Father and Son

Father

Its not time to make a change,
Just relax, take it easy.
Youre still young, thats your fault,
Theres so much you have to know.
Find a girl, settle down,
If you want you can marry.
Look at me, I am old, but Im happy.

I was once like you are now, and I know that its not easy,
To be calm when youve found something going on.
But take your time, think a lot,
Why, think of everything youve got.
For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not

Son
How can I try to explain, when I do he turns away again.
Its always been the same, same old story.
From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen.
Now theres a way and I know that I have to go away.
I know I have to go.

All the times that I cried, keeping all the things I knew inside,
Its hard, but its harder to ignore it.
If they were right, Id agree, but its them you know not me.
Now theres a way and I know that I have to go away.
I know I have to go.

In The Thick Of The Action

Part 3 of ibnabeeomar`s Continuing series in muslimmatters.org

The Youth Outreach Program of Muhammad (sal-Allahu ‘alayhi was-Sallam)

Please read Part 1 and Part 2 before proceeding. Also there is a post on MM from a few months ago about best practices for youth outreach. Please contribute your ideas to that thread, especially if this series gives you some new inspirations

Another way the Prophet (saw) interacted with youth was by making them a center of the action - by involving them in whatever it was that he was doing.

Abdullah ibn Abbaas spent the night one day with his maternal aunt (Maymoonah) who was the wife of the Prophet (s). When the Prophet (s) got up, he checked to see if ibn Abbaas was asleep and then got up to pray Tahajjud. Ibn Abbas woke up and jumped to go and pray with him. He got up and went to pray with him and stood beside him on the left side. The Prophet(s) put his hand on his head and brought him around to his right side.

Normally we read this hadith in the context of the fiqhi rulings regarding how 2 people should stand when they are praying together and other such ahkaam. However, we again need to step back and look at it from the perspective of the child.

The Prophet (saw) made ibn Abbaas a central part of what he was doing. He made him a part of the action. This will leave a lasting impression on the young child. We should strive to involve our children in what we do.

While I’m not holding my breath waiting for all Muslim parents to all of a sudden start waking their 8 year olds up for tahajjud every day, there are practical things we can do to involve the youth. For example, give kids money, and let them donate it so that they learn about helping others. I remember praying juma once, and a man had given his son some money to put in the donation box. After seeing a couple of different slots, he went back to his dad yelling “Baba! Which box do I put the money it???!” Though the father was quite embarassed, it was still mashallah a good thing to see. It is amazing the types of little things that will make them feel excited - feel like they are doing something that adults do.

We have to create excitement for them. Give them their own special prayer rug, or maybe for girls they can sit with their mothers and design their own hijab that they can wear while praying. These are all small things that can be done to put kids in the mode of having a positive excitement about their deen.

If they do not get used to this from an early age, it will be many times more difficult later on in life. Parents complain about their teenagers not practicing, but what they don’t realize is that these ‘teenagers’ are already adults in the Islamic sense. They never put forth the effort to help their kids practice, and now they are confused why little Abdullah who wanted to go to medical school is now himself in need of methadone treatments.

Religion should not be something with a ‘you do this because you have to’ attitude - especially in America. Kids need to be taught why we are praying, why we are fasting. Teach them that fasting, for example, is to discipline yourself and grow closer to Allah, to see how poor people feel. They will appreciate it, and they will be more motivated to do it. More important than that though, is that parents themselves are not doing things like listening to music while fasting, or watching inappropriate things on television. This sends a mixed message to the child. The most glaring example of this is the many parents you find at Dhuhr time during Sunday School waiting outside for their kids to finish praying so they can pick them up.

It is time to reassess our family activities, the so-called ‘family time’ that we have. We should start doing things like studying Quran together as a family, attending conferences as a family, and many other activities that can be done.

To this point we have covered positive reinforcements, reward, and involvement of children as 3 examples of Prophetic methods of youth outreach. Some of them may seem a bit simple in nature, but we can never underestimate the lasting effects.

We can see the fruits from this Prophetic method in the following narration from the youth Anas (ra),

A man asked the Prophet about the Hour (i.e. Day of Judgment) saying, “When will the Hour be?” The Prophet said, “What have you prepared for it?” The man said, “Nothing, except that I love Allah and His Apostle.” The Prophet said, “You will be with those whom you love.” We had never been so happy as we were on hearing that saying of the Prophet (i.e., “You will be with those whom you love.”) Therefore, I love the Prophet, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, and I hope that I will be with them because of my love for them though my deeds are not similar to theirs.

SubhanAllah. What more can be said? Where were they, and where are we?

A few weeks ago I heard a khutbah on a similar subject and the Imam was mentioning that our children now do not even know who the Sahabah are like Mu’adh bin Jabal, and other famous companions. He mentioned that it was a sad state that they don’t even know who they are, so how can they learn from their example? My wife mentioned to me that on the sisters side, when he said that, one sister said out loud, “So what? I don’t even know who those people are haha.” How do we expect the youth to know when the parents don’t?

May Allah (swt) guide us all. In part 4 we will discuss role models and insha’Allah conclude this series.

Ku Termenung...

~Rasa cinta pasti ada
Pada makhluk yang bernyawa
Sejak lama sampai kini
Tetap suci dan abadi
Takkan hilang selamanya
Sampai datang akhir masa
Takkan hilang selamanya
Sampai datang akhir masa
Renungkanlah~

Giving Rewards

Part Deux Of ibnabeeomar`s Muslimmatters article

The last posting ended with discussing how the Prophet (saw) interacted with youth, and specifically showing an example of how he used positive reinforcement to impact their lives.

Another method that he used was to reward them for an action that they did. There is one very vivid example of this, a reward so great that we are still reaping the benefits of that gift.

Abdullah ibn Abbaas (ra) said told us that one time Rasoolullah (saw) went to use the toilet and he realized that the Prophet (saw) would need to make wudu, so he brought him some water and waited for him. When the Prophet(saw) came out he inquired about who brought the water, and then he immediately made this dua: “O Allah teach him this deen and its interpretation (ta’weel).”

From this dua he became so knowledgeable despite the fact he was only with the Prophet(saw) for barely 2 years. The reward from the Prophet (saw) was not materialistic as we may have expected, but one of positive benefit to the young man.

We see that this youth was rushing and racing to do good, a product of his environment. If he had not been in an environment of people who pray Tahajjud, of being given advice to worship Allah (swt), he may not have been in a position to serve the Prophet (saw) in such a manner. Moreover, what if he had not done this good deed? It is entirely possible that the Prophet (saw) would not have made this dua for him, a dua which we know was answered and the legacy of which we still seek knowledge from. He became a scholar that other sahabah looked up to and testified to his virtues.

We must pause, reflect, and ask ourselves a simple question: What do we really wish for our children? The Prophet (saw) was so elated at this simple act of kindness from this youth, that he made dua for the most important thing that he could - for him to have full comprehension of the religion of Allah (swt).

Take the example of Abu Hurairah (ra). There is not a single person who does not wish for their children to be as knowledgable as Abu Hurairah, to be loved like Abu Hurairah, to be as stringent with the sunnah as him - yet how few are the parents now who would accept his being poor and staying in the masjid, memorizing hadith all night long, as a sacrifice for that noble goal? What about accepting for our children to be pulled out of school for a couple of years to memorize Quran? Or sacrifice a Master’s degree for Islamic studies?

One way we can answer the question of what we really want for our children is to think about the dua we make for them. Are we supplicating to Allah to make them pious Muslims who will attain Jannah? To make them the type of children who can pray for us after our deaths, and their supplications be answered?

We have to break the mold of thinking that only the ‘less intelligent’ kids are pushed into Islamic studies. Abu Hanifah was approached by a man in the marketplace who asked him, who do you study with? He replied no one, I tend to my business. He told him, go and sit with the scholars, for I see signs of intelligence in you. Do we preoccupy ourselves with being this type of turning point in the lives of our youth? Or do we instead see signs of medicine, business leadership, and algorithm analysis?

Giving youth a reward does not have to necessarily be spiritual in nature. If we look back at the previous point of making a positive association, we can think of many creative ideas. For example, one memory I have of childhood is my father taking me by the sno-cone stand on my way home from school when I was very young. Even now, when I see a sno-cone stand, I cannot resist eating one, not just because I enjoy the taste of them (which I do), but becaues subconsciously it reminds me of those positive memories of my childhood.

Imagine now, a child who has a father that takes him to eat ice cream after Quran class. Or maybe they play basketball together at the masjid together after prayers. Even though it may not seem like a big deal, as that youth grows older, they will now have a positive memory associated with the act of going to the Masjid. Those from ‘back home’ can tell how this runs quite contrary to the memorable beatings some people used to receive at masaajid.

Some people may consider this to be bribing children, and how children should go to the masjid simply because they’re supposed to, so this is wrong. Sorry, but I flat out disagree. They are KIDS after all. They need a little enticement, and a little fun. These are the building blocks, especially in this society, that must be laid down in order for them to have that level of ikhlaas later on in life.

None of this should detract though, from the real lesson in this hadith - making dua for our youth, and especially our own children. We need to make it a constant practice to always be making dua for them. The dua of a parent for the child is one of the ones that is accepted, so we need to take advantage of it. Even if it is a simple “jazakAllahu khayr” when they do something good, do not belittle this act at all. Dua is the real weapon of change and success.

Coming up in Part 3 bi’idhnillah- How to make the youth feel like the center of the action.

DIY Jingle

The Young Ones...........

Today`s Khutbah at a certain Mosque in the Coughing Hills was touched on the status of our Muslim Youth in Singapore. Eventhough there were postive comments, personally, upon reading ibnabeeomar `s article from muslimatters.org and being in the youth dawa` scene for quite some time, the fallacies and problems will always be there if we fail to inculcate the correct values and from there, to always give good/positive reinforcements for our youth. The last part of the article i can relate to fairly well, even though this always happen every day in the mosques when there are madrasah classes. Lagipun, asatizah rarely makes the noises, its only the kids and the parents of the kids that make the most noise.

P.S( I might be wrong in saying the last sentence above, so pls dun give me a hard time with the replies)

The dilemma of dealing with the youth is not unique to any one community, or even to the West. It is something that affects the global Muslim ummah. While we have many programs geared towards the youth (or attempted to anyway), it seems many of them are unsuccessful. What is the correct approach to dealing with them? How did the Prophet (saw) do youth outreach? It is something obvious, yet ignored, that there is in fact a prophetic methodology to dealing with them.

In this article I hope to highlight some examples of two points,

1. How the Prophet (saw) interacted with children, and
2. The role models that children pick to follow.

To learn the Prophetic method of interacting with children, we must pay special attention to those ahadeeth in which his interaction with them is highlighted. These are narrations many of us are familiar with, and benefit from in terms of fiqh and ahkaam, but we never step back and put these narrations in the context of the experience of the actual narrator - who was oftentimes a youth.

When the Prophet (saw) was around children, he was loving, respectful, and paid them full attention.

Abu Qatadah reports that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was offering salah and Umamah bint Zainab was on his neck [shoulder]. When he performed ruku’, he put her down, and when he got up from his sajdah, he would place her back on his neck. ‘Amr inquired during which salah this happened. Ibn Juraij said that it is related from Zaid ibn Abu ‘Atab from ‘Amr ibn Salim that this happened in the morning prayer. This is related by Ahmad, anNasa’i, and others.

Al-Fakihani comments: “The purpose behind the action of the Prophet of carrying Umamah in the salah was to set an example before the Arabs who considered having daughters and carrying them around as something bad or shameful. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam acted differently from them, and carried a girl on his neck in the prayer, and making something clear by example is much more effective than a mere precept.”

Normally we gather from this the fiqh of holding children in salah, or use it to debate the merits of bringing children to the masjid. These issues have their time and place, however, in this instance let us step back and look at it from a different perspective: That of Umaamah bint Zaynab, and the other youth observing this event.

We learn the importance and respect that the Prophet (saw) gave to children. We see the way they he honored them. We see the way that the children were welcomed in the masaajid with dignity. Compare this to our situation nowadays where children are yelled at, thrown out of the first row, and more or less treated as third-class members of the congregation.

Anas was a small child when he was given as a servant to the Prophet (s). About his time there, he narrated that, I served the Prophet for ten years, and he never said to me, “Uf” (a minor harsh word denoting impatience or displeasure) and never blamed me by saying, “Why did you do so or why didn’t you do so?” (Bukhari)

SubhanAllah. This is truly amazing from a number of angles. We normally see this hadith as a testament to the truly noble character of the Prophet (saw), however, there is another perspective here. That is the lasting effects of this on a 10 year old boy for his entire life. What kind of person will he become when he was raised upon this methodology? [Radi’Allahu ‘anhu, we know what kind of great man he became] This is the lasting memory of a lifetime that this child will have. He will remember never being criticized, never scorned, and always being treated with kindness, compassion, and patience.

Anyone who has a child knows how difficult it would be to go even 10 hours (in some cases 10 minutes) much less 10 years without scolding their own child about something. What then, about someone else’s child, one whom you have even less patience to deal with? We should compare our own parenting methods, our own ways of interacting with kids in light of this example.

In another hadith narrated by Abdullah in Abbas – and ibn Abbas is a famous scholar among the companions. He was with the Prophet (saw) only about 2 and half years. He was born 3 years before the hijrah. He was only 13 when the Prophet (saw) died. He is the scholar who learned the whole Qur’an. This also shows you who was in the constant company of the Prophet (saw).

He narrates: One day I was behind the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) [riding on the same mount] and he said: O young man, I shall teach you some words [of advice]: Be Mindful of Allaah and Allaah will protect you. Be Mindful of Allaah and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, then ask Allaah [alone]; and if you seek help, then seek help from Allaah [alone]. And know that if the Nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, they would not benefit you except with what Allaah had already prescribed for you. And if they were to gather together to harm you with anything, they would not harm you except with what Allaah had already prescribed against you. The Pens have been lifted and the Pages have dried. It was related by at-Tirmidhee, who said it was a Good and Sound Hadeeth.

Focus first on the beginning of this narration. They were riding together on the same mount. They were spending time together. The Prophet (saw) was quite literally hanging out with this young child. Think about that. The one who is in charge of the entire Muslim nation, responsible for his own family, his ummah, entrusted with the Revelation of Allah, is hanging out with this lad!

How sad is our situation when Muslim fathers cannot even make time for their own children? What situation are we in when we feel too full of ourselves to spend time with the younger children, and engage them? Look at the manner in which the Prophet (saw) addressed him! If we did not know the biographical data of Ibn Abbaas (ra) we would have thought he was speaking to an adult.

The Prophet (saw) is treating this youth with a great deal of respect. He addresses him by saying ‘young man,’ a way of honoring him, and making him receptive, perking up to hear what is going to follow. Also pay attention to the actual advice he gave him. Think about young ibn Abbaas, the lucky youth spending time with the Prophet (saw). Put yourself in the situation. You are a youth, you are riding with the most important man on the face of the earth, the one chosen and sent by Allah, the most beloved of His creation, and he tells you, ‘Young man, let me give you some advice…’ How would you react? How would you internalize this advice? Look at the actual advice in and of itself, it is comprehensive enough for an entire book to be written about. Is there any doubt that this young man will grow up implementing the lessons of this advice 110%?

How do we advise our own children? In what manner do we speak to them? Do we demean them, or speak to them like they are incapable of understanding anything of importance? The example of the Prophet (saw) is quite the opposite of this. In fact, his example is a personification of the Quranic injunction on how to advise your own child.

And (remember) when Luqmân said to his son when he was advising him: “O my son! Join not in worship others with Allâh. Verily! Joining others in worship with Allâh is a great Zûlm (wrong) indeed. …. “O my son! If it be (anything) equal to the weight of a grain of mustard seed, and though it be in a rock, or in the heavens or in the earth, Allâh will bring it forth. Verily, Allâh is Subtle (in bringing out that grain), Well ­Aware (of its place). O my son! Aqim­is­Salât (perform As­Salât), enjoin (people) for Al­Ma’rûf (Islâmic Monotheism and all that is good), and forbid (people) from Al­Munkar (i.e. disbelief in the Oneness of Allâh, polytheism of all kinds and all that is evil and bad), and bear with patience whatever befall you. Verily! These are some of the important commandments ordered by Allâh with no exemption. And turn not your face away from men with pride, nor walk in insolence through the earth. Verily, Allâh likes not each arrogant boaster. And be moderate (or show no insolence) in your walking, and lower your voice. Verily, the harshest of all voices is the voice (braying) of the donkey.” [Surah Luqman]

With advising the youth also comes teaching. We find the Prophet (saw) in many narrations using positive reinforcements, rewards, and simply giving importance to the youth to teach them lessons.

A positive reinforcement is creating an association for the child with some action and a positive outcome from it.

Jaabir bin Samurah – a young child – narrated that he prayed Dhuhr with the Prophet (saw) in the masjid. He said that the Rasool (saw) went to his house and he went with him. As the Prophet (saw) was walking, he would wipe his hands on the cheeks of the kids passing by. Jaabir said that he never smelled a fragrance that was more beautiful than the fragrance of the hand of the Prophet (saw).

Look at this event from the point of view of Jaabir. His memory of Dhuhr at the masjid is one of walking with the Messenger of Allah (saw). It is a memory of being close to him, of touching him, of smelling the fragrance of his blessed hand, and seeing the happiness he (saw) brought also to the other children around him.

Compare this to Dhuhr at our local masaajid on a Sunday afternoon. The kids are run amuck, administration often forced to resort to yelling at them, while their own parents wait impatiently outside in their cars to pick them up from babysitting Sunday School.

Think about Jaabir for the rest of his life - whenever he goes to the Masjid now, he will always have this fond memory, he can always remember this frangrance in his mind, and he has a positive reinforcement associated with going to the salah.

What positive reinforcements are we working on for our youth?

Child For A Day

I was a child
Who ran full of laughter
I was a child who lived for today

My eyes full of sunshine
My heart full of smiles
I was a child for a day

We were the children
Who sang in the morning
We were the children
Who laughed at the sun
Who listened to those who spoke with their wisdom We are the ones we would say. But..
We're getting older as time goes by
A little older with everyday
We were the children of yesterday


We are the men who worry of nothing
We are the men who fight without aim
We listen to no one, yet speak of our wisdom
We are the pawns in the game But..

We're getting older as time goes by
A little older with everyday
We were the children of yesterday

Muslimah Power!

Tanwin berjumpa dengan Huruf Mad Hukumnya aper?

Those who are studying the science of tajweed should know the answer to the question. By the way i always have a bit of a problem in pronouncing the makhraj of the hurufs that are near the Adam`s apple and nostrils. What about yours?

Tradition

I know it sounds a bit cliche`, but after 23 years of celebrating Eid, i can`t help but notice some things that have become routines in both maternal and paternal sides of the family when we go a visting. It all depends actually on which nyai`s, wak`s and bik`s house you r going to( sorry for the wak kang language, i`m a throughbred javanese and proud of it! ). After the morning Eid Prayers, we usually go to the maternal granny`s and be the first persons mind you to set afoot there. One special gastronomic appetizer( or should i say meal?) that will be always be on the buffet table would be the very soft, gooey and chunky lontong that will never fail to satisfy my palatte.Combine that with sambal goreng that has large quantities of tetelan daging, u can fall into a deep, deep ecstasy.

But enough of the food, what i`m trying to discuss here is the mannerisms of both host and the guest that are coming to the host`s abodes Take for example, myself. I would always gobble and gobble down the food, wash it down with glasses of gassy drinks and sit down and play whetever gaming consoles there are, being oblivious to all the surroundings .That was when i was in my teenage years, but now i tend to be a bit of abang abang lobang and would talk to all my uncles, most of whom who are quite old and some even more older than my dad. They will always have a lot of topics to discuss from happy issues on how our bangladeshi brothers would show a sense of ukhuwwah on going to the mosques to mundane but interesting conspiracy theories on why our MM has not kicked the bucket yet. Telatah mereka ni kekadang mencuit hati, i would say.

Liquid consumption can come in all sorts of varieties, be it DIY ones or those now popular `whatever` or `anything` drinks. For some reason or another, Yeo`s Tetra Pak packet drinks would always be the number one choice for the abode of a certain long distance nyai of mine. It will always come in two flavours, red date and sugarcane. I would wonder in terms of logistics` replenishment, how many cartons he would buy every single year. Did i mention that he`s close to 80 years old? Sensing this, our family bought for him extra cartons of additional two flavors. His pearly whites were shown almost immediately.

No hari raya visiting would be complete without the ,hmm how should i put it, `asking for forgiveness` method? When most of us were young foolhardy kids, we tend to treat this as a form of getting the moolah and would go to such and extent that there would be such small sentences like ` Selamat Hari Raya!`, `Maafkan Saya` or the most direct of all ,' Cepat Lah Nak Duit RaYa!!!!!!!!!!!!'' . Alhamdulillah this year i managed to give short but sweet tazkirahs to my whole family regarding the true meaning of Eid. There`s one particular paternal 2nd degree nyai`s cousin`s house though , that amazes me. Every single year, the whole brigade would always make this place the last stop of our raya rendezvous as as expected everyone would be very haggard and weary that even getting a place to sit would suffice. So imagine that every forgiving session would take at least 2 min,multiply that by at least 15 nephews and nieces and each has a different dialogue depending on the age There was this one time that my cousin actually has mind somewhere in lala land when listening to the super duper long advice and had to be nudged. Some old dudes really have a lot of anecdotes to spare.

Today`s generation would rather have open houses so that they can accomodate a lot of people. Yeah i`m ok with that , in fact am being invited to couple this forthcoming weekend. But the spirit of ziarah menziarahi still must continue albeit leaving some things and keep it nice and simple always

Eid Mubarak

Firstly dun eat too much today. Secondly, dun drink too much gassy drinks and drive,(tongue in cheek of course!) Last but not least, for those who are working, pls bring extra packets as you might be a walking POSB Atm Machine that will operate until the wee hours of the morning. Dun worry to any 25 Kids in Singapore today as they will be happy and excited at the prospect of meeting Abang S.Nazmi!.

Jokes aside, i would take this opportunity to say Minal Aidil Wal Faizin to all those who have made impact in all my past and current chapters in my life. May we meet Ramadhan again next year Insha-ALLAH. Personally i quite happy that i managed to set a benchmark for myself in terms of reading the Quran and praying Qiyamullail. May Allah Accept all our deeds and I quote from Sidi Suhaib Webb, 'and make this month as proof for us and not against us!' end Quote

The Final Countdown

The above is not the 80s song by electrico band Europe that most ignorant people hear every 31st of december but its the beginning of the last ten days of Ramadhan today. Pls make dua` for me as as the time of writing i`m still only in my 15 juzu` of the Al Quran and will try to maximize and need be,spend long nights in qiyamulail and afterwhich trying to complete it. By the way, there`s an online quran reading contest going on in the northern american blogosphere by brother amir. Make the best out of this blessed month my dear brothers and sisters of this blessed deen!.

I would be very sad if we ever fight about this in our country

From Shaikh Yasir Qadhi`s Article at www.muslimmatters.org

Understanding the Controversies Regarding Moonsighting

Out of all the symbols that Muslims could have chosen to symbolize the unity of Islam, it is indeed ironic that they chose the crescent, which for many signifies the greatest manifestation of division amongst Muslims, at least in Western lands!

Yes, it’s that time of the year again when brothers and sisters frantically begin calling family and friends, asking, “What did Shaykh so-and-so say?” and “Did they see the moon yet?” and, the single most effective question that seals the fate of one’s own fast, “What are YOU going to do?” In this post, I don’t want to go into a detailed tangent regarding which opinion is ‘correct’ or not, but rather lay out some of the issues surrounding the controversy, and offer some practical advice.

The precise conditions required to sight a credible hilaal is just one of the many hundreds and thousands of issues of fiqh that our scholars have differed over, since the time of the Companions. And, in the multi-madhab milieu of North America, we are exposed to many such fiqh differences on a regular basis, to the extent that most of us have come to live with and accept the rich diversity of opinion present in our traditional legal schools of thought. However, what makes the issue of the moon-sighting stand out from the usual run-of-the mill fiqh issues is that it affects a joint and communal festival of the Ummah. Other issues, such as whether zakat should be given on jewelry, or whether the qunut be prayed in witr or Fajr, or the finer details of how one prays, do not affect the Ummah as a whole. Typically, these other differences can be left to one’s individual preference with little or no detrimental effect on fellow Muslims. The same, unfortunately, cannot be said of the date of the two Eids and the beginning of the month of Ramadan, as this difference will affect entire communities, and form fault lines between two neighboring masjids, or even within the worshippers of the same masjid.

But why is there such a controversy in the first place? Well, as is typical with such controversies, there are two primary reasons why such differences exist. Firstly, of the few hadeeths that we have regarding moon-sighting, various scholars have understood them in different manners, leading to a difference of understanding that manifests itself in contradictory opinions. Secondly, issues arose in later generations that the earliest Muslims were not exposed to, hence no explicit, unequivocal ruling exists regarding them.

The classical scholars of Islam were only concerned with a few issues, and their modern counterparts have added even more issues, apparently just to spice up the whole debate! To elaborate: classical jurists were primarily (but not exclusively) concerned with two issues. Firstly, what is the minimum requirement for the number of witnesses needed for verifying the beginning and end of Ramadhan? One for the beginning, and two for the end? Or vice versa? Or one for both? Or two for both? Or a large, unspecified quantity? Or, was it different for a clear day versus a cloudy one? Plenty of opinions within this issue, and even within one madhab it is common to find variant opinions. With regards to this issue, a number of authentic hadeeths appeared to give different rulings, hence scholars had to use their respective usool in formulating answers to this question.

The second issue that was of major concern to them was: should the Muslims of one province take into account sightings from a different province? Once again, a wide selection of opinions to choose from: each province should follow its sighting only; or only the sightings of the provinces neighboring it; or the sightings of all provinces within one matla (i.e., on the same longitudinal plane); or the sightings of all provinces as long as the news arrived in time. However, unlike the first issue, there exists no clear, unequivocal hadeeth dealing with the subject (albeit some narrations from the Companions exist). Hence scholars had to use analogy (qiyas) and other general principles to formulate their respective opinions. And once again, we find that even within madhabs there is a significant difference of opinion in the finer details of this issue.

These two issues are discussed in practically every book of fiqh. Other issues were not as pressing to the people of those times as these two, hence references to them are typically only found in the larger and more cumbersome commentaries. Such issues include: must one see the crescent from ‘ground’ level, or is it permissible to climb, say, a tall mountain to see the crescent? Or, what if an instrument, such a telescope (yes, later Muslims had telescopes), is used, does this count as an ‘acceptable’ sighting? Or, what if it is a cloudy night, can one refer to astronomical calculations and, based solely on such calculations, declare the beginning and end of the month? And more issues besides these, some of which are more relevant to our times than others.

In our times, even more issues have surfaced, the most important being: what if someone claims to see a crescent, yet astronomical data clearly tells us that the crescent was not born at that time, and hence could not have been seen? Should we give precedence to a visual sighting, or claim that such a person is mistaken? Another issue is the determination of the exact degree of the arc of elongation to claim that a new crescent has been ‘born’: 9 degrees, or 12, or more, or less?

As can be seen, putting all of the various issues together and calculating out all the possible scenarios, it is easy to extrapolate these differences into hundreds of opinions. The point that I wish to stress here is that many Muslims simply do not realize the level of complexity surrounding issues of fiqh, including this one, and woefully bemoan, “Why can’t our scholars just unite on one opinion and save us from the hassle of disunity?!” As can be seen, it’s not as simple as that, and indeed it is of the wisdom of Allah that such a rich diversity exists in fiqh.

Thankfully, on a practical level, the issue of moon-sighting never reached a level of complication involving all of the above factors. Rather, a few years ago, the single major issue that split the community was that of ‘local’ versus ‘international’ sighting (or, to be more precise, ‘local’ versus ‘Saudi’ sighting). Of recent, however, another major opinion has been added to the stew: that of completely ignoring sightings in the first place, and basing the beginning and end of the month solely on astronomical data.

As far as I know, no reputable Sunni scholar in our classical (i.e., pre-modern) history has claimed that a community could completely ignore visual sighting, and rely unconditionally on astronomical data. The fiqh details have been hashed out in enough articles, and it is not my intent to repeat them here (for those who are interested, see some of these articles below – in particular the article by Imam Hamza Yusuf, and the one by Shaykh Haytham al-Haddad).

In any case, the decision to follow calculations has been taken by a very large and reputable national body, and the decision to follow a national, visual sighting has been taken by other reputable institutions. Added to this, there are still communities who wish to follow an ‘international’ (i.e,. Saudi) sighting, and there are even those who will only follow a sighting that occurs within their own city. Facing a myriad of options, it is the average Muslim who is left with the confusion of having to make up his or her mind and figure out what exactly to do.

Some words of advice:

Firstly, just for the record, in my humble opinion the strongest fiqh position, independent of other factors (see below), seems to be that we should follow a visual sighting within North America. If one trustworthy Muslim physically sees the moon, and it was seen at a time when we know from astronomical data that it was born and possible to see, then such a sighting should be accepted for all Muslims of this continent.

Secondly, this opinion is just at a theoretical level. At a practical level, it is essential that one looks at the situation of the community, and keep the best interests of the community in mind. So, if one is in a position of authority and respect, and his decision will have an impact on the community, then and only then should he research the various opinions and come to a conclusion that he will feel comfortable with asking others to follow, whatever that position may be. However, if one is not in a position of authority, and is just a regular Muslim following others, then in this case it is not the role of the average Muslim to perform ijtihad on such fine matters. Rather, one should follow the local masjid that he or she typically refers to for other issues, and that one feels a sense of affiliation with. A Muslim must realize that this issue, along with all other fiqh differences of opinion, are issues that should not cause disunity and hatred amongst the Muslims. Trusting an authority and following one opinion over another is a matter completely permissible, or even obligatory, in the Sharee`ah, but fighting and bickering and disputing with other Muslims is completely prohibited by the unanimous consensus of all scholars of Islam. In other words, even if two masjids are celebrating Eid on two different days, this should not lead to one masjid looking down at another, or feeling superior to them, or arguing with them.

Thirdly, if someone feels that he or she would prefer to follow an opinion that their local masjid is not following, based upon their fiqh preference, then even though this would not be sinful in and of itself (as there is no consensus in N. America regarding this issue, unlike in most Muslim countries), there is no reason to announce such a decision publically, or debate or convince others of the merits of one’s own opinion. Rather, let the people do what they are doing, and this particular brother or sister may follow another opinion in private. This would be better to preserve the unity of the Muslims. Additionally, regardless of the actual day that one celebrates Eid, it is completely permissible, rather I would say encouraged, that one attends the Eid celebrations of the community on other days as well. Even if this means that one is fasting that ‘Eid’ day, there is no problem in attending the prayer, but of course the one who is fasting will intend it to be a voluntary (nafl) prayer, and not his own Eid. This would give the impression of Muslim unity, and increase the number of Muslims at all Eid festivals. (And hey, you get to enjoy the benefits of Eid twice!!)

Lastly, out of all of the hadeeths that should be emphasized regarding the issue of moon-sighting, I believe the following one is the most important, yet oft neglected as well.

Abu Hurayrah narrated, as reported in the Jami of al-Tirmidhi (2/37), that the beloved Prophet (salla Allah alayhi wa sallam) said, “The fast [starts] on the day that you all are fasting, and the [Eid] al-Fitr is the day that you all break the fast (i.e., stop fasting).”

Imam al-Tirmidhi commented on this hadeeth and said, “This has been interpreted to mean that one fasts and celebrates the Eid with the group of Muslims and their majority.” The famous Yemeni scholar al-San`ani wrote in his Subul al-Salaam, “This hadeeth proves that what counts for claiming that it is Eid is that the people agree to the fact that it is Eid. And so, if a single person sees the crescent (but is not followed for some reason), he still must still follow the community (and not his sighting).” And the great student of Ibn Taymiyyah, one of the finest ulamaa that our history has seen, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, wrote regarding this hadeeth, “This is a refutation of those who claim that someone who knows when the moon is born by astronomical calculations should follow it in starting and finishing the fast, ignoring the rest of the people. Another interpretation of this tradition is that one who witnesses the crescent and whose sighting is subsequently rejected by the judge should not fast, just like the people are not fasting” (Tahdheeb al-Sunan 3/214).

In other words, what this hadeeth tells us is that what’s important regarding the beginning and end of Ramadhan is not when the moon is sighted or not, but rather following the community of Muslims and keeping the local Ummah unified. Therefore, even if the crescent was ‘born’ and could have been sighted, if the community does not fast on a particular day, for whatever reason, then it is not permissible for an individual to break away from the community and fast or break his fast separate from them.

Of course, in our times, even Muslims of one city are typically following different opinions, but if there is a clear and apparent majority, then this hadeeth should be followed and the individual should stick with that majority, regardless of the fiqh opinion that they are following.

Brothers and sisters, the beginning of Ramadhan is upon us, either tonight or tomorrow night. Surely this is not the time to bicker amongst ourselves, fighting over an issue of fiqh that will not be resolved for decades to come. Whatever opinion you follow, alhamdulillah good for you, just don’t make an issue of it in the community.

This Ramadhan, let’s permanently bid farewell to moon-fighting, and concentrate on having our sins forgiven and our fasts accepted.

May Allah bless us all in this Ramadhan, whenever it starts and finishes!!!

—————–

Articles Related to this Topic (notes and comments below added by ibnabeeomar)

National Moonsighting Conference (May 2007):

• Adopted calculation methods are flawed because they depend on the astronomical new moon calculations. This is different from the crescent moon in that it is completely dark and invisible. The Quran does not mention this astronomical new moon (Qamar Jadeed), but to the thinly visible crescent instead.
• To fix Saudi Arabia as the place of sighting is incorrect as it does not abide by the opinion of local sighting or a truly global sighting.
• Astronomical data is secondary to the testimony of a trustworthy Muslim according to the Shari’ah
• Ru’yah as it occurs in the Quran in this context refers to physically sighting the moon with the eyes, not a ru’yah with intellect (’aql)
• To say that ru’yah is not an act of ibadah is a newly invented idea.
• We need to approach this issue in terms of working to solve this problem for the community.
• Concluded to establish Islamic dates by a naked-eye sighting in the contiguous states of USA and Canada.

An Islamic Legal Analysis of the Astronomical Determination of the Beginning of Ramadan by Mokhtar Maghraoui (Summary | Full Text)

• Hilal means a crescent and does not refer to the birth of the moon, and ru’yah is interpreted as literally, not metaphorically.
• The text used to support calculation is restricted to the condition that the moon is obscured from vision.
• Classical scholars did not allow calculations despite their existence in those times.
• Calculations neither increase unity nor decrease hardships.
• Just as one cannot switch Ramadan with another month because of hardship, the method of sighting cannot be substituted for another method.
• The hadith about the ummah being an ‘unlettered’ nation is informational, and does not give an operative reason cause for why calculation was not done. Moreover, to say that this was the cause, and then to claim that the text of ibn Umar commands calculation is a contradiction. We would then be commanded something we are unable to fulfill, violating a clear maxim of Islamic law. It is intolerable to subject the texts to such inconsistencies.
• Science cannot forecast when the crescent will be available with certainty.
• Texts regarding the prayer times differ from those for establishing the months. For Ramadan it is said “do not fast until you see the moon,” but we do not find anything saying something like “do not stop eating until you see the rise of dawn.” Since this level of explicitness is not found for prayer times, the door is opened to using other methods.
• Even in modern times there are only a handful (five) of scholars who support astronomical determination of the moon, and countless who do not. Not a single classical scholar supports this position.
• Staying up past midnight one night a year does not constitute excessive hardship – how many people stay up later watching tv and socializing at least once a week?
• How can calculation increase unity when it is a departure from centuries of Islamic scholarship?
• The vast majority of scholars, many of whom were very competent in astronomical calculations, held the sighting of the crescent as an act of worship.

Cesarean Moon Births by Hamza Yusuf (Part 1 | Part 2)

• The ayah about the crescent moon was revealed when people were asking about the science of it, however instead of answering how, the Quran gave the more important answer of why. This is the essential difference between science and religion.
• Over 2,000 years ago, Hpparchus of Nicaea (d. 125 B.C.) determined the length of the average lunar month to be within 1 second of today’s accepted value, and gave accurate calculations of the inclination of the ecliptic and of the change of the equinoxes.
• For over a thousand years the Jews followed a lunar calendar based on naked-eye observations of new moons. When persecution of them intensified in 337-361 C.E., they were unable to communicate the new moon sightings to each other. They then adopted a calendar based on calculation. In the principles of Islamic law, when the hardship that allowed the exception in the first place is no longer present, the license is no longer valid, and the original ruling must be restored.
• The Prophet (saw) warned us against following in their footsteps of abandoning prophetic practices, and predetermining dates by calculations is falling into this.
• One pre-Islamic calendar produced a calendar that is more accurate then the Gregorian calendar we follow today!
• The lexical meaning of the word hilal necessitates humans to visually confirm it.
• Ijtihad is not allowed in determining the crescent due to the unambiguous Quranic text on this matter.
• The text used to calculate the moon in case of obscurity was interpreted by classical scholars to mean completing 30 days of the month, not a consideration of astronomy. This comes from a principle established by Imam Malik in which the other texts on this issue clarify the meaning.
• Calculation often differs from the sightings established in observational astronomy.
• General Jawhar of the Fatimid dynasty [359/969] tried to force the use of calculations in Egypt but was rejected by the scholars of the time as an unacceptable bid’ah (innovation).
• Early scholars who permitted calculation did so if the moon was not visible, they did not allow for calculations to bypass the sighting process
• Using the calculation of prayer times is an incorrect analogy. For prayers, only the times are given based upon the sun, and we are able to determine them by any means possible. The beginning of the month though is restricted to the actual sighting of the moon.
• The schools of jurisprudence (madhhabs) agreed that calculations are not given consideration in the establishment of dates for the start of fasting.
• The arc of elongation used in calculation is 9 degrees (whereas the schools of Islamic law stipulated 12 degrees). At this angle, the moon is impossible to be seen except in perfect weather conditions.
• We wish to fit God’s plans into our plans instead of fitting our plans into God’s plans.
• It is ironic that the month which teaches us patience is no longer patiently waited for by eager Muslims to see what God has in store for them.
  

An Insight into Moon Sighting by Haitam al-Haddad

• Even if we ‘accept’ the calculations as being definitive, the Shari’ah did not consider scientific and astronomical calculations as determining factors in the first place with regard to the sighting of the moon.
• It is not necessary for the “Islamic” month governing our worship to be the same as the “astronomical” month.
• There are many examples of reliable sightings of the moon when it was “scientifically” impossible for it to be seen

Lastly Shaykh Yaser Birjas shared a joke with us regarding this topic:

In the past whoever saw the hilal first would be awarded something. So one time a bedouin who heard about the generous prizes, dressed up nicely and went to testify before the governor.When he was asked about it he said, “Yes I saw the hilal there,” pointing to the sky on one direction. When he was awarded with 1000 dirhams his eyes widened and then he said, “I saw another one on this side too” (pointing in the opposite direction).

Change

Six years back, i can still vividly remember the day that had the whole world stood still. Having quite nice lunch back at my polytechnic`s canteen with my frens, my meal of chicken chop soon went out of my palatte and soon my eyes were on the hall`s quite small large screen tv, looking on as those two towers in New York were being bambozzled left and right. Intially, i never gave a thought or even a whisker of an idea that this event will affect me in a lot of ways. Hey i was just a 17 year old lad with girls to chase, being so committed in my cultural endeavours, more girls to chase, doing well in my first semester ,and still more girls to chase.

As news of the terror attacks filtered through the campus, i began to feel a certain kind of resentment from my classmates. `Hey u are muslim right ?What do u have to say to all these? U support that Bin laden fella ? are u a terrorist?' are the standard kind of questions that tend to irritate me a lot during that month. "Yah of course i`m muslim. Tht`s it!" were the standard reply to them. Nevertheless, the definition of being a muslim to me during that time were just:

1)Hari Raya Puasa
2)Fasting for Hari raya
3)Making Ketupat( Those Green cute malay style dumplings) for Hari raya
4)Friday Prayers
5)Being at geylang Serai to Wonder about at the festivities
6)Just being `into` the groove of a canonical Malay Muslim Teenager

Little did i know today in history was the start of a catalyst that spurred me on to find the true meaning of being a muslim, practising a religion that is very much misunderstood by people in the world. This will take me on an neverending journey ,a spritual quest ,that has never stopped its course till now.

The next following posts,God Willing, i would try to be my own memiorist, looking back.........



Times Of My Life


Good morning, yesterday
You wake up and time has slipped away
And suddenly it's hard to find
The memories you left behind
Remember, do you remember?

The laughter and the tears
The shadows of misty yesteryears
The good times and the bad you've seen
And all the others in between
Remember, do you remember
The times of your life?

Reach out for the joy and the sorrow
Put them away in your mind
The mem'ries are time that you borrow
To spend when you get to tomorrow

Here comes the saddest part
The seasons are passing one by one
So gather moments while you may
Collect the dreams you dream today
Remember, will you remember
The times of your life?

Scanning For it in a few days time ..

Well, we’ve scanned the sky and we’ve sighted the moon
And we welcome the month of Ramadan
When we’ll fast together, all as one, to help and strengthen our iman

As the sun lay sleeping, beneath the blanket of the night
We rise early to make suhur, before the white thread of light
We’re patient and kind, throughout our day
taking time to remember how to care
And when the sun has gone and we’ve made iftar,
we break our fast and we share.

Because we’ve scanned the sky and we’ve sighted the moon
And we welcome the month of Ramadan
When we’ll fast together, all as one, to help and strengthen our iman

So many of our brothers and sisters, all across the land
They have no food to eat at all, and they need a helping hand
When we fast from morning ’til the night, to fulfill our faith’s command
We feel the hunger and thirst they feel, and it helps us to understand

But, all too fast, the moon goes past, our month of blessings now has gone
But we’ll keep its spirit throughout the year, Everyday should be like Ramadan

So we’ve scanned the sky and we’ve sighted the moon
And we say “Farewell” to Ramadan
When we fast together, all as one, to help and strengthen our iman

Akan Ku Niat ni Nanti .

Seseorang yang menghadapi sesuatu soal yang bersifat mudah, sedang ia sendiri masih ragu-ragu mana sebaiknya dilakukan, maka di sunatkan mengerjakan solat istikharah yang bukan termasuk wajib.

I`ll make Dua to Allah that you come to Singapore

Taken from the blog that Sidi Suhaib supervises

Question:

I am a non-”salafi” who attends a “salafi” masjid. How do I cope? How do I protect my Iman?
Alternatively: I am a salafi who attends a sufi masjid……What do I do?

Ust. Abdul Sattar* Ahmed’s response:

Assalamu Alaikum,

1. Listen to the talk by Imam Suhaib Webb from “From Protest To Engagement"

2. Do not get in arguments or correct people when you KNOW that they pray in a certain way or make wudu in a certain way for a reason - they may not follow a madhab. Or, they may do so, but decide to incorporate a few aspects of other madhaahib into their worship. Accepting this fact mentally will make it much easier for you to interact with them because you are not trying to shove your madhab (or any one) for that matter down their throats. You accept that he/she may not follow one - even if wyou disagree. So relax. They aren’t making up the Sunnah or creating hadith out of thin air for it. They just don’t have your specific methodology.

They will not wake up on the Day of Judgment to find their book in their left hand with a big stamp that says; “no madhab/multi-madhab, all prayers null and void” Do not pass go.” We need to be more wise than to think like this.

3. Stop feeling like you have to teach all these misguided people the right way and don’t walk inside like you are their savior. Allah is their savior and yours. Its a masjid and its probably held by a board that agrees with most of the followers’ views. You walking in and arguing will simply cause fitnah. Go there to worship your Lord.

4. Your Iman is not under attack at this masjid. Your tolerance is, your temper may be, your pragmatism is, your common-sense is, and your love for unity in the Ummah is.

Your Iman is under attack - at work, on the street in the summer, in the car with music blasting, at high school, at college, at professional dinner/lunch parties you have to attend to be polite to your coworkers/managers, and at home when you surf the internet or turn on the TV.

Allah told us to actively take Shaytaan as our enemy. Not Salafis. Not sufis. We are not even told to actively strive to make Kuffar our enemies. Shaytaan is our enemy. Remember that.

5. Remain in a group of friends/brothers/organization/group/study circle, which teaches the beliefs that you are more comfortable with and allows you to study them in greater detail even though you pray at this masjid. If your sheikh or teacher causes you to develop hatred and dislike in your heart for others who say the Shahaadah, such that you think about these differences more than you ponder upon Allah (swt)’s greatness - you are with the WRONG “Sheikh”. Get out fast before hatred destroys your Iman.

I have heard how amazing it is in Egypt how salafis, sufis, and salafi sufis are able to pray together in the same masaajid. How people with advanced degrees in Shari’ah and ijaazaat going back to Rasulullah, hold all these different views and are able to get along enough to share masaajid with their massive amounts of knowledge.

6. Grow up. Be intellectually and spiritually mature enough to love these people SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU KNOW THAT THEY LOVE RASULULLAH (SAW). Love them because they love Allah. Love them because they are your brothers.

7. Sleep at night - knowing that if Allah (swt) saw fit to run the universe in a different way, he would’ve done it.

wa alaikum assalam

*Abdul Sattar is one of the young leader in the making. A leader of the Young Muslims USA he is an active member in Islamic Dawa. He has completed his degree and is currently active in the Mid-West. He has advanced experience in dealing with the issue that fast Western Muslim youth and it is hoped his contributions to this site will increase. This answer was looked over by an senior student of knowledge and he found it beneficial and encouraged our site to post it.

Very Good Answer

The Question:

“Can you comment on the hadith that talks about the splitting of the Muslim nation into 73 sects?”

The Answer:

Pertaining to the statement of the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] that, “the Jews split into seventy one sects, and the Christians split in to seventy two sects. And my nation will split into seventy three sects”, then this portion [of the hadith] is from an authentic hadith related by al-Hakim and others. As for the end of the [of the hadith] which states, “Every one of them will be in the fire except one” or “Every one of them will be in Paradise save one” or “Whoever was upon what I and my companions were upon” then all of these additions are not authentic. Therefore, the hadith is sound, which affirms the splitting [of the Prophet’s nation] and is a proof of his prophecy, but concerning the statements referring to the “Fire”, ‘Paradise” or “What I and my companions were upon”, then none of these is authentically reported on behalf the Prophet [may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him].

Regarding the different sects in the Ummah, then from it are those who will be innovators and astray in religion. However, the one who engages in such acts is not a disbeliever. This is because whoever dies and bears witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah will not stay in the fire eternally even if he was astray or an innovator no matter how much he disobeyed Allah. His case is up to Allah to either forgive him or punish him according to the degree of that person’s sin, then, He [the most high], after [purifying this person of his sins] will take this person from the Fire.

Al-‘Allamah Muhamamd Hassan al-Dido al-Shanqiti

taken from www.suhaibwebb.com

Something`s wrong!

Anyone out there please comment/ help to solve this browser issue of mine. Apparently in IE 7 the sidebar is way down there and not in tandem with the rest but it`s fine with Mozilla. Pretty please, i`m so rusty with debugging html/ xml codes. Thank you very much.

On the other hand been reading two Kalam(theology) books, the former bought from a recent book fair in KL and the latter would you believe it at the biggest aptly named Islamic bookstore online. Will give my thoughts on both after thoroughly dissecting. But its the below book that catches my interest.

Daf' Shubah al-Tashbh is a critique, censure, and refutation of the historical anthropomorphic leanings of some of the Hanbali scholars and learned. At the same time, it is a vindication of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal from the accusations of the anthropomorphism as well as the claim by some Hanbalis, that he adopted anthropomorphic beliefs, similar to theirs. Unmistakably, this work is a polemical commentary on the problematic Qur'anic verses and hadiths that fall under the mutashabih (allegorical and ambiguous) Qur'anic verses and prophetic traditions composed by the author, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597 AH), the author of the well-acclaimed book, Talbis Iblis (The Devils' Deception).

Unlike other books of this genre, this book is significant in that Ibn al-Jawzi offers an incisive critique of scholars of his own school, for which in return, Ibn al-Jawzi was criticised by those Hanbali and Hanbali-lean proponents.

This book is important for anyone who is constantly indulged in discussions and the study of polemical theology (kalam) and scriptural interpretation (ta'wil), but still have been unable to gain clarity concerning the reality and permissibility of ta'wil of the verses commonly referred to as 'The Attributes Verses' (Ayat Al-Sifat).

The appendix further clarifies the issue of scriptural interpretation, figurative language in both the Qur'an and Sunnah (Majaz), the proper intent behind the statement made by the salaf, & 'bila kayf' (Without 'How' as opposed to 'Without Modality or Description'), and an investigation into the ascription of Kitab al-Ibana to Imam Al-Ash'ari.

Readers who will derive the most benefit from this book are those who have been actively involved in the study of matters of interpretation and polemical theology. It also serves as an indispensable primer into one of the greatest debates that continued throughout much of Islam's medieval period, namely that of understanding the attributes of God.

(taken from kitabuun.com)

Ibn al Jauzi is the most voluminous author in the history of Islam and i can say this is his most controversial book. WardahBookstore in Singapore should market this as it serves as a stronghold for which Sunni Muslims could hold on the fact that ta`wil of verses is indeed permissible and those who follow the great imams Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Isma'el al-Ash'ari & Abu Mansur Al Maturidi in the matters of Kalam, are not deemed people of innovation but part of the spectrum of Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah. And Allah Knows Best.

How to make HER Happy.

Beautiful Reception

After returning from work, school, travel, or whatever has separated you:

* Begin with a good greeting.
* Start with Assalamu'alaikum and a smile. Salam is a sunnah and a du'a for her as well
* Shake her hand and leave bad news for later!

2. Sweet Speech and Enchanting Invitations

* Choose words that are positive and avoid negative ones.
* Give her your attention when she speaks.
* Speak with clarity and repeat words if necessary until she understands.
* Call her with the nice names that she likes.

3. Friendliness and Recreation

* Spend time talking together.
* Spread to her goods news.
* Remember your good memories together.

4. Games and Distractions

* Joking around & having a sense of humor.
* Playing and competing with each other in sports or whatever.
* Taking her to watch permissible (halal) types of entertainment.
* Avoiding prohibited (haram) things in your choices of entertainment.

5. Assistance in the Household

* Doing what you as an individual can do that helps out,especially if she is sick or tired.
* The most important thing is making it obvious that you appreciate her hard work.

6. Consultation (Shura)

* Specifically in family matters.
* Make her feel that her opinion is important to you.
* Studying her opinion carefully.
* Be willing to change an opinion for hers if it is better.
* Thanking her for helping you with her opinions.

7. Visiting Others

* Choosing well-raised people to build relations with. There is a great reward in visiting relatives and pious people. (Not in wasting time while visiting!)
* Pay attention to ensure Islamic manners during visits.
* Not forcing her to visit whom she does not feel comfortable with.

8. Conduct During Travel

* Offer a warm farewell and good advice.
* Ask her to pray for you.
* Ask pious relatives and friends to take care of the family in your absence.
* Give her enough money for what she might need.
* Try to stay in touch with her whether by phone, e-mail, letters, etc.
* Return as soon as possible.
* Bring her a gift!
* Avoid returning at an unexpected time or at night.
* Take her with you if possible.

9. Financial Support

* The husband needs to be generous within his financial capabilities. He should not be a miser with his money (nor wasteful).
* He gets rewards for all what he spends on her sustenance even for a small piece of bread that he feeds her by his hand (hadith).
* He is strongly encouraged to give before the wife starts asking for money.

10. Smelling Good and Physical Beautification

* Following the Sunnah in removing hair from the groin and underarms.
* Always being clean and neat.
* Put on perfume for her.

11. Intercourse

* It is obligatory to do it habitually if you have no excuse (sickness, etc.)
* Start with "Bismillah" and the authentic du'a.
* Enter into her in the proper place only (not the anus).
* Begin with foreplay including words of love.
* Relax and joke around afterwards.
* Avoid intercourse during the monthly period because it haram.
* Do what you can to avoid damaging her level of Hayaa (shyness and modesty) such as taking your clothes off together instead of asking her to do it first while you are looking on.

12. Guarding Privacy

* Avoid disclosing private information such as bedroom secrets, her personal problems and other private matters.

13. Aiding in the Obedience to Allah

* Wake her up in the last third of the night for qiyamullail.
* Teach her what you know of the Qur'an and its tafseer.
* Teach her "Zikr" (ways to remember Allah by the example of the prophet) in the morning and evening.
* Encourage her to spend money for the sake of Allah such as in a charity sale.
* Take her to Hajj and Umrah when you can afford to do so.

14. Showing Respect for her Family and Friends

* Take her to visit her family and relatives, especially her parents.
* Invite them to visit her and welcome them.
* Give them presents on special occasions.
* Help them when needed with money, effort, etc.
* Keep good relations with her family after her death if she dies first.

15. (Islamic) Training and admonition

This includes :

* The basics of Islam
* Her duties and rights
* Reading and writing
* Encouraging her to attend lessons and halaqahs
* Islamic rules related to women
* Buying Islamic books and tapes for the home library

16. Admirable Jealousy

* Ensure she is wearing proper hijab before leaving the house.
* Restrict free mixing with men.
* Avoiding excess jealousy. Examples of this are :

1- Analyzing every word and sentence she says and overloading her speech by meanings that she did not mean.

2- Preventing her from going out of the house when the reasons are just.

3- Preventing her from answering the phone.

17. Patience and Mildness

* Problems are expected in every marriage so this is normal. What is wrong is excessive responses and magnifying problems which causes marital breakdown.
* Anger should be shown when she exceeds the boundaries of Allah , by delaying prayers, backbiting, watching prohibited scenes on TV, etc.
* Forgive the mistakes she does to you.

18. Pardoning and Appropriate Censure

* Accounting her only for larger mistakes.
* Forgive mistakes done to him but account her for mistakes done in Allah's rights, e.g. delaying prayers, etc..
* Remember all the good she does whenever she makes a mistake.
* Remember that all humans err so try to find excuses for her such as maybe she is tired, sad, having her monthly cycle or that her commitment to Islam is growing.
* Avoid attacking her for the bad cooking of the food as the Prophet PBUH never blamed any of his wives for this. If he likes the food, he eats and if he doesn't then he does not eat and does not comment.
* Before declaring her to be in error, try other indirect approaches that are more subtle than direct accusations.
* Escape from using insults and words that may hurt her feelings.
* When it becomes necessary to discuss a problem wait until you have privacy from others.
* Waiting until the anger has subsided a bit can help to keep a control
on your words.

An Ideal Approach Towards Issues of Creed (Where is Allah): Answered By. Sh. Bin Bayyah

Taken from Uztaz Suhaib Webb`s Blog:
The Question:

“Is it allowable for one to ask where Allah is? Is Allah (May He be exalted) above His servants? And is that understanding representative of anthropomorphism? Also, what is our position towards those who say that such a question is not permissible and that Allah (swt) is above any place or location?”

The Answer:

Affirming Allah’s Exalted Status:

“Indeed, Allah (swt) describes Himself as being The Most High: “Praise the name of your Lord The Most High.” And, “He is The High.” and, “He is the High the All Powerful.” (Based on these verses) it is not allowed for anyone to dispute (the truth) of this attribute, nor is it allowable for any Muslim to differ regarding it. As for inquiring about the nature (of this attribute), then this is not something that you are obliged to deal with, nor is it something sought from you. There is the hadith of the slave woman who was brought to the Prophet (Peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) with her master so she could be freed and the Prophet (Peace and blessing be upon him) asked her, “Where is Allah?” However, this hadith is ahad and there is no other narration of the Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) where he (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asks someone this question. Nor is it related that any of our pious ancestors asked such a question.

Interacting with such texts:

It is important to note that questions like this are not sought after nor desired from you. However, when approached with such issues you should do the following:

First, you should read the verse that affirms Allah’s highness. Second, you should read the verse that negates anything being like Him. Finally, you should avoid delving into the deeper meaning of the verse (meaning the how related to Allah’s attribute but just simply affirm it and negate its likeness to creation or vice versa). This is important (to not delve into this/nor make it a bigger issue than it is) because it is not a matter related to actions, and on the Day of Reckoning Allah (May He be exalted) is going to ask you about your actions not His essence. And this (methodology) is the way of the first 3 generations of saints and scholars of the Muslim nation of which there is no uncertainty. Imam Al-Tufi (May Allah have mercy upon him) said: “The way of Imam Ahmed (may Allah have mercy upon him) and the rest of the scholars of the early generations was to affirm these attributes without commenting on them.” Therefore, when it came to these attributes, they would (affirm them) and say nothing. And this was the way of Abu Nua’yim (may Allah have mercy upon him) the teacher of Al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy upon him). Ibn Kathir (May Allah lighten his grave), in his explanation of the verse, “Then He rose upon the thrown” states: “We allow this verse to pass as it is while eliminating any anthropomorphic/thepomorphic elements from Allah’s existence. Exalted is He from what the intellect suggests.” And these where the words of Abu Nua’yim, the teacher of the teacher of Al-Bukhari, the teacher of Imam Ahmed and Yahya ibn Ma’in(May Allah have mercy upon all of them). Thus, differing about this issue and arguing about time and place (with respect to the Divine) is not something from the actions of the early generations and is in contrast to what they were upon. Therefore (when encountering verses like this), you should say nothing and read the verse as it is. Hence, what is necessary is for you to believe as the early generations believed without adding or deducting (anything). And this is what is required of you so do not dispute (with others) about it.”

And Allah knows best.

Sh. Abdullah bin Bayyah (May Allah preserve him)
Translated by Suhaib Webb

Am i Sitting Correctly?

I'm on my way, I know I am, somewhere not so far from here
All I know is all I feel right now, I feel the power growing in my hair
Sitting on my own not by myself, everybody's telling with me
I don't need to touch your face to know, and I don't need to use my eyes to see

I keep on wondering if I sleep too long, will I always wake up the same or so?
And keep on wondering if I sleep too long, will I even wake up again or something
Oh I'm on my way I know I am, but times there were when I thought not
Bleeding half my soul in bad company, I thank HIM I had the strength to stop

I'm not making love to anyone's wishes, only for that light I see
Because when I'm dead and lowered low in my grave, that's gonna be the only thing that's left of me

And if I make it to the waterside, will I even find me a boat or so?
And if I make it to the waterside, I'll be sure to write you not or something
I'm on my way, I know I am, somewhere not so far from here
All I know is all I feel right now, I feel the power growing in my hair

Life is like a maze of doors and they all open from the side you're on
Just keep on pushing hard ,try as you may
You're going to wind up where you started from

A great sign of Unity!

Nice one Bro MR! Taken from al jazeera`s interview with Shaykh Hamza Yusuf. Some guy calls in and blames the “Salafi Sect” for terrorism and look at how he responded. This is a sign of fair unity amongst differences within the ummah.

Looking Glass.

I saw a friend just the other day
We took a walk around the way
The sky was blue and his face was grey
I asked him what could cause such dismay?
He tallied his life and he noticed the score
He felt his pain he never felt before
He said it feels like HE can't love no more
He said it feels like HE can't love me no more
No No No No

HE can't love me anymore
It's a fact I know for sure
We started out this life so pure
But HE can't love me anymore
HE can't love me anymore
It's a fact that I know for sure

I started out this life so pure
But He can't love me anymore
He went on about the past
To listen with patience was my only task
No need to pry and no need to ask
His words to me were my looking glass
And with much pain his heart did pour
With this feeling never felt before
He said it feels like, HE can't love me no more
He said it feels like, HE can't love me no more
No No No, No


I asked my friend how can this be?
Not the ONE Who created me
Cause if our sins outweighed the sea
Forgiveness comes so easily
Just repent and stay to the task
To make an effort is all He asks
And don't get bogged down by the past
His mercy outweighs His wrath
And HE can love you once more
It's a fact that I know for sure

We started out this life so pure
But HE can love you once more
And HE can love you once more
It's a fact that I know for sure
We started out this life so pure
But HE can love you once more.

Oh Doctor..

Please do not bore us with such mundane lectures if u want to explain and super exaggerate every point of the slides. Organizational behaviour has been disorganized for me because of you.

Being a Student of Secular Knowledge

Yesterday was my induction day at APMI Kaplan Institute as an undergraduate. Mind you i was suprised that there`s a lot of students considering it is only a part time course. with ages ranging from my sister to those of my father`s brother. Nonetheless everything went fine. Sun`s the induction program and its after my arabic exam which mean i`m gonna miss the first few hours of the day.

Meanwhile i`ve listening to podcasts of lectures and watching motivational talks from shaik suhaib webb al-azhari( A student of azhar university ). He`s good in a sense he connects with the youth in america and establishes good rapport with them. All these and also he`s still pursuing his studies. Enjoy people.

The Qualities of Men in the Quran Part 4, by Imam Suhaib Webb

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