"No tribal system and bigotry, no tribal loyalty because you are supposed to be loyal to GOD not to your tribe." Xoogsade you are speaking to Somalis here! don't you know a somali man's Qabiil comes before his religion? Thousands would kill for their Qabiil but wouldn't have the courage to raise a hand if someone insults Allah or the Holy Prophet, they'd almost certainly be heedless! To the poster, insisting somalis to forsake their Qabiil and any anticipation of it's corollary is an "Unrealistic optimism"

Good Question! The answer is simple, as long as ONE somali remain, qabyaalad and this Qabiil syndrome will run through his blood. Renouncing it is futile, a sheer waste of time!

The most common reasons a woman chooses abortion are: She is not ready to become a parent, She cannot afford a baby, She doesn't want to be a single parent, She is too young or too immature to have a child. If thats the case then why indulge in pre-marital sex in the first place? Now that all the pleasures and indulgences are over then she realises the gravity of the situation! The question am intending to ask here is, Should this woman be allowed to "choose" whether whats in her fetus lives or dies? Should she be given the choice? Some people are"pro-choice". They are by definition willing to extend the right of choice to the arena of killing babies even though they may be against bortion. what they mean, is like saying we're personally against child abuse but we defend our neighbor's right to abuse his child if that is his choice. can a person be against abortion and still be pro-choice? One of the weakest arguments for the legitimacy of abortion is the fact that it is legal, but does civil law determine morality?? Looking forward to your replies.

Salaam! Taqlid or Ittiba’ is Wâjib (compulsory) upon Muslims. Yet there are many Muslims in the present age who have hardly heard of the words Taqlid or Ittiba’. Others who may have heard about it, do not fully comprehend its meaning. This has led to people even rejecting Taqlid – thereby rejecting a Wâjib. As a general rule, man is suspicious and afraid of that which he does not know. Therefore a proper understanding of the issue of Taqlîd or Ittibâ would dispel the ignorance surrounding it, Inshâ Allah. Taqlid is a part of everyday life Taqlîd or Ittibâ in essence, simply refers to the practice of an unqualified, lay person (in a specific field of specialisation) submitting to and accepting the authority of an expert in that field, without demanding proof and justification for every view, opinion or verdict expressed by such an expert authority. This is a natural state of human existence, practised by millions of people worldwide in every facet of life. The simplest and most tangible example of Taqlîd or Ittibâ is that of a child learning his basic alphabets at school. Every child learning his alphabets is unconsciously practising Taqlîd. A learner driver taking instructions from a driving instructor is practising Taqlîd. People going to a specialist doctor for medical treatment and following his instructions is another glaring example of Taqlîd or Ittibâ. A lay person soliciting a legal opinion from an advocate or following the advice of a tax consultant is another common case of Taqlîd. A client at an engineering firm, asking for the engineer’s advice on complex engineering calculations is yet another instance of Taqlîd or Ittibâ in action. The millions of ‘facts’ in the myriad of sciences such as astronomy, archaeology, etc. are all distinct examples of Taqlîd or Ittibâ Who ever questions the ‘fact’ or asks for proof that the sun is really 93 million miles away from the earth! It is taken for granted that this is the findings of the ‘experts’ in these fields and everyone simply accepts it as such. School teachers teach these to their pupils as ‘gospel truth’ and children learn and memorise these ‘facts’ with the hope of succeeding in their exams. There are countless such examples of Taqlîd or Ittibâ in everyday existence. It is quite clear from the above, that Taqlîd or Ittibâ is a natural way of life, and is not specific to Islam or Islamic Fiqh alone. Taqlid is the easy option for ordinary people In the context of Islamic Fiqh or Law, Taqlîd or Ittibâ simply refers to accepting and following the verdicts of expert scholars of Islamic Fiqh in their exposition and interpretation of Islamic Law, without demanding from them an in-depth explanation of the intricate processes required in arriving at such a verdict, called Ijtihad. It simply means that ordinary folk do not have to do Ijtihâd, i.e. the intricate and complicated procedures involved in deriving Islamic rulings that scholars exercise when issuing a Fatwâ (legal verdict). The duty of ordinary people is to trustingly accept the authority of the learned scholars in this matter and act upon their verdicts. In this sense, Taqlîd is a great blessing for common people, for it is beyond their capacity to understand the extremely complex and complicated mechanics of Ijtihâd. The ability to do Ijtihâd requires many long years of study and erudition and a great deal of exertion (Ijtihâd means to exert one self) in acquiring a mastery of various Islamic sciences, among other varying requirements. Misunderstandings regarding Taqlid Recently, misunderstandings have arisen regarding the issue of Taqlîd. It has become a theme of major debate in many parts of the world among Muslims. This debate has naturally resulted in arguments being promulgated by both the protagonists and the antagonists of Taqlîd. The best way of removing such misunderstanding is to view the original sources of Islam – the Qurân and Hadîth and the teachings of the learned elders of Islam on this subject. After a study of this subject, the correct interpretation and understanding of Taqlîd and Ittibâ would emerge. This would lead to a better understanding and analysis of the arguments and counter-arguments of protagonists and antagonists. (Elsewhere in this issue, check the article on Taqlîd and Ittibâ in the light of Qur’an and Hadith) Wa-Salaam! Source: Jamiatul Ulama

We cannot be sure but depending on a rough estimation and being a London resident myself, i would say the United Kingdom. The states may have more Somalis, but they seem to be scattered here and there so an appropriate estimation wouldn't be possible.

Logic For Everyman - E. A Meander. Beautiful Read

Salaam I very much concur with Sayfullah! Viking, for some matters we must realize that we may be compelled to delegate the situation to a specially trained mind i.e A scholar/Mucallim! It is indeed a very complicated matter and May Allah forgive us if we err! If Allah SWT has decided what path we'll take, this means that we can not alter (in any manner) what has been pre-ordained and therefore man cannot change his course. it would be unfair to say that Allah SWT has decided our destiny (whether paradise of hell-fire) and at the same time asks us to strive to take the straight path, Siratul Mustaqeem. ...Everything is pre-ordained by Allah, but you have the choice to alter your course. If there were no choice then there would be no need for a revelation and all the prophets sent to each and every Ummah. it would be utterly futile wouldn't it? But Allah is Omniscient , or eternal. In terms of these ideas Allah may see the past, present and future, so Allah effectively knows the future. He is Caalim-ul-Qayb If Allah in some sense knows ahead of time and what will happen, then events in the universe are effectively predetermined from Allah's point of view. He knows where you will end up. In your example of a machine, it makes perfect sense but it is created by a human. here the Creator is an Omnipotent Being. His creation will be questioned not HIM! “Do you wish to guide him whom Allah has caused to err? And whomsoever Allah causes to err, you shall by no means find a way for him.†S. 4:88 “My counsel will not profit you if I were minded to advise you, if Allah’s will is to keep you astray. He is your Lord and unto Him ye will be brought back.†S. 11:34 If Allah seals your heart and causes you to err, There is no remedy, no comeback. Neither a revelation nor Messenger or Angel can help you change that fate.

Salaam Viking, Your right, Had i taken a different route/course or forexample studied harder, i would have, if God Willed, performed better in the exams. But there should be no assertion of "IF" just take it as a lesson to be learned and strive harder next time. Allah SWT has not decided that I will die a sinner or a pious person (this will make Him unjust for punishing me after He has destined hell-fire for me before I was conceived, and we know that He is Just and Merciful). He has given me the choice BUT Allah SWT being the All-Knowing, He knows what I will choose. We usually say that Allah SWT "has writen" after something has taken place, because we already know the outcome. Viking, Are you stating that there is no such thing as Divine Decree and events are not predestined? Infact Allah has decided your final fate whether you will die a Monotheist or a Polythiest. There is a Hadith in which once a man asked Abu Al Aswad "What is your view, what the people do today in the world, and strive for, is it something decreed for them or preordained for them or will their fate in the Hereafter be determined by the fact that their Prophets brought them teaching which they did not act upon? Abu Al Aswad said: Of course, it is something which is predetermined for them and preordained for them. The man said: Then, would it not be an injustice (to punish them)? Abu Al Aswad felt greatly disturbed because of that, and said: Everything is created by Allah and lies in His Power. He would not be questioned as to what He does, but they(the people) would be questioned Say: ‘Nothing will happen to us except what Allah has decreed for us: He is our protector’: and on Allah let the Believers put their trust.†S. 9:51

Salaam! Viking, This is quite interesting! I actually never wondered about this! But i assume it would be injudicious to say that these minute analogous posibilities determine our future! Yes, the different choices we make everyday determine how we percieve reality and thus shape up our busy daily routines, but i have made it a sort of modus operandi to not bring up these "what if's". As you know that everything is kept locked in the "Lawxun-Maxfuud", don't you think that questioning and wrenching your mind with "what would have happened?" and "What If's". it would prove futile wouldn't it?

Salaam Dawaco! What an outstanding piece of writing! You sure do have an admirable talent! I second Alle-Ubaahne on propagating Islam in our country. Since all of us speak more than one language and are highly qualified in our chosen fields, with the added bonus that we posses a great appreciation for a land of our own, how can we not succeed? ...Insha-Allah we will! A Long journey beings with a single step. We might accomplish something and divest ourselves of those ferocious, blood-thirsty scroundrels who despite annihilating half the population, still are operational. We might even regain some tranquility and equanimity in our native soil and once again cultivate maize, bananas, papaya and oranges like we used to. God willingly we might also become sagacious enough to reconcile and have a government that functions well without depending on someone's biased account. But the verity still remains that this Qabiil Syndrome will never secede us. Whether in or outside Somalia, Qabiil is the only thing that still withstands and rules. Untill and unless this is eradicated and stripped off our souls, untill we lose complete identity of who we are and where we come from, then and only then would we be able to form a stable govenrment ruled by Islamic judicial System. Insha-Allah!

"Each One Reach One, Each One Teach One" thats how we can educate one another about Islam and thus build up a strong Islamic Community. Most Somalis are today described as "Contemporary Muslims". The country which was once 100% Islamic State, where the Islamic Judicial System was in place is now infiltrated by murderers, rapists, christians and many somalis now preachign and spreading Christianity in full swing. If we want to build an Islami Society, then we must start with our own! To-day somalia is filled with wine cellars, brothels and postitution centres, while almost 20% females were/are subject to rape and abduction. Is that Islamic? and yet we call ourselves an "Islamic State" May Allah lift this curse from our people and guide us to the right Path! Amiin Ya Rabb!

Beautiful Pictures Indeed!

Salaam! Magnoona...! Keefak 7abibti! bet you can't remember who this is!!