Peripatetic Wayfarer's Blog

If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way!

peripateticwayfarer — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 17:45:49 +0000

The Dubai International Holy Quran Awards 2010 which saw its conclusion this Ramadhan drew many young Qari’s from all across the globe. It was heart warming to see the little competitor from Sri Lanka giving tune to the Holy Quran in a manner befitting its Nobility. May Allah guide him and make him understand all that he recites to its very depth!

“……..and recite the Quran in a slow style”.

(Al Quran 73:4)

“So, when the Quran is recited, listen to it, and be silent that you may receive mercy.”

(Al Quran 7:204)

“The first participant to sit on stage in front of five Islamic scholars and with an audience of hundreds watching was a 13-years-old Sri Lankan contestant, who doesn’t know Arabic but managed to recite the Quran eloquently.

Safarulla Khan Mohammad Safan began memorising the Quran at the age of 10 and completed the 30 chapters within a year and a half.

He goes to a boarding school which has 36 students, all of whom are taught by Arab teachers. He is one of 11 who have completely memorized the Quran.
His father died when he was just three years old and he now lives with his mother, his uncle, and his two younger brothers in Kandy, Sri Lanka.”

(Youtube)

How Islamic inventors changed the world

peripateticwayfarer — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 18:42:50 +0000

Modern Inventions Begin Primitive

Coffee

The story goes that an Arab named Khalid was tending his goats in the Kaffa region of southern Ethiopia, when he noticed his animals became livelier after eating a certain berry. He boiled the berries to make the first coffee. Certainly the first record of the drink is of beans exported from Ethiopia to Yemen where Sufis drank it to stay awake all night to pray on special occasions. By the late 15th century it had arrived in Mecca and Turkey from where it made its way to Venice in 1645. It was brought to England in 1650 by a Turk named Pasqua Rosee who opened the first coffee house in Lombard Street in the City of London. The Arabic qahwa became the Turkish kahve then the Italian caffé and then English coffee.

Pin-Hole Camera

The ancient Greeks thought our eyes emitted rays, like a laser, which enabled us to see. The first person to realise that light enters the eye, rather than leaving it, was the 10th-century Muslim mathematician, astronomer and physicist Ibn al-Haitham. He invented the first pin-hole camera after noticing the way light came through a hole in window shutters. The smaller the hole, the better the picture, he worked out, and set up the first Camera Obscura (from the Arab word qamara for a dark or private room). He is also credited with being the first man to shift physics from a philosophical activity to an experimental one.

The Game of Chess

A form of chess was played in ancient India but the game was developed into the form we know it today in Persia. From there it spread westward to Europe – where it was introduced by the Moors in Spain in the 10th century – and eastward as far as Japan. The word rook comes from the Persian rukh, which means chariot.

Parachute and experiments on aviation

A thousand years before the Wright brothers a Muslim poet, astronomer, musician and engineer named Abbas ibn Firnas made several attempts to construct a flying machine. In 852 he jumped from the minaret of the Grand Mosque in Cordoba using a loose cloak stiffened with wooden struts. He hoped to glide like a bird. He didn’t. But the cloak slowed his fall, creating what is thought to be the first parachute, and leaving him with only minor injuries. In 875, aged 70, having perfected a machine of silk and eagles’ feathers he tried again, jumping from a mountain. He flew to a significant height and stayed aloft for ten minutes but crashed on landing – concluding, correctly, that it was because he had not given his device a tail so it would stall on landing. Baghdad international airport and a crater on the Moon are named after him.

Shampoo

Washing and bathing are religious requirements for Muslims, which is perhaps why they perfected the recipe for soap which we still use today. The ancient Egyptians had soap of a kind, as did the Romans who used it more as a pomade. But it was the Arabs who combined vegetable oils with sodium hydroxide and aromatics such as thyme oil. One of the Crusaders’ most striking characteristics, to Arab nostrils, was that they did not wash. Shampoo was introduced to England by a Muslim who opened Mahomed’s Indian Vapour Baths on Brighton seafront in 1759 and was appointed Shampooing Surgeon to Kings George IV and William IV.

Refinement

Distillation, the means of separating liquids through differences in their boiling points, was invented around the year 800 by Islam’s foremost scientist, Jabir ibn Hayyan, who transformed alchemy into chemistry, inventing many of the basic processes and apparatus still in use today – liquefaction, crystallisation, distillation, purification, oxidisation, evaporation and filtration. As well as discovering sulphuric and nitric acid, he invented the alembic still, giving the world intense rosewater and other perfumes and alcoholic spirits (although drinking them is haram, or forbidden, in Islam). Ibn Hayyan emphasised systematic experimentation and was the founder of modern chemistry.

Shaft

The crank-shaft is a device which translates rotary into linear motion and is central to much of the machinery in the modern world, not least the internal combustion engine. One of the most important mechanical inventions in the history of humankind, it was created by an ingenious Muslim engineer called al-Jazari to raise water for irrigation. His 1206 Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices shows he also invented or refined the use of valves and pistons, devised some of the first mechanical clocks driven by water and weights, and was the father of robotics. Among his 50 other inventions was the combination lock.

Metal Armour

Quilting is a method of sewing or tying two layers of cloth with a layer of insulating material in between. It is not clear whether it was invented in the Muslim world or whether it was imported there from India or China. But it certainly came to the West via the Crusaders. They saw it used by Saracen warriors, who wore straw-filled quilted canvas shirts instead of armour. As well as a form of protection, it proved an effective guard against the chafing of the Crusaders’ metal armour and was an effective form of insulation – so much so that it became a cottage industry back home in colder climates such as Britain and Holland.

Architecture – The pointed Arch

The pointed arch so characteristic of Europe’s Gothic cathedrals was an invention borrowed from Islamic architecture. It was much stronger than the rounded arch used by the Romans and Normans, thus allowing the building of bigger, higher, more complex and grander buildings. Other borrowings from Muslim genius included ribbed vaulting, rose windows and dome-building techniques. Europe’s castles were also adapted to copy the Islamic world’s – with arrow slits, battlements, a barbican and parapets. Square towers and keeps gave way to more easily defended round ones. Henry V’s castle architect was a Muslim.

Surgery & Surgical Instruments

Many modern surgical instruments are of exactly the same design as those devised in the 10th century by a Muslim surgeon called al-Zahrawi. His scalpels, bone saws, forceps, fine scissors for eye surgery and many of the 200 instruments he devised are recognisable to a modern surgeon. It was he who discovered that catgut used for internal stitches dissolves away naturally (a discovery he made when his monkey ate his lute strings) and that it can be also used to make medicine capsules. In the 13th century, another Muslim medic named Ibn Nafis described the circulation of the blood, 300 years before William Harvey discovered it. Muslims doctors also invented anaesthetics of opium and alcohol mixes and developed hollow needles to suck cataracts from eyes in a technique still used today.

Harnessing Natural Forces – Windmill

The windmill was invented in 634 for a Persian caliph and was used to grind corn and draw up water for irrigation. In the vast deserts of Arabia, when the seasonal streams ran dry, the only source of power was the wind which blew steadily from one direction for months. Mills had six or 12 sails covered in fabric or palm leaves. It was 500 years before the first windmill was seen in Europe.

Vaccination

The technique of inoculation was not invented by Jenner and Pasteur but was devised in the Muslim world and brought to Europe from Turkey by the wife of the English ambassador to Istanbul in 1724. Children in Turkey were vaccinated with cowpox to fight the deadly smallpox at least 50 years before the West discovered it.

Fountain Pen

The fountain pen was invented for the Sultan of Egypt in 953 after he demanded a pen which would not stain his hands or clothes. It held ink in a reservoir and, as with modern pens, fed ink to the nib by a combination of gravity and capillary action.

Numeric System

The system of numbering in use all round the world is probably Indian in origin but the style of the numerals is Arabic and first appears in print in the work of the Muslim mathematicians al-Khwarizmi and al-Kindi around 825. Algebra was named after al-Khwarizmi’s book, Al-Jabr wa-al-Muqabilah, much of whose contents are still in use. The work of Muslim maths scholars was imported into Europe 300 years later by the Italian mathematician Fibonacci. Algorithms and much of the theory of trigonometry came from the Muslim world. And Al-Kindi’s discovery of frequency analysis rendered all the codes of the ancient world soluble and created the basis of modern cryptology.

Broth/Soup

Ali ibn Nafi, known by his nickname of Ziryab (Blackbird) came from Iraq to Cordoba in the 9th century and brought with him the concept of the three-course meal – soup, followed by fish or meat, then fruit and nuts. He also introduced crystal glasses (which had been invented after experiments with rock crystal by Abbas ibn Firnas – see No 4).

Carpets & Rugs

Carpets were regarded as part of Paradise by medieval Muslims, thanks to their advanced weaving techniques, new tinctures from Islamic chemistry and highly developed sense of pattern and arabesque which were the basis of Islam’s non-representational art. In contrast, Europe’s floors were distinctly earthly, not to say earthy, until Arabian and Persian carpets were introduced. In England, as Erasmus recorded, floors were “covered in rushes, occasionally renewed, but so imperfectly that the bottom layer is left undisturbed, sometimes for 20 years, harbouring expectoration, vomiting, the leakage of dogs and men, ale droppings, scraps of fish, and other abominations not fit to be mentioned”. Carpets, unsurprisingly, caught on quickly.

Cheque

The modern cheque comes from the Arabic saqq, a written vow to pay for goods when they were delivered, to avoid money having to be transported across dangerous terrain. In the 9th century, a Muslim businessman could cash a cheque in China drawn on his bank in Baghdad.

Planet Earth – Spherical in shape

By the 9th century, many Muslim scholars took it for granted that the Earth was a sphere. The proof, said astronomer Ibn Hazm, “is that the Sun is always vertical to a particular spot on Earth”. It was 500 years before that realisation dawned on Galileo. The calculations of Muslim astronomers were so accurate that in the 9th century they reckoned the Earth’s circumference to be 40,253.4km – less than 200km out. The scholar al-Idrisi took a globe depicting the world to the court of King Roger of Sicily in 1139.

Rocket & Torpedo

Though the Chinese invented saltpetre gunpowder, and used it in their fireworks, it was the Arabs who worked out that it could be purified using potassium nitrate for military use. Muslim incendiary devices terrified the Crusaders. By the 15th century they had invented both a rocket, which they called a “self-moving and combusting egg”, and a torpedo – a self-propelled pear-shaped bomb with a spear at the front which impaled itself in enemy ships and then blew up.

Gardens

Medieval Europe had kitchen and herb gardens, but it was the Arabs who developed the idea of the garden as a place of beauty and meditation. The first royal pleasure gardens in Europe were opened in 11th-century Muslim Spain. Flowers which originated in Muslim gardens include the carnation and the tulip.

Courtesy of: http://www.independent.co.uk/

When in Rome be like a Roman-When in Islam read like an Arab

peripateticwayfarer — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 02:22:21 +0000

Why are human beings so hard to please? The sense of curiosity in the human mind seems to be bundled up in a layer of insecurity and the fear of wading into new waters. You show a monkey a banana and it will scoop it up within seconds. It wouldn’t care if it’s Short Red type or a Long Green Type as long as it is edible. In contrast a human would critically question the engine capacity and performance of two identical vehicles before going ahead with his or her choice of mobility.

Human beings are intellectually driven which make them look for telling signs to ascertain their sense of direction. This simple principle bore truth from the hunter who associated a broken twig with the trail of his prey to the man who looked for a divine sign before determining his ideology of belief.

It is for this reason that Allah (SWT) presented each of his messengers with a miracle in order to enhance the sense of belief in his servants.

The miracle of Moses was to save his people from imminent death at the hands of the Pharaoh’s army by parting the Nile by means of his staff. Nuh (Noah PBUH) was blessed with the knowledge to build the ark despite living in a barren land where people hardly set sail. Sulaiman (Solomon PBUH) could speak to the animals and control the supernatural beings while Yusuf (Joseph PBUH) could interpret dreams of complex nature. Easa (Jesus PBUH) spoke during infancy and gave life to the dead and the un-exhaustive list goes on.

When each messenger of God was blessed with a phenomenon which the human sight bore witness to, what miracle did the last and final messenger Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) perform? He the Prophet could not give life to dead, couldn’t cure the blind nor could he speak to the animals in their own tongue. In fact Muhammad PBUH was illiterate as testified in the very message that was revealed unto him.

Neither did you (O Muhammad SAW) read any book before it (this Qur’ân), nor did you write any book (whatsoever) with your right hand. In that case, indeed, the followers of falsehood might have doubted.

(Al Qur’an 29:48)

For if Muhammad could read and write, mischief makers would have cast doubt on the credibility of the message which he testified to as God’s own word with no mortal influence in any of its syllables. Instead, Allah (SWT) made the prophet his own mouthpiece whilst maintaining Archangel Gibrael (Gabriel) as Muhammad PBUH’s teleprompter. This is evident from the very first words revealed to the Prophet as:

Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists),

He has created man from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood)

Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous,

Who has taught (the writing) by the pen.

(Al Qur’an 96:1 – 4)

Certainly, the miracle of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH was the Glorious Qur’an, a book of guidance with no literary match, revealed to him by God himself in stages. If people began to believe is Jesus PBUH upon seeing him curing the blind then many thousands of pagans, intellectuals and bitter enemies of Islam began to ratify their belief in Allah and his Final Prophet by proclaiming the Shahadah on hearing the profound recitation of the Arabic Qur’an.

The noteworthy point here is that the miracle of the Qur’an does not lie in its many translations; rather it is intertwined in the language which God chose for its revelation – Arabic.

And thus We have revealed unto you (O Muhammad SAW) a Qur’ân in Arabic that you may warn the Mother of the Towns (Makkah) and all around it. and warn (them) of the Day of Assembling, of which there is no doubt, when a party will be in Paradise (those who believed in Allâh and followed what Allâh’s Messenger SAW brought them) and a party in the blazing Fire (Hell) (those who disbelieved in Allâh and followed not what Allâh’s Messenger SAW brought them).

(Al Qur’an 42: 7)

The translations of the Qur’an may capture a single dimension of the spirit of Qur’an, but it in no way can compensate the divinity locked up in its pristine Arabic form. We the Muslims of today have the miracle of all miracles safely tucked in our vaults and perched in high shelves aloof from our daily doings. If the sense of sight was the link between the divine sign and its comprehension for the prophets in the Pre Muhammad Era, we the Muslims of today have blinded ourselves to the miraculous Qur’an by closing our eyes to the study of the Arabic language.

It was the Qur’an recited in the Arabic language that transformed a raging Umar into a sage. People who knew nothing of the Arabic language continue enter Islam in scores by merely letting their ear drums to resonate with the words of the Qur’an and the Muslims call for prayer – The Adhan. This is indeed the promise of Allah apparent in front of our very own eyes.

It is time for us Muslims to earn our sight back and it does not come free. Many labourious hours need to be invested to learn the Arabic language in the dialect of the Qur’an in order to enhance our understanding of Islam and spiritual connection with Allah (SWT). The following lecture by Bro Nouman Ali Khan encouraged me with a new found zeal to seek the miracle of the Qur’an in my personal life and I beg you to spend 60 minutes of your busy time to give ear to this lecture in order to achieve sight to your intellect!

Ramadan – The recession during which the Satan is laid off!

peripateticwayfarer — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 18:49:30 +0000

It’s that time of the year again. The holy month of Ramadan is just round the corner with the moon been sought for like never before. We have already discussed about the hustle and bustle of Ramadan in Sri Lanka and we deemed it necessary to highlight the opportunities for performing good deeds which somehow seems to have drowned itself in all this commotion.

It is our sincere intention that we all make maximum use of this blessed month to redeem ourselves from the evil that we have being carrying out in the previous months. We hope that the following article extract would help you understand the importance of this month and provide you with the much needed impetus to utilize Ramadan to its fullest.

Praise be to Allaah.
Ramadaan is one of the twelve Arabic months. It is a month which is venerated in the Islamic religion, and it is distinguished from the other months by a number of characteristics and virtues, including the following:

1 – Allaah has made fasting this month the fourth pillar of Islam, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’aan, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong). So whoever of you sights (the crescent on the first night of) the month (of Ramadan i.e. is present at his home), he must observe Sawm (fasts) that month…”
[al-Baqarah 2:185]

and it was narrated in al-Saheehayn (al-Bukhaari, 8; Muslim, 16) from the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Islam is built on five (pillars): the testimony that there is no god except Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah; establishing prayer; paying zakaah; fasting Ramadaan; and Hajj to the House (the Ka’bah).”

2 – Allaah revealed the Qur’aan in this month, as He says in the verse quoted above (interpretation of the meaning):

“The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’aan, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong)…”
[al-Baqarah 2:185]

And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, We have sent it (this Qur’aan) down in the Night of Al-Qadr (Decree).”
[al-Qadr 97:1]

3 – Allaah has made Laylat al-Qadr in this month, which is better than a thousand months, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, We have sent it (this Qur’aan) down in the Night of Al-Qadr (Decree).

And what will make you know what the Night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is?

The Night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months (i.e. worshipping Allaah in that night is better than worshipping Him a thousand months, i.e. 83 years and 4 months).

Therein descend the angels and the Rooh [Jibreel (Gabriel)] by Allaah’s Permission with all Decrees,

(All that night), there is peace (and goodness from Allaah to His believing slaves) until the appearance of dawn”

[al-Qadar 97:1-5]

“We sent it (this Qur’aan) down on a blessed night [(i.e. the Night of Al-Qadr) in the month of Ramadan — the 9th month of the Islamic calendar]. Verily, We are ever warning [mankind that Our Torment will reach those who disbelieve in Our Oneness of Lordship and in Our Oneness of worship]”
[al-Dukhaan 44:3]

Allaah has blessed Ramadaan with Laylat al-Qadr. Explaining the great status of this blessed night, Soorat al-Qadr was revealed, and there are many ahaadeeth which also speak of that, such as the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There has come to you Ramadaan, a blessed month which Allaah has enjoined you to fast, during which the gates of heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and the rebellious devils are chained up. In it there is a night which is better than a thousand months, and whoever is deprived of its goodness is indeed deprived.”

Narrated by al-Nasaa’i, 2106; Ahmad, 8769. classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb, 999.

And Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever spends Laylat al-Qadr in prayer out of faith and in the hope of reward, will be forgiven his previous sins.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1910; Muslim, 760.

4 – Allaah has made fasting Ramadaan and spending its nights in prayer out of faith and in the hope of reward a means of forgiveness of sins, as was proven in al-Saheehayn (al-Bukhaari, 2014; Muslim, 760) from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever fasts Ramadaan out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” And al-Bukhaari (2008) and Muslim (174) also narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever spends the nights of Ramadaan in prayer out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.”

The Muslims are unanimously agreed that it is Sunnah to pray qiyaam at night in Ramadaan. Al-Nawawi said that what is meant by praying qiyaam in Ramadaan is to pray Taraweeh, i.e., one achieves what is meant by qiyaam by praying Taraaweeh.

The Satan is tied up during Ramadan

5 – In this month, Allaah opens the gates of Paradise and closes the gates of Hell, and chains up the devils, as is stated in al-Saheehayn (al-Bukhaari, 1898; Muslim, 1079), from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah who said that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When Ramadaan comes, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained up.”

6 – Every night Allaah has people whom He redeems from the Fire. Imam Ahmad (5/256) narrated from the hadeeth of Abu Umaamah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “At every breaking of the fast, Allaah has people whom He redeems.” Al-Mundhiri said: there is nothing wrong with its isnaad; and it was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb, 987.

Al-Bazzaar (Kashf 962) narrated that Abu Sa’eed said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah has people whom He redeems every day and night – i.e., in Ramadaan – and every Muslim every day and night has a prayer that is answered.”

7 – Fasting Ramadaan is a means of expiation for the sins committed since the previous Ramadaan, so long as one avoids major sins. It was proven in Saheeh Muslim (233) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The five daily prayers, from one Jumu’ah to the next and from one Ramadaan to the next are expiation for (sins committed) in between, so long as you avoid major sins.”

8 – Fasting in Ramadaan is equivalent to fasting ten months, as is indicated by the hadeeth in Saheeh Muslim (1164) narrated from Abu Ayyoob al-Ansaari: “Whoever fasts Ramadaan then follows it with six days of Shawwaal, it will be like fasting for a lifetime.” Ahmad (21906) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever fasts Ramadaan, a month is like ten months, and fasting six days after al-Fitr will complete the year.”

9 – Whoever prays qiyaam in Ramadaan with the imam until he finishes, it will be recorded for him that he spent the whole night in prayer, because of the report narrated by Abu Dawood (1370) and others from the hadeeth of Abu Dharr (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever prays qiyaam with the imam until he finishes, it will be recorded for him that he spent the whole night in prayer.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Salaat al-Taraaweeh, p. 15

10 – ‘Umrah in Ramadaan is equivalent to Hajj. Al-Bukhaari (1782) and Muslim (1256) narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to a woman among the Ansaar, “What kept you from doing Hajj with us?” She said, “We only had two camels that we used for bringing water.” So her husband and son had gone for Hajj on one camel, and he left the other for them to use for bringing water.” He said, “When Ramadaan comes, go for ‘Umrah, for ‘Umrah in Ramadaan is equivalent to Hajj.” According to a report narrated by Muslim, “… is equivalent to doing Hajj with me.”

11 – It is Sunnah to observe i’tikaaf (retreat for the purpose of worship) in Ramadaan, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) always did that, as it was narrated in the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to spend the last ten days of Ramadaan in i’tikaaf until he passed away, then his wives observed i’tikaaf after him.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1922; Muslim, 1172.

12 – It is mustahabb in the sense of being strongly recommended in Ramadaan to study the Qur’aan together and to read it a great deal. You may study the Qur’aan together by reciting it to someone else and by having someone else recite it to you. The evidence that this is mustahabb is the fact that Jibreel used to meet the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) every night in Ramadaan and study the Qur’aan with him. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6; Muslim, 2308.

Reading Qur’aaan is mustahabb in general, but more so in Ramadaan.

13 – It is mustahabb in Ramadaan to offer iftaar to those who are fasting, because of the hadeeth of Zayd ibn Khaalid al-Juhani (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever gives iftaar to one who is fasting will have a reward like his, without that detracting from the fasting person’s reward in the slightest.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 807; Ibn Maajah, 1746; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 647. see question no: ( 12598 )

And Allaah knows best.

This article was borrowed from this web page. Please click on the link to read articles of similar nature. May Allah shower his blessings and guidance on the people who compiled the above article and may he keep us all among those who are grateful for bestowing his favour upon us!

UTCT Step 3: Abandoning Disobedience

peripateticwayfarer — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 07:02:09 +0000

Law Number Three: Sins destroy our Ummah

We all commit sins, but we have to start being more serious at minimizing them to the least. You are not asked to be perfect or sinless, but today we want to promise Allah and ourselves that we will never insist on a disobeying Him. Search within yourself for the sins you do and you know that they are wrong and be determined to stop them. It is understandable if you forget or get weak and do them again, but quickly repent and ask Allah for His forgiveness and renew the promise. We Must Not Insist On Disobeying Allah. Its a Divine Law “When people insist on disobedience, they are destroyed.”

Imam Ali (rAa) said: “No calamity has descended except by disobedience, and no calamity is repelled except by repentance.” The woman that was killed two days ago in Baghdad was because of the sins of her sister on the other side of the globe. The man that was killed yesterday in Jerusalem was a result of his Muslim brother’s sin in the country next to his. The whole status of our Muslim Ummah is the result of accumulating sins for the past 100 years. It has to stop because if the disobedience goes on at this rate we will never rise up again. It’s a Divine Law and there is no way around it.

Look back in history. Why did Adam and Hawwa (Eve) leave Paradise? It was because of disobedience. Why was Shaytan (Satan) cursed and expelled from the mercy of Allah? It was because he insisted on a sin (arrogance). Look at the people of Lut, what happened to them? They were destroyed because of their sins. They refused to follow the guidance of Allah and insisted on committing their enormous sin (sodomy). Allah the Almighty says,

So As-Saîhah (torment – awful cry) overtook them at the time of sunrise;

And We turned (the towns of Sodom in Palestine) upside down and rained down on them stones of baked clay.

Surely! In this are signs, for those who see (or understand or learn the lessons from the Signs of Allâh).

Al-Qur’an (15:73 – 75)

Muslims!! Do you see the danger of insisting on disobeying Allah? Try your best not to commit sins, and if you do, quickly repent and be determined not to do it again.

Anas ibn Malik asked A’isha (rAa) the wife of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the Mother of the Believers: “O Mother, when does the Earth shake and quake (zalzala)?” She replied, “O Son, its when drinking intoxicants spreads, as well as adultery and other forms of disobedience. Then Allah tells the Earth to shake and quake.” So Anas asked, “Is it as a punishment?” She replied, “No! But it is mercy for them (so they may wake up).” Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, “If disobedience spreads in my Ummah, Allah will overwhelm them with calamities.”

Never think that tiny sins don’t matter because they accumulate and cause grave consequences on the long run. Like a drop of water that might seem harmless, but when these drops of water get together, they make a flood that wipes out cities.

Let tonight be a night of sincere repentance. Ask Allah to forgive your sins and promise Him and promise yourself that you will resist committing sins with all the power you have. Ask Allah to make our Ummah rise with your repentance to Him, ask Him to make our brothers and sisters in Iraq and Palestine and all over the world victorious with this repentance that you have made. We need to change, because unless we change, Allah won’t change our Ummah’s condition.

How to hate disobedience:

Ibn Al-Qayim described the consequences of disobedience. Learning these consequences will help you resist committing sins inshaa Allah. Print them out and hang them in your room, next to your computer screen, and in any place you frequently disobey Allah.

The consequences of disobedience:

1- The prevention of Knowledge: Knowledge is a light, which Allah throws into the heart, and disobedience extinguishes this light. Imam Al-Shaafi’e said, “I complained to Wakee’ about the weakness of my memory, so he ordered me to abandon disobedience. And informed me that the knowledge is light. And that the light of Allah is not given to the disobedient.”

2- The prevention of Sustenance. Just as Taqwa brings about sustenance, the abandonment of Taqwa causes poverty. There is nothing that can bring about sustenance like the abandonment of disobedience.

3- The prevention of obedience (to Allah). If there were no other punishment for sins other than that it prevents one from obeying Allah then this would be sufficient.

4- Disobedience weakens the heart and the body. Disobedience does not stop weakening the heart until its life ceases completely, rendering the body dead.

5- Disobedience reduces the lifespan and destroys any blessings. Just as righteousness increases the lifespan, sinning reduces it.

6- Disobedience sows its own seeds and gives birth by itself until separating from it and coming out of it becomes difficult for the servant.

7- Sins weaken the heart’s will and resolve so that the desire for disobedience becomes strong and the desire to repent becomes weak bit by bit until the desire to repent is removed from the heart completely.

8- Every type of disobedience is a legacy of a nation from among the nations which Allah (swt) destroyed. Sodomy is a legacy of the People of Lut, taking more than one’s due right and giving what is less is a legacy of the People of Shu’ayb, seeking greatness in the land and causing corruption is a legacy of the People of Pharaoh and pride/arrogance and tyranny is a legacy of the People of Hud. So the disobedient one is wearing the gown of some of these nations who were the enemies of Allah.

9- Disobedience is a cause of the servant being held in contempt by his Lord. Al-Hasan al- Basree said, “They became contemptible in (His sight) so they disobeyed Him. If they were honorable (in His sight) He would have protected them. Allah the Exalted said, “And whomsoever Allah lowers (humiliates) there is none to give honor.” (22:18).”

10- The servant continues to commit sins until they become very easy for him and seem insignificant in his heart and this is a sign of destruction. Every time a sin becomes insignificant in the sight of the servant it becomes great in the sight of Allah. Ibn Mas’ood (rAa) said, “Indeed, the believer sees his sins as if he was standing at the foot of a mountain fearing that it will fall upon him and the sinner sees his sins like a fly which passes by his nose so he tries to remove it by waving his hand around.”

11- Disobedience inherits humiliation and lowliness. Honor, all of it, lies in the obedience of Allah. Abdullah ibn Al-Mubarak said, “I have seen sins kill the hearts. And humiliation is inherited by their continuity. The abandonment of sins gives life to the hearts. And the prevention of your soul is better for it.”

12- Disobedience corrupts the intellect. The intellect has light and disobedience extinguishes this light. When the light of the intellect is extinguished it becomes weak and deficient.

13- When disobedience increases, the servant’s heart becomes sealed so that he becomes of those who are heedless. The Exalted said, “But no! A stain has been left on their hearts on account of what they used to earn (i.e. their actions).” (83:14).

14- Sins cause the various types of corruption to occur in the land like corruption of the waters, the air, the plants, the fruits and the dwelling places. The Exalted said, “Mischief has appeared on the land and the sea on account of what the hands of men have earned; that He may give them a taste of some of (the actions) they have done, in order that they may return.” (30:41).

15- The disappearance of modesty which is the essence of the life of the heart and is the basis of every good. Its disappearance is the disappearance of all that is good. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “Modesty is goodness, all of it.” A Poet said, “And by Allah, there is no good in life or in the world when modesty goes.”

16- Sins weaken and reduce the magnification of Allah, the Mighty, in the heart of the servant.

17- Sins are the cause of Allah forgetting His servant, abandoning him and leaving him to fend for himself with his soul and his Shaytan and in this is the destruction from which no deliverance can be hoped for.

18- Sins remove the servant from the realm of Ihsaan (doing good) and he is prevented from (obtaining) the reward of those who do good. When Ihsaan fills the heart it prevents it from disobedience.

19- Disobedience causes the favors (of Allah) to cease and make His revenge lawful. No blessing ceases to reach a servant except due to a sin and no retribution is made lawful upon him except due to a sin. Allah the Exalted said, “Whatever misfortune afflicts you then it is due to what your hands have earned and (yet) He pardons many.” (42:30). And the Exalted also said, “That is because never will Allah change the favor He has bestowed on a people until they change what is with themselves.” (8:53).

So we now realize the danger of disobeying Allah and insisting on it. Dear brothers and sisters, our Ummah needs every single one of you. We all have to participate in getting our Ummah up. We all need to change to the better, because Allah won’t change our condition until we start changing ourselves.

Let’s make a promise today that if there is any form of disobedience we’re doing, we will do our very best to stop it. We won’t insist on doing it any more. We can’t afford accumulating all these sins because they’re killing us.

Let’s ask Allah to forgive us and help us obey Him. Let’s do this for our own sake, and for our brothers and sisters that are being killed every day. Let’s do this for our whole Ummah. Please.

UTCT Step – 2: Unity. We are One Community (Ummah)

peripateticwayfarer — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 18:55:58 +0000

One of the main factors that lead to the rise of this Ummah is its unity and that’s why Islam has organized our lives in a way that maintains this unity and develops it. This is a Divine Law “If you are united, you will become powerful”. The non-Muslims discovered this Divine Law and they have applied it, which in turn lead to their rise and power. Look around you and read the names: The European Union, The United Kingdom, The United States of America, Euro, Shengen (Europe-wide traveling visa) etc. They have applied the Law of Unity. But because they have neglected other Divine Laws, like faith in Allah for example, their power is only temporary, and they are already overwhelmed with different internal problems and weaknesses. You must apply the whole system, the whole matrix of Divine Laws, and only then will you be able to lead the whole world to prosperity, security, and happiness.

Unity is demonstrated in Islam at four different levels:

1- The level of the Ummah:

Wake up Muslims!! We are ONE Ummah, and we worship ONE GOD. It doesn’t matter if your father is from China or if you mother is from Jamaica, we are one body, one entity, ONE Ummah! Allah the Almighty says:

“Verily, this community of yours is a single community, and I am your Lord and Cherisher: therefore serve Me (and no other)” (21:92).

2- The level of the Country:

Love for one’s country does not contradict with one’s loyalty to the Ummah or to one’s Faith in Allah. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) demonstrated this form of bonding when he was migrating from Mecca to Medina. With Mecca now behind him, he looked back and said, “Oh Makkaha, how much I love you, and if your people did not drive me out of you, I would have never lived in any other place.”

3- The level of the Neighbourhood:

Neighbourhood ties are very important in Islam, to the extent that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, “Jibreel kept on telling me to take care of my neighbors and strengthen my relationship with them until I thought that they would inherit me.”

4- The level of the Family:

The importance of uterine relationships (Silat Al-Arham) and family ties are constantly referred to in the Quran, and they form a small-scale level of domestic unity.

Now what have we done with these levels of unity? First it started with drifting away from the sense of unity with the rest of our Ummah. How many of us actually feel the bond that is supposed to exist with our brothers and sisters in Western China or in Turkey. How many of us even think of them? Ask your friends how they feel about the Ummah. How many of them will ask you “What? Ummah? What is that supposed to mean?” We have destroyed the first level of our unity and therefore we started to drift away from each other. Then comes the sense of belonging to one’s country. How many of us actually feel that they love their countries (of course aside from supporting it during international sport events)? How many of us have feelings of patriotism? Many of us have no idea about these feelings. How many Muslims when living in a foreign country try to avoid contact with their brothers from the same country fearing that they might be a burden on him. There goes the second level of unity.

Look at our neighborhoods, how many neighbors living in your building do you know by name? How is your relationship with them? Is there mutual care and trust or is there isolation and avoidance? O Muslims have you forgotten how important your relationship with your neighbor is in Islam? We have even lost our third level of unity. Sadly, the final level of unity in Islam was not in a better case than those mentioned before. Look at our families, how many of us actually sit with their parents and talk with them and benefit from their experiences? How many of us feel eager to be with their parents? How is your family? How often do you get together? If you live away from them, how often do you call? Is your family really still united? You know, that was our last level of unity we just lost.

O Muslims, what then do you expect??? We did not obey the Divine Law! We lost every single level of unity and therefore there was no escape from the result, a terrible decline in all aspects of society. We need to build those bridges once again. We have to unite again on each of these four levels! Enough selfishness because its killing us! Enough thinking only about yourself because its suicide! Wake Up Muslims! We Are ONE Body! ONE Ummah! We Need Each Other!!

How Islam promotes Unity:

All Islamic rituals help maintain and develop unity amongst Muslims. We pray five times a day, preferably in congregation so that everyone living on the same street, working in the same place, or studying at the same school could get together in a straight line and pray to their Lord. Then there is a weekly gathering for the whole neighborhood during the Friday Prayer (Jumuah), this helps maintain the neighborhood’s unity. Another larger scale of unity maintenance and development is during the month of Ramadan. All Muslims around the world spend the same month fasting. In a single city they cease from eating and start eating at the same time. This is another form of unity. And of course, there is the Pilgrimage (Hajj), the manifestation of Muslim unity. Muslims from all around the globe come to same place, wearing the same clothes, worshiping the same God, repeating the same sentence, walking in the same direction at the same time, having the same goal, and getting the same reward. It’s unity at its highest levels. See how Islam helps us maintain and develop our unity? And see how separated we are today?

Islamic Unity knows no shape and colour!

During the Battle of the Trench, the Muslims were racing against time trying to finish digging a trench that would prevent the entry of some 10,000 Pagans into Medina in order to fight them. The Muslims were experiencing great hunger so they used to put a rock in a cloth and tie it around their abdomen so that the rock would press against their stomach and give it a sense of fullness. On the other hand, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was tying two rocks against his stomach. When Jaber ibn Abdullah (RAA) saw this he ran to his wife and asked her what food they had. She replied saying that all they had was one chicken and some bread. So Jaber went to the Prophet and secretly invited him alone to his house for some food. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) looked at him and asked, “Alone Jaber? You want me to come to your house and eat alone?” So Jaber replied saying that there was only a very little amount of food, but the Messenger of Allah only repeated, “Alone Jaber? Alone? I was never to eat alone when the rest of the Believers are hungry.” This is how the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) felt towards the rest of the community. They were one body. This feeling of unity and care about his people is also manifested in his constant plead to Allah. He would cry, “O Allah, my Ummah, my Ummah.” He constantly asked Allah to mercy us. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) wasn’t living for himself, he was living for us also, and for all of humanity.

All immigrations throughout history lead to tensions that most of the times turned violent between the native inhabitants and the immigrants. This is clearly demonstrated between the Europeans and the Native Americans in North America, the Turks and the Germans in Germany, as well as many other examples. The only immigration that was totally peaceful was the one the Muslims of Mecca made to Medina. A Muslim from Medina would take his brother coming from Mecca into his house and literally split the house into two by building a wall in the middle. He would give the immigrant, willingly, half of his wealth and possessions. Can you imagine the extent of unity that these people were experiencing? That’s how we should try to be, enough selfishness, enough living just for yourself. Make a promise today; “I won’t live for myself anymore. I belong to this Ummah and I will live for it!” Do you want to practice that? Do you want to start building those bridges of unity? Go home, hug and kiss your parents, or pick up the phone and call them. Ask Allah to flourish your family ties and bless you with mercy amongst one another. Invite your neighbors over and rebuild those bridges! We got lots of work to do, but at least we have a clear path ahead of us. We’re learning the Divine Laws that control the rise of our Ummah, so lets apply them!!

UTCT Step 1 – Humility & Humbleness in front of Allah (Tadarau’)

peripateticwayfarer — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 19:57:55 +0000

Law Number One: We must always humble ourselves towards Allah

Tadaru’ is a term that means exaggerated humility and humbleness caused by despair and is expressed when a person reached his final resort. Imam Ahmed ibn Hambal explained it saying, “Imagine a man drowning in the middle of the sea and all he has is a piece of wood that he is clinging onto. He is getting weaker and weaker and the salty waves are pulling him closer to death. Imagine him with his eager eyes looking desperately at the sky crying out loud ‘O Lord, O Lord!!!’ Imagine how desperate he is and how sincere he is asking for Allah’s help. That is tadaru’ in front of Allah”.

The desperate Calling

Allah teaches us in the Quran that tadaru’ is a form of worship a believer uses during emergencies and crises. It requires a person to remove the veils of arrogance and ego covering his or her heart. It implies sincere begging to the Lord of the Worlds. It demonstrates that a person has realized how weak he is and how Powerful our Lord is. Sometimes when Allah sees that His servants are becoming distracted with this worldly life and have strayed from the Straight Path, He puts them in a severe situation so that they realize their weakness and run back to Allah for protection. Therefore calamities falling upon Muslims are to make them wake up and turn back to Allah. We must be intelligent enough to understand these messages and act according to them.

Allah The Almighty says, “Verily, We sent (Messengers) to many nations before you (O Muhammad). And we seized them with extreme poverty (or loss in wealth) and loss in health (with calamities) so that they might humble themselves (believe with humility).” (6:42).

This verse shows that Allah uses calamities as a routine method to wake people up and encourage them to run to Him for protection. It is as if a calamity is a bitter medicine for us to become better believers. Allah does this for our benefit, because we need to maintain a close relationship with Him. Allah expresses our need for this form medicine in the following verse,

“And if We had mercy on them and removed the distress which is on them, still they would obstinately persist in their transgression, wandering blindly.” (23:75).

In another verse Allah says, “When Our Torment reached them, why then did they not humble themselves (believe with humility)? But their hearts became hardened, and Shaytan (Satan) made what they used to do seem fair and correct” (6:43).

We must not make this mistake and close our eyes and hearts in front of Allah’s call to humbleness and humility to Him. We must not let Shaytan trick us into believing that our problems have nothing to do with our relation with Allah.

Allah says, “Say (O Muhammad) ‘Who rescues you from the darkness of the land and the sea (dangers like storms), (when) you call upon Him in humility and in secret (saying): If He (Allah) only saves us from this (danger), we shall truly be grateful.’ Say (O Muhammad): ‘Allah rescues you from this and from all (other) distresses, and yet you worship others besides Allah.’” (6:63-64).

No one will rescue us from the darkness we Muslims are in today except Allah, but first, we must call upon Him in humility.

How to achieve tadaru’:

It is necessary to realize the grave calamity that is falling upon us. Our children are being pounded by missiles that are weighed in tons, our brothers and sisters are being oppressed and tortured all over the world. It is not so distant back in time that tens of thousands of our sisters were raped in the Balkans and until this day our brothers are falling in Palestine with Israeli bullets. Our homes are being demolished and our dignity is being stepped on ever day. Its not just about Iraq, and believe it or not, its not just about our Muslim Ummah, Its about our whole planet. Our world is heading straight towards a cliff and its not slowing down. If you think you are far from the danger, you are wrong. If you think you could ignore it, dream on! The destruction will reach you and your children. If your children or friends are not killed in another war, they will die by an over dose or hit by drunken driver. Things will only get worse for everyone. We are drowning, and no one can help us except Allah. If you can’t realize the severe situation, then you have an additional problem, read verse (6:43) above. We need Allah’s help and protection!

When the whale swallowed Prophet Yunus (Jonah) after he was thrown off the boat, he was in a terrifying situation. Imagine yourself for a second being locked up in a small closet, its dark, and there is no hope of getting out. Now imagine yourself in a whale’s stomach, imagine the darkness, and the difficulty in breathing. The whale is in the storming sea and its night. Imagine how Prophet Yunus felt, and imagine how he was when he prayed to Allah in humility saying,

“None has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allah)!! Glorified (and Exalted) be You!! Truly, I have been of the wrong doers!” (21:87).

Imagine a Prophet, a role model for human beings, saying that and referring to himself as a wrong doer, then imagine how you should beg Allah.

The night before the battle of Badr, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) saw how the army of the Pagans had out-numbered them and was so well equipped. Then he looked at the Muslim army and how few they were with poor weaponry. Badr was the first military confrontation between the Muslims and the Non-believers. It was a critical event in the history of Islam. If the Muslims lost this battle, Islam would have disappeared forever. Realizing this, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) started to pray to Allah in humility and humbleness. He raised his hands up high, stretching his arms to the extent that his armpits appeared. He engaged in sincere supplication to Allah and his body was shaking causing his cloak to fall off his back. He was begging Allah crying, “O Ever Living!! O Sustainer and Protector!! I beg You for Your mercy!!! O Allah!! I am waiting for Your victory which You have promised me. I beseech You Allah to defeat them (the enemies).”

This is the level of humility we should try to reach when praying to Allah to help our Ummah. Lets try to practice this form of worship this whole week. Lets beg Allah for His help as if we are really drowning and there is no one there to rescue us except Him. Lets get up in the middle of the night to pray keyam layl (night prayer), and lets break down in front of Allah begging Him, as we have never done before. Lets gather each other and do it together. Lets pray to Allah in humility in groups. Lets cry to Him together, lets run to Him with our families and friends. Lets all beg him for His help and protection.

Tadaru’…. that’s the first thing we should go back to. We need to achieve tadaru’ so that Allah may change our situation, because…

“Verily Allah will never change the condition of a people until they change themselves”

Until They Change Themselves

peripateticwayfarer — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 17:49:49 +0000

How often have we come across the feeling of helplessness? Felt the dire urge to make a change in ourselves and the environment in which we live but could not find the heart to take the first step towards turning on a new leaf. I as a child considered myself to be a change maker eager to take on the world and regret to see how far I have lagged behind in life such that the slightest of restrictions to performing a good deed is a reason good enough to ditch it as a whole!

If you are like me, then this if for you! Victor Frank once said:

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves”.

I hope to share with you a book titled “Until They Change Themselves” in parts. Insha Allah Each new segment will be posted within 5-6 days of the previous and any discussion on the topic is most welcome. The introduction to the original book will be the first segment which we will read today and those wishing to make a head start on reading the entire book could drop an email to pwayfarer@gmail.com to receive a .Pdf copy of the same.

The current situation of the Muslim Ummah does not require an introduction, we all see and hear day in and day out what is happening. One must realize that it’s not just about Iraq, for Iraq is a symptom of a large-scale failure in our Ummah. Other symptoms like Palestine, Chechnya, illiteracy, ignorance, disease, overall weakness and humiliation all point to the fact that we are in big trouble. Many of us are realizing the scale of our problem and feel the urge to make a change. Many sincere Muslims have vowed to do anything it takes to get our Ummah out of this situation. Many Muslims have reflected on themselves and started to develop their selves in the right direction and are drawing closer to Allah but many of us feel that there must be something else to do. Many Muslims have an enormous amount of energy they want to turn into results but they don’t know what to do. Sometimes this leads to frustration, and other times to depression. Some Muslims are complaining that its not enough of use loose terms like “returning back to Allah” or “maintaining Taqwa and Allah will bring us victory” and are demanding more specific things to do. Others are tranquilizing themselves by believing that this misery will certainly lead to the appearance of “Al-Mahdi” or “The Guided One” that will lead us to victory. We want to change and we are trying to, and many of us are already changing, but our Ummah is still in the mud…. Are we forgetting something?

When will we ever learn

When Allah created the universe, He decreed Divine Laws that organize all creation. Therefore, water will continue to boil at 100°C on our planet, and whatever goes up will always come down again (law of gravity). Aside from the Divine Laws that control nature (Physics), there is a whole other set of Laws that control societies and civilizations. If we Muslims want to rise as an Ummah, we must follow these Laws because there is no other way. We must learn these rules and take them into consideration and act according to them.

Amr Khaled, an Egyptian Preacher, started a series of daily episodes during the war on Iraq that presented practical solutions to change the status of our Ummah. He drew a step- by-step guide that takes into consideration the Divine Laws that control the rise and fall of civilizations so that we could implement them and therefore rise as an Ummah. Allah has made a promise that if we do certain things, we will rise, and if we do other things we will fall, and Allah does not break His promises. The series was titled “Until they change themselves”, and was inspired by the Divine Law in the verse

“Verily Allah will never change the condition of a people until they change themselves” (13:11).

Each series addressed something we are not doing that we should do or something wrong in us that we need to change. These things are practical day-to-day behaviours that if corrected by Muslims, will lead to their rise. So if you are looking for something practical to follow, this series might help you.

It may be dark, but the sun is about to rise. The question isn’t “Will Islam rise again?” because it certainly will, its Allah’s religion, He takes care of it. The question is…

“Will you be part of it”??!!

The Best Bargain – Piece of Time Vs Peace of Mind

peripateticwayfarer — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 18:25:53 +0000

Finally I’m off from the peaceful hangover. The three days of the event was wonderful and now it’s back to reality. The reality of whether the stuff that our minds absorbed during the last week can be put into practice? I point at myself when I am saying this and I hope it inspires others to do the same Insha Allah.

Be not the scholar, be yourself!

Each of the speakers who attended the event had earned a reputation of their own. Zakir Naik continues to be an acute student of comparative religion; Yusuf Estes is undoubtedly the Muslim who presents Islam as a better alternative with due empathy towards the Non-Muslim and Yasir Qadhi the expert on Seerah.

The only common element that bonds them together is the craving to continue the learning process inspite of being an icon of respect in the eyes of the common man. Each of these wonderful people may have been inspired by someone or something at some point in their lives. The reason they built up an identity unique to themselves was because their hard work was invested NOT towards being that someone, rather they channeled that inspiration towards worshipping Allah and molding their own lives according to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) – the best human example a mortal could follow.

Get out of your comfort zone!

In the time of prophet (PBUH) the companions used to study the Quran in parts. They used to memorize up to approximately 10 verses at a time while additionally learning its thafseer (interpretation) and Sabab un Nudhool (purpose of revelation). Each of these three elements was mastered and the lessons learnt were enacted in their daily lives before they began study of the next 10 verses.

It is not a complacent attitude that transforms a common man into a scholar. We each should strive on our own to extract the guidance of the Quran flavoured with the examples set forth in the Hadith to ensure a reputable place in the next world.

I wish to dwell upon a wise thought that Bro Abdur-Rahim Green shared with us during his lecture on the stages of scholarship.

A human being falls into one of the following categories.

The Ignorant: One who knows nothing on a particular subject and feels the urge to brush up his knowledge on that particular subject.

The Half Baked: The one who knows a little on the subject and assumes he knows everything on that subject.

The Realist: The one who knows a lot on the subject but feels that he does not know nearly everything covered in that subject of study.

The Scholar: One who has covered innumerable grounds in the particular subject and realizes that he actually knows nothing on that subject; thus he begins the act of refining what he has learnt.

Where do WE fit in?

Hear the scholar but be not his following.

This is a highly dangerous phenomenon that has plagued the Muslim Ummah. The Muslims have adapted the attitude of clinging on to the opinions of the scholar in place of finding out the actual teaching written down in the Quran & Sunnah. Scholars are only human and humans are prone to error. It is prudent to research upon the teachings of the scholar and check its compatibility with Quran and Sunnah before giving it the green light.

Investigating the Truth is the Key to Being Muslim

Abu Hurayrah – radiallaahu ’anhu – said that the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam said: “The Jews split-up into seventy-one or seventy-two sects. The Christians split-up into seventy-one or seventy-two sects. And my Ummah will split up into seventy-three sects.”

The society is degenerating and we are decomposing with it by inducing Un-Islamic attitudes into our lives. I recall an Eid prayer about three years back. Two different Muslim organizations had booked the same open ground and the congregation was in two distinctly different ends of the turf. Each group began throwing subtle punches at the others ideology within the sermon itself.

Where does the present Muslim fit in with his allegiance towards so called Islamic Movements when in principle they sometimes differ from the actual ethos of Islam? It is good to be with a band of brothers and sisters who sincerely work towards the cause of Islam and I have nothing against it. The movements we make up should be merely a second identity and should not override the supreme identity of being Muslim.

And hold fast, all together by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah’s favour on you; for ye were enemies and He joined your hearts in love so that by His Grace, ye became brethren; and ye were on the brink of the pit of fire, and He saved you from it. Thus doth Allah make his signs clear to you: that ye may be guided.

Quran 3 : 103

The funny Sheikh does it again!

peripateticwayfarer — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:17:54 +0000

It was an eventful first day at the Dubai International Peace convention. The day was kick started by Maghrib prayers lead by Sheikh Mishary Al Afassy, his beautiful recital (Maasha allah) could not even be hampered by the occasional noise of the airplanes in Dubai Airport taking off.

After some keynote addresses Sheikh Abdur-Rahman Sudais (Imam of the Masjid-ul-Haram) made his way towards the centre stage. It was my own bane to not know Arabic for his moving speech brought out the “goose bumps” in the Arab and Arab speaking audience. It was one of my childhood dreams to meet this personality revered throughout the Islamic world and Alhamdulillah seeing him from 20 ft away for the price of being a volunteer at the event was a good bargain

Then came the funny sheikh, the old man with a young heart. Sheikh Yusuf Estes gave an inspiring speech which set the tone for the following two days of spiritual revival. He managed to emphasize the need for us to engage in Da’wah within the capacity which each individual could muster within him – The best Da’wah being the exemplary way with which we conduct our lives amongst non-Muslims. He was clearly the highlight of the day for the fact that the crowd was predominantly english speaking and the global acceptance that the scholar has attracted through out the years.

It was a great feeling to see scholars from all across the globe converge at the same venue. I would like to urge all my brothers and sisters to benefit from this rare opportunity and to encourage our Non-Muslim friends and colleagues to take part in this great event.

Who is better in speech than one who calls (men) to Allah, works righteousness, and says “I am of those who bow in Islam”? (33) Nor can Goodness and Evil be equal. Repel (Evil) with what is better: then will he between whom and thee was hatred become as it were thy friend and intimate!

Al-Qur’an 41:33