ArRihla

2007-05-08T18:50:00.000+03:00

Shaikh Ali al-Jifri on the elements of ‘Nasb’ among some in the UmmahApril 3rd, 2007

الجفري يبين نصب الوهابية وحقدهم على رسول وأهل بيته

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEl2O94t-l8

Summary:
Allahumma Salli Ala Sayyidina Muhammad
1. With the Ummah busy with their sins, issues, worldly concerns, there are some who are upon the Minbars, speaking in the name of the Din saying: The parents of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi was sallam) are in the hell-fire. They say this with such certainty as if they personally entered the Jannah and looked for them, only to not find them there.
If this was the only issue, we would say that it is a slip and an error and may Allah reward them, however, there is more to it. They are using all of their energy and resources to spread this and other things.
2. Madinah al-Munawwarah ….
2. Madinah al-Munawwarah (the Enlightened city of the Prophet-sallallahu alayhi was sallam) should instead be called Madinah al-Nabawiyyah (the Prophetic City) as if it is not really enlightened with Nur (light).3. Aal al-Bait (the Prophetic household). They say: ‘who are these Aal al-Bait? They are no different than us. You too can be like Hussain if you do as Hussain did.’
4. Sahabah: they say: ‘The companions were men, and they are correct and they err as well.
5. Seeking blessings with the effects of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi was sallam): they say: ‘No! All of his effects are broken and blessing can not be sought from them!’
6. Salah upon the Messenger (sallallahu alayhi was sallam): They say: ‘Dont raise your voices when sending salutations to the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi was sallam). That is an innovation.
7. Praising the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi was sallam): they say: ‘Dont do that, this is extremism. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi was sallam) said: ‘Do not go to extremes with praising me as the Christians did with Isa ibn Maryam…’
These things are all connected. If it was just the issue concerning the parents of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi was sallam) then it would not be a problem. We would just say that it was a slip and may Allah reward you. However, all of these matters are interconnected.
8. Visiting the Messenger (sallallahu alayhi was sallam): they say: Dont visit him. It is not a pillar of the Hajj or Umrah, nor it is an obligation of it or sunnah. We say: ‘Indeed, it is not a condition of Hajj or Umrah, but it is a condition of love-something that you do not know.

Tabarruk stories

2007-04-07T23:20:00.000+03:00

Second post on Tabarruk - more attributions and answers

(the best book on this matter, written by a scholar of the ahl-us Sunnah wal Jamaat, Qadi abu Bakr, of 12th Century Maghreb, is al-Shifaa (or "the Healing, by recognizing the rights of the Chosen one (al-Mustafa, the Prophet Muhammad ") - best studied with scholars, along with Adab al-Mufrad (Imam Bukhari, rahimuLlah)

one article online that details these matters is http://www.sunnah.org/ibadaat/tawassul_3.htm

Answers to those who reject getting blessings from the Prophet's relics (Tabarruk bi al-athar) as being outside Islam

"Tabarruk": deriving blessing from something once owned or touched by a holy
person.
"Athar": relics.
As for those who reject the validity of tabarruk or seeking blessings through the relics of the Prophet, we warn them that Allah Himself mentioned the tof the Prophet Ya`qub with the relic of his son Yusuf, and that the evidence for the tabarruk of the Companions and the Tabi`in through the Prophet and the saints is innumerable.
Allah said: "Go with this my shirt, and cast it over the face of my father: he will come to see (clearly)... When the Caravan left (Egypt), their father said: I do indeed scent
the presence of Yusuf..." (12:93-94).

The Companions' Seeking of Blessings With the Prophet's Person and His
Relics

Tabarruk with the Prophet's hair and nails

There are countless hadiths on this. Bukhari narrates in his Sahih in the Book of Clothing, under the chapter entitled "What is mentioned about gray hair," that `Usman ibn `Abd Allah ibn Mawhab said: "My family sent me to Umm Salama with a cup of water. Umm Salama brought out a silver bottle which contained one of the hairs of the Prophet, and it used to be that if anyone came under the evil eye or ill health they used to send her a cup of water through which she would pass this hair (for drinking). We used to look into the silver bottle: I saw some reddish hairs."

Anas said: "When the Prophet shaved his head (after pilgrimage), Abu Talha was the first one to take of his hair." Bukhari. Anas also said: "The Prophet threw
stones at al-Jamra, then sacrificed, then told the barber to shave his head
right side first, then began to give the hair away to the people." Muslim.
He said: "Talha was the one distributing it." Muslim, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud.
He also said: "When the Prophet shaved his head in Mina, he gave me the hair
from the right side and he said: Anas! take it to Umm Sulaym [his mother]. When
the Companions saw what the Prophet gave us, they began to compete to take the
hair from the left side, and everyone was getting a share from that." Ahmad
narrated it.

Ibn al-Sakan narrated through Safwan ibn Hubayra from the latter's father: Thabit al-Bunani said: Anas ibn Malik said to me (on his death-bed): "This is one of the hairs of Allah's Messenger, Allah's blessings and peace upon him. I want you to place it under my tongue." Thabit continued: I placed it under his tongue, and he was buried with it under his tongue." Abu Bakr said: "I saw Khalid [ibn Walid] asking for the Prophet's forelock and he received it. He used to put it over his eyes and then kiss it." It is known that he then placed it in his qalansuwa (head cover around which the turban is tied) and never faced battle again except he won. al-Waqidi (Maghazi), ibn Hajar (Isaba).

Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani relates that Imam Malik said: "Khalid ibn al-Walid owned a qalansiyya which contained some of the Prophet's hair, and that
is the one he wore the day of the battle of Yarmuk. Ibn Sirin (one of the
tabi`in) said: "One hair of the Prophet in my possession is more precious to me
than silver and gold and everything that is on the earth and everything that is
inside it." Bukhari, Bayhaqi (Sunan kubra), and Ahmad.

In Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 72, Number 784: `Uthman bin `Abd Allah ibn Mawhab said, "My people sent me with a bowl of water to Umm Salama." Isra'il approximated three fingers indicating the small size of the container in which there was some hair of the Prophet. `Uthman added, "If any person suffered from evil eye or some other disease, he would send a vessel (containing water) to Umm Salama (and she would dip the Prophet's hair into it and it would be drunk). I looked into the container (that held the hair of the Prophet) and saw a few reddish hairs in it."
Hafiz Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari, Volume 10, page 353, said: "They used
to call the silver bottle in which the hair of the Prophet was kept jiljalan and
that bottle was in the home of Umm Salama." Hafiz al-`Ayni said in `Umdat
al-Qari, Volume 18, page 79: "Umm Salama had some of the hairs of the Prophet in
a silver bottle. When some people got ill, they would go and obtain blessings
from these hairs and they would be healed by means of their blessings. If a
person were struck by the evil eye or any sickness, he would send his wife to
Umm Salama with a mikhdaba or water-pail, and she would pass the hair through
that water and then drink the water and he would be healed, after which they
would return the hair to the jiljal."

Imam Ahmad narrates in his Musnad (4:42) from `Abd Allah ibn Zayd ibn `Abd Rabbih with a sound (sahih) chain as stated by Haythami in Majma` al-zawa'id (3:19) that the Prophet clipped his nails and distributed them among the people.

Tabarruk with the Prophet's sweat

Anas said: "The Prophet stayed with us, and as he slept my mother began to collect his sweat in a flask. The Prophet awoke and said: "O Umm Sulaym, what are you doing?" She said: "This is your sweat which we place in our perfume and it is the best perfume." Muslim, Ahmad.

When Anas was on his deathbed he instructed that some of this flask be used on his body before his funeral and it was done. Bukhari.

Ibn Sirin also was given some of Umm Sulaym's flask. Ibn Sa`d.

Tabarruk with the Prophet's saliva and ablution water

These hadiths are extremely numerous. see Fath al-Bari 1989 ed. 10:255-256.

In Bukhari and Muslim: The Companions would compete for whoever would get the remnant of the Prophet's ablution water in order to put it on their faces. Nawawi in Sharh Sahih Muslim said: "In these narrations is evidence for seeking blessings with the relics of the saints" (fihi al-tabarruk bi athar al-salihin).

The Prophet used to heal the sick with his saliva mixed with some earth with the words: "Bismillah, the soil of our earth with the saliva of certain ones among us shall heal our sick with our Lord's permission." Bukhari and Muslim.

The Prophet had everyone in Madina, then Mecca, bring their newborn, whom he would read upon and into whose mouth he would do nafth and tifl (breath mixed with saliva). He would instruct their mother not to suckle them that day until nightfall. Bukhari, Abu Dawud, Ahmad, Bayhaqi (Dala'il), Waqidi, etc.

We have the names of over 100 Ansar and Muhajirin who received this particular blessing, complete with isnads.

Tabarruk with the Prophet's cup

Hajjaj ibn Hassan said:
"We were at Anas's house and he brought up the Prophet's cup from a black pouch.
He ordered that it be filled with water and we drank from it and poured some of
it on our heads and faces and sent blessings on the Prophet. Ahmad, Ibn Kathir.
`Asim said: "I saw that cup and I drank from it." Bukhari.

Tabarruk with the Prophet's minbar

Ibn `Umar used to touch the seat of the Prophet's minbar and then wipe his face for blessing. al-Mughni 3:559; al-Shifa' 2:54; Ibn Sa`d, Tabaqat 1:13; Mawsu`at Fiqh `Abdullah ibn `Umar p. 52.

From Abu Hurayra, Jabir, Abu Imama, and Malik: The Prophet made it a sunna
to swear to the truth on top of his minbar. Nisa'i, Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Ibn Maja,
and otehrs. Bukhari confirms it. Ibn Hajar says: and in Mecca, one swears
between the Yemeni corner and Maqam Ibrahim. (Fath al-Bari)

Tabarruk with money the Prophet gave away

Jabir sold a camel to the Prophet and the latter gave instructions to Bilal to add a qirat (1/12 dirham) to the agreed sale price. Jabir said: "The Prophet's addition shall never leave me," and he kept it with him after that. Bukhari.

Tabarruk with the Prophet' s staffs

When `Abdullah ibn Anis came back from one of the battles having killed Khalid ibn Sufyan ibn Nabih, the Prophet gifted him his staff and said to him: "It will be a sign between you and me on the Day of Resurrection." Thereafter he never parted with it and it was buried with him when he died. Ahmad 3:496, al-Waqidi 2:533.

Qadi `Iyad relates in his book al-Shifa', in the chapter entitled "Esteem for the things and places connected with the Prophet," that after Jihjah al-Ghifari took the Prophet's staff from the hands of `Uthman and tried to break it accross his knee, infection seized his knee which led to its amputation, and he died before the end of the year.

Tabarruk with the Prophet's shirt

Jabir says: "The Prophet came after `Abdullah ibn Ubay had been placed in his grave. He ordered that he be brought out. He placed his hands on `Abdul's knees, breathed (nafth) upon him mixing it with saliva, and dressed him with his shirt. Bukhari and Muslim.

Tabarruk with the Prophet's musallas or places of prayer

Many chains of transmission: `Utban ibn Malik was one of the
Companions of the battle of Badr. After he became blind he said to the Prophet:
"I would like you to pray in my house so that I can pray where you prayed." The
Prophet went to his house and asked where exactly he would like him to pray. He
indicated a spot to him and the Prophet prayed there. Bukhari and Muslim. The
version in Muslim has: I (`Utban) sent for the Prophet the message: "Come and
lay for me a place for worship [khutta li masjidan]." Imam Nawawi in Sharh Sahih
Muslim said: "It means: "Mark for me a spot that I can take as a place for
worship by obtaining blessing from your having been there [mutabarrikan bi
aathaarika]... In this hadith is evidence for obtaining blessings through the
relics of saints (al-tabarruk bi aathaar al-salihin)."

`Umar feared that the taking of the tree of the bay`a to the Prophet as a place of prayer might lead to a return to idol-worship and he had it cut. Bukhari, Ibn Sa`d (1:73). It is known, however, that Ibn `Umar derived blessings even from walking in the same spots where Prophet had walked and praying exactly where he had prayed both at the Ka`ba and on his travels, and that he watered a certain tree under which
Prophet had prayed so that it would not die. Bukhari, Bayhaqi (Sunan 5:245).

Tabarruk with the Prophet's grave

Dawud ibn Salih says: "[The Caliph] Marwan [ibn al-Hakam] one day saw a man placing his face on top of the grave of the Prophet. He said: "Do you know what you are doing?" When he came near him, he realized it was Abu Ayyub al-Ansari. The latter said: "Yes; I came to the Prophet, not to a stone." Ibn Hibban in his Sahih, Ahmad (5:422), Tabarani in his Mu`jam al-kabir (4:189) and his Awsat according to Haythami in al-Zawa'id (5:245), al-Hakim in his Mustadrak (4:515); both the latter and al-Dhahabi said it was sahih. It is also cited by al-Subki in Shifa' al-siqam
(p. 126), Ibn Taymiyya in al-Muntaqa (2:261f.), and Haythami in al-Zawa'id
(4:2). Mu`adh ibn Jabal and Bilal also came to the grave of the Prophet and
sat weeping, and the latter rubbed his face against it. Ibn Maja 2:1320, Ahmad,
Tabarani, Subki, Ibn `Asakir and Ibn Taymiyya.

Hafiz al-Dhahabi writes in the compendium of his shaykhs entitled Mu`jam al-shuyukh (1:73) in the entry devoted to his shaykh Ahmad ibn `Abd al-Mun`im al-Qazwini (#58): "Ahmad ibn al-Mun`im related to us... [with his chain of transmission] from Ibn `Umar that the latter disliked to touch the Prophet's grave. I say: He disliked it because he considered it disrespect. Ahmad ibn Hanbal was asked about touching the Prophet's grave and kissing it and he saw nothing wrong with it. His son `Abd Allah related this from him. If it is said: "Why did the Companions not do this?" It is replied: "Because they saw him with their very eyes when he was
alive, enjoyed his presence directly, kissed his very hand, almost fought with
each other over the remnants of his ablution water, shared his purified hair on
the day of the greater Pilgrimage, and even if he spat it would virtually not
fall except in someone's hand so that he could pass it over his face. Since we
have not had the tremendous fortune of sharing in this, we throw ourselves on
his grave as a mark of commitment, reverence, acceptance, and kissing. Don't you
see what Thabit al-Bunani did when he kissed the hand of Anas ibn Malik and
placed it on his face saying: "This is the hand that touched the hand of Allah's
Messenger"? Muslims are not moved to these matters except by their excessive
love for the Prophet, as they are ordered to love Allah and the Prophet more
than they love their own lives, their children, all human beings, their
property, and Paradise and its maidens. There are even some believers that love
Abu Bakr and `Umar more than themselves... Don't you see that the Companions, in
the excess of their love for the Prophet, asked him: "Should we not prostrate to
you?" and he replied no, and if he had allowed them, they would have prostrated
to him as a mark of utter veneration and respect, not as a mark of worship, just
as the Prophet Yusuf's brothers prostrated to Yusuf. Similarly the prostration
of the Muslim to the grave of the Prophet is for the intention of magnification
and reverence. One is not imputed disbelief because of it whatsoever (la
yukaffaru aslan), but he is being disobedient [to the Prophet's reply to the
Companions]: let him therefore be informed that this is forbidden. Similarly in
the case of one who prays towards the grave."

Imam Ahmad's son `Abd Allah said: "I asked my father about the man who touches and kisses the pommel of the Prophet's minbar to obtain blessing, or touches the grave of the Prophet. He responded by saying: "There is nothing wrong with it."" `Abd Allah also asked Imam Ahmad about the man who touches the Prophet's minbar and kisses it for blessing, and who does the same with the grave, or something to that effect, intending thereby to draw closer to Allah. He replied: "There is nothing wrong with it." This was narrated by `Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal in his book entitled al-`Ilal fi ma`rifat al-rijal (2:492).

We already mentioned the authentic account whereby in the time of `Umar there was a drought during which Bilal ibn Harith came to the grave and said: "O Messenger of Allah, ask Allah for rain on behalf of your Community."

We already mentioned `A'isha's account whereby she instructed that the roof be opened over the Prophet's grave in times of drought, and it would rain.

`Umar sent a message to `A'isha saying: "Will you allow me to be buried with my two companions (the Prophet and Abu Bakr)?" She said, "Yes, by Allah," though it was her habit that if a man from among the Companions asked her that she would always refuse. Bukhari.

Tabarruk with the Prophet's jubba (robe or cloak)

Imam Muslim relates that `Abd Allah, the freed slave of Asma' the daughter of Abu
Bakr, the maternal uncle of the son of `Ata', said: "Asma' sent me to Abdullah
ibn `Umar saying: "The news has reached me that you prohibit the use of three
things: the striped robe, saddle cloth made of red silk, and fasting the whole
month of Rajab." Abdullah said to me: "So far as what you say about fasting in
the month of Rajab, how about one who observes continuous fasting? And so far as
what you say about the striped garment, I heard `Umar ibn al-Khattab say that he
had heard from Allah's Messenger: "He who wears a silk garment, has no share for
him (in the Hereafter)." And I am afraid that stripes were part of it. And so
far as the red saddle cloth is concerned, here is Abdullah's saddle cloth [=his]
and it is red." I went back to Asma' and informed her, so she said: "Here is the
cloak (jubba) of Allah's Messenger," and she brought out to me that cloak made
of Persian cloth with a hem of (silk) brocade, and its sleeves bordered with
(silk) brocade, and said: "This was Allah's Messenger's cloak with `A'isha until
she died, then I got possession of it. The Apostle of Allah used to wear that,
and we washed it for the sick so that they could seek cure thereby." Muslim
relates in the first chapter of the book of clothing. Nawawi comments in Sharh
sahih Muslim (Book 37 Chapter 2 #10): "In this hadith is a proof that it is
recommended to seek blessings through the relics of the righteous and their
clothes (wa fi hadha al-hadith dalil `ala istihbab al-tabarruk bi aathaar
al-salihin wa thiyabihim)."

Tabarruk with spots and people the Prophet had touched

Suwayd ibn Ghafalah reported: I saw `Umar kissing the Stone and clinging to it and saying: "I saw Allah's Messenger bearing great love for you." This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Sufyan with the same chain of transmitters (and the words are): "He (`Umar) said: "I know that you are a stone, nor would I consider you of any worth, except that I saw Abu al-Qasim bearing great love for you." And he did not mention about clinging to it. [Muslim: 7: 2916]

Qadi `Iyad relates in his Shifa', in the chapter entitled "Esteem for the things and places connected with the Prophet," that Imam Malik would not ride an animal in Madina and used to say: "I am too shy before Allah to trample with an animal's hoof on the earth where Allah's Messenger is buried." Imam Malik gave a fatwa that whoever said: "The soil of Madina is bad" be given thirty lashes and jailed.

Qadi `Iyad mentions the verses of an anonymous visitor to Madina:

The veil is lifted from us and a moon shines out

to those who look on, banishing all illusions.

When our mounts reach Muhammad, it is forbidden

for us to be found in our saddles.

We are drawing near to the best man ever to walk on the earth,

So we hold this ground in respect and honor.

`Iyad adds: "One must respect the places... whose soil contains the body of the Master of Mankind and from which the din of Allah and the Sunna of the Messenger spread out... and the first earth that the skin of the Prophet touched after death. Its fragrance should be inhaled and its residences and walls should be kissed." Then he
recites:

O Abode of the best of the Messengers...
For you (Madina) I have intense love, passionate love,
and yearning which kindles the embers of my heart.
I have a vow: If I fill my eyes with those walls
and the places where you (O Prophet) walked,
There my turbaned gray hair will be covered with dust
from so much kissing.
Had it not been from obstacles and foes,
I would always visit them, even if I had to be dragged by my feet.

Al-Tabarani in al-Awsat and al-Kabir (4:16), and Imam Ahmad in his
Musnad (5:67-68) with a sound chain as stated by al-Haythami in al-Zawa'id
(4:211) narrated through Handhalah Ibn Hudhaym that the latter went with his
grandfather, Hudhaym, to the Prophet. Hudhaym said to the Messenger of Allah: "I
have sons and grandsons, some of whom are pubescent and others still children."
Motioning to the young child next to him, he said: "This is the youngest." The
Prophet brought this young child whose name was Handhalah next to him, wiped on
his head, and told him, "barakallahu fik," which means: "May Allah bless you."
After that, people started to bring Handhalah a person with a swollen face or a
sheep with a swollen udder. Handhalah would place his hand on that part of his
head the Prophet wiped, then touch the swollen part and say Bismillah, and the
swelling would be cured.

Ibn Abi Shayba narrated in his Musannaf (4:121), in the chapter entitled: "Touching the grave of the Prophet" with a sahih chain as judged by Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalani, and Qadi `Iyad in his book al-Shifa', in the chapter entitled: "Concerning the visit to the Prophet's grave, the excellence of those who visit it and how he should be greeted": Yazid ibn `Abd al-Malik ibn Qusayt and al-`Utbi narrated that it was the practice of the Companions in the masjid of the Prophet to place their hands on the pommel of the hand rail (rummana) of the pulpit (minbar) where the Prophet used to place his hand. There they would face the qibla and supplicate (make du`a) to Allah hoping He would answer their supplication because they were placing their hands where the
Prophet placed his while making their supplication. Abu Mawduda said: "And I saw
Yazid ibn `Abd al-Malik do the same." This practice of the Companions clarifies
two matters. The first is the permissibility of asking Allah for things by the
Prophet (tawassul) after his death since by their act the Companions were truly
making tawassul. Likewise it is permissible to ask Allah for things by other
pious Muslims. The second is the permissibility of seeking blessings (baraka)
from the objects the Prophet touched.

The Tabi`i Thabit al-Bunani said he used to go to Anas Ibn Malik, kiss his hands, and say: "These are hands that touched the Prophet." He would kiss his eyes and say: "These are eyes that saw the Prophet." Abu Ya`la narrated it in his Musnad (6:211) and Ibn Hajar mentions it in his al-Matalib al-`aliya (4:111). al-Haythami declared it sound in Majma`al-zawa'id (9:325).

According to Bukhari in his Adab al-Mufrad, `Abd al-Rahman ibn Razin related that one of the Companions, Salama ibn al-Aku`, raised his hands before a group of people and said: "With these very hands I pledged allegiance (bay`a) to the Messenger of Allah," upon hearing which all who were present got up and went to kiss his hand. Another version of this hadith was also related by Ahmad.

Abu Malik al-Ashja`i said that he once asked another Companion of the Tree, Ibn Abi Awfa, "Give me the hand that swore bay`at to the Messenger of Allah, Peace be upon him, that I may kiss it." Ibn al-Muqri related it.

Bukhari in al-Adab al-mufrad also relates that Suhayb saw Sayyidina `Ali kiss both the hand and feet of the Prophet's uncle al-`Abbas, and that Thabit kissed the hand of Anas because it had touched the Prophet's hand.

Tabarruk with the soil and vegetation of Madina

The merits of Madina, of prayer in Madina, of visiting the Masjid al-Nabawi, of living in Madina, of not cutting its trees, etc. are all based on the fact that the Prophet is there. The fact that it is a sanctuary (haram) and a preserve (hima) is well documented in numerous ahadith. It is even strongly recommended not to enter Madina except on foot, and many Companions, Tabi`in, and Tabi` al-Tabi`in never entered it except on foot, in respect for the Holy Presence of the Prophet.
Narrated Ali ibn Abu Talib: The Prophet said: "Madina's fresh grass is not to be cut, its game is not to be driven away, and things dropped in it are to be picked up only by one who publicly announces it, and it is not permissible for any man to carry weapons in it for fighting, and it is not advisable that its trees are cut except what a man cuts for the fodder of his camel. [Abu Dawud, 10: 2030]

Narrated Abu Hurayra: When the people saw the first fruit (of the season or of plantation) they brought it to Allah's Apostle. When he received it he said: "O Allah, bless us in our fruits; and bless us in our city; and bless us in our sa's and bless us in our mudd (i.e. in every measure). O Allah, Ibrahim was Thy servant, Thy friend, and Thy apostle; and I am Thy servant and Thy apostle. He (Ibrahim) made supplication to Thee for (the showering of blessings upon) Mecca, and I am making supplication to Thee for Madina just as he made supplication to Thee for Mecca, and the like of it in addition." He would then call to him the youngest child and give him these
fruits. [Muslim, 7: 3170]

As the Prophet asked Allah's Blessings on the city, its fruits, and in their measures, then it must be full of blessing as his supplication is a du`a' mustajab or answered prayer Therefore, it is common practice for pilgrims to purchase the dates of Madina for the blessings to bring back home with them to share among those who could not make the pilgrimage. And it is said that there yet remain living some of the date palms from those planted by the Holy hand of the Most Noble Messenger himself, blessings and peace be upon him. Wallahu a`lam.

Tabarruk with his Holy Hand and Feet

The first hadith Imam Ahmad related from Anas ibn Malik in his Musnad Anas is: "The whole Community of the people of Madina used to take the hand of the Prophet and rush to obtain their need with it." Narrated `A'isha the Mother of the Believers: "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when he had a complaint, would recite the last three suras of Qur'an, over himself and blow." She said, "When his pain was great, I would recite it over him and wipe him with his right hand hoping for its blessing."

Usama ibn Sharik narrates: "I came to see the Prophet while his Companions were with him, and they seemed as still as if birds had alighted on top of their heads. I gave him my salam and I sat down. [Then Beduins came and asked questions which the Prophet answered.] ... The Prophet then stood up and the people stood up. They began to kiss his hand, whereupon I took his hand and placed it on my face. I found it more fragrant than musk and cooler than sweet water." Narrated by Abu Dawud (#3855), Ti(2038 -- hasan sahih), Ibn Majah (3436), al-Hakim (4:399), and Ahmad (4:278). al-Hafiz Imam Bayhaqi cites it in Branch 15 of his Shu`ab al-iman entitled: The Fifteenth Branch of Faith, Namely A Chapter On Rendering Honor To The Prophet, Declaring His High Rank, And Revering Him (al-khamis `ashar min shu`ab al-iman wa huwa babun fi ta`zim al-nabi sallallahu `alayhi wa sallama wa ijlalihi wa tawqirih) Vol. 2 p. 200 (#1528).

Narrated `Abd Allah ibn `Umar: Ibn `Umar was sent with a detachment by the Apostle of Allah. The people wheeled round in flight. He said: I was one of those who wheeled round in flight. When we stopped, we said: What should we do? We have run away from the battlefield and deserve Allah's wrath. Then we said: Let us enter Medina, stay there, and go there while no one sees us. So we entered the city and thought: If we present ourselves before Allah's Apostle, and if there is a change of repentance for us, we shall stay; if there is something else, we shall go away. So we sat down (waiting) for the Apostle of Allah before the dawn prayer. When he came out, we stood up to him and said: We are the ones who have fled. He turned to us and said: No, you are the ones who return to fight after wheeling away. We then approached and kissed his hand, and he said: I am the main body of the Muslims. (Abu Dawud, Book 14 [Jihad], Number 2641.) This hadith is also found in al-Abhari; in the book of al-hafiz Ibn Muqri on standing up and kissing the hand out of respect; in the Adab al-mufrad of Imam Bukhari (Chapter on Kissing the Hand and Chapter on Kissing the Foot), in Ibn Maja (Adab), in Bayhaqi's Dala'il an-Nubuwwa, and in the Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal.

Ibn `Umar told a story and said: "We then came near the Prophet and kissed his hand." It is related in Ibn Maja's Sunan, Book of Adab, Chapter on kissing by a man of another man's hand; in Abu Dawud's Sunan, Book of Adab, Chapter on kissing the hand; and in the Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shayba through two different chains.
Umm Aban, daughter of al-Wazi` ibn Zari` narrated that her grandfather Zari` al-`Abdi, who was a member of the deputation of `Abd al-Qays, said: "When we came to Medina, we raced to be first to dismount and kiss the hand and foot of Allah's Apostle... (to the end of the hadith)" [Abu Dawud, 41: 5206.] Bukhari relates from her a similar hadith in his Adab al-mufrad: We were walking and someone said, "There is the Messenger of Allah," so we took his hands and feet and kissed them.
Burayda narrated that one of the Beduin Arabs who came to the Prophet, Peace be upon him, asked: "O Messenger of Allah, give me permission to kiss your head and your hands," and he received it. In another version, he asks permission to kiss the head and the feet. Narrated in Ghazali's Ihya' and the version mentioning the feet is in Hakim's Mustadrak and in Ibn Muqri. Both al-Hakim and al-`Iraqi declared the latter's chain authentic.

From Safwan ibn `Asal al-Muradi: "One of two Jews said to his companion:
Take us to this Prophet so we can ask him about Musa's ten signs... [the Prophet
replied in full and then] they kissed his hands and feet and said: we witness
that you are a Prophet..." Narrated by Ibn Abi Shayba (Book of Adab, Chapter
entitled A Man Kissing Another Man's Hand When He greets Him), Tirmidhi (Book of Adab) who declared it hasan sahih, al-Nasa'i, Ibn Maja (Book of Adab), and
al-Hakim who declared it sahih.

When we were with Allah's Messenger on an expedition, a Bedouin came and asked for a miracle. The Noble Messenger SallAllahu alayhi wa sallam pointed at a tree and said to the Bedouin: "Tell that tree that Allah's Messenger summons you." The tree swayed and brought itself out, and came to the presence of the Holy Messenger SallAllahu alayhi wa sallam, sating, "Peace be upon you Oh Messenger of Allah!" The Bedouin said, "Now let it return to its place!" When Allah's Messenger ordered it, the tree went back. The Bedouin said, "let me prostrate to you!" The Messenger answered: "No one is allowed to do that [ie it is Haraam]." The Bedouin said, "Then I will KISS YOUR HANDS AND FEET." and He (Saw) PERMITTED HIM THAT [ie it is jaa'iz]. REf: al-QaaDee IyaaD, ash-Shifaa', 1:299; al-Bazzaar, Musnad, 3:49.

Tabarruk From His Blessed Skin

Narrated Usayd ibn Hudayr: AbdurRahman ibn Abu Layla, quoting Usayd ibn Hudayr, a man of the Ansar, said that while he was given to jesting and was talking to the people and making them laugh, the Prophet poked him under the ribs with a stick. He said: Let me take retaliation. He said: Take retaliation. He said: You are wearing a shirt but I am not. The Prophet then raised his shirt and the man embraced him and began to KISS HIS SIDE. Then he said: This is what I wanted, Apostle of Allah! (Abu Dawud, Book 41, Number 5205.)

Ibn `Abd al-Barr relates, in his Isti`ab fi Ma`rifat al-as-hab (p. 673), that the Prophet, after forbidding two or three times the use of khaluq (a kind of perfume mixed with saffron), and finding that Sawad ibn `Amr al-Qari al-Ansari was wearing it, nudged him in the mid-section with a palm-tree stalk (jarida) and scratched him. The latter asked for reparation; when the Prophet bared his own belly to him, he jumped and kissed the Prophet's belly.
Ibn Ishaq's version in the Sira mentions that Sawad was standing in the ranks of the Companions of Badr at the time of this incident.
The Prophet was arranging the ranks with his switch (miqra`a) and he nudged
Sawad's belly with it, scratching him inadvertently, with the words: "Align
yourself with the others." Sawad said: "Ya Rasulallah, you hurt me, so give me
reparation." The Prophet handed him the switch and said: "Take reparation."
Sawad approached him and kissed his belly. The Prophet said: "What made you do
that, O Sawad?" He replied, "Ya Rasulallah, the time has come for what you see,
and I loved that my last action in this dunya be to touch you."

Narrated Buhaysah al-Fazariyyah: My father sought permission from the Prophet. Then he came near him, lifted his shirt, and began to kiss him and embrace him out of love for him... (Abu Dawud, Book 9, Number 1665.)

Tabarruk with places the Prophet visited

Narrated Abu Burda: When I came to Medina. I met Abdullah bin Salam. He said, "Will you come to me so that I may serve you with Sawiq (i.e. powdered barley) and dates, and let you enter a (blessed) house in which the Prophet entered?"… (Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 58, Number 159)

On tabarruk and visiting Tombs

2007-04-07T22:56:00.000+03:00

a selection from the article by Sidi Gibril Fouad Haddad, appearing on livingIslam,

www.livingislam.org/n/tsvv_e.html (Tomb Structures,Visits, and Vows )

describing the graves of the Sahaba, the manners of visiting, and legitimacy of respecting and taking blessing from the tombs of the Prophet and Sahaba (tabarruk, in other words):

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Concerning the acts of touching, kissing, rubbing the tombs etc:
Dawud ibn Salih said: "[The governor of Madina] Marwan [ibn al-Hakam] one day saw a man placing his face on top of the grave of the Prophet . He said: "Do you know what you are doing?" When he came near him, he realized it was Abu Ayyub
al-Ansari. The latter said: "Yes; I came to the Prophet, not to a stone." Ibn
Hibban in his Sahih, Ahmad (5:422), Al-Tabarani in his Mu`jam al-Kabir (4:189)
and his Awsat according to Haythami in al-Zawa'id (5:245 and 5:441 #5845 Book of
Hajj, "Section on the honoring of the dwellers of Madina, chapter on placing
one's face against the grave of our Master the Prophet" and #9252 Book of
Khilafa, "Chapter on the leadership of those unworthy of it"), al-Hakim in his
Mustadrak (4:515); both the latter and al-Dhahabi said it was sahih. It is also
cited by al-Subki in Shifa' al-siqam (p. 126) and Ibn Taymiyya in al-Muntaqa
(2:261f.).

It is also narrated that Mu`adh ibn Jabal and Bilal came to the
grave of the Prophet and sat weeping, and the latter rubbed his face against it.
Ibn Majah 2:1320, Ahmad, al-Tabarani, al-Subki, and Ibn `Asakir.
Imam Muslim relates in his Sahih, in the first chapter of the book of clothing, that Asma' bint Abi Bakr said: "Here is the cloak (jubba) of Allah's Messenger... [which]
was with `A'isha until she died, then I got possession of it. The Apostle of
Allah used to wear it, and we washed it for the sick so that they could seek
cure thereby." Al-Nawawi comments in Sharh sahih Muslim (Book 37 Chapter 2 #10): "In this hadith is a proof that it is recommended to seek blessings through the
relics of the righteous and their clothes (wa fi hadha al-hadith dalil `ala
istihbab al-tabarruk bi aathaar al-salihin wa thiyabihim)."
The latter verdict puts to rest the possible claim that, on the basis of the above reports, such veneration applies only to the Prophet.

Imam al-Dhahabi said: Ahmad ibn H.anbal was asked about touching the Prophet's grave and kissing it and he saw nothing wrong with it. His son 'Abd Allah related this
from him. If it is asked: "Why did the Companions not do this?" We reply:
"Because they saw him with their very eyes when he was alive, enjoyed his
presence directly, kissed his very hand, nearly fought each other over the
remnants of his ablution water, shared his purified hair on the day of the
greater Pilgrimage, and even if he spat it would virtually not fall except in
someone's hand so that he could pass it over his face. Since we have not had the
tremendous fortune of sharing in this, we throw ourselves on his grave as a mark
of commitment, reverence, and acceptance, even to kiss it. Do you not see what
Thabit al-Bunani did when he kissed the hand of Anas ibn Malik and placed it on
his face saying: "This is the hand that touched the hand of the Messenger of
Allah"?

Muslims are not moved to these matters except by their excessive
love for the Prophet as they are ordered to love Allah and the Prophet more than
their own lives, their children, all human beings, their property, and Paradise
and its maidens. There are even some believers that love Abu Bakr and 'Umar more
than themselves. Al-Dhahabi, Mu'jam al-Shuyukh (1:73 #58).
Al-Dhahabi elsewhere relates that Imam Ahmad himself used to seek blessings from the relics of the Prophet , put it on his mouth, and kiss it. I believe I saw him put it on his eyes. He also dipped it in water and drank the water to obtain cure. I saw
him take the Prophet's bowl (qas'a), wash it in water, and drink from it. I saw
him drink Zamzam water in order to seek cure with it, and he wiped his hands and
face with it."
I say: Where is the quibbling critic of Imam Ahmad now? It is
also authentically established that 'Abd Allah asked is father about those who
touch the pommel of the Prophet's e pulpit and touch the wall of the Prophet'se
room, and he said: "I do not see any harm in it." May Allah protect us and you
from the opinion of the Khawarij and from innovations! Al-Dhahabi, Siyar A'lam
al-Nubala' (9:457). Ch. on Imam Ahmad, section entitled Min adabih.
As for the licitness or desirability of praying in a mosque that contains or is located
near the grave(s) of one or more righteous persons, it is established from the
hadith of the Prophet: "In the Mosque of al-Khayf there is the qabr of seventy
Prophets." Narrated from Ibn `Umar by al-Tabarani in al-Kabir and al-Bazzar with
a chain of trustworthy narrators according to al-Haythami in Majma` al-Zawa'id
(#5769, #5965).
Whoever asks his need from Allah may do so at the grave of the Friends of Allah. Whoever asks his need from other than Allah commits shirk, even in his own home. The point is that the the proximity of a grave does NOT make du`a to Allah haram although it might make it mustajab. This is the opinion of the Ulema, for example, concerning du`a at the grave of Imam al-Nawawi in the town of Nawa, district of Dar`a, outside Damascus.
Al-Khatib narrated with his chain from `Ali ibn Maymun in Tarikh Baghdad that he heard al-Shafi`i say in Baghdad: "I swear that I seek blessings through Abu Hanifa (inni la'atabarraku bi Abi Hanifa) and come to his grave every day" - meaning that he visits it. "Whenever I am in need of something, I pray two rak`as then come to his grave and ask Allah for the fulfillment of my need, and little time passes before it is fulfilled." Also famous in Baghdad is the grave of Ma`ruf al-Karkhi,
which was known as "al-Tiryaq al-Mujarrab" or the Proven Medicine among the
Salaf. So were those of Imam Ahmad, Ibn al-Baqillani, Ibn Furak, Isma`il Abu
`Uthman al-Sabuni, and many others.

The Amman Message

2007-03-27T22:51:00.001+03:00

For muslims, an obligation to consider, in the context of murder and ingraciousness, how muslim humanity remains - "there will not cease to be scholars on the earth," Imam Ali, karam Allah wajahu

www.ammanmessage.com

in english: http://ammanmessage.com/index.php?lang=en
The Three Points of The Amman Message V.1
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
May peace and blessings be upon the Prophet Muhammad and his pure and noble family
(1) Whosoever is an adherent to one of the four Sunni schools (Mathahib) of Islamic jurisprudence (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi`i and Hanbali), the two Shi’i schools of Islamic jurisprudence (Ja`fari and Zaydi), the Ibadi school of Islamic jurisprudence and the Thahiri school of Islamic jurisprudence, is a Muslim. Declaring that person an apostate is impossible and impermissible. Verily his (or her) blood, honour, and property are inviolable. Moreover, in accordance with the Shaykh Al-Azhar’s fatwa, it is neither possible nor permissible to declare whosoever subscribes to the Ash`ari creed or whoever practices real Tasawwuf (Sufism) an apostate. Likewise, it is neither possible nor permissible to declare whosoever subscribes to true Salafi thought an apostate. Equally, it is neither possible nor permissible to declare as apostates any group of Muslims who believes in God, Glorified and Exalted be He, and His Messenger (may peace and blessings be upon him) and the pillars of faith, and acknowledges the five pillars of Islam, and does not deny any necessarily self-evident tenet of religion.
(2) There exists more in common between the various schools of Islamic jurisprudence than there is difference between them. The adherents to the eight schools of Islamic jurisprudence are in agreement as regards the basic principles of Islam. All believe in Allah (God), Glorified and Exalted be He, the One and the Unique; that the Noble Qur’an is the Revealed Word of God; and that our master Muhammad, may blessings and peace be upon him, is a Prophet and Messenger unto all mankind. All are in agreement about the five pillars of Islam: the two testaments of faith (shahadatayn); the ritual prayer (salat); almsgiving (zakat); fasting the month of Ramadan (sawm), and the Hajj to the sacred house of God (in Mecca). All are also in agreement about the foundations of belief: belief in Allah (God), His angels, His scriptures, His messengers, and in the Day of Judgment, in Divine Providence in good and in evil. Disagreements between the ‘ulama (scholars) of the eight schools of Islamic jurisprudence are only with respect to the ancillary branches of religion (furu`) and not as regards the principles and fundamentals (usul) [of the religion of Islam]. Disagreement with respect to the ancillary branches of religion (furu`) is a mercy. Long ago it was said that variance in opinion among the ‘ulama (scholars) “is a good affair”.
(3) Acknowledgement of the schools of Islamic jurisprudence (Mathahib) within Islam means adhering to a fundamental methodology in the issuance of fatwas: no one may issue a fatwa without the requisite personal qualifications which each school of Islamic jurisprudence determines [for its own adherents]. No one may issue a fatwa without adhering to the methodology of the schools of Islamic jurisprudence. No one may claim to do unlimited Ijtihad and create a new school of Islamic jurisprudence or to issue unacceptable fatwas that take Muslims out of the principles and certainties of the Shari`ah and what has been established in respect of its schools of jurisprudence.

Alama ibn Taymiyyah on the awliyya

2007-03-27T22:51:00.000+03:00

The beliefs of Imam Ibn Taymiyya (RahimuLlah) on the Awliya as-Saliheen (RahimuLlah):

1. 'It is definitely established that the friends of Allah receive extraordinary addresses and visionary disclosures.' (Source: Al Furqan bayna Awliya as-Shaytan wa Awliya ar-Rahman)

2. 'Also of the foundational creedal principles (usul) of Ahl us Sunna is the confirmation (tasdiq) of the miraculous gifts of the friends of Allah and whatever suspension of the laws of nature Allah causes at their hands (wama yujri Allahu 'ala aydihim min khawariq al-'adat) with all kinds of knowledge and spiritual unveilings (fi anwa' al al-'ulum wal-mukashafat), and all kinds of powers & influences (wa-anwa' al-qudra wal-ta'thirat) such as those reported from the ancient communities ( e.g.) in the cave (al-Kahf) and others, and as reported from from the early beginnings of this community regarding the Companions and Followers and from every generation of Muslims after that and these miracles will not cease to take place in the community until the day of Judgement ( wa-hiya mawjudatun fiha ila yawm al-qiyama.' (Source: Al 'Aqida al-Wasitiyya)

3. 'The one that receives angelic communication, inspiration & disclosure in this Ummah must weigh all this against the Book & the Sunna. If they agree then what he has experienced is truthful; if they disagree he pays no attention to what he has experienced.'

The myth of Muslim support for terror

2007-03-02T11:21:00.000+02:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20070223/cm_csm/yballen
The myth of Muslim support for terror
By Kenneth Ballen, Fri Feb 23, 3:00 AM ET
WASHINGTON - Those who think that Muslim countries and pro-terrorist attitudes go hand-in-hand might be shocked by new polling research: Americans are more approving of terrorist attacks against civilians than any major Muslim country except for Nigeria.
The survey, conducted in December 2006 by the University of Maryland's prestigious Program on International Public Attitudes, shows that only 46 percent of Americans think that "bombing and other attacks intentionally aimed at civilians" are "never justified," while 24 percent believe these attacks are "often or sometimes justified."
Contrast those numbers with 2006 polling results from the world's most-populous Muslim countries - Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nigeria. Terror Free Tomorrow, the organization I lead, found that 74 percent of respondents in Indonesia agreed that terrorist attacks are "never justified"; in Pakistan, that figure was 86 percent; in Bangladesh, 81 percent.
Do these findings mean that Americans are closet terrorist sympathizers?
Hardly. Yet, far too often, Americans and other Westerners seem willing to draw that conclusion about Muslims. Public opinion surveys in the United States and Europe show that nearly half of Westerners associate Islam with violence and Muslims with terrorists. Given the many radicals who commit violence in the name of Islam around the world, that's an understandable polling result.
But these stereotypes, affirmed by simplistic media coverage and many radicals themselves, are not supported by the facts - and they are detrimental to the war on terror. When the West wrongly attributes radical views to all of the world's 1.5 billion Muslims, it perpetuates a myth that has the very real effect of marginalizing critical allies in the war on terror.
Indeed, the far-too-frequent stereotyping of Muslims serves only to reinforce the radical appeal of the small minority of Muslims who peddle hatred of the West and others as authentic religious practice.
Terror Free Tomorrow's 20-plus surveys of Muslim countries in the past two years reveal another surprise: Even among the minority who indicated support for terrorist attacks and
Osama bin Laden, most overwhelmingly approved of specific American actions in their own countries. For example, 71 percent of bin Laden supporters in Indonesia and 79 percent in Pakistan said they thought more favorably of the United States as a result of American humanitarian assistance in their countries - not exactly the profile of hard-core terrorist sympathizers. For most people, their professed support of terrorism/bin Laden can be more accurately characterized as a kind of "protest vote" against current US foreign policies, not as a deeply held religious conviction or even an inherently anti- American or anti-Western view.
In truth, the common enemy is violence and terrorism, not Muslims any more than Christians or Jews. Whether recruits to violent causes join gangs in Los Angeles or terrorist cells in Lahore, the enemy is the violence they exalt.
Our surveys show that not only do Muslims reject terrorism as much if not more than Americans, but even those who are sympathetic to radical ideology can be won over by positive American actions that promote goodwill and offer real hope.
America's goal, in partnership with Muslim public opinion, should be to defeat terrorists by isolating them from their own societies. The most effective policies to achieve that goal are the ones that build on our common humanity. And we can start by recognizing that Muslims throughout the world want peace as much as Americans do.
* Kenneth Ballen is founder and president of Terror Free Tomorrow, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to finding effective policies that win popular support away from global terrorists.

ex-CIA agent Emile Nakhleh speaks out on political Islam

2007-01-22T22:55:00.001+02:00

While I'm undecided about continuing blogging as a regular activity, I do run across interesting things I feel like sharing, and this blog is as good a place to share them (with whomever still visits here) as anywhere else.

For the moment, I'll note the following from an interview with Emile Nakhleh (with that name, I'm quite sure he's Christian, possibly Copt -please correct me) who's been head of the CIA's Political Islam wing for the last 15 years (since 1991 that would make it, through the end of Bush 41s presidency and through Clinton and Bush 43), and he definitely doesn't share Daniel Pipe's views...

Please read this interview (in full at the Harper's magazine link below) but this question posed to him was worth quoting in full:
Harper's Magazine, often interesting reading there
http://harpers.org/sb-six-questions-emile-nakhleh-1158706094.html

6. Is there an inherent threat to Western democracies from the Islamic world?

No, there's only a threat from those who use Islam for ideological reasons and who are willing to employ violence. There are 1.4 billion people in the Islamic world and only a tiny minority, maybe 2 or 3 percent, are politically active. Just like Jews and Christians, most have kids to raise and bills to pay. Most view Islam as a personal and societal force, not a political one, and only a tiny minority becomes terrorists. There are hundreds of political parties in the Muslim world, in Indonesia, Malaysia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Morocco, Yemen, Pakistan, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Those parties and their supporters have participated in many elections, and some times they have won and some times they have lost, but they have largely recognized the results. Not all are necessarily interested in creating Sharia societies. Even Hamas highlighted its opposition to Israel and service to society, not religious issues. Political Islam is not a threat—the threat is if people become disenchanted with the political process and democracy, and opt for violence. There is a real danger from a few terrorists and we should go after them, but the longer-term threat is that people opt out of the system. We need to not only speak out in favor of democracy and political reform, but also act on that as well.

It's been a long time, shouldn't have left you...

2007-01-21T22:49:00.003+02:00

pardons for badly remembered pop music lyrics, but thought this part of a commentary by Scott Atran, a scientist (and intelligence analyst, apparently researches suicide bombers) was relevant. He's responding to Beyondbelief2006, a conference of atheist scientist scholars who wanted to establish a counter-weight to the "anti-evolution, anti-science" wing of Christian evangelicals who are effecting power in the Republican White House. While he has a lot to say in his argument defending faith in particular, and in the part 6, follows on the link below, but what he has to say on Islam is particularly of interest, even though he's not a muslim.

Please read and let me know what you think.

http://beyondbelief2006.org/The%20Conversation%20Continues/conversation1.php

(jump to the conversation of Scott Atran if you like)

to quote:

(5) IGNORANCE OF ISLAM IN GENERAL. We first heard from Steven Weinberg, and then from every other second speaker, about the history of Islam, about why Muslim science went into decline after the 13th or 14th centuries, and about why suicide bombers, the most fanatically religious of all would-be mass murderers, are an outgrowth of Islam. But to use one of professor Dawkins's favored expressions, "this is rubbish." None of these commentators has shown the slightest understanding of Islamic history other than the same Classic Comics summaries of names and achievements.

Why would Islam first cause science to flourish and then decline unto suicide bombing? (One might note that Chinese science, too, went into decline relative to the West after the 14th century, but is now rapidly catching up; and that until recently the most prolific group of suicide bombers was the nominally Hindu but mostly secularist Tamil Tigers.) No mention was made of the fact that Islamic science, indeed, Classical Arab civilization, collapsed primarily because of massive invasions of Mongols and other Asiatic hordes; we've heard only the wholly unsupported claim that religion has had something to do with it.

We heard from Sam Harris that Muslims represent less than 10% of the population in Western European countries such as France, but over 50% of the prison population. The obvious inference expected from the audience is that Islam encourages criminal behavior. But what is not reported is that Muslims in the U.S. are as underrepresented in prison populations, as are U.S. Jews, and that the predictive factors for Muslims entering European prisons are almost exactly the same for African Americans entering U.S. prisons, namely lack of: employment, schooling, political representation, and so forth. Moreover, religious education is a negative predictor of Muslims entering European prisons. In our global jihadi database, which we are developing under a defense department contract, and which is perhaps the most comprehensive open source database on the subject, we find that most jihadis are "born again" and come to religion late in life, and only very seldom through mosques or madrassahs. And among jihadis outside Europe, and in particular suicide bombers, science education is a strong positive predictor (the most representative educational categories of suicide bomber - a finding independently confirmed by Oxford sociologist Diego Gambetta- are engineer and physician, be it for Al Qaeda or Hamas).

Sam Harris and others at the conference tells us that suicide bombers do what they do in part because they are fooled by religion into seeking paradise, which includes the promise of 72 virgins. But neither I nor any intelligence officer I have personally worked with knows of a single such case (though I don't deny that their may be errant cases out there). Such speculations reveal more the sexual fantasies of those who speculate rather than the actual motives of suicide bombers. All leaders of jihadi groups that I have interviewed tell me that if anyone ever came to them seeking martyrdom to gain virgins in paradise, then the door would be slammed in their face.

Richard Dawkins tells us that Islam oppresses women. While also condemning the terrible asymmetries between men and women in many Islamic societies, I would only note that the subordination of women has relatively little to do with religion per se and much more to do with the kinship structure of Arab society. Arab social structure and cultural identity are built around a patrilineal lineage system that passes rights, obligations and duties exclusively through the father's line. Geneaologies, however fictive, are traced back centuries to justify power and prestige. Any suspicion cast on any woman's honor anywhere in the geneaology can undermine the whole line. That is the principal consideration behind what is to most of us an intolerabl subjugation of women, including the grotesque practice of "honor killing. Granted, Arab kinship is incorporated into Islamic canon, but belief in God really has nothing much at all to do with it.

Spiritual inclinations & Dr. Sherman Jackson and Dr. Khaled abou Fadhl

2006-06-20T17:03:00.000+03:00

bismiLlahir Rahmanir Rahim

I'll add a webpage for some articles (in Turkish) and links for music and sohbet on the subject of Tassawuf:
Semazen

Jihad and the Modern World
by Dr. Sherman Jackson,Journal of Islamic Law and Culture, Spring / Summer, 2002
div align="justify">http://users.tpg.com.au/dezhen/jihad_and_the_modern_world.html
[*1] I. INTRODUCTION
"Islam is a religion of peace." This is certainly the mantra that has inundated us from almost every quarter since the horrifying events of September 11, 2001. From President George W. Bush to local, national and even international Muslim spokespersons, the peaceful nature of Islam has been reiterated time and again. Of course, this has not gone unchallenged. Skeptics, polemicists, even opportunists of various stripes, have repeatedly warned against accepting too uncritically what they hint at being a "new-found, politically correct" depiction of a religion that includes, inter alia, a scripturally mandated institution of armed violence and a holy book that exhorts its adherents, at least on the face of it, to "slay 'them' wherever you find them." n1 Today, close to a year after the tragedy, emotions and rhetoric on both sides have subsided a bit. But there is still a perduring suspicion among many Americans -- including many Muslim Americans -- when it comes to the question of Islam, violence and the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims.
from Dr. abou Fadhl:
Islam & the theology of Power
http://www.scholarofthehouse.org/thetmerwin20.html
"Supremacist puritanism in contemporary Islam is dismissive of all moral norms or ethical values."
By Khaled Abou El Fadl, UCLA School of Law.
Since the early 1980s, commentators have argued that Islam is suffering a crisis of identity, as the crumbling of Islamic civilization in the modern age has left Muslims with a profound sense of alienation and injury. Challenges confronting Muslim nations -- failures of development projects, entrenched authoritarian regimes and the inability to respond effectively to Israeli belligerence -- have induced deep-seated frustration and anger that, in turn, contributed to the rise of fundamentalist movements, or as most commentators have preferred to say, political Islam. But most commentators have been caught off guard by the ferocity of the acts of mass murder recently committed in New York and Washington. The basic cruelty and moral depravity of these attacks came as a shock not only to non-Muslims, but to Muslims as well. The extreme political violence we call terrorism is not a simple aberration unrelated to the political dynamics of a society. Generally, terrorism is the quintessential crime of those who feel powerless seeking to undermine the perceived power of a targeted group. Like many crimes of power, terrorism is also a hate crime, for it relies on a polarized rhetoric of belligerence toward a particular group that is demonized to the point of being denied any moral worth. To recruit and communicate effectively, this rhetoric of belligerence needs to tap into and exploit an already radicalized discourse with the expectation of resonating with the social and political frustrations of a people. If acts of terrorism find little resonance within a society, such acts and their ideological defenders are marginalized. But if these acts do find a degree of resonance, terrorism becomes incrementally more acute and severe, and its ideological justifications become progressively more radical.

Enemies by nature?

2006-05-02T00:27:00.000+03:00
'Man is a natural enemy of what he is ignorant of' Imam Ali, Karam Allahu wajhahu

I'm not highly amused by high rhetoric and volume as debate forms, and though I get a certain pleasure out of pushing back verbally at those who assault me or my beliefs, I really don't think discussion is being furthered by the abuse on the blogs that passes for 'debate'. Critical issues of our times, no less than at the time of the American revolution, are certainly valuable discussion material - and without Thomas Paine, the printing press, and reasonably high literacy, the American Revolution might never have kicked off... which all goes to say that "democracy and freedom" [as ideals, enshrined in the Constitution] depend on education and eliminating ignorance.

Islam also came into the world as revelation, descending amongst the most tribal, vindictive, and frankly ignorant people - the bedouin of the time of the Prophet Muhammed Sal Allahu alayhi wa Salaam. 200 years of Arab civilization followed, led by muslim scholars who increasingly were born from non-arab lands and spoke non-arabic tongues. The "Golden Era" of the Khulafaa ar-Rashidun led, despite bloody sectarian violence and political upheaval, towards the [in no particular order]: Ummayad, Abbasid, Seljuk, Mamluk, Mongol, Moghul, Ottoman, Andalusian, Mali, Timbuctu, Malay, Sokoto [et al.] muslim civilizations.

Muslim Heritage:
http://www.muslimheritage.com/
"Islam, a world civilization":
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/introduction/woi_history.html#22

Civilization obviously implies a lot more than [as it seems to be understood today] mere technological capacity, the ability to raise a standing army, and the means to develop new ways of killing other human beings. One would hope it implies a respect for knowledge, the pushing back of the boundaries of ignorance, and a development of humanity that gives the 'humanities' their name. Islam certainly did well at that before the current period of post-colonial & ethnic nationalism - and though muslims have unfortunately participated in spreading 'hatred for those who aren't like you' in the modern world; they have still, on the whole, managed to retain the virtues taught in the Qur'an and Sunnah, by the virtues of the scholars which Allah promises to maintain on the earth.

It's valuable to remember that one statement by the Salaf us-Salih on the discriminating factor of 'people of the Tradition' of the Prophet ahl us-Sunnah is that they "report that which is for them, as well as that which is against them, while the people of deviation report only that which is for them." Imam as-Suyuti spoke similarly of what the 'people of the Tradition and Community' ahl us-Sunnah wal-jama'at believe, in quoting the hadith of the Prophet that only those who "follow the Tradition of myself, my companions, and that which they are upon" [which surely includes virtues such as self-criticism, dignified bearing and nobility, humane character, etc - "this religion is good character"].

as abdul-Hakim Murad writes in contentions [http://masud.co.uk/ISLAM/ahm/contentions2.htm]
11. True religion invites us to become better people. False religion tells us that this has already occurred.

A story from Ottoman history illustrates ignorance well: a drunk Janissary, stumbling down an alleyway, confronts a Jewish man in the alleyway, saying: "Hey, why did your people kill Jesus?" [not a muslim belief] The Jewish man, despairing of arguing with a drunken soldier, pleads: "But that was so long ago." whereupon the Janisarry slurs "But I only learned about it last week."

Better to light a candle than curse the darkness, as Einstein said. God bless and guide humanity.

Shaykh Muhammad al-Afifi's fatwa: "Defending the Transgressed by Censuring the Reckless"

2005-08-24T13:53:00.000+03:00
And never say our enemy is worse than us and that they cannot win even if we commit sins. Many nations have suffered at the hands of others who were less faithful as the magian who won over the Children of Israel when they committed sins.

Peace,
please see the fatwa of Shaykh Afifi as quoted below:
http://www.livingislam.org/k/dcmm_e.html
If it is said: “I have heard a scholar say that ‘Israeli women are not like women in our society because they are militarised’. By implication, this means that they fall into the category of women who fight and that this makes them legitimate targets but only in the case of Palestine.”

We say: No properly schooled jurists from any of the four schools would say this as a legal judgement if they faithfully followed the juridical processes of the orthodox schools in this bab, for if it is true that the scholar made such a statement and meant it in the way you’ve implied it, then not only does this violate the well known principal rule above {Section I: “It is not permissible to kill their women and children if they are not in (direct) combat”} but the supposed remarks also show a lack of sophistication in the legal particulars.

2005-08-16T00:09:00.000+03:00

Advice from the Salaf us-Salih (our Righteous Predecessors, the early muslims)
Umar bin Al Khattab sent an army under Sa'ad bin Abi Waqqas (Allah be pleased with both of them) for the conquest of Persia. Umar wrote him a convention as follows:
I command you and your army to fear Allah at all times because piety is the best weapon against the enemy and the best strategy in the battle.
And I command you and your soldiers to fear disobedience to Allah more than you fear the enemy. If an army fears sins more than the enemy, Allah brings them victory. Muslim victory is the outcome of the disbelievers' disobedience of Allah. There is no power except with Allah for they always outnumber us and have better weapons and tools.
If we become equal in disobedience, they will conquer us due to more power; and unless we defeat them by righteousness, we cannot defeat them by power. You must learn that you have some angels with you to protect you and your deeds. So be careful and do not commit any sins while you are fighting in the way of Allah.
And never say our enemy is worse than us and that they cannot win even if we commit sins. Many nations have suffered at the hands of others who were less faithful as the magian who won over the Children of Israel when they committed sins.
You have to ask Allah victory over your own selves in the same way you ask victory over the enemy. Ask it from Allah for us and you.
(Ibn Katheer in Al Bidayah wan -Nihayah)

Muslims and Jihad

2005-06-03T02:18:00.000+03:00
'Islam is such a religion, that one prays next to people whom one wouldn't sit in the same room with otherwise' a saying of numerous ulema

Regardless of slogans about friendship and brotherhood, I have been reminded several times over the last year that there are Khawarij and arab nationalist people (as well as other sects/deviants / unfriendly people) who resent all westerners, even muslims. (think of Frank Gardner, the BBC reporter shot in Riyadh while he was shouting 'stop! don't kill me! I'm a muslim'... or the numerous, uncountable dead in Iraq & elsewhere who fell to bombs planted by those who believe themselves to be 'muslims, sunni, arab, purifying the arab peninsula' or whatever mixture of the above.

As Imam Ali (karam Allahu wajahu) said of the khawarij before waging war with them: 'they are our brothers, who accepted misguidance after being guided'. On the other hand, if they believe that too (that I and the majority of the muslim Ummah) are misguided, merely because the consensus opinion:
i) regards Imam al-Asha'ri, Imam Maturidi, Imam Tahawi (radhi Allahu anhum) and the Imams of the ahl-ul-Bait http://www.geocities.com/~abdulwahid/ahlibayt/ (rahimuLlah) as legitimate in Aqidah (as opposed to the anthropomorphic teachings of some amongst the Najd);
ii) regards the madhahibs of Imam abu Hanifa, Malik, Shafi'i, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal (radhi Allahu anhum) ~ (al-Azhar would add the Jafa'ari school (radhi Allahu anhum) ~ as sound and agreed upon - as opposed to ghayr-madhabi and anti-fiqh positions;
iii) accepts ilm-i-Tassawuf (also known as irfan or Tazkiyyat-un-nafs) as a legitimate Islamic science. well...
Imam Ghazali understood the Prophet hadith: 'stay with the Jama'at, for verily the wolves attack the sheep that leave the flock' as meaning one accepted what the muslims regarded as halal and haram, not that one united on opinions or physical location (either of which would be impossible, one can only unite on Haq, not on batil - unity is possible only on Truth, not on Falsehood)

May Allah shower Peace and Blessings upon you all;
His Peace upon those who follow guidance:

An internet discussion was prompted the other day by a comment that 'sufis avoid the j-word', meaning jihad: this prompted me to the following reflections on jihad:

Peace (and al-Salaam) is opposed to the idea of slaughter, indiscriminate killing, or murder - not self-defense.

i) what does 'jihad' mean, besides struggle?
ii) if you know the Qur'anic sequence of revelation before the 'ayat us-Sayf' (the 'verse of the sword', which legalized self-defense after the Hijra to Madinah) - can you find one verse in the Qur'an where 'jihad' is used in SOLELY a military context?
iii) can you name one successful (read carefully) mujahidin leader who wasn't a 'sufi' - let's take the last 1000 years from Ak Shamsudin, Salahudin al-Ayyubi, Mehmet Fatih (Osman), abdul-Qadir al-Jaza'ir, Imam Shamyl Basayev (the first one, who was actually born in Chechnya), abdul-Ghaffur Khan, Osman dan Fodio (may Allah bless and reward all of them) - I'm having trouble thinking of one that wasn't - and I've been told by Madinah university 'students of knowledge' that all the leaders of mujahid movements were 'grave-worshiping soofies' (sic)
iv) can you think of one member of the modern 'salafi' (not the salaf-us-Salih, but the movement which names itself as following them/'wahabi' (the ideological and doctrinal adherents of the Najdi daw'ah of Muhammed bin abdul-Wahab, rahimuLlah) who has led a successful jihad, as opposed to say:
a) murdering civilians, abusing the fatwas by Shaykh Ibn Taymiyya, rahimuLlah, on the permissibility of war wtih non-armed and non-aggressive communities, which may contain muslims?
b) murdering other muslims outright, as has been done by both ibn abdul-Wahab (his own Saudi biographers note that he allowed the slaughter of Hajj pilgrims who followed the Shafi'i madhab and were 'visiting the Prophet', which was to some of his followers abhorrent and deviant?
c) not factionalistic, ideologically warped, or self-destructive (literally, when one considers suicide bombing)?
d) successful, as opposed to say drawing war upon the civilian populations of Palestine, Chechnya, Afghanistan, Iraq, Darfur, Kashmir, Mindanao, and too many other places to mention them - may Allah bless and strengthen those who are truly fighting for His Word.

http://www.rayhawk.com/classics/matusa/faq.html

http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/reference/searchquran.html
MSA-USC Qur'an Database
Warning (especially for Muslims)Today, technology is helping bring Islam into the homes of millions of people, Muslim and otherwise. There is a blessing in all this of course, but there is a real danger that Muslims will fall under the impression that owning a book or having a database is equivalent to being a scholar of Islam. This is a great fallacy. Therefore, we would like to warn you that this database is merely a tool, and not a substitute for learning, much less scholarship in Islam.

http://www.mpfweb.org/mpf_purpose.html

from the Qur'an: "God forbids you not from dealing justly and lovingly with those who have not fought you on account of your religion or expelled you from your homes. He prohibits you from taking as patrons only those who waged war against you on account of your religion, expelled you from your homes, and aided one another to expel you. Whosoever takes them as patrons are certainly wrongdoers." Al-Mumtahina, 60:8-9

from the Qur'an (Surah Ha Mim, 34 -36) : http://jerrahi.org/911/
bismiLlahir Rahmanir Rahim: 'The good deed and the evil deed are not alike. Repel the evil deed with one which is better, then he, between whom and thee there was enmity (will become) as though he was a bosom friend. And no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restraint,- none but persons of the greatest good fortune. And if (at any time) an incitement to discord is made to thee by the Evil One, seek refuge in Allah. He is the One Who hears and knows all things.' (Surah Ha Mim, 34 -36)

from the Hadith: 'Don't harm and don't be harmed'

some references:

http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/reference/searchquran.html
MSA-USC Qur'an Database Warning (especially for Muslims)Today, technology is helping bring Islam into the homes of millions of people, Muslim and otherwise. There is a blessing in all this of course, but there is a real danger that Muslims will fall under the impression that owning a book or having a database is equivalent to being a scholar of Islam. This is a great fallacy. Therefore, we would like to warn you that this database is merely a tool, and not a substitute for learning, much less scholarship in Islam.

http://jerrahi.org/911/jihad.htm
Jihad
This explanation of the term jihad is from The Vision of Islam by Murata and Chittick:The first thing one needs to understand about the term jihad is that "holy war" is a highly misleading and usually inaccurate translation. In Islamic history, the label has been applied to any war by "our side." Until very recently in the West, the situation was similar; every war was considered holy, because God was on our side. By employing the term, Muslims condemned the other side as anti-God. In short, the world has played the role of patriotic slogans everywhere. To undertake a jihad is, in contemporary terms, "to fight for the preservation of democracy and freedom" It is to do what the good people do.
The Koranic usage of the term jihad is far broader than the political use of the term might imply. The basic meaning of the term is "struggle." Most commonly, the Koran uses the verb along with the expression "in the path of God." The "path of God" is of course the path for right conduct that God has set down in the Koran and the example of the Prophet. (pp. 20-21)
In order to make sense of the following eight theses, it is necessary to realize that the term "jihad" broadly means "struggle" and is used in the Islamic texts to refer to the struggle to establish justice at every level, from the individual to the societal. The struggle for justice may involve both violent and non-violent methods. Militant groups insist that "jihad" is synomous with "war" and therefore they focus entirely on armed struggle; indeed many of them argue that it is the only legitimate form of jihad.
Muslim non-violence groups agree with the importance of jihad but argue that non-violence is not only an acceptable method of struggle but in fact the best method of struggle. As the author points out, "As a technique, nonviolent action is not passive: 'It is not inaction. It is action that is nonviolent.' Hence, by definition, nonviolent action cannot occur except by the replacement of passivity and submissiveness with activity, challenge, and struggle."
This is a point that I made in the article on Palestine. Muslims need to view non-violence as a tactic or method in a legitmate struggle not as defeatism or an admission that the struggle is not legitimate. The eight theses are:
1. For Islam, the problem of violence is an integral part of the Islamic moral sphere.
2. Violence, if any,against infidels, used by Muslims must be governed by rules prescribed in the Qur'an and Hadith.
3. If violence used cannot discriminate between combatants and noncombatants, then it is unacceptable in Islam.
4. Modern technology of destruction renders discrimination virtually impossible at present.
5. In the modern world, Muslims shall not use violence without guidence from leaders.
6. Islam teaches Muslims to fight for justice with the understanding that Islamic lives — parts of God's creation — are purposive and sacred.
7. In order to be true to Islam, Muslims must utilize nonviolent action as a new mode of struggle, unless prescribed by Jihad.
8. Islam itself is fertile soil for nonviolence because of its potential for disobedience, strong discipline, sharing and social responsibility, perseverance and self-sacrifice, and the belief in the unity of the Muslim community."

and may Allah bring Peace and Mercy to all of us

worth repeating? 'those who fail to learn from history...'

2005-03-10T13:30:00.000+02:00
2 sayings I find amusing or worth reflecting on:

the first, a reported comment from a British parliamentarian (who was Jewish):
'Throughout History, the Arabs have been known as fierce warriors, and the Jews were known as logicians and locutors. In the last fifty years, the Arabs have lost every war and the Jews have lost every argument.'

the second, from George Santayana (the South American philosopher):
'Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.'

ArRihla

2005-02-09T23:48:00.000+02:00
ArRihla

bismiLlahir Rahmanir Rahim

What is a Hajj Mabrur (accepted, completed)? What does it mean to 'travel to the House of Allah'? What journey takes one's heart 'Come ye, willingly or unwillingly' Qur'an...

Coming over the hill into Mina, a sea of white ihrams, with a flood of hair: black, brown, blond, red... dotting the ocean of people, a milling mass of muhrims, no: Hajjis... we pulled up through the road, and walked 50 metres through people sleeping and eating on the road, some of the ~800 000 (some estimates say 1 million) Hajjis without official sanction, and thus not provided the state-mandated tents, showers, and water/food facilities more fortunate (or just wealthier?) Hajjis had... (public washrooms & fast-food outlets would have to do, along with what worldly goods can be carried on one's back)

Hajj is deceptively simple in ritual - you can show up on the 8th day of Dhul'Hijja, while others have been in Macca making Tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka'aba) and Umra (7 rotations and the ritual running between mounts Safa and Marwa, celebrating the desperate search of Hadhrat Hajar - Umm Ismail, radhi Allahu anhum - as she sought water for her infant child, in complete tawakkul that the Lord who had instructed Ibrahim to leave her in this desolate spot between igneous [lava-created] rock and a blistering Sun...

It is being done with the knowledge that one joins one's muslim community in following the instructions of Allah in the Qur'an and the Observations and Practices [ Sunnah ] of His Beloved Messenger, Sal Allahu alayhi wa Salaam, that this ritual gains life. One's sense of community grows, and the intimacy that comes from sharing water, food, a simple life (and indeed microbes! ;) with one's fellow Muslims that reminds one what the ritual means...

This is incomplete, there is more to tell... and Madina, and it's history and destruction ;( will, insha Allah, follow.

Hajji - fakir... Dawud

2005-01-27T01:54:00.000+02:00
bismiLlahir Rahmanir Rahim:

Allah Qabul; our duty is the fardh (reflexive to arabic speakers, but we should not worry about 'making our ibada acceptable', only on struggling for full propriety and awareness - 'khushu wa khuzu', consciousness and coherence of the Sunnah;

this remains undigested: while i read and thought over Hajj, and have actually written (digitized? particle-ized?) text on Hajj, some elements remain overwhelming:

- incredible, Allah accepts our actions despite our weaknesses: some (1 million) had to go without official sanction (paperwork, visas, et al) as well as the otherwise well-dispensed water and tents - but those sleeping in the area between the Jamrat and the 'tent city' of Mina seemed accepting, even enthusiastic

- some of us were criminally comfortable by comparison; (though not without compensation and effort through walking, heat, and the practice of patience...)

Why should we be jealous of those sleeping outside? Those without money, paperwork, proper bedding? those walking all the way? those whose sleep, eating, and health were sacrificed, so that the few goods on their back were their only accompaniment, their ihram their testimony to their willigness to sacrifice themselves, their 'nufus' (selves) to Allah's Mercy and Acceptance;

We deserve nothing - 'if even a little comes to you, concerning that which might be your right to take, do not consider it as something you have earned' (my paraphrase of a wise teacher from Istanbul) - please acknowledge that this fakir/'poorman' (lacking in wisdom what he's earned in folly) can't be more literate than anti-muslim hacks, but has learned that Hajji Malik 'Omowale' al-Shabazz was a sadiq and shahid for testifying to the unity of those who sleep with two unsewn white cloths, snoring their testimony to One Creator of their One Humanity...

II things:
i) officials and police were mostly useful and if not communicating in the native languages, they weren't arrogant or heavy-handed - credit to the organizers
ii) non-muslims have to taste this to know Islam - that is the submission which makes both suffering and comfort not a black/white issue;

end for now with two hadith, wa Allahu alim: 'late before the Day (of Qiyamah), wealthy people will make the Hajj for tourism, tradesmen for business, and poor people for begging' & 'the reward for a well-done Hajj is Paradise' - accept Mercy...

Allah Ghaffurur Rahim

my complete post on the matter will await (i've been negligent, even those who've turned on me have indicated that - aywaLlah)

for the time, make du'a - for this Ummah, for our souls, and for the Peace which is Hu's Ridha to replace our "abandomnent" of Allah

Amin, bi hurmati sayyid-ul-mursalin

passing of a Scholar - and in passing...

2004-10-31T03:13:00.000+02:00
asSalaam 'aleykum,

i offer my apologies for not writing earlier, and being a blogger of 'substance'; perhaps I can't chew so well and needed 'digestion' time...

wanted to write about a future for the youth here, though I can't think so well on that, and Allah knows the truth:

truthfully, we should be mourning the passing on of a scholar: as others have wrote, and quoted:
Sheikh Muhammad Alawi al Maliki
Salaam 'AlaikumInna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un.
Sidi Khalil Abu Asmaa reports:
The great, noble, and pious Shaykh Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki passed away today in Makkah, Friday, Ramadan 15, 1425 / October 29, 2004... After a night of calling on the Lord, he passed away this morning at Fajr time.... May Allah have mercy upon him, and may He grant this ummah the likes of him..... Sayyidi al-Habib Ali al-Jifri traveled early today to pray the Janazah upon the Shaykh... Many have already prayed Salah al-Gha'ib for the Shaykh as well...
His Biography
AS-SAYYID MUHAMMAD IBN ALAWI ABBAS IBN 'ABD AL AZIZ AL MALIKI
( Born 1947 in Makkah)by Shaykh Seraj Hendricks, Head Mufti of Cape Town, South Africa

The Sayyid is a descendent of the prophet Muhammad (Blessings and Salutations of peace upon Him) through Imam Hasan, a grand-son of the prophet. He is a contemporary Saudi Arabian scholar of Tafseer (interpretation of the Qur'an), Hadith (the sayings of the Prophet), Fiqh (Islamic law), 'Aqeedah (tenets of faith) and Seerah (Prophetic biography). He is the most highly acclaimed and respected scholar (Shaykh) in Makkah (Mecca).
He was born to a family of traditional Maliki scholars of ancestral residence in the Holy City. His grandfather was the Qadi (Chief Judge) of Makkah and an Imam of the Holy Mosque, the site of the Ka'bah.His father Sayyid Alawi taught and lectured in the precints of the Holy Mosque for 30 years until he passed away in 1971, his funeral being the biggest one in the area in the present era. Sayyid Muhammad was educated by his eminent father from childhood and was authorised to teach every book he studied with him.
He also learnt at the feet of prominent scholars of Makkah such as Shaykh Sayyid Ameen Kutbi, Shaykh Hassan Masshat, Shaykh Muhammad Nur Sayf, Shaykh Saeed Yamani and many others.At the age of 25 he received his PHd from from the esteemed Al Azhar university of Egypt. His thesis - on Hadith (the sayings of the Prophet) - was rated excellent and highly praised by the 'ulama (learned elders) there at the time such as Imam Abu Zahra.
During his never-ending quest for knowledge he has travelled extensively to north Africa, Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Yemen and the Indo-Pak sub-continent to gather Hadith, collect manuscripts, visit scholars, saints and benefit from their wisdom.Apart from the 'ulama of the Hijaz (Arabian Peninsula) he has got "Sanad" or "'Ijazah" (lineage of authority to teach and guide) in the theological and spiritual sciences from eminent savants all over the Islamic world.
The great Da'ee (spreader of the religion) and Imam of Yemen, Imam Habib Ahmad Mashur al-Haddad , Shaykh Hasnayn Makhluf the great Mufti of Egypt, Shaykh al Ghimari of Morrocco , Shaykh Diauddin Qadiri of Madinah and numerous others have given him their 'ijazah. In 1970 he was appointed professor of Islamic studies at the Umm-ul-Qurra university in Makkah. In 1971, after his father's death, the scholars of Makkah asked him to accept his father's position as a teacher in the Holy Mosque, which he did. Hundreds of students have learnt at his feet and have become savants of Islamic knowledge and spirituality in their countries, particularly Indonesia, Malaysia, Egypt, Yemen and Dubai. Since 1983 he has concentrated on research and teaching . He also gives classes at his home and mosque on al Maliki street in the Rusayfa district of Makkah. He is highly respected by the Saudi government and was nominated head judge at the international Qira'at (Qur'anic reading) competition in Makkah three times. He is also the author of close to one hundred books.
[Dawud: a beautiful life, and story from Minhaj-ul-Qur'ans Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri:]
http://www.minhaj.org/home/news/index.minhaj?dir=news&id=88&e=1099094586

may Allah enoble his grave, and may we be worthy and Live the Tradition he taught in, and breathe the life and vitality of the Muslim Ummah he laboured for, in service to Allah and His Messenger.

One more quote... (it's hot here, forgive me)

2004-08-28T12:19:00.001+03:00
asSalaam 'aleykum; as I can't actually write (or think clearly these days, waiting on a knife-edge for confirmation of your status tries the patience of many, bureacracy kills ('death of a thousand paper-cuts')...

I wish all my friends and family well, 'and may Allah inflict those who don't love me with... love for me' (Shaykh Muzaffer Ozak al-Jerrahi, rahimuLlah, quddus Allahu sirruhu)...

surah Tawba, qala Allahu ta'ala: (ayat 100-102)
SHAKIR: And (as for) the foremost, the first of the Muhajirs and the Ansars, and those who followed them in goodness, Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Him, and He has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flOw, to abide in them for ever; that is the mighty achievement.
SHAKIR: And from among those who are round about you of the dwellers of the desert there are hypocrites, and from among the people of Medina (also); they are stubborn in hypocrisy; you do not know them; We know them; We will chastise them twice then shall they be turned back to a grievous chastisement
SHAKIR: And others have confessed their faults, they have mingled a good deed and an evil one; may be Allah will turn to them (mercifully); surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/009.qmt.html

one more thought from the scholar of Cambridge, Abdul-Hakim Murad, written before 2001, and all the more evocative for that - why? because you know it's hot in here:

THE POVERTY OF FANATICISM
'Blood is no argument', as Shakespeare observed. Sadly, Muslim ranks are today swollen with those who disagree. The World Trade Centre, yesterday's symbol of global finance, has today become a monument to the failure of global Islam to control those who believe that the West can be bullied into changing its wayward ways towards the East. There is no real excuse to hand. It is simply not enough to clamour, as many have done, about 'chickens coming home to roost', and to protest that Washington's acquiescence in Israeli policies of ethnic cleansing is the inevitable generator of such hate. It is of course true - as Shabbir Akhtar has noted - that powerlessness can corrupt as insistently as does power. But to comprehend is not to sanction or even to empathize. To take innocent life to achieve a goal is the hallmark of the most extreme secular utilitarian ethic, and stands at the opposite pole of the absolute moral constraints required by religion.
There was a time, not long ago, when the 'ultras' were few, forming only a tiny wart on the face of the worldwide attempt to revivify Islam. Sadly, we can no longer enjoy the luxury of ignoring them. The extreme has broadened, and the middle ground, giving way, is everywhere dislocated and confused. And this enfeeblement of the middle ground, was what was enjoined by the Prophetic example, is in turn accelerated by the opprobrium which the extremists bring not simply upon themselves, but upon committed Muslims everywhere. For here, as elsewhere, the preferences of the media work firmly against us. David Koresh could broadcast his fringe Biblical message from Ranch Apocalypse without the image of Christianity, or even its Adventist wing, being in any way besmirched. But when a fringe Islamic group bombs Swedish tourists in Cairo, the muck is instantly spread over 'militant Muslims' everywhere.

read at http://masud.co.uk/ISLAM/ahm/fgtnrevo.htm

Hadith on the present Fitna

2004-08-25T15:19:00.000+03:00
http://www.ummah.net/Al_adaab/fajr.html

from THE DOCTRINE OF AHL AL-SUNNA VERSUS THE "SALAFI" MOVEMENT
"And say: Truth has come and falsehood has vanished away. Lo! falsehood is ever bound to vanish." (17:81)

These ahadith are cited in the Six Books of authentic traditions for the most part. They have been collated for the most part from the following two books written in refutation of the Wahhabi heresy:
a) al-Sayyid al-`Alawi ibn Ahmad ibn Hasan ibn `Abd Allah ibn `Alawi al-Haddad: Misbah al-anam wa jala' al-zalam fi radd shubah al-bid`i al-Najdi al-lati adalla biha al- `awamm ["The Lamp of Creatures and the Illumination of Darkness Concerning the Refutation of the Errors of the Innovator From Najd by Which He Had Misled the Common People"] published 1325H.
b) al-Sayyid Ahmad ibn Zayni al-Dahlan (d. 1304/1886). Mufti of Mecca and Shaykh al-Islam in the Hijaz region of the Ottoman state: Khulasat al-kalam fi bayan umara' al-balad al-haram ["The Summation Concerning the Leaders of the Holy Sanctuary"] (A History of the Wahhabi Fitna in Najd and the Hijaz) p. 234-236.
The Prophet said, Peace be upon him:
1. "They [Khawarij = those outside] transferred the Qur'anic verses meant to refer to unbelievers and made them refer to believers."
2. "What I most fear in my community is a man who interprets verses of the Qur'an out of context."
3. "The confusion [fitna] comes from there (and he pointed to the East = Najd in present-day Eastern Saudi Arabia)."
4. "A people that recite Qur'an will come out of the East, but it will not go past their throats. They will pass through the religion (of Islam) like the arrow passes through its quarry. They will no more come back to the religion than the arrow will come back to its course. Their sign is that they shave (their heads)."
5. "There will be in my Community a dissent and a faction, a people with excellent words and vile deeds. They will read Qur'an, but their faith does not go past their throats. They will pass through religion the way an arrow passes through its quarry. They will no more come back to the religion than the arrow will come back to its original course. They are the worst of human beings and the worst of all creation. The one who kills them or is killed by them is blessed. They summon to the book of Allah but they have nothing to do with it. Whoever kills them is closer to Allah than they. Their sign is that they shave (their heads)."
6. "A people will come out at the end of times, immature, foolish and corrupt. They will hold the discourse of the best of creation and recite Qur'an, but it will not go past their throats. They will passes through religion the way an arrow passes through its quarry. If you find them, kill them, for verily whoever kills them will have his reward from Allah the Day of Judgment."
7. "There will be people in my Community whose mark is that they shave (their heads). They will recite Qur'an, but it will not go past their throats. They will pass through religion the way an arrow passes through its target. They are the worst of human beings and the worst of all creation."
8. "The apex of disbelief is towards the East [Najd]. Pride and arrogance is found among the people of the horse and the camel [Bedouin Arabs]."
9. "Harshness and dryness of heart are in the East [Najd], and true belief is among the people of Hijaz."
10. "O Allah, bless our Syria and our Yemen!" They said: "Ya Rasulallah, and our Najd!" He didn't reply. He blessed Syria and Yemen twice more. They asked him to bless Najd twice more but he didn't reply. The third time he said: "There [in Najd] are the earthquakes and the dissensions, and through it will dawn the epoch [or horn] of shaytan."
11. A version has, "The two epochs [or horns] of shaytan." Some scholars have said that the dual referred to Musaylima the Arch-liar and to Muhammad ibn `Abd al-Wahhab.
12. Some versions continue with the words: "And in it [Najd] is the consuming disease," i.e. death.
13. Some books of history mention the following version in the chapters devoted to the battles against the Banu Hanifa:
"At the end of times a man will come out of Musaylima's country and he will change the religion of Islam." Note: Most of the Khawarij were from the Najd area, from the tribes of Banu Hanifa, Banu Tamim, and Wa'il. Musaylima was from the Banu Hanifa, and Ibn `Abd al-Wahhab is from Tamim.
13a. Abu Bakr said concerning the Banu Hanifa (the tribe of Musaylima the Liar): "Their valley [Najd] will not cease to be a valley of dissensions until the end of time, and the religion will never recover from their liars until Judgment Day," and in another version: "Woe to al-Yamama without end."
13b. When `Ali killed the Khawarij, someone said: "Praise be to Allah Who has brought them down and relieved us from them." Ali replied: "Verily, by the One in Whose hand is my soul, some of them are still in the loins of men and they have not been born yet, and the last of them will fight on the side of the Antichrist."
14. "A people that recite the Qur'an will come out of the East, but it will not go past their throats. Every time a generation of them is cut down another one will come until the last one finds itself on the side of the Antichrist."
15. "There will be a huge confusion within my Community. There will not remain one house of the Arabs except that confusion will enter it. Those who die because of it are in the fire. The harm of the tongue in it will be greater than that of the sword."
16. "There will be a dissension (in which people will be) deaf, dumb and blind (this means they will be blind and not see the true issue nor listen to the voice of truth): whoever tries to control it, the dissension will control him."
17. "A shaytan will appear in Najd by whose dissension the Arabian island will quake."
18. On the authority of al-`Abbas: "A man will come out of the Wadi Abu Hanifah [in Najd] (whose appearance is) like a bull that lunges against its yoke. There will be much slaughter and killing in his time. They will make the possessions of Muslims lawful for themselves and for trade among themselves. They will make the lives of Muslims lawful for themselves and for boasting among themselves. In that confusion the despised and the lowly will attain positions of power. Their idle desires will keep company with them the way a dog keeps company with its master."
19. On the authority of Abu Sa`id al-Khudri: "Verily in the wake of this time of mine comes a people who will recite Qur'an but it will not go past their throats. They will pass through religion the way an arrow passes through its quarry. They will kill the Muslims and leave the idolaters alone. If I saw them, verily I would kill them the way the tribe of `Aad was killed [i.e. all of them]."
20. "There will be towards the end of time a people who will say to you what neither you nor your forebears ever heard before. Beware of them lest they misguide you and bring you confusion."
21. "They will pass through Islam like an arrow passes through its quarry. Wherever you meet them, kill them!"
22. "They are the dogs of the people of Hell."
23. "They recite Qur'an and consider it in their favor but it is against them."
24. "There will be thirty dajjals (antichrists) after me, all claiming prophethood."
25. "Some people will be standing and calling at the gates of hell; whoever responds to their call, their will throw him into the Fire. They will be from our own people [i.e. Arabs] and will speak our language [Arabic]. Should you live to see them, stick to the main body (jama`a) of the Muslims and their leader. (If there is no main body and no leader,) isolate yourself from all these sects, even if you have to eat from the roots of trees until death overcomes you while you are in that state."
26. "Just before the Hour there will be many liars." Jabir ibn Samurah said: "Be on your guard against them."
27. "The Hour will not come until thirty dajjals appear, all of them lying about Allah and His Messenger."
28. "There will be Dajjals and liars among my Community. They will tell you something new, which neither you nor your forefathers have heard. Be on your guard against them and do not let them lead you astray."
29. "The time of the Dajjal will be years of confusion. People will believe a liar, and disbelieve one who tells the truth. People will distrust one who is trustworthy, and trust one who is treacherous; and the ruwaybidha will have a say." Someone asked: "Who are they?" He said: "Those who rebel against Allah and will have a say in general affairs."
30. "If the leadership is entrusted to those unfit for it, expect the Hour."
31. "You will see the barefoot ones, the naked, the destitute, the shepherds and camelherds take pride in building tall structures in abundance."
32. "One of the signs of the change of religion is the affectation of eloquence by the rabble and their betaking to palaces in big cities."

Returning to that Horrible Tuesday...

2004-08-14T22:46:00.000+03:00
Wisdom does not always register when one first hears it; though that arab wiseman Imam Hamza Yusuf quoted in his DeenPort interview was right: 'Speak the Truth, though not every truth should be spoken'

Since I reprobate violence, but have recently been accused of fostering it, I reflected recently on these words from Sh. Nuh Ha Mim Keller, written on September 30, 2001:
http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/nuh/terrorism.htm
Someone recently informed me that half the terrorist organizations officially listed on some or another “terrorist watch website,” were Muslim. Though Islamic law does not countenance terrorism or suicide of any sort, and I know these organizations represent an extreme splinter of an extreme splinter of Islam, I did not find the statistic particularly shocking. Rather, if in the last fifty years world governments like the United States and Britain have somehow convinced themselves that it is morally acceptable to kill, starve, and maim civilians of other countries in order to persuade their governments to do something, it would be surprising if this conviction did not somehow percolate down to the dispossessed, the hopeless, the aggrieved, and the powerless of every religion and ethnic group in the world. It looks as if it has.

Please read, and I hope you find some solace and respite in knowing that Allah's Mercy is Vast, whatever the poor vessels our hearts are...

heart-broken, an invitation to the gathering of destitute lovers

2004-08-05T06:05:00.000+03:00
asSalaam 'aleykum

http://www.jerrahi.org/visiting_the_jerrahi_mosque.htm

"Come, come, whoever you are.
Unbeliever, fire worshiper, come.

Our way is not one of desperation.

Even if you break your vows a hundred times,
Come. Come again."

(Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi)

"I am the servant of the Qur’an
While I am still alive.

I am the dust on the path of Muhammad,
the Chosen One."

(Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi)

Those who swear allegiance to thee, do but swear allegiance to Allah. The hand of Allah is above their hands, so whoever violates his oath, he violates it only to his own injury. And whoever fulfills his covenant with Allah, Allah will grant him a great reward.

(Qur’an 48:10)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

May Allah be merciful, and forgive us for harms unintentional, and
may we have the mercy in our hearts to forgive others for their ill-intentions - where Allah's & the Messengers' rights are not forgotten - and where the weak and the oppressed still have a defender, and Truth is not sold for the fortunes of a day, and we don't betray our faith for a few coins - Allahu masta'an. may He forgive us.

peace, asSalaam 'aleykum wa RahmatuLlah

'out of it'

2004-06-19T11:28:00.000+03:00
asSalaam 'aleykum: peace upon brothers and sisters;

breaking from third person, passive-voice, i leave arabia for a moment to exhude electrons, promising that while my words have little permanence and only a 'virtual reality', there is a living, breathing human being at the keyboard, who despite being from the west, is very much alive in jeddah, the hijaz, in the 'magic kingdom'.

what's going on has touched my life briefly: there are now guards at many buildings, and it's as illegal as ever to take photos of military/political institutions... seemingly illegal as well, is to document the destruction of historical hijazi architecture and traditional muslim society for the banality of najdi/wahabi 'bomb-shelter' structures and the profanity of commercial capitalism (billboards with digital 'pixellizing' of faces to avoid offense of the wahabi 'ulema', who however seem placated (or browbeaten) enough to accept adulatory photos of 'the Clan' (read the Family of the Najd)

if what i've written isn't enough to get me executed, i've thought a bit more about the relationship of 'intelligence' agencies in the 80s to the current crisis, the dynamic of oil & power, and how well corporations in power seem able to absorb this kind of mass murder (it almost seems as if they're solidifying power despite the slaughter of their employees? could idiots be playing into fanatics' hands? Allahu alim) - any of these thoughts, or how well the (ill-educated) police or other agencies work... those could get me taken down the block... but i'll avoid airing those for the moment ;?

for my personal safety, i'm observing good security - not going out after 'isha, and keeping peace - i'm in ihram until i can get to mecca today, insha Allah - but wish you all well, continue to pray for my peace and security, which rests ultimately with Allah.

salaam aleykum, Dawud

more from the Master of Konya: fits the times:
LOVE IS THE MASTER

Love is the One who masters all things;
I am mastered totally by Love.
By my passion of love for Love
I have ground sweet as sugar.
O furious Wind, I am only a straw before you;
How could I know where I will be blown next?
Whoever claims to have made a pact with Destiny
Reveals himself a liar and a fool;
What is any of us but a straw in a storm?
How could anyone make a pact with a hurricane?

'less of yourself, more al-Rumi - "open yourself"'

2004-06-17T22:38:00.000+03:00
So you're not saying much these days, and don't have any thoughts on Hollywood, haven't posted any of the political articles you've read, and don't write much about an intense burning growing in your chest - there are secrets that can only be told from ear to ear, and there are times when only poets can tell what one feels in one's breast. While the world is sustained by 'ahli-dunya', may Allah liberate us from all constriction and oppression caused by our love for it; love them, but don't be them - 'be in the world, not of it' as the ahli-turuq of earlier prophets used to say. may kindred hearts find comfort in these words, and know their meaning - and may Allah bring us to fulfillment of our Love as He Wills.

salaam, brother Dawud.

more from the Master who left Khorasan to open the West:
"When you do things from your soul,
you feel a river moving in you,
a joy.

When actions come from another section,
the feeling disappears.

Don't let others lead you.
They may be blind,
or worse, vultures.
Reach for the rope
of God.
And what is that?

Putting aside self-will.

Because of willfulness
people sit in jail.
From willfulness,
the trapped birds' wings are tied.
From willfulness,
the fish sizzles in the skillet.

The anger of police is willfulness.
You've seen
a magistrate inflict visible punishment.
Now see the invisible.

If you could leave selfishness,
you would see
how your soul has been tortured.

We are born and live inside black water in a well.
How could we know what an open field of sunlight is?

Don't insist on going where you think you want to go.
Ask the way to the Spring.

Your living pieces will form a harmony.

There is a moving palace
that floats through the air,
with balconies and clear water
running in every part of it,
infinity everywhere,
yet contained under a single tent."[2]

[2]Dar del-e har ommati kaz Haqq mazeh-st
ruy o âvâz-e payambar mo`jezeh-st
Chon payambar az berun bângi zanad
jân-e ommat dar darun sajdeh konad
Zânkeh jens-e bâng-e u andar jahân
az kasi na-shenideh bâshad gush-e jân
n gharib az zawq-e âvâz-e gharib
az zabân-e Haqq shonud "inni qarib"

-- Mathnawi II: 3598-3601
Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski
"Rumi: Daylight"
Threshold Books, 1994
Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahya Monastra

'the breath of morning'

2004-06-12T14:00:00.000+03:00
The Prophet said that women totally dominate men of intellect and possessors of hearts. But ignorant men dominate women, for they are shackled by an animal ferocity. They have no kindness, gentleness or love, since animality dominates their nature. Love and kindness are human attributes; anger and sensuality belong to the animals. She is the radiance of God, she is not your beloved. She is a creator - you could say that she is not created.
- Jalal al-Din Rumi

time brings new openings, but you know even less about the future - trust only in God, tawakkul ala Allah. there is an open window for every closed door, and Patience alone brings success.

and may Hu forgive us all, all that is Good is from God
wa Allahu 'alim

then how did i end up here? what am i doing?

2004-06-05T15:35:00.000+03:00
bismiLlahir Rahmanir Rahim

ah, so you're still around, drifting between mecca and medina, somewhere between this world and the next, here & there; 'this is not my house, this is not my car, this is not my beautiful wife' (with thanks to D. Byrne) - so what are you doing, why would you come here, in the wastelands of commercial overproduction and theological overheating?

so you have an english teaching diploma, if not a degree; you have a faith that demands the vastness of the desert, not the high fortresses of financial competition and the 'ivory towers' of academia; your parents are off teaching Orthodoxy in resource-rich, democracy-poor countries - so why not follow in their footsteps? ministry to the children of the corrupt, why not?

so you're also cynical, refer to yourself in the third person (you might have a few issues about isolation/sense of 'difference' in being a 'accidental oriental', a muslim with ethnic roots in the caucasus rather than in the east, but with a mind shaped by childhood amongst the Catholically pious and socially conservative people of the Phillipines. 'not of the east nor of the west' (ayat un-Nur), migratory and wandering, wondering about the meaning of life?

and no, it doesn't suck, not all of it, Creation seems good and friendly, particularly when you wake up in jalsa while the 'breath of the morning' soothes your soul or you watch the sun in the maghrib setting over the ka'aba, you watch sunlight dance in a child's eyes, or feel the tug of affection as you think of fond friends and family, & the bonds of blood beyond blood, of the Ummah of Believers - Surah Anfal: 63. And (moreover) He hath put affection between their hearts: not if thou hadst spent all that is in the earth, couldst thou have produced that affection, but Allah hath done it: for He is Exalted in might, Wise. 64. O Messenger. sufficient unto thee is Allah,- (unto thee) and unto those who follow thee among the Believers.

When you wake up and contemplate studies alone, and work for Allah's pleasure, remember that true solitude is only for Allah Al-one: wa qala Allah ta'ala: "And among His signs is that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell with them in tranquility, and He has put love and mercy between you. Indeed, in this are signs for those who reflect." (Ar-Rum: 21)

with patience is the key to success, sabr miftah faraj, 'seek His help with patience and prayer', wa mAllahu al-tawfiq

this may not be an answer, but it's some thoughts from a confused mind... only madmen and lovers know where to find Truth:

‘In the screaming gale of Love, the intellect is a gnat.
How can intellects find space to wander there?’
muhib Mevlana Jelaluddin al-Balkhi

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
‘Do not remain a man of intellect among the lovers, especially if you love that sweet-faced Beloved. May the men of intellect stay far from the lovers, may the smell of dung stay far from the east wind!
If a man of intellect should enter, tell him the way is blocked, but if a lover should come, extend him a hundred welcomes!

By the time intellect has deliberated and reflected, love has flown to the seventh heaven. By the time intellect has found a camel for the hajj, love has circled the Ka‘ba.

Love has come and covered my mouth. It says: ‘Throw away your poetry, and come to the stars!''
Mawlana ar-Rumi

why am i here?

2004-05-31T01:00:00.000+03:00
bismiLlah

How did I end up here? There's a time to reflect, usually at night - sometimes in front of a monitor in a busy workplace - on who we are and why we are here, be it in Arabia or here on earth...

This - our hal, our place on earth, our being here - none of this resolves how lost we are when we look at the stars, when we contemplate the horizons and (re)discover how in-sign-nificant we are 'tafakkarun fi khalqis samawati wa ardh...', 'those who reflect on the Creation of the Heavens and Earth, and say 'Subanaka Rabbana, Glory unto thee, our Lord, wa qina azabin Naar (and save us from the Fire)'

and yes, it is hot here, and i'm dislocated from doing exams and spending too much time in front of a monitor (much english literature being held somewhere in a warehouse), and my favored source for consultation and news being the 'net...

arabia does incredible things to one's mind, vistas of deserts do tend to make one nostalgic for caravans, wandering tribes, and a bedouin tent open to the morning breeze... medina has a spiritual tranquility that can't be overtaken by the heat or furrow-browed religious police

however, the highways between mecca & medina, and the rough business atmosphere along with the commercial sheen of billboards and strangely lit false palm trees make one less confident of reality, and remind one of the 'virtual arabia'

remember: you're here for Hajj, Umrah, baraka, and learning lisan-al-arabiya; or have you mixed intentions, yubalisu niyyatu, no thanks to the Upsetter and Consumer of souls, Iblis (the rejected)...

wake up, and smell the qahwa