In the Name of Allah,
All praise is due to Allah.
I can't remember the count, but many many times I have debated with Muslims reagrding our current leaders, and everyone seems to be confused as to who should be selected leader of Muslims. I ask them that what qualities they would like to see in him, and their answer is usually either very bias towards their race, or very vague.
Even our local masjid struggle with this when selecting for shura or Amir. They have selected rich, educated, influencial people hoping to bring success to the community, but thats not the formula for success.
It is not very difficult to decide who should be our leader, or what should be the criteria. We already have the method prescribed by the rightly guided ones. I would like to present some examples, and then a short story to make the point.
Leader should be the most pious person in the community, and he should believe in Islamic Sharia, and follows it in his life. He should be the one with the balance of knowledge and wisdom. He should be selfless in his actions. He should be open to ijtihad for the occassions, when the new matters come up for decision. He should be the one who would punish his family members more severly than others, if they break the law.
He should not interpret Sharia by himself, but refer the matter to the most knowledgable in the area. His family should be happy with him. He keeps his promises. He does not lie.
You never ever select anyone leader who wants to be one. If you want to be one, and get selected, then you are responsible for all the good and bad, and Allah will not help. However, if you don't want to be, and get selected, Allah will help you in every step, given that you follow Allah's will.
I understand that all of these qualities may not exist in one individual, but if some of them exist, then he is the one. My favourite leader was Al Farooq, Umar bin Khatta'b, the poor king, the one who invented the modern government, the one who championed the personal freedom, the one who allowed free speech, the one who worked in ditches himself. Nowadays, Imams wear fancy suites, and will not help in changing the trash, or cleaning dishes in the masjid. They are mere opposite of Umar.
Following story reflects what I have to say.
Caliph Umar Bin Khattab and trencher
Umar ibn Khattab not only known as the Caliph of authoritative, but also simple
and populist. To find out about people, Omar did not hesitate disguised as
ordinary people.
He often strolled into the countryside alone. At that time no one recognized that
he was actually head of government. When he found his subjects was trouble, he was
immediately given assistance.
Umar knew what was in his hands when it was not hers but belongs to the people.
For that Umar strictly prohibits family members spree. He was always thrifty in
the use of daily needs. Because hematnya, to use only lights amirulmukminin family
is very careful. The new oil lamps were lit when there is an important
conversation. If not, better not to use lights.
"My children, we better talk in the dark. Therefore, the oil used to light the
lamp belonged to the people! "Said the caliph when his son wanted to talk in the
middle of the night.
In his life, Umar always uphold the people's mandate to be administered in the
shoulder. Great respect for all people.
Apparently, the story about the greatness of the Caliph Omar was heard also by a
neighboring king. King was interested and wanted to meet with Omar.
So one day dipersiapkanlah troops to escort the royal government came to Umar.
When the king arrived at the gates of the city of Medina, he saw a man were busy
digging trenches and clearing drains on the roadside. Then, the man she called it.
"O my brother!" Cried the king, sitting on the saddle horse greatness.
"Can you show where the palace and the throne Umar?" He said later. The man was
immediately stopped the work. Then he saluted.
"O Master, Which Mr. Umar?" He asked in a ditch digger. "Umar ibn al-Khattab
head of government of the Islamic empire of the famous wise and brave," said the
king. Trencher man smiled. "You guessed wrong. Umar ibn Khattab was the head of
the Islamic government does not have a palace and throne as you
thought. He was an ordinary person like me, "explained the ditch digger,".
"Oh really? How could the head of the Islamic government of the great famous all
over the country had no palace? "King frowned.
"You do not believe it? Okay, follow me, "said the ditch digger.
Then he invited the king's entourage to the "palace" Umar. After walking through
the village halls, markets, and the city, they finally arrived in front of a
modest house. He led the royal guests came in and sat. Ditch
digger went back and change clothes. After the royal guests were met. "Now escort
us to the palace of 'Umar!" Said the king impatiently.
Ditch digger smiled. "Mr. King, I have said earlier that Umar ibn al-Khattab did
not have a palace. You are in the palace of Umar! "
Huh?! "The king and his guards stared. Of course they were shocked. Because the
house was not described masukinya least as a center of the kingdom. Although the
house was clean and neat, but very simple.
Apparently the king did not want to believe it. He also took out his sword. Then
stood up, brandishing his sword.
"Do not try to cheat me! This sword can cut your neck in an instant! "He threatened glaring.
Trencher was still smiling. Then quietly, he stood up. "Here there are no people
who dared to lie. If they do sword had cut his neck. Put the sword back. We did not deserve a fight in court Umar, "said trencher. He calmly took the king and put his sword back in its sheath.
The king was amazed to see the courage and the serenity of the trencher. Between
believing and not, looked at the face ditch digger. Then, he returned to see Umar's 'palace'.
Emerged servants and guards to entertain them with a ceremony greatness. However, the king had not been believed.
"Is this the palace Umar?" he asked the maid-servant.
"Yes, my lord, this is the palace of Umar ibn al-Khattab," said one maid.
"Okay," he said. King had to trust the maid's words.
"But, where is Omar? Show me, I'd love to meet him and shake his hand! "Said the king.
the maid politely pointed to the trencher man who sat in front of the king.
"Seated in front of you is the Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab" replied the maid
"Huh!" King was completely stunned. So did his bodyguards.
"So ... so, you are Caliph Omar ...?" Asked the king with a stutter.
The ditch digger nodded with a friendly smile.
"Since our first meeting at the gate of the city of Medina, in fact you were
dealing with 'Umar ibn al-Khattab!" He said quietly.
Then the king hugged him tightly. He was very touched and even cried to see the simplicity of Umar. He did not think, Caliph whose name revered in the entire country, was willing to dig trenches alone at the edge of town.
Since then, the king always send people to the city of Medina to study the Islamic
religion.
This is who we need to lead us. May Allah provide us a leader like him again.
JazakAllah Khairin
A struggling Muslim
AbuArman (Adnan Jumani)
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Monday, December 27, 2010
What is wrong with wishing Merry Christmas?
In the Name of Allah,
All praise is due to Allah, the one who holds my life in his hand.
I received a question over the weekend that reminded me to write about this topic. For muslims living side by side with non-muslims, it becomes very odd and confusing at the time of non-Islamic religious holidays. And, one of the biggest question that bother people is that should we greet them in their holiday, or not?
Sole purpose of Islam is to establish civlized, mannered, and curteous society. As the messenger of Allah (PBUH) said himself.
Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "I was sent to perfect good character."
(Malik's Muwatta Book 47, Number 47.1.8)
So, Islam would never teach to be rude or disrespectful, because that would be contrary to the purpose of messenger of Allah's life.
However, it does not mean that we disobey Allah to make non-muslims feel good, and anything that is prohibited should not be done for the sake of good manners, because Allah has best manners, and he never prohibits something that is good for us.
In essence, we have to find out if saying "Merry Christmas" violates an order of the Allah (remember that order of the Prophet (PBUH) is from Allah and not from himself so that counts as well).
First condition to be a Muslim is to proclaim that none worthy of worship beside Allah, and if someone worships other than Allah would automatically leaves Islam. This should be pretty clear, and no evidence is needed here. If one disagree with this, there are bigger issues to discuss then a greeting.
“Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (4031)
Above hadith talks about the actions that are specific to Christians, and no other nation use it beside in the context of Christians. For example, wearing cross (with bottom end elongated) etc. If a person imitates the unique aspect of a nation or race, Islam consider that person to be one of them, but that is not why this greeting becomes prohibited. This is just to remind ourselves to not lose our identity.
Christmas is a religious celebration for the birth of Jesus, and there are billions of Christians who pray in the church on this day, and consider this to be the most sacred day. There are some who consider it to be a secular holiday, but those are still following the traditions of the practicing Christians. Regardless, it is pretty safe to say that Christmas is a religious holiday for some.
For Christians, worshiping God includes many things, and it varies from one sect of Christians to the next. It includes, certain time of the year, certains words uttered, certain traditions followed, certain rituals performed. Similarly, Muslims worship God by celebrating Eid, and greet each other on the day of Eid. In addition, Muslims are required to greet with salam each other, and it is considered part of worshiping Allah.
Now, the only question remains is "Is saying Merry Christmas, part of Christian worshipping tradition?" If it is, then we are prohibited to initiate or respond with that greeting. However, we can respond their greeting with a "Thank You", since we should appreciate their gesture to include us in their celebration.
For the greeting to become part of worship, we have to show that a group of followers consider it to be such, regardless of what other non-practicing people consider it to be.
Christmas is a religous celebration, where worship is performed by Christians on this day. Many church services include a traditional christmas greeting which in most part of the world is "Merry Christmas".
Following two images shows that greeting on Christmas is part of the traditions, and all such traditions performed by Pope in Catholicism are considered to be part of worship. So, greeting for Christmas is part of worship for this religion.
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/7706419-merry-christmas-greeting-messages/image/69016735-pope-benedict-xvi-is-greeted-by-cardinals-during-the-traditional-exchange-of-christmas
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/7706419-merry-christmas-greeting-messages/image/69016737-pope-benedict-xvi-sits-during-the-traditional-exchange-of-christmas-greetings-to-the-curia
Now, once we have proven that greeting for Christmas is part of the worship, lets look at the words used by the Pope to make that greeting. In the following offical letter, the Pope is greeting the followers with Christmas greetings, and says "...Merry Christmas and very many good wishes also for the New Year! ". Here the words "Merry Christmas" are the greeting for christmas, and rest is the wish for new year. Wishing a new year is not proven to be religous for a specific religion, and he is using it because of the proximity of the two. So, Wishing new year is not prohibited due to the fact that it is not connected to religious ceremony. However, this letter ties the words "Merry Chrsitmas" to the leader of a Christian sect using it to recognize his dedication to his beliefs, which is the definition of worship.
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2006/december/documents/hf_ben_xvi_spe_20061222_curia-romana_en.html
Hence, the greeting "Merry Christmas" is part of worshiping other then Allah, and is a violation of the first oath a Muslim takes when he or she becomes a Muslim. Please do not take it lightly because our faith depends upon rejecting the worship of birth and death of Jesus. If we wish someone this greeting, we are participating in the activity that glorifies the worship of someone other than Allah.
Would you wish someone, when they move in together to fornicate (couples without marraige), or they about to suicide, or stealing, or opressing someone? I hope not. So, why would you wish someone when they are celebrating commiting the biggest sin of all "Shirk" (biggest self inflicted wound or Zulm a human can do).
There is nothing wrong with wishing someone Happy New Year or Happy ThanksGiving, but it is wrong to wish a non-muslim on their religous celebration, because by definition they are celebrating "Shirk" (polytheism) and they are commiting suicide in the life hereafter.
I want all the non-muslims to succeed (become muslims), and will never cheer at their demise, which will be wishing them "Merry Christmas".
JazakAllah Khairin
a struggling muslim
AbuArman (Adnan Jumani)
All praise is due to Allah, the one who holds my life in his hand.
I received a question over the weekend that reminded me to write about this topic. For muslims living side by side with non-muslims, it becomes very odd and confusing at the time of non-Islamic religious holidays. And, one of the biggest question that bother people is that should we greet them in their holiday, or not?
Sole purpose of Islam is to establish civlized, mannered, and curteous society. As the messenger of Allah (PBUH) said himself.
Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "I was sent to perfect good character."
(Malik's Muwatta Book 47, Number 47.1.8)
So, Islam would never teach to be rude or disrespectful, because that would be contrary to the purpose of messenger of Allah's life.
However, it does not mean that we disobey Allah to make non-muslims feel good, and anything that is prohibited should not be done for the sake of good manners, because Allah has best manners, and he never prohibits something that is good for us.
In essence, we have to find out if saying "Merry Christmas" violates an order of the Allah (remember that order of the Prophet (PBUH) is from Allah and not from himself so that counts as well).
First condition to be a Muslim is to proclaim that none worthy of worship beside Allah, and if someone worships other than Allah would automatically leaves Islam. This should be pretty clear, and no evidence is needed here. If one disagree with this, there are bigger issues to discuss then a greeting.
“Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (4031)
Above hadith talks about the actions that are specific to Christians, and no other nation use it beside in the context of Christians. For example, wearing cross (with bottom end elongated) etc. If a person imitates the unique aspect of a nation or race, Islam consider that person to be one of them, but that is not why this greeting becomes prohibited. This is just to remind ourselves to not lose our identity.
Christmas is a religious celebration for the birth of Jesus, and there are billions of Christians who pray in the church on this day, and consider this to be the most sacred day. There are some who consider it to be a secular holiday, but those are still following the traditions of the practicing Christians. Regardless, it is pretty safe to say that Christmas is a religious holiday for some.
For Christians, worshiping God includes many things, and it varies from one sect of Christians to the next. It includes, certain time of the year, certains words uttered, certain traditions followed, certain rituals performed. Similarly, Muslims worship God by celebrating Eid, and greet each other on the day of Eid. In addition, Muslims are required to greet with salam each other, and it is considered part of worshiping Allah.
Now, the only question remains is "Is saying Merry Christmas, part of Christian worshipping tradition?" If it is, then we are prohibited to initiate or respond with that greeting. However, we can respond their greeting with a "Thank You", since we should appreciate their gesture to include us in their celebration.
For the greeting to become part of worship, we have to show that a group of followers consider it to be such, regardless of what other non-practicing people consider it to be.
Christmas is a religous celebration, where worship is performed by Christians on this day. Many church services include a traditional christmas greeting which in most part of the world is "Merry Christmas".
Following two images shows that greeting on Christmas is part of the traditions, and all such traditions performed by Pope in Catholicism are considered to be part of worship. So, greeting for Christmas is part of worship for this religion.
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/7706419-merry-christmas-greeting-messages/image/69016735-pope-benedict-xvi-is-greeted-by-cardinals-during-the-traditional-exchange-of-christmas
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/7706419-merry-christmas-greeting-messages/image/69016737-pope-benedict-xvi-sits-during-the-traditional-exchange-of-christmas-greetings-to-the-curia
Now, once we have proven that greeting for Christmas is part of the worship, lets look at the words used by the Pope to make that greeting. In the following offical letter, the Pope is greeting the followers with Christmas greetings, and says "...Merry Christmas and very many good wishes also for the New Year! ". Here the words "Merry Christmas" are the greeting for christmas, and rest is the wish for new year. Wishing a new year is not proven to be religous for a specific religion, and he is using it because of the proximity of the two. So, Wishing new year is not prohibited due to the fact that it is not connected to religious ceremony. However, this letter ties the words "Merry Chrsitmas" to the leader of a Christian sect using it to recognize his dedication to his beliefs, which is the definition of worship.
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2006/december/documents/hf_ben_xvi_spe_20061222_curia-romana_en.html
Hence, the greeting "Merry Christmas" is part of worshiping other then Allah, and is a violation of the first oath a Muslim takes when he or she becomes a Muslim. Please do not take it lightly because our faith depends upon rejecting the worship of birth and death of Jesus. If we wish someone this greeting, we are participating in the activity that glorifies the worship of someone other than Allah.
Would you wish someone, when they move in together to fornicate (couples without marraige), or they about to suicide, or stealing, or opressing someone? I hope not. So, why would you wish someone when they are celebrating commiting the biggest sin of all "Shirk" (biggest self inflicted wound or Zulm a human can do).
There is nothing wrong with wishing someone Happy New Year or Happy ThanksGiving, but it is wrong to wish a non-muslim on their religous celebration, because by definition they are celebrating "Shirk" (polytheism) and they are commiting suicide in the life hereafter.
I want all the non-muslims to succeed (become muslims), and will never cheer at their demise, which will be wishing them "Merry Christmas".
JazakAllah Khairin
a struggling muslim
AbuArman (Adnan Jumani)
Thursday, December 23, 2010
How to recognize hypocricy and eliminate it?
In the Name of Allah,
All praise is due to Allah, the creator and the sustainer of all creation.
If I say something wrong it is from my ego, and if I speak the truth it is from Allah.
Update on Islamic Center of Windermere: Sorry for the short notice, but the meeting is delayed until further notice. Someone has presented an alternative which I would like to discuss in person before moving forward with a general meeting.
"And of mankind, there are some who say: "We believe in Allah and the Last Day'' while in fact they do not believe. They try to deceive Allah and those who believe, while they only deceive themselves, and perceive (it) not!" (Quran 2:8-9)
When I started to try to practice Islam, one thing that keep coming back to me was the fear that I may be a hypocrite. I could be advising others to remember Allah, but not doing it myself. Or, may be I pretend to be a Muslim, but in the depths of my heart, there exist a doubt on Allah's existence. Until today, it is a constant fear, and sometimes I have caught myself acting hypocritacilly, and asked forgiveness from Allah. So, I speak from experience on this topic.
Thankfully, Quran and Sunnah provides a detection mechanism to find hypocrisy in our lives, and remove it once we find it. Before we dive into that mechanism, we have to list the two different types of Nifaq (hypocricy).
a) Greater (An-Nifaaq Al-Akbar): To present an outward appearance of belief in Allah, his Angels, his books, his messengers, the last day, etc. while concealing withing that which negates all or some of that. This is the hypocrisy which the Prophet (PBUH) confronted during his life and the ones who Allah said in the Qur’an that they are in "the lowest depth of hell-fire".
b) Lesser (An-Nifaaq Al-Asghar) or hypocrisy of action: To present an outward appearance of good and good deeds while concealing within that which negates that.
Ayah above refers to hypocricy in belief which is the worst kind of hypocrisy. Punishment for it is worst than the punishment of others in hell.
" The hypocrites are in the lowest level of the Fire. You will not find any one to help them,” (Quran 4:145)
Allah provided a detection mechanism for them in the following ayah. An hypocrite in belief would assure others of their strong beleives when in the masjid or religous discussion, but when in a more secular gathering or alone, he/she would downplay being a Muslim.
“And when they meet those who believe, they say: “We believe,” but when they are alone with their Shayâtin (devils – polytheists, hypocrites, etc.), they say: “Truly, we are with you; verily, we were but mocking.” (Quran 2:14)
Another way to detect is the habbit of avoiding all gatherings or situations where they might have to act upon their beleives.
“And when it is said to them: “Come to what Allâh has sent down and to the Messenger (Muhammad),” you (Muhammad) see the hypocrites turn away from you (Muhammad) with aversion.” (Quran 4:61)
It is not easy to eliminate hypocricy in belief, because the belief in Allah never took root in the heart. For them, Islam is a title and they play along. Only way out is to accept Allah as the master and remove the doubts from the heart.
Hypocrisy in action is the lesser type, and is more common among muslims. It means that a person has whole hartedly believed in oneness of Allah, and is muslim in heart. However, some of their actions are hypocritical. Following is the general rule to identify hypocrisy of that type.
"Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Amr:
The Prophet said, "Whoever has the following four (characteristics) will be a pure hypocrite and whoever has one of the following four characteristics will have one characteristic of hypocrisy unless and until he gives it up.
1. Whenever he is entrusted, he betrays.
2. Whenever he speaks, he tells a lie.
3. Whenever he makes a covenant, he proves treacherous.
4. Whenever he quarrels, he behaves in a very imprudent, evil and insulting manner."
(Bukhari Volume 1, Book 2, Number 33)
This is a very powerful hadith, becuase it lays it out in simple terms what are the symptoms of hypocrisy. So, if one has the four characteristics listed above, our Prophet (PBUH) is guaranteeing him or her to be a hypocrite, regardless of his other deeds. I hope none of us possess these four at the same time. When I read this hadith a while ago, it was very scary to me because I was on occassion liying, betraying the trust, breaking promises, and in the heat of the argument say whithout thinking if it is true or not.
One who has these character traits in interaction with other people is most likely to have them with regard to Allah and his Prophet (PBUH). That is why the existence of them is a ‘sign’ of the existence of greater hypocrisy, possibly.
Another sign is missing fajr and Isha salat regularly.
"Narrated Abu Hurairah (RAA) Rasualullah (SAW) said, "No prayer is harder for the hypocrites than the Fajr and the 'Isha' prayers..."(Bukhari Volume 1, Book 11, Hadith # 626)
Very common variation of hypocricy that I have noticed is that some people will act differently with a politician or rich guest, but when they leave they would act differently. Theses are the telling sign of possible deep hypocrisy, since it is a disease.
Hypocrisy in action is a disease of the heart, and it can spread fast to become the hypocrisy of belief, so we have to act fast and keep our heart healthy. Another way of looking at hypocrisy is the love for this world, because when our actions are not reflecting our beliefs, it is usually because our beliefs have become inconvenient, or we are expecting worldly loss due to our actions according to Islam. Our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has called this love for the world "rust for the heart", and prescribed two medicines below.
The Prophet [saw] once remarked: “Surely, these hearts get rusted as iron gets rusted in water." He was asked how the heart’s rust could be rubbed off. He replied: "By frequent remembrance of death and the recitation of the Qur’an.”
[Bayhaqi]
Beside these medicines, one can bring sincerity in their actions, and have an intention to align their deeds with their beliefs. Also, speaking the truth, keeping the promise, keeping the trust, and not transgressing during argument can help reduce hypocrisy in our lives.
We should fear hypocrisy like we fear diseases, and do a regular checkup to see if any of our actions are hyocritical.
JazakAllah Khairin
A struggling Muslim
AbuArman (Adnan Juman)
All praise is due to Allah, the creator and the sustainer of all creation.
If I say something wrong it is from my ego, and if I speak the truth it is from Allah.
Update on Islamic Center of Windermere: Sorry for the short notice, but the meeting is delayed until further notice. Someone has presented an alternative which I would like to discuss in person before moving forward with a general meeting.
"And of mankind, there are some who say: "We believe in Allah and the Last Day'' while in fact they do not believe. They try to deceive Allah and those who believe, while they only deceive themselves, and perceive (it) not!" (Quran 2:8-9)
When I started to try to practice Islam, one thing that keep coming back to me was the fear that I may be a hypocrite. I could be advising others to remember Allah, but not doing it myself. Or, may be I pretend to be a Muslim, but in the depths of my heart, there exist a doubt on Allah's existence. Until today, it is a constant fear, and sometimes I have caught myself acting hypocritacilly, and asked forgiveness from Allah. So, I speak from experience on this topic.
Thankfully, Quran and Sunnah provides a detection mechanism to find hypocrisy in our lives, and remove it once we find it. Before we dive into that mechanism, we have to list the two different types of Nifaq (hypocricy).
a) Greater (An-Nifaaq Al-Akbar): To present an outward appearance of belief in Allah, his Angels, his books, his messengers, the last day, etc. while concealing withing that which negates all or some of that. This is the hypocrisy which the Prophet (PBUH) confronted during his life and the ones who Allah said in the Qur’an that they are in "the lowest depth of hell-fire".
b) Lesser (An-Nifaaq Al-Asghar) or hypocrisy of action: To present an outward appearance of good and good deeds while concealing within that which negates that.
Ayah above refers to hypocricy in belief which is the worst kind of hypocrisy. Punishment for it is worst than the punishment of others in hell.
" The hypocrites are in the lowest level of the Fire. You will not find any one to help them,” (Quran 4:145)
Allah provided a detection mechanism for them in the following ayah. An hypocrite in belief would assure others of their strong beleives when in the masjid or religous discussion, but when in a more secular gathering or alone, he/she would downplay being a Muslim.
“And when they meet those who believe, they say: “We believe,” but when they are alone with their Shayâtin (devils – polytheists, hypocrites, etc.), they say: “Truly, we are with you; verily, we were but mocking.” (Quran 2:14)
Another way to detect is the habbit of avoiding all gatherings or situations where they might have to act upon their beleives.
“And when it is said to them: “Come to what Allâh has sent down and to the Messenger (Muhammad),” you (Muhammad) see the hypocrites turn away from you (Muhammad) with aversion.” (Quran 4:61)
It is not easy to eliminate hypocricy in belief, because the belief in Allah never took root in the heart. For them, Islam is a title and they play along. Only way out is to accept Allah as the master and remove the doubts from the heart.
Hypocrisy in action is the lesser type, and is more common among muslims. It means that a person has whole hartedly believed in oneness of Allah, and is muslim in heart. However, some of their actions are hypocritical. Following is the general rule to identify hypocrisy of that type.
"Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Amr:
The Prophet said, "Whoever has the following four (characteristics) will be a pure hypocrite and whoever has one of the following four characteristics will have one characteristic of hypocrisy unless and until he gives it up.
1. Whenever he is entrusted, he betrays.
2. Whenever he speaks, he tells a lie.
3. Whenever he makes a covenant, he proves treacherous.
4. Whenever he quarrels, he behaves in a very imprudent, evil and insulting manner."
(Bukhari Volume 1, Book 2, Number 33)
This is a very powerful hadith, becuase it lays it out in simple terms what are the symptoms of hypocrisy. So, if one has the four characteristics listed above, our Prophet (PBUH) is guaranteeing him or her to be a hypocrite, regardless of his other deeds. I hope none of us possess these four at the same time. When I read this hadith a while ago, it was very scary to me because I was on occassion liying, betraying the trust, breaking promises, and in the heat of the argument say whithout thinking if it is true or not.
One who has these character traits in interaction with other people is most likely to have them with regard to Allah and his Prophet (PBUH). That is why the existence of them is a ‘sign’ of the existence of greater hypocrisy, possibly.
Another sign is missing fajr and Isha salat regularly.
"Narrated Abu Hurairah (RAA) Rasualullah (SAW) said, "No prayer is harder for the hypocrites than the Fajr and the 'Isha' prayers..."(Bukhari Volume 1, Book 11, Hadith # 626)
Very common variation of hypocricy that I have noticed is that some people will act differently with a politician or rich guest, but when they leave they would act differently. Theses are the telling sign of possible deep hypocrisy, since it is a disease.
Hypocrisy in action is a disease of the heart, and it can spread fast to become the hypocrisy of belief, so we have to act fast and keep our heart healthy. Another way of looking at hypocrisy is the love for this world, because when our actions are not reflecting our beliefs, it is usually because our beliefs have become inconvenient, or we are expecting worldly loss due to our actions according to Islam. Our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has called this love for the world "rust for the heart", and prescribed two medicines below.
The Prophet [saw] once remarked: “Surely, these hearts get rusted as iron gets rusted in water." He was asked how the heart’s rust could be rubbed off. He replied: "By frequent remembrance of death and the recitation of the Qur’an.”
[Bayhaqi]
Beside these medicines, one can bring sincerity in their actions, and have an intention to align their deeds with their beliefs. Also, speaking the truth, keeping the promise, keeping the trust, and not transgressing during argument can help reduce hypocrisy in our lives.
We should fear hypocrisy like we fear diseases, and do a regular checkup to see if any of our actions are hyocritical.
JazakAllah Khairin
A struggling Muslim
AbuArman (Adnan Juman)
Friday, December 3, 2010
Is Watching TV Haram?
In the Name of Allah,
All praise is due to Allah, the creator and the sustainer.
I had many stories to tell from hajj, but I will do that some other time. Some thing that occupied my mind for a while, and I received many questions on this, when I sent the warning on Jadoo TV. The big question that many practicing muslims wonder is whether watching television Haram. (remember that non-practicing muslim would not care much either way, as they are done with Islam once walk out of Masjid)
Since I was a kid, we had a television set, and we watched the once a day program for kids, or once a day news cast, or once a day drama etc. It was usually a family affair, and the most we spent was 6 to 7 hours a week. In Pakistan, during those days, there was a fear of Allah, and programs were approved for modesty, and I don't recall anytime where my father would have got up and put his hand on my eyes and said that this is not for kids, or even close to it.
Unfortunately, last I visited Pakistan, some channels were so out of line that I had to look away from the screen as I was embarrassed. So, I don't think I need to mention the situation of TV channels in USA. Of course, there are channels and programs that are somewhat modest.
Now, if we are trying to follow Islam, how do we know if we can watch TV?
We have to look at several aspect of this act, and decide for each possibility of prohibition.
1. Is transmitting live video haram?
Making images is discouraged, if not prohibited in Islam, in general. This includes taking photographs for personal use. Exception have been given for picutres to identify someone. We should avoid as much as we can from taking pictures or let anyone take our pictures. Following hadith shows the sever punishment for that.
Hadith - Bukhari 3:428, Narrated Said bin Abu Al-Hasan
While I was with Ibn 'Abbas a man came and said, "O father of 'Abbas! My sustenance is from my manual profession and I make these pictures." Ibn 'Abbas said, "I will tell you only what I heard from Allah's Apostle . I heard him saying, 'Whoever makes a picture will be punished by Allah till he puts life in it, and he will never be able to put life in it.' " Hearing this, that man heaved a sigh and his face turned pale. Ibn 'Abbas said to him, "What a pity! If you insist on making pictures I advise you to make pictures of trees and any other unanimated objects."
Hadith - At-Tirmidhi
"On the Day of Resurrection a neck will stretch forth from Hell; it will have two eyes to see, two ears to hear, and a tongue to speak. It will say, "I have been appointed to take care of three types of people: every arrogant tyrant, every person who called on some deity other than Allaah (swt) and those who made pictures" [at-Tirmidhi stated that this hadith was saheeh - at-Takhweef min an-Naar, p.179, See also Jaami' al-Usool, 10/518, the editor said its isnaad is hasan]
Hadith - Muslim, Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib
AbulHayyaj al-Asadi told that Ali ibn AbuTalib said to him: Should I not send you on the same mission as Allah's Messenger sent me? Do not leave an image without obliterating it, or a high grave without levelling it. This hadith has been reported by Habib with the same chain of transmitters and he said: (do not leave) a picture without obliterating it.
On the other hand, video broadcast that we don't capture or keep for non-educational purposes is exempt from this, becuase once we see it, it has disappeared, which is very close to our eye sight. Within our eyes, images are formed that are transmitted at a certain speed to show us what we see. So, the technology of television braodcast is halal.
2. Are there some programs prohibited?
Every intelligent person should come to this conclusion that even if TV technology is halal, there could be transmissions that are prohibited to watch, as they are prohibited to see from our eyes.
I am not going to list all, but here are some.
a) Musical instruments are haram.
Hadith - Bukhari 7:494
Narrated Abu 'Amir or Abu Malik Al-Ash'ari that he heard the Prophet saying, "From among my followers there will be some people who will consider illegal sexual intercourse, the wearing of silk, the drinking of alcoholic drinks, and the use of musical instruments as lawful.
b) Indecent or shameful acts are haram to watch or perform.
When they do aught that is shameful, they say: "We found our fathers doing so"; and "Allah commanded us thus": Say: "Nay, Allah never commands what is shameful: do ye say of Allah what ye know not?" (Quran 7:28 )
c) Watching after hearing Adhan, or missing salat due to TV is haram.
And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks (i.e. music, singing, etc.) to mislead (men) from the Path of Allah without knowledge, and takes it (the Path of Allah, the Verses of the Qur'an) by way of mockery. For such there will be a humiliating torment (in the Hell-Fire). (Quran 31:6)
d) Anything on TV that leads to haram should be avoided as well.
3. Is it prohibited to entertain and pass time?
In general, Islam allows everything in our life, except a few, which means everything is halal, except which is explicitly prohibited. So, entertainment or passing time is an importann aspect of life, and it is allowable. However, some may find more closeness to Allah in reducing the pass time and devoting to zikr of Allah.
There is a big warning sign here, because the entertainment and pass time should not take us away from Salat, or our responsibilities. If that happens, then anything we are doing becomes haram.
Now, we know that watching TV, in general, is allowed but we need to be careful on how and what we watch. I have struggled alot with this, because I loved entertaining myself through TV. Slowly, I have started to reduce the time, and eliminate haram content.
My suggestion is to improve our TV habbits slowly but consistently, but stop watching musical, and indecent programs right away, and never let this habbit delay your salat. I have seen the difference it has made in my life, and avoiding haram content has created more interest in Allah, because anything we see affects our state of mind.
In the end, I have to mention that some people are confused due to fatwaas from some scholars advising not to watch TV or making it haram. I have not seen a single fatwaas yet, but I see the following.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071220/asp/nation/story_8688288.asp
I don't know if it is true about Deoband, but if it was, they are not prohibiting it but suggesting avoidance to prevent slipup. Also, the word "Fatwaa" means "legal opinion" not a law, which means if the evidence supporting that opinion is not sound we can reject it. Of course, if you lack knowledge to evaluate the evidences, you find trusted opinions until someone can provide stronger evidence refuting it and are easy to interpret.
Please don't make things haram for yourself that are halal, and make it easy on yourself to follow the beautiful religion of Islam. Balance is the key.
Salman al-Farsi reported that when the Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) was asked about animal fat, cheese, and fur, he replied, "The halal is that which Allah has made lawful in His Book and the haram is that which He has forbidden, and that concerning which He is silent He has permitted as a favor to you." (Reported by al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah.)
If you beleive in Allah, and the day of judgement, let us take an oath to not let television corrupt our minds or miss the duties toward Allah and his creation, but enjoy it if we wish in the proper way.
JazakAllah Khairin
A struggling muslim
AbuArman (Adnan)
All praise is due to Allah, the creator and the sustainer.
I had many stories to tell from hajj, but I will do that some other time. Some thing that occupied my mind for a while, and I received many questions on this, when I sent the warning on Jadoo TV. The big question that many practicing muslims wonder is whether watching television Haram. (remember that non-practicing muslim would not care much either way, as they are done with Islam once walk out of Masjid)
Since I was a kid, we had a television set, and we watched the once a day program for kids, or once a day news cast, or once a day drama etc. It was usually a family affair, and the most we spent was 6 to 7 hours a week. In Pakistan, during those days, there was a fear of Allah, and programs were approved for modesty, and I don't recall anytime where my father would have got up and put his hand on my eyes and said that this is not for kids, or even close to it.
Unfortunately, last I visited Pakistan, some channels were so out of line that I had to look away from the screen as I was embarrassed. So, I don't think I need to mention the situation of TV channels in USA. Of course, there are channels and programs that are somewhat modest.
Now, if we are trying to follow Islam, how do we know if we can watch TV?
We have to look at several aspect of this act, and decide for each possibility of prohibition.
1. Is transmitting live video haram?
Making images is discouraged, if not prohibited in Islam, in general. This includes taking photographs for personal use. Exception have been given for picutres to identify someone. We should avoid as much as we can from taking pictures or let anyone take our pictures. Following hadith shows the sever punishment for that.
Hadith - Bukhari 3:428, Narrated Said bin Abu Al-Hasan
While I was with Ibn 'Abbas a man came and said, "O father of 'Abbas! My sustenance is from my manual profession and I make these pictures." Ibn 'Abbas said, "I will tell you only what I heard from Allah's Apostle . I heard him saying, 'Whoever makes a picture will be punished by Allah till he puts life in it, and he will never be able to put life in it.' " Hearing this, that man heaved a sigh and his face turned pale. Ibn 'Abbas said to him, "What a pity! If you insist on making pictures I advise you to make pictures of trees and any other unanimated objects."
Hadith - At-Tirmidhi
"On the Day of Resurrection a neck will stretch forth from Hell; it will have two eyes to see, two ears to hear, and a tongue to speak. It will say, "I have been appointed to take care of three types of people: every arrogant tyrant, every person who called on some deity other than Allaah (swt) and those who made pictures" [at-Tirmidhi stated that this hadith was saheeh - at-Takhweef min an-Naar, p.179, See also Jaami' al-Usool, 10/518, the editor said its isnaad is hasan]
Hadith - Muslim, Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib
AbulHayyaj al-Asadi told that Ali ibn AbuTalib said to him: Should I not send you on the same mission as Allah's Messenger sent me? Do not leave an image without obliterating it, or a high grave without levelling it. This hadith has been reported by Habib with the same chain of transmitters and he said: (do not leave) a picture without obliterating it.
On the other hand, video broadcast that we don't capture or keep for non-educational purposes is exempt from this, becuase once we see it, it has disappeared, which is very close to our eye sight. Within our eyes, images are formed that are transmitted at a certain speed to show us what we see. So, the technology of television braodcast is halal.
2. Are there some programs prohibited?
Every intelligent person should come to this conclusion that even if TV technology is halal, there could be transmissions that are prohibited to watch, as they are prohibited to see from our eyes.
I am not going to list all, but here are some.
a) Musical instruments are haram.
Hadith - Bukhari 7:494
Narrated Abu 'Amir or Abu Malik Al-Ash'ari that he heard the Prophet saying, "From among my followers there will be some people who will consider illegal sexual intercourse, the wearing of silk, the drinking of alcoholic drinks, and the use of musical instruments as lawful.
b) Indecent or shameful acts are haram to watch or perform.
When they do aught that is shameful, they say: "We found our fathers doing so"; and "Allah commanded us thus": Say: "Nay, Allah never commands what is shameful: do ye say of Allah what ye know not?" (Quran 7:28 )
c) Watching after hearing Adhan, or missing salat due to TV is haram.
And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks (i.e. music, singing, etc.) to mislead (men) from the Path of Allah without knowledge, and takes it (the Path of Allah, the Verses of the Qur'an) by way of mockery. For such there will be a humiliating torment (in the Hell-Fire). (Quran 31:6)
d) Anything on TV that leads to haram should be avoided as well.
3. Is it prohibited to entertain and pass time?
In general, Islam allows everything in our life, except a few, which means everything is halal, except which is explicitly prohibited. So, entertainment or passing time is an importann aspect of life, and it is allowable. However, some may find more closeness to Allah in reducing the pass time and devoting to zikr of Allah.
There is a big warning sign here, because the entertainment and pass time should not take us away from Salat, or our responsibilities. If that happens, then anything we are doing becomes haram.
Now, we know that watching TV, in general, is allowed but we need to be careful on how and what we watch. I have struggled alot with this, because I loved entertaining myself through TV. Slowly, I have started to reduce the time, and eliminate haram content.
My suggestion is to improve our TV habbits slowly but consistently, but stop watching musical, and indecent programs right away, and never let this habbit delay your salat. I have seen the difference it has made in my life, and avoiding haram content has created more interest in Allah, because anything we see affects our state of mind.
In the end, I have to mention that some people are confused due to fatwaas from some scholars advising not to watch TV or making it haram. I have not seen a single fatwaas yet, but I see the following.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071220/asp/nation/story_8688288.asp
I don't know if it is true about Deoband, but if it was, they are not prohibiting it but suggesting avoidance to prevent slipup. Also, the word "Fatwaa" means "legal opinion" not a law, which means if the evidence supporting that opinion is not sound we can reject it. Of course, if you lack knowledge to evaluate the evidences, you find trusted opinions until someone can provide stronger evidence refuting it and are easy to interpret.
Please don't make things haram for yourself that are halal, and make it easy on yourself to follow the beautiful religion of Islam. Balance is the key.
Salman al-Farsi reported that when the Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) was asked about animal fat, cheese, and fur, he replied, "The halal is that which Allah has made lawful in His Book and the haram is that which He has forbidden, and that concerning which He is silent He has permitted as a favor to you." (Reported by al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah.)
If you beleive in Allah, and the day of judgement, let us take an oath to not let television corrupt our minds or miss the duties toward Allah and his creation, but enjoy it if we wish in the proper way.
JazakAllah Khairin
A struggling muslim
AbuArman (Adnan)
Friday, November 5, 2010
Hajj: Rehearsal for the last journey.
In the name of Allah,
All praise is due to whom in his hands is my life.
فِيهِ ءَايَـٰتُۢ بَيِّنَـٰتٌ۬ مَّقَامُ إِبۡرَٲهِيمَۖ وَمَن دَخَلَهُ ۥ كَانَ ءَامِنً۬اۗ وَلِلَّهِ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ حِجُّ ٱلۡبَيۡتِ مَنِ ٱسۡتَطَاعَ إِلَيۡهِ سَبِيلاً۬ۚ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَنِىٌّ عَنِ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ (٩٧)
"In it are signs manifest; (for example), the Station of Abraham; whoever enters it attains security; pilgrimage thereto is a duty men owe to Allah―those who can afford the journey; but if any deny faith; Allah stands not in need of any of His creatures." (Quran 3:97)
Allah's Messenger (p.b.u.h.) said, "He who is not prevented from performing the pilgrimage by an obvious necessity, a tyrannical ruler, or a disease which confines him at home, and dies without having performed the pilgrimage, may die if he wishes as a Jew, or if he wishes as a Christian." (Tirmidhi: 2535, Narrated Abu Umamah) (Darimi transmitted it)
When I was young I was told that Hajj is something you do once in a life time, and you can do it anytime in your life. They recommended to do it in the last days of life, because it will be easier to refrain from sin after that. During Hajj, there is a commitment to Allah that we repent for our sins, and repentence is only accepted if the intention is to never do that sin.
Recently, I found out that Hajj becomes fardh upon us once we are adult, and can afford it, and there is no physical limiations. This made me realize that I had no reason not to go for Hajj. So, I am intending to depart on Hajj tomorrow, InshaAllah. I would like to suggest you all who haven't perform hajj, and are able to go to make intention for next year. You don't have to follow Indian/Pakistani culture where people sin, sin, and sin, untill old age when sinning becomes difficult, then they go to Hajj. No offense intended to whom that follow this logic, but it is a little risky one.
So, what is the purpose for Hajj? Hajj rituals are very similar to what will happen to us on the day of judgement. We all will be in large crowd, moving, standing, reflecting on our lives. We will be moved to the grounds of arafat, and will stand before Allah. There will be no duties on that day except to be attentive to Allah.
Hence, it is a rehearsal for the difficult day to come. Allah, with his mercy, has allowed us the sneak preview for the movie to be released. On top of that, we are given opportunity to improve our results on that day by realizing our faults, promise to stop them, ask forgiveness, and promise to never repeat them. Practice makes perfect, so get on the practice suit and go to Hajj.
One who delays hajj intentionally is similar to the one who receives a letter of large inheritance from a distant relative, and delays responding to the letter. As a muslim, we inherited the internal knowledge of how we can ammend our lives, but this dunya keeps us distracted.
Also, like any other deeds, intention is what makes that deed count. So, if the person sincerely cut the ties from the world during the Hajj, and repent for the sins, and keeps the promise made during Hajj may have their Hajj accepted.
In fact, if you are not going to hajj this year, you also have an opportunity to gain tons of rewards by fasting on first 9 days, or atleast on 9th Dhul-Hijja (Arafat day). And, do good deeds during these days.
"By the dawn; by the 10 nights" [Noble Quran 89:1-2]
Ibn Abbas, Ibn al-Zubayr, Mujahid and others of the earlier and later generations said that this refers to the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. Ibn Kathir said: "This is the correct opinion." [Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 8/413]
Narrated Ibn Abbas:
The Prophet said, "No good deeds done on other days are superior to those done on these (first ten days of Dhul Hijja)." Then some companions of the Prophet said, "Not even Jihad?" He replied, "Not even Jihad, except that of a man who does it by putting himself and his property in danger (for Allah's sake) and does not return with any of those things." (Bukhari Volume 2, Book 15, Number 86)
"...I seek from Allah that fasting on the day of 'Arafa may atone for the sins of the preceding and the coming years. " (Muslim Book 006, Number 2602)
If you beleive in Allah, and the last day, I recommend the following article in details and follow as much as you can.
http://www.islamicfinder.org/articles/article.php?id=420&lang
I ask forgiveness from you all for any sins I commited against you. Please show mercy upon me, and Allah will show mercy upon you.
If you have a specific dua that you want me to beg from Allah, please reply to this, and give me names and details, as you feel comfortable. Please pray for my Hajj to become Hajj Mabrur.
Jazakallah Khairin
AbuArman
A struggling muslim.
All praise is due to whom in his hands is my life.
فِيهِ ءَايَـٰتُۢ بَيِّنَـٰتٌ۬ مَّقَامُ إِبۡرَٲهِيمَۖ وَمَن دَخَلَهُ ۥ كَانَ ءَامِنً۬اۗ وَلِلَّهِ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ حِجُّ ٱلۡبَيۡتِ مَنِ ٱسۡتَطَاعَ إِلَيۡهِ سَبِيلاً۬ۚ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَنِىٌّ عَنِ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ (٩٧)
"In it are signs manifest; (for example), the Station of Abraham; whoever enters it attains security; pilgrimage thereto is a duty men owe to Allah―those who can afford the journey; but if any deny faith; Allah stands not in need of any of His creatures." (Quran 3:97)
Allah's Messenger (p.b.u.h.) said, "He who is not prevented from performing the pilgrimage by an obvious necessity, a tyrannical ruler, or a disease which confines him at home, and dies without having performed the pilgrimage, may die if he wishes as a Jew, or if he wishes as a Christian." (Tirmidhi: 2535, Narrated Abu Umamah) (Darimi transmitted it)
When I was young I was told that Hajj is something you do once in a life time, and you can do it anytime in your life. They recommended to do it in the last days of life, because it will be easier to refrain from sin after that. During Hajj, there is a commitment to Allah that we repent for our sins, and repentence is only accepted if the intention is to never do that sin.
Recently, I found out that Hajj becomes fardh upon us once we are adult, and can afford it, and there is no physical limiations. This made me realize that I had no reason not to go for Hajj. So, I am intending to depart on Hajj tomorrow, InshaAllah. I would like to suggest you all who haven't perform hajj, and are able to go to make intention for next year. You don't have to follow Indian/Pakistani culture where people sin, sin, and sin, untill old age when sinning becomes difficult, then they go to Hajj. No offense intended to whom that follow this logic, but it is a little risky one.
So, what is the purpose for Hajj? Hajj rituals are very similar to what will happen to us on the day of judgement. We all will be in large crowd, moving, standing, reflecting on our lives. We will be moved to the grounds of arafat, and will stand before Allah. There will be no duties on that day except to be attentive to Allah.
Hence, it is a rehearsal for the difficult day to come. Allah, with his mercy, has allowed us the sneak preview for the movie to be released. On top of that, we are given opportunity to improve our results on that day by realizing our faults, promise to stop them, ask forgiveness, and promise to never repeat them. Practice makes perfect, so get on the practice suit and go to Hajj.
One who delays hajj intentionally is similar to the one who receives a letter of large inheritance from a distant relative, and delays responding to the letter. As a muslim, we inherited the internal knowledge of how we can ammend our lives, but this dunya keeps us distracted.
Also, like any other deeds, intention is what makes that deed count. So, if the person sincerely cut the ties from the world during the Hajj, and repent for the sins, and keeps the promise made during Hajj may have their Hajj accepted.
In fact, if you are not going to hajj this year, you also have an opportunity to gain tons of rewards by fasting on first 9 days, or atleast on 9th Dhul-Hijja (Arafat day). And, do good deeds during these days.
"By the dawn; by the 10 nights" [Noble Quran 89:1-2]
Ibn Abbas, Ibn al-Zubayr, Mujahid and others of the earlier and later generations said that this refers to the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. Ibn Kathir said: "This is the correct opinion." [Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 8/413]
Narrated Ibn Abbas:
The Prophet said, "No good deeds done on other days are superior to those done on these (first ten days of Dhul Hijja)." Then some companions of the Prophet said, "Not even Jihad?" He replied, "Not even Jihad, except that of a man who does it by putting himself and his property in danger (for Allah's sake) and does not return with any of those things." (Bukhari Volume 2, Book 15, Number 86)
"...I seek from Allah that fasting on the day of 'Arafa may atone for the sins of the preceding and the coming years. " (Muslim Book 006, Number 2602)
If you beleive in Allah, and the last day, I recommend the following article in details and follow as much as you can.
http://www.islamicfinder.org/articles/article.php?id=420&lang
I ask forgiveness from you all for any sins I commited against you. Please show mercy upon me, and Allah will show mercy upon you.
If you have a specific dua that you want me to beg from Allah, please reply to this, and give me names and details, as you feel comfortable. Please pray for my Hajj to become Hajj Mabrur.
Jazakallah Khairin
AbuArman
A struggling muslim.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Loving Muhammad (PBUH)!!
In the Name of Allah,
None worthy of worship except Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger.
"Say to them: If you love God, follow (and love and honor) me, and God will love you" (3:31)
Narrated Abu Huraira:
“Allah’s Apostle said, “By Him in Whose Hands my life is, none of you will have faith till he loves me more than his father and his
children.” (Volume 1, Book 2, Number 14)
As a Muslim, we know what we know because Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) told us, so beleiving in him is the critical part of our faith, and everyone knows that.
I am not too much interested in that, because it becomes part of declaration of faith. I would like to talk about who Muhammad (PBUH) was.
Last few years I have been studying his life, and I have seen him in a different light than most of the Muslims. What intrigued me was the early period of his prophethood, when he received the first revelation. In early days, he wasn't too sure about the message and had doubts. His wife took him to her cousin who was a christian, and here is what they talked.
"Allah's Apostle asked, "Will they drive me out?" Waraqa replied in the affirmative and said, "Anyone (man) who came with something similar to what you have brought was treated with hostility; and if I should remain alive till the day when you will be turned out then I would support you strongly." But after a few days Waraqa died " (Bukhari Volume 1 Book 1 #3)
This shows the humanity of him, and the emotions that we all go through if we are uncertain of something. There was a pause in revelation after first one, and Prophet (PBUH) started to doubt that there will be ever another revelation. This is the period where he was starting to getting used to and convincing himself that he has to do this.
Overall the first 13 years were the most difficult of his life, specially the last year of the 13 were so depressing that it is called the year of sorrow. During this time, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had to use every ounce of his will power to keep going. It was so easy to give up and join the family. He could have become passive, and said that it is not my job. He did not. He took the taunts, the jokes, the physical humiliation, the peer pressure,... head on, and kept going.
I love Muhammad (PBUH) for that. I love him for his perseverance. I love him for his conviction. I love him for his confidence. I love him for his steadfastedness. I love him for his strength within weakness. I love him for sacrificing the honor for the truth. I love him for not compromising the principle for unity. I love him for speaking up. I love him for not second guessing his intentions. I love him for trusting Allah when all of us would have run away. I love him for going against family, friends, establishment to preach Islam.
We should not love him because he asked us to love him. It is not love when you force yourself. You have to fall in love with someone. You have to find something in that person that makes it impossible for you to think negative about them.
Our love should reflect in our action. If you love him, listen to him. If you love him, follow what he asked us to do. If you love him, be like him. If you love him, do something to show your affection, just like you would to someone else.
What have we done to show that we love him? Do we really love him? Or, do we love some half man half god figure that some present (May allah protect me for even thinking about this)? What is one thing that we don't like, but we do it becuase we love him? What do we have in common with him?
I can assure that none of us will enter Jannah, until we have an atom worth of faith, and we will have no faith until we love Muhammad (PBUH) more than we love our kids, our wife, our car, our briefcase, our jobs, our hotel, our house, our bed, our parents, our free will, our wishes, our status as Imam of the masjid, our status in the family, our money, our favourite player, our favourite sports, our favourite food...
If we truly love him, there should always be one question in our mind. Before we do this, how did Muhammad (PBUH) do this, or how did he asked us to do? Once you know the answer to that, there should be no reason to not follow his command, becuase his command is the way to Allah.
"Whoever splits from the Messenger after the guidance is clear to him and follows other than the path of the believers, We shall entrust him to what he has turned to and expose him unto Hell - an evil retreat!" (Quran4:115)
O Allah! Send your blessings/greetings (Salawat) on Muhammad and his family, the same way as You sent Your blessings/greetings on Abraham's family. You are indeed worthy of all praise, full of glory
JazakAllah Khairin
AbuArman
A struggling Muslim
None worthy of worship except Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger.
"Say to them: If you love God, follow (and love and honor) me, and God will love you" (3:31)
Narrated Abu Huraira:
“Allah’s Apostle said, “By Him in Whose Hands my life is, none of you will have faith till he loves me more than his father and his
children.” (Volume 1, Book 2, Number 14)
As a Muslim, we know what we know because Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) told us, so beleiving in him is the critical part of our faith, and everyone knows that.
I am not too much interested in that, because it becomes part of declaration of faith. I would like to talk about who Muhammad (PBUH) was.
Last few years I have been studying his life, and I have seen him in a different light than most of the Muslims. What intrigued me was the early period of his prophethood, when he received the first revelation. In early days, he wasn't too sure about the message and had doubts. His wife took him to her cousin who was a christian, and here is what they talked.
"Allah's Apostle asked, "Will they drive me out?" Waraqa replied in the affirmative and said, "Anyone (man) who came with something similar to what you have brought was treated with hostility; and if I should remain alive till the day when you will be turned out then I would support you strongly." But after a few days Waraqa died " (Bukhari Volume 1 Book 1 #3)
This shows the humanity of him, and the emotions that we all go through if we are uncertain of something. There was a pause in revelation after first one, and Prophet (PBUH) started to doubt that there will be ever another revelation. This is the period where he was starting to getting used to and convincing himself that he has to do this.
Overall the first 13 years were the most difficult of his life, specially the last year of the 13 were so depressing that it is called the year of sorrow. During this time, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had to use every ounce of his will power to keep going. It was so easy to give up and join the family. He could have become passive, and said that it is not my job. He did not. He took the taunts, the jokes, the physical humiliation, the peer pressure,... head on, and kept going.
I love Muhammad (PBUH) for that. I love him for his perseverance. I love him for his conviction. I love him for his confidence. I love him for his steadfastedness. I love him for his strength within weakness. I love him for sacrificing the honor for the truth. I love him for not compromising the principle for unity. I love him for speaking up. I love him for not second guessing his intentions. I love him for trusting Allah when all of us would have run away. I love him for going against family, friends, establishment to preach Islam.
We should not love him because he asked us to love him. It is not love when you force yourself. You have to fall in love with someone. You have to find something in that person that makes it impossible for you to think negative about them.
Our love should reflect in our action. If you love him, listen to him. If you love him, follow what he asked us to do. If you love him, be like him. If you love him, do something to show your affection, just like you would to someone else.
What have we done to show that we love him? Do we really love him? Or, do we love some half man half god figure that some present (May allah protect me for even thinking about this)? What is one thing that we don't like, but we do it becuase we love him? What do we have in common with him?
I can assure that none of us will enter Jannah, until we have an atom worth of faith, and we will have no faith until we love Muhammad (PBUH) more than we love our kids, our wife, our car, our briefcase, our jobs, our hotel, our house, our bed, our parents, our free will, our wishes, our status as Imam of the masjid, our status in the family, our money, our favourite player, our favourite sports, our favourite food...
If we truly love him, there should always be one question in our mind. Before we do this, how did Muhammad (PBUH) do this, or how did he asked us to do? Once you know the answer to that, there should be no reason to not follow his command, becuase his command is the way to Allah.
"Whoever splits from the Messenger after the guidance is clear to him and follows other than the path of the believers, We shall entrust him to what he has turned to and expose him unto Hell - an evil retreat!" (Quran4:115)
O Allah! Send your blessings/greetings (Salawat) on Muhammad and his family, the same way as You sent Your blessings/greetings on Abraham's family. You are indeed worthy of all praise, full of glory
JazakAllah Khairin
AbuArman
A struggling Muslim
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Is there a such thing as a Muslim but not Religous!
In the Name of Allah,
All praise due to Allah, the Creator, the Sustainer.
"And say: `My Rubb! Increase me in knowledge.'' (20:114)
"It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah.'' (35:28)
Mu`awiyah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah said, "When Allah wishes good for someone, He bestows upon him the understanding of Deen.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The seeking of knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim." - Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 74
As I walk in late to the Tafsir class on Sunday, I saw all the people who were sitting listening, and there was something a miss. See, after some salat, there will be a person who stands up and announce that there will be a small talk on deen (religion)afterwards, and, the whole Jamat that is focused on bringing people to the Masjid, and, in some cases, take people to far masajid, was missing. [There was one from that Jamat there but that was unusual].
Then, there are some brothers who come for cricket at Asar, they were missing. Also, there are some who are huffaz, and lead salat in some cases were missing.
Then, there are some brothers who come to Maghrib on Sunday were missing.
Then, Arab brothers who come to salat regularly were missing.
Then, there are brothers who come for almost every fardh salat were missing.
Then, there are brothers who are leading the community, or on the school board were missing.
Bottom line is that everyone has one reason or the other to NOT show up in Jamah Masjid after Maghrib on every Sunday. For them, "dancing with the stars", or "NFL games", or "Chatting with friends", or "Indian Dramas", or Allah knows what else is more important than learn the meaning of Quran that took 23 years to come down with blood and sweat of our beloved Prophet (PBUH), and lives of the honorable sahaba (RA). I am not referring to people who have valid excuses, of course.
Unless we have an excuse, missing Tafsir of Quran amounts to intentional ignorance of Allah's words. If one is part of "Jamat" and don't participate in Tafsir of Quran, I am not sure what other benefit of Masjid are they inviting people to.
To people, who think that they are following Islam, and walk away after the announcement is made for Tafsir after Maghrib, I don't buy their claim.
To people who come for cricket, and spent 2 hours running after a ball, but don't seem to find time for Tafsir of Quran, I hope the skills in cricket will save them on the day of judgement.
To people who are sitting at home, and not coming for Tafsir, it does not convince me that "they worship none but allah" because Allah's words are being explained, and they are not there, which amounts to worship when convenient, and not if it is on Sunday evening.
Brothers and Sisters, seeking knowledge of Deen (religion) is not optional, but is our duty. On top of that, it is one thing to not come on Maghrib on Sunday, but it is another to walk out of the masjid as Tafsir starts. Do you have another means of learning about the meaning of the Quran? Do you find it boring to know what is in this book that has been protected by young kids with their lives?
Wallah! if my beloved Prophet (PBUH) was alive today, he would have cried at Muslims walking out after Maghrib, and not staying to listen to the meaning behind the verse read in Salat.
This is the cause of difficulty on our nation, and nothing else. Not the economy or insincere leaders, or Non-Muslims. If we make an intention, and try our best to learn our deen, I promise you that our lives will improve 10 fold, and the world will start respecting our religion, and we don't have to shave our beards to blend in, but they will grow beard to blend in with us. This is no joke!
At the root of this is two reasons, which no one talks about.
- Difference of opinion with the person teaching
- Prefer being a Muslim, but not religious
First reason is very hard to resolve, because everyone has created "Madhahib" (religions) within "Madhab" (Islam), and they identify themselves as Hanafi, Maliki, Hanbili, Shafii, Tablighi, Deobandi, Barelvi, and whatever they can find to disagree upon, they have splitted the religion. No one identify themselves as Muslim anymore. I have read many books on the lives of sahaba, and yet to find a single evidence of these divisions, although Ibn Masood and Ibn Abbas disagreed on many opinions.
Second reason is very serious, because this is very clear attitude among Muslims nowadays. We are Muslims, but not religious. For love of God, I can never undertand this term "religious". Either you are a muslim or not. If you are a muslim, you are religous, because Islam is a religion. Now, if you are atheist, I understand the term.
A person could be non-practicing Muslim, which is similar to saying that I am a lawyer but don't practice. It is kind of funny because one has to go through alot of study to become a lawyer, and it is insane to become a lawyer and work in 7-Eleven afterwards.
In my opinion, a person who thinks he/she is a muslim, but doesn't practice is either not convinced that Islam is the best way to live life, or is convinced that it is out of date, or simply not convinced that there will be retribution. For example, would anyone looking at the Police car, intentionally break the red light. On the contrary, sight of cops brings this sense of community and moral in us that we will use two hands on steering to show the cop that we are not be pulled over.
When was the last time we corrected our lives thinking there are angels writting every deed, and we will be held responsible for it. This is called taqwa with Allah. It makes us better than other creations, not the best car, or clothes, or the best profession.
If you have not understood Quran completely, please come to Tafsir of Quran, and sit under calm, and soothing environment. You may even socialize afterwards, and find it very refreshing to hear the words of Allah.
If you beleive that Quran has nothing to teach you, please avoid the tafsir program as much as you can. I will not be there on next sunday, but I pray to Allah that the Masjid will be full as it was on 27th of Ramadan to receive some fake blessings that our Rasool (PBUH) didn't know about, because he didn't had the "dua on 27th Ramadan".
Of course, tafsir has no benefit, if we don't follow it. We have to trust Allah when he tells us that Islam is good for us, and not fall into the trap that practicing Islam will harm our image. Practicing Islam is the only way, and everything else leads to a loss.
The Prophet also said: "Knowledge from which no benefit is derived is like a treasure out of which nothing is spent in the cause of God." - Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 108
JazakAllah Khairin
AbuArman
A struggling muslim
All praise due to Allah, the Creator, the Sustainer.
"And say: `My Rubb! Increase me in knowledge.'' (20:114)
"It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah.'' (35:28)
Mu`awiyah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah said, "When Allah wishes good for someone, He bestows upon him the understanding of Deen.''
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The seeking of knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim." - Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 74
As I walk in late to the Tafsir class on Sunday, I saw all the people who were sitting listening, and there was something a miss. See, after some salat, there will be a person who stands up and announce that there will be a small talk on deen (religion)afterwards, and, the whole Jamat that is focused on bringing people to the Masjid, and, in some cases, take people to far masajid, was missing. [There was one from that Jamat there but that was unusual].
Then, there are some brothers who come for cricket at Asar, they were missing. Also, there are some who are huffaz, and lead salat in some cases were missing.
Then, there are some brothers who come to Maghrib on Sunday were missing.
Then, Arab brothers who come to salat regularly were missing.
Then, there are brothers who come for almost every fardh salat were missing.
Then, there are brothers who are leading the community, or on the school board were missing.
Bottom line is that everyone has one reason or the other to NOT show up in Jamah Masjid after Maghrib on every Sunday. For them, "dancing with the stars", or "NFL games", or "Chatting with friends", or "Indian Dramas", or Allah knows what else is more important than learn the meaning of Quran that took 23 years to come down with blood and sweat of our beloved Prophet (PBUH), and lives of the honorable sahaba (RA). I am not referring to people who have valid excuses, of course.
Unless we have an excuse, missing Tafsir of Quran amounts to intentional ignorance of Allah's words. If one is part of "Jamat" and don't participate in Tafsir of Quran, I am not sure what other benefit of Masjid are they inviting people to.
To people, who think that they are following Islam, and walk away after the announcement is made for Tafsir after Maghrib, I don't buy their claim.
To people who come for cricket, and spent 2 hours running after a ball, but don't seem to find time for Tafsir of Quran, I hope the skills in cricket will save them on the day of judgement.
To people who are sitting at home, and not coming for Tafsir, it does not convince me that "they worship none but allah" because Allah's words are being explained, and they are not there, which amounts to worship when convenient, and not if it is on Sunday evening.
Brothers and Sisters, seeking knowledge of Deen (religion) is not optional, but is our duty. On top of that, it is one thing to not come on Maghrib on Sunday, but it is another to walk out of the masjid as Tafsir starts. Do you have another means of learning about the meaning of the Quran? Do you find it boring to know what is in this book that has been protected by young kids with their lives?
Wallah! if my beloved Prophet (PBUH) was alive today, he would have cried at Muslims walking out after Maghrib, and not staying to listen to the meaning behind the verse read in Salat.
This is the cause of difficulty on our nation, and nothing else. Not the economy or insincere leaders, or Non-Muslims. If we make an intention, and try our best to learn our deen, I promise you that our lives will improve 10 fold, and the world will start respecting our religion, and we don't have to shave our beards to blend in, but they will grow beard to blend in with us. This is no joke!
At the root of this is two reasons, which no one talks about.
- Difference of opinion with the person teaching
- Prefer being a Muslim, but not religious
First reason is very hard to resolve, because everyone has created "Madhahib" (religions) within "Madhab" (Islam), and they identify themselves as Hanafi, Maliki, Hanbili, Shafii, Tablighi, Deobandi, Barelvi, and whatever they can find to disagree upon, they have splitted the religion. No one identify themselves as Muslim anymore. I have read many books on the lives of sahaba, and yet to find a single evidence of these divisions, although Ibn Masood and Ibn Abbas disagreed on many opinions.
Second reason is very serious, because this is very clear attitude among Muslims nowadays. We are Muslims, but not religious. For love of God, I can never undertand this term "religious". Either you are a muslim or not. If you are a muslim, you are religous, because Islam is a religion. Now, if you are atheist, I understand the term.
A person could be non-practicing Muslim, which is similar to saying that I am a lawyer but don't practice. It is kind of funny because one has to go through alot of study to become a lawyer, and it is insane to become a lawyer and work in 7-Eleven afterwards.
In my opinion, a person who thinks he/she is a muslim, but doesn't practice is either not convinced that Islam is the best way to live life, or is convinced that it is out of date, or simply not convinced that there will be retribution. For example, would anyone looking at the Police car, intentionally break the red light. On the contrary, sight of cops brings this sense of community and moral in us that we will use two hands on steering to show the cop that we are not be pulled over.
When was the last time we corrected our lives thinking there are angels writting every deed, and we will be held responsible for it. This is called taqwa with Allah. It makes us better than other creations, not the best car, or clothes, or the best profession.
If you have not understood Quran completely, please come to Tafsir of Quran, and sit under calm, and soothing environment. You may even socialize afterwards, and find it very refreshing to hear the words of Allah.
If you beleive that Quran has nothing to teach you, please avoid the tafsir program as much as you can. I will not be there on next sunday, but I pray to Allah that the Masjid will be full as it was on 27th of Ramadan to receive some fake blessings that our Rasool (PBUH) didn't know about, because he didn't had the "dua on 27th Ramadan".
Of course, tafsir has no benefit, if we don't follow it. We have to trust Allah when he tells us that Islam is good for us, and not fall into the trap that practicing Islam will harm our image. Practicing Islam is the only way, and everything else leads to a loss.
The Prophet also said: "Knowledge from which no benefit is derived is like a treasure out of which nothing is spent in the cause of God." - Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 108
JazakAllah Khairin
AbuArman
A struggling muslim
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