Salams, Inshallah I agree with your friend about having that vision interms of what career path you want to seek and why and what is inshallah the goal you want to reach? What do you want to accomplish? The vision for me inshallah comes from the deen. The basic message and vision of Islam is that we all belong to Allah and we will all return to HIM. What career can I seek that will inshallah parallel with the deen? Most of us in here live int the western hemisphere, in nonmuslim lands. There are no Islamic communities here, if you really sized things up. What you have are pockets of muslims and some local prayer center. To truly think about a career path, you have to first think of how that career will best help you in 1) Working on yourself (Nafs) -What is your niyah (intention) going into the job? Is it a mixed intention? -Will it take you from your deen? -Will the occupation interfere with your basic ibada's? - Can the job give you basic sustanance for you and a family? 2) Work for the smaller muslim community -How will the job benefit your children, parents and the muslim community around you? (Remember, everything is interlinked and that what you do effects Yourself, Family, Muslim Community and the Ummah!) For me inshallah, Barakah (divin grace)comes from knowing that I WORK TO LIVE AND NOT LIVE TO WORK. The latter is what modern society teaches you. As long as I maintain this vision that co-relates my career to my purpose of my existence (which is to return to Allah in the best possible way that I can!), then there will be Barakah in my work and I will succeed. Given this, it doesn't mean that I will go and open another halal meat shop or drive a taxi Inshallah, we live in the western hempishere and we have to some what operate and play by their rules but at the sametime remain TRUE to Allah. A very difficult thing to do. We have to find a career that brings us the best qualities in us and that we can excel in. You can succeed in anything inshallah. However, my personal recommandation inshallah is that you probably do need a post secondary education (as I have come to find out). This is the basic requirement. Next you will need a certification of some sorts. This is what most employers look at when reviewing applicants (If u don't have any experience or minimal experience!). Inshallah, I want to become a Financial Consultant in the near and not to distant future. This probably means that I will need to finish the CFA designation. Through patience and persistence (and alot of frustration!), inshallah this will be achieved. I hope inshallah that my career will allow me to own a majority stake in my financial Consultant Corporation so that I can train and hire others who have been at a disadvantage and inshallah give to the muslim community. However, If my career ends up hurting my deen, then inshallah I would have to look at something else (Easily said but very, very difficult to do!). The prophet (salallah aliyahe wasalim) indicated that if a person goes for their akhirah, then they lose their dunya and if a person goes for their dunya then they lose their akhirah. Meaning that it is very difficult to hold a balance between the two. One must overtake the other and this will hurt one of the two.

Salams, Inshallah I agree with your friend about having that vision interms of what career path you want to seek and why and what is inshallah the goal you want to reach? What do you want to accomplish? The vision for me inshallah comes from the deen. The basic message and vision of Islam is that we all belong to Allah and we will all return to HIM. What career can I seek that will inshallah parallel with the deen? Most of us in here live int the western hemisphere, in nonmuslim lands. There are no Islamic communities here, if you really sized things up. What you have are pockets of muslims and some local prayer center. To truly think about a career path, you have to first think of how that career will best help you in 1) Working on yourself (Nafs) -What is your niyah (intention) going into the job? Is it a mixed intention? -Will it take you from your deen? -Will the occupation interfere with your basic ibada's? - Can the job give you basic sustanance for you and a family? 2) Work for the smaller muslim community -How will the job benefit your children, parents and the muslim community around you? (Remember, everything is interlinked and that what you do effects Yourself, Family, Muslim Community and the Ummah!) For me inshallah, Barakah (divin grace)comes from knowing that I WORK TO LIVE AND NOT LIVE TO WORK. The latter is what modern society teaches you. As long as I maintain this vision that co-relates my career to my purpose of my existence (which is to return to Allah in the best possible way that I can!), then there will be Barakah in my work and I will succeed. Given this, it doesn't mean that I will go and open another halal meat shop or drive a taxi Inshallah, we live in the western hempishere and we have to some what operate and play by their rules but at the sametime remain TRUE to Allah. A very difficult thing to do. We have to find a career that brings us the best qualities in us and that we can excel in. You can succeed in anything inshallah. However, my personal recommandation inshallah is that you probably do need a post secondary education (as I have come to find out). This is the basic requirement. Next you will need a certification of some sorts. This is what most employers look at when reviewing applicants (If u don't have any experience or minimal experience!). Inshallah, I want to become a Financial Consultant in the near and not to distant future. This probably means that I will need to finish the CFA designation. Through patience and persistence (and alot of frustration!), inshallah this will be achieved. I hope inshallah that my career will allow me to own a majority stake in my financial Consultant Corporation so that I can train and hire others who have been at a disadvantage and inshallah give to the muslim community. However, If my career ends up hurting my deen, then inshallah I would have to look at something else (Easily said but very, very difficult to do!). The prophet (salallah aliyahe wasalim) indicated that if a person goes for their akhirah, then they lose their dunya and if a person goes for their dunya then they lose their akhirah. Meaning that it is very difficult to hold a balance between the two. One must overtake the other and this will hurt one of the two.

Salaams, I was elated to find that the site was back, up and running. I remember one comment one person or more said stating that this site would not last much like other somali oriented sites. Alhamidullah, it has come back on. The improvements are very noticable!

How about the reputation as a WOMENNNNN Wants THIS, THAT and the OTHER Thing and is never satisfied! Will always be critcal of you even if you bought two moons for her!!!

SAMIGYRLLLLL, I would pimp slap you for saying what you said if I was your mother but I am not. So I'll bust a lawsuite against you like a well bred white man for libel. You are right in asking the question and my answer is the those somali shiekhs and muslims where not really true to their deen. Tribalism came first, then their Islam. I posted a question in the regular forum asking 'What you identify yourself with the most' I.e. 1. Muslim 2. Somali etc. and those somali shiekh types that I mentioned would have replied i.e. 1. Ogadayen 2. Ina (whomever) and maybe 3. Muslim How mixed up people are and no matter how much you tell them them that the Sun sets in the West, they will tell you that it sets in the East.

"Life is avoidance of greater thhings; to appreciate this premise one needs to stand back from reality and reflect from afar. To care free from the world is to taste the sweetness that life brings. To feel is great but to BE is the true attainment of happiness. Is the avoidance of a physical nature? A physical seperation? What do you mean by to BE? What do you want to BE? Your story is a bit difficult to follow because its not Linear and acute! oh by they why, What does Sophist mean?

"Rushdie affair, Bin Laden, the war in Afghanistan and the Iraq conflict have all threatened to place British Islam beyond respectability. Yet at each turn he brandishes his Koran to rally his community around non-violence, tolerance and loyal British citizenship. If any muslim alim or leader claims loyality to any non-islamic nation and says that the Quran is agreeable to the values and actions of that State. Then such a person who is trying justify the actions of the kufar and their secular, liberal and imperialistic values is in line with the Quran and Islam is simply being a Shatan and causing the Ummah serious damage. September 11 was "a violation of Islamic laws and ethics", he declared after the attack. He has urged Muslim British soldiers to obey their commanders against Saddam Hussein and ridiculed claims that 7,000 British Muslims would fight alongside the Taliban. "I said that if they could find seven, I would give them a medal. In fact, not a single British Muslim fought against the British forces - the only ones who went there were on humanitarian work." When Bin Laden issued a fatwa on Americans, he dismissed it as being without religious authority and declared acerbically: "Fatwas have become a cheap business. Since Ayatollah Khomeini issued his against Salman Rushdie, everyone has opened a fatwa shop." It is 14 years since Bradford's Muslims publicly burned Rushdie's novel, The Satanic Verses. It set their community on a collision course with liberal Britain and brought Badawi to prominence as he urged Muslims to spurn the book but save the man. He broke ranks - leading him to fear for his own life - and declared on television that if Rushdie was being chased and knocked at his door, he would give him refuge. " Giving refuge to someone that has openly insulted the rasul (salallahu caliyhe wa salim) and has committed blasphemy in Islam would be considered a negative reflection of that person giving refuge to say the least. One question: Is this British Badawi guy friends with Kabbani?

This is a question dealing with Islamic Theology and the different schools of Aqeedah. Most muslims follow the Ashari aqeedah and its followers believe that they will see Allah in the akhera (the afterlife) and not in this world. Some think that Allah is somewhere on his throne and checking over creation. There is another school of thought that says that Allah is everywhere and yes we can see HIM. We see Allah everyday through his different attributes (the 99 names) in everything. Everything is a reminder of Allah and a manifestation of Allah. However, we can never know the Essence of Allah cause that only Allah knows. Inshallah, the later is the school of thought that I follow. 'When musa came to the appointed place by US, and his Lord addressed him, He said "O, My Lord! Show theyself to me, That I may look upon thee" God said "By no means Can thou see Me (direct)..." Sura Al-ARAF 7:143

For those of you who said that they identify themselves most as HUMAN when responding to the question of What you identify yourself with (e.g. culture,nation,group etc.)? I will say this, your answers reflect who you are and your level of intelligence! NUFF SAID

DID YOU JUST WATCH 'MINORITY REPORT'? ARE YOU WORKING FOR THEM??? Why do you think that someone would incriminate themselves by telling you or anyone else who they would shoot? Just how much are they paying you??? Why don't you give the rest of the nomads on here your response to your own question?

My three shilingssss aka Two Cents on this for the brother First of all, what are your attachments to her based on? If its based on your personal emotions and the illusions of the grandeur of Love, then let me tell you this walaal- WAKKKKE UPPPPP!!!! You have to evaluate things inshallah not on the bases of your feelingsss but with the BIGGER PICTURE in mind i.e How will this effect you in the long run? Your relations with family? Your Deen? and etc. Love is something temporal and it changes very often. It is also very Self-serving to your Nafs and Ego. If you base your relation with someone based on the fact that you have a good time with them, then you are setting yourself up for some serious RUDE AWAKING!!! You have to see things for what they are. On what basis are you measuring the sister? I have experienced some of the same emotions inshallah that you might be going through and the whole time, I was fooling myself. This is what I have come to realize now and not then. You might like something that is not Good for you, But Allah knows whats best for you This is from a verse from the quran and it deals with the believers going to war and Allah tells them to go to war even though that they might not like to. The theme of this ayat is that Allah knows whats best for you. You might want something that you might like but you don't know if thats best for you. Often as humans, we tend to convince ourselves that something is good for us because we simply happen to like it. When wanting anything in life, inshallah make du'a that if its the best thing for you, that Allah grants that thing to you and if it will do you harm, that Allah takes it away from you.

For those fools who identifying themselves with themselves first and foremostly-you are FOOLSSSS!!! :rolleyes: You are not a seperate entity. Our identities are shaped by external influences. What community do you identify with the most? No being/person creates their own identity. You identity is formed by your thoughts and experiences that are nurtured by your environment.

Salams, This is a theological question-Can you see Allah?

If someone asks you what are you? What do you say in response? This is a question of identity and what you identify yourself with the most. Khayr 1. Muslim 2. Then Somali 3. Black Please list your responses in descending order (1 being the Most etc.)like I have shown.

:mad: Subhanallah, Br. Taqwa inshallah was starting this email list so as to communicate with other brothers and share some discussions about alim ad-deen and to give naseexa (ADVICE). Some sister pops in here and tries to object to it. Do you think that any sensible brother would have a problem if a sister had a similiar request for sisters??? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO So then, why can't you accept things and let the brothers have their own email list group that Br. Taqwa wants to start. Females were not going to be included not because the brother hates Women but because inshallah he wants to try to this with other brothers only. If u want to get into gender issues and you have a problem with being a women sister, then so be it. However, please don't try to undermine any efforts that Br. Taqwa or anyone else in here, towards positive communication. Br. Taqwa, walaal don't be discourged by the questioning of antagonistic people. Pick yourself up and do what you came to do. Don't be discouragedddddd!!!!

Salams, I was at a lecture and I heard a shiekh say something very interesting. The shiekh said that in recent times, we have had muslims migrating to the lands of their former colonialists. For example the Moroccans and other North African muslims migrating to France; Pakistani, Indian and Somalis migrating to England and the rest of Europe as well as North America and etc. The colonialists left the muslim lands yet the muslims returned to them for 'Refuge'. It is a very sad testment on how the Ummah has become. For Somalis to run to the British and Americans whom had conquered them and to even rename part of Somalia as 'SomaliLand' (the same name that the British gave to Somalia' is really sadding and shows how disgraceful the people have become. Disgraceful to whom or what u might ask? To the deen al-islam and the ummah of sayyidna Muhamed (Salallahu caliyahe wasalim).

Ok, I can't believe no one mentioned this show but I'm sure everyone here can name at least 4 or 5 characters from the SIMPSONSSSSS. 1. Simpsons 2. Seinfeld 3. Crocadile Hunter 'Get a load of dis, WOWWW!'

Only Allah knows for Sure, but it looks like things will stay the way they are interms of the 'Superpower'. Its the time of the Dajjal and as we have come witness to in the last yr. The dajjal has a foot hold on eveyr corner of the world. English is the language of the internet and is taught in most countries at the academic level. We have masses of people immgrating to it and te offsprings of these immigrant communities will only be speaking English. The present Superpower is here to stay and no one can do the massive job that they have done. The world depends on them and they are twice as cunning as their neighbour. This superpower has dominated the world through propagating its culture via television and internet. If you advertise for what the people want, they will be your friends and this is what they do so well. Instill all types of false ism's i.e. Liberalism, Freedom, Individualism etc. into peoples minds. If you can control a person's desires and thoughts, then you have got them cornered!!! China or India can not become a super power because there people are envious of the West. How many cadhan's do you know that want to become Chinese or Indian or love to live a chinese or indian lifestyle??? But vice versa, u got a larger numbers of admirers of the Western Culture don't you?

Salams, I was looking for a thread with the above title but haven't found one. Inhsallah, I have two new years resolutions in the immediate work. One of them involves not trimming my beard until it grows the allowable length by the 4 sunni fiqh madhabs-a handful. Meaning, gripped by the entire length of the hand. Anyways the niyah for this is because it will inshallah get me away from thinking about the dunya and mundane issues, and concentrating on my salvation. Another resolution is to minimalize listening to SECULAR MUSIC i.e. Hiphop, reggae, egyptian and somali love songs etc.. Subhanallah, I never realized how much damage it could do to your soul until I was going through some of my old tapes wherein I found some parts of islamic songs and khutabs deleted with some hiphop or R&B tunes. These tunes, the more you listen to them, the more you become a part of them. Its like something whispering to you in the morning and by night time you're convinced that the whisper could do you no harm and your start to head to where its been suggesting to you since the morning. Before you know it, you're somewhere in the evening were you where against going-in the morning! Question-If you any of you fullfilled a new yrs resolution and still have kept it to this day in the past? What are your new yrs resolution and how do you expect to keep them? What do you hope inshallah that that resolution will lead to?

Salams, Excellent examples Muraad. In the Ahl al Shia madhabs, mainly the 12 imams, they believe that only people from the ahl-al bait and its decendants can be muslim leaders. In particular, only the 12th Imam, the Mahdi. But this was changed somewhat by the Imam Khomeni who introduced new ideas and concepts. Inshallah, according to sunni madhabs those are some of the ways (though I don't think that Ali ibn Talib would have just decided to become Khalifah based on what the majority of people said. Ali was the most idealistic out of all the khalifahs and I don't think that he would have done something based on the voice the people.) However, there is also divine decree. In many established tariqas around the muslim world, there muslim community/tariqa was begun by a shiekh who had followers. Followers that have come to know that shiekh as their teacher, leader and Imam. The people developed a strong bond to their shiekh. Usually the shiekh sifts out those that he wants to lead and initiate into his circle/community. This process is done in halqaa and jamaat. Were in groups of muslims gather together to grow in deen and iman with a proper understanding of the Vision of Islam. When the Vision is their, then the understanding comes and then hearts become binded closer, inshallah. In the local masjids today, this is not the pattern that is followed and thats why you have fragmented people in these mosques that are only packed on ramadan or jummah. When people in Somalia or any other nation look at trying to establish change, they always look for 'quick fixes' and often in the wrong direction. What I have desribed above has been followed arethe various tariqas, the various islamic movements around the world etc. they have followed this pattern. They all might have had different Visions of Islam but in terms of establishing a muslim community and leadership, they went about it the classical way. I know that with a few lines these ideas can not be summed up but inshallah, I hope that this is a start to a center.

Salams, I think that people come in here to drop there two shilings (aka two cents) and the more people come in here, the more that these forums will become over saturated with repeated and self-serving. Some people just want to start topics because they feel that they there idea or question deserves more attention. Alhamdillah, there are many forums on somalia online and each forum attracts a particular mind set of people. Its too be expected that more people will be joining somalionline and we might lose some of the quality discussions that we have had in the past. I just wish that people like you would come on the chat room so that we can have healthy live debates. Does the chat room work now by the way?

Salams, With respect to the issue of Causality and philosophic as well as physics arguments i.e. In the past cotton near a flame always results in the cotton burning....The next time cotton is placed near a flame it will burn or Premise1: All As observed before time t have been followed by B Conclusion: The first A observed after time t will be followed by B These arguments discard and ignore the will of Allah. They think that we humans have a definite knowledge of things because A has lead to D in the past. Man does not have definite and certain knowledge. 'Only God is the source of yaqqini (Certainty) knowledge.' Imam Ghazzli argues that 'there is no necessary link causing nature to continue to be uniform. In fact the uniformity of nature can be suspended if God so wills.' Causality is a huge issue in science because they try to disregard the will of Allah with their limited arguments. This is probably one of the kernels of Scientism and all the shirk that it brings with it. By the way, I think that the muslim philospher that your professor used was Averros (Ibn Rashud. I'm glad that Jazeera asked those questions and inshallah that we are using this forum to generate good Q & A's. I can't find people in the local masjids willing to discuss these topics from a classical islamic perspective such as the one that I have pointed out.

'WE ROLLLLLL DEEEP EVERYDAY' I swear Master P took that from some Farax in Nah oleans! LOLLLLLL When you hear someone saying that their is a somali wedding going on, do people ask who's wedding is it or where's the wedding at and can I get a ride there??? LOLLLLL

Salams Ya Akhwani, You know there are many muslims who have this notion about Shura in Islam and how it encompasses some of the principles and practices of democracy. In this lays great confusion because a Shura consists of people that are chosen by the Imam and not the people. The Imam/Amir in any jammat or Dar-al Islam (e.g. Iran during the Ayotallah's reign) and in classical islamic history, the rasul's (salallahu caliyhe wa salim) shura which was composed of the most senior sahaba. When matters dealing with areas such as what to do for a particular battle or who to send to the next town for dawah and etc., rasul(salallahu caliyhe wa salim) did not call up the people of Medina for advice, but rather for the Shura, which he called up and hand picked. This Shura consisted of the Senior Sahaba. Likewise, in modern times, the Ayotallah did the similiar thing. The people never elect the Shura members so its not democratic. However, these Shura members have their own bodies of people that have influence over and control and they talk with the leaders of those small groups. Islam is Hierarchal and not Democractic by any means or modality. Many muslim modern thinkers try to shape Democracy and 'Islamizes it'. However you can't make something apart of Islam that was meant to kill Religion/Deen. Democracy puts the rule of the people above all else. Islam puts the rule of God's law, the Shariah (which consists of the Quran, Sunnah and the interpretations of the Ulama based on them) above all else. Islam is not a Dictatorship in the sense that the Ummah follows the whims and orders of a Leader based on that leaders personal agenda void of the niyah fillah to do things. Islam is a Theo-memocracy as a shiekh once told me. The Imam is not chosen by the people by the way but through either by the previous Imam who has passed away or the Shura (of who usually one of the them is elected e.g. Abu Baker as-siddiq and the majlis shura meeting after rasul (salallahu caliyhe wa salim)had passed away). I remeber when I was younger, 9 or so and my father use to take me to somali organized demonstrations and tell me to yell 'Democracy YES, Dictatorship NO', all to show disapproval for Siyad Barri and the civil war. What about the Shariah and going back the deen? The people at such rallies would say something like 'Well the deen is all fine, we can incorporate that in by not after some Somali Nationalism done with Democracy, then we can pick and chose what part of the Deen we can use.' This is what I use hear (not in the same words ofcourse, but in the same overall tone and spirit. :rolleyes: 'The battle is a battle of IDEAS and not swords or bombs because the latter we can easily be crushed but the former we have Islam which is immutable and doesn't change with Time. Rather MANKIND, changes with TIME.'

Salams, Have u ever encountered someone who is of the academia and is well versed in a particular science/field of knowlesge or is familiar with many books and arguments but subhanallah, they can not come to realize the TRUTH. They can not bow their head down to Allah and follow a particular DEEN. I have encountered people that even if you whip out at them every proof, every intellectual argument to them, they would try to produce a counter argument to it. Why? Because they only want to see things how they perceive it to be and they think that is the right view of things. This is worshipping your Hawa (Your thoughts and whim!). Subhanallah, how dare they tell us that modern man has suddenly discovered WISDOM and TRUTH which the rest of Civilization as long as Earth was created couldn't come to actualize. We live in an age and time wherein this is rampant. Knowledge is abundant in the lands but Understanding and Spiritual Realization that Man was made to Worship Allah and for no other purpose, is very minimal. It was the Hikmah of Allah that he sent the deen of Islam, the Revelation to an Illiterate,Unlettered Man. This Unlettered Man, Habib Allah Muhamed (salallahu caliyhe wa salim) is the greatest of Allah's creations. The fact that the Muhamed (salallahu caliyhe wa salim) was illiterate should be a reminder to every pseudo-intellectual, religion rationalizin, self-spiritualized person; that Intelligence lies in knowing that Man was created for Heaven and is temporarily in this world to worship Allah, The Divine. 'Allah guides whom He wants to guide' 'Islam is Super-rational not rational' Have some of the other nomads on here encountered such people and come to a similiar realization?