Imam Abu Hanifa was good!!

(I got this from http://www.haqislam.org/)

Imam Abu Hanifah and the Atheist

Long ago in the city of Baghdad, there was a Muslim empire. On one side of the River Tigris were the royal palaces and on the other side was the city. The Muslims were gathered in the Royal Palace when an athiest approached them. He said to them, 'I don't believe in God, there cannot be a God, you cannot hear Him or see Him, you're wasting your time! Bring me your best debator and I will debate this issue with him.'

The best debator at the time was Imam Abu Hanifah Rahimullah. A messenger from amongst the Muslims was sent over the River Tigris to the city, where Abu Hanifah Rahimullah was, in order to tell him about the athiest who was awaiting him. On crossing the River Tigris, the messenger conveyed the message to Abu Hanifah Rahimullah saying, 'Oh Abu Hanifah, an athiest is waiting for you, to debate you, please come!' Abu Hanifah Rahimullah told the messeneger that he would be on his way.

The messenger went over the River Tigris once again and to the Royal Palaces, where everyone including the athiest awaited the arrival of Abu Hanifah Rahimullah. It was sunset at the time and one hour had passed, but Abu Hanifah Rahimullah still hadn't arrived. Another hour had passed, but still there was no sign of him. The Muslims started to become tense and worried about his late arrival. They did not want the athiest to think that they were too scared to debate him, yet they did not want to take up the challenge themselves as Abu Hanifah Rahimullah was the best of Debators from amongst the Muslims. Another hour passed, and suddenly the athiest started laughing and said, ' Your best debator is too scared! He knows he's wrong, he is too frightened to come and debate with me. I gurantee he will not turn up today.'

The Muslims increased in apprehension and eventually it had passed midnight, and the athiest had a smile on his face. The clock ticked on, and finally Abu Hanifah Rahimullah had arrived. The Muslims inquired about his lateness and remarked, 'Oh Abu Hanifah, a messenger sent for you hours ago, and you arrive now, explain your lateness to us.'

Abu Hanifah Rahimullah apologised for his lateness and began to explain, while the atheist listened to his story.

"Once the messenger delivered the message to me, I began to make my way to the River Tigris, and on reaching the river bank I realised there was no boat, in order to cross the river. It was getting dark, and I looked around, there was no boat anywhere nor was there a navigator or a sailor in order for me to cross the river to get to the Royal Palaces. I continued to look around for a boat, as I did not want the athiest to think I was running away and did not want to debate with him.

I was standing on the river bank looking for a navigator or a boat when something caught my attention in the middle of the river. I looked forward, and to my amazement I saw planks of wood rising to the surface from the sea bed. I was shocked, amazed, I couldn't believe what I saw seeing. Ready made planks of wood were rising up to the surface and joining together. They were all the same width and length, I was astounded at what I saw.

I continued to look into the middle of the river, and then I saw nails coming up from the sea floor. They positioned themselves onto the boat and held the planks together, without them being banged. I stood in amazement and thought to myself, 'Oh Allah, how can this happen, planks of wood rising to the surface by itself, and then nails positioning themselves onto the boat without being banged?' I could not undertsand what was happening before my eyes."

The athiest meanwhile was listening with a smile on his face. Abu Hanifah Rahimullah continued, "I was still standing on the river bank watching these planks of wood join together with nails. I could see water seeping through the gaps in the wood, and suddenly I saw a sealant appear from the river and it began sealing the gaps without someone having poured it, again I thought, 'Ya Allah, how is this possible, how can sealant appear and seal the gaps without someone having poured it, and nails appear without someone having banged them.' I looked closer and I could see a boat forming before my eyes, I stood in amazement and was filled with shock. All of a sudden a sail appeared and I thought to myself, 'How is this happening, a boat has appeared before my eyes by itself, planks of wood, nails, sealant and now a sail, but how can I use this boat in order to cross the river to the Royal Palaces?' I stood staring in wonderment and suddenly the boat began to move. It came towards me against the current. It stood floating beside me while I was on the river bank, as if telling me to embark onto it. I went on the boat and yet again it began to move. There was no navigator or sailor on the boat, and the boat began to travel towards the direction of the royal palaces, without anyone having programmed it as to where to go. I could not understand what was happening, and how this boat had formed and was taking me to my destination against the flow of water. The boat eventually reached the other side of the River Tigris and I disembarked. I turned around and the boat had disappeared, and that is why I am late.'

At this moment, the athiest brust out laughing and remarked, "Oh Abu Hanifah, I heard that you were the best debator from amongst the Muslims, I heard that you were the wisest, the most knowledgable from amongst your people. From seeing you today, I can say that you show none of these qualities. You speak of a boat appearing from nowhere, without someone having built it. Nails positioning themselves without someone having banged them, sealant being poured without someone having poured it, and the boat taking you to your destination without a navigator against the tide, your taking childish, your talking rediculous, I swear I do not believe a word of it!"

Abu Hanifah Rahimullah turned to the athiest and replied, "You don't believe a word of it? You dont believe that nails can appear by themselves? You dont believe sealant can be poured by itself? You dont believe that a boat can move without a navigator, hence you don't believe that a boat can appear without a boat maker?"

The athiest remarked defiantly, "Yes I dont believe a word of it!"

Abu Hanifah Rahimullah replied, "If you cannot believe that a boat came into being without a boat maker, than this is only a boat, how can you believe that the whole world, the universe, the stars, the oceans, and the planets came into being without a creator?"

...............................................................................................................................................................

Transcribed from a lecture delivered by Shaykh Ahmad Ali.

Baby I'm A Soldier

I don't believe that people are inherently evil.
I don't believe that people have hearts that are stone cold.
People, whether soldiers or not, are not machines, no matter how much we may try to train them to be.
Sometimes, all we need to awaken ourselves is a little insight. And empathy.

This is a song by Kareem Salama, an Egyptian-American artist. Check it out.
Much love,
- Sumeyya

Baby I'm a Soldier (K. Salama)

He was a soldier who’d only been married two or three years ago
And he put his hands on her knees that night and he said I gotta go
She said why would you leave this home and me; I thought I was your baby girl
And he wiped away the tears from her eyes and said they’re sending me to save the world.
And you know I love you and I pray to God that he’ll join us once again
But now its time for this simple man to be one of the few good men...

(Chorus)

Cause baby I’m a soldier and I hear those trumpets calling again
And our kings and queens are saying this is a fight we must win
For truth and justice and for the way we live our life
And baby I’m a soldier in front of God I swore I would fight

Across the ocean and miles away there stood another man
Eighteen years, hugging his mama saying I’ll defend this land
Mama held her baby and cried and clutched him telling him not to leave
She said what will I do without my baby boy; son I’m begging you please
He said I love you mama but duty calls; I’ll write you everyday
She said I lost your daddy like this and I don’t wanna lose you this way.

(Chorus)

But Mama I’m a soldier and I hear those trumpets calling again
And our kings and queens are saying this is a fight we must win
For truth and justice and for the way we live our life
And Mama I’m a soldier in front of God I swore I would fight

Well the battle raged and shots rang out the two men fell to the ground
And they looked into the eyes of each other and were shocked at what they found....

One man saw the mother of the other in that young man's eyes
And the other man saw the crying and screams of the other man's beloved wife
And the two men stared across that smoky field and whispered to each other
Maybe you weren’t the demon they said, maybe you were really my brother

But I’m glad we’re passing cause I don’t think that I could forgive myself
For fighting you but maybe God will and we can live together in bliss

(Chorus)

Cause Ladies we were soldiers and we heard those trumpets calling again
And tell the kings and queens that sometimes there are fights no one wins
But we know for sure that there’s evil out there we must fight
But please be sure that this is one of those times

And please be sure to remember my mama and wife
And please be sure to think of my brother on the other side.

The Subject Came Up...

I was talking to some friends the other day about where one should get sacred knowledge, and the subject inevitabely came up: Are Paki/Indo scholars worth it?

Honestly, at first I was shocked because I never thought that the ethnicity of a scholar was important (or whether Arabic was his/her language) because wouldn't you rather focus on the piety, character, taqwa, and above all, knowledge of the scholar instead? Admittedly, mastery of the Arabic language is a component of how much knowledge a scholar has, but if your studying the Qu'ran/Sunnah, every reputable scholar whom you study under will know the Arabic language very well, even if he/she does not necessarily speak it. But then I realized that my friend was referring to cultural factors; ie in Paki/India, culture and religion are too mixed up to get a sound education in the Islamic Sciences.

Well, true, in the general population, culture and religion are mixed up. But not necessarily in the Dar ul Ulooms or with the Shuyuks themselves, especially, those whose life's work has been concerned with the preservation of traditional Islam. And, I think, one would find that culture and religion are mixed up EVERYWHERE, not simply in the Indo/Pak world, but in pretty much any Muslim country. In non-Muslim countries (US, England, etc), culture sometimes plays less of a role simply because thier culture is so much at odds with the moral guidelines of Islam, so we tend to focus more on religion, less on culture....

Anywho, I was thinking about this discussion, and later, found a question at daruliftaa.com (Leicester, UK) that was almost identical. The article below also touches on some other issues in obtaining knowledge...Check it out:

http://daruliftaa.com/question.asp?txt_QuestionID=q-18034012

P.S.
For those of you who have studied abroad or here, with Arab or Indo/Pak scholars, what do you think about this (culture/relgion? And does it affect the knowledge you recieve at certain places, and also, does mastery of the Arabic language [particularly speaking it] make a scholar more/less reputable?) I'm just interested :)
PLEASE READ THE ARTICLE TOO!!!


- Sumeyya
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"Never do I argue with a man with a desire to hear him say what is wrong, or to expose him and win victory over him. Whenever I face an opponent in debate I silently pray - O Lord, help him so that truth may flow from his heart and on his tongue, and so that if truth is on my side, he may follow me; and if truth be on his side, I may follow him. " — Imam As-Shafi’i

AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

Ok, so this blogging stuff is slightly more than what I bargained for. Besides the fact that my original goals of posting something useful at least once a week is in ruins (more like once a month), I find I don't have barely enough time to thoroughly research a topic and put it up. What with school and work and life, its hard enough trying to keep myself motivated!

But, last week an opportunity came up that I had to write about. I mean literally, I HAD to write about it for my Sociology class. :) Not that I wasn't interested in the first place, but what better than a grade to force you to write about something interesting and very relevant? I edited the previous post (which was pretty much a rant about the topic); here's the more polished version:
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TONY LAGOURANI EVENT (NOVEMBER 1ST, 2007)

Tony Lagourani, a young man who was recruited to Iraq in 2004 as an interrogator, gave some sociological insight into the abuse perpetrated by the soldiers in Iraq, particularly in Abu Ghuraib. His book, “An Army Interrogator’s Dark Journey in Iraq,” discusses his experience.

He arrived in Iraq during 2004, before any of the Abu Ghuraib scandals. Before he went to Iraq, he said, he and other interrogators had recieved "cultural training" -- from a man who had never even met an Arab or a Muslim. This was supposed to help them understand the people they would be interrogating. They were taught out of a book authored by an Israeli (government?) official which pretty much listed "Arabs as lying, cheating, driven by violence, and in every way different from 'normal' people." It even went on to say, and these are the speakers' words, "they have a different grip on reality... they are very violent." To sum up, it was a book which was trying to justify Israel's continued occupation and violence in Palestine and other Arab countries, geared towards a Western audience. This was thier cultural training. This is the mindset they had going to Iraq.

Further, Lagourani went on to say, that when he arrived in Iraq, they were given very vague instructions on how to interrogate the prisoners -- highly unusual because in the Army, as everyone knows, you are told what to do from Day 1: how to walk, talk, dress, act, how to carry out the most minute of duties. The army is not a place where one is told to "Be creative," there are rules for everything and the good soldier follows those rules out to perfection. Yet, in Iraq, the orders given from the generals were vague, 'make them talk'. They were told to use, and I quote, "stress positions, temperature (hypothermia), military dogs, sleep deprivation waterboarding [forceful drowning]" etc. to make them talk, and were not told what NOT to do; (there was a host of other things he mentioned, but this is merely what I scribbled down).

These forms of torture went on for days, if not weeks. “We were aware,” Lagourani said, “that these forms of torture violated the Geneva Convention for treatment of Prisoners of War, but our generals told us that these prisoners were not even covered under the Geneva Convention, that in fact, a new class had been created for them, ‘Enemy Combatants’.” Thus, he said, "we followed orders."

I lost track of the number of times Lagourani repeated this phrase: "we followed orders" or "we were ordered to do so" -- which is essentially the basic premise of Milgram's Experiment of 1961: that rational, normal, 'good,' people will continue to obey authority against their better moral conscience. This is a classic example where Milgram's experiment was proven to be right. Lagourani, and many other soldiers' claim was always, "we followed orders." They were conditioned since the first day in the military that to be a successful soldier, one would unquestionably obey authority.It's also an example of Zimbardo's Prison Experiment of 1971; that when given an unprecedented amount of power, even the most 'good' people will become corrupt and abuse that power. Because the soldiers guarding the prisoners at Abu Ghuraib had such power, and because the rules given to them on how to treat the prisoners were very vague, many soldiers misused their power and abused the prisoners.

Lagourani gives an example that supports this idea: He [Lagourani] was guarding a prisoner who had stolen a can of Benzene oil (the type to fuel heaters/stoves with). The prisoner had nothing to do with the war, nothing to do with terrorism. It was 3am in the morning, he [Lagourani] was sleep deprived (though obviously not as much the prisoners, whom were kept awake for weeks on end), and sick of being constantly under attack. He wanted to take his stress out on someone whom he could have complete dominance and control over.... Since there was no one else around [to stop him], Lagourani said, "I thought, you know what, screw it. I'm goanna beat the hell out of this guy." At this point, his moral consciousness caught up with him. Although he did not go through with the actual act, this example proves Zimbardo’s premise right – that even though Lagourani was, generally speaking, a good person, when put under stressful conditions and given extraordinary power, he was willing to abuse that power.

And finally, the Abu Ghuraib discussion also raised questions of deviances and norms. Was it, in fact, a deviant act for the few soldiers (according to the media, Lagourani stated otherwise) to abuse the prisoners? Or is it completely normal when everyone else, or the vast majority of soldiers, were committing the same act? To answer these questions, one has to look at the defenitions of a norm to define deviance. The two types of norms -- normal and normative --cover both these circumstances. Statistically (if we are to believe Lagourani [who said that most soldiers did abuse the prisoners], not the media) then this act was normal by all means. Because more than 50% of the soldiers in Iraq did abuse the prisoners, then the incidents at Abu Ghuraib are normal. However, if one looks at it through a "normative" defenition, based on values of equality and justice before the law, then this was defenitely a deviant act becaue the prisoners were not given basic human rights, and were violated of rights givent to them under the Geneva Convention, Article 3, that states, "[POW's] shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, including prohibition of outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment." Thus the defenition of deviance varies with the defenition of the norm.

The discussion raised important questions of American involvement in the Middle East, and the treatment of any people -- be it Iraqi's, Arab's, or American's -- in accordance with the most basic of human rights, that is, to be treated with dignity. Instead of American's asking "Why do they hate us?" the discussion begs the question "Why would they like us?!"

As one audience member put it, "How can I, as an American citizen, be proud to call myself an American, or even, truthfully call this country 'Democratic' when my administration allows and sanctions these acts to happen -- and continue?"

Abu Ghuraib was not a stranded event -- war crimes, especially with American soldiers [as they are always the occupier, not the one bieng occupied] are rampant simply because of the extraordinary power they [American soldiers] hold. We, as Americans, need to understand that these acts are bieng committed in our names and with our tax dollars. We must realize that to the world outside the US, "Americans" not "American officials" or the "Bush Administration" are the real perpetrators of the acts, and it is to us that they point the finger of blame.

Peace everyone, I'd seriously reccommend Lagourani's book if you want to learn more about this subject.

Sumeyya

Tablighi Jamaat: What's Up With Them?

There are many misconceptions about the Tablighi Jamaat, a group started in the early 1900s in India, their goal bieng one: To revive the core Islamic teachings and bring it back into the hearts are lives of the Muslim Ummah. I myself was skeptical of the group, (and don't get me wrong, the goals of the group are admirable) mainly because I'd seen how the family life of some members are, and it wasn't appealing to me. However, to each his own.

The goals of the group, and its founder, Maulana Ilyas, were simply to, as I've stated above, bring the teachings of Islam back to the people of Islam. So really, it was a call to all Muslims to get involved in their communities and bring other Muslims back to Islam: Dawah to our fellow brothers and sisters. Any form of "getting involved in the community" wether it be joining the MSA or going from door to door for Dawah was considered "Tabligh" or "preaching." (This is according to of course, the 'defenition' of Tablighi Jamaat, not necessarily what the members believed/practiced.)

So, I was always confused about this group in general; there were many good qualities, but also bad qualities as well, and I will not list either as it is not in my place to do so. However, I did come across an article written by Imam Suhaib Webb, which explains the group very well and gives us a choice to see both sides of the issue.

QUESTION:

My wife is pushing me to go with Tabligh! Who are they and what to do?

Answered by Imam Suhaib Webb
http://thetranslators.wordpress.com/
March 1st, 2007


Question (Full): “My wife is constantly bothering me about going with Tabligh Jamat? I do other acts of goodness and don’t really want to join these people. At times she starts to drive me crazy and says I need to do something for the ummah? Please give me some background on this group and tell me how to deal with my wife?”

Tabligh’s Beginnings

Tablighi Jamat represents one of the great efforts to revive the faith of Islam in the hearts of Muslims. Their founder, Mawlana Ilyas (may Allah have mercy on him) was a man of great piety and concern for the Umma. His father was Mawlana Muhammad Ismail (may Allah have mercy on him) who, although a great learned man, was known for drawing water from wells, serving travelers and then offering two rakats of shukr to Allah for blessing him to serve them. He died in 1896 and his funeral prayer was so crowded that it had to be repeated. Shortly after his prayer, a pious man saw him in his dream saying, “Send me off soon. I am feeling ashamed The Holy Prophet is waiting for me.”

His mother, Bibi Safia (may Allah have mercy on her) memorized the entire Qur’an and was known for reading 10 Ajza (parts) of Qur’an every day during the month of Ramadan. She was known for her piety and reverence in worship. She was not only a worshiper of Allah, but she was a Murabiyah, who built and nurtured the young Mawlana and watered him from the blessed spring of Islam. Once, seeing something great in her son’s future, she said to him, “Ilyas, I feel the aroma of the holy Companions in you.” She used to place her hand on his back, and would say, “How is it that I see figures resembling the holy Companions moving along with you?” The blessed fruit of these noble parents, Mawlana Ilyas, was born in 1885.

It was in this home that the Mawlana was raised and nurtured on faith and actions. Once, the Mawlana, describing his grandmother, stated that she had become so engrossed in her worship and dhikr that she stopped eating. It was said to her, “You are old and weak and must eat!” She responded, “I draw sustenance from my tasbihat (remembrance of Allah).” Thus, the young Mawlana was surrounded by pious examples of people who were so attached to Allah that the world attached to them.

The Mawlana memorized the entire Qur’an at a young age and continued his studies of different Islamic sciences. He was known for having an intense presence about him. One day his teacher said to him, “When I see Muhammad Ilyas, I am reminded of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them).” He was known for a strong intellect and excelled his peers in all of his studies. He had a number of great teachers and was blessed to study the works of Bukhari and Tirmithi; however, he was struck by an illness which led to his increase in studies and spiritual devotion.

In 1910 he assumed a teaching position at a famous school. After the death of his two brothers, and almost his own, the Mawlana moved to Dehli and began to teach. There he witnessed the horrible conditions of the Muslim Umma. In fact, it is well known that the Muslims there had adopted Hindu names, forgot their prayers and observed Hindu rights and festivals over their own. Under these conditions the heart of this saint pushed him to act. It was not sufficient for the Mawlana to focus solely on himself, but his true devotion to Allah and the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him pece) led him to openly address the ills of the society. Thus, like the famous scholars before him, he not only focused on the purification of his soul, but the purification of his society and the Muslims around him.

Thus, he was led to open a number of schools and educational institutions that focused on reviving the core Islamic teachings amongst the people. It was through this effort that Tablighi Jamat was born.

I’m sure many of our readers are wondering, why the long answer. Let me state that I felt it was an obligation to give them a small glimpse into the life of one of the greatest reformers our Muslim nation has seen in the last 200 years.

Summary of Tablighi Jamat:

Tablighi Jamat is a movement designed to bring faith back into the lives of the Muslims. They focus on five major duties and travel to different locations in order to spread the message of faith and dawa (calling to Allah) to other Muslims. They serve as one of the important alarm clocks whose job is to awaken a sleeping Umma, and remind it of its noble position and tasks. Members are encouraged to go for 3 days in a month, 40 days in a year and, if possible, 4 months in a lifetime.

Answer to the question:

Akhi, I think you should be happy that your wife is complaining that you’re not making dawa, praying, or doing enough for Allah’s deen. It sure beats hearing someone complain about the bills, not having the latest Visa Platinum or a new SUV etc. In fact, such a wife is one of the greatest gifts of Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings upon him) said, “This world is nothing but goods. And the best thing in this life is a righteous wife.” Thus, instead of being angry at your wife, you should praise Allah that he has blessed you with her and she is encouraging you to look after your faith.

As was mentioned earlier, Tablighi Jamat serves as one of the many alarm clocks that Allah has used to wake up this umma. There are many such that are working to benefit others and do good in society. All of these groups have good and bad qualities, thus, what is obligated is to follow the truth.

The Prophet (peace and blessings upon him) said, “Wisdom is the lost property of the believer.” Thus, one should approach these different groups as one would a fruit garden, examine the fruit and take what is good, If you are able to correct the wrongs found in these groups, based on sound knowledge and wisdom then you should do so.

In addition, one of the dangers that any group possesses is a blind fanaticism (ta’assub) which, at times, causes splitting and hatred to appear in the hearts of the believers. It is important to realize that these groups are mere custodians of the umma and not vice versa.
Thus, if you are not comfortable with Tabligh, then try and work with another group in your city or location. Islamic work is needed today in the West more than ever. Thus, work with groups who cling to the way of the sunna, avoid extremes on any side, and seek Allah’s assistance.

As for your wife, mention to her the story of Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him):

Once a man from the people of renunciation (zuhd) sent him a letter, chastising him for not fasting enough, praying in the night or wearing shabby clothes. The Imam responded by saying, “Allah has distributed actions amongst His servants as He has distributed their sustenance.” Then he mentioned how Allah has placed the love of certain types of worship (ibada) in the hearts of His servants. Thus, you would have a person who loved seeking knowledge, one who loved zuhd and another who loved dawa. The Imam finished his letter by saying, “I have no doubt that you’re on good from your Lord and I’m on good from Him as well.”

Thus, you can explain to her, it is very normal for one to be inclined to a certain type of Islamic group. Then, explain to her where your heart leads you and perhaps try to compromise. One night a week you can attend different programs together as a family. Thus, one week for her flavor and the next for yours.Finally, nicely remind your beloved that it impossible for anyone to know what is in the hearts of Allah’s servants. Thus, if you do something good, she should assume the best and avoid the whispers of Shaytan. The Prophet (peace and blessings upon him) said, “Be careful of suspicion. For, indeed, it is the worst type of speech.”

A Few Points:

1. Mawlana Ilyas (may Allah have mercy on him) did not appear out of a vacuum. Like so many other great luminaries of our umma, the Mawlana was surrounded by wonderful parents who encouraged him to be a great Muslim. Thus, our brothers and sisters should focus on raising the next Imam Shafi’i, Malik or Salah al-din. Therefore, try to teach your children about the Sahaba (may Allah be well pleased with them). Then ask them to choose their favorite. Try to encourage that child to emulate the characteristics of that Sahabi. But remember that the most important lesson they will learn, are those that illuminate from the parents.

2. True tazkiyah leads one past mere focus upon the soul. A true servant of Allah is also concerned with the conditions and situations around him. Ibn Kathir relates that once Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked, “Who is better? One who stays away from others, or one who mingles with others and continues to worship Allah?” Umar said, “Those who mingle with others, put up with their difficulties and continues to worship Allah, “Indeed, they are those whom Allah has tested their hearts for Taqwa.” At the same time mere actions with no inner connection are like an empty cup. Thus, Mawlana Ilyas represented a rare balance of a person. He had a personality built on sound knowledge, sound tazkiyah and sound actions.

3. It is important to realize that the Ahl-Sunna is very wide. It is very dangerous to declare different groups out of Ahl al-Sunna based on one’s mere love for their group. Thus, such issues should be left to the scholars. One thing that one should do is not merely listen to what others say about certain scholars such as Imam Ghazali or Ibn Taymiyya. It is always better to read about their lives and understand the historical and cultural realities that they dealt with.

4. In general it is important to realize that people are different when it comes to different acts of worship. Thus, a truly wise person recognizes this and tries to facilitate the needs of his or her family or community. It is important for MSA’s and masjids to organize programs that benefit all community members. We must move past group politics and work towards realistic unity.

5. The state of the heart is known only to Allah. Thus, questioning another’s intention is something that should be avoided. The great knower of Allah, Junaid (may Allah have mercy upon him), said, “Ikhlas is a secret between Allah and His servant. No angel knows it, nor can any shaytan overcome it.”

6. The virtue of having a pious God-fearing wife.I ask Allah to protect us from ta’assub (blind fanaticism) and hatred. I ask Him to unite the hearts of the umma and make us as one body.

And Allah knows best.

Suhaib Webb,
TheTranslators 2007

Women in Islam vs. Women in the Judeo-Christian Tradition

Source: Islamicity (This article is a series in a lecture on Women in Islam, found at the Islamicity website. This was something I'd always wondered about and a professor in class had even asked me, "Does Islam also blame women, Eve, for Original Sin?" Swamped with homework and various projects at the end of the semester, I never properly answered her [the professor's] question, and now when I looked it up, came across this excellent article, which I will send to my prof. and post here as well, inshallah. Enjoy! :) )

Women in Islam Versus Women in the Judaeo-Christian Tradition:

The Myth and The Reality

By: Sherif Abdel Azim, Ph.D.

Queens University,

Kingston, Ontario, Canada

PART 1 - EVE'S FAULT

"The three religions agree on one basic fact: Both women and men are created by God, The Creator of the whole universe. However, disagreement starts soon after the creation of the first man, Adam, and the first woman, Eve.

The Judaeo-Christian conception of the creation of Adam and Eve is narrated in detail in Genesis 2:4-3:24. God prohibited both of them from eating the fruits of the forbidden tree. The serpent seduced Eve to eat from it and Eve, in turn, seduced Adam to eat with her. When God rebuked Adam for what he did, he put all the blame on Eve, & quoted,

"The woman you put here with me --she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it,"

Consequently, God said to Eve:

"I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband and he will rule over you."

To Adam He said:

"Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree .... Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life..."

The Islamic conception of the first creation is found in several places in the Quran, for example:

"O Adam dwell with your wife in the Garden and enjoy as you wish but approach not this tree or you run into harm and transgression. Then Satan whispered to them in order to reveal to them their shame that was hidden from them and he said: 'Your Lord only forbade you this tree lest you become angels or such beings as live forever.' And he swore to them both that he was their sincere adviser. So by deceit he brought them to their fall: when they tasted the tree their shame became manifest to them and they began to sew together the leaves of the Garden over their bodies. And their Lord called unto them: 'Did I not forbid you that tree and tell you that Satan was your avowed enemy?' They said: 'Our Lord we have wronged our own souls and if You forgive us not and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be lost' " (Quran 7:19:23).

A careful look into the two accounts of the story of the Creation reveals some essential differences. The Quran, contrary to the Bible, places equal blame on both Adam and Eve for their mistake. Nowhere in the Quran can one find even the slightest hint that Eve tempted Adam to eat from the tree or even that she had eaten before him. Eve in the Quran is no temptress, no seducer, and no deceiver. Moreover, Eve is not to be blamed for the pains of childbearing. God, according to the Quran, punishes no one for another's faults. Both Adam and Eve committed a sin and then asked God for forgiveness and He forgave them both."

What Worship Is -- By Talib al Habib

Beautiful peom in which a student asked his Shaykh (religious teacher) what is worship? The following is the Shaykh's answer, a poem titled "What Worship Is," by Brother Talib al Habib. I came across it many months ago: mashallah, simply amazing.

"What Worship Is"

And I asked you in my silence, 'what is worship?'
You smiled in your heart and said:
It is that you journey with God, through God, to God, for God.
That your very breath be because of Him.
That you awake each morn in thankfulness,
With a song of praise on your lips.
That sleep be the wakefulness of your spirit
And your dreams, as winged flights unto Him.

It is that you weep for another man's sadness,
And drink deep from the cup of his joy.
Strengthen his hand when he falters,
Restrain it, when he rushes to wrong himself.

It is that you see in his sin, your own frailty,
And in his righteousness, that which you may yet become.
That you grasp the thorns of your enemy, flung in your path
And, by forgiveness, fashion of them roses to adorn his house.

Let your work be service – not of your self or of your fellows,
For Allah suffices for all, beyond means and cause –
But of Him, through the service of his creatures.
No more, no less does He ask of you.

Give one who asks freely, begrudge him not your pennies,
And be grateful for the blessing he has gifted you.
For every beggar is a benefactor;
He fills your soul when you fill his cup;
And food given to the hungry will quench your own thirst
On the Day when wealth and power will not avail you.

It is that you look beyond colour and wealth and fame,
Further still, past man's virtues and vices,
To the inner soul that bowed with you before God in awe
And worshipped Him without words or doubt
On that First Day before memory and beyond thought.

Veil from all strangers not only your body,
But the deeper beauty of your goodly deeds;
For, in the same action, will you tear down the veil
That lies between you and your Beloved.

And when you stand for prayer, It is that you cast yourself from your Self
Deep into the ocean of His Majesty and His Unity,
And drown in your helplessness.
That you do not read His Word,
But hear Him speak to you;
That you prostrate your very heart in his presence
And surrender all that you are unto Him.

Let your feet tread in the footsteps of the holy and the saintly,
And let your light be taken from their lamp.
Live not as if God's beloved (s) watches you,
But as though you are him.
Let your words be echoes of his voice;
And your deeds be shadows of his radiance.
Then will you truly taste the sweetness of his blessed Way.

It is that you pass your days and nights, restless,
Yearning for the meeting with Him,
That you water your faith with tears of regret,
But rest content in the certainty of His mercy.

What is worship?
It is that you perfect all this, yet regard yourself
As more insignificant than a grain of sand in the trackless desert,
And more unworthy than the most wretched of men in your eyes;
Until you have become nothing, and a stranger to yourself.
Then, when you have sacrificed your Self on Love's altar,
When you have forsaken this world for the sake of the next,
When you have abandoned the next world for the sake of God Alone,
Then will you die unto yourself,
And in dying find eternal existence in Him.

Then will you live in God, with God, through God, for God;
A drop in His ocean, a reed-flute at His mouth.
Then, when you transcend both heaven and earth,
When all has perished, except for the vision of Him,
Then will you worship.

Mishary in US (April 2007)!

...And I missed it. God, how I want to hit my head on the wall. Sheikh Mishary Rashid al-Afasy came HERE, to the Ann Arbor Mosque... and I missed it. :( I found he also made some appearances at other masjids in the area too (all of which I found out about AFTER he'd left.)
Khayr... I guess all for the best. I comfort myself by thinking that even IF I had heard his beautiful recitation live, it still would have probably been from a speaker. And it's not as though I'd have gone up amd talked to him (which would just be really wierd).
However, I did see a video of the recitation and nasheed from the mosque, which was amazing, mashallah, though admittedly not any different than watching the many videos available on Youtube from various overseas TV channels.
Anyway, till next time, wasalaams,
Sumaiya
P.S. -- Btw, there's a video of Al-Afasy's "Ta'ala al Badru Alayna" posted below (about three or four post down).