Imam Abu Hanifa, A struggling believer

In the Name of Allah.

I compiled the following paper for my Fiqh class, and would like to share with everyone. After the Prophet (PBUH) and Umar, I follow the example of Imam Abu Hanifa, and owe my ideology to him. may Allah reward him for his struggles. Just like today, he found himself surrounded by Scholars without clear understanding of practical implication of Islam. He fought hard with extreme right, and extreme left, and gave us a model to follow today.

Text book gives a very high level and brief biography of Imam Nu’man bin Thabit aka Imam Abu Haneefah, but it does not provide the background and details that one should have to understand his status and contributions. There is an aspect of his life that is usually not discussed, which is very unique to him in the history.

He was born to an affluent family in Kufa, and his ancestry was from non-Arabic origin, and was brought up as a businessman. He was a master mind in business, and understood the intricacies of trade, and rules of trade, and his mind was very sharp, logical, and full of ambitions. As far as “Sirat-i-Nu’man” is concerned, Nu’man did not have any formal religious education until he was in his adulthood, which is a great contrast to other leading Imams of his era. His objective in life was not to become an Imam, but to become a businessman. This unique background gave him the edge over other scholars in his time over matters of trade and social rulings.

Once, he was passing by the house of Imam Sha’bi, and Imam called him “Where are you going, young man?”  Imam Abu Haneefah explained him that he was going to see a merchant close by. In fact, Imam Sha’bi called him by mistake believing him to be his student. Since they were talking, he offered him to join his classes (Sirat-i-Nu’man pg 9). Imam Abu Haneefah made up his mind to learn about Islam, and studied with many teachers for a long time to become a great teacher. When, he became a teacher, he had a mission that changed the world as we know it. He was, unlike other Imams, a man of trade in heart, and understood the direction the world is heading towards. In his time, there were a lot of foreign business contracts that were being exposed to Muslims, and it was very difficult for lay person to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH) with every new case that came up. He made tons of rulings in the field of business and trade, and most of the rulings that Non-Muslims were exposed to in Islamic history, originated with him.

 Of course, with any change, comes the criticism, and he was given different titles, and labels. Some said that he rejected hadith, and others called him “what iffer”, and some even denied his status as faqhi, due to lack of him narrating ahadith. However, the fact remains that he was the first one to compile the fiqh in a way that paved the way for the future. He looked at each issue without the lens of local custom or culture, and allowed his students to debate when other scholars dictated the conversation. His mastery on qiyas, and unique background allowed him to look at fiqh from a different perspective. Muslims in the west can relate to his life story, as he was born, grew up and studied outside the mainstream schools of learning, and came to Islamic knowledge at a later age.

He compiled many books but most of them did not survive to us. Three are well known. Fiqh Akbar, Al-‘Alim Wa’l-Muta’allim, and Musnad. What reached to us mostly are his student’s compilations, which were influenced by his methodology, and provided the foundations for Muslim Ummah for centuries as their official Fiqh. Unfortunately, there are many false extraordinary stories attributed to him, like he prayed Fajr with same wudu from Isha prayer, and he completed seven thousand readings in the jail (Sirat-i-Nu’man pg 43). There is no evidence that they were true, however. What seems to be his great contribution is his unique way of looking at fiqh. While conventional scholars restricted themselves to direct meaning of the Quran and Sunnah, in most occasions, he explored the spirit of the rules of Islam within sources, so answers could be given to the new arising cases. Today, it is a necessity for the scholars to answer whether Quran saved in the phone, makes the phone a mushaf.

Nevertheless, his wisdom and keen mind was well known. His famous encounter with Imam Malik left Imam Malik sweating, and on many occasion, he solved people’s issue with his wit. For example, a man took an oath that he will not speak to his wife unless she speaks first, and the wife also got angry and took the oath that she will not speak unless he does first. Later, they realized their mistake and went to Sufyan Thauri, but he told them that the only way out is atonement of oath. Unsatisfied, they went to Abu Haneefah, and he told them that you can speak to each other all you want, and no atonement is required. When Sufyan Thauri found out, he went to Abu Haneefah to complain about the invalid ruling. Abu Haneefah told him that when she spoke to take her oath, she fulfilled his condition, and his oath completed, so he can speak to her as he likes (Sirat-i-Nu’man pg 71). Imam Abu Haneefah had the gift of having sharp mind that could see through clutter of details, and he could solve problems with the most ingenious solutions in a moment.

In reality, the most important characteristic that he had was that he could explain the difficult matters in simple terms, which was unique to him in his era among scholars of his status. Today, this is the biggest weakness in our Ummah that there is a gap of understanding between the scholars and lay person, and the scholars are not able to prove to people using practical examples their legal opinions. If he was alive today, he would look at the division among Muslims based on fiqh, and will laugh at it, and then cry at it. He will laugh, because the correct ruling is in front of the scholars, but they refuse to accept it. He will cry because, one of the reason people will not accept the correct ruling is because it will mean to admit that a certain fiqh followed the wrong ruling for centuries.

Imam Abu Haneefah continued his trade throughout his life, and presented an example of balancing the religious duties and worldly duties. He was able to understand the issues of common folks, and was able to deduce rulings, and was able to articulate his rulings in a convincing way.  Other scholars of his time could have been more educated, and well versed in hadith, perhaps, but his understanding of deen (fiqh) was second to none.

JazakAllah Khairin

Adnan Jumani (Abu Arman)

References

“Sirat-i-Nu’man”, Written by Allamah Shibli Nu’mani, Translated by M. Hadi Hussain.

Shirk crawls a little further. Can we stop it?

In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the All-Compassionate

All praise is due to Allah, the lord of the worlds

"O mankind! Worship your Lord (Allah), Who created you and those who were before you so that you may acquire Taqwa. Who has made the earth a resting place for you, and the sky as a canopy, and sent down water (rain) from the sky and brought forth therewith fruits as a provision for you. Then do not set up rivals unto Allah (in worship) while you know (that He alone has the right to be worshipped)." (Quran 2:21-22)

The Prophet (PBUH) said: O people, save yourselves from this shirk for it is more inconspicuous than the creeping of ant. (Musnad Ahmad 4:403)

After returning from NYC, I visited the masjid, and I noticed this creeping of ant on the prayer schedule of the masjid. They have moved the time for Jumma from 1:45 PM to 1:15 PM. We know that Jumma starts when the first adhan is called in the Masjid, so why does it says 1:15 PM now. My guess is that my criticism of their UnIslamic format for Jumma caused someone to include the english talk as part of the Jumma services, which it is clearly not. So, why do I bring it in the context of Shirk?

Before all of you gather outside my home with stone and firewood, let me explain what is happening here. Iblis has a very practical plan, and he implements it with complete patience, and understanding of human psychology. He will never outright ask a believer to commit shirk, as no practicing muslim will follow him. Instead, what he does is that he places an acceptable ant that you can't really see while standing up, and then  the ant crawls very slowly towards us. In every movement of this ant, we will find benefit and acceptance, but once this ant reaches its destination, we have left Islam.

Prophet (PBUH) said, “I warn you of the newly invented matters (in the religion),and every newly invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Hellfire” (an-Nasaa’ee)

In the above hadith, innovation does not mean any new thing, because that would be very limiting. For example, using loud speakers, or websites to help in deen. What it means is that anything that requires belief has been enumerated for us in the Quran and Sunnah, and if we add to it, it will be innovation in deen. Blessings of Jumma service is a belief, and our belief is that it begins at the Adhan, because that is the method of the Prophet (PBUH). Any attempt to mark the start time for Jumma earlier than the first adhan is an innovation.

Also, english talk in Islamic Center of Orlando is prohibited by another hadith of the Prophet (PBUH) , but they continue it, and the ant is moving. Now ant has moved to include this innovation into Jumma time, and it will crawl further, and in a few years, the Jumma services will be a strange affair that will not be recognized. This is how shirk enters our life, and this is the method that doomed the early children of Adam. Let me provide an example.

When Noah came to his people with this message, they rejected it. Allah tells us: “And they said (to each other): ‘Abandon not your gods, abandon neither Wadd nor Suwâ`, neither Yaghûth nor Ya`ûq nor Nasr.” ( Quran Sûrah Nûh : 23)

Al-Bukhari recorded from Ibn `Abbas that he said, "The idols that were among the people of Nuh wound up among the Arabs afterwards.... These idols were all named after righteous men from the people of Nuh. Then when these men died, Shaytan inspired his (Nuh's) people to erect statues in honor of them at their gathering places where they used to come and sit, and to name these statues after these men (with their names). So they did this (as Shaytan suggested), but these statues were not worshipped until after those people (the ones who built them) had died and the knowledge was lost. Then, those statues were later worshipped.'' ... Ibn Jarir recorded from Muhammad bin Qays that he said concerning Yaghuth, Ya`uq and Nasr, "They were righteous people between the time of Adam and Nuh, and they had followers who used to adhere to their guidance. Then, when they died, their companions who used to follow them said, `If we make images of them, it will increase our desire to perform worship when we remember them.' So they made images of them. Then, when those people died and other people came after them, Iblis approached them and said, `They (your predecessors) used to worship these statues and they were granted rain by their worship of them.' Thus, they (the latter people) worshipped them.'' [Ibn Kathir]

When my youngest son Arjan grows up, and if I fail to explain this blog to him, he will look at the hadith of Angels closing the book when Imam stands up, and the timings for Jumma, he will certainly think of the whole thing as the Jumma service. Interestingly, in my email debate with local supporters of this invalid format of Jumma, they gave me assurances that the speech at 1:15 PM is not part of the Jummah, rather a beneficial pre-cursor. I warned them that any prohibition from the Prophet (PBUH) has a purpose, and now we know that this innovation has become part of the Jumma.


Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar:
Mujahid reported: I was in the company of Ibn Umar. A person invited the people for the noon or afternoon prayer (after the adhan had been called). He said: Go out with us (from this mosque) because this is an innovation (in religion). (Dawud :: Book 2 : Hadith 538)


The ant is moving faster than I expected, and it is stronger than all of us. I hope you all understand this plan of Iblis, and do not attend the english speech at 1:15 PM. There are many similar addition happening all the time which need to be stopped. The way to stop is to not support the addition, and not support the institution financially. I have withdrawn my financial support from the masjid, until they come back to the Sunnah, and I urge you to do the same. May Allah give us all guidance to follow the path shown by Muhammad ibn Abdullah (PBUH).

JazakAllah Khairin
An ant watcher

AbuArman Jumani

Headless Community

In the Name of Allah,

All praise is due to Allah, the King of mankind.

Recently, someone claimed that the community should be run by a "Majlis-e-Shura" (Advisory board). I would like to refute this claim with the help of Quran and Sunnah.

It is the core of the problem today, so I have to respond to it publicly. First, I will present my response, followed by the original email.

Wasalam,

     What you said so far is almost correct, but look further. Cardinal principle does not mean final authority. What it means is that Imam should follow these four principle. Please understand the difference.

      Shura is an Arabic term for advisors. Advisors are the ones who advice, and not the ones who make day to day decision. In almost every instance you quoted, it was the Imam who tasked the Shura with providing an advice.

     It is an obligation on Imam to take advice, but it is not an obligation on Imam to heed Shura on all matters.

    For example, Abu Bakar had a shura which unanimously agreed that Muslims that have stopped paying Zakat should not be attacked. Abu Bakr overruled the shura and got on the horse and said I am going to fight them, who is with me, and he was alone. Can Imam  do that in our community? This alone shatters your whole case.

   Let us look at each example you gave, and see if Shura has authority to make final decision, or is it Imam with whom rests the final authority?

   You referred to the following verse of the Quran.

    “And those who answer the Call of their Lord, and perform the Salah, and who (conduct) their affairs by mutual consultation, and who spend of what We have bestowed on them” (Quran 4:38)

  

 Ibn Kathir says that “means, they do not make a decision without consulting one another on the matter so that they can help one another by sharing their ideas concerning issues such as wars and other matters. The Prophet used to consult with them concerning wars and other matters, so that they would feel confidant.”

   It is clear from the tafsir that there is only one mode of political system. An Imam should not make decision until he has consulted with all, so they feel that they have been heard, but he is the one makes the final decision. Please do not misuse words of Quran, and understand the context and background.

  Then, you mentioned Ali appointing a governor, and advising him to be just and listen to people before making the decision, so this case supports what I already mentioned. A governor had full authority of an Imam over the area, unless you think these governor were weak and could be over ruled by people. You are mixing Justice with Shura having final authority.

  Then, you mentioned the incidence of Abu Bakar being selected khalifah, and it happened due to mutual consultation of people. This is an exception to the rule, because if there is no Imam, one has to be selected, and the shura have to come together to unanimously agree on one person to be an Imam. I agree with this, and Imam should be selected by the vote of people. However, once Imam is selected, shura has no authority to overrule the Imam, as Abu Bakar showed in the event of war for Zakat.

   Then, you mentioned the incidence of Umar forming a committee to select the next Khalifah. First, it was his decision to let them decide, so it is he who ultimately decided. This is the correct way, as it is the Sunnah. Khalifa should not be appointed, but selected by believers. Once again, selection of Imam is one thing that need to be done by the community. So, this comes under the exception of the rule but not the rule.

   If you like to run the community leader less like a country without a President, then go right ahead, but it is un Islamic as I have proven to you. Copying and pasting from a blog written on internet does not mean it contains the truth. Only the evidence it provides can make it true.

   Once again, Shura has no authority in making decisions for the community, after they have selected the Imam. Otherwise, it is absurd to have a puppet Imam who only lead in Salah, and does not have a final say in every decision Shura suggests. Even USA does not follow that. Can you imagine US Congress running the administration? Not a single bridge will be constructed. It is exactly what is happening here.

   In your form of government, lay person get together and make a decision, but 100 lay men can not equal one scholar. You need a scholar to make decisions. It is like running a home where children get together and tell the father the decision they made. No! No! No! Father is the Imam of the house and he should makes the final decision. 

   Would you like to fly in an airplane, where Pilot asks the passengers for every button he presses? Well, it will crash for sure. Even in the animals and insects, we know that, there is a leader. Every aspect of our life has a leader. I am sure, your business is run by a single person, who either is the president or Chairman of the board of directors. It is un natural to run a community with Shura alone. Imam has to take charge, or we are doomed.

   All your evidences are weak so far and have been refuted. Do you have any other?

  I will not rest until this deviant form of government is abolished and replaced by Islamic political system of a single leader.

And Allah Knows best.

JazakAllah Khairin

AbuArman

Following is the email I received.

From: ***** ********
Sent: Friday, November 11, 2011 7:34 AM
To: Adnan Jumani
Cc:
Subject: Re: *************

Brothers:

AOA

We are missing here...

Shura  constitutes one of the four cardinal principles in the Islamic perspective on socio-political organization. The other three are justice, equality, and human dignity.

Present Shura or any other Shura are the volunteers who are working on our behalf when we are enjoying in our worldly affairs. They are all sincere people. Don't blame anyone unless you have a solid proof or three wintnesses. We, muslims, are losing only for the reason we overbelieve ourselves and tend to find faults in our effort to prove we are supreme! We are not true believers!!

Please let this Shura work and when election time come offer your services - Let us admit their efforts, their time and sacrifice!

In the Quran, two modes of political consultation are mentioned. In the one, the Prophet Muhammad is asked to consult with his companions, but, ultimately, to decide on his own. In the other, the community of the faithful is described as the one that (among its other attributes) administers its affairs by mutual consultation. In the one, consultation is mandated but is not binding; in the other, it is depicted as constituting the very process by which binding decisions on public matters are reached. In the one, the Prophet is personally involved, in the other, it is the community deliberating on public matters collectively.

This all-inclusive notion of the ummah comes through clearly in the directive that the fourth Khalifa, Ali Ibn Abi Taleb gave to Malik Ibn Al Ashtar Al Nakha'i, upon dispatching him as governor to Egypt at a time when Egypt was more Christian than Muslim. Ali wrote:

Know, O Malik, that I am sending you to a country which has been subjected before you to both just and unjust rulers, and so the people will judge you in the same way that you now stand in judgment of your predecessors. Therefore, let good works be your true assets. Discipline yourself, and
covet not that which is not rightfully yours. Train your heart to feel compassion for the people, to love them and be kind to them. Do not behave like a ferocious beast toward them, snatching away their sustenance, for the people are of two categories: they are your brothers in religion and/or your fellow human beings".
This right was expressly affirmed by the first Khalifa, Abu Bakr Al Siddique, upon being confirmed by consensus as successor to the Prophet. Said he addressing the community present in the Medina Mosque: "I have been given authority over you, but I am not the best among you. Obey me so long as I obey God in the administration of your affairs. Where I disobey God, you owe me no obedience."
Upholding this very principle, the second Khalifa Omar said: Where I do right, assist me; where I do wrong correct me.
There is agreement that Shura in Islam has to do with a group of Muslims called the people of Shura (people of power and decision). Scholars said those people should have some qualities, such as justice, knowledge, opinion and wisdom. So, it can be said that they are “the scholars, leaders and dignitaries who can meet easily. When Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) was stabbed and was about to die, the companions asked him to name his successor, but he refused. However, he named six of the Prophet’s companions who the nation was unanimous over their goodness. Thus, Umar wanted to awaken the principle of Shura among Muslims. He said:“Choose from among those people who the Prophet said the people of Paradise; Sa’id ibn Zayd ibn Amr ibn Nufayl is one of them, but I will not include him. The six men are: Uthman and Ali the children of Abd Manaf, Abd-al-Rahman and Sa’d the Prophet’s maternal uncles, Al-Zubayr ibn Al-Awwam the Prophet’s cousin, and Talhah ibn Ubaydullah. So, choose a man from among them. If they choose one, support.

Caliphate: Flawless Democracy

In the Name of Allah, The Most Beneficent The Most Merciful

All Praise is due to Allah, the King of mankind.

It has been narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Umar that the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) said: It is obligatory upon a Muslim that he should listen (to the ruler appointed over him) and obey him whether he likes it or not, except that he is ordered to do a sinful thing. If he is ordered to do a sinful act, a Muslim should neither, listen to him nor should he obey his orders. (Sahih Muslim  Book 20 #4533)

Someone forwarded me an article from Orlando Sentinel, which described the complaints against Imam Musri that he has not held elections since 1993, when he became the leader of Islamic Society of Central Florida. In fact, the article says that before 1993 the organization was in chaos, and factions were fighting to represent threir fiqh in the community. Now, this organization is stable and growing. ISCF has registered members, and most of the complaints are from unregistered members.

I have always admired ISCF, and their unity. However, I would like to discuss the form of government that Allah chose for us. If we look at Quran and Sunnah for evidences, we find a unique form of government that is the most efficient. Let me try to present the Islamic form of government.

As we know that Islam is not a religion, but a way of life, so governing a human society is part of that scope. Islam has provided the best form of government I have ever seen or heard. If implemented, it brings the human society to peace and harmony, and provide a just and balanced environment. Many humans do not understand the basic concepts of Islamic government, and thus do not appreciate the weight of its benefits.

An Islamic government (organizaiton) is headed by Allah, and a human is selected as a leader to enforce the commands of Allah.  For this man to represent Allah as an authority, he has to have the knowledge of deen, and qualities of the world affairs. This authority includes both administrative and religous, and it is absurd to have an Imam in the masjid, and another man incharge of administration. Any masjid that runs under these unIslamic conditions, and Imam does not have full authority over all matters, is bound to fail.


Narrated Abu Bakra: During the battle of Al-Jamal, Allah benefited me with a Word (I heard from the Prophet). When the Prophet heard the news that the people of the Persia had made the daughter of Khosrau their Queen (ruler), he said, "Never will succeed such a nation as makes a woman their ruler."  (Sahih Bukhari 9:88:219)


As a mercy, women are exempt from this charge and Prophet (PBUH) established that in the hadith above. Some have challenged the authenticity of this hadith, but I have verified and there is no weakness in it, using all mainstream Usool-Al-Hadith.

It has been reported on the authority of 'Abd al-Rahman b. Samura who said: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said to me: 'Abd al-Rahman, do not ask for a position of authority, for if you are granted this position as a result of your asking for it, you will be left alone (without God's help to discharge the responsibilities attendant thereon), and it you are granted it without making any request for it, you will be helped (by God in the discharge of your duties). (Sahih Muslim  Book 20 #4487)

There are other several qualities that an Imam should have to be selected as the leader of the community like Ijtihad, lack of interest in leadership, and sincerity towards Allah to name some. So, how do we select this person? And, how long this person should lead the community? To answer this question, we have to go back to Quran and Sunnah.

After Prophet's (PBUH) death, a need arose to chose a leader for believers. Abu Bakr was chosen as the leader, due to the status he held, and Ansar also gave up their right on his behalf. Abu Bakr chose Umar as the leader. However, Umar Ibn Khattab refused to hand pick the next leader, when he was dying. He setup a committee of the best of the best believers and task them to chose a leader immediately. They selected Uthman ibn Affan, and he became the leader. So, we understand that if a person is running for the office, they should be disqualified automatically, since they have a desire to be a leader, which usually lead to corruption. Also, the leader is selected for life and not for a specific term. And, the required qualification is the piety and deep understanding of Islam.

It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: It is obligatory for you to listen to the ruler and obey him in adversity and prosperity, in pleasure and displeasure, and even when another person is given (rather undue) preference over you. (Sahih Muslim #4524)

Once selected, a leader of the believers is to be followed in all good things, even when we don't agree with him. He is to take charge of the community in all matters, and will  be a paid servant of the community. If this leader commands the community to act on a major sin or deviates from the path, community can depose him. He should keep a shura of men and women from different spectrum of the community to advise him.

In the representative democracy system, which is also called western democratic system, people run for election, asking for leadership position. They will take money from anyone, and do anything to get elected. This is a major flaw, and brings forth the cunning and deceptive people to the top.

In addition, the leaders are elected for a period of time, and asked to go home after the term. So, a qualified person who saves the country and brings peoperity has to sit down on the side line and watch incompitent leader ruin the success. For example, Bill Clinton could have serve USA for 30 more years. It is an extreme of human intelect trying to find best government system, and has become a major flaw.

Islamic government system is based on life long appointment of an able person, who will shape the community towards the goals set for humanity by Allah. He has enough time to establish good programs and see them to success. He has knowledge and advisors to guide him, who are not about to run for election. Of course, the level of piety of the community has to be at a minimum level for this to succeed.

So, Imam Musri is running the organization, according to Islam, and he is qualified to lead the community, and has no requirement to held election. Other Masajid should follow this model, and make the Imam in charge of the community completely. In the absence of that, it is not an obligation for a believer to follow Trustees, and Shura members, who are not educated in Islam, and some sin openly.

Today, there was a meeting to evaluate the option to extend the Jama Masjid, and many people were missing in action. First, I salute to the people who opened it up for the public to take part, but the community is MIA. There were some faces that I have never seen before. Most of the folks from the area where I live were missing, and I was the only one stood up to request them to consider building a masjid in our area instead of expending it. Everyone is looking for a lavish masjid which will attract tourist, but a very few from that bunch come to salah regularly in Jama Masjid. There is only one or two rows sometimes in Fajr Salah. Since the support was not there, my idea was overruled by majority and they moved on to discuss the expansion of the masjid. Masjid does not need expansion, but the level of faith among the people need expansion.

I am ready to pray salah in the mud as the Prophet (PBUH) did. If the 1000 people that attend the Jummah  need more space, please put a big donation box on Fridays, so they can help built the expansion. I have to go and join the 65 people in Isha prayer now, which is the true population of the Masjid. MaSalamah.

It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Malik that Ubaidullah b. Ziyad visited Ma'qil b. Yaser in the latter's illness. Ma'qil said to him: I am narrating to you a tradition. If I were not at death's door, I would not narrate it to you. I heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) say: A ruler who, having obtained control over the affairs of the Muslims, does not strive for their betterment and does not serve them sincerely shall not enter Paradise with them.(Sahih Muslim  Book 20  #4502)

JazakAllah Khairin

A struggling believer
AbuArman Adnan Jumani

Crumbling Foundations.

In the Name of Allah,

All praise is due to Allah, the only one who is worthy of worship.

"And most of them believe not in Allah except that they attribute partners unto Him." (Quran 12;106)

In Tafsir ibn Kathir, the verse is explained as "There is another type of hidden Shirk that most people are unaware of. Hammad bin Salamah narrated that `Asim bin Abi An-Najud said that `Urwah said, "Hudhayfah visited an ill man and saw a rope tied around his arm, so he ripped it off while reciting (this verse)"

My mother asked me the other day, "What does Islam say about Loh - e - Quran?". First, I didn't understand, so she explained me that there is a printout which has all Huruf Muqta'at (letters comes in the begining of some surahs, but don't have any known meaning) in a pattern, and people hang them in their home. Instead of answering her, I gave her the principle of Tawheed.

If we believe in anything that can not be proven with our five senses and logical reasoning, it falls under believe in unseen. In Islam, all beliefs in unseen are forms of shirk, except what taught by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Moreover, believing pain killer will help with pain is permissible, but wearing a thread believing it will provide comfort is associating partners with Allah.

So, I asked her the purpose of that printout. She said that some believe it to bring increased income and blessings. I told her that if one hangs these letters as a reminder and read them like one would read Quran, there is nothing wrong with it. However, if we believe in it having some super natural power on just being there, then it becomes the form of shirk, because now we have put our trust on  something other then Allah. She seemed satisfied, and she is probably one of the few people I know who surrender to Allah when told his commands. May Allah give her entry into Jannah.

In fact, this disease is very widespread, and is very dangerous for the believers. I have fallen into it many times, by believing that the dua hanging in my car will serve any other purpose beside being a reminder to read that dua. Many of you may relate to that, and some of these beliefs have taken so deep roots in our lives that removing them would crumble our foundation of faith, but remove them we must. Foundations may crumble, but it will save us from the fire of hell.

For example, in my local masjid, there is a part of the Quran printed in micro letters and hanging 20 feet above the ground on the right wall. No one can read it, so the only purpose it can serve is to give people belief in unseen power it could have, which takes us away from the worship of Allah. Of course, no one even think about it because it is so subtle and minor, and some may even disagree with me. Remember that we worship Allah as were taught by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and we are unable to innovate new ways to worship Allah, and it is prohibited in the strict sense.

If any belief is authenticated to have come from the Prophet (PBUH), then there is no harm in following it. There are many methods like blowing in the hands and rubbing all over body after reading Quran, and reading Surah Fatiha over a sick person etc that comes to us from him (PBUH). Our faith in Allah is the key for our salvation, and we should purify it, and keep it safe from the shirk. These minor invalid beliefs open the door for major beliefs, and as long as a person is willing to accept unseen benefit from an Islamic relic, there is no limit to this slope and slip, slip, slip they go.

Once again, everything that is natural and can be explained is permissible for us to believe, on the merit that Allah revealed us this understanding through our senses. Belief in medicine curing with Allah's will, belief in car starting with Allah's will, and belief in fire harming with Allah's will, are all forms of worship, if we belief that Allah have put means for us in these which we can prove.

And, anything that is not explained by natural means, and their benefits are not tangible by all humans regardless of their faith, then believing in them is a matter of faith. Belief in bad omen, belief in Quranic verses' mere presence providing supernatural benefit, belief in horoscope, and belief in charms, are all forms of shirk, if not found in the Quran and the Sunnah.

What I see among believers today is that their foundations are crumbling, and they die one by one in believing these forms of shirk. Let us examine our beliefs, and challenge every action that is based on belief in unseen to verify if this is authentic or just a tradition. This is the least we can do.

"O' Allah, we seek refuge in You from knowingly committing shirk with You and we ask Your forgiveness for what we do not know about" (Ahmad and At-Tibrani)

If any of you like to understand further please contact me, or if you find anything here contradicting Islam, please let me know with evidences, as I am son of Adam, and mistakes are in my nature.

And Allah knows best.

JazakAllah Khairin

A struggling believer
AbuArman Adnan Jumani

The Litmus Test of Islam.

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Specially Merciful.

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord, the God of Mankind.


"And most of them believe not in Allah except while they associate others with Him. (Quran 12:106)

Recently, someone passed away, and a gathering has been called in the Masjid to make dua and some other rituals may be. So, someone asked me if this is allowed in Islam. First of all, I pray to Allah that he forgives this person and give him Jannah. Instead of answering this question, I would like to present the foundation of Islam which should answer the question itself. Following is the explanation of above verse from Hafiz Kathir.

Ibn `Abbas commented, "They have a part of faith, for when they are asked, `Who created the heavens Who created the earth Who created the mountains' They say, `Allah did.' Yet, they associate others with Him in worship.'' Similar is said by Mujahid, `Ata, `Ikrimah, Ash-Sha`bi, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak and `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam. In the Sahih, it is recorded that during the Hajj season, the idolators used to say in their Talbiyah: "Here we rush to Your service. You have no partners with You, except a partner with You whom You own but he owns not!'' Allah said in another Ayah,

So, what it means is that it is easy to say that we accept Allah as the Supreme Lord, and consider him above everything, but it is not enough to say that. We can still commit shirk while we worship Allah as the only God. Without going into technical details of types of Tawheed, we should believe in three things to be clear of Shirk.

1) Allah is the creator of everything (which almost every human and Jin believes, including mushrikeen, and the people of the book)

2) When it comes to unseen belief, we shall only believe in what is explicitly said in the Quran, and taught by Prophet Muhammad(PBUH). We are allowed to believe on anything that our five senses and logic determine to be true unless it contradicts the belief described above. Any other action that is based on faith and not listed above is shirk.

3) We shall not add or remove from the description of Allah as it is explicitly recorded, and don't mix Allah's attribute with human attributes, and vice versa.

Any violation of above is considered shirk. So, if someone says that please take the medicine X because it heals, we are allowed to believe it, and follow it. However, if someone says that please wear a black thread it will protect you from evil spirit, it needs to be checked, because this is a matter of faith. If it turns out that it was taught by the Prophet (PBUH) then we accept it, otherwise we reject it.

Once again, if an act is not explained by nature (a worldy matter), and done on the basis of unseen belief that a benefit will come, and it does not have a precedence in the Quran and Sunnah, then it is a form of shirk. For example, when Umar (RA) ordered Taraweeh, he was re-instating something that was already established in the Sunnah. Also, when Utham (RA) added a second adhan, his intention was not to increase the reward, but to give people more time to prepare. Intention for an innovation has to be natural, otherwise it will be rejected.

I hope this has helped clarify the foundation of Islam, and provide a litmus test that can be applied for rejecting bad bid'a. Good bid'a is not only allowed, but it is necessary for us today. However, it can not violate the principals of Tawheed.

P.S. I beg you all to find a venue of learning and increase your knowledge. Islamic Center of Orlando has classes of Tafseer, Arabic, Hadith, Seerah etc. Islamic Online University has free courses that are taught by live persons. Please don't be caught by the angel of death while not intending to increase knowledge, as it affirms ones disbelief in Allah's help.

And Allah knows best

JazakAllah Khairin

A seeker of knowledge
AbuArman Jumani

Islamophobia: The Beginning of the End

In the Name of Allah, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful.

All praise is due to Allah, the owner of the Day of Judgement.

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:    "Islam began as something strange and will return" (IbnMajah Kitab-AlFitn #3968)(Muslim Kitab-Ul-Iman #145)  

Islamophobia is a term used to describe the undue fear of Islam. Many around the world have the opinion that Islam in its true form is not a system we should follow. When someone tries to practice Islam according the Sunnah of Allah and Sunnah of his Messenger, they would encounter Islamophobia from majority of humans. Above hadith describes this fear that Makkans had in the early days that Islam will destroy their wealth as the idols are removed from Kaba. They were threatened that their culture which was preserved for hundreds of years will alter. It is the same fear that I see in the eyes of people today.

Muslims, including my relatives, fear me and hate me for practicing Islam. They don't want to be told that Eid is our holiday, and we should celebrate it better then we celebrate Birthdays, and Weddings. They don't want to be told that women should wear modest clothes. They don't want to be told that backbiting is a Major sin. They don't want to be told that earning haram wealth will nullify the connection with Allah. They don't want to be told that Women are to be allowed in the Masjid main hall for prayer, and participate in the lectures, so they can ask questions. They don't want to be told that women are not allowed to hold leaderhip position in the community...I can go on for another day or so, but lets leave it at that.

Islamic Sharia has become the dirty word, and even Muslims see it as unnecessary for their survival. I don't see a person being a Muslim, if he or she doesn't commit to Islamic Sharia completely.

I was talking to a young man yesterday, who is a "hafiz of Quran" and our future. I ask him whether he sees the split of Arab and non-Arab in our masjid, and he confirmed, but didn't have any clue how to resolve it. He did repeat the false hope line from Tableeghi Jamat about increasing our iman by coming to Masjid. Hopeless! Hopeless! Hopeless! When I ask these people why can't they sit with scholars from other race, they say you should learn from who you trust. I think that's an excuse to hide the Islamophobia that they keep inside their heart. Everyone is afraid of the other's set of believes.

Even, in the Sunday class, we are told not to judge someone, whereas Allah command us to Forbid Evil in Quran many a times. They are afraid that people will turn away from the class. Well, if we use the wisdom, that should not be the case. We should not fear Islam. Messenger of Allah (PBUH) did not hold back on his judgement, and told one of the person "Go back and pray again, as you have not prayed properly". I ask, Are you afraid of saying this to someone, then you are an Islamophobic.

I predict that as time progress, Islamophobia will increase among Muslims and Christians, and it will eventually lead to the great wars prophecized in the Bible and Quran. In fact, it has already started. Turkey has sever ties with Israel on a small dispute. Dictators, who were loved by the world as the counteracting agent on Islam are being removed, and being replaced with fresh blood, who ultimately will come to one conclusion that Islam is the only way to run human society. It is the beginning of an End. Wheels are in motion, and only a few see the writing on the wall. The world has slowly started to polarized upon Islam, and it will continue. Islam is peace and will remain peace. Muslims who teach dis-engagement with Christians are wrong. Muslims who teach dis-engagement with radical Islam are wrong. We need to engage. We need to stop this polarization.

I say to Christians, don't be afraid, Islamic Sharia is not what you think. I say to Muslims, don't be afraid to judge each other, as it is our duty, if done with wisdom, don't be afraid from a little bit of Ijtihad to remove corrupt traditions as it is not going against the Fiqh. I say to Vanilla Muslims, you will not lose status among your workplace and schools for practicing Islam. I say to my family, don't be afraid of prioritizing Allah over everything else, and taking the first step towards Allah. I say to fellow practicing Muslims, don't be afraid of staring into the eyes of who defy you, Allah is with you, nothing to be afraid, as the worst that can happen is death, which is the beginning of the eternal life.

Again, Practicing Islam has become strange, and if you are accepted easily by your fellow Muslims, then you must not be practicing as it should be. This is not the time to blend in. This is the time to stand out. As a wise person said recently, "It is time to Represent!"

May Allah make us stranger and provide us strength to remain in the strange ways.

JazakAllah Khairin

A stranger to all, perhaps
AbuArman Jumani