
We are in the new Hijri year. It is not from the Sunnah to celebrate it or to congratulate one another on its advent. For the Muslims, the passage of years does not constitute a real cause of happiness; rather, what counts is the amount of time spent in obedience to Allaah during these years. The years that have passed will be considered as successful if they were spent in obedience to Allaah, and miserable if they were spent in disobedience of Allaah. Therefore, the most evil person is he who has lived a long life and has committed evil deeds throughout.
It is a must that we receive our days, months and years while in obedience to Allaah. We must bring ourselves to account, redeem ourselves from our bad deeds and duly perform our responsibilities towards our wives, children and relatives.
The advent of every new year is marked by many Muslims with sincere resolutions and plans to improve and become closer to their Lord, but the days and hours slip away while the people’s conditions remain the same, the inevitable result of such failures will be loss and disgrace in this world and the next. Therefore, we must invest our time in obedience to Allaah and make sure that our spiritual condition is improving from year to year; for the more time runs away from us, the closer we are drawing to our graves.
The improvements in our worldly lives do us absolutely no good if our spiritual lives are not improving at the same time. No one can attain honor and dignity without submitting to the Lord of the Worlds. Safety, tranquility and welfare cannot be attained except by adopting the methodology of the Messengers of Allaah, may Allaah exalt their mention. Be very clear that if any of you see welfare and pleasure accompanied with sins and deviation, then this is definitely a mere respite that has been given by Allaah ahead of a total ruin. Thus, we must all stand firm in the obedience of Allaah in order to protect ourselves from His punishment. Allaah, The Almighty Says (what means): “...And turn to Allaah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.” [Quran 24: 31]
Allaah has also favored certain months, days and nights more than others. The number of months is twelve, as decreed by Allaah when He created the heavens and the earth. Among these twelve are four sacred months, Thul-Qa’dah, Thul-Hijjah, and Muharram, which are successive and the month of Rajab that comes between Jumaada Al-Aakhirah and Sha’baan. The best day which the sun rises on is Friday and the night of Al-Qadr is more virtuous than a thousand months. Therefore, we must all esteem that which Allaah has magnified.
Muslim scholars maintain that the rewards for good deeds are multiplied in times and places which are favored by Allaah, and vice versa for bad deeds. The proof of this is from Allaah’s Saying (which means): “They ask you concerning the sacred month - about fighting therein. Say, ‘Fighting therein is great [sin], but averting [people] from the way of Allaah and disbelief in Him and [preventing access to] the Sacred Mosque [in Makkah] and the expulsion of its people therefrom are greater [evil] in the sight of Allaah. And fitnah [Polytheism and Disbelief] is worse than killing’. And they will continue to fight you until they turn you back from your religion if they are able. And whoever of you reverts from his religion [to disbelief] and dies while he is a disbeliever - for those, their deeds have become worthless in this world and the Hereafter, and those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.” [Quran 2: 217]
Muslims should not wrong themselves during the Sacred Months. They should stay well within the limits defined by Allaah, fulfill all His obligations, shun all His prohibitions and fulfill the rights of the people.
By Shaykh Muhammad Saalih al-’Uthaimeen
This month marks the beginning of a new Islamic year, which was initiated after the Hijrah, or emigration, of Prophet Muhammad and which marked the formation of the first Muslim nation within an independent Islamic territory under the rule of Muslims.
The Muslims had no formal annual calendar until the caliphate of ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab . In the third or fourth year of his caliphate, ‘Umar received a message from Abu Moosa Al-Ash’ari who suggested that their future correspondence be confirmed with the appropriate date.
Therefore, ‘Umar gathered some of the surviving companions of the Prophet and consulted them on this matter. Some of them suggested adopting the Persian Calendar; others proposed adopting the Roman Calendar; others still proposed that the Muslims should form their own calendar and that it should start from the birth of the Prophet ; another group agreed but thought that the new Islamic Calendar should start from the day on which the Prophet embarked upon his mission; another group believed that this new Islamic Calendar should begin from the emigration of the Prophet while a final group believed that it should start from his death.
After a discussion, they all agreed unanimously to adopt that the Islamic Calendar should start from when the Prophet emigrated from Makkah to Madeenah and that the first month of this new Calendar be that of Muharram. This is because Muharram is a sacred month and because it follows Thul-Hijjah which is the month in which the Muslims perform Hajj, or the pilgrimage, which is the last of the five pillars of Islam that was enjoined upon the Muslims.
Muharram also follows the month in which the Ansaar (the Madeenan supporters of the Prophet ) pledged allegiance to the Prophet which was prior to his migration to Madeenah. This pledge of allegiance was one of the introductory acts of the emigration itself and therefore Muharram was deemed the most suitable month to start the Islamic Calendar by the companions of the Prophet .
It is truly saddening that some Muslims have chosen to use the Gregorian Calendar instead of the Hijri calendar. The Gregorian calendar has no relation with Islam and although it has been in existence for longer than that of the Hijri Calendar, that is no excuse for the Muslims to adopt it. It is well known that the companions of the Prophet would hate that any Muslim would use the Roman or Persian Calendar.
We have just ushered in the new Hijri year. Allaah Says (what means): “Verily, the number of months with Allaah is twelve months (in a year) so was it ordained by Allaah on the day when he created the Heaven and the Earth; of them four are Sacred - that is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein...” [Quran 9: 36]
These are the months that Allaah has appointed for the whole of mankind. He, The Most Exalted, also Says (what means): “They ask you [O Muhammad], about the new moons. Say ‘They are measurements of time for the people and for Hajj (Pilgrimage].” [Quran: 189]
Therefore, we know that these months, based on the lunar calendar, were appointed for all of mankind and not just for the Arabs. This is due to the fact that the lunar months can very easily be detected and calculated by the sighting of the crescent-moon, which marks the end of the month and the beginning of a new one.
We are in the new Hijri year. It is not from the Sunnah to celebrate it or to congratulate one another on its advent. For the Muslims, the passage of years does not constitute a real cause of happiness; rather, what counts is the amount of time spent in obedience to Allaah during these years. The years that have passed will be considered as successful if they were spent in obedience to Allaah, and miserable if they were spent in disobedience of Allaah. Therefore, the most evil person is he who has lived a long life and has committed evil deeds throughout.
It is a must that we receive our days, months and years while in obedience to Allaah. We must bring ourselves to account, redeem ourselves from our bad deeds and duly perform our responsibilities towards our wives, children and relatives.
The advent of every new year is marked by many Muslims with sincere resolutions and plans to improve and become closer to their Lord, but the days and hours slip away while the people’s conditions remain the same, the inevitable result of such failures will be loss and disgrace in this world and the next. Therefore, we must invest our time in obedience to Allaah and make sure that our spiritual condition is improving from year to year; for the more time runs away from us, the closer we are drawing to our graves.
The improvements in our worldly lives do us absolutely no good if our spiritual lives are not improving at the same time. No one can attain honor and dignity without submitting to the Lord of the Worlds. Safety, tranquility and welfare cannot be attained except by adopting the methodology of the Messengers of Allaah, may Allaah exalt their mention. Be very clear that if any of you see welfare and pleasure accompanied with sins and deviation, then this is definitely a mere respite that has been given by Allaah ahead of a total ruin. Thus, we must all stand firm in the obedience of Allaah in order to protect ourselves from His punishment. Allaah, The Almighty Says (what means): “...And turn to Allaah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed.” [Quran 24: 31]
Allaah has also favored certain months, days and nights more than others. The number of months is twelve, as decreed by Allaah when He created the heavens and the earth. Among these twelve are four sacred months, Thul-Qa’dah, Thul-Hijjah, and Muharram, which are successive and the month of Rajab that comes between Jumaada Al-Aakhirah and Sha’baan. The best day which the sun rises on is Friday and the night of Al-Qadr is more virtuous than a thousand months. Therefore, we must all esteem that which Allaah has magnified.
Muslim scholars maintain that the rewards for good deeds are multiplied in times and places which are favored by Allaah, and vice versa for bad deeds. The proof of this is from Allaah’s Saying (which means): “They ask you concerning the sacred month - about fighting therein. Say, ‘Fighting therein is great [sin], but averting [people] from the way of Allaah and disbelief in Him and [preventing access to] the Sacred Mosque [in Makkah] and the expulsion of its people therefrom are greater [evil] in the sight of Allaah. And fitnah [Polytheism and Disbelief] is worse than killing’. And they will continue to fight you until they turn you back from your religion if they are able. And whoever of you reverts from his religion [to disbelief] and dies while he is a disbeliever - for those, their deeds have become worthless in this world and the Hereafter, and those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.” [Quran 2: 217]
Muslims should not wrong themselves during the Sacred Months. They should stay well within the limits defined by Allaah, fulfill all His obligations, shun all His prohibitions and fulfill the rights of the people.
By Shaykh Muhammad Saalih al-’Uthaimeen
Islamic Morality And Today’s World!!
Islamic Morality And Today’s World
Abu Abdillaah
;Alhamdulillah, and salaat and salaam upon Rasoolillah Muhammad and upon his family and followers until the end of time, ameen.
In case you hadn’t noticed, we live in very dangerous times. No doubt there are many areas where this statement applies. The proliferation of wars, civil strife, economic sanction, takeovers and forced expulsion, genocide, natural disaster, environmental pollution, political oppression, street crime, you name it. At this time however, we would like to offer a few words on a dangerous situation regarding one of the most fundamental aspects of human behavior that if abused can lead to an insidious form of genocide. Namely, the destruction of people through immoral sexual relationships.
This is a vast topic indeed, so we will not in any way attempt to give it a full treatment. We hope now only to make several points by looking at what the situation is today and how Islam and Muslims are viewed with regards to it. We pray that we will be able to academically deal with the Islamic morale code in detail in the future, in shaa Allah. It can neither be denied that any given society may undergo trends nor that these trends usually have an underlying cause or source and they don’t just suddenly “turn up” but rather develop over time.
In the west in particular, sexual relationships are generally viewed as the private preference of each individual. No one has the right to determine with whom, or how one conducts one’s sex life. What occurs between consenting adults, no matter what sex or how many, is usually condoned. We believe that these beliefs and principles (along with others) have chiefly contributed to the following realities of today's world.
The Current Reality
Premarital sex between heterosexuals is considered quite acceptable, normal, well within the bounds of morality, and indeed desirable. It has been this way for a long time and could honestly be said to be part of the "American Way". Dating begins at a very young age and every socially well-adjusted youngster is expected to have several girlfriends and boyfriends by a certain age. Couples are expected to live together and getting married has long ceased to be considered as a major aim in life. Those who grow up in the West are weaned on sex in both subtle and not so subtle ways. It is quickly learned through T.V. shows, commercials, movies, advertisements, songs, you name it, that being sexy is a desired goal and aim in life.
Even comic books abound with superheroes and heroines with fantastically well-proportioned bodies and they lead sexually active private lives where little is left to the imagination. Animated cartoon characters from Betty Boop to Jessica Rabbit make the message crystal clear about what makes a female desirable. The top selling video and computer games feature female characters with sexy bodies whose biggest audiences are adolescent boys and young men. Females are intensely focused on being sexually attractive and are conditioned to be so from the time they get their first Barbie. This is what makes the fashion, cosmetic and entertainment industries thrive.
Countless young girls admire and aspire to be 'superstar' beauty queens, models, singers, or actresses. There is a phenomenal proliferation of ‘fan’ or entertainment magazines that feature the hottest entertainment stars who are known precisely for their sex appeal. Romance novels (some affectionately termed "bodice rippers") are the number one sellers among young women around the world and have made many a writer rich even before they have sold the film rights. The most popular "rap artists" regularly feature sexually explicit 'lyrics' in their 'songs' that would disgust some of the crooners of love songs in the 'old days' (the 70's & 80's). The highest rated T.V. talk shows are those that commonly feature people who expose their most intimate and outlandish sexual behavior.
Fashion, health, and women's magazines must feature tips on how to be a sexual master of all things. An ideal of being a sexual "tigress" in bed is constantly reinforced. Nevertheless, while promiscuous men are often termed as 'studs' practically complementing their masculine virility, such women are most often derided as 'bimbos' or 'sluts'.
In Middle Eastern Muslim countries, including areas where most of the native women cover their entire bodies (face, hands…everything), newsstands and bookstores are filled with magazines with covers featuring the faces of gorgeous Arab (dare we say Muslim) women in the latest fashions, not to mention what is within the pages.
In the U.S. alone, pornography of all types and levels is a multi-billion dollar industry having increased in leaps and bounds within just the last decade. The amount of sexual activity that the average person, including children, may view on prime time national television is farabove that which one may have had to search for less than a decade or two ago. Sexual innuendo or titillating banter is ever present in situation comedies and other dramas and films. Daytime soap operas make their ratings on the number of affairs the characters are having and how sexually bold the beautiful, young and restless co-stars are on screen.
Cable television is full of sexually explicit programming that can be seen at nearly all times. Video stores are stocked with plenty of films that anyone can rent to view in their own home what they were too embarrassed to go to the theater to see, or just missed the first time around, or who want to see their favorites over and over again. The latest compact disks are easily available, as are satellite dish transmissions of the same fare in the seemingly staunchest Islamic countries. Indeed, satellite broadcasts based in the heart of the Muslim world feature music videos, films, models and everything else from Hollywood to 'Bollywood' that sends a clear message that being desirable, attractive and sexy is of paramount importance.
Despite these realities, the entertainers and their producers, advertisers, writers and the like will claim that they don't adversely affect the habits of people at all. They insist that they don’t negatively influence society in any way. At the very same time most of them will say that one of the most gratifying rewards of their professions is the effect they have upon people!
The Destructive Consequences
After all that liberation, a woman's worth is still tied to her level of physical beauty which is still considered her greatest asset and one to be exploited in the worst way. Males are increasingly judged in this way but not to the degree as are females. Even the modern ‘super-woman power-executive’ who is supposed to be respected for her intellect and authority still wears a mid-thigh skirt. She expects... no demands, to be viewed as absolutely equal to her male counterpart, yet does she really believe that when dressed this way her worth is not at all being judged based on her looks by even the unemployed vagrant she passes by on the way to work? Indeed, it is commonplace, normal and in no way embarassing for a woman to wear the tightest and most revealing clothing in public and walk virtually nude at public beaches and swimming pools.
People are not at all embarassed or inhibited with public displays of sexual passion. It is not at all uncommon for couples to have intercourse in classic "make-out" spots like dark theaters, the beach, parks, their cars, and in one well-reported incident, on a commuter train in full view of the public who were more upset at the couple smoking afterwards than they were by their brazen display!
Prostitution in all its forms is increasingly open and given a "blind eye" by law enforcement who have their hands full with "real" crimes. It is even legal in some countries despite what would seem the relative easy availability of sex otherwise. There are places that are world famous for their open markets of female, male and child prostitutes. Legal statutes forbidding sex between minors, or certain other sexual practices are often not applied until and unless a formal complaint is brought against one party by another and may then even be found to be so outdated that they are wiped out completely. Adultery and fornication are no longer viewed as the deadly crimes and sins they really are and are in fact commonplace. Married men are expected to have several mistresses in some places.
It is the odd parent who does not expect their child to become sexually active at some point long before getting married or even before getting out of junior high school! Indeed, it is the odd person who values virginity until marriage even in these times of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. Condoms are being handed out for free in several public school systems. A heavy price is being paid in unwanted unmarried teenage pregnancies, 'fatherless' children and resultant economic, health and psychological problems.
Homosexuality has now become accepted by a large number of people particularly in the West as well as in other circles that are "westernized". An indication of this changed attitude is the fact that homosexuals are no longer portrayed as they sterotypically were in past Hollywood films and television as ‘flaming faggots’ who were silly, lisping, cowardly weaklings or sexually promiscuous. That is and was considered offensive by homosexuals and is now ‘politically incorrect’ among the ‘mainstream’ heterosexual populace. Recent portrayals are now often of the homosexual as sensitive, level-headed and responsible members of society.
Perhaps it could be accurately stated that homosexuality is accepted by a majority of Americans and Europeans even if they personally do not practice it. Accepted in so much as no one will report or condemn or discriminate against a homosexual in most areas unless they are flagrantly offensive in their mannerisms and behavior. This in no way implies that there aren't many people who still find homosexuality abhorrent and even react violently to it. However, it is considered absolutely politically incorrect in 'mainstream' circles to imply that homosexuals are any less moral and have any less right to practice what they practice than any heterosexual.
Even worse are reports in recent years that it has been statistically proven that a staggeringly high percentage of American females have been and can expect to be not only harassed but sexually assaulted in their lifetimes - even by family members! Violent sexual crimes are no longer shocking and rapists are given relatively light sentences if convicted. Child sexual abuse and "date rape" is a major problem and who knows how many incidences go unreported? "Stalking" is another type of crime that an amazingly high number of women have experienced and more can expect. Even wealthy and powerful men face being sexually assaulted or threatened (see Steven Spielberg).
Every man, no matter how rich or powerful faces a high risk of being accused of being a perpetrator of sexual harassment or even assault (see Clarence Thomas and Bill Clinton). Literally millions of people, especially women, are victims each year of sexually related disasters from rape and assault to divorces and crimes of passion, and from sexually transmitted diseases to psychological and emotional disorders.
Refusal To Face The Need For Change
Even in the face of this staggering toll in human suffering and degradation, the disbelievers and doubters in Islam still incredulously ask: You Muslims say that Islam wants women to be all covered up?! They can't wear whatever they please shouldn't go out perfumed?! The opposite sex shouldn't even shake hands with those who are not their close relatives or spouses nor should an unrelated man and a woman be in a room alone together even if they are engaged?! You're not supposed to go out on dates? You shouldn't listen to music, especially the romantic, sexy, and sexually explicit songs!? No swimming or visiting the public beaches in the summer?!
Not even the same sex should see each other in scanty, skin-tight, or see-through clothing or even shower together at the gym?! You're against co-educational institutions?! You're supposed to lower your gaze when the opposite sex comes along and if you must speak to them it should be in a no-nonsense tone?! You really place great value on chastity, modesty and virginit until marriage?! You encourage that men be jealous for and protective of their wives?! Premarital sex is a punishable crime and adultery is a capital offense?! No sex unless you are married to your partner?! You can marry up to four women?!!!
They call the genuine, devout, practicing Muslims extremists (equating them with terrorists in the mind of the average person), yet they don't (or refuse to) recognize the ugly realities described earlier as outrageous and extreme! They label Muslims fundamentalists, but they don’t admit that the present situation calls for a major and fundamental revision of their principles! They say we are strange but we don't mind. As the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam said:
Islam began as something strange and it will again become something strange. Therefore, may Allah bless the strangers!
Abu Abdillaah
;Alhamdulillah, and salaat and salaam upon Rasoolillah Muhammad and upon his family and followers until the end of time, ameen.
In case you hadn’t noticed, we live in very dangerous times. No doubt there are many areas where this statement applies. The proliferation of wars, civil strife, economic sanction, takeovers and forced expulsion, genocide, natural disaster, environmental pollution, political oppression, street crime, you name it. At this time however, we would like to offer a few words on a dangerous situation regarding one of the most fundamental aspects of human behavior that if abused can lead to an insidious form of genocide. Namely, the destruction of people through immoral sexual relationships.
This is a vast topic indeed, so we will not in any way attempt to give it a full treatment. We hope now only to make several points by looking at what the situation is today and how Islam and Muslims are viewed with regards to it. We pray that we will be able to academically deal with the Islamic morale code in detail in the future, in shaa Allah. It can neither be denied that any given society may undergo trends nor that these trends usually have an underlying cause or source and they don’t just suddenly “turn up” but rather develop over time.
In the west in particular, sexual relationships are generally viewed as the private preference of each individual. No one has the right to determine with whom, or how one conducts one’s sex life. What occurs between consenting adults, no matter what sex or how many, is usually condoned. We believe that these beliefs and principles (along with others) have chiefly contributed to the following realities of today's world.
The Current Reality
Premarital sex between heterosexuals is considered quite acceptable, normal, well within the bounds of morality, and indeed desirable. It has been this way for a long time and could honestly be said to be part of the "American Way". Dating begins at a very young age and every socially well-adjusted youngster is expected to have several girlfriends and boyfriends by a certain age. Couples are expected to live together and getting married has long ceased to be considered as a major aim in life. Those who grow up in the West are weaned on sex in both subtle and not so subtle ways. It is quickly learned through T.V. shows, commercials, movies, advertisements, songs, you name it, that being sexy is a desired goal and aim in life.
Even comic books abound with superheroes and heroines with fantastically well-proportioned bodies and they lead sexually active private lives where little is left to the imagination. Animated cartoon characters from Betty Boop to Jessica Rabbit make the message crystal clear about what makes a female desirable. The top selling video and computer games feature female characters with sexy bodies whose biggest audiences are adolescent boys and young men. Females are intensely focused on being sexually attractive and are conditioned to be so from the time they get their first Barbie. This is what makes the fashion, cosmetic and entertainment industries thrive.
Countless young girls admire and aspire to be 'superstar' beauty queens, models, singers, or actresses. There is a phenomenal proliferation of ‘fan’ or entertainment magazines that feature the hottest entertainment stars who are known precisely for their sex appeal. Romance novels (some affectionately termed "bodice rippers") are the number one sellers among young women around the world and have made many a writer rich even before they have sold the film rights. The most popular "rap artists" regularly feature sexually explicit 'lyrics' in their 'songs' that would disgust some of the crooners of love songs in the 'old days' (the 70's & 80's). The highest rated T.V. talk shows are those that commonly feature people who expose their most intimate and outlandish sexual behavior.
Fashion, health, and women's magazines must feature tips on how to be a sexual master of all things. An ideal of being a sexual "tigress" in bed is constantly reinforced. Nevertheless, while promiscuous men are often termed as 'studs' practically complementing their masculine virility, such women are most often derided as 'bimbos' or 'sluts'.
In Middle Eastern Muslim countries, including areas where most of the native women cover their entire bodies (face, hands…everything), newsstands and bookstores are filled with magazines with covers featuring the faces of gorgeous Arab (dare we say Muslim) women in the latest fashions, not to mention what is within the pages.
In the U.S. alone, pornography of all types and levels is a multi-billion dollar industry having increased in leaps and bounds within just the last decade. The amount of sexual activity that the average person, including children, may view on prime time national television is farabove that which one may have had to search for less than a decade or two ago. Sexual innuendo or titillating banter is ever present in situation comedies and other dramas and films. Daytime soap operas make their ratings on the number of affairs the characters are having and how sexually bold the beautiful, young and restless co-stars are on screen.
Cable television is full of sexually explicit programming that can be seen at nearly all times. Video stores are stocked with plenty of films that anyone can rent to view in their own home what they were too embarrassed to go to the theater to see, or just missed the first time around, or who want to see their favorites over and over again. The latest compact disks are easily available, as are satellite dish transmissions of the same fare in the seemingly staunchest Islamic countries. Indeed, satellite broadcasts based in the heart of the Muslim world feature music videos, films, models and everything else from Hollywood to 'Bollywood' that sends a clear message that being desirable, attractive and sexy is of paramount importance.
Despite these realities, the entertainers and their producers, advertisers, writers and the like will claim that they don't adversely affect the habits of people at all. They insist that they don’t negatively influence society in any way. At the very same time most of them will say that one of the most gratifying rewards of their professions is the effect they have upon people!
The Destructive Consequences
After all that liberation, a woman's worth is still tied to her level of physical beauty which is still considered her greatest asset and one to be exploited in the worst way. Males are increasingly judged in this way but not to the degree as are females. Even the modern ‘super-woman power-executive’ who is supposed to be respected for her intellect and authority still wears a mid-thigh skirt. She expects... no demands, to be viewed as absolutely equal to her male counterpart, yet does she really believe that when dressed this way her worth is not at all being judged based on her looks by even the unemployed vagrant she passes by on the way to work? Indeed, it is commonplace, normal and in no way embarassing for a woman to wear the tightest and most revealing clothing in public and walk virtually nude at public beaches and swimming pools.
People are not at all embarassed or inhibited with public displays of sexual passion. It is not at all uncommon for couples to have intercourse in classic "make-out" spots like dark theaters, the beach, parks, their cars, and in one well-reported incident, on a commuter train in full view of the public who were more upset at the couple smoking afterwards than they were by their brazen display!
Prostitution in all its forms is increasingly open and given a "blind eye" by law enforcement who have their hands full with "real" crimes. It is even legal in some countries despite what would seem the relative easy availability of sex otherwise. There are places that are world famous for their open markets of female, male and child prostitutes. Legal statutes forbidding sex between minors, or certain other sexual practices are often not applied until and unless a formal complaint is brought against one party by another and may then even be found to be so outdated that they are wiped out completely. Adultery and fornication are no longer viewed as the deadly crimes and sins they really are and are in fact commonplace. Married men are expected to have several mistresses in some places.
It is the odd parent who does not expect their child to become sexually active at some point long before getting married or even before getting out of junior high school! Indeed, it is the odd person who values virginity until marriage even in these times of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. Condoms are being handed out for free in several public school systems. A heavy price is being paid in unwanted unmarried teenage pregnancies, 'fatherless' children and resultant economic, health and psychological problems.
Homosexuality has now become accepted by a large number of people particularly in the West as well as in other circles that are "westernized". An indication of this changed attitude is the fact that homosexuals are no longer portrayed as they sterotypically were in past Hollywood films and television as ‘flaming faggots’ who were silly, lisping, cowardly weaklings or sexually promiscuous. That is and was considered offensive by homosexuals and is now ‘politically incorrect’ among the ‘mainstream’ heterosexual populace. Recent portrayals are now often of the homosexual as sensitive, level-headed and responsible members of society.
Perhaps it could be accurately stated that homosexuality is accepted by a majority of Americans and Europeans even if they personally do not practice it. Accepted in so much as no one will report or condemn or discriminate against a homosexual in most areas unless they are flagrantly offensive in their mannerisms and behavior. This in no way implies that there aren't many people who still find homosexuality abhorrent and even react violently to it. However, it is considered absolutely politically incorrect in 'mainstream' circles to imply that homosexuals are any less moral and have any less right to practice what they practice than any heterosexual.
Even worse are reports in recent years that it has been statistically proven that a staggeringly high percentage of American females have been and can expect to be not only harassed but sexually assaulted in their lifetimes - even by family members! Violent sexual crimes are no longer shocking and rapists are given relatively light sentences if convicted. Child sexual abuse and "date rape" is a major problem and who knows how many incidences go unreported? "Stalking" is another type of crime that an amazingly high number of women have experienced and more can expect. Even wealthy and powerful men face being sexually assaulted or threatened (see Steven Spielberg).
Every man, no matter how rich or powerful faces a high risk of being accused of being a perpetrator of sexual harassment or even assault (see Clarence Thomas and Bill Clinton). Literally millions of people, especially women, are victims each year of sexually related disasters from rape and assault to divorces and crimes of passion, and from sexually transmitted diseases to psychological and emotional disorders.
Refusal To Face The Need For Change
Even in the face of this staggering toll in human suffering and degradation, the disbelievers and doubters in Islam still incredulously ask: You Muslims say that Islam wants women to be all covered up?! They can't wear whatever they please shouldn't go out perfumed?! The opposite sex shouldn't even shake hands with those who are not their close relatives or spouses nor should an unrelated man and a woman be in a room alone together even if they are engaged?! You're not supposed to go out on dates? You shouldn't listen to music, especially the romantic, sexy, and sexually explicit songs!? No swimming or visiting the public beaches in the summer?!
Not even the same sex should see each other in scanty, skin-tight, or see-through clothing or even shower together at the gym?! You're against co-educational institutions?! You're supposed to lower your gaze when the opposite sex comes along and if you must speak to them it should be in a no-nonsense tone?! You really place great value on chastity, modesty and virginit until marriage?! You encourage that men be jealous for and protective of their wives?! Premarital sex is a punishable crime and adultery is a capital offense?! No sex unless you are married to your partner?! You can marry up to four women?!!!
They call the genuine, devout, practicing Muslims extremists (equating them with terrorists in the mind of the average person), yet they don't (or refuse to) recognize the ugly realities described earlier as outrageous and extreme! They label Muslims fundamentalists, but they don’t admit that the present situation calls for a major and fundamental revision of their principles! They say we are strange but we don't mind. As the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam said:
Islam began as something strange and it will again become something strange. Therefore, may Allah bless the strangers!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
SPENDING FOR ALLAH!!
BEWARE OF CULTURAL IMPERIALISM!!
Beware of Cultural Imperialism
Arshad Gamiet
One of the most pervasive forms of misguidance is our human tendency to assume that a dominant culture is somehow superior to all other cultures. Just because the Western nations have economic and military muscle, we should not assume that they are also superior, morally, ethically and spiritually. This is a serious mistake. Many influential people in Muslim countries think that they should aspire to the dominant culture, and accept all its terms of reference. They believe that to be ‘modern’ you have to turn your back on your own heritage, to reject or at least hide your own religion in the garden shed. This inferiority complex, they think, is a sign of ‘education’ and ‘progress.’ Part of this problem is that people wrongly confuse their own tribal and national culture with Islam. In reality, Islam and Culture, and I mean tribal, ethnic and national culture, are quite separate and distinct ideas. I covered this topic in my previous khutbah. Islam is a way of living, away of being, ordained by Allah. It is a set of universal principles. Islam never changes. Culture is what people accept as normal behaviour from time to time and place to place. It’s always susceptible to change, depending on widely accepted norms in society. Sometimes, culture can be destructive when it becomes a vehicle of oppression for other people.
Oppression and enslavement take many forms. There is open political oppression, when governments restrict the human rights of citizens, free speech and free movement. Sometimes oppression can be economic, where the rich exploit the poor. Quite often oppressive governments use military force not to defend their country from enemies outside, but to defend their interests against their own people. These are obvious and open forms of oppression. But there are also hidden forms of oppression, more dangerous because we hardly notice them.
Cultural imperialism is a good example. It is unintentional when people naively think their own culture is inferior, and they must copy the dominant culture. But it can also be deliberate, when it involves the psychological manipulation of people’s wants and desires, enslaving their hopes and ideals. Cultural imperialism undermines a people’s self-confidence and self-image. The subtle, insidious nature of cultural imperialism easily traps the unwary. Language is one of the powerful ways in which one culture can assert its dominance over others
For example, in South Africa the Afrikaans dictionary used to tell us that a ‘gentleman’ in English is a ‘witman’ or ‘white man’ in Afrikaans, the language of Dutch settlers. The English/Afrikaans dictionaries also addressed other races in a demeaning manner that would not apply to white people.
In this country we are referred to as ‘ethnic minorities’ but no-one talks of the ‘ethnic majority.’ I prefer to use neutral terms like ‘the Asian community, the host community, the Afro-Carribean community and so on. Similarly, I don’t even like the term, ‘non-Muslim.’ It has a negative connotation. I prefer to say, ‘our friends and neighbours in the wider society.’ It’s much more friendly and inclusive. Islam is friendly and inclusive.
When we read the papers or watch the news, we should be aware of the use and misuse of language. Be critical. Separate hard facts from opinions. Carefully examine the hidden assumptions. Don’t just blindly accept someone else’s framework of debate. Question the terms of reference. Does it make sense? Is it fair and reasonable? If you feel even the slightest twinge of discomfort, you can be sure that something is amiss. Don’t ignore your instinct, your intuition. Don’t let someone make up your mind for you. Don’t let others set your emotional agenda. If you’re not careful, someone else will decide when you should laugh, when you should cry and become angry. Before you know it, you may stop thinking like a Muslim, and you’ll simply have become another little brown Englishman or Englishwoman.
Deliberately or naively, cultural imperialism turns people from the colonies into mirror-images of their masters: They become little brown Englishmen, and little brown Europeans. They pose no threat to the status quo, in fact they help to keep things as they are. They reinforce the false notion of superiority of one human being over another, one cultural system over others.
Sadly, many Muslim countries are politically independent but culturally enslaved. Their elites uncritically accept western norms of behaviour. They espouse western notions of “freedom,” “democracy,” ”progress” and being “civilized” without questioning the underlying assumptions these ideas are based on.
Forty years ago in South Africa, Steve Biko started the Black Consciousness Movement in South Africa, His views overturned the white/non-white, positive/negative, normal/abnormal paradigm and mindset. Biko’s life and tragic death was eloquently told in Richard Attenborough’s film, Cry Freedom. “Black” he said, is a more positive description than “non-white.” Muslims need to understand these hidden cultural assumptions and we must interrogate their validity. Don’t let others frame the debate on their terms. We must re-examine these assumptions where they are based on false notions of superiority. We must re-define the norms, where they are misguided, unfair or unjust. For example, the hijab/headscarf is not a sign of domination or oppression of women. It’s simply a dress code. It promotes modesty. Women should not be seen as sexual objects. The headscarf confers dignity on our women. Some Muslim regimes enforce it, some want to ban it, but among Muslims in the west, it’s clearly a matter of personal choice. Many sisters will tell you that it helps them define who they are. We don’t have to apologise for it. It’s not a sign of backwardness or enslavement. The real backwardness is in the assumption that western culture is somehow superior. The economic, political and military power of the West has also brought a certain cultural arrogance. This arrogance presents a world viewed through distorted lenses.
Empires and their cultures rise and fall, just as day alternates with night and the seasons follow each other in succession. This is Allah’s Decree. In His Noble Book, He reminds us:
“Qulil-laah humma maalikal mulki tu’til mulka man-tashaa’u watanzi-ul mulka mim-man-tashaa’, Wa tu’izzu man-tashaa’ watuzillu man-tashaa’ Biyadikal khair. Innaka ‘alaa kulli shay-in qadeer! [Sura Al-‘Imraan 3:27]
“Say: ‘O Allah, Sovereign of all dominion, You grant dominion to whom You will and take dominion away from whom You will. You exalt whom You will and abase whom You will. In Your hand is all that is good. You are able to do all things”. (Al-Imran, Verse 26)…”
But to solve the real problem of cultural imperialism, and of Muslims’ misplaced inferiority complex, we have to turn again to the Holy Quran. Where else?!
“O Mankind, I have created you from a single pair of a male and a female, then I made you into nations and tribes, so that you may know [and respect] one another, not that you should despise one another. Truly the best of you are those most inclined to good conduct, and Allah has full knowledge and is aware of all things.” [Sura Al-Hujuraa 49:13]
We need to articulate the Islamic world view and celebrate the Islamic ethos. We have to reassure our neighbours in the wider community that they have nothing to fear from a resurgent Islamic awareness. This is a natural and healthy process, when people regain self-respect and self confidence. In modern street parlance, we should be saying, ‘Islam is cool, man! Islamophobia is so, yesterday! Come on, for once, just step outside yourself; step outside your Eurocentric mindset, for once, step outside your misplaced sense of cultural superiority. You have nothing to lose but your prejudices.’
Let’s change the wrong perceptions, the fear and hatred of Islam. Through our personal example, we must show our friends and neighbours in the wider community that living Islam is a mercy and a blessing to all. There’s nothing to be afraid of. Those who promote violent political agendas, both inside and outside our faith communities, are the dangerous ones. Militant jihadis and far-right white supremacists are desperate people, who misuse Islam to try to clothe their political ambitions with a measure of respectability.
We Muslims who live in the ‘West’ have a huge responsibility to our neighbours in the wider society, to our children and to future generations. We must show by a clear, practical example, that Islam offers an alternative, sustainable way of living. We must try to be role models for others: We should educate ourselves with the essence of our faith, so that we can deal with the challenges of modern living, and be totally at peace spiritually, morally, and intellectually.
We can reduce the impact of cultural imperialism by taking a few simple steps. Change the channel or better still, switch off the TV. Don’t constantly expose yourself or your children to programmes that condone immoral attitudes. In school, college or the work environment attitudes towards drugs, alcohol, male-female relationships and same-sex relationships are very different to ours. Smile, be courteous and say why we differ. Treat others with respect and they will respect you. Don’t be rude or confrontational. On the other hand, don’t court popularity or seek approval for yourself by adopting values that will displease Allah. Islam shows us where to draw a line in the sand, but always with dignity and grace. Explain that Islamic values protect society as a whole, and some aspects of western culture lead to abuses of all kinds, from drugs and alcohol to the innocence of children and dignity of womanhood. Western liberties and excess has left a trail of broken families and a crumbling society. Islam offers a healthier alternative, placing the society’s wellbeing above the whims and caprices of individuals. Say this in a courteous and pleasant manner.
The way to resist the domination of one culture over another is to return to the true Islamic idea of unity in diversity. Human beings are one species, a unity, within the diversity of many cultures, languages and ethnicities. Allah’s divine Unity [Tawheed] is the unifying principle that connects all the diversity of His creation. We were created from the union of Adam and Eve, then multiplied through countless tribes and nations, diverse, colourful, yet equal in our status as human beings, custodians and trustees of Allah’s creation. This is an awesome responsibility. We Muslims are people of the middle way, the Ummatan wasatan. We ought to shun all kinds of extremes. We can be British, Pakistani, white, black, Asian, but essentially we are all equal human beings. We must never become obsessive with national or cultural pride. That’s losing the plot. Islam is not exclusive. It’s inclusive. We must be warm, welcoming and we must enable others to feel comfortable and secure in our presence. Prophet Muhammad said in a well known hadith,
“A Muslim is one from whose hands and tongue other Muslims are safe. A Mu’min [true Believer] is one in whom all humanity will find safety of their lives and property.”
When we consider the rising levels of fear, suspicion and Islamophobia today, we have to ask, how much are we ourselves a part of the problem? How far have we fallen short of our noble Prophet’s standards? Some of us still judge one another by wealth, by nationality, by race and social status. This is pre-Islamic behaviour, Jahiliyyah. Yet Allah and His Prophet constantly remind us that our only acceptable ranking is in our piety, in our loving awareness of Allah, expressed through our thoughts, words and actions. This is the only way we can measure superiority or inferiority among people: good actions driven by gratitude and love for Allah. We have to live in a constant state of love, fear and hope, loving Allah because He clearly loves us, fearing His displeasure and being ever hopeful of His Mercy. This is the real meaning of taqwa. I sincerely pray that Allah will help you and me, and all our loved ones, to become real people of taqwa, al-muttaqeen. Ameen. Then and only then, can we begin to free ourselves from psychological domination and cultural imperialism.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Hajj and Unity of Mankind!!
Hajj and Unity of Mankind
By Prof. Shahul Hameed
Islam, which literally means peace and submission, is the religion of the universe. In Allah’s universe, everything is assigned a proper place: The sun, moon, stars, and all the celestial bodies follow laws that Almighty Allah has determined for them, and they never go out of their ordained course. Everything in the world, from the tiniest electrons to the gigantic galaxies, follows its own laws. The laws followed by the phenomena of the world are perfectly evident in our world, where humanity’s birth, growth, and life are regulated by biological laws. All bodily organs, from small tissues to the heart and brain, are governed by the laws prescribed for them:
Allah Almighty says in His Holy Qur’an:
(He created the heavens and the earth in true (proportions): He makes the Night overlap the Day, and the Day overlap the Night: He has subjected the sun and the moon (to His law): Each one follows a course for a time appointed. Is not He the Exalted in Power - He Who forgives again and again?) (Az-Zumar 39:5)
In his book "Towards Understanding Islam", Abul A`la Mawdudi says:
As we humans can to a great extent deduce the set of laws which control the phenomena of the universe, we call them ‘natural laws’ even though it is Allah Almighty, the Creator and Ruler of the universe, who established them; and hence, it is His Law that is followed by every thing in the universe. That is the reason we call Islam the religion of the universe; because, Islam is nothing other than obedience to God, Who is the Lord of the universe. From this angle, everything in existence is Muslim – air, water, heat, stones, trees, and animals – as they all obey the Creator by submitting to His laws. Even unbelievers and atheists are Muslim as far as their bodily existence is concerned, for each part of their bodies follows the course Almighty Allah established for it, from birth until death and dissolution.
Islam teaches that Almighty Allah, nature, and humanity are not remote, alien to, or opposed to each other. Almighty Allah makes Himself known to humanity through nature and humanity itself: and nature and humanity are two books (of creation) that make Him known. Islam is the name of the code according to which nature functions in perfect obedience and by which humanity is required, but not forced, to live by using its free will.
Allah Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an:
(O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).) (Al-Hujurat 49:13)
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), is reported to have declared in his farewell address at Arafah: “O humankind! Your Lord is one Lord, and you have one father. All of you are from Adam, and Adam is from dust. The noblest of you is the most God-fearing. No Arab has any superiority over a non-Arab, no non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab, no black person has any superiority over a white person, and no white person has any superiority over a black person – superiority is only through piety.” (At-Tirmidhi)
That is to say, the unity of mankind – just like the unity of nature – is a concept of Islam derived from the Unity of the Creator, Who is the Source of all existence. As Allah is one, all humans are created by the One God and are basically equal.
For the above reason, to a Muslim, social status and racial superiority are meaningless as the equality and brotherhood of humanity is basic to the living faith of Islam. Islam is Allah’s Religion – in the sense that it was Allah who inspired all His prophets to preach to their people, the same religion of submission to the will of the Creator. Hence it is only reasonable to believe that Allah does not confine His religion or favors to any particular nation, race, or age. For this reason, there cannot be any contradiction or fundamental differences between elements in the religion of Allah. When understood properly, it affords no chance to any one to feel any sense of ‘supremacy’ or presumed exclusivity. Moreover, when imparted to humans, it instills into their consciousness a clear concept and a sound basis of human brotherhood. As the Muslim believes in the Oneness of Allah, the oneness of mankind, and the oneness of religion, he believes in all the messengers and revelations of God without discrimination.
Of all the rites of Islam, Hajj is most particularly significant to the concept of unity in that it brings nations and tribes together from distant lands before their Creator. Hajj strengthens the foundation of brotherhood among people and societies as nothing else can in such a spectacular manner.
This annual pilgrimage of Muslims unifies them as one brotherhood in the worship of Almighty Allah, the One Creator and Sustainer of the whole universe. Almighty Allah says in His Holy Qur’an:
(Surely this nation of yours is one nation, and I am your Lord, so worship Me) (Al-Anbiyaa’ 21:92)
The essential unity of humanity is the constant theme upon which the whole edifice of Islam stands; and Muslims never disagree on this unifying idea. History can never call to mind a more superb call than this divine call for unity that was given through Allah’s Book and through Prophet Ibrahim at first, and finally through Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon them both).
On the decisive day at Arafah, the declaration of the unity of humanity was given to mankind by Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). That was a defining moment in the history of humanity as that call dealt a death blow to injustice and discrimination on the basis of color, caste, race or language. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had announced: “The Hajj is Arafah”. Henceforth, millions of Muslims of every hue and stature from the far corners of the world flock to Arafah on the same ninth day of Dhul Hijjah every year to stand in prayer. To this day, the Day of Arafah is celebrated and honored as a day of human unity; a great day for the worship of the one and only God of the universe.
On this blessed day of all days, Muslims respond to the call of Allah given through His prophets (peace and blessings be upon them all):
(The first House (of worship) appointed for men was that at Bakka: Full of blessing and of guidance for all kinds of beings: In it are Signs Manifest; (for example), the Station of Abraham; whoever enters it attains security; Pilgrimage thereto is a duty men owe to Allah,- those who can afford the journey; but if any deny faith, Allah stands not in need of any of His creatures.) (Aal `Imran 3:96,97)
(And proclaim unto mankind the pilgrimage. They will come unto thee on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every deep ravine.) (Al-Hajj 22:27)
The sense of unity and brotherhood Islam instills into its adherents is unparalleled in the history of mankind, as vouchsafed by the great historian Arnold Toynbee in "Civilisation on Trial",
The extinction of race consciousness as between Muslims is one of the outstanding achievements of Islam and in the contemporary world there is, as it happens, a crying need for the propagation of this Islamic virtue.
And H.A.R Gibb in "Whither Islam",
No other society has such a record of success in uniting in an equality of status, of opportunity and endeavor so many and so varied races of mankind. The great Muslim communities of Africa, India and Indonesia, perhaps also the small community in Japan, show that Islam still has the power to reconcile apparently irreconcilable elements of race and tradition. If ever the opposition of the great societies of the East and West is to be replaced by co-operation, the mediation of Islam is an indispensable condition.
By Prof. Shahul Hameed
Islam, which literally means peace and submission, is the religion of the universe. In Allah’s universe, everything is assigned a proper place: The sun, moon, stars, and all the celestial bodies follow laws that Almighty Allah has determined for them, and they never go out of their ordained course. Everything in the world, from the tiniest electrons to the gigantic galaxies, follows its own laws. The laws followed by the phenomena of the world are perfectly evident in our world, where humanity’s birth, growth, and life are regulated by biological laws. All bodily organs, from small tissues to the heart and brain, are governed by the laws prescribed for them:
Allah Almighty says in His Holy Qur’an:
(He created the heavens and the earth in true (proportions): He makes the Night overlap the Day, and the Day overlap the Night: He has subjected the sun and the moon (to His law): Each one follows a course for a time appointed. Is not He the Exalted in Power - He Who forgives again and again?) (Az-Zumar 39:5)
In his book "Towards Understanding Islam", Abul A`la Mawdudi says:
As we humans can to a great extent deduce the set of laws which control the phenomena of the universe, we call them ‘natural laws’ even though it is Allah Almighty, the Creator and Ruler of the universe, who established them; and hence, it is His Law that is followed by every thing in the universe. That is the reason we call Islam the religion of the universe; because, Islam is nothing other than obedience to God, Who is the Lord of the universe. From this angle, everything in existence is Muslim – air, water, heat, stones, trees, and animals – as they all obey the Creator by submitting to His laws. Even unbelievers and atheists are Muslim as far as their bodily existence is concerned, for each part of their bodies follows the course Almighty Allah established for it, from birth until death and dissolution.
Islam teaches that Almighty Allah, nature, and humanity are not remote, alien to, or opposed to each other. Almighty Allah makes Himself known to humanity through nature and humanity itself: and nature and humanity are two books (of creation) that make Him known. Islam is the name of the code according to which nature functions in perfect obedience and by which humanity is required, but not forced, to live by using its free will.
Allah Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an:
(O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).) (Al-Hujurat 49:13)
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), is reported to have declared in his farewell address at Arafah: “O humankind! Your Lord is one Lord, and you have one father. All of you are from Adam, and Adam is from dust. The noblest of you is the most God-fearing. No Arab has any superiority over a non-Arab, no non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab, no black person has any superiority over a white person, and no white person has any superiority over a black person – superiority is only through piety.” (At-Tirmidhi)
That is to say, the unity of mankind – just like the unity of nature – is a concept of Islam derived from the Unity of the Creator, Who is the Source of all existence. As Allah is one, all humans are created by the One God and are basically equal.
For the above reason, to a Muslim, social status and racial superiority are meaningless as the equality and brotherhood of humanity is basic to the living faith of Islam. Islam is Allah’s Religion – in the sense that it was Allah who inspired all His prophets to preach to their people, the same religion of submission to the will of the Creator. Hence it is only reasonable to believe that Allah does not confine His religion or favors to any particular nation, race, or age. For this reason, there cannot be any contradiction or fundamental differences between elements in the religion of Allah. When understood properly, it affords no chance to any one to feel any sense of ‘supremacy’ or presumed exclusivity. Moreover, when imparted to humans, it instills into their consciousness a clear concept and a sound basis of human brotherhood. As the Muslim believes in the Oneness of Allah, the oneness of mankind, and the oneness of religion, he believes in all the messengers and revelations of God without discrimination.
Of all the rites of Islam, Hajj is most particularly significant to the concept of unity in that it brings nations and tribes together from distant lands before their Creator. Hajj strengthens the foundation of brotherhood among people and societies as nothing else can in such a spectacular manner.
This annual pilgrimage of Muslims unifies them as one brotherhood in the worship of Almighty Allah, the One Creator and Sustainer of the whole universe. Almighty Allah says in His Holy Qur’an:
(Surely this nation of yours is one nation, and I am your Lord, so worship Me) (Al-Anbiyaa’ 21:92)
The essential unity of humanity is the constant theme upon which the whole edifice of Islam stands; and Muslims never disagree on this unifying idea. History can never call to mind a more superb call than this divine call for unity that was given through Allah’s Book and through Prophet Ibrahim at first, and finally through Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon them both).
On the decisive day at Arafah, the declaration of the unity of humanity was given to mankind by Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). That was a defining moment in the history of humanity as that call dealt a death blow to injustice and discrimination on the basis of color, caste, race or language. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had announced: “The Hajj is Arafah”. Henceforth, millions of Muslims of every hue and stature from the far corners of the world flock to Arafah on the same ninth day of Dhul Hijjah every year to stand in prayer. To this day, the Day of Arafah is celebrated and honored as a day of human unity; a great day for the worship of the one and only God of the universe.
On this blessed day of all days, Muslims respond to the call of Allah given through His prophets (peace and blessings be upon them all):
(The first House (of worship) appointed for men was that at Bakka: Full of blessing and of guidance for all kinds of beings: In it are Signs Manifest; (for example), the Station of Abraham; whoever enters it attains security; Pilgrimage thereto is a duty men owe to Allah,- those who can afford the journey; but if any deny faith, Allah stands not in need of any of His creatures.) (Aal `Imran 3:96,97)
(And proclaim unto mankind the pilgrimage. They will come unto thee on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every deep ravine.) (Al-Hajj 22:27)
The sense of unity and brotherhood Islam instills into its adherents is unparalleled in the history of mankind, as vouchsafed by the great historian Arnold Toynbee in "Civilisation on Trial",
The extinction of race consciousness as between Muslims is one of the outstanding achievements of Islam and in the contemporary world there is, as it happens, a crying need for the propagation of this Islamic virtue.
And H.A.R Gibb in "Whither Islam",
No other society has such a record of success in uniting in an equality of status, of opportunity and endeavor so many and so varied races of mankind. The great Muslim communities of Africa, India and Indonesia, perhaps also the small community in Japan, show that Islam still has the power to reconcile apparently irreconcilable elements of race and tradition. If ever the opposition of the great societies of the East and West is to be replaced by co-operation, the mediation of Islam is an indispensable condition.
Hajj is a Season of Da‘wah (Islamic Propagation)!!
Hajj is a Season of Da‘wah (Islamic Propagation)
Da‘wah is one of the greatest righteous deeds since it has great benefits and interest for both the Daa‘iyah (caller to Allaah) and the people whom he is calling to Allaah - the society, the nation and all of mankind. Allaah The Exalted praises those who call people to Him as He Says (what means): {And who is better in speech than one who invites to Allaah and does righteousness and says, “Indeed, I am of the Muslims.”} [Quran 41:33]
Hajj is a golden opportunity and a distinguished season in which Muslims can call each other to Allaah The Exalted, and enlighten each other about Islam. Millions of pilgrims are mobilized from all over the world during this virtuous season. All share the same aim which is worshiping Allaah The Almighty duly. They are in great need of someone who would guide them to righteous deeds, Ihsaan [Worshiping Allaah as if seeing Him], and all that is good both in this life and the Hereafter.
Furthermore, Da‘wah during Hajj time is an act of Sunnah; the Prophet, , would call people to Islam during Hajj, and he dispatched a number of his Companions for this very purpose. In the Farewell Hajj, the Prophet, , gave Muslims a comprehensive piece of advice, clarified everything for them and fulfilled his due duty, which was the duty of conveying a clear notification. Muslim scholars and sincere callers to Allaah have followed in the Prophet’s footsteps in making full use of such a great and virtuous season. They seized this great opportunity to awaken the hearts and open the eyes of people to see the essence of Islam, display the true Islam, warning Muslims against the perils of Shirk (associating partners with Allaah) and advise that they recognize the stains of religious innovations and evil doings.
What further asserts the importance of Da‘wah in Hajj is what follows:
1- The great number of Muslims who are performing Hajj, which is ever increasing.
2- The spread of religious ignorance among Muslims nowadays and the general ignorance of the beliefs and rulings of Islam. Add to this the spread of certain types of Shirk, religious innovations, and myths among many pilgrims.
3- Some of pilgrims may belong to a relatively rich class and high
social status; this will render them more likely to be capable of influencing their people and families when they call them to Allaah The Exalted after they return home.
4- The readiness and psychological willingness of the pilgrims to listen, learn and accept during this blessed season in which hearts are open to guidance and ears are eager to listen.
5- The easy and efficient movement between the camps of pilgrims, which helps in spreading the call to Allaah among them.
Da‘wah during such a blessed season of this great Muslim gathering is not the job of government officials working in the field of Da‘wah alone, such as Khateebs (orators), Imaams, and callers to Allaah The Exalted – although they play the main role - it is rather the role of all Muslims. Every Muslim should shoulder this great responsibility, each according to his capabilities, while taking into account the circumstances, conditions and appropriate methods of Da‘wah.
Da‘wah in Hajj starts before the arrival of pilgrims at the Holy places, and even before they leave their countries. In fact, the phases of Da‘wah in Hajj can be identified as follows:
1- Before their arrival at the Holy sites:
This can be done through coordination with the Da‘wah authorities, Islamic centers and organizations. A number of callers to Allaah in various countries could be assigned to accompany the pilgrims from their countries on the way to Hajj so as to teach them and enlighten them on performing Hajj.
2- Da‘wah in airports, land stations and seaports:
This could be done through serving pilgrims, meeting their needs, welcoming them hospitably, facilitating their required arrival procedures, and making use of the time they spend in these ports by educating them on Hajj and various religious matters and providing them with Da‘wah-related kits.
3- Practicing Da‘wah with pilgrims while they are moving between the Holy sites so as not to let such times be wasted.
This is the role of those who are organizing Hajj journeys. They should choose qualified efficient people to serve the pilgrims, whether drivers or others, to offer advice and good instruction to the pilgrims.
Bus drivers should receive special training sessions before the Hajj season to help them be better callers to Allaah and represent the true image of Islam.
4- Da‘wah in camps and accommodations:
Pilgrims spend long intervals of time in their camps or accommodation. As ready as pilgrims are to listen and learn more about Islam, special programs should be organized to make use of that time duly.
Add to that the role played by hotel workers. They should also be at the due level of awareness, responsibility, and commitment so as to fulfill their role well and leave a good impression on the pilgrims.
5- Da‘wah in mosques:
Da‘wah should be conducted in mosques, at the top of which comes Al-Masjid Al-Haraam [the Sacred Mosque in Makkah] and the Prophet's Mosque [Al-Masjid An-Nabawi]. Mosques are crowded with worshipers during the season of Hajj, and some of them have perhaps never had a previous opportunity to go to a mosque. The season of Hajj is a golden opportunity to advise such people, enjoin them to do good, call them to Allaah, and guide them to the right path.
6- Da‘wah in markets:
During the Hajj season markets are crowded with people, pilgrims and others. Markets are the places that most likely involve religious negligence. Moreover, Satan and his helpers do their best to drive people into markets to be inattentive and unmindful of duly adhering to the provisions of Allaah The Almighty. Therefore, Da‘wah in markets is very significant and effective. It is appropriate here to offer our thanks to the men of the Hisbah Organization who are in charge of enjoining good and forbidding evil (in Saudi Arabia), for their great efforts.
Using explanatory signs and posters that welcome pilgrims and bid them farewell signed by Da‘wah organizations, and benefiting from modern technologies in this respect is another means of Da‘wah that should be given sufficient attention. Another means is printing books and brochures that clarify the fundamentals of Islam in an easy and clear manner, as well as distributing copies in several languages of pilgrim’s guides which include the contact details of important Islamic advocacy and service organizations. The guide should also list the phone numbers of bilingual callers to Islam, specifying the language each of them speaks.
Furthermore, it is important to give due care to field work by appointing field callers to Allaah, both male and female, who can speak different languages and possess the needed skills and art of offering advice and request that they walk about by car or on foot among the camps and accommodations of pilgrims to call them to Allaah with wisdom and good instruction.
Another means of Da‘wah during Hajj is the establishment of religious advocacy offices in the camps and accommodations of pilgrims as well as at the Mawaaqeet (specified places from where pilgrims are required to assume Ihraam). It is important to dedicate some of these offices for female pilgrims as well as for males.
It is also very important to have local instructive and communicative television channels that broadcast in different languages in the Holy sites through which scholars and callers to Islam may teach, advise, and educate the pilgrims about all that is of benefit to them in this life and in the Hereafter.
This was a brief account of Da‘wah in Hajj and some of its means. We beseech Allaah The Almighty to guide Muslims who have gone astray, enlighten the ignorant among them, and accept their acts of worship.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Responsibilities of a Muslim!!
Responsibilities of a Muslim
By Dr Israr Ahmad
The long standing political and moral decline of the Muslim Ummah has reslted, among other things, in a serious distortion of our very concept of Islam itself. We have grown accustomed to viewing Islam as a mere “religion,” instead of using the original Qur’anic term “Deen.” This apparently minor change in semantics is actually a huge leap backwards. This is because the word religion is commonly used in a rather narrow sense, its scope being limited to a set of dogmas, some rituals for worship, and a number of social customs to celebrate important life-events. Deen, on the other hand, is a system of life in which human beings consciously surrender to the sovereignty of a higher authority, and live a life of total obedience to that higher authority. In this sense, the term Deen can be applied to monarchy, where the king is accepted as the final authority, or to democracy, where the people as a whole act as sovereign. Thus, when the term Deen is used for Islam, it obviously means a system of life where the Almighty God is worshipped and obeyed, not just in the narrow religious sense, but in a manner that includes all aspects of human of life.
A well-integrated set of beliefs describing the nature of existence as it really is (Iman), modes of worship including Salat, Zakat, Saum, and Hajj, as well as social customs and ceremonies — all comprise indispensable and integral parts of Islam. However, in addition to these “religious” features, we are also provided by the Almighty God all the relevant instructions regarding our social, economic, and political existence (generally considered to be the “secular” elements of life), and this is what really distinguishes Islam from other religions, say, Christianity or Buddhism. Unfortunately, the majority of our masses are simply, and perhaps blissfully, unaware of what it really means to be a Muslim; thus, their concept of religious duties is usually very narrow and limited. But, as Allama Iqbal has so correctly observed, you begin to shudder with the fear of accountability once you realize the tremendous responsibilities that come with being a Muslim.
When Islam loses its political authority, it is relegated and dethroned to the status of a mere religion — a private affair of the individual; and if any particular generation is to revive the teachings of Islam in the social, economic, and political spheres, then this is impossible without adopting the same methodology as was adopted by Prophet Muhammad (SAW). After the independence of the Muslim lands from direct subjugation of Western Imperialism, it was naively believed that since political authority now belongs to the Muslims, the next step, that of implementing the Islamic values, won’t be all that difficult. However, it has been proved during the last half century or so that the ideal Islamic State is still very much a dream, and since no short-cuts are available, we have no alternative except to start at the very beginning. We must remind the Muslims of their responsibilities. The significance of this subject is quite clear: We cannot hope to achieve salvation in the Hereafter without fulfilling all our obligations. Moreover, we cannot even think about the revival of the Muslim Ummah and the Renaissance of Islam without first inculcating the true concept of our Divinely ordained obligations in a significant portion of the Ummah.
OUR FIRST OBLIGATION as a Muslim is to develop real faith and true conviction (or Iman) in the teachings of the Qur’an as explained by to us by Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The faith must not be a mere dogma which has little or nothing to do with the practical aspects of one’s life, but it must be a deeply-felt certitude that changes the whole system of values, ambitions, and behavior in favor of Islam. Iman can be gained by reading, comprehending, and pondering over the meaning of Holy Qur’an with a genuine search for truth. The knowledge of Arabic language is indispensable for this purpose.
OUR SECOND OBLIGATION is to live a life of total obedience to the Almighty God. This duty is described in the Holy Qur’an as Ibadah, which is often inaccurately translated as worship or prayers. However, the true meaning of the term Ibadah can only be understood if we combine two apparently unrelated concepts: one is surrender, obedience, submission; the other is love, adoration, devotion. Total and unconditional compliance to all Divine injunctions is obviously required; at the same time, this compliance ought to be with a spirit of wholehearted devotion and love for the Creator.
All of us need someone or something to love, admire, and adore. Usually, our lack of knowledge of the one Being worthy of all our love, admiration, and adoration lead us towards other, less than perfect, ideals. We start loving various ideologies, like Socialism, or Liberalism, or Humanism; we sometimes start loving our tribe, our nation, or our race as the ultimate ideal. The Holy Qur’an teaches us that the faithful are those who love the Almighty God over everyone and everything else. When we love our Lord, we find it easy to obey Him. Sometimes we slip and forget, committing a sin; the point is to immediately turn back towards the Almighty God with genuine remorse, and to repent; if we can do this, Divine forgiveness is guaranteed.
OUR THIRD OBLIGATION as a Muslim is to preach and disseminate the word of Almighty Allah (SWT) — the Holy Qur’an — and the teachings of his last messenger Muhammad (SAW) to the whole humanity. What does it involve? Calling people towards the light of Islam and Iman; enjoining and encouraging all that is good and just and moral, forbidding all that is evil and unjust and sinful; exhorting the common people, explaining the philosophy and wisdom of Islam to the educated and intelligent classes, debating with the stubborn and the rigid; testifying to the truthfulness of the message with our behavior and conduct, our character and morals.
It is significant to note that communicating and explaining the teachings of Islam to others is not, as we have erroneously come to believe, the “profession” of the Mulla alone, but this is actually a duty of anyone who claims to be a Muslim. As Prophet Muhammad (SAW) has ordered, “Convey on my behalf, even if it is only a single verse (of the Qur’an that you know).”
This is because preaching and delivering the message of God to the entire humanity is actually the responsibility of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), but now, after his departure and due to the termination of Prophethood, that sacred obligation has been transferred on to the shoulders of the Ummah as a whole. This, incidentally, is the purpose for which the entire Muslim Ummah was created in the first place, as mentioned in a most emphatic fashion in the Holy Qur’an: “You are the best of people raised for the (guidance of) mankind; You enjoin the good, forbid the evil, and believe in Allah” (3:110).
Of course, you cannot convince anyone unless you understand yourself the message you are trying to preach. Thus, according to another saying of the Prophet, “The best among you are those who learn (and comprehend) the Qur’an, and then teach (and propagate) its message.”
OUR FOURTH OBLIGATION as Muslims is to try our utmost in establishing a polity based on Qur’an and Sunnah and the Islamic System of Collective Justice, initially in our own homeland and then, ultimately, over the entire globe. The teachings of Islam vis-à-vis human society, law, economics, and politics cannot be implemented without a true and ideal Islamic state in existence. There are numerous terms to describe this highest of all our duties: establishing the Deen of Allah, achieving the domination of Islam, creating on earth the kingdom of God, bringing about an Islamic Revolution; different phrases, same meaning. Unless we succeed in creating a real model of what an ideal Islamic state should look like, all our adulations and glorifications of Islam would continue to be dismissed by the world as mere Utopian claims.
What are we talking about in practical terms? An ideal Islamic state is neither a monarchy nor a theocracy. Instead, we have a vision of a democratic welfare state, where the sovereignty of the Almighty God is accepted and enforced at all levels of the state — executive, judiciary, and legislature; where no law can be formulated repugnant to the Qur’an and the Sunnah; and where the elimination of all forms of injustice, exploitation, and repression is the primary aim of the government.
The process of an Islamic Revolution will start from a single country, and then it would spread to the rest of the globe. Muslims are obliged to struggle tirelessly in establishing the de facto soverignty of Almighty God, first in the country where they live, and ultimately all over the world.
This comprehensive view of the duties of a Muslim can be very easily understood by a simple analogy. Consider a three-storied building which is supported by four pillars. The underground foundation represents faith or Iman, which remains hidden from the spectators; the plinth of the building represents Shahadah, or the testimony of faith on a legal level; the four pillars of the building are obviously Salat, Zakat, Saum, and Hajj. The first floor represents our first level of obligation as a Muslim, i.e., to live a life of total obedience to Almighty God; the second floor is a symbol for our second level of obligation, i.e., to preach and disseminate the teachings of Islam; and, finally, the third floor represents our third level of obligation, to try our very best in establishing the Deen of Allah in its entirety on a socio-political level.
By Dr Israr Ahmad
The long standing political and moral decline of the Muslim Ummah has reslted, among other things, in a serious distortion of our very concept of Islam itself. We have grown accustomed to viewing Islam as a mere “religion,” instead of using the original Qur’anic term “Deen.” This apparently minor change in semantics is actually a huge leap backwards. This is because the word religion is commonly used in a rather narrow sense, its scope being limited to a set of dogmas, some rituals for worship, and a number of social customs to celebrate important life-events. Deen, on the other hand, is a system of life in which human beings consciously surrender to the sovereignty of a higher authority, and live a life of total obedience to that higher authority. In this sense, the term Deen can be applied to monarchy, where the king is accepted as the final authority, or to democracy, where the people as a whole act as sovereign. Thus, when the term Deen is used for Islam, it obviously means a system of life where the Almighty God is worshipped and obeyed, not just in the narrow religious sense, but in a manner that includes all aspects of human of life.
A well-integrated set of beliefs describing the nature of existence as it really is (Iman), modes of worship including Salat, Zakat, Saum, and Hajj, as well as social customs and ceremonies — all comprise indispensable and integral parts of Islam. However, in addition to these “religious” features, we are also provided by the Almighty God all the relevant instructions regarding our social, economic, and political existence (generally considered to be the “secular” elements of life), and this is what really distinguishes Islam from other religions, say, Christianity or Buddhism. Unfortunately, the majority of our masses are simply, and perhaps blissfully, unaware of what it really means to be a Muslim; thus, their concept of religious duties is usually very narrow and limited. But, as Allama Iqbal has so correctly observed, you begin to shudder with the fear of accountability once you realize the tremendous responsibilities that come with being a Muslim.
When Islam loses its political authority, it is relegated and dethroned to the status of a mere religion — a private affair of the individual; and if any particular generation is to revive the teachings of Islam in the social, economic, and political spheres, then this is impossible without adopting the same methodology as was adopted by Prophet Muhammad (SAW). After the independence of the Muslim lands from direct subjugation of Western Imperialism, it was naively believed that since political authority now belongs to the Muslims, the next step, that of implementing the Islamic values, won’t be all that difficult. However, it has been proved during the last half century or so that the ideal Islamic State is still very much a dream, and since no short-cuts are available, we have no alternative except to start at the very beginning. We must remind the Muslims of their responsibilities. The significance of this subject is quite clear: We cannot hope to achieve salvation in the Hereafter without fulfilling all our obligations. Moreover, we cannot even think about the revival of the Muslim Ummah and the Renaissance of Islam without first inculcating the true concept of our Divinely ordained obligations in a significant portion of the Ummah.
OUR FIRST OBLIGATION as a Muslim is to develop real faith and true conviction (or Iman) in the teachings of the Qur’an as explained by to us by Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The faith must not be a mere dogma which has little or nothing to do with the practical aspects of one’s life, but it must be a deeply-felt certitude that changes the whole system of values, ambitions, and behavior in favor of Islam. Iman can be gained by reading, comprehending, and pondering over the meaning of Holy Qur’an with a genuine search for truth. The knowledge of Arabic language is indispensable for this purpose.
OUR SECOND OBLIGATION is to live a life of total obedience to the Almighty God. This duty is described in the Holy Qur’an as Ibadah, which is often inaccurately translated as worship or prayers. However, the true meaning of the term Ibadah can only be understood if we combine two apparently unrelated concepts: one is surrender, obedience, submission; the other is love, adoration, devotion. Total and unconditional compliance to all Divine injunctions is obviously required; at the same time, this compliance ought to be with a spirit of wholehearted devotion and love for the Creator.
All of us need someone or something to love, admire, and adore. Usually, our lack of knowledge of the one Being worthy of all our love, admiration, and adoration lead us towards other, less than perfect, ideals. We start loving various ideologies, like Socialism, or Liberalism, or Humanism; we sometimes start loving our tribe, our nation, or our race as the ultimate ideal. The Holy Qur’an teaches us that the faithful are those who love the Almighty God over everyone and everything else. When we love our Lord, we find it easy to obey Him. Sometimes we slip and forget, committing a sin; the point is to immediately turn back towards the Almighty God with genuine remorse, and to repent; if we can do this, Divine forgiveness is guaranteed.
OUR THIRD OBLIGATION as a Muslim is to preach and disseminate the word of Almighty Allah (SWT) — the Holy Qur’an — and the teachings of his last messenger Muhammad (SAW) to the whole humanity. What does it involve? Calling people towards the light of Islam and Iman; enjoining and encouraging all that is good and just and moral, forbidding all that is evil and unjust and sinful; exhorting the common people, explaining the philosophy and wisdom of Islam to the educated and intelligent classes, debating with the stubborn and the rigid; testifying to the truthfulness of the message with our behavior and conduct, our character and morals.
It is significant to note that communicating and explaining the teachings of Islam to others is not, as we have erroneously come to believe, the “profession” of the Mulla alone, but this is actually a duty of anyone who claims to be a Muslim. As Prophet Muhammad (SAW) has ordered, “Convey on my behalf, even if it is only a single verse (of the Qur’an that you know).”
This is because preaching and delivering the message of God to the entire humanity is actually the responsibility of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), but now, after his departure and due to the termination of Prophethood, that sacred obligation has been transferred on to the shoulders of the Ummah as a whole. This, incidentally, is the purpose for which the entire Muslim Ummah was created in the first place, as mentioned in a most emphatic fashion in the Holy Qur’an: “You are the best of people raised for the (guidance of) mankind; You enjoin the good, forbid the evil, and believe in Allah” (3:110).
Of course, you cannot convince anyone unless you understand yourself the message you are trying to preach. Thus, according to another saying of the Prophet, “The best among you are those who learn (and comprehend) the Qur’an, and then teach (and propagate) its message.”
OUR FOURTH OBLIGATION as Muslims is to try our utmost in establishing a polity based on Qur’an and Sunnah and the Islamic System of Collective Justice, initially in our own homeland and then, ultimately, over the entire globe. The teachings of Islam vis-à-vis human society, law, economics, and politics cannot be implemented without a true and ideal Islamic state in existence. There are numerous terms to describe this highest of all our duties: establishing the Deen of Allah, achieving the domination of Islam, creating on earth the kingdom of God, bringing about an Islamic Revolution; different phrases, same meaning. Unless we succeed in creating a real model of what an ideal Islamic state should look like, all our adulations and glorifications of Islam would continue to be dismissed by the world as mere Utopian claims.
What are we talking about in practical terms? An ideal Islamic state is neither a monarchy nor a theocracy. Instead, we have a vision of a democratic welfare state, where the sovereignty of the Almighty God is accepted and enforced at all levels of the state — executive, judiciary, and legislature; where no law can be formulated repugnant to the Qur’an and the Sunnah; and where the elimination of all forms of injustice, exploitation, and repression is the primary aim of the government.
The process of an Islamic Revolution will start from a single country, and then it would spread to the rest of the globe. Muslims are obliged to struggle tirelessly in establishing the de facto soverignty of Almighty God, first in the country where they live, and ultimately all over the world.
This comprehensive view of the duties of a Muslim can be very easily understood by a simple analogy. Consider a three-storied building which is supported by four pillars. The underground foundation represents faith or Iman, which remains hidden from the spectators; the plinth of the building represents Shahadah, or the testimony of faith on a legal level; the four pillars of the building are obviously Salat, Zakat, Saum, and Hajj. The first floor represents our first level of obligation as a Muslim, i.e., to live a life of total obedience to Almighty God; the second floor is a symbol for our second level of obligation, i.e., to preach and disseminate the teachings of Islam; and, finally, the third floor represents our third level of obligation, to try our very best in establishing the Deen of Allah in its entirety on a socio-political level.
The Evils Of Nationalism!!
The Evils Of Nationalism
By the Shaykh the noble Scholar Abdul'Azeez bin Baaz [1]
Islaam has forbidden the calls of jaahiliyyah (the prelslaamic days of ignorance) and there are many textual evidences which forbid all of the characteristics and manners of jaahiliyyah and their actions, except those (good and decent) practices which Isl aam agreed to. And there is no doubt that the call to nationalism is from these calls of jaahiliyyah, since nationalism is a call to other than Islaam and an aiding of other than the truth. And how many ills, evils and serious wars has such calls of jaahi liyyah caused to their people, causing great harm to their souls, their wealth and their possessions. The consequences of such calls (for the Muslims) was a splitting up of their unity and a planting of enmity and hatred of each other in their hearts and a fragmentation and splitting between tribes and nations.
Ibn Taymiyyah (d.728H) rahimahullaah said: [2] "Everything which is outside the call of Islaam and the Qur'aan, with regards to lineage, land, nationality, schools of thoughts and ways, then it is from the calls of jaahiliyyah. lndeed, even when the Muhaa jirs (those Companions who migrated from Makkah to Madeenah) and the Ansaars (those Companions who aided and supported those who migrated) argued, such that one of the Muhaajirs said:" O Muhaajirs! (implying; rally to my aid) " And one of the Ansaar said: "O Ansaar!" Upon hearing this, the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: "Is it with the calls of Jaahiliyyah that you call, and l am still amongst you!" And he became very angry at that."[3]
And from the textual evidences pertaining to this issue is Allaah the Most High's saying:
"And stay in your homes and do not display yourselves, like the display of the times of jaahiliyyah (pre lslaamic ignorance). But establish the Prayer, give the Zakaat and obey Allaah and His Messenger. " [Soorah alAhzaab 33:33]
"When those who disbelieved placed in their hearts pride and arrogance the pride and arrogance of jaahiliyyah then Allaah sent down His tranquillity upon His Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam and upon the Believers ..." [Soorah alFath 48 26].
The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: "Whosoever leaves off obedience and separates from the Jamaa'ah and dies, he dies a death of jaahiliyyah. Whoever fights under the banner of the blind, becoming angry for 'asabiyyah (partisanship and party s pirit), or calling to 'asabiyyah, or assisting 'asabiyyah, then dies, he dies a death of jaahiliyyah." [4]
Also in Saheeh Muslim (8/120) the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: lndeed Allaah has revealed to me that you should have humility, and that no one should act proudly and oppressively over anyone else, nor should anyone boast over anyone else. "
And there is no doubt that the call to nationalism is a call to 'asabiyyah (partisanship and party spirit) and it is a call to becoming angry for the sake of 'asabiyyah and fighting for 'asabiyyah. And there is no doubt also, that the call to nationalism is a call to transgression, pride and arrogance, since nationalism is not a divinely revealed way of life which prevents its people from oppression and proud boasting. Rather it is an ideology from the time of jaahiliyyah which leads its people to boastin g about it and having 'asabiyyah for it even if they are the oppressors and the others are the oppressed ! So O noble reader consider this and the truth will be clear to you.
And from the textual evidences connected with this is what at-Tirmidhee relates from Allaah's Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam that he said: "Let people stop boasting about their forefathers who have died, who are merely fuel for the Hell Fire; or they will certainly be more insignificant with Allaah than the beetle which roles dung with its nose. Allaah has removed from you the party spirit of the days of jaahiliyyah and the boasting about one's forefathers. Indeed a person is either a pious Belie ver or a wretched sinner. All of mankind are the children of Aadaam, and Aadam was created from clay.[5]
The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam also said: "Indeed there is no excellence for an arab over a non-arab, nor a non-arab over an arab, nor a white person over a black one, nor a black person over a white one, except through taqwaa (piety and obedie nce to Allaah) [6]
And this accords with Allaah the Most High's saying:
"O mankind! We have created you from male and female and have made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Indeed the most noblest of you with Allaah is the one who has the most taqwaa." [Soorah al-Hujuraat 49:13].
So Allaah the One free from all defects- made clear in this noble aayah (verse) that people have been made into nations and tribes so that they may come to know each other, not that they should boast and have pride over one another. And Allaah the Most Hi gh considered the most noblest of them to be the one with the most piety and taqwaa. Likewise, the previously mentioned narration shows the same meaning, and guides to the fact that it is from the ways of jaahiliyyah to vainly boast and to have false prid e for one's fore fathers and ancestry. This is what the calls of jaahiliyyah lead to, whereas Islaam is in opposition to this. Rather Islaam calls to modesty, humility, taqwaa and to having love for the sake of Allaah, and that the true and sincere Muslim s are merely one of the categories of the children of Aadam 'alayhis salaam, and that the Muslims are a single body and a single structure; each part supporting the other and each part feeling the pain that the other parts are suffering as occurs in an a uth entic hadeeth (narration) from the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, that he said: "The Believer to the Believer is like a solid building, one part supports the other." And he interlaced his fingers to demonstrate this[7].
The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam also said: "The example of the Believer in their mutual love and mercy is like the example of a body, if one part of the body feels pain, then all the body suffers in sleeplessness and fever. [8]
O people! I call to you in the name of Allaah. Does your nationalism call you to these noble manners of mercy and kindness to the Muslims the arabs and the non arabs and of having mutual sympathy and concern for them, and feeling pain at their pain? No by Allaah ! Rather it calls you to having allegiance with those who have evil character and it calls you to cultivating enmity and hatred for those who deny this false creed of nationalism . So beware, O Muslim who desires safety and salvation, and consider the reality of the affair with a fair consideration, without being prejudiced with party spirit and desires. Only then you will see the reality as it truly is. So may Allaah guide me and you to the means of safety and salvation.
And it is related by Imaam al-Bukhaaree in his Saheeh (8/137), that a young man from the Muhaajirs and a young man from the Ansaar quarreled. So the Muhaajir said: "O Muhaajirs! (meaning: rally to my help)" And the Ansaaree said: "O Ansaar'" So the Prophe t sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam heard this and said: ''Is it with the call off jaahiliyyah that you are calling out, and I am present amongst you !"
Even though the term Muhaajir and Ansaar are two ascriptions which are beloved to Allaah the One free from all defects and He has praised these two groups with a very great praise, in His the Most High's saying:
"And the first to embrace Islaam from the Muhaajirs and the Ansaar, and those who followed them in goodness, beliefs and actions. Allaah is well pleased with them, and they are well pleased with Him. He has prepared for them Gardens of Paradise, beneath w hich rivers flow, to live therein forever. That is the supreme achievement." [Soorah at-Tawbah 9:100].
Yet in the above incident, this ascription to the Muhaajirs and seeking the help from them, and the Ansaar and seeking the help from them, when the likes of this was considered to be from the calls of jaahiliyyah, then what about those who claim allegianc e to nationalism and seek help through that and become angry for that? Will this not be more fitting to be considered one of the calls from the days of jaahiliyyah? This is a matter in which there is no doubt, and it is one of the clearest of all matters.
And this is what has been established in the authentic hadeeth (narration), from alHaarith alAsh'aree radiallaahu 'anhu, that the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: "I order you with five things which Allaah ordered me with: The Jamaa'ah, hearing , obeying, hijrah (migration) and jihaad in the way of Allaah the Mighty and Majestic. So whosoever separates from the Jamaaah by a handspan, throws the yoke of Islaam from his neck, unless he repents. And whosoever calls with the call of jaahiliyyah (the days of ignorance), then he is from the hoarded heap of Hell Fire" It was said: Even if he fasts and prays? He said: "Even if he fasts and prays. So call with the call of Allaah which Allaah gave: The Muslims, the Believers, Worshippers of Allaah.' [9]
This hadeeth is absolutely clear with regards to rendering futile the calls to nationalism. Its callers deserve that they should be from the heap of Hell Fire, even if they fast and they Pray and claim that they are Muslims. So what a severe threat and se vere warning is given here; warning every muslim from the calls of jaahiliyyah and warning them from entering into this even if such calls are adorned with false talks and enchanting speeches . Rather it is a deception and a blind following which leads it s people to the worst and most despicable of ends. And we ask Allaah for safety and freedom from that.
References :
1. Nuqdul-Qawniyyatul Arabiyyah (pp.39-44), slightly edited.
2. Majmoo ul-Fataawaa (3/456).
3. Related by al-Bukhaaree (8/137).
4. Related by Muslim in his Saheeh (6/21), from Abu Hurayrah radiallaahu anhu.
5. Hasan: Related by Abu Daawood (no.5116) and at-Tirmidhee (no.4233) from Abu Hurayrah radiallaabu anhu. It was authenticated by Ibn Taymiyyah in Kitaabul-lqtidaa (p.35).
6. Saheeh: Related by Ahmad (5/411) and it was authenticated by Ibn Taymiyyah in Kitaabul-lqtidaa (p.69).
7. Related by al-Bukhaaree (no.481) and Muslim (no.2585) from Abu Hurayrah radiallaabu anhu.
8. Related by al-Bukhaaree (no.6011) and Muslim (no.2586) from an-Nu'maan ibn Basheer radiallaahu anhu.
9. Saheeh: Related by at-Tirmidhee (nos.2863) and at-Tilyaalasee (no.1161) and others. It was authenticated by Shaykh al-Albaanee in his checking to Ibn Abee 'Aasim's as-Sunnah (no.1036).
By the Shaykh the noble Scholar Abdul'Azeez bin Baaz [1]
Islaam has forbidden the calls of jaahiliyyah (the prelslaamic days of ignorance) and there are many textual evidences which forbid all of the characteristics and manners of jaahiliyyah and their actions, except those (good and decent) practices which Isl aam agreed to. And there is no doubt that the call to nationalism is from these calls of jaahiliyyah, since nationalism is a call to other than Islaam and an aiding of other than the truth. And how many ills, evils and serious wars has such calls of jaahi liyyah caused to their people, causing great harm to their souls, their wealth and their possessions. The consequences of such calls (for the Muslims) was a splitting up of their unity and a planting of enmity and hatred of each other in their hearts and a fragmentation and splitting between tribes and nations.
Ibn Taymiyyah (d.728H) rahimahullaah said: [2] "Everything which is outside the call of Islaam and the Qur'aan, with regards to lineage, land, nationality, schools of thoughts and ways, then it is from the calls of jaahiliyyah. lndeed, even when the Muhaa jirs (those Companions who migrated from Makkah to Madeenah) and the Ansaars (those Companions who aided and supported those who migrated) argued, such that one of the Muhaajirs said:" O Muhaajirs! (implying; rally to my aid) " And one of the Ansaar said: "O Ansaar!" Upon hearing this, the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: "Is it with the calls of Jaahiliyyah that you call, and l am still amongst you!" And he became very angry at that."[3]
And from the textual evidences pertaining to this issue is Allaah the Most High's saying:
"And stay in your homes and do not display yourselves, like the display of the times of jaahiliyyah (pre lslaamic ignorance). But establish the Prayer, give the Zakaat and obey Allaah and His Messenger. " [Soorah alAhzaab 33:33]
"When those who disbelieved placed in their hearts pride and arrogance the pride and arrogance of jaahiliyyah then Allaah sent down His tranquillity upon His Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam and upon the Believers ..." [Soorah alFath 48 26].
The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: "Whosoever leaves off obedience and separates from the Jamaa'ah and dies, he dies a death of jaahiliyyah. Whoever fights under the banner of the blind, becoming angry for 'asabiyyah (partisanship and party s pirit), or calling to 'asabiyyah, or assisting 'asabiyyah, then dies, he dies a death of jaahiliyyah." [4]
Also in Saheeh Muslim (8/120) the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: lndeed Allaah has revealed to me that you should have humility, and that no one should act proudly and oppressively over anyone else, nor should anyone boast over anyone else. "
And there is no doubt that the call to nationalism is a call to 'asabiyyah (partisanship and party spirit) and it is a call to becoming angry for the sake of 'asabiyyah and fighting for 'asabiyyah. And there is no doubt also, that the call to nationalism is a call to transgression, pride and arrogance, since nationalism is not a divinely revealed way of life which prevents its people from oppression and proud boasting. Rather it is an ideology from the time of jaahiliyyah which leads its people to boastin g about it and having 'asabiyyah for it even if they are the oppressors and the others are the oppressed ! So O noble reader consider this and the truth will be clear to you.
And from the textual evidences connected with this is what at-Tirmidhee relates from Allaah's Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam that he said: "Let people stop boasting about their forefathers who have died, who are merely fuel for the Hell Fire; or they will certainly be more insignificant with Allaah than the beetle which roles dung with its nose. Allaah has removed from you the party spirit of the days of jaahiliyyah and the boasting about one's forefathers. Indeed a person is either a pious Belie ver or a wretched sinner. All of mankind are the children of Aadaam, and Aadam was created from clay.[5]
The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam also said: "Indeed there is no excellence for an arab over a non-arab, nor a non-arab over an arab, nor a white person over a black one, nor a black person over a white one, except through taqwaa (piety and obedie nce to Allaah) [6]
And this accords with Allaah the Most High's saying:
"O mankind! We have created you from male and female and have made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Indeed the most noblest of you with Allaah is the one who has the most taqwaa." [Soorah al-Hujuraat 49:13].
So Allaah the One free from all defects- made clear in this noble aayah (verse) that people have been made into nations and tribes so that they may come to know each other, not that they should boast and have pride over one another. And Allaah the Most Hi gh considered the most noblest of them to be the one with the most piety and taqwaa. Likewise, the previously mentioned narration shows the same meaning, and guides to the fact that it is from the ways of jaahiliyyah to vainly boast and to have false prid e for one's fore fathers and ancestry. This is what the calls of jaahiliyyah lead to, whereas Islaam is in opposition to this. Rather Islaam calls to modesty, humility, taqwaa and to having love for the sake of Allaah, and that the true and sincere Muslim s are merely one of the categories of the children of Aadam 'alayhis salaam, and that the Muslims are a single body and a single structure; each part supporting the other and each part feeling the pain that the other parts are suffering as occurs in an a uth entic hadeeth (narration) from the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, that he said: "The Believer to the Believer is like a solid building, one part supports the other." And he interlaced his fingers to demonstrate this[7].
The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam also said: "The example of the Believer in their mutual love and mercy is like the example of a body, if one part of the body feels pain, then all the body suffers in sleeplessness and fever. [8]
O people! I call to you in the name of Allaah. Does your nationalism call you to these noble manners of mercy and kindness to the Muslims the arabs and the non arabs and of having mutual sympathy and concern for them, and feeling pain at their pain? No by Allaah ! Rather it calls you to having allegiance with those who have evil character and it calls you to cultivating enmity and hatred for those who deny this false creed of nationalism . So beware, O Muslim who desires safety and salvation, and consider the reality of the affair with a fair consideration, without being prejudiced with party spirit and desires. Only then you will see the reality as it truly is. So may Allaah guide me and you to the means of safety and salvation.
And it is related by Imaam al-Bukhaaree in his Saheeh (8/137), that a young man from the Muhaajirs and a young man from the Ansaar quarreled. So the Muhaajir said: "O Muhaajirs! (meaning: rally to my help)" And the Ansaaree said: "O Ansaar'" So the Prophe t sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam heard this and said: ''Is it with the call off jaahiliyyah that you are calling out, and I am present amongst you !"
Even though the term Muhaajir and Ansaar are two ascriptions which are beloved to Allaah the One free from all defects and He has praised these two groups with a very great praise, in His the Most High's saying:
"And the first to embrace Islaam from the Muhaajirs and the Ansaar, and those who followed them in goodness, beliefs and actions. Allaah is well pleased with them, and they are well pleased with Him. He has prepared for them Gardens of Paradise, beneath w hich rivers flow, to live therein forever. That is the supreme achievement." [Soorah at-Tawbah 9:100].
Yet in the above incident, this ascription to the Muhaajirs and seeking the help from them, and the Ansaar and seeking the help from them, when the likes of this was considered to be from the calls of jaahiliyyah, then what about those who claim allegianc e to nationalism and seek help through that and become angry for that? Will this not be more fitting to be considered one of the calls from the days of jaahiliyyah? This is a matter in which there is no doubt, and it is one of the clearest of all matters.
And this is what has been established in the authentic hadeeth (narration), from alHaarith alAsh'aree radiallaahu 'anhu, that the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: "I order you with five things which Allaah ordered me with: The Jamaa'ah, hearing , obeying, hijrah (migration) and jihaad in the way of Allaah the Mighty and Majestic. So whosoever separates from the Jamaaah by a handspan, throws the yoke of Islaam from his neck, unless he repents. And whosoever calls with the call of jaahiliyyah (the days of ignorance), then he is from the hoarded heap of Hell Fire" It was said: Even if he fasts and prays? He said: "Even if he fasts and prays. So call with the call of Allaah which Allaah gave: The Muslims, the Believers, Worshippers of Allaah.' [9]
This hadeeth is absolutely clear with regards to rendering futile the calls to nationalism. Its callers deserve that they should be from the heap of Hell Fire, even if they fast and they Pray and claim that they are Muslims. So what a severe threat and se vere warning is given here; warning every muslim from the calls of jaahiliyyah and warning them from entering into this even if such calls are adorned with false talks and enchanting speeches . Rather it is a deception and a blind following which leads it s people to the worst and most despicable of ends. And we ask Allaah for safety and freedom from that.
References :
1. Nuqdul-Qawniyyatul Arabiyyah (pp.39-44), slightly edited.
2. Majmoo ul-Fataawaa (3/456).
3. Related by al-Bukhaaree (8/137).
4. Related by Muslim in his Saheeh (6/21), from Abu Hurayrah radiallaahu anhu.
5. Hasan: Related by Abu Daawood (no.5116) and at-Tirmidhee (no.4233) from Abu Hurayrah radiallaabu anhu. It was authenticated by Ibn Taymiyyah in Kitaabul-lqtidaa (p.35).
6. Saheeh: Related by Ahmad (5/411) and it was authenticated by Ibn Taymiyyah in Kitaabul-lqtidaa (p.69).
7. Related by al-Bukhaaree (no.481) and Muslim (no.2585) from Abu Hurayrah radiallaabu anhu.
8. Related by al-Bukhaaree (no.6011) and Muslim (no.2586) from an-Nu'maan ibn Basheer radiallaahu anhu.
9. Saheeh: Related by at-Tirmidhee (nos.2863) and at-Tilyaalasee (no.1161) and others. It was authenticated by Shaykh al-Albaanee in his checking to Ibn Abee 'Aasim's as-Sunnah (no.1036).
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