Islam is derived from the Arabic root "Salema": peace, purity, submission and obedience. In the religious sense, Islam means submission to the will of God and obedience to His law. Everything and every phenomenon in the world other than man is administered totally by God-made laws, Submission to the good will of God, together with obedience to His beneficial Law, ie, becoming a Muslim, is the best safeguard for man's peace and harmony.
Monday, 30 April 2018
Is 30 late for marriage for a man?
I estimate that i’ll be in a position to get married not before 30. I don’t have many muslim peers where I live so i’m wondering how that’s viewed in your societies and communities.
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How do i do islam?
I have been getting this feeling i should explore islamic purely on emotion for the past four years. However whenever i actually take steps it just seems i meet the most incompetent people who don't know anything about islam themselves. I have read the quran in Dutch about four times now. Read a shitton online and i really need to meet and talk to people, but fail at doing so. I don't mean to sound cocky but i am reallyt hitting an emotional low.
I went to a mosque, sent several contact requests at dutch islamic organisations website and facebook which have all been ignored. How the heck do i do Islam in the Netherlands. What else can i do? I don't know where to go.
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Dua (Supplication to Allah) and its power to pull us out of trials and challenges
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Physical appearance in jannah
How are the people of jannah going to look, is it the same way? Are we going to have imperfections? I have come across something about a market of appearance!, how does that work?
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3 Historians on The claim that 'Islam was spread by the sword'.
Lawrence Brown wrote: 'Incidentally these well-established facts dispose of the idea so widely fostered in Christian writings that the Muslims, wherever they went, forced people to accept Islam at the point of the sword'.
["The Prospects of Islam", 1944]
James Michener wrote: 'No other religion in history spread so rapidly as Islam. The west has widely believed that this surge of religion was made possible by the sword. But no modern scholar accepts this idea".
["Reader's Digest", May 1955, pp. 68-70]
De Lacy O'Leary wrote: 'History makes it clear, however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever repeated'.
["Islam at the Crossroads", London, 1923, p. 8]
As muslims scholars have mentioned, such as Imam Ibn al-Qayyim for instance, the vast majority of reversions to Islam was not through the sword.
Rather, it was through peaceful da'wah, justice, kindness and good argumentation that people reverted to Islam in multitudes.
Non-muslims could also pay the jizyah, whose amount was definitely not burdensome but moderate, and this jizyah is only paid by able-bodied men. Jizya is not obligated upon women, it is not obligated upon those who have not reached puberty, it is not obligated upon the very old, it is not obligated upon the insane, it is not obligated upon the blind or chronically ill etc and obviously it is not taken from the very poor who are unable to pay it.
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So let's talk about music...
I feel confident to talk to this community, since my post of visiting a Mosque is the 3rd in the most upvoted post in the last month. I never expect this, I am extremely happy about this, since I am non-theist. You are an awesome people.
Last night when my GF was ill, she still is : ( I went to party on my own. To the Trance music party, I love that music, it gives me the chills of something....how to put it "out of this world"? Yeah that's probably it.
Anyway, I was alone, in that party since my GF was and still is ill and I was drinking heavily (well we Slavs cannot resist that). Anyway I made it to a crowd and there was a pretty tall men brownish men with beard next to me, he was almost as tall as me (6 foot 3 aka 191cm). I like to talk to people, so I went there to ask how he get that glorious beard and we like talk for an hour before the main artist came behind the decks. I was drinking heavily, but he keep saying no to my offers to drink with him. He actually told me, he is from Pakistan and he is a muslim, so I was like "Sorry, I just didn't want to feel uncomfortable in my presence, sorry about that. I don't even know. Wouldn't you mind if I finished this shot which was intended for you and he said no, suits yourself". I was not wasted just "in the mood" so we came into a crowd and enjoy some Trance stuff, but DJ screw me, because he played something really close to my heart and I was pretty much in tears and that other (muslim) guy ask me what is wrong, this is really uplifting track....I told him that I hear that song, when we reunited with my current girlfriend (we met 10 years ago, but we weren't talk for more than 3 years which was my private hell). He was extremely nice to me and said, what happened just happened, what is important is now. Yeah I cried a little to be honest. Let say he was awesome dude to be partying with. Not sure if your religion allows that, but I hope you encourage this stuff, since I have never been feeling in peace with my past. I hope you all in here rocking trance music every day, since it's the music about people, not about anything else.
I wanted to share this story and I hope that this is the case in your community is common, I thank you very much my bro Ahmed and I really wanted you for live in peace and happiness in the rest of your life, you fucking deserve it!
I hope Islam does not denied Trance music. It unites people like nothing else in this world.
Peace be upon you all. I bow to you and your principles, I just feel honestly that people is what creates this world and not some higher being, we should stick together and we should live in peace. Thanks for reading and I wish you the best. Because in the most non-religious country, you guys is the friendliest I have ever encounter. Let me know if anyone wants to visit our country, I will gladly be your guide.
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What is Islam position on Agnosticism?
Opinions based on references to concrete research and resources are appreciated.
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There are some really TOXIC people out there who've been accusing Islam of allowing "wife-beating", but what's worse is that SHOCKINGLY some Muslims actually believe this too! We should face these controversial issues head on. So I wrote an article that explains why Islam CLEAR-CUT doesn't allow it.
Can a father force his child to get married? Is it a sin if he doesn't?
Recently came across a few hadith that I hadn't seen before, and I wanted to know if anyone could shed some light on them.
"Three matters should not be delayed; prayer when its time comes, burial when the funeral has arrived, and the marriage of a single woman when a well-suited man has proposed."
Abu Sa'id and Ibn Abbas narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "Whoever has a child, he should give him a good name and teach him how to read and write. And when he matures, he should marry him off. When he matures and the father does not marry him off, then if the boy commits a sin, the sin will be on the father." (Shu'ab al-Iman of al-Bayhaqi)
Umar ibn al-Khattab and Anas ibn Malik narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "It is written in the tawrah that whose daughter reaches the age of 12 and he fails to marry her off, then if she commits a sin, the sin will be on the father."
The way I immediately interpreted them was that if a person wants to get married, but their father denies the marriage for some small or un-Islamic reason, then the sin's on the father. However, my friend (who sent me these hadith) told me that it doesn't matter what the opinion of the child is - if they remain unmarried, then any of their sins are sins on the parent as well. Her reasoning was that marriage is fard anyway and the hadith doesn't specify anything about the child consenting or not.
However, I am fairly sure that marriage is only fard under certain circumstances and is otherwise a highly recommended sunnah. Additionally, isn't it the case that a forced marriage isn't considered valid? And if the father does try his best to convince his child to marry, but for some reason the kid doesn't want to, isn't it extremely unfair for him to keep incurring sins?
Lastly, is it really the case that we have to marry our daughters off at 12? Or was the Prophet (PBUH) simply commenting on what the Torah said?
Would appreciate some insight on these hadith, jazakhallah.
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Fasting and working.
Recently got laid off a job. However, I've found some work in construction I will be working outside in a hot environment I will be under the sun all day Is holding off fasting a option? How should I gain my strength
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To the people who are afraid to ask Muslims personally
Assalamu Alaikum
Asking about etiquette, what a word means and what to do in general isn't rude at all in fact I'm sure many brothers would be more than happy to talk to you and give you an insight about their religion. As long as you aren't being rude when asking like "What is that gibberish you're saying" you should be fine.
I'm only making this post because I saw a few people asking questions here rather in person which might affect your perspective on the issue.
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Becoming Beloved to Allah – Habib Kadhim al Saqqaf
Habib Kadhim al Saqqaf counsels us on how we can become beloved to Allah through the means given to us by Allah and His Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace.
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate. We praise Allah for what He has given, inspired, and bestowed to human beings. He granted this creation the ability to love, and to attain elevated stations of love. And Allah informed us of this reality in the the most truthful speech.
He revealed it to the foremost among humans, in what is in the Qur’an: “O you who believe, whoever among you turns away from His religion, Allah will bring forth a people who loves He loves and who love Him.” (Sura al Maida 5:54)
In this Divine statement is a clear message that among Allah’s servants there are those He particularly love and who particularly love Him. And we, in these blessed nights [of Ramadan] seek out this love for Allah.
We try to become established in those matters that lead to the love of Allah. And we seek that love from Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
The Doors to Allah’s Love
Our Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, opened that door of seeking love from Allah. Had our Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, not opened these doors through his teachings we might have considered ourselves to puny and too insignificant to seek the love of the exalted Lord.
However, the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, opened for us the door of this seeking and being avid for Allah’s love, and attaining this tremendous good. And he taught us to seek Allah’s love through the dua:
عَنْ أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ مِنْ دُعَاءِ دَاوُدَ يَقُولُ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ حُبَّكَ وَحُبَّ مَنْ يُحِبُّكَ وَالْعَمَلَ الَّذِي يُبَلِّغُنِي حُبَّكَ اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ حُبَّكَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ نَفْسِي وَأَهْلِي وَمِنْ الْمَاءِ الْبَارِدِ
O Allah, I ask you for your love and the love of those who love you and the deeds that will bring me your love. O Allah, make your love more beloved to me than myself and my family and even cold water. (Sunan al-Tirmidhi 3490)
Look at how the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, opened for us the door of seeking and being avid and being keen in asking for Allah’s love. So that we truly love and we are truly beloved to Allah.
To Be Beloved to Allah
Rabia al Adawiyya used to say in her entreaties to Allah: “I am not amazed that I love Allah, but I am mazed that Allah loves me.” Just consider how you, an insignificant, originated creation can be beloved to the Great Creator, the Merciful Creator, the Noble Creator.
So there are means for attaining this love and then Allah gifts to the person its blessings and traces. How do we earn this love?
Through the speech beloved to Allah. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said there are four statements: “Subhan Allah, alhamduliLlah, La ilaha illa Allah, Allah akbar.” These are statements beloved to Allah, the Tremendous.
As much as we repeat the mention of these, they are the means to be beloved to Allah, O you perishing, puny creation, who will depart from this life. It is possible for you to be beloved to the Creator of all creation.
Consider, O puny creation within creation, it is possible for the Creator of all creation to love you, for He is Merciful.
Allah Loves Excellence
Then, by repeating certain auras of the Qur’an, such as Al Ikhlas. When we repeat Sura al Ikhlas, this is a means for Allah to love us. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said of a Companion who loved Sura al Ikhlas and therefore repeated it often: “Inform him that Allah loves him.” What a tremendous Sura. It is a means to attain Allah’s love.
Had it been a means for us to love Allah, that would be sufficient joy and honor. So, how about if it is a means for Allah to love us, Mighty and Exalted? We should recite it a lot to become beloved to the Tremendous Creator.
There are qualities beloved to Allah in His servants. Allah loves those of excellence. We should therefore strive to excel in all that we do, so that we can be beloved to Allah through this.
Turn to Him in Repentance
Then, we should always renew our repentance. “Truly, Allah loves those who are oft-repentant and who purify themselves.” (Sura al Baqara 2:222)
Then, outward and inward purity. Inward means the purity of soundness of the heart. So that we have nothing against anyone in this Umma, or in creation, or humanity – Muslims and believers especially. Through such qualities you will be beloved to Allah. This is through acquiring qualities that in reality are qualities of Allah.
If we characterize ourselves with excellence, this is a quality that Allah possesses. Caring is a quality of Allah. Mercy is a quality of Allah. We acquire the character trait. We resemble the name only, not the reality. For where is Allah’s Mercy for it to be comparable to our mercy? How can out mercy for our children and family compare to Allah’s Mercy for us?
Mercy Takes You to the Merciful
However, when we’re merciful to our children, families, neighbors, and all mankind, and likewise to ourselves – by raising ourselves to the grounds of closeness to the Most Real – or rather, we rise up to the fields of love of Allah, we are merciful to ourselves before we are merciful to others. By being merciful to other we are merciful to ourselves.
When we give ourselves our rights, by busying ourselves with remembrance and good; our due of sleep and of food; even our share of permissible things, these become a means of attaining Allah’s love. So we should be merciful to ourselves, to our relative and our children, in seeking our Lord’s Mercy on us. This will make us beloved to Allah.
Characterizing ourselves with such a trait that Allah loves is a means for attaining to Divine Love.
Consistency Even in Small Things
The actions most beloved to Allah are those that are consistent, even if they are small. So if we for instance perform one rakat of Witr every night or send twenty blessings upon the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, before sleep, but do so consistently, they are a means to attain Allah‘s love, even if they are small.
These are the four means:
- Speech beloved to Allah.
- Qualities beloved to Allah.
- Renewal of repentance.
- Outward and inward purity.
We ask Allah by His Favour and Generosity that He makes us of His servants who love Him and who are beloved to Him. That He make us stand in the niche of worship out of love for Him. That we worship Allah out of yearning for Him. That we worship Allah out of gratitude for what He has granted us of Islam and Faith. And that He make us members of the Umma of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace. And all praise is to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.
Habib Kadhim currently teaches at the prestigious Islamic institute, Dar al-Mustafa in Tarim as well as sitting on the Council for Legal Verdicts at the same establishment.
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Heroes and Heroines of Islam: Part One–Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf
Method of Seeing the Prophet ﷺ – Habib Ahmad Mashhur al Haddad
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Praise and a wrong prespective?
Assalamu alaikum,
I don't know how to preface this without sounding arrogant or deluded, so please, I come with pure intentions.
I am not an extraordinary muslim by any meaning of the word. I try to pray my daily 5 prayers and follow what the prophet has said. One of the groups with which I am friends think I am this supreme being and make comments on my behalf, like "Oh, frankywuz wouldn't do that", " he is a sheihk" and such stuff. I don't know how to take this praise and I am afraid that Allah will ask me about this. Allah is Al sattar. If anyone knew what I do, I am sure no one would want to associate with me. Why I ask is because when one of my friends made such a comment, a guy said " oh, is frankywuz a nabbi?!" sarcastically, and I felt very ashamed of myself. Could this also be a form of hassad?
My parents and sibling think so as well, to some degree. They are respectful about it, but I feel attacked whenever someone thinks its funny or cool to make a comment about me asking to go pray while in the mall.
Please advise me, I don't usually come to reddit for such things but I really don't know who to ask. Jazzakum Allahu khairan!
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Question about eating halal and animal welfare laws.
Salam
One of my revert friends has some concerns over eating halal in the UK. His concerns are mainly over breaching of animal welfare laws at the abattoirs. For example, how the animals are treated before slaughtering, the conditions in which they are kept and transported etc
He looked at some stats which show that there is more breach of animal welfare laws at non-stun halal places (which he prefers to eat) as compared to stun halal places.
Even though breach of animal welfare laws was observed at both the places, it’s more about which is relatively better. Stun halal had comparatively less breaches, but it’s there as well. He is concerned about animal welfare laws and thus confused about what to eat in such case.
JazakAllahKhair
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Besides money and puberty, how do I, a muslim male, know that I’m ready for marriage?
What other characteristics should one develop himself towards? Anything else in particular?
Obviously, the money aspect is a punk due to this economy, but to what extent is this important?
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The Fifteenth Night of Sha‘ban
The Fifteenth Night of Sha‘ban, known in Arabic as Laylat al Nisf min Sha‘ban, literally “the eve of the middle day of Sha‘ban,” is one of the greatest nights of the year.
In Islam the night precedes the day so really it is the night before the fifteenth day of Sha‘ban. ‘Ata’ ibn Yasar said that after Laylat al Qadr there is no night better than the Fifteenth Night of Sha‘ban. Its greatness is due to the divine gifts that are bestowed during it.
One night Sayyida ‘A’isha noticed that the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, had left her house. She went out to see where he was and found him in the Baqi‘ Graveyard raising his arms to the heavens in supplication. He said to her that on that night, the fifteenth night of Sha‘ban, Allah forgives more people than there are hairs on the sheep of the tribe Kalb, an Arab tribe renowned for the great flocks of sheep that its members possessed. (Ahmad, al Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah)
He also said, blessings and peace be upon him: “Allah gazes at His creation on the fifteenth night of Sha‘ban and then forgives all His slaves except for two types of people: those who attribute partners to Allah and those who have rancor for their fellow Muslims.” (Ahmad)
The Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said that when this night comes we should spend it in prayer and fast the following day, because truly Allah calls out to His slaves from sunset until dawn: “Is there anyone seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive him? Is there anyone seeking provision from Me so I may provide for him? Is there anyone suffering so I may relieve his suffering?” (Ibn Majah)
A Night of Worship and Forgiveness
Imam Ali went out on the fifteenth night of Sha‘ban and gazed at the heavens. He said that the Prophet Dawud, peace be upon him, went out at a similar time on this same night and said that if anyone calls upon Allah at this time, Allah answers him and if anyone seeks His forgiveness, He forgives him. For this reason he would spend the night in worship.
It has been narrated that the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said: “There are five nights on which dua is not rejected: the first night of Rajab, the fifteenth night of Sha‘ban, Thursday night, the night before Eid al Fitr and the night before Eid al Nahr (al Adha).” (al Suyuti)
Ikrima and other commentators of the Qur’an were of the opinion that the “Blessed Night” referred to in Surah al Dukhan is the fifteenth night of Sha‘ban. (The majority of commentators, however, say that the night referred to is Laylat al Qadr.) Allah says of it: In it every decreed affair becomes distinct. (Sura al Dukhan 44:4)
The Night of Destiny
According to this opinion it is the night in which everything that Allah has decreed for His slaves for the ensuing year becomes manifest. Their provision is allotted and those who are destined to die are named. ‘Ata’ bin Yasar said that on this night the Angel of Death receives a scroll on which are the names of all those who are destined to die in the coming year.
He said: “A man may plant crops, get married and build buildings while his name has already been recorded amongst the dead. The Angel of Death is only waiting for the order to take his soul.” Thus many of the pious would ask Allah on this night to be recorded among the felicitous, just as they would ask for plentiful provision.
Sayyiduna Umar ibn ‘Abd al ‘Aziz said: “Do not neglect four nights in the year, because on those nights Allah pours His mercy upon His slaves: the first night of Rajab, the fifteenth night of Sha‘ban, the night before Eid al Fitr and the night before Eid al Adha.”
Bring Sha‘ban to Life
It was thus the habit of some of the early Muslims to “bring life” to the fifteenth night of Sha‘ban. They encouraged people to come together in the mosque on that night to pray, supplicate and seek forgiveness.
A number of the hadith that talk about the immense gifts which Allah bestows on this night mention several categories of people that are excluded from receiving these gifts. Among those mentioned are those who attribute partners to Allah and those who have rancor in their hearts for their fellow Muslims.
Some of the scholars mentioned specifically those who insult the Companions or the early generations of the Muslims or declare their fellow Muslims to be disbelievers or innovators. Other categories mentioned are those who fornicate, cut the ties of kinship, or disrespect their parents.
These categories of people are also denied forgiveness and acceptance on other great nights such as the first night of Ramadan and Laylat al Qadr. We should thus do our utmost to avoid these attributes.
A Sound Heart, Generosity, and Sincerity
One of the early scholars said: “The best attributes are to have a sound heart, a generous soul, and to sincerely want good for the Umma. Through these qualities the great ones reached the stations that they reached, not through a great amount of prayer and fasting.”
May Allah not deprive us of any of the gifts that are bestowed on this great night. May He give us the ability to seek His pleasure by praying to Him and seeking His forgiveness in this night. We ask that He decrees for us all that is good and deflects from us all that is harmful.
May He bestow never-ending peace and blessings upon our guide and master Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, through whom we came to know the superiority of one time over another and in whose guidance is all good in this life and the next.
Prayer on the Fifteenth Night of Sha‘ban
Prayer-on-the-Fifteenth-Night-of-ShabānRepublished with gratitude to our Content Partner: Muwasala.org.
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Question about what muslim mates say
I have a couple muslim mates and when they talk and say mohomad they some stuff in arabic also when i hear other muslim names they say the same thing, Didn't want to ask him on the spot cause didnt wanna be rude, Can anyone answer this cheers
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Ustadha Zaynab Ansari on Amazing Muslim Women: Umm Ma‘baad
Ustadha Zaynab Ansari, in partnership with Muslimah Media, speaks in a 5-part series about the amazing Muslim women who paved the way for others after them.
Umm Ma‘baad, whose real name was Atiqah bint Khalid al-Khuzaiya, was a very fascinating woman. She is most famous for being the first woman to narrate a comprehensive description of the Prophet in a hadith.
Unexpected Guests
Umm Ma‘baad was an archetype of the Bedouin people. She was strong, intelligent, and possessed a mastery of the Arabic language, which the Bedouins were known for. She lived in a tent outside of Mecca, and she would make a living by operating a “rest stop.” She would distribute dates, meat, and milk to the travellers passing by.
One day, she was sitting in her tent, when two men appeared. They seemed to be in a rush, but Umm Ma‘baad saw something very special.
Because all her sheep had gone out to pasture, there was no milk to feed to the guests. One of the men asked for an old sheep, which was not giving milk. He passed his hand over her udder and it became filled with milk, which everyone drank from.
The Hadith of Umm Ma‘baad
Of course, these two men were the Prophet and Abu Bakr, on their migration from Mecca to Medina. When her husband returned, she told him what had happened. She described the Prophet as very radiant, and handsome. She described his luminous eyes and beautiful speech, and how the ones in his company deferred to him with so much respect.
Umm Ma‘baad was just trying to tell her husband about her visitors, but her description became one of the most famous hadith about the Prophet. Anyone learning about the characteristics of the Prophet, or learning about the Prophetic biography, is sure to come across her narration.
Although this was the first and last time she met the Prophet, her description was so concise and eloquent that it became immortalized in history.
Resources for Seekers
Heroes and Heroines of Islam: Part 4 by Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf
Method of Seeing the Prophet ﷺ – Habib Ahmad Mashhur al Haddad
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Court's niqab ban led to miscarriage of justice, Sydney hearing told
Religious beliefs meant woman did not give ‘crucial’ evidence about police raid, lawyer says
A Sydney Muslim woman suffered a miscarriage of justice at her terrorism raid lawsuit because she was not allowed to give evidence with her face covered, an appeal court has been told.
The “deeply held religious beliefs” of Moutia Elzahed meant that she did not give “crucial” evidence about her version of what police did during the September 2014 raid, her lawyer, Jeremy Kirk SC, argued on Monday in the New South Wales court of appeal.
Related: Woman cannot give evidence in a niqab, Australian court rules
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Sunday, 29 April 2018
Syed/Sayyid title among South Asians?
This is mostly a question for South Asians but I have noticed that a lot of South Asian desis have the Syed title in their name, indicating noble descent. Are all these people really descended from the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)? They look no different in their facial features (or actions) compared to non-Syed muslims or even hindus. Whenever I hear people extolling the virtues of their Syed title, I really want to call them out on it and say that their ancestors were hindu/buddhist but I hold my tongue in case I am in the wrong. Is there any truth to this Syed title?
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Why Islam Is True E07: The Kalam Argument
Muslim theologians formalized general Qur’anic arguments for the fact that the universe began to exist into precise philosophical arguments. Their arguments, historically unknown in the West, have only recently been introduced into contemporary philosophical discourse as the “Kalam Cosmological Argument”.
In this episode, Shaykh Hamza explains the Qur’anic context of the argument and then unpacks the argument according to the clear, intuitive, and easy-to-grasp approaches of traditional Muslim theology.
About the Series
“Why Islam is True” is a series of 40 short presentations that analyze the claim, “Islam is true,” by dividing it into a series of sub-claims and then evaluating their truth by examining the evidence for them, as well as the evidence against them. As they do this, the presentations explain
- the relationship between Islam and science
- the fallaciousness of the arguments of contemporary atheists
- the relationship between Islam and other faith-traditions
- the role of prophecy in human history
- the nature of life, death, and the human soul
- and the purpose of human existence
While the presentations are all grounded in the traditional Islamic sciences—particularly the sciences of Islamic theology (‘ilm al-tawhid), Islamic logic (mantiq), Qur’anic exegesis (tafsir), and legal theory (usul al-fiqh)—their goal is to answer the questions that any open-minded and thinking graduate of a contemporary high-school or university—Muslim or not—would ask about Islam.
The conclusion of this series of presentations is that God does, in fact, exist. That the Prophet Muhammad, Allah bless him and give him peace, was, in fact, His messenger. That He did, in fact, teach us the purpose of our existence on earth. And that we will, in fact, be resurrected after our deaths to stand before and be judged by God.
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Daily Qur’an Reflections: (20) Marvel of Creation, Thankfulness, Guidance, and Seek the Next Abode
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Question about etiquette during prayer: I am invited to a Muslim wedding reception
Hello, all! I did not see an answer to my question in the FAQ, so I hope you might be able to help me. I am not a Muslim, nor am I super-familiar with Islamic practice. I'm in the US and I have been invited to the wedding reception of my wife's friend who is from Bangladesh and he and his family are Muslim. In the wedding invitation, it says "preparations for Maghrib prayer have been arranged."
Because I'm sort of socially anxious, I just want to know beforehand what might be expected of me in order to be respectful of the folks who are praying. I'm pretty much clueless. Is the prayer usually done in a separate room? If not, I assume we should be quiet while people pray, but should I like... not look at them? Or should I face them? Bow head? Not? Do heads need to be covered? Are there any major faux pas I should avoid? How long does it last?
Basically, I want to be respectful but I recognize that I'm super ignorant in this respect, and I'd rather ask some strangers on the internet than bother the groom with ignorant questions or cause some sort of unintentional upset or disrespect. I recognize that this might vary by region and stuff, but any advice is welcome. Thanks all!
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whats the deal with quranism?
okay so i just got done talking to my uncle who is a quranist scholar who heard i came back into islam (many of my family are giant quranists), like this dude is legit no small fry, i'm not a hadithist or quranist or anything like that im a baby at all this stuff, but there were some basic questions i couldn't understand.
okay so hadith are transmitted in the exact same way the quran is transmitted yet we should deny the entirety of the hadith literature but accept the quran cus its from god. can someone explain what im not getting here, that logic makes no sense to me. why should i even trust the quran then on a logical level. im supposed to jut have pure blind faith? also how am i supposed to get a more expanded idea of what the quran is talking about? how am i even supposed to know what the quran means and how am i supposed to learn more about this man who brought this quran to us if i just throw out all of the history of islam cus hadith is man made. all the answers i keep getting just keep putting me in loops,
all i can tell from his arguments they were very emotional, is this what islams meant to be? i thought it was meant to have some level of logic in it, this brings me back when i first left as a kid, he went in depth about how pure a form he is following. again forgive my misunderstanding can someone please help me, this sub has been very good to me in the past there are a lot of excellent minds here. ive watched many videos on this now and read up on it but i feel very confused.
why is this even a discussion exactly? and such a heated one at that, in my head it all makes sense, qurans from god, sunnah is the way of the prophet who had this quran revealed to him. hadith is the resource that we use to understand how to best follow that path. the quran gives basic guidance yes i understand that, the quran is perfect yet i get that, the quran is all i need to live life i get that, the hadith have flaws in it yes i understand that too, but this is the method that was chosen by god to preserve the understanding of this book. as far as i can see without these hadith guys wed be screwed, could i even pick up a quran today and interpret anything from it without them?
im learning modern arabic right now and becoming a haafiz like im not some hillbilly like he made it out to be, but since languages evolve over time could i not just have a completely different meaning assigned to the quran because of the conditions that im in (socially, emotionally, economically etc) than literally anyone else. so then hows this any better than Christianity no offense to christians. like whats the point in believing this? he made the argument that i should believe in the unseen cus the quran says so. and whilst i do accept the quran is from god something doesnt sit quite right about all this.
do i really have to abandon all hadith or die by them? both seem so unappealing to me on a logical level, please help me
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Fasting The White Days of Sha‘ban – Muwasala
We are now approaching the “White Days” of the month of Sha‘ban. The “White Days” are the days which follow nights in which the moon is full, namely the 13th, 14th and 15th days of each lunar month.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ encouraged his Companions to fast three days in every month and to fast these days specifically.
We should attempt to fast all three days if we are able, since Sayyidah ‘A’ishah said of the Prophet ﷺ: “I did not see him fasting in any month more than Sha‘ban.” (Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim)
If we are unable to do so, we should attempt to fast the fifteenth, since the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that when this night comes we should spend it in prayer and fast the following day.
Please check the moon sighting in your locality.
With gratitude to our Content Partner: Muwasala.org.
He only wants to Forgive and Give! Nisfu Shaban: The Middle Night of Sha’ban – Sh. Faid Said
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"Ḥanbalī Theology," by Jon Hoover (in The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Theology, page 625 - 646, 2016) " The modern understanding of Hanbali theology was initially plagued by the problem of viewing Hanbalism through the eyes of it's Asharite opponents"
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"Deeds have consequences and effects that return to the servant that performed them, affecting his life and all of his affairs."
Quote by Ibn Qayyim Al Jawziyyah
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Dua from the Quran – Surah Al-Maidah Verse 83
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Life, The Universe and Everything – Shaykh Abdul Rahim Reasat
Shaykh Abdurrahim Reasat discusses how the burning questions of the soul and the satisfactory answers to them are predicated on the existence of a Creator.
Forty-two…!
It took Deep Thought, a super-computer built by hyper-intelligent beings, seven and a half million years to arrive at the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything – and the answer was … forty-two. Upon hearing this, Arthur Dent, the protagonist of the novels titled The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, is thoroughly disappointed. He then embarks on journey to find the Ultimate Question to make sense of the answer.
Despite the humor of this plot twist (forgive me), two important points can be inferred:
The Souls Yearns for Answers
To the atheist, such as the author of the above work, we are nothing more than an unlikely result of an extremely improbable sequence of explosions, chemical reactions and mutations. To this mind, seeking purpose, direction, and meaning in life is akin to going fishing in the Sahara Desert: an exercise in futility.
Despite this, the same question gnaws at this type of person too. The amusements and distractions of life busy the mind, but the soul still yearns to find its place in existence. For some, this is a yearning which drives them to find their purpose in life, and for others it is an uncomfortable sensation to be numbed.
There Is an Instruction Manual
Unsurprisingly, the best place to look for the answer is in the instruction manual. Allah, out of His pure generosity, did not leave us to figure things out on our own after creating us. Rather, He sent us books and Messengers with answers and solutions to what we find ourselves in. The Qurʾan addresses the purpose of creating humanity on multiple levels – but the explicit reasons are given in three verses. Each of them is a facet of one unified purpose.
Before looking at these verses, it is important to understand that Allah is perfect, and far beyond needing or benefiting from us or anything we do. This is clearly expressed in the hadith narrated by Abu Dharr al Ghifari in which the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, quoted Allah saying, “My servants, you cannot cause Me any harm, nor can you benefit Me in any way!” (Muslim). Why create all this then? In order for Him to manifest His kindness and mercy upon us.
The first of the three verses can be found in Sura Hud: “Had your Loving Lord willed He would have made humanity one nation [united in faith; but He chose to give them a free will, so they disagreed with each other,] and they continue to disagree – save those who your Loving Lord was kind and merciful to. For that great, lofty purpose did He create them…” (11:118-119)
Khalifa of Allah
The first of these two verse alludes to what can be seen as a secondary reason for our creation: a test. Had Allah willed, He could have created humanity stripped of free will, compelled by their very nature to obey and worship Him as the angels do. In fact, the angels actually considered their lack of free will something which made them fitter for the role of the Khalifa of Allah (Vicegerent) on earth, who would do His bidding, and manifest His commands.
So, if we were created to be the recipients of the kindness of the most generous being in existence, why were we not created in Paradise, instead of being sent to earth first?
The reason for this is that they were guaranteed to obey. But a being with a free will, an ego, desires, and physical and social motives to disobey would likely end up committing the worst of deeds – not the best. Allah simply replied that He knew what they did not, before actually showing them that there are many things they did not know (2:30-33).
The consequence of having a free will, and the option to embrace divine guidance or reject it meant that humanity disagreed with each other – most of them choosing other than what is in the ultimate benefit due to the worst kind of myopia.
Others, however, chose divine guidance as their ship, and consequently remained afloat, benefiting in this life with the protection and care of Allah, and ultimately in the afterlife with unending, indescribable pleasure which neither slackens, nor does it lose its charm. All this is a manifestation of His mercy and kindness, without which they would not have made this choice.
The Ultimate Manifestation of Mercy
According to some of the greatest exegetes of the Qurʾan, including Mujahid, Qatada and Al Dahhak, the next verse tells us that this ultimate manifestation of mercy and kindness is the very reason Allah created us. To express this, the verse employs the use of the demonstrative pronoun ذلك – usually used to refer to something far – in a metaphorical sense to show high, tremendous, and remarkable it actually is.
So, if we were created to be the recipients of the kindness of the most generous being in existence, why were we not created in Paradise, instead of being sent to earth first?
There are many answers to this – all of which highlight the supreme wisdom of Allah. What serves our purpose here is the fact that the good – at the very least deserve to be rewarded for their choices and deeds, and those who are wicked deserve punishment for their deeds. Allah could forgive the latter group and give the former more than what they deserve; all of this would be a manifestation of mercy.
Therefore, it is necessary to show what each individual is deserving of. Some, like the atheist, will chose to disobey and turn completely away. others will bend over backwards to obey. And between the two extremes will be many others inclining one way or the other.
All this is known to Allah. But to display His justice we have been placed on earth to manifest these choices and deeds so none can say in the afterlife that someone was sent to the wrong place.
Worship as a Test of Will
The means to showing which stations of Paradise or Hell people should be in is simple: a test – which, we can now see, is a secondary purpose of creation.
The test is simple: belief in Allah and all which He commands one to believe in, and worship. The word for worship in Arabic,ʿibada, has an implied sense of being abject, abased and humbled before Allah. Once one is firmly in this state the “sweetness” of faith takes hold of a person, and he would hate to leave it just as someone would have to be thrown in Hell (Bukhari).
The reason being is that at this stage one is in tune with his purpose in life, which is clearly expressed by the second explicit verse in Sura al Dhariyat: “And I have not created Jinnkind and Mankind for any reason but to worship Me.” (51:56)
Performing one’s prayers, giving charity, being truthful, and other such deeds are all representations of one’s submission to the command of Allah.
This worship is not restricted to prayer, Hajj, fasting, etc. Rather, is it a tailor made test suited to each individual. Performing one’s prayers, giving charity, being truthful, and other such deeds are all representations of one’s submission to the command of Allah, yet the matter does not end there.
Following the way of the Messengers – which is the best possible approach in all matters – leads one to becoming beloved to Allah; the highest of goals, and one of the signs of success in the test.
Attaining Deep Humility
Persevering in worshiping Allah despite being in difficult situations is precisely why Allah chose Adam and his children for the role of Khalifa, and not the angels. This voluntary worship through thick and thin – with all the stumbling and apologizing that humans are prone to – is greater in the sight of Allah than the worship of those who have no choice.
It is the charity of the poor given to those needier than them. It is kindness shown to those who have wronged one. It is the forgiveness one chooses for those who have oppressed him. It is the resistance of someone against his miserliness when spending on others. It is the seemingly irrational trust on has in Allah when everyone and everything leads others to conclude otherwise. It is the gratitude one feels when seeing that others have less than one. It is the patience which one fortifies himself with when the difficulties of life rain down on one. In short – it is the divinely sanctioned, prophetic response to what one is tried with.
One may ask, “How does one attain this deep, humbled state before Allah?” The answer is given to us the third verse which explicitly answers the question we first started with. In Sura al Talaq, Allah says, “It is Allah who perfectly created seven unimaginable skies, and of the earth an equal number of layers – His rule is absolute throughout – so that you realize that Allah can do anything whatsoever, and that Allah has full knowledge of every single matter.” (65:12)
This verse is an invitation to know something of Allah’s greatness through His creation. The word khalq in Arabic means “to be created according to a specific plan.” Therefore all of existence has been perfectly created in the way it should be according to His knowledge and wisdom. Neither we, nor anything else in the rest of the universe, are the products of an extremely improbable sequence of explosions, chemical reactions and mutations.
The Cosmos Invites Reflection
Realizing that Allah made everything with no help, no raw materials, and no failed attempts, gives one certainty in the fact that He is capable of anything. The entire cosmos in an invitation to reflect and realize this, as well as a challenge to find imperfections of design within it – if, that is, one can understand it fully in the first place (67:3-4).
Seeing the complexity of the the earth and its movements harmoniously synchronized with the merging of the day into night, and night into day, reveals that the Creator must also know everything in order to be able to create such an amazing system perfect for your needs (57:6)
The light of the sun, the flight of birds, the growing of seeds into plants, the descent of rain, the burning of fire, the pollinating winds, the creation of life through mere procreation. They all point to His perfection, knowledge and power.
The universe itself is a sign to make one realize his abjectness before Allah, which in turn spurs him to worship His Loving Lord knowing that He has created all this for him. This turns the burning question in his soul into a response to the divine command. All this so Allah can manifest His kindness onto His servants.
The Answer Through Human Eyes
Shaykh Ahmad ibn Ataʾillah, the great saint and scholar of Alexandria, put it quite succinctly: “He has made serving Him obligatory on you – but in reality He has only made it obligatory for you to enter His Garden.”
There is a certain degree of overlap between the implications of the verse from Sura al Talaq and that from Sura al Ḍhariyat. The former leads one to knowledge of Allah, and His attributes; whilst the latter was interpreted by Mujahid, the student of ʿAbdullah ibn ʿAbbas in Qurʾanic exegesis, to mean “for any reason but to know me.” This would then be the embodiment of ihsan, or worshiping Allah as though one sees him, as alluded to in the famous Jibril hadith in Sahih Muslim.
What is interesting is that following the Qurʾanic sequence of these verses gives us the answer we were looking for from Allah’s perspective. And working backwards, it gives the same answer seen from human eyes.
So the answer, then, is considerably more profound and satisfying than “forty-two.”
Shaykh Abdul Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. He moved to Damascus in 2007 to study and sit at the feet of some of the most erudite scholars of our time, such as Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh Abdurrahman Arjan, Shaykh Hussain Darwish and Shaykh Muhammad Darwish.
In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies in Fiqh, Usul al Fiqh, Theology, Hadith Methodology and Commentary, Shama’il, and Logic with teachers such as Dr Ashraf Muneeb, Dr Salah Abu’l Hajj, Dr Hamza al-Bakri, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Dr Mansur Abu Zina amongst others. He was also given two licences of mastery in the science of Qur’anic recital by Shakh Samir Jabr and Shaykh Yahya Qandil.
His true passion, however, arose in the presence of Shaykh Ali Hani, considered by many to be one of the foremost tafsir scholars of our time who provided him with the keys to the vast knowledge of the Quran. With Shaykh Ali, he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Qur’anic Sciences, Tafsir, Arabic Grammar, and Rhetoric.
When he finally left Jordan for the UK in 2014, Shaykh Ali gave him his distinct blessing and still recommends students in the UK to seek out Shaykh Abdul Rahim for Quranic studies. Since his return he has trained as a therapist and has helped a number of people overcome emotional and psychosomatic issues. He is a keen promoter of emotional and mental health.
Invite Allah’s Generosity into your Life – Shaykh Muhammad Adeyinka Mendes
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Fasting Has Abrahamic Roots – Ustadh Ali Ataie
Ustadh Ali Ataie gives a short history of fasting in Judaism and Islam, its importance and significance, and how it relates to fasting in Islam.
Allah Most High says in the Sura al Baqara 2:183:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
“Fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that perchance they may have taqwa.”
There is a axiom among that Ulama that says: “A thing is known by its objective.” And the objective of fasting is to gain taqwa. Therefore, fasting is a highly exalted thing.
We become conscious of Allah Most High when fasting. This means, in part, that we become conscious of our fellow creatures. This increases empathy. When we fast we experience what it is like not to have food. People live like this on a daily basis.
When we increase in empathy we increase in compassion. When we increase in compassion we become more like the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace.
Fasting Is Not a Muslim Invention
Fasting does not come out of thin air. It is not something the Muslims invented. It has deeply Abrahamic roots. In fact the word for fasting in Hebrew and Syriac, the language of Musa and Isa, peace be upon them, is also saw. It is pronounced exactly the same. It is an exact cognate of the Arabic word.
This word is mentioned several times in the Old Testament. For example, David writes in Psalm 35-13: “I humbled my soul with fasting.”
Not only that, the Prophet’s typology, Allah bless him and give him peace, is also found in the Books of Ahl al Kitab. We know the events of Laylat al Qadr. In proto-Isaiah 29:12 we read: “And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.”
The Fasts of Musa and Isa
When the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, went to Madina and saw the Jews fasting during Yawmi Ashura, he asked: “Why are you doing this?” They said: “To commemorate the exodus of Musa [peace be upon him].” The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: “We have greater claim on Musa [peace be upon him].”
Back then, the Day of Ashura corresponded exactly with the tenth day of the first month of the Jewish calendar: Assara bi Tishri, also known as Yom Kippur – the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. After the Christian era the Jews began to use a leap month every three or four years to better align their calendar with the Gregorian. While Muslims continue to fast on the true, authentic Yom al Kippur.
In Matthew 4:2, we read that Isa, peace be upon him, fasted for forty days and forty nights. In this he followed the example of Musa, peace be upon him.
Anoint Your Face When Fasting
In Matthew 6:6-18, Isa, peace be upon him, said:
Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
When Isa, peace be upon him, says: “Your Father in heaven,” this has nothing to do with being the literal father of anyone. When Isa, peace be upon him, taught his disciples to pray in Matthew 6:9, in the Syriac language, he said: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.” The meaning is Rabb, sustainer, cherisher.
Note that in the passage above Isa, peace be upon him says that when you fast, do it in secret, and your Lord will reward you for it.
This reminds us of the hadith qudsi of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace: “Allah Most High says: Every act of the son of Adam is for him, except for fasting, which is for me. And I will reward my servant.”
Ustadh Ali is a graduate of the Badr Arabic Language Institute in Hadramawt, Yemen and studied at the prestigious Dar al-Mustafa under some of the most eminent scholars in the world. He holds a Masters’ Degree in Biblical Studies from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, (the first Muslim seminarian in the 143 year history of the school to do so), and is working on a PhD in Islamic Biblical Hermeneutics.
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Keep Good Company In The Last Ten Nights Of Ramadan, by Imam Khalid Latif
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Question about tajweed? I don't have a local teacher so I'm asking here
From what I can hear of Quran recitations, am I correct in saying that when a word ends in the letter noon, and the next word begins with lam, that the noon is silent? Is this always the case or is there a symbol I have to look for?
Also, is there a similar rule for other letters besides lam? Because sometimes it sounds like the noon is also silent when the next word begins with meem. Any help on this subject is appreciated
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