Sticky: Who am I?

“I am a traveller seeking the truth, a human searching for the meaning of humanity and a citizen seeking dignity, freedom, stability and welfare under the shade of Islam.

I am a free man who is aware of the purpose of his existence and who proclaims:

“Truly, my prayer and my sacrifice, my living and my dying are all for Allah, the Lord of the worlds; no partner has He. This I am commanded and I am of the Muslims (who submit to Him)!” [Quran 6:162-163]

This is who I am…

…who are you?”

Imam Hassan Al-Banna Shaheed

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To learn more about Islam see the page: Resources for Non-Muslims

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Format of Traditional Arab Islamic Names

(The following is an extract from an introduction to Imam an-Nawawi.)

A traditional Arabic name consists of many things. The parts are:

 1 . Your name and the name of your fathers before you.

 The name of Imam Al-Nawawi is: Yahya ibn Sharraf ibn Mooree ibn Hasan ibn Husayn

 2 . A kunya, which means nickname.

 The kunya of the Prophet (saI AIIahu alayhi wa saIIam) was Abu Qasim.

Every person of the Arabs will take a kunya even if he did not have a son or child by that name.

Generally speaking, some names have intrinsic kunyas. For example, the name Ali is generally given the kunya Abu Hasan. If your father called you Ali, it was understood you would take the kunya Abu Hasan when you grew up. Why? Ali ibn Abi Talib’s son was called Hasan. Sometimes people with the name Ali are called Abu Husayn or Abu Hasanain. Similarly, the kunya of someone named Yasir is Abu Ammar because of Ammar ibn Yasir.

What do you think the kunya of Imam AI-Nawawi would be? Abu Zakariyyah. Yahya was the son of Zakariyyah, but the Prophet Yahya did not have any children. Imam Al-Nawawi himself approved of this kunya and called himself by that name.

 3 . An honorary title.

The students of a scholar would give this title. Ibn Taymiyyah was called Shaykh Al-Islam, and very few people reached this status.

The title of Imam Al-Nawawi was muhyadeen, which means the reviver of the sciences. He was given this title during his lifetime, but he did not like it and said: “Anyone who calls me muhyadeen

I will not forgive him. ” His statement shows how strict he was about this title. He was strict with this because of his modesty. Muhya means someone who revives something that was dead, and Al-Nawawi did not like the connotation that the religion was dead and he brought it back to life.

 4-. ‏لقب‎ (Laqab): where you are from / place of origin / profession

 Sometimes it includes both the profession and the place of origin.

Imam AI-Nawawi was given a Iaqab for the place. He was born in a village called Nawa, which is a village outside of Damascus.

[Taken from: Class Notes on Sacred Scrolls, 40 Hadeeth Nawawi, Qabeelat Hosna, July 2008]

Shariah Law, Islamic State & Jihad

NOTES TAKEN BY ATTENDEE AT COURSE ON
Shariah Law, Islamic State & Jihad
Taught by Shaykh Akram Nadwi
(8 Feb 2014 at Queen Mary University, London)

THESE ARE JUST PERSONAL NOTES AND HAVE NOT BEEN REVIEWED BY SHAYKH AKRAM.

Intro

The shaykh began the topic by highlighting how much he respects and admires Imam Hasan al-Banna Shaheed, Maulana Maududi and Sayyid Qutb Shaheed. Nadwatul Ulama movement actually pioneered the translation of Maulana Maududis works to Arabic which then had a big impact on Sayyid Qutb Shaheed. Shaykh Akram respects the efforts of these great thinkers, he has read their works many times, memorised parts of Milestones and he mentioned how he has been moved to tears reading some of their writings. The purpose of mentioning this was so that people do not think he is speaking from biased perspective when criticising.

It is important to unite despite of differences. The purpose of teaching is not to make everyone follow you. [Shaykh Akram regularly mentions this in his seminars emphasising that if someone feels they have a better argument then they can discuss, but people should think properly and then either agree knowingly or disagree knowingly].

Maulana Maududi, Imam Hasan al-Banna and Sayyid Qutb were the first to present political Islam as a focus

‘…I will do hijra although I have left my parents in tears.’

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr said, “A man came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, ‘I have come to make you a pledge that I will do hijra although I have left my parents in tears.’ The Prophet said, ‘Go back to them and make them laugh as you made them cry.’”

 Reference: Al-Adab al-Mufrad, Hadith 19 [Grade: Sahih]

LESSONS FROM HADITH

(notes from a lesson by Ustadh Abu Eesa Niamatullah)

[THESE ARE JUST PERSONAL NOTES AND HAVE NOT BEEN REVIEWED BY THE SHAYKH.]

Of the benefits of this hadith is that the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wasalam has clearly shown the importance of prioritisation. Hijrah is one thing very important, yet recognise that the priority of looking after your parents and being in their service is greater. The latter is a greater obligation. Here we recognise that the fard ul-kiffayah (the communal obligation) has been superseded by the fard ul-ayn (the individual obligation)- the obligation of looking after the parents.

This establishes a principle in the deen for us, often we are caught between two different situations and decisions, one should not just say this is the easier one, or this is the harder one, or this one makes more sense to me so I will do that. No. It does not go by your sense, or easy or harder one; the decision goes by what is more obligatory, what is more correct taking into consideration the benefits and harms according to Islamic principles of the shari’ah not ones own opinions.

Another benefit of this hadith is that if you upset someone which is really easy to do, then the remedy for this is to go back and make them laugh. That is a form of sadaqah (charity), go back and make some effort to make them smile again. By doing this you can try and recover some of the harm that you have already caused.

This leads us to the third benefit which is a very interesting point that the ulama mention. This hadith establishes like a system that if you do something wrong, if you cause someone some kind of problem, if you make a mistake then you should go and deal with it. It doesn’t matter what level it is on or what the situation is, the principle is the same. Like here in this hadith you made them cry so go back and make them laugh. Likewise, if you did gheeba (backbiting) of someone, spoke bad about someone, now go and when he is not there speak good about that person, praise him and make dua for him when no one is around- when it is only you and Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala make dua for him. If you do a sin then find out what expiates it. If you make a mistake, give some sadaqah (charity). This principle is established from this hadith. If you do something wrong then fix it, this is Islam.

HIJRAH

Now a few points about hijrah because hijrah throughout history has always been a point of discussion and dispute regarding the issues surrounding it. Therefore lets look at it a bit more closely to try and understand what it is and what is the Islamic ruling.

What is hijrah?

What is hijrah? First of all we need to understand that

…how can one know Him and not love Him?

What a wonderful thing it is to know Him (i.e. Allah)!

But how can one know Him and not love Him?

How can one hear the caller but fail to respond?

How can one know the profit that shall be gained in dealing with Him but still prefer others?

How can one taste the bitterness of disobeying Him but still abstain from seeking the pleasure of obeying Him?

How can one feel the severity of engaging in trivial speech, but fail to open your heart with His remembrance?

How can one be tortured by being attached to other but not rush toward the bliss of turning to Him in repentance?

Perhaps it is most surprising to know that while you are in need of Him, you are still reluctant to move toward Him because you seek others.

(Imam ibn al-Qayyim, al-Fawa’id, pg72)

The Simple Pious Labourer, the Son of the Wealthy King….

 

Imam Abu Bakr al-Ajurri (d.330AH) mentions the following incident his treatise Sifatul Ghuraba….

It has reached us that Abdullah ibn al-Faraj, the worshipper, said, ‘I was in need of someone to make something for me so I went to the marketplace looking for a suitable person. At the end of the market I found a pale young boy before whom was a large basket, he wore a garment of wool and had a woolen towel.

I asked him, “Do you work?”

He replied, “Yes,”

“How much do you charge?” I asked.

“One and one-sixth of a dirham.”

I said, “Stand and come to work.”

He said, “I have one condition..”

“What is it?

Three Levels of Piety

Piety has three levels:

One– protecting the hearts and limbs against sin and forbidden actions.

Two– protecting them against undesirable matters.

Three– protection against curiosity and whatever is not of one’s concern.

The first will grant life to the servant, the second will grant him health and power, and the third will grant him happiness and joy.

[Imam ibn al-Qayyim, al-Fawaa’id, pg56]

The Walk of the Prophet ﷺ

It is reported from Ali (radhiallahu ‘anhu): “Rasulullah ﷺ was neither very tall nor short. The soles of both feet were fully fleshed (this quality is considered praiseworthy for men as it denotes strength and courage.) He had a large head, the joints of the bones were also large. There was a thin line of hair from the chest to the navel. When Rasulullah ﷺ walked, it appeared as if he was descending from a high place.” Ali (radhiallahu ‘anhu) also added: “I did not see anyone like him, neither before him, or after him.” 

Hasan bin Ali (radhiallahu ‘anhum) mentions in a lengthy hadith where he describes the Prophet ﷺ as he learnt it from his maternal uncle Hind bin Abi Haalah (radhiallahu ‘anhu): “…… when he walked, he lifted his legs with vigour, leaned slightly forward and placed his feet softly on the ground. He walked at a quick pace and took a rather long step. He did not take small steps. When he walked it seemed as if he was descending to a lower place. When he looked at something, he turned his whole body towards it. His blessed sight was focused more to the ground than towards the sky…..”

Anas bin Malik (radhiallahu ‘anhu) reports: ” Rasulullah ﷺ was of a medium stature, he was neither very tall nor short. He was very handsome, of medium built and his hair was neither very curly nor very straight (but was slightly wavy). He had a wheat coloured complexion. When he walked, he leaned forward slightly.” 

Commentary:

In the hadith the word ‘yata-kaf-fa-foo‘ is used regarding the walking of Sayyidina Rasulullah ﷺ. The ulama interpret this word in several ways. Some say it means to walk at a fast pace. Some are of the opinion that it means to lean forward a bit while walking. Some say that it means to lift the leg with force. All three explanations are correct because the walk of Sayyidina Rasulullah ﷺ fulfilled all three descriptions and the word also conveys these three meanings. 

Sayyidina Rasulullah ﷺ walked quickly and not like the Romeos of this age who walk like women. It was also the noble habit of Rasulullah ﷺ to walk with a slight forward inclination of the head and shoulders. He did not walk with his chest pushed out in pride. He lifted his legs as men do while walking and did not drag his legs on the ground. 

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[Hadith compiled from Shama’il Tirmidhi (Chapter on the Noble Features of Rasulullah ﷺ) with commentary from Khasa’il-e-Nabawi by Shaykh Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhelwi]

The Dunya has changed us all but not you!

In the time of Hazrat Umar ibn al-Khattab (radhiallahu ‘anhu), Hazrat Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah (radhiallahu ‘anhu) was made the governor of Shaam (Greater Syria, the Levant) since he had captured most of Shaam. At that time Shaam used to be a vast province constituting present day states Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon. Shaam was a wealthy province. It was Rome’s favourite region.

Hazrat Umar (radhiallahu ‘anhu) used to execute his responsibilities in Madinah. Once he was on an inspection visit to Shaam when he said to the governor:

“O Abu Ubaidah, I want to see the place where you live my brother”.

Hazrat Umar (radhiallahu ‘anhu) was thinking that Abu Ubaidah (radhiallahu ‘anhu) is the governor of such a wealthy province I should see how much he has collected for himself.

Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (radhiallahu ‘anhu) said why do you want to see my house? Because after seeing my house the only thing you will do is weep.

But Hazrat Umar (radhiallahu ‘anhu) insisted and so they both set out for the house. They passed the main city and the residential areas.

Hazrat Umar (radhiallahu ‘anhu) asked him: “Where are you taking me?”

Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (radhiallahu ‘anhu) replied, “Its not far now”.

And then at the outskirts of the wealthy city of Damascus came the house of the Governor of Shaam

Live in this World, Not for this World

We have no other choice but to spend our life in this world. When we are hungry we need to eat, when we are thirsty we need to drink, we need housing and means to earn a living. If we have to do all these things then how is it possible not to get attracted by this world? It seems very difficult. But it is the Prophets and their vicegerents who taught us how to live in this world without getting attracted to it. A true Muslim would live in this world fulfilling all his social duties but at the same time he would avoid getting attracted by it.

How do we acquire such a state of mind that we remain in this world, get involved in all the necessary affairs, yet not get attracted by it?

This very thing has been explained

…..I would have made Abu Bakr my beloved

 

Allah ta’ala has made this heart in such a way that it can have in it only one true love. There can be several relationships as and when necessary but true love can only be one, other Love cannot be of the same degree. For this reason the Prophet (salallahu ‘alayhi wasalam) said about Hazrat Abu Bakr (radiallahu ‘anhu):

“Had I made a friend (khalil) in this world I would have befriended (took as a khalil) Abu Bakr. [Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No.466]

The Prophet’s (salallahu ‘alayhi wasalam) relationship with Hazrat Abu Bakr (radhiallahu ‘anhu) was so strong that

The Desire to do Good Deeds

 

Sometimes a desire springs up in a man’s heart to vie with a man who is doing some good deed, but at the same time he begins to feel that he is not equal to that task. He is not worthy of the sublime deed the other fellow is doing. When such discouraging ideas deter a man from virtuous deeds he should act upon the hadith which states seek Allah taala’s help and do not admit (in you) disability for the deed. Have full reliance on Allah Taala who will make the deed easy for you.

It is related about the righteous men that they offer the Tahajjud (Qiyamul Layl, night prayer) salat and make supplications before Allah at that blessed time of the night. You may also feel a desire to offer the Tahajjud salat and reap its blessings, but at the same time your weakness and inability keep you away from this task. In such a situation you should not surrender yourself to such discouraging thoughts, but should pray to Allah Taala hopefully that He may bestow upon you the necessary courage and strength to offer the Tahajjud salat and reap its blessings.

When a man prays to Almighty Allah for help to do some good deed his prayer is sure to bring him one of the two alternative gains. Either Allah Taala will help the man to perform the deed, or He shall grant him the reward for the deed. This is proved by a hadith.

The Noble Prophet (salallahu ’alayhi wasalam) has said in a hadith:

If a man prays with heart-felt sincerity for the honour of martyrdom, Allah grants him, by His mercy, that honour, even if he dies (at home) on his bed.

My respected father, Mufti Muhammad Shafi (rahmatullah ‘alayh) once related this incident of an ironsmith:

After the death of Hadrat Abdullah ibn Mubarak (rahmatullah ‘alayh) someone saw him in a dream [1] and asked him what happened to him after his death. In reply he said that Allah Taala was very kind to him, He forgave him and granted him a status which he hardly deserved. He added that he could, however, not get the status which was granted to the ironsmith who lived in the house opposite his.

On getting up from his sleep the person who had the dream felt a desire to find out who that ironsmith was and what righteous deed he did to supersede Hadrat Abdullah ibn Mubarak (rahmatullah ‘alayh) in the hereafter. This man then called at the house of the ironsmith

Men of Faith vs. Men of World?

Ancient religions, especially Christianity, had divided life into two watertight compartments- temporal and spiritual- and the world into “men of the world” and “men of faith” which were not only seperate, but perpetually at war with each other. According to them, there was an intense rivalry between faith and the material world, and whoever chose one was compelled to give up the other and fight against it. No one, they asserted, could be both at the same time. Economic progress was not possible without the neglect of God-given laws, and power and rule could not be gained without giving up moral and religious precepts. In the same way, it was totally out of the question to think of piety and religiosness without renouncing the world

Craving for Attention Betrays Sincerity

Your craving for people’s attention to your distinctions betrays your sincerity in servant hood.

Even if the servant worships Allah in secret, his hidden desire to get people’s attention and recognition for his distinction will spoil his sincerity in servant hood. People who are suffering from implicit ostentation cannot achieve absolute sincerity in their deeds because Allah knows all secret interests and intention of their mind. He who fails to purge his deeds of all traces of ostentation cannot claim sincerity in his obedience.

Let Allah’s taking notice of you outshine people’s taking notice of you; and contemplate His treatment of you to outshine their treatment of you.

The servant should not allow himself to be led by people’s comment and opinion about his deeds. Praise from people is harmful to the spiritual health in the long run as it will gradually take his focus away from Allah to people. He should train himself to concentrate on Allah thinking about his status and image in front of Him so that he can outshine people’s opinion of him.

If his thoughts revolve around Allah, nothing from people will affect him. Just like the sun outshines the moon and all other satellites, Allah’s light is capable of outshining all other sources of light.

 

[Source: Ibn Ata’illah in Kitab al-Hikam]

[Thanks and acknowledgement to P. Gould for sharing]

Oppressors take heed!

wa laa tahsabanALLAHa ghaafilan ‘amma ya’malu-zaalimoon
innamaa yuakhiruhum li yawmin tashkhasu fihil absaar

وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ اللَّهَ غَافِلًا عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ الظَّالِمُونَ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ الْأَبْصَارُ

And never think that Allah is unaware of what the oppressors do. He only delays them for a Day when eyes will stare [in horror].
[QURAN 14:42]

The Zaalims (Oppressors) should all remember this verse.

Sayyid Qutb ash-Shaheed [rahmatullah ‘alayh] comments in Fi Dhilal al-Quran:

“This example repeatedly occurs throughout history. Many are the wrongdoers who succeed earlier tyrants. In fact, those tyrants were destroyed by their own hands, yet they follow in their footsteps and tyrannize like them. They take no heed of the lessons they see in front of their eyes. Hence, like them, they are put to the same fate. The same dwellings will be rid of them after a while.

God is certainly aware of their scheming, although it may be so strong and powerful that it causes mountains, the strongest and most solid and firm creation, to move. In fact, the last thing any human being would expect to move is a mountain. However, their scheming is in no way hidden from God, and never immune from God’s power. It is in front of Him, and He can foil it and do with it what He likes.”

Imam Shafi’i [rahmatullah ‘alayh] once said:

“There is a verse in the Qur’an that is like an arrow in the heart of every oppressor and at the same time a source of comfort for the heart of the oppressed.”

People asked:

“What is it?”

He replied:

wa maa kaana rabbuka nasiyyan

وَمَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ نَسِيًّا

“And never is your Lord forgetful”
[QURAN 19:64]

“Do not hurt any creature.”

Do not hurt any creature, specially a human being, and most importantly, a Muslim, by any word or action of yours. Just as doing every act for the sake of Allah is the very essence of true faith, avoidance of causing hurt to anyone is the gist of Allah’s commands. Whichever principle of the Shari’ah you might ponder over, you will find this factor common in some form or the other: the Hudud punishments, the rules regarding divorce, the principles of commercial transactions and social intercourse. This is a very pervasive principle, so much so that it extends even to very minute matters. Hence people have been told not to conceal anyone else’s objects even by way of a practical joke, or even point a weapon at anyone, nor to occupy the seat of someone who has gone away for a short while, nor to jump over other people’s heads to find a place in the front rows of a congregation; nor to peep into other people’s homes, nor pry into the affairs of others, nor read someone else’s mail, nor get up at night in a way that would disturb others. Indeed, the principle is of such wide-ranging application that it is simply not possible to enumerate all such instances. Simply stated, make this principle your guiding light and the scale of all moral judgment: that you shall not cause any injury to anyone by your words or deeds. In dealing with others this should be your guiding principle.

“Strive to become Allah’s sincere devotees.”

Strive to become Allah’s sincere devotees. On the one hand there should be no worldly act that is not done as an act of servitude to Allah, not even such acts as sleeping, eating, dressing, speaking and laughing. The Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, engaged in all these acts. But he was God’s devotee par excellence. As a consequence of that, every facet of his life, even the most ordinary of chores, was an act of devotion to Allah. It is important that every act of life should be for the sake of Allah, and for His Pleasure alone, as the Qur’an says: “And of men is he who would give himself away to seek the pleasure of Allah…” (al-Baqarah 2:207).

Without such spirit, even the most religious of acts — prayers, reciting the Qur’an, martyrdom, and infaq (spending in the way of Allah) — would all be merely worldly acts. Imbued with this spirit of total dedication, even the smallest religious act, and all acts of worldly life, would stand heavy in the scale of Divine Justice. If you are able to achieve this state of sincerity, even a little effort would suffice in imparting the colour of Allah in your life and soul. All the evils of the world — in men’s souls, in their lives, in their mutual relationships — have their roots in lack of sincerity. Lack of sincerity in matters pertaining to religious activities specially leads to very evil effects.

Designate your niyyah (intent) purely for Allah and strive always to keep it so. This brief and simple prescription is the gist of true religious faith and of the desire to shape your life completely according to that mould. It is also the most effective formula to remember Allah at all times. This is the perpetual dliikr (remembrance), one that suffices for all occasions.

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Taken from: “Dying and Living for Allah: The Last Will of Khurram Murad”

The Quest for Knowledge

 

Mawlana Mufti Muhammad Shafi Uthmani (may Allah have mercy on him) was the Grand Mufti of Pakistan. His life was spent in teaching and learning. He qualified from Dar ul Ulum Deoband and then also taught there. He was the chief Mufti of the Dar ul Ifta there.

He said once: “Whenever I am going anywhere and observe anyone delivering a sermon or reminder, I stop even for a while to listen to him even if I am in a hurry, for Allah may have inspired him with something that is beneficial to me.”

This was the Grand Mufti to whom people, including the ulama (scholars) came to solve their difficult issues. During his time the people giving the sermons were generally younger than he, his students, or students of his students, or even their students. But he did listen to them so that maybe he might learn what he did not know.

He said further

Check your intentions

“Deed are according to their intentions.” (Hadith)

So we have to make sure that every good deed we do, we check our intention and make sure we are doing it for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala.

This was the tradition of the early Muslims, to always look inside themselves to make sure they are doing things for the right purpose.

Hisham bin Abdul Malik says about his relative Umar bin Abdul Aziz: “I do not think that he would take any step except after he had thought about why he is doing it and what is his intention in doing so.”

O Allah, we ask you to give us sincerity in everything we say and everything we do.

Transcribed from lecture on Tolerance by Imam Anwar al-Awlaki

O Messenger of Allah, may my parents be sacrificed for your sake!

‘O Messenger of Allah, may my parents be sacrificed for your sake. The trunk of the date tree you would lean upon to deliver the sermon before the erection of the pulpit cried after you ascended the pulpit, saddened by your separation. You passed your hand over it and comforted it. O Messenger of Allah, your ummah has more reason than this date tree to cry over your separation.

O Messenger of Allah, may my parents be sacrificed for your sake. Your status with Allah is so high that your obedience has been declared His obedience. Allah says, “He who obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allah.” (4:80)

O Messenger of Allah, may my parents be sacrificed for your sake. You are so great in the eyes of Allah that your mistakes were excused befoe you even requested pardon. Hence Allah says, “Allah pardon you! Why did you give them leave?” (11:43)

O Messenger of Allah, may my parents be sacrificed for your sake. Your exalted rank with Allah is such that

Don’t teach the small thing, teach the main thing.

There are so many groups. If you try to identify each group and each sub-group, your task will never really end as they can go on forever.

So what group are we?

The thing to understand is that just look in the Quran.

What is the dawah? What is the teaching and call of all Prophets and Messengers? That is the real thing.

Those differences on minor things that are in the branches of Islam should be discussed in the classroom. When in public outside the classroom focus on the more important issues that are the fundamentals of religion.Fundamentals of religion like imaan, belief in Allah, the hereafter, submission to Allah, taqwa, piety, fear of Allah, amanah (keeping trusts)… These are major issues really. Teach people to become pious God-fearing people.

Just think that